The words fell heavily, and both Su An and Chu Yi were taken aback.

"..." Su An's eyelashes trembled silently, as if a basin of cold water had poured down on her, swallowing all the words she hadn't said.

Chu Yi's expression also turned sour for a moment. He stroked the dragon-patterned thumb ring on his thumb and asked with a puzzled smile, "Why did you refuse, Imperial Uncle? Could it be that I've been presumptuous and misunderstood your relationship?"

Fu Zhun pursed his thin lips slightly and first looked at Su An.

Su An calmly lowered her eyes and didn't speak again. From this angle, all that could be seen were her slender fingers clenched tightly as if she were enduring something.

Fu Zhun's eyes darkened, and he forced himself to look away. However, the disappointment in his heart spread from his heart, adding a touch of bitterness to his mouth.

He is now in a precarious situation, feared by the emperor and terrified by the corrupt officials. It is a time of great upheaval.

The emperor's bestowal of a marriage was nothing more than an attempt to expose his weakness to the world; how could he possibly allow it?

Moreover, he was even less willing to make Su An a concubine.

"I appreciate Your Majesty's kind offer, but I have no plans to marry at the moment," Fu Zhun said after a pause, his dark eyes unreadable.

The low, cool voice slowly reached Su An's ears. She breathed a silent sigh of relief, but could no longer control the sense of melancholy in her heart.

No, what is she disappointed about?

Anyway, it was destined that she and Fu Zhun could never be together, so it's better to be upfront about it now!

Just as Su An was thinking this, he suddenly heard the emperor sigh with regret: "So that's how it is. Your Highness has no intention of getting married. Could it be that you still have your eye on the daughter of the Duke of Anguo?"

Upon hearing this, Su An was taken aback again.

Fu Zhun's expression suddenly turned cold, and the air around him seemed to drop to freezing point.

Chu Yi seemed oblivious, still squinting and nodding to himself as he spoke:

"Indeed, that Miss Li was a stunning beauty and the fiancée bestowed by the late emperor. It's a pity that the royal uncle was rejected by the Li family after he became crippled. It's only natural that he still has feelings for her."

"It's said that Miss Li is still unmarried and has countless suitors. If you're interested, Uncle, you'd better put in a good effort when you get back..."

Su An could barely hear what was said after that; she only felt a sour feeling well up in her heart, and her vision blurred for a moment.

Haha, I knew it...

How could such a noble and upright God of Wealth possibly lower himself to look upon me?

Fortunately, she was clever and didn't have any thoughts of marrying up!

Su An tried her best to keep her head down, hiding her slightly sore eyes.

Little did she know that when Fu Zhun saw her like this, his already cold expression instantly darkened, becoming inexplicably gloomy.

The emperor was about to continue his spiel when he gripped the armrest tightly and said sternly, "Your Majesty, instead of indulging in women's pleasures, you should focus on governing diligently, rectifying the laws and regulations, and understanding the people's grievances!"

Chu Yi choked, feeling utterly humiliated by being reprimanded in such a harsh tone in public. As the ruler of a nation, he instantly lost face.

He suppressed his annoyance and said with a forced smile, "Why does Your Highness say such things? I have already assumed personal rule, and I even go on incognito visits to understand the people's plight and care for their lives. Why do I need Your Highness to point fingers at me?"

He even changed his address for the Imperial Uncle, emphasizing the words "Regent," and anyone could hear the suppressed anger in his voice.

Fu Hai, standing beside him, trembled and nearly knelt down, glancing at Fu Zhun with increasing apprehension.

Fu Zhun remained calm, coldly raising his eyes and saying, "I am merely fulfilling my duty as a subject, living up to the late emperor's trust, and offering loyal advice to the ruler."

Chu Yi, unable to bear it any longer, slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage.

The late emperor, the late emperor, they're using the late emperor to pressure him again!

The loud bang startled Su An, who looked up in confusion.

What happened? Why did they start arguing out of nowhere?

She glanced at Fu Zhun with worry and nervousness. This was the emperor, after all, the kind of emperor whose anger could cause bloodshed for miles!

And it might even affect your own small shop!

Su An immediately shuddered and forced a fake smile, his tone slightly stiff as he said, "Well, let's talk this out. We're family, no need for formalities, haha..."

Fu Hai seized the opportunity to step forward and cautiously whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, a wise man doesn't suffer a loss now. It's better to be patient and let things settle down. It's not the right time to turn against us!"

Chu Yi was well aware of this, and after a moment of impotent rage, he finally gritted his teeth and gave up.

He suppressed the resentment in his eyes and instructed Su An, "I have decided to stay here for a couple more days. Boss, please make arrangements and clear out a few rooms for me. I will make do with staying at this shop."

Upon hearing this, Su An's eyes widened in shock. How did this get back to him?!

Before he could even think of what to say, Fu Zhun immediately said coldly, "No."

"Your Majesty is busy with many affairs of state. How can you linger in the countryside? You should return to the palace as soon as possible to handle state affairs."

After being refuted time and again, Chu Yi's handsome face flushed slightly with anger. He plopped back down in his seat, gritting his teeth.

"Since the Regent is living a carefree life here, I will stay a few more days. If there are any political matters to discuss, I can consult with the Regent!"

After saying that, he snorted coldly and looked at Su An again, unable to hold back his anger and venting it on her, "Why is the boss dawdling and not going yet?"

Su An: "..."

Was it her imagination? Why was the emperor acting like a spoiled, unruly child?

Despite the displeased gaze, Su An cleared his throat and put on an apologetic expression.

"Your Majesty, you are unaware of the situation. There are many people around here, and I am staying with the servants in the shop. I fear that this would disturb Your Majesty, and it is absolutely not suitable for me."

Just kidding, if the emperor were to live at home, he might lose his head at any moment.

Upon seeing Su An's refusal, Chu Yi's expression turned even more unpleasant. "How dare you defy the imperial decree! Believe me, I will punish you!"

Su An couldn't help but twitch his lips. What the hell... what happened to the family we were supposed to be?

She gritted her teeth and was about to kneel down to beg for forgiveness.

Fu Zhun arrived unnoticed, raised his hand to steady her, and then glanced at the emperor with his cold black eyes: "Su An was worried about disturbing Your Majesty, so she declined. Your Majesty must not act willfully and delay the people's livelihood."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Chu Yi's eyes shifted several times before he angrily flicked his sleeve and strode out.

"If you won't wait for me, I'll find an inn to stay in myself!"

Seeing this, Fu Hai quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and followed.

Fu Zhun squinted at their departing figures and whispered, "An Yi, follow them closely."

Outside the window, a hidden figure sped off in pursuit.

"..." Su An watched this scene silently, wisely keeping quiet.

Goodness, I'd be grateful if she stumbled upon any royal secrets and got murdered to silence her!

Before long, Fu Hai had booked the best inn in the county and respectfully served the emperor as he entered his room.

"Get out of here, go and call Cheng Chang in!" Chu Yi roared impatiently as soon as he entered the room.

Cheng Chang was his trusted bodyguard and his right-hand man; Chu Yi could only feel at ease with him around.

After entering the room, Cheng Chang immediately closed the doors and windows, and then solemnly reported, "As Your Majesty predicted, the Regent Prince has indeed sent people to follow us!"

Chu Yi stopped pretending; his face was sinister and mocking, and he couldn't help but sneer.

"What a regent! What a royal uncle! Now he dares to openly deceive the emperor and spy on me. In the future, he will dare to force the emperor to abdicate and usurp the throne!"