Even though she was unwilling, she dared not disobey Prime Minister Jian, so she slunk back the way she came.

At the same time, the emperor summoned Xiahou Riyue.

"Xiahou Riyue, do you think you have too long a life ahead of you?"

"What is Your Majesty saying? I don't understand," Xiahou Riyue said respectfully, his attitude impeccable.

The emperor looked down at him, his imposing aura radiating outwards: "Did I ever say that you must never return to the capital without my summons?"

Xiahou Riyue nodded and said, "That's right, His Majesty did say that, and I have always kept it in mind."

The emperor was amused and exasperated: "Remember it? Then why did you come to the capital without permission?!"

Xiahou Riyue calmly replied, "My mother is ill, and I have come to visit her. Does Your Majesty not allow me to fulfill my filial duty?"

The emperor gritted his teeth and said nothing more.

If Xiahou Riyue were to enter the capital without permission for any other reason, he would have grounds to punish him, but he could not fulfill his filial duty.

Since the reign of Emperor Taizu of this dynasty, a decree has been promulgated: Filial piety is the most important thing in all matters.

It means that everything else can take a backseat to filial piety.

If Xiahou Riyue really came back to visit his sick mother, he really couldn't stop him.

Otherwise, scholars and officials throughout the land would criticize him to death.

"How is your mother's health?" The emperor did his best to suppress his anger.

Xiahou Riyue cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My mother's health is improving day by day, and she should be fully recovered soon."

The emperor sneered, "Now that the old man is better, you should leave as soon as possible."

"I obey the order."

Xiahou Riyue waited for the emperor's next question, but after waiting for a long time without hearing it, he decided to end the conversation.

"Since Your Majesty has nothing else to say, I shall take my leave." Xiahou Riyue bowed deeply to the emperor and prepared to depart.

To everyone's surprise, the emperor said coldly, "Xiahou Riyue, she is not someone you can lay a finger on, otherwise I would have killed you."

A brief look of surprise flashed across Xiahou Riyue's face, but he quickly returned to normal.

It turned out that the emperor summoned him to the palace late at night mainly to say that last sentence.

"It is getting late, I shall take my leave." He walked out of the Golden Palace without looking back.

As soon as he stepped out, the emperor was so angry that he smashed a teacup.

He knew perfectly well that Xiahou Riyue had once again abducted Jian Yang, but he dared not confront him directly.

What good will a standoff do?

Jian Yang has legs; she chose to run herself. What right does he have to stop her?

Seeing the broken pieces on the ground, Eunuch Zhang said with heartache, "Your Majesty, this tea set was the Empress's favorite. Why do you have to be so upset about these things?"

The emperor was taken aback and quickly got up to pick up the porcelain shards from the ground himself.

“Let this servant handle this!” Eunuch Zhang quickly took the emperor’s place.

"Quickly, have the Imperial Household Department repair it!" The emperor looked at the pile of fragments with a anxious expression. "There must not be even the slightest crack."

Zhang Gonggong thought to himself, "You fell pretty hard just now, why are you panicking now?"

"Your Majesty, no matter how you repair broken ceramics, the marks will always be visible."

Upon hearing this, the emperor's eyes flickered slightly, and he fell into a daze.

Yes, no matter how much the rift between him and Jian Yang is repaired, it can never be the same as before.

Just like the sword she took for him, even with the most expensive scar removal medicine in the world, it still left a scar on her smooth and jade-like body.

These scars are not only on my body, but also on my heart.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," Eunuch Zhang waved his hand in front of the emperor, "What's wrong with you? Should I summon the imperial physician?"

The emperor regained his senses and said calmly, "I am fine. Since it cannot be repaired, then it will not be repaired."

Zhang Gonggong looked at him suspiciously, unsure if he would change his mind again later.

Suddenly, the emperor tightened his grip on his fingers and said in a deep voice, "Have the Imperial Household Department make a new set that is exactly the same!"

Eunuch Zhang laughed and said, "That's easy. This servant will go and deliver the decree right away."

Compared to repairing a bunch of fragments without leaving a trace, it's much simpler to re-fire teaware with the same glaze and pattern.

Xiahou Riyue was worried that the emperor would find out that he had taken Jian Yang away, so he tried to hide his whereabouts as much as possible in the first few days.

However, tonight he realized that the emperor was already aware of his actions, so he stopped hiding and swaggered back to the house where Jian Yang lived.

At this time of day, Jian Yang would usually be asleep, but tonight she was playing cards with the servants in the mansion, gambling away money with great enthusiasm.

Upon hearing that their master had returned, the servants scattered like birds and beasts, leaving Jian Yang alone, staring at the table full of mahjong tiles, looking as angry as a pufferfish.

She's about to win!

Xiahou Riyue's return was certainly ill-timed.

However, since she was now in a position of dependence, she dared not speak out against her anger and had to get up and properly receive the owner of the house.

"Does A-Yang know where I went last night?" Xiahou Riyue happily accepted the flower tea that Jian Yang had brewed and slowly took a sip.

Jian Yang was still thinking about the hand she was about to win, so she casually asked, "Could it be that you went gambling?"

Xiahou Riyue was speechless.

"I was summoned to the palace by the Emperor."

Jian Yang was horrified: "He doesn't know I'm hiding at your house again, does he?"

Xiahou Riyue nodded.

Jian Yang slumped into a chair, utterly dejected.

“I’m suddenly curious,” Xiahou Riyue said, “Do you still have feelings for the Emperor? If so, why did you fake your death in the first place?”

Jian Yang opened her mouth, her eyes flashing.

Finally, she said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this unpleasant topic. I'm suddenly feeling sleepy, so I'm going to sleep now. Lord Xiahou, you should go to sleep early too."

Two days later, Xiahou Riyue had everything prepared and finally sent her out of the capital.

I thought I would encounter obstacles along the way, but I got out of the city very smoothly.

It even went so smoothly that Jian Yang was somewhat disappointed.

That damned emperor didn't even leave a farewell message. How infuriating!

Perhaps it was her experience of being hunted down many times that honed her keen senses; as soon as she left the capital, she sensed that something was amiss.

Although she was no longer alone this time, with experts arranged by Xiahou Riyue and Jian Hong escorting her, Jian Yang was still unsure.

If there are ambushes along the way, then even having more experts won't help.

Out of fear of death, Jian Yang stopped the carriage.

"What are your orders, Miss?" asked the skilled driver disguised as a coachman.

"Back to the city."

Coachman: "???"

"You heard me right, I said go back to the city."

She figured it out: rather than being killed and left to rot in the wilderness far from the emperor's reach, she would rather hide in the capital and find the person who wanted to harm her!

Even if they can't find him, in this place where a shout will bring the city patrol to their rescue, the chances of survival are much better than outside.

So the coachman took her back to the capital and they stayed at an inn not far from the city gate.

That same day, Jian Yang found the beggar sunbathing at the foot of the city wall.