After Emperor An finished speaking, he immediately asked, "Do you know now?"

"Understood, Father!"

Su Mochen wasn't someone who disregarded the bigger picture. Although she felt that this kind of task wasn't much of a task, and that it made no difference whether she spent half a day more or less time visiting, she couldn't very well embarrass her father in front of outsiders, could she?

Then he said, "Father, I was being willful! I didn't know that Empress Yueyao and my junior brother had missions to fulfill, so I thought of inviting my junior brother to Fuchen Palace to discuss matters concerning our sect! Since my junior brother has missions to fulfill, I naturally cannot keep him here!"

"Good, Mo Chen is the most sensible one!"

Su Mochen was very sensible; her answer was so tactful that it wouldn't embarrass him. Emperor An was pleased.

"In that case, Mo Chen, please allow President Jing and Empress Yueyao to leave the palace first!"

"Father, you are busy with affairs of state all day long. Why don't you go back and deal with important matters of the court first? I hit it off with Empress Yueyao at first sight. Let me say a few words before I go back!"

"this…"

Seeing Jing Zhe's pleading eyes, Emperor An prepared to refuse and take Su Mochen back with him.

Unexpectedly, Murong Xi spoke up: "Your Majesty, Princess Mo Chen is right. I hit it off with her at first sight. What's wrong with exchanging a few words? Surely Princess Mo Chen wouldn't go back on her word?"

"Hehe, Your Majesty is joking. I am certainly not a person who goes back on his word. As for the others, I do not know them!"

"..."

In front of Emperor An, the two women clashed again. How could Jing Zhe dare to let Emperor An leave under such circumstances?

However, since the two women had said so, it would seem petty for Emperor An to force Su Mochen to stay or take him away if he insisted on it. He looked at Jing Zhe with sympathy, then waved his hand and said, "In that case, I will go back first. Mochen, don't talk to the Empress for too long, so as not to delay the task I assigned to President Jing!"

"Father, don't worry!"

Su Mochen smiled sweetly and watched Emperor An leave.

Once Emperor An's figure had completely disappeared from sight, Su Mochen turned around, the smile on his face long gone.

She stepped forward to Jing Zhe's side, then reached out and patted the spot where Murong Xi had just linked arms with him, as if it were dirty. Murong Xi frowned upon seeing this.

Su Mochen wins this round.

...

"So this is the mission you were talking about outside the main hall?"

At this moment, Su Mochen no longer had the aggressive demeanor he had just displayed. Instead, he became incredibly gentle, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

"yes!"

Jing Zhe nodded.

"Since this was arranged by Father Emperor, why didn't you say so earlier? You just made me misunderstand!"

Su Mochen reached out and tapped Jing Zhe's forehead, exuding charm.

"Um... I was in such a rush, I forgot!"

Jing Zhe chuckled awkwardly.

Su Mochen didn't care at all, and then generously took Jing Zhe's arm, looking at Murong Xi and saying, "Your Majesty, if you had said earlier that he was only accompanying you to complete Father's mission, then why would I have stopped you?"

"..."

Murong Xi stared intently at the spot where Su Mochen was linking arms with Jing Zhe. It was the spot where she had just been holding onto the arm a moment ago. Su Mochen had patted it, and then she had linked arms with Jing Zhe again right in front of her—what was she doing? She was clearly showing off!

Therefore, Murong Xi's gaze was sharp, and she did not reply. Her competitive spirit and fighting desire as a woman immediately returned.

Su Mochen was not angry because Murong Xi did not reply. On the contrary, she was even more excited when she saw the anger in Murong Xi's eyes!

Then she shook Jing Zhe's arm again, and said with a half-smile, "But Your Majesty, I have something to remind you!"

Murong Xi raised his eyes and said coldly, "I am all ears!"

"I have never been to your Yueyao Kingdom, so I am not very familiar with its customs. However, I have heard that Yueyao Kingdom is a matriarchal society with many women, so perhaps it has some customs that our An Kingdom does not have and that are difficult to understand."

"..."

Murong Xi knew that Su Mochen wouldn't speak without reason, so she thought for a moment before saying, "For example?"

"For example, the Empress just took his arm!"

Su Mochen first looked at Jing Zhe with an "innocent" expression, and then continued, "Perhaps this is a custom in Yueyao Kingdom? And judging from how skilled the Empress was just now, she must have linked arms with many men like this in Yueyao Kingdom, right?"

"..."

To kill someone, you must first destroy their spirit; that's roughly how Su Mochen is now.

Seeing Murong Xi's brows furrow tightly, Su Mochen became even more excited: "However, Yueyao Kingdom is Yueyao Kingdom, and An Kingdom is An Kingdom. The customs of the two places are different. Your Majesty must do as the Romans do! Moreover, in An Kingdom, no woman can casually take a man's arm. I can understand that this is the custom of Yueyao Kingdom, but what about other people who see it?"

It's said that Empress Yueyao, as the ruler of a nation, behaves so licentiously and improperly—oh, Your Majesty, please don't be angry. I was referring to other people's opinions, not mine.

"..."

Su Mochen finished speaking with a smile, while Murong Xi was already furious!

What do other people think?

I can clearly see that it's yours!

Damn it! Murong Xi never dreamed that one day she would be called promiscuous and immoral. When did she— She stopped halfway through her thought and froze again.

If we really consider what happened in the Western Frontier tent outside Liangzhou City, and yesterday in the Wenxiangju room, when Jing Zhe groped her and gradually conquered her without her resisting, what else could this be but debauchery and indiscretion?

Just as she was feeling sorry for herself, Murong Xi's eyes suddenly lit up: He's the person I like! Even though we may never be together, that doesn't change the fact that I like him!

Isn't it normal to act like this with someone you like?

Thinking of this, Murong Xi finally felt relieved.

Previously, even if certain thoughts were just beginning to sprout in her mind, Murong Xi would quickly nip them in the bud. However, under Su Mochen's provocation and with the impetus of leaving Jingzhou, Murong Xi was finally able to face her inner self!

Murong Xi sneered inwardly, but her face remained relaxed as she smiled and said, "Princess Mo Chen is right. Since we've arrived in a new place, we should adapt to local customs!"

"Um…"

Su Mochen had just nodded when Murong Xi smiled smugly, then changed the subject: "However, since I came to Anguo, I have already adapted to the local customs!"

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do?"

Su Mochen sneered: "It seems the Empress doesn't quite understand the customs of our An Kingdom! As the saying goes, men and women should not touch each other. In our An Kingdom, no woman would casually take a man's arm!"

We've touched each other, hugged each other, and kissed each other, so what's the big deal about not being intimate?

Thinking this to herself, she fixed her gaze on Su Mochen and said, "If that's the case, then what's going on with Princess Mochen?"

"..."

————