Upon hearing this, Yue Tianze and Ye Ming's expressions changed drastically. "It seems that the Emperor is deliberately trying to make an enemy of us?"

Mo Beichen was in a hurry to have lunch with Yun Qingluo, and directly instructed others:

"Someone, escort the two princes back to the post station so they can rest well."

After saying that, he turned and left.

An eunuch entered and led Yue Tianze and Ye Ming out of the palace.

Yue Tianze glanced at his father-in-law leading the way and made a gesture to Ye Ming.

Upon arriving at the post station, the father-in-law went back to report.

Ye Ming left his room and went into the room next door.

Inside the house, Yue Tianze was already waiting.

"It seems this gold mine is destined to be out of our reach." Yue Tianze poured Ye Ming a cup of tea and placed it in front of him.

Ye Ming said coldly, "If that doesn't work, then we'll just rob him. Anyway, we don't really want to negotiate with him. I don't believe that with the strength of our two countries, we can't defeat him."

“However, he also has the Tianlang Kingdom, which has already submitted to the Tianmo Kingdom and become a vassal state of the Tianmo Kingdom,” Yue Tianze said calmly.

Ye Ming lifted his eyelids and glanced at Yue Tianze. "What, are you scared?"

Yue Tianze smiled but remained silent.

The Imperial Palace, Chengqian Palace.

"Luo Luo, why aren't you eating first? It's my fault for being late." Mo Beichen stepped into Yun Qingluo's palace and saw Yun Qingluo sitting at the table waiting for him. He said to himself with remorse.

Upon hearing Mo Beichen's voice, Yun Qingluo stood up and turned around to find Mo Beichen already standing in front of her.

Yun Qingluo was about to bow when Mo Beichen pulled her hand and made her sit down again.

"I didn't wait long. I wasn't very hungry, so I thought we could eat together when you arrived. You need to eat well these next few days. There's always something to do, so you need to balance work and rest." Yun Qingluo smiled as she served food to Mo Beichen.

Mo Beichen skillfully picked up a shrimp, peeled it, and placed it in Yun Qingluo's bowl. "Good girl, I know, eat up."

"You should eat quickly too, then take a nap before looking at the memorials." Yun Qingluo said with a smile, then picked up a shrimp and put it in her mouth.

After lunch, the two of them strolled over to see Zeyan and Qianyue, and after putting the two children down for a nap, they returned to their bedroom.

Yun Qingluo forcefully dragged Mo Beichen to take a nap before letting him go to handle state affairs.

"Your Majesty, the dark circles under His Majesty's eyes have become quite severe lately; he's probably been sleeping very late every day," Yun Tao said as she brought tea to Yun Qingluo.

Yun Qingluo nodded. "Later, have the Imperial Study send over a bowl of ginseng soup. Judging from A-Chen's expression, things probably didn't go well today. He'll be busy these next few days."

Just a few days ago, I was thinking of leading people all over the country in morning exercises, but now that's been delayed.

However, Yun Qingluo was not idle either.

Her paintings, though perhaps a tiny bit bad, are quite good at calligraphy.

So she began writing down the techniques and mental methods of Tai Chi.

"Yun Tao, keep an eye on Yun Ju. Remember to change her dressing. Also, tell her not to think about anything else and to focus on healing her wounds first." Yun Qingluo picked up her brush, the tip of the brush pausing slightly as she suddenly thought of Yun Ju.

"Also, have Yunmu investigate Old Zhou." Yun Qingluo's tone was somewhat heavy.

Yunxin, who was embroidering a bellyband for Qianyue, was so surprised by Yun Qingluo's words that she almost poked her hand.

"What? Elder Zhou? How could Elder Zhou appear? No, how could Elder Zhou be our enemy?" Yun Xin was very confused.

Back in the valley, before Zhou Lao's disciple got into trouble, he was the kindest person to Yun Qingluo besides the Valley Master and Elder Gu. Why would he think of killing Yun Qingluo?

Yun Qingluo glanced at Yun Xin, knowing what she was thinking, and sighed, saying, "Times have changed. Time is passing, the world is changing, and people are changing too. Remember to tell Yun Mu not to alert the enemy."

It's understandable that Old Zhou resented her.

Old Master Zhou did not live a life without a second daughter. He finally took in a young disciple and doted on him like his own son. Then one day, he was murdered. It is understandable that he wanted revenge.

However, this is a bit too large-scale, involving both ambushes and poison.

The force behind him is what is most worrying.

According to Yunju's description, it doesn't sound like any of the four kingdoms. Although all the clues point to Miao territory in the southern border region, it feels somewhat unreal.

It was as if they were deliberately leading her in that direction.

Although, she was going to that place anyway.

Initially, it was because of the drug-using person that she wanted to go to Southern Xinjiang to find clues. Then, because of the drug, which gave her only a few months to live, she also wanted to try her luck in Southern Xinjiang.

So even knowing there was a trap there, she still had to go.

Xiao Yi said irritably, "So, when are you leaving?"

Yun Qingluo frowned slightly. "Xiao Yi, I haven't figured out how to tell A Chen yet. I didn't tell A Chen in advance when I went to the Southern Barbarians or when I returned to the capital because I knew he would never let me go."

“But now, it concerns your life. Just say it. If you do, he will definitely let you go. Just tell him the truth. You've already been through so much and have your own child. What is there that you can't be honest about?” Xiao Yi said anxiously.

Yun Qinglu waved her hand, telling Yun Tao and Yun Xin to go and do what she had instructed, while she took off her coat, lay down on the bed, and closed her eyes to rest.

“Xiao Yi, he is the emperor now, not just my Mo Beichen, but the Mo Beichen of all the people in the world. Of course I can tell him, and he will definitely let me go, but he will also insist on going with me. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and now there is no one who can stand up to manage the affairs of state for A-Chen, so he naturally cannot leave at will.”

Yun Qingluo paused slightly at this point, "Moreover, the journey to the Southern Frontier is long and arduous. A round trip would take a month, and I would be searching for clues there like a headless fly, which would take even more time. I wouldn't be able to return in less than three months. A lot can happen in three months."

Xiao Yi's tone was also somewhat dejected, "Yes, a lot can happen in three months. Back then, your husband only took a few days to destroy the Tianlang Kingdom. Why not let him go and destroy the Beiyue Kingdom and the Dongwu Kingdom, achieve a great unification of the world, and then accompany you? Wouldn't that be better?"

Yun Qinglu shook her head. "It's not that easy. Back then, the Tianlang Kingdom started the war first and acted unreasonably afterwards. Even if we told the people of the world, we could still stand our ground."

However, the people have just endured the ravages of war and have finally begun to settle down, only to have another war suddenly erupt—a war initiated by their own emperor. This will affect the stability of the country and will alienate the people.

Xiao Yi got angry, "So annoying, so annoying! Being an emperor is such a hassle. You have to worry about this and that, you're so restricted, you can't do anything. What can you do?"

Yun Qingluo closed her eyes, her brows furrowed; clearly, she hadn't come up with any good solutions either.