Chapter 444 Loyalty

"If Wen Zhiming hadn't used me to exchange for a large number of weapons and horses from the Blue Feather Kingdom, I would have ascended the throne three years ago. Why would I have had to fight with my brothers for the throne for the past three years, and in the end, although I got the throne, I no longer have any brothers left."

“This debt should be settled with Wen Zhiming. I will use Wen Zhiming’s head as a sacrifice for my dead brothers.”

To force him to form an alliance with the Golden Moon Kingdom, a permanent ceasefire must be achieved.

Unless Wen Zhiming is killed, the Golden Moon Kingdom will establish a new emperor.

Otherwise, it will be a fight to the death.

Seeing Mo Sixuan's crazed expression, Liu Yan dared not try to persuade him any further and lowered his head in silence.

This wasn't the first time the emperor and his minister had had similar conversations, and each time it ended with Mo Sixuan's fury.

Liu Yan knew that Mo Sixuan wouldn't listen to his advice, and he hadn't given such advice in a long time, but today he still wanted to fight for his master's chance to live.

Unfortunately, Mo Sixuan did not seize this opportunity.

Seeing that Liu Yan remained silent, Mo Sixuan suppressed his anger and shifted his gaze to the car window, asking calmly.

"Why is it you who came? I entrusted you with all the affairs of the palace. Now that you're here, who's in charge of the palace?"

Liu Yan is straightforward, but fortunately, he is loyal enough to him.

Before Mo Sixuan went to the Golden Moon Kingdom, he had Zhang Fu in the civil service and Liu Yan in the military, so he dared to claim illness and secretly leave the country for more than a month.

"I have temporarily handed over military command to my deputy general. Lord Zhang will continue to handle the official matters," Liu Yan replied softly.

Mo Sixuan rubbed his temples in annoyance. "Foolish! The matter of welcoming me can be left to your generals. There's no need for you to come personally! It's easy for problems to arise in the palace without your military authority to keep things under control!"

Wen Zhiming sent a letter asking people from Lanyu Kingdom to come and pick him up, so the fact that he was going to Jinyue Kingdom alone could no longer be kept secret.

His ministers at most gossiped behind his back about his lack of discretion, but what worried him most was his eighth brother, Mo Siyan, whose body had not yet been found.

The Blue Feather Kingdom has always followed a strict bloodline succession system, which is why he poisoned his brothers one after another. As long as he is the only prince left, no matter how dissatisfied the officials and the people are with him, they can only honor him as emperor.

But when he tried to kill Mo Siyan, he caused Mo Siyan to fall into the river and has not been found since. It is still unknown whether he is dead or alive.

This person is an excellent swimmer and has many supporters in the palace.

If Mo Siyan were still alive, and he wasn't in the palace, and military power had fallen into the hands of someone he didn't really trust, he simply couldn't bear to think about it...

As Mo Sixuan's confidant, Liu Yan was naturally well aware of Mo Sixuan's concerns.

Hearing this, he couldn't help but look up and say, "My lord, it is precisely because the Eighth Prince's whereabouts are unknown and your whereabouts have been exposed that I need to come and protect you personally!"

Mo Sixuan understood his meaning. Now that his whereabouts had been exposed, if Mo Siyan was still alive, he was very likely to ambush him on the way and take his life.

If successful, Mo Siyan would become the only prince, which would indeed be easier than directly seizing power in the palace.

However, he is more skilled than Mo Siyan and has several powerful subordinates, so it won't be easy for Mo Siyan to kill him halfway.

It was not very meaningful for Liu Yan to come and fetch him personally; only by keeping him in the palace could he be free from any worries.

Looking at Liu Yan's honest and loyal appearance, knowing that this subordinate was thinking of his safety and that he would need this person's help even more in the future attack on Jin Yue Kingdom, Mo Sixuan suppressed his dissatisfaction and urged him on.

"I know you are loyal. Tell them to hurry up and minimize food and lodging along the way so that we can return home as quickly as possible."

Since things have come to this, the best course of action is to go back as soon as possible.

After saying that, he instructed Qingfeng outside the carriage: "Leave clues for Chiyu and Xuankai, and tell them to catch up with me as soon as possible."

Since the plan to disrupt the Jin Yue Kingdom's court has failed, and Meng Lingge rarely leaves the palace, Chi Yu and Xuan Kai will be unable to find an opportunity to assassinate him. It would be better for them to go back with him, as they can ensure his safety on the way.

"Yes," Qingfeng replied and withdrew.

Liu Yan knew that Mo Sixuan was slightly dissatisfied with his actions, so he stood up and said.

"Rest assured, my lord, my deputy is also loyal to you and will certainly not allow any villains to take advantage of the situation. Please rest well, my lord. I will go and arrange the route and strengthen the defenses."

Mo Sixuan found a comfortable position to lie down and closed his eyes.

"You ride with them later, let me sleep for a while."

Inside the Golden Moon Kingdom's palace, he and Qingfeng lived in constant fear, always worried that someone would secretly plot against them. They dared not sleep soundly at night. Now, surrounded by their own people, even just in a carriage, his nerves relaxed and he felt sleepy.

"yes."

Liu Yan appeared respectful, but after getting off the carriage, his honest eyes instantly flashed with murderous intent. He touched the dagger at his waist with his right hand and walked step by step toward Qingfeng, who was completely unsuspecting and focused on leaving a mark.

Inside the Jin Yue Kingdom palace, after seeing off Mo Sixuan and the others, the preparations for the princess's marriage were still underway.

However, some astute officials noticed that the procurement process was surprisingly slow.

At this rate, let alone seven days or half a month, it might not be possible to get everything ready in half a year.

When the matter was brought up with the Emperor, he said he knew what was going on and that his ministers need not worry. The courtiers guessed that the Emperor might have chosen another department to handle the arrangements, so they waited patiently for the princess's wedding day.

The weather was hot that day, and Meng Lingge sat under a big tree in the courtyard of Fengyi Palace to cool off.

The newly appointed head palace maid, Zhimei, prepared fresh fruits and plum juice for Meng Lingge, then quietly stood aside fanning her.

Unlike the familiarity between Chunhong, Xiazi, Qiulan, and others, Zhimei and Meng Lingge were relatively distant. Zhimei adhered to the principle of doing more and talking less, and the two of them had exchanged less than ten sentences in the two days they spent together.

The Phoenix Palace became much quieter. Meng Lingge was a little uncomfortable at first, but now she had gotten used to it.

Chunhong got married two days ago. Meng Lingge prepared a generous dowry for her. According to the spies arranged by Meng Lingge, Chunhong's in-laws are understanding and dote on her. The family gets along well.

With her maids all settled, Meng Lingge knew she would be leaving the palace soon and didn't want to get too close to the other maids, lest she feel reluctant to leave.

She and Zhimei are doing quite well as they are now.

Meng Lingge was enjoying the fruits while daydreaming about life after leaving the palace.

Suddenly, I heard the eunuch's high-pitched voice.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Wen Zhiming usually spends this time in the Hall of Diligent Governance dealing with memorials, and he has never liked eunuchs to announce his return to the Phoenix Palace.

Meng Lingge stood up in surprise and saw Wen Zhiming walking briskly with a bright smile on his face. He took a few big steps and walked up to her.

He waved his hand, and Zhimei bowed and left.

The courtyard gate closed gently. Seeing that there were no outsiders, Wen Zhiming simply picked up Meng Lingge and sat her down, holding her in his arms.

Meng Lingge didn't struggle. When she saw a little sweat on Wen Zhiming's forehead, she subconsciously wanted to wipe it with her handkerchief. When she raised her hand, she found that a grape she had picked before hurriedly getting up was still in her hand, so she simply fed it directly into Wen Zhiming's mouth.

"Your Majesty, what brings you to this time of day?"