Hongli looked at her with unusually firm and unwavering eyes.

He threatened her with matters of state and politics. What could Su Yushan do? She couldn't keep insisting, could she?

But if she doesn't return to the palace, the Empress Dowager will criticize her again. Most importantly, she has been feeling very down lately, and Hongli's suspicion has chilled her heart.

She would try to control herself from arguing with him, but she would still feel sad inside. Staying here was torture for her, so she chose to escape, and returning to the palace seemed to be her best option.

But Hongli disagreed and even threatened her with political matters. Su Yushan sighed helplessly.

"Why are you doing this? I'm just returning to the palace a few days early. I'll be escorted by guards, so there shouldn't be any problems. You don't need to be so nervous."

With his dark eyes fixed on her half-closed, watery gaze, Hongli solemnly said, "Yushan, I've said it before, I don't want to be separated from you. I've already lost you once, and I can't afford to take this risk!"

Fu Qing saved you, and I'm grateful to him, but I can't deny that I feel a little uncomfortable because I have my own selfish reasons. I hope that when you're in danger, the person who appears by your side in time is me, not someone else...

My words that day were indeed inappropriate, but I swear to you, I didn't doubt you at all. I was just a little jealous and didn't want you to have feelings for another man, that's all.

Meeting his earnest gaze, Su Yushan was filled with mixed emotions. She was no longer sure if Hongli was being sincere.

"What's there to be jealous about? Even if I'm grateful to him, it's not a real relationship, and you don't need to take it to heart."

Yes! He and Yu Shan already have so many children, what is he afraid of? If Yu Shan didn't like him, why would she be willing to bear children for him?

“I understand the reasons, but I just don’t feel secure. Even though you’re by my side every day, I’m still afraid of losing you. I always feel like you could leave at any moment…”

He was an emperor who could control the fate of everyone under heaven, but he could never control Su Yushan.

Especially after the opal ring appeared, and witnessing Yu Shan's strange reaction, Hongli felt even more strongly that she didn't belong to this world.

"My anxiety and overthinking are undoubtedly hurtful to you. I will try my best to control myself and not be suspicious in the future. Please don't be angry with me and don't mention going back to the palace again, okay?"

Su Yushan had been keeping the matter of time travel a secret from him. Feeling guilty, she didn't want to delve any further. With a slight blink, she changed the subject:

"The children are all here! Don't you think that even if we have a fight, I can't just leave for the sake of the children!"

"What you say is true. It seems I've benefited from the children." Hongli was both amused and exasperated, unsure whether to feel fortunate or sorrowful.

She didn't want to use empty words; nowadays, no matter what she does, her first thought is always for the children—that's her true feeling.

Because he understood her personality, Hongli believed what she said.

"Whether it's for the children or for me, my only wish is for you not to leave."

Some things should be said openly; the more you avoid them, the more likely they are to create resentment.

"My condition for not leaving you is that you have to trust me. There's really nothing between Fu Qing and me. He's served in the court for so many years, you should know his character very well, and I don't want you to have any prejudice against him because of this. As the saying goes, good ministers are hard to find, and talented people deserve to be valued by you."

Was she speaking up for Fu Qing? Hongli felt somewhat uneasy, but remembering her earlier words about trust, he suppressed his jealousy and silently told himself not to overthink it, to treat it calmly. Yu Shan was probably just being kind-hearted, which was why she said that.

"Alright, I believe you and won't make things difficult for him. Let's let this matter rest. I will reflect on my actions from now on. Don't let this bother you and make you feel depressed, or you'll harm your health. Also, don't mention going back to the palace again, or I won't be able to handle state affairs with peace of mind."

He repeatedly urged her to stay, and Su Yushan had no choice but to agree to remain in the hunting grounds.

After recounting this matter, she inquired about the progress of the interrogation. Hongli sighed helplessly, saying that he had interrogated several people and subjected them to severe torture, but they had found no clues. None of them knew why the horse had suddenly gone mad.

"Could it really be an accident?" But that accident is too coincidental, isn't it?

Su Yushan's intuition told her that this incident was probably not an accident, but she had no concrete evidence, and intuition alone was useless.

Suddenly remembering someone, Su Yushan had a flash of inspiration, "Fu Qing was also there at the time, did you ask him? Maybe he saw some clues."

Hongli only had the people at the horse farm interrogated, and he hadn't actually questioned Fu Qing. It was only when Yu Shan mentioned it that he realized he had forgotten about this.

"I haven't asked yet. It's getting late. I'll summon him again tomorrow and ask him in person."

It's good to ask around; maybe we can find some clues. If we still can't find anything, then we'll just have to let it go and consider it bad luck for her!

She is now nearly four months pregnant, but her belly is not very noticeable. She doesn't usually feel anything, but since her fall, she has been extra careful, holding onto the table and sitting down slowly.

Hongli was worried about her condition and asked her if she had abdominal pain or bleeding today.

Su Yushan was also observing carefully. Today, she only had abdominal pain once, and it wasn't severe. She felt much better after lying down for a while, and there was no bleeding.

Hongli breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that there's no bleeding, but we can't be careless. If you feel unwell, you must tell me immediately and call the imperial physician right away, even if it's the middle of the night. Don't think that you don't want to trouble the palace servants and just suffer in silence."

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