Chapter 169 (Chapter 169 Not Dead)

Chapter 169 Not Dead

"Are you dead?" the emperor asked Gongzi Yu sincerely.

Gongzi Yu shook his head and replied sincerely, "He's not dead."

"Since you're not dead, why aren't you coming back?" The emperor was furious and smacked Gongzi Yu on the head.

Gongzi Yu blinked. "It doesn't hurt."

"Heh, it doesn't hurt, does it?" The emperor, who had initially felt a little sorry for Gongzi Yu, laughed in exasperation upon seeing his expression. "Guards, bring the General's Staff..."

"Sister, sister, sister, wait." Ling Hao glided smoothly between the two of them, a smile on her face. "Sister, don't listen to A Yu. He doesn't know how to talk. He means he's tough and doesn't feel pain, and he knows you can't bear to part with him, so he didn't use too much force."

"Hmph." The emperor snorted coldly, "I haven't even said anything to you yet. You two ran away, living a carefree life, leaving us to search for you. If we hadn't been unable to find your bodies, I would have thought you were both dead."

Did they think that mentioning Gongzi Yu would stop them from talking about her? Ha, how naive! The current emperor is full of anger, and he'll scold anyone who comes his way. Originally, she was overjoyed to see them, but this younger brother was just too infuriating. Her joy was quickly overwhelmed by anger and helplessness, and the urge to curse followed.

Honestly, if she could, she really wanted to give those two a good beating. Unfortunately, their martial arts skills were too high; even if she did, it probably wouldn't hurt much.

Linghao said, "Sister, don't be angry. Getting angry is bad for your health. I didn't expect to come and go in such a hurry. It's not that I didn't want to leave a message, it's just that I didn't have time."

“Alright, I forgive you,” the emperor said.

"Huh?" Ling Hao was stunned. It was that easy?

The emperor's gaze returned to Gongzi Yu. "Yu, tell me, what's the story behind the marks on the summit of Mount Hua? Why are there marks indicating that someone jumped off there?"

Gongzi Yu was silent for a moment before replying, "Sister, I'm sorry."

"You..." He didn't need to explain; the emperor immediately understood his unspoken meaning. She raised her hand to strike him again, but seeing his unwavering stance, her anger dissipated instantly. "Fine, you've always been stubborn. Once you've made up your mind, you'd rather die than turn back. Since no matter how I hit you, it's no use, I'll save my energy. Otherwise, I'm worried my hand will hurt."

With that, she turned and walked away, carrying Liu Jin. After a few steps, she turned back and saw the two idiots standing there. She immediately rolled her eyes. "Didn't you say you were hungry? Aren't you leaving?"

"We're here, we're here." Linghao pulled Gongziyu along and jogged to catch up with the emperor, smiling broadly. "Hehe, sister, I knew you wouldn't blame us."

Seeing Ling Hao's expression, the emperor shook his head helplessly, "Where is that nonchalant martial arts master I met back then?"

Ling chuckled. "That's for outsiders. I'm always cheerful and lively in front of my own people. Right, Ayu?"

“Yes.” Gongzi Yu nodded.

The emperor smiled helplessly, "Alright, alright, I know you two are both very lively and cheerful, is this acceptable?"

“That won’t do.” Ling Hao chuckled and wagged her index finger. “The person I’m holding isn’t lively at all; he’s not as cheerful as me.”

"That's true." The emperor's smile widened.

Ling Hao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the emperor was finally not angry. Then she saw Liu Jin, who was lying in the emperor's arms, looking at her curiously, and she herself was also looking at the little guy with curiosity.

Liu Jin is very beautiful, with a delicate and exquisite appearance, clearly inheriting the best features of her parents. It's no exaggeration to say that this little one could be described as a celestial maiden reincarnated. She looks to be about two years old, with a chubby, plump face that feels wonderful to the touch.

And her two little hands, clinging to the emperor's shoulders, were round and chubby, with a few little dimples—utterly adorable. She was now looking at Ling Hao and Gongzi Yu with curiosity, her big, round eyes fixed on them like a fledgling animal, still carrying a hint of wariness.

Although Linghao wasn't ready to be a mother, she had little resistance to such an obedient and adorable little one, especially since she was the emperor's daughter and Ayu's niece. Linghao's gaze automatically filtered through several layers, finding her adorable no matter how she looked at her.

"hello."

Liu Jin subconsciously buried her face in the emperor's shoulder, but quickly looked up. This time, however, she only showed half of her chubby face, which made her eyes appear even bigger and rounder, like two glistening black grapes.

Ling Hao smiled and said, "My name is Ling Hao, and I'm a relative of your mother." She tugged at the young master Yu beside her, "This is your uncle, also a relative of your mother. And you, what's your name?"

"Liu Jin." Liu Jin's tender voice floated in mid-air, "Jinzi, de, Jin." Although she was young, she already knew which character her name Jin was.

"You're so cute." Linghao's voice softened involuntarily as she spoke to the little one.

Gongzi Yu felt a pang of jealousy; Ahao rarely spoke to him in such a tone. But the thought that this little one was his elder sister's daughter dispelled the jealousy. "Never mind, I won't stoop to the level of such a petty person."

"Yes, cute." Liu Jin nodded her little head, acknowledging the compliment. She was, after all, the little princess of the palace, of course the cutest of all.

Ling laughed and asked, "Can I touch you?"

Liu Jin tilted her little head, as if pondering the meaning of the other person's words. After a moment, she stretched out her chubby little hand, the back of which had a chubby dimple.

"Oh, thank you so much for your generosity, Your Highness." Ling Hao unceremoniously took Liu Jin's chubby little hand in his, his fingers stroking her plump flesh. Oh, it felt so good, so tender and smooth. It was a pity; if only he could pinch her chubby cheeks, it would feel even better.

As if aware that her pretty face was being coveted, Liu Jin lowered her head and buried it in the emperor's shoulder. However, she didn't pull her hand away, letting Ling Hao squeeze it. Her grip was not strong at all, light, gentle, and quite comfortable.

As Gongzi Yu looked at it, he also reached out and touched it.

"Huh?" Liu Jin sensed something was wrong and immediately looked up. Unfortunately, the culprit only touched her once before withdrawing his hand, and she didn't get a chance to see it.

Ling Hao couldn't help but laugh out loud. They were both so cute.

The emperor walked straight ahead, pretending not to notice the three people's little antics. In her view, it was perfectly normal for these three to be able to play together. Yes, her daughter, though young, was about the same age as the two boys.

The emperor mocked her. However, she ultimately gave face to her younger brother and sister-in-law, keeping it to herself.

"Sister," Gongzi Yu said, "Liu Jin has good aptitude. Shall we teach her martial arts?"

“Learn it,” the emperor said. “It’s better to have it yourself than to have it from someone else. It’s good that she can protect herself.” Besides, A-Yu has always had high standards, and the aptitude he mentioned is probably quite good.

Gongzi Yu probably knew what the emperor was thinking, and said, "He's only slightly worse than Ahao."

"That's very good." Linghao squeezed the little chubby hand in hers again. "Liujin, you have to work hard in the future." She has to learn martial arts, literature, and how to be an emperor. The burden on her shoulders is not light.

"Hmm!" Actually, Liu Jin didn't quite understand what Ling Hao meant, but she knew the meaning behind his tone, so she just had to obediently agree.

"We've arrived. Let's have our meal first." The emperor stepped into the palace first, and the palace servants below had already prepared the food with great foresight.

After the meal, the emperor had the palace servants take Liu Jin away, and then took Ling Hao and Gongzi Yu to the Imperial Garden, where they sat in a pavilion. She had something to ask them, so naturally she wanted to find a place where she wouldn't be overheard.

The area is open, and with the martial arts skills of Ling Hao and Gongzi Yu alone, they could easily spot anyone trying to eavesdrop.

"Where have you all been all these years?" the emperor asked. "I sent people to search almost the entire country, but I still couldn't find you, not even your bodies. If you had returned a few years later, you would have been buried in your own cenotaphs."

Previously, she absolutely refused to mention the bodies of Ling Hao and Gongzi Yu, nor did she want to consider the possibility that they were dead. It was as if by doing so, she could prevent cruel things from happening to her. Now that she saw the two of them appear alive and well, there was nothing she couldn't mention anymore.

Even the emperor was reluctant to mention her former appearance, because she felt somewhat ashamed. She wasn't as indestructible as others imagined, and the emperor didn't see anything wrong with that, because she was, after all, human, not a god. However, if Linghao and Gongzi Yu were to find out, they would have to wait a while longer.

Gongzi Yu looked at Ling Hao. Whether she could speak, what she should say, and how much she should say all depended on Ling Hao.

The emperor was already used to it; her brother was just like that anyway, she'd get used to it.

"Actually, Ayu came home with me." Linghao decided to tell part of the story.

"Oh? There are places like this?" The emperor's eyes gleamed with wonder. "Ah Hao, tell me how people in your country live their lives?" Ah Hao's world sounded wonderful, and she wanted her people to be able to live such a good life as well.

Of course, she knew she couldn't do it in her lifetime. But that didn't matter; some of her descendants would be able to. Even if her descendants couldn't, someone else would. But before they could, they had to start.

If you don't even start, there's no way you'll succeed.

Linghao selectively recounted some less forward-looking matters; how much the emperor listened to was up to her.

The three of them were really good at talking. The tea in the pavilion had gone cold, and the sunset on the horizon had dimmed before they finally stopped.

The emperor glanced at the sky and said with a smile, "Let's go, it's time for dinner."

"Okay." Linghao rubbed her stomach. "I've been hungry for ages."

"Then eat more. Although my sister isn't wealthy, she can still afford this much," the emperor said with a smile. Then, a clap of thunder was heard from the horizon. The next moment, the rain began to pelt down.

Even the emperor was somewhat surprised; it hadn't rained in the capital for a long time, but today it had finally come. Wait, A-Yu… She immediately turned to look at Gongzi Yu, only to find him unchanged. “A-Yu?”

"Me?" Gongzi Yu was a little confused. "What happened to me?" He quickly looked at the rain outside the pavilion and immediately remembered what had happened before. "You mean Ming Yuenu? He disappeared. He no longer exists."

The emperor smiled with delight at first, but then a wave of disappointment washed over him, and he couldn't help but sigh. The sigh was very soft, but all three people in the pavilion heard it.

As for the emperor, she had previously wished that Mingyue Nu would disappear. If it weren't for his existence, Gongzi Yu wouldn't have such a huge flaw. But upon further reflection, she realized that Mingyue Nu might not have wanted to appear either, and that wasn't something she could control.

As he pondered these things, so many years passed, and the emperor had begun to regard Mingyue Nu as another younger brother. And now, he has vanished.

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The author writes: The weather suddenly turned cold, winter arrived in an instant, but it seems like overnight, all the osmanthus flowers bloomed, and their fragrance seems to fill the air wherever you go. The crisp, cool scent of osmanthus is truly delightful; even the worst mood can be lifted by its aroma.