"Ah Feng, is something wrong?"
After the banquet, Li Mutian asked Li Mufeng again.
"Brother, I'm afraid I'll have to leave the capital for a while. During this time, I'll have to trouble you to handle all the affairs of the court."
Li Mufeng's expression was solemn. He knew that now was not the time to leave, but it was the only keepsake his mother had left him. Now that there was finally news, he was determined to get it back.
"But then we heard news of Ziwei."
Li Mutian had already heard from Geng Yuan and Yue Mei about everything that had happened during this period. When he heard that Han Ziwei had been pushed off a cliff by Li Mufeng, he felt extremely sorry for her.
The woman who had once saved him from a predicament, whom he regarded as a fairy descended from heaven, had vanished without a trace. He wondered if he would ever have the chance to meet her again in this lifetime and thank her in person.
"No."
Li Mufeng shook his head dejectedly, then slowly said,
"Someone found one of my mother's belongings; it appeared in the 'Azure Feather Kingdom.'"
"The jade pendant left behind by Consort An?"
When they were children, Li Mutian had seen Li Mufeng wear it, so he knew about it.
"Yes, Qiu Tianxiang, the national advisor of Qingyu Kingdom, actually said that the jade pendant is the key to open the altar."
Li Mufeng's full lips parted slightly, and Li Mutian suddenly stood up.
"Are you saying that Consort An is actually Princess Luoxi, whom Qiu Tianxiang has been searching for for many years?"
As the former crown prince of the "Purple Cloud Kingdom," Li Mutian naturally had some knowledge of the secret histories of various countries, hence his surprise.
"To be honest, I don't know either. From childhood to adulthood, I've been ridiculed a lot because of my mother's lowly status. Now that the lost jade pendant has appeared in the palace of the Qingyu Kingdom, I have to go and see it no matter what."
Even if it were for no other reason than to retrieve my mother's belongings, the trip to Qingyu Kingdom would be imperative.
Li Mufeng spoke heavily, knowing full well that now was not the time to leave, but he really wanted to go somewhere else to catch his breath. Every blade of grass and every tree here held images of her, and the longing for her made him feel breathless several times.
Ever since he personally knocked Han Ziwei off the cliff, Li Mufeng has felt guilty for a moment, and even thought about chopping off his own hand several times. But he understands that the "Zixiao Kingdom" cannot do without him right now. His father has passed away and his elder brother is seriously ill. He has no reason to be decadent and can only pretend to be strong every day.
"Is Father going on another long journey? Can you take Chen'er with you? Chen'er doesn't want to stay in the manor alone, Chen'er will be scared."
Young Prince Li Jingchen skipped over and overheard Li Mutian talking to his father. He immediately threw himself into Li Mufeng's arms.
"You're Chen'er?"
Looking at the little bundle of milk in Li Mufeng's arms, Li Mutian asked in surprise.
"Greetings, Uncle. My name is Li Jingchen. I am my father's adopted son."
The little guy wasn't shy at all, blinking his bright, pearl-like eyes as he curiously looked at Li Mutian.
"Come here, come over to your uncle, let your uncle take a good look at you."
Li Mutian had never been in contact with children before, but seeing how well-behaved and adorable Li Jingchen was, he couldn't help but wave to him.
Go!
Li Mufeng patted the little guy's head and encouraged him.
"Um!"
Li Jingchen was very obedient. He took short steps and rushed into Li Mutian's arms. His soft body made Li Mutian love him even more.
"Uncle, you're so thin. Here, have a piece of pastry."
Li Mutian had been insane for too long and hadn't eaten properly, so he was naturally very thin. The little guy was very sensible and took a piece of pastry from the table and put it to Li Mutian's mouth.
"Ah Feng, where did you find this godson? He's so sensible."
Li Mutian couldn't stop smiling.
"If elder brother likes it, let him stay at the Prince Xian's residence for a few days! My brother is going to the Qingyu Kingdom, the journey is long and the dangers are unpredictable, so it is not very safe."
But I'm worried about leaving him alone in the house..."
Li Mufeng sighed. He realized he couldn't be a good father after all. The mansion was missing a mistress. But Ziwei, where are you?
Li Mufeng found himself missing "Blood Purple Rose" again.
"Father, when will you be able to find Mother? Chen'er misses Mother."
Whether he sensed Li Mufeng's sadness or not, Li Jingchen murmured something.
"Alright, go ahead without worry! Your elder brother will take care of Chen'er for you and do his best to protect 'Zixiao Kingdom' for you. When you come back, remember to take up the responsibility."
The two brothers chatted until late at night. The next morning, Li Mufeng summoned all the officials and spent the whole day arranging some political affairs of the "Zixiao Kingdom" during his absence.
He also instructed the officials to provide good assistance to Li Mutian.
Li Mutian was the crown prince before, and often helped Emperor Li Hongwen handle some government affairs. He got the hang of it quickly, which reassured Li Mufeng, so he left the city overnight.
Meanwhile, Xue Ziwei, who was in Qingyu Kingdom, learned the general situation from Qiu Yunce.
It turns out that the Imperial Preceptor Qiu Tianxiang had many women; it cannot be said that all the women in the entire Qingyu Kingdom belonged to him.
But those who are at least somewhat attractive, whether married or unmarried, generally cannot escape his clutches.
Qiu Tianxiang practiced evil arts and needed women to nourish his yin and yang, which is why he looked so young.
As a result, Qiu Tianxiang's children were everywhere, and those who were handsome or exceptionally capable were brought into the palace.
Both Qiu Jianxin and Qiu Siyuan are capable individuals.
Qiu Jianxin searched everywhere for beauties for Qiu Tianxiang. In recent years, Qiu Tianxiang has played with hundreds, if not thousands, of women, all thanks to Qiu Jianxin.
Qiu Siyuan's achievement was even more remarkable. He presented Qiu Tianxiang with a tribe, a small tribe near Qingyu Kingdom, called "Snowy Ice Plains," which was full of beautiful women.
Although the tribe was small, its men were all brave and skilled in battle. In order to conquer it, Qiu Siyuan relied on his good looks to seduce Princess Jingxiang. On the day of their wedding, he unexpectedly poisoned everyone in the tribe, and all the people in the tribe, except for the good-looking ones, were slaughtered.
Those women, including Princess Jingxiang, were all given to Qiu Tianxiang.
Upon hearing this, "Blood Purple Rose" was furious.
"So it turns out your father, including all your brothers, weren't good people. They all deserve..."
The word "death" was covered by Qiu Yunce's hand.
"Be careful, the walls may have ears."
"What about Qiu Wenyuan and Qiu Ziming? What contributions did they make?"
After being released by Qiu Yunce, "Blood Purple Rose" continued to ask.
"These two inherited their father's lecherous nature. Although they did not achieve anything great, they were born to the first and second wives."
My father only publicly acknowledged two wives, one of whom was his first wife, Lady Dou, the daughter of the Prime Minister.
Second wife, Madam Lu, was the daughter of General Lu.
Both marriages were arranged by Luo Han, the ruler of Qingyu Kingdom, for his father.
Qiu Yuance sighed. He couldn't compare to them. Their maternal clans were powerful, while he could only sacrifice his beauty to earn some money for his father.
Thinking back to his time in the brothel in "Purple Cloud Kingdom," where he was entangled with those women, he felt disgusted.
“Your father is so bad and so scum. He is so heartless to you sons and to your mother. Haven’t you ever thought about getting rid of him?”
"Blood Purple Rose" was somewhat surprised. If she had such a scumbag father, she would have killed him long ago, especially since Qiu Tianxiang had tortured Qiu Yunce's mother so badly.
"Haha...Aside from Father, do you think any human being can be compared to God? Humans are always insignificant and vulnerable in the face of God. You will never understand."
"God?" Xue Ziwei was somewhat surprised. Qiu Yunce's evaluation of Qiu Tianxiang was so high. Could it be that he had extraordinary abilities?
As the two were talking, a dark figure silently disappeared from the bushes, a barely perceptible, sinister smile playing on its lips.
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