Chapter 8 The Injury What should a loving older brother do now...?
Mu Qingheng slowly took a few steps forward.
He has always been like this, with a relaxed and composed demeanor, doing everything in an orderly manner, and exuding elegance and nobility with every sway of his clothes.
Mu Meng was different. When she saw Mu Qingheng, her eyes lit up and she ran forward with a smile.
"Brother, why are you here to see me at this time?" Usually, the elder brother is discussing matters with the Emperor at this time.
Mu Qingheng glanced at Sheng Yuanting, then looked at Mu Meng: "I've had some free time these past two days, nothing important has come up."
As he spoke, his gaze gently fell on Mu Meng's face, tucking her slightly disheveled hair behind her ear.
Sheng Yuanting watched from the side, a hint of envy appearing in his eyes. He smiled and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince and the Princess have a deep affection for each other, which is truly enviable. It's just a pity that my family only has one son, and we don't have a lovely little sister like Your Highness to take care of."
Mu Qingheng didn't look at him, but chuckled softly, "That's right. If General Xuantian also had a younger sister, he would know the heart of an elder brother. Seeing you really puts me in a bad mood."
Mu Meng was startled; her brother had never said anything like that before, and it could be considered quite harsh.
She wasn't stupid; she naturally knew that her brother's unfriendly tone stemmed from General Xuantian's examination of her injuries earlier.
Mu Meng quickly and secretly tugged at Mu Qingheng's sleeve.
She did this voluntarily, and General Xuantian showed no disrespect whatsoever from beginning to end, so she couldn't really blame him; besides, General Xuantian was exceptionally capable, and she had even heard of him, so it wouldn't be good to have a falling out with such a virtuous minister.
Mu Meng tugged at Mu Qingheng's sleeve twice, and when he didn't react, she poked the back of his hand.
Mu Qingheng pretended not to notice and even grasped her hand in return.
Having no other choice, Mu Meng turned to Sheng Yuanting and smiled, "General, my brother wasn't like this before, please don't be angry."
Mu Qingheng frowned slightly, then relaxed his brows and glanced at Mu Meng.
Her words clearly distinguished between close and distant relationships. Sheng Yuanting touched his nose and said with a smile, "How could that be?"
He knew that staying any longer was pointless. He had only revealed one-tenth of what he truly desired today. He dared to mention it slightly to the little princess, but to His Highness the Crown Prince, he felt nothing but shame.
After all, everyone in the Celestial Clan knows that the little princess is the Crown Prince's darling, his Achilles' heel, and he dotes on her to the bone. Today, His Highness the Crown Prince only spoke to her in a slightly harsh tone, which was actually quite a show of respect.
Sheng Yuanting cupped his hands to Mu Qingheng, his attitude sincere: "Your Highness, I will take my leave today. I will definitely visit Your Highness another day. I hope you will do me the honor."
Mu Qingheng remained noncommittal.
He didn't react, and Sheng Yuanting didn't say much either. After bowing, he left. Mu Meng was a little worried at first, but she found that this General Xuantian was calm and even nodded and smiled gently at her as he left—he had a good temper, so he probably wasn't angry with her brother.
However, after everyone left, Mu Meng shook Mu Qingheng's hand and looked at him disapprovingly: "Brother, don't be harsh on General Xuantian because of me. Look at him just now... how embarrassing he was."
Fortunately, this General Xuantian has a personality like his older brother, gentle and modest, not the kind of aloof, arrogant, and narrow-minded person.
Mu Qingheng looked down at Mu Meng's smiling face. The silly smile he was used to seeing seemed a bit glaring today.
He suppressed the anger that had risen inexplicably in his heart, calmed himself for a moment, and then bent down slightly to pinch Mu Meng's cheek.
Having already made the gesture, Mu Qingheng slightly opened his lips, but suddenly stopped—he was usually able to speak fluently, but now he didn't know what to say that would be more in line with his status.
Should a brother who loves his sister be angry or not?
Mu Meng, confused, obediently let someone pinch her cheek: "What's wrong, brother?"
"Didn't your brother teach you that you are a princess, and it's okay to be a little spoiled? In the future, if you encounter someone you don't like, just tell them you don't want to see them. Why invite them in and make yourself uncomfortable?" Mu Qingheng spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully.
It turned out that her brother was worried that she would feel wronged. Mu Meng couldn't help but laugh: "It's not as serious as you think. I don't dislike General Xuantian. He's a very nice person."
Mu Qingheng paused almost imperceptibly, then raised an eyebrow slightly: "Is he a very nice person too?"
"Also? Who else is good?" Mu Meng didn't quite follow Mu Qingheng's train of thought and looked at him blankly.
Mu Qingheng did not speak immediately.
He was tall and imposing, and when his long, raven-feather-like eyelashes drooped down, they vaguely obscured the emotions in his eyes.
Finally, he patted Mu Meng's head and said calmly, "No, come inside."
...
That day, Mu Qingheng sat with Mu Meng for a while before leaving. He seemed extremely busy lately, and Mu Meng had long felt secretly distressed about it. When she went to speak with her father that day, she couldn't help but protect him.
"Father, have you been assigning too many tasks to my brother lately? I haven't seen him get any proper rest. If there's anything I can do to help him out, I'd like to share the burden."
The Celestial Emperor, who doted on his youngest daughter, chuckled upon hearing this, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his eyes: "Your brother is ordered to hunt down the remnants of the Demon Clan. It's incredibly dangerous, how could I let you get involved? However, he listens to you the most. When you have time, try to persuade him. Although the Crown Prince has a heavy burden on his shoulders, he shouldn't overwork himself."
After saying that, he seemed to remember something and laughed again, "If you really want to help your brother, you should take the marriage proposal to heart." He shook his head and teased, "I think Heng'er takes choosing a brother-in-law for himself more seriously than going to war. He can always find fault with any of them who don't meet his standards."
Mu Meng never expected that her brother, who hadn't mentioned this matter at all, was actually more serious about it than she had imagined.
Thinking about it, I suddenly felt an overwhelming sweetness in my heart: my brother is the gentlest person in the world, a refined gentleman with a clear conscience, and I really can't imagine him being picky.
Mu Meng lowered her head, her eyes and brows full of sweet smiles: "Brother must be reluctant to part with me, that's why he's like this."
“Yes,” the Heavenly Emperor lovingly stroked Mu Meng’s hair, “who could bear to part with our precious Meng’er? Your father is arranging a marriage for you only because daughters of the Heavenly Clan are usually engaged at this age. If you really want to get married, it’s still a long way off.”
“However, General Sheng Yuanting of Xuantian is indeed quite good. I have been paying attention to him for a long time, but Heng’er has a deep prejudice against him.”
Mu Meng was taken aback: "Huh? He..."
The Heavenly Emperor put his arm around his youngest daughter's shoulder and whispered, "Father knows you've been wronged. That day, Sheng Yuanting came to me to apologize, and I was so angry that I beat him up."
Mu Meng was even more surprised: "He came to apologize? And he was beaten?"
"It's all because of that old bastard Chao Yu, all he does is cause trouble all day long," the Heavenly Emperor couldn't help but curse, patting Mu Meng's head. "Originally, I was interested in him, but after this incident, and with Heng'er's strong opposition, Father is still hesitant. Of course, if our Meng Bao dislikes that kid, then Father won't have to hesitate."
She couldn't say she hated him, but she didn't know what it felt like to like someone.
If she were to name a favorite man, it would undoubtedly be her brother, because General Xuantian resembled him to some extent, and she also harbored some affection for him.
As Mu Meng was lost in thought, she suddenly heard the Heavenly Emperor sigh softly: "Mengmeng, don't worry, this time your father will definitely choose the best for you, and will never let you be like your sister, who married the wrong person and regretted it for the rest of her life."
The Emperor's tone was filled with sorrow. Mu Meng's heart stirred, and she took his arm, looked up and pleaded, "Father, my sister has suffered too many injustices over the years. Please let her out, okay?"
"No, Luo Luo's personality is too stubborn. If we let her out, she'll immediately go to the East China Sea and cause chaos."
The Heavenly Emperor shook his head, forced a smile when he met Mu Meng's gaze: "Mengmeng, every year on your birthday you ask me for the privilege of visiting your sister, which is quite unfair to you. From now on, you don't need to wait until your birthday. If you miss her, go and see her."
...
Every year, Mu Meng looked forward to her birthday, not for the many congratulations and blessings, but because on this day, her father would allow her to visit her sister.
But what she didn't know was that she was the only one who visited Mu Luo every year.
After all, a princess who had fallen out of favor, willing to break with the Celestial Clan, relinquish her title, and openly rebel with her private army in order to marry the man she loved, only to have all her spiritual power stolen by her husband's scheme, and even her love turned out to be nothing but a mirage. She brought shame to the Celestial Clan and even became a laughingstock; who would care about her now?
"Mengmeng? Your birthday is still a long way off, why are you here today?"
Mu Luo's cell was simple and rustic. She was dressed in plain clothes and looked somewhat haggard. When she saw Mu Meng, a hint of gentleness appeared in her usually cold and indifferent eyes: "Come here and let me take a look."
Mu Meng obediently walked over, tilted her little face up, and her clear eyes were full of innocence and comfort: "Sister, Father sent me. Please wait patiently. Although Father doesn't say it, I think his attitude has softened compared to before. If I can persuade him slowly, he will release you soon."
Mu Luo sneered: "I only regret that my spiritual power was tricked and stolen by that scoundrel. Otherwise, how could he have let me go? I would have already razed this place to the ground and wiped out the entire Donghai family."
Mu Meng felt a pang of pain in her heart and reached out through the prison door to touch Mu Luo's pale face: "Sister, Father is just afraid that your hatred has not subsided. If you go out to seek revenge in the East Sea, you will definitely suffer."
Mu Luo pursed her lips, her withered hand slowly touching Mu Meng's soft little hand. She held Mu Meng's hand in her palm and gently caressed it, as if she cherished it very much.
"Let's not talk about that. I heard you were injured by Yunze Realm a few days ago and almost went crazy with worry. But then I heard that Mu Qingheng was furious and slaughtered the entire Yunze Realm family. Is that true?"
Mu Meng nodded: "It's true." Afraid that Mu Luo would worry about her, she quickly added, "It's all better now, it's nothing serious."
Mu Luo hummed in agreement, slipped her hand through the gap in the prison bars, and flicked Mu Meng's nose: "Looks like you're alright, and your spiritual power is stronger than before."
She suddenly frowned, her tone somewhat displeased: "But what's wrong with Mu Qingheng? He personally took care of you, yet he let Yunze's men hurt you... Fortunately, he still has some backbone. Such disloyal and unjust people should all be killed."
The older sister and the older brother have always had different personalities, and this is the first time in all these years that she has heard her praise the older brother's actions. Mu Meng shook her head and smiled slightly as she pressed her face against Mu Luo's palm: "Sister, if you love me, then take good care of yourself. You must take care of your health and try to think more positively. I will try to persuade Father more often."
Mu Luo lowered her eyes, her expression extremely complicated. After a long while, she raised her head and stared at Mu Meng: "Mengmeng, you've reached the age for marriage proposals. Is there any progress on this matter?"
I didn't want to bring this up, afraid that it would upset my sister, but since she asked, Mu Meng nodded: "Yes, Father and Brother are discussing it, but nothing has been decided yet."
Mu Luo was silent for a moment, then bent down slightly and looked at Mu Meng solemnly: "Little Mengbao, when I was your age, I misjudged people and made a big mistake in my life."
"You must listen to your sister and remember this well: a man's gentleness and doting may be an act, so you must be careful to discern it."
Her tone was so heavy that Mu Meng quickly replied, "I know, sister, don't worry."
Back then, her older sister secretly went to meet the King of Donghai with her. She saw all the sweet talk and vows the man made.
But little did she know that the man had no love whatsoever from beginning to end; it was all a complete scam.
Although Mu Meng answered seriously, Mu Luo was still worried: "What if... what if your husband betrays you and hurts you, what will you do?"
Mu Meng thought for a moment: "If there is a misunderstanding, he can explain it clearly and apologize to me; if it was intentional, I will definitely not forgive him."
"Is it just that you won't forgive him?"
Mu Luo raised her voice by two decibels, and Mu Meng met her gaze. Her eyes flashed with complexity, and her gaze was intensely pressing.
Mu Meng lowered her head and pondered carefully. It wasn't that she was unwilling to speak, but rather that she had always been carefree since childhood and had never experienced real harm.
To date, what angers her most is that the King of the East Sea stole her sister's spiritual power, which is the greatest harm she has ever suffered.
If it were something even worse… Mu Meng couldn’t imagine it. In the end, she simply clenched her fist and said firmly, “Sister, although no one supports your desire to kill the King of the East Sea, I am on your side.”
"In the future, I will treat the person I love with all my heart. But if he treats me like trash and hurts me sincerely, I will repay him twofold."
Mu Luo smiled faintly, and gently poked Mu Meng's forehead with her pale index finger: "Well said, this is the princess of my Heavenly Clan."
After she finished speaking, she gave a self-deprecating laugh. There was no one else in the entire Celestial Clan willing to speak to her so seriously about such nonsense.
Mu Luo said in a low voice, "Forget it, why should I tell you these troublesome things that could never happen? You've always been so silly. Luckily, Mu Qingheng is here. He loves you like the apple of his eye. If you can't tell the difference, he will tell the difference for you and give you good advice."
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