Epilogue of Chapter 93: Warmth
Let's talk about the preparations before the wedding.
Mu Meng didn't like Changjin Palace either; it was dark, cold, and desolate. Anyway, she had so many rooms in her palace, so she might as well stay here.
However, despite not objecting, Mu Luo still pulled Mu Meng aside and asked in a low voice, not entirely sure, "Mengmeng, you...you won't...live...together, will you?"
Mu Meng chuckled and retorted, "How could that be?"
She was both amused and exasperated by her sister's unfounded worry, saying, "Even if I wanted to, he wouldn't dare."
Mu Luo: "Hmm?"
"No... I mean, I don't want to either."
The two of them exchanged a few more words of advice before leaving. Once everyone was completely gone, Mu Qingheng spoke to her in a low voice with some concern: "Mengmeng, it's not really appropriate for me to stay here with you. After all, the Celestial Clan is not like the Kunlun Realm. There are people coming and going here. It would be terrible if gossip started to spread."
Mu Meng didn't take it seriously: "It's nothing. We've always been like this. I often stay overnight at your place. It's not like you haven't stayed at my place before."
Mu Qingheng chuckled, shook his head helplessly, and gently poked her nose. "That's what we did when we were little. You were young then, so it didn't matter what you did. Now you're a grown woman, how can you not be a little reserved?"
Mu Meng discovered that whenever he pampered and indulged her, he always acted as her lover, but there were times when he had to gently restrain her, and at those times his tone always took the lead as an older brother.
She didn't know how he switched between these two identities so skillfully and naturally. Mu Meng smiled and hugged his arm, looking up at him. "It's okay, don't worry about this and that. Anyway, we're going to get married eventually. Besides, with our status, who would dare to gossip about us?"
She pointed to the southwest corner outside the palace, "You live in the South Hall, which is separated from my bedroom by two doors."
Mu Qingheng was truly at a loss with her eloquent arguments. He figured that since the place was near the border and far from where Mengmeng lived, it was a safe place.
She agreed, saying, "Brother, I understand. I'll listen to you."
When the time was almost right, the two of them went to the Heavenly Emperor hand in hand.
After waiting outside for a quarter of an hour, the Heavenly Emperor finally awoke. Hearing his attendant announce that Mu Meng and Mu Qingheng were waiting outside the palace, he hurriedly ordered them to be brought in.
"Mengmeng, Heng'er, when did you get back? Have you been waiting for a long time? Why didn't you have someone wake me up?" The Heavenly Emperor hurriedly smiled at Mu Meng, touched her cheek, then turned around, pulled Mu Qingheng's arm, and looked her over carefully.
"He looks alright, but he's still recovering from a long illness..." The Heavenly Emperor wasn't sure if this was an accurate description, but Mu Qingheng's body had come from a sword, an unprecedented and extraordinary path, so of course they had to be careful. "In the future, you don't need to stand on ceremony with your father. Just come in when you arrive. It doesn't matter if I sleep a little less, but don't get sick from standing outside."
Mu Qingheng chuckled and helped the Heavenly Emperor to sit down in a chair: "Why am I so precious? Father, don't worry, I'm fine."
"Good, good, good! It's wonderful news that you've woken up safely. I need to write a letter to your third uncle to tell him." The Heavenly Emperor clapped his hands and smiled, opening the bookcase and rummaging through it as he spoke.
Ordinary spiritual messages are written in the air by hand. Mu Meng craned her neck slightly to watch her father's actions and asked curiously, "Father, does the spiritual message you use to communicate with Third Uncle require a special spiritual artifact to attach to it?"
The Heavenly Emperor chuckled and explained, "Originally, it wasn't necessary, but Father has declined significantly in recent years. I'm not sure if my spiritual message can reach him, so it's better to be on the safe side."
He said he didn't seem to care much, but a hint of shame quietly appeared in Mu Qingheng's smile. His voice was low and apologetic: "It was my fault for being unfilial. I've caused you too much worry over the years and made you hurt your health. I won't let you worry anymore."
"Hey, child, what are you saying?" The Heavenly Emperor smiled and gave him a reproachful look. "It's clearly your father who's getting old. How can I be as invincible as before? It's normal for my spiritual power to decline. What does it have to do with you?"
Mu Meng smiled and whispered in Mu Qingheng's ear, "That's right, brother. Don't blame yourself. Now that you're back, Father's health is much better than it was a year ago when I heard you... were performing the sword sacrifice."
Mu Qingheng smiled, touched her face, and gently held her hand, not letting go.
As the Heavenly Emperor finished writing the letter and released it, he turned to look at them, the smile lines at the corners of his eyes deepening: "Your third uncle will be overjoyed to know this good news, but it's a pity that his life was too hard and he couldn't come back to reunite with us."
Mu Meng relayed Mu Guicheng's predicament to the Heavenly Emperor that day. Although the Emperor was extremely regretful, there was nothing he could do.
Mu Meng noticed a hint of sadness lingering in her father's happy expression, so she smiled and said, "Father, don't be sad. My brother and I will go see Uncle San in person in a few days."
She stroked her chin and rolled her eyes. "Endless Cliff is no ordinary place. My brother just got back, so we need to wait and see. We'll go after he's confirmed to be alright. I just hope that Uncle San won't bully people like last time. He clearly likes you, but he still says hurtful things."
"He's always been all bark and no bite..." The Heavenly Emperor sighed softly, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. He turned to Mu Qingheng and smiled, "Heng'er, please be more understanding of your third uncle. He's always been aloof and arrogant, acting on a whim. I'm also a little angry that he held a grudge against you for hurting you. But consider that he's lived alone at the bottom of the cliff for so many years and still retains his kind nature. Please don't hold it against him."
Mu Qingheng was slightly taken aback, and quickly sat up straight, explaining for Mu Guicheng: "Father, don't say that. Using two fingers to save two lives is already too good for me. Besides, Uncle San sacrificed his own Heavenly Bone to save me. I'm the one who owes him. How could I blame him?"
He doesn't know how to repay such kindness, let alone the fact that he is the son of his enemy.
The Heavenly Emperor nodded gently and murmured, "It's rare to see you think this way, good child..."
He rubbed his temples with one hand, his voice soft and low: "Father has never told you about the three of us brothers before. Firstly, the past cannot be changed, and there is no point in bringing it up again; secondly..."
He paused and glanced at Mu Qingheng.
Mu Qingheng understood perfectly well why his father had remained silent for so many years.
He abandoned his identity, appearance, and name, replacing everything else with someone else's, all to protect the child left behind by his unrighteous second brother. Naturally, he could no longer mention the past of the three brothers.
The Heavenly Emperor said leisurely, "You have no idea how close the three of us were. Although none of us were the late Emperor's biological sons, we were closer than blood brothers. Those were truly wonderful days..."
Sigh, I can actually imagine it.
But Father just described Third Uncle as a cold and aloof person. If it weren't for the deep bond between the three brothers, he certainly wouldn't have been able to paint such a good picture.
The Heavenly Emperor had too many things weighing on his mind, and now that he had suddenly relaxed, he couldn't help but open up, "Back then, the three of us grew up together, inseparable, studying and practicing martial arts together every day. Who would have thought that the Third Prince of the Heavenly Clan would end up like this..."
Mu Qingheng lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "It is because he is incorrigible, disgraces his family, and has also implicated others."
The Heavenly Emperor looked at Mu Qingheng with exceptional kindness in his eyes, and said with a smile, "You can't say that. My second brother, although he eventually went astray, was not a bad person from the beginning."
He used "my second brother" instead of "your father," as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Mu Qingheng smiled and gently squeezed Mu Meng's hand.
"Actually, we both grew up under the late emperor's wing, enjoying his favor and receiving his teachings, so there was no difference between us. But the problem was that my second brother was just too handsome. From a young age, he heard so many beautiful words, and wherever he went, he was always the center of attention. Over time, he became more arrogant than the two of us. Looking back, wasn't that a kind of praise that led to his downfall..."
As she pondered, she secretly glanced at Mu Qingheng. Mu Qingheng's long, raven-feather-like eyelashes were slightly lowered, and his expression was calm, as if he were also thinking about something.
Noticing Mengmeng's gaze, he turned his head and smiled gently at her with his eyes lowered.
Those beautiful eyes and brows seemed to speak volumes, radiating endless tenderness and gratitude. Mu Meng instantly understood that the two of them were thinking the same thing.
Mu Qingheng's appearance is exactly like Mu Ciyue's, even surpassing his father's, and his talent and temperament are also superior to Mu Ciyue's. But how did Mu Ciyue raise such a personality back then, and ultimately go astray? He must have been afraid that Mu Qingheng would repeat his father's mistakes.
Only someone who treats their child as their own would go to such lengths.
Mu Qingheng lowered his eyes slightly, a thin layer of shimmering water flashing in them. He quickly closed his eyes, suppressing the sour feeling.
The Heavenly Emperor was still rambling on and on when he suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh dear, why am I going on and on about these past events? I was just thinking about important matters to discuss."
He cleared his throat, looked at Mu Meng seriously, smiled mysteriously, and then looked at Mu Qingheng: "Heng'er, your father plans to return you to your second brother's name. What do you think?"
Mu Qingheng was stunned for a moment.
Mu Meng was also taken aback. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Mu Qingheng say with a smile and a gentle voice, "I have no objection. I leave everything to Father's decision."
Why would she want to go back for no reason? She had to get to the bottom of this. Knowing her brother as she did, she knew he had an extremely fragile and sensitive heart. He would never say anything when he was hurt or sad, but would always wear a smile on his face, appearing to be a refined and gentle gentleman.
Aside from her, probably no one else in the world could tell that his smile was forced.
"Father, why do you want to send my brother away? Aren't we doing just fine as a family?"
The Heavenly Emperor, oblivious to the ambiguity in his earlier words, smiled and happily explained, "Of course, it's good that we're family, but you two are so in love, shouldn't you get married soon? By then, you'll both be my children, so how will you arrange your marriage?"
He smiled broadly, shaking his head and thinking: "Although I am also reluctant, I have no choice but to part with him for the sake of your lifelong happiness. However, Heng'er is only nominally returned to my second brother, so that his family line can continue. But we both know in our hearts that he is still my son, and of course, my son-in-law."
So that's how it is. Father, why didn't you say these things earlier?
Mu Meng was both amused and exasperated, and gave a perfunctory praise: "Good, Father is far-sighted and thorough in his work. My brother and I are far from being able to match him."
He stood up, knelt down respectfully, and bowed deeply: "Thank you for your trust, Father, in entrusting Mengmeng to me. I will cherish her with all my heart and never let her down."
"Get up quickly, the ground is hard and cold, why are you bowing so deeply?" The Heavenly Emperor was startled and quickly helped Mu Qingheng up himself.
Mu Qingheng stood up with a smile, glanced back at Mu Meng, and saw her resting her chin on her hand, looking at him with bright, smiling eyes.
The Heavenly Emperor chuckled as he watched the two of them acting like children, then cleared his throat and said, "Speaking of which, this is a serious matter. Have you two discussed your wedding date?"
Wedding date? My brother has only been awake for a short time, how can we be discussing wedding dates so soon? Mu Meng shook his head honestly: "Not yet, but shouldn't this be Father's decision?"
The Heavenly Emperor smiled helplessly and poked Mu Meng's forehead with a finger. "You, you've done a good job in studying literature and martial arts without causing me any trouble, and you've handled things beautifully. How come you've completely forgotten the rules of the Holy Ancestor? If it's a marriage arranged by the parents of both families, the wedding date should naturally be set by the parents. But if the betrothed couple decides on their own marriage and meets before their parents, then it should be decided voluntarily by the two of them."
Yes, yes, that seems to be the rule. Mu Meng nodded repeatedly. She had never paid attention to this matter before, and after growing up, she had been traveling around a lot, so she had naturally forgotten about it.
She blinked and peeked out, asking, "Brother, do you still remember these rules?"
Mu Qingheng smiled and lowered his eyes: "Of course I remember."
He hesitated for a moment, then looked at the Heavenly Emperor and said gently, "Father, the wedding date can be chosen slowly, but there is one more rule..."
The Heavenly Emperor knew what he was going to say as soon as he heard it, and nodded solemnly: "That's right, you two need to get this done as soon as possible."
Mu Qingheng knew without guessing that Mu Meng was definitely confused, so he couldn't help but pat her head and said with a smile, "The Holy Ancestor taught that before marriage, the Heavenly Clan's unmarried couples must collect ten 'Joyful Heart Cups' made by hand by their peers and friends, and hang them above the bed curtains on their wedding night, signifying perfection."
Mu Meng understood: "That's right, the longer the Joyful Heart Lamp is left, the brighter it becomes. We really should hurry up and get this done."
Oh, it's alright, there's always a way out.
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