"Your Majesty, His Majesty has returned!"
Upon hearing the news, both civil and military officials went to the city gate to greet him.
Han Luoxue also wanted to take the child there, but the Empress Dowager stopped her.
"The two children are still so young, let's just stay home and wait!"
The Empress Dowager had no intention of taking the two little ones out. With the Emperor returning to the capital on such a momentous occasion, the streets would likely be packed with people.
Children are physically weaker, and there are too many people. What if they get scared?
Han Luoxue thought about it and realized it made sense. She was holding Mengmeng in her arms, the little girl's eyes were rolling around. Han Luoxue lowered her head and poked her little face: "Mengmeng, do you also know that your daddy is coming back soon!"
"Ah..." the little girl hummed, it was unclear whether she understood or not.
The old emperor was holding one child, and Zhuangzhuang in his arms had bright eyes. Han Luoxue seriously doubted that the two children could really understand what they were saying.
"Sigh, I wonder if these two little ones will still recognize the Emperor when he returns!"
The Empress Dowager sighed. Han Luoxue recalled when she returned, the two little ones stared at her, not daring to blink, for a long time.
Now, seeing their father, I guess things won't be much better.
Mengmeng clung to her clothes and wouldn't let go even when they slept at night. It broke her heart to see that!
"Oh dear, everything's fine now. The situation in Xiyao Kingdom has been completely resolved, and the Emperor will no longer be going out!"
The old emperor sighed, and the empress dowager rolled her eyes at him: "You still have the nerve to say that! Isn't it all your fault? You've been in that position for so long, and you haven't even been able to deal with the Western Yao Kingdom!"
The old emperor looked aggrieved. Xiyao Kingdom was also a wealthy and powerful country, and its military strength was no weaker than theirs. Was it so easy to resolve?
But he dared not refute, for the person in front of him was his mother.
Under pressure from his own mother, he dared not say anything.
All he could do was lower his head and play with the little Zhuangzhuang in his arms.
"Alright, Grandmother, it's already good enough that we were able to resolve things over there. I heard that His Majesty brought the Emperor of Xiyao Kingdom with him this time. I'd like to see what kind of person he is who could raise a monster like Xi Wujue!"
The Empress Dowager laughed heartily: "No matter how powerful they are, weren't they still defeated by you and the Emperor?"
"That's right. When the Emperor and I go out together, it's a powerful alliance."
She didn't want to keep worrying about that side; after all, a permanent solution was the best approach.
Upon returning to the palace, the Emperor first dealt with the backlog of matters.
Although the old general was there to oversee things, there were still many things to deal with.
The emperor didn't arrive until sunset.
"Zhen'er, you've finally finished your work!" The Empress Dowager waved to the Emperor with a smile as he approached.
"Xue Yatou and the two children have been waiting for you for ages!"
Mengmeng and Zhuangzhuang, who were already half asleep, were shaken awake again.
Ouyang Zhen stared intently at Han Luoxue. After not seeing her for so long, he felt that his wife was even more beautiful than before.
Seeing the Emperor like this, the Empress Dowager chuckled: "Oh dear, you'd better go and see your precious son and daughter. They got up early this morning and are eagerly waiting for you."
The Emperor then looked at the little girl in Han Luoxue's arms. He slowly walked over and his eyes fell on the adorable face.
Xueya had just woken up, her eyes still blurry. She turned around and seemed to see her father, the Emperor, and her eyes widened instantly.
Even the hand gripping Han Luoxue's clothes tightened slightly, causing Han Luoxue a pang of pain in her heart. When she returned, Xueya was just as nervous, but she hadn't expected that such a young child would have such a good memory and be able to recognize Ouyang Zhen.
“Come here, let Father give you a hug!” Ouyang Zhen clapped his hands. The little girl’s eyes were still looking at him, but her little hands were still clutching Han Luoxue’s clothes.
"Mengmeng, this is your dad!"
Han Luoxue's nose tingled with sadness; seeing her daughter like this, she felt terrible too.
However, the decision to go to war was made out of necessity.
"Oh my, my darling! This is your father. He's been away these past few days, out fighting bad guys!" the Empress Dowager explained on behalf of the Emperor.
Zhuangzhuang, who was in the old emperor's arms, was also looking at the same thing. The empress dowager glanced at the little guy and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you raise Zhuangzhuang first? He has a gentler temperament!"
Unlike Mengmeng, the little girl is a bit spoiled and will cry if she doesn't get what she wants.
The Emperor nodded and approached the old Emperor: "Thank you for your hard work!"
"Hmph! I'm the one who puts in all the effort and worry, but you get all the credit in the end!"
Thinking of what the Empress Dowager had just said, the old emperor still felt somewhat resentful.
He had sent people there before, hoping to resolve the matter of Xiyao Kingdom completely, but unfortunately, he was willing but unable to do so.
"Heh... You're blaming me for your own incompetence?"
The Emperor thought of Ouyang Fu, who was a real handful; it was all because of this man who spoiled him!
He carefully picked Zhuangzhuang up and carried him over. The little guy's eyes were still fixed on his face, as if he was recognizing him.
Suddenly, he was in someone else's arms, his little hands tightly gripping the Emperor's clothes. The Empress Dowager, seeing the couple each holding one child, laughed and said, "You two should hurry back! You haven't seen each other for so long, you must have things to say! Take these two little ones with you, I'm getting old and want some peace and quiet!"
Han Luoxue nodded. The couple, each carrying a child, walked slowly along the way.
"Was the journey smooth?"
"good!"
"If I had known it would be this troublesome, I would have stayed with you for a few more days." Han Luoxue hadn't expected the two of them to be separated for so long. The Emperor looked at her tenderly: "I'm still troubling you with the matters in the capital!"
These words made Han Luoxue feel a little guilty. Actually, she hadn't done anything wrong; she had just been running around outside recently.
She couldn't help with the affairs of the imperial court; those were handled by the old general and the old emperor.
Especially since the old emperor has been behaving so well lately, Han Luoxue decided to send him a few more jars of fine wine later.
"Xue'er, have you missed me?"
Although the Emperor is not in the capital, he still knows a lot about what's happening there. Han Luoxue has been very busy lately.
"Of course I miss you, but what can I do?" Han Luoxue glanced at him sideways. "I can't just leave these two little ones in the capital here and run off to find you, can I?"
"You have no idea how much they cried when I came back. I will never leave them for so long again."
Ouyang Zhen felt a pang of pain when she saw her son still clutching her clothes tightly, a sign of insecurity.
"I won't be away from Beijing for such a long time in the future, and I'll spend more time with you!"
Soon, the two returned to the palace, but the two little ones still wouldn't let go. The emperor told them many interesting stories about the Western Yao Kingdom, including how the emperor there begged for mercy.
"Actually, he's quite a figure! After so many years of operation, we might not have been able to take him down if it weren't for the two of us!"
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