Mo Beichen looked at Yun Qingluo, his eyes filled with deep heartache and self-reproach. "My Luoluo has never been a sickly beauty. Did she return to the palace first because she was worried that I would find out?"
It was his fault for not noticing earlier and mistakenly believing that Luo Luo was really in a hurry to return to Beijing to visit her parents.
Yun Qingluo sighed and squeezed Mo Beichen's hand. "I didn't tell you before because I was afraid you would worry too much, but it's also my fault. We clearly agreed that husband and wife would share hardships and joys, but I failed to do so. I always made you worry and feel anxious."
Then, Yun Qingluo told Mo Beichen the whole story about her lifespan, including how she chose medicine to protect her child after falling off the cliff and thus became a short-lived ghost, as well as the old stories of the Divine Doctor Valley.
After listening, Mo Beichen remained silent for a long time.
Just as Yun Qingluo was about to look up at Mo Beichen, she saw him bend down and hug her tightly.
"Ah Chen, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? Don't worry, there will be a way." Yun Qingluo comforted Mo Beichen, pretending not to care.
She suddenly felt something wet on her neck and was startled.
Ah Chen, are you crying?
Yun Qingluo felt a pang of guilt and tried to break free, but Mo Beichen held her firmly in place.
"Ah Chen, don't cry, I'll be alright." Yun Qingluo hugged Mo Beichen tightly.
Mo Beichen's voice choked with sobs, "I'm sorry, Luo Luo, I'm so sorry. I'm useless. I said I would protect you, but I still made you bear so much alone."
Yun Qingluo quickly explained, "It's not your fault. If I hadn't insisted on going to the Wilderness, such a big accident wouldn't have happened, causing you to lose your composure during the negotiations. Don't cry, okay? They'll be coming to serve the meal soon, and you'll be laughed at."
Mo Beichen stopped crying. "Will Luo Luo laugh at me?"
Yun Qingluo replied, "Of course not."
"I only care about Luo Luo's opinion; I don't care about others' opinions," Mo Beichen said in a low voice.
"Alright, you only care about what your Luo Luo thinks? Then stop crying, my wise and mighty emperor." Yun Qingluo said with a slight smile.
"After we finish eating, shall we go back to the palace? I want to go see Zeyan and Qianyue," Yun Qingluo changed the subject.
Mo Beichen also tacitly refrained from mentioning Yun Qingluo's lifespan of more than fifty days.
After the two finished their meal, they quietly returned to the palace.
Yun Qingluo went to see Zeyan and Qianyue, while Mo Beichen went to the Imperial Study.
These past few days, without attending court or reviewing memorials, the ministers have been very dissatisfied. However, with Mo Beichen's iron-fisted methods, they could only swallow their grievances.
After all, they begged him to become emperor. Dissatisfied? They'd just keep it to themselves.
Although Mo Beichen kept telling the public that the palace had been robbed, the rumors still spread like wildfire.
"I heard that the Empress has been kidnapped, and the Emperor is not holding court because he is looking for her."
"What? Wasn't it a theft at the palace?"
"Oh my, what treasure could be so precious that it would make the Emperor skip court? I think only the Empress could throw our Emperor off balance."
"Really? I heard it too. Her Majesty the Empress has been kidnapped by villains for several days now, and she's probably lost her virginity," a woman suddenly interjected.
"Oh, this, how could that be? Granny Wang, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Don't talk nonsense. Her Majesty the Empress accompanied the Emperor to the Southwest for disaster relief and followed him in battle. Now she has even opened such a large clinic to provide free medical care for the poor. Be careful not to be struck by lightning for saying such things."
"Yes, my cousin who works in the palace said that when the Emperor found the Empress, her clothes were neat and there was no one there. If you continue to spread rumors, we will arrest you and take you to the authorities."
"Pah! You big bad guy! Why did you call her the Empress? You're a bad person!" A little girl picked up a stone and threw it at the old woman.
Granny Wang cursed, "Hey, you ill-mannered wretch, you dare hit me? I'll break your legs!"
"Old Wang, you're getting more and more shameless! We adults are all here, try touching her and see what happens!"
Seeing that no one was on her side, Granny Wang lost her momentum and left cursing.
The people started talking about it again, but not a single word of it was disrespectful to the Empress.
The teahouse on the second floor across the street.
Yue Tianze and Ye Ming watched the play.
Yue Tianze picked up his tea, took a sip, and laughed, "It seems you've misjudged the situation."
Ye Ming turned his head slightly, displeased, and said, "Where did you find this useless thing? Couldn't you have found a few more people to spread this news?"
Behind Ye Ming stood the guard Cheng Feng, who bowed his head in apology. "My lord, please calm down. I did indeed approach many people, but as soon as they heard that I was speaking ill of the Empress, they refused all money offered to them and even beat and kicked me. This..."
Cheng Feng didn't say what came next, but everyone present understood.
Ye Ming's eyes flashed with ruthlessness as he coldly said, "I didn't expect her reputation to be so good. Does she even deserve it?"
Yue Tianze explained, "The Yun family has fought on the battlefield for generations, protecting their home and country, and is deeply loved by the people. Yun Qingluo is different from ordinary noble ladies in the capital. Although her reputation was indeed very bad before marriage, she seems to have changed her personality after marriage. Not only does she ignore Mo Beili, who used to pester her, but she also has her heart and eyes completely on Mo Beichen. Do you think a woman's personality can change so much after marriage?"
"A woman follows her husband after marriage; she's just accepting reality. What, are you interested in getting married too?" Ye Ming looked at him coldly.
Yue Tianze chuckled, "We're in the same boat. You're not married yet, so I'm not in a hurry, not in a hurry."
Ye Ming glared at him, "You mean I'm old?"
Yue Tianze raised an eyebrow, waving the feather fan in his hand, and explained, "No, no, how could that be?"
Then, Yue Tianze changed the subject and brought up another matter, "However, this person was able to abduct Yun Qingluo from the deep palace despite heavy guards, so he must be no ordinary person. Have your people found out anything?"
Ye Ming got angry when she talked about this. "No, there's absolutely no trace of this person. If she hadn't really been trapped in that godforsaken place, I would have suspected that she had sleepwalked out. The person who kidnapped her seems to have never existed. There's absolutely nothing to be found."
"Where are your people? We haven't found them either?" Ye Ming suddenly asked.
Yue Tianze paused slightly, then shook his head dejectedly. "No, as you know, my intelligence capabilities are nowhere near as good as yours."
"Hmph, Crown Prince Yue, you've gone a bit too far." Ye Ming turned to look out the window.
Yue Tianze suddenly said, "Hey, I just remembered a place. Why don't we go to the First Building and ask them to help us investigate?"
Ye Ming glanced at him. "Why are you investigating this?"
Yue Tianze: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Ye Ming pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
