"Xiao Qi, didn't you want to know who I am?"
Looking at the emperor, who was half-lying on the bed like a living dead, Huo Jin waved his hand, dismissing everyone else.
Only he, Chu Yuan, and a few trusted ministers remained.
For a moment, Huo Jin didn't want to say anything at all, because he simply couldn't bring himself to utter those five words.
—I am your son.
Bah! Does this dog emperor deserve to call himself his son?
It must be said that this was merely to make the abdication edict more legitimate.
"Someone, bring two cups of water."
Xiao Qi made an angry hissing sound, his mouth was crooked, his eyes were slanted, and he drooled because of his impatience.
The little carp instinctively reached for a handkerchief to wipe his face.
Huo Jin stood to the side, relaxed and unperturbed. "Don't worry about him. Let him be like this. It's quite appropriate."
If the inside is so filthy, what use is outward appearance?
A palace maid went to fetch water, and the Minister of Rites stepped forward, glanced at Chu Yuan, and said, "Your Majesty, we are discussing important matters. Perhaps we should ask Lady Chu to excuse herself?"
He called Huo Jin "Your Majesty," but Chu Yuan "Lady," his contempt was all too obvious.
Chu Yuan sneered inwardly, "These old bastards, they're always just as annoying!"
Huo Jin shook his head, took Chu Yuan's hand, looked at the ministers, and said calmly, composedly, "I will only say one sentence, and only once."
She, of the Huo Chu clan, became my empress after I ascended the throne.
—The only queen.
After speaking, he paused for a moment before glancing at the Minister of Rites, "Minister Zhou, did you understand?"
It may seem like a question is directed at one person, but in reality, it's a warning to everyone.
The group quickly knelt down, and Zhou Cheng trembled, "Your subject...understands."
The others replied in unison, "We all understand!"
"That's good." Huo Jing said softly but resolutely, her peach blossom eyes shining brightly like the sunset, shimmering with golden light.
This brilliance only shone in front of Chu Yuan.
With a "snap," Huo Jin used a small knife to cut her fingertip and dripped blood into half a glass of water.
Then he repeated it, but this time he was slashing the dog emperor's hand.
The dog emperor stared wide-eyed at the blood droplets in the two glasses of water.
Huo Jin raised his glass and gently swirled it. "Look closely, don't blink. Xiao Qi, you're truly one of a kind!"
The two glasses of water mingled together with a splash.
The two drops of blood swirled, sank, circled, and finally merged together to form a larger drop of blood.
Huo Jin brought the cup even closer to the dog emperor's eyes. "Did you see clearly? Do you still want me to serve you? Or, do you want to find another group of people and use your own grandson as a bargaining chip? Xiao Qi, the most absurd thing my mother ever did in her life was to be blind back then!"
After saying that, he ignored the emperor and led Chu Yuan away in a long stride.
He said in a cold voice, "Minister Zhou, the abdication edict is hereby given to you. Complete it as soon as possible."
"Your subject obeys!" Seeing that the blood test proved to be genuine, Minister Zhou and the others fell silent.
The two arrived at the Imperial Garden.
Huo Jin suddenly leaned on Chu Yuan's shoulder with a vulnerable expression, her fingers twitching as she intertwined with Chu Yuan's.
"Huo Jin," Chu Yuan called out to him.
The latter responded with a lazy "hmm".
Chu Yuan stroked his sharply defined profile. "Huo Jin, you are very good, you are the best, you are different from him."
She truly felt sorry for Huo Jin; for a moment just now, her heart felt like it had been ripped apart.
She couldn't resist turning her head and kissing him on the lips.
Huo Jin stood up slightly, and with one large hand he reached to the back of Chu Yuan's neck, deepening the kiss.
A thousand words are contained in this moment of mutual support.
After sitting for a while, the two went to see the child. Huo Xi and the others arrived late and were now being punished by having to look after the child.
The four people curiously stayed by the child's side, watching the child sleep soundly, occasionally touching the child's little face, hands, and feet, which was fun and novel.
"I never expected that among us brothers, the youngest, Ah Jin, would be the first to settle down and start a family..."
"Don't boost others' morale and diminish your own. It's just about finding a woman to have a child. Watch me get serious and it'll be a piece of cake. Besides, we're not that much older than Ah Jin. Our eldest brother is only thirty this year," the second brother, Huo Ling, said indignantly.
The third brother, Huo Yu, couldn't help but chuckle. "Second brother, how many years have you been saying this? How come you've never found a woman willing to bear your children, not even one?"
Huo Ling choked for a moment, then retorted, "It's because I just didn't make up my mind to look for it, not because I couldn't find it! Don't look down on me!"
"Hey, do you guys think Lao Liu has named his child yet?"
"Did you take it?" Everyone looked at each other in confusion.
They all shook their heads, saying, "I don't know."
They then looked at Huo Yan together, "Fourth brother, you've read the most books, why don't you come and get it?"
The latter, feeling embarrassed yet somewhat eager, scratched his head. "Really? Don't talk nonsense, Lao Liu definitely won't agree!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Huo Jin led Chu Yuan inside, her voice laced with sarcasm and smugness, “Want to name them? Give birth to them and name them yourselves. These are my sons and daughters, Huo Jin’s children. You can’t touch them!”
Upon hearing this, the fourth brother, Huo Yan, immediately looked dejected. "I knew it, sixth brother, you're such a stingy person."
"Hmph." Huo Jin went over to look at the children and saw that the two little ones were sleeping soundly, so she didn't disturb them. When she turned her head, she saw four rough men winking and exchanging glances with Chu Yuan.
Huo Jin frowned, warily pulling Chu Yuan closer to him, and asked irritably, "What did they say to you?"
Chu Yuan hugged his arm and smiled, "It's nothing, he's just apologizing to me."
As for what kind of apology to offer, there's no need to elaborate; Huo Jin's message was certainly much more detailed.
When she was about to give birth, someone tried to kill her. If she hadn't been taken away by the emperor's Shadow Guards first, who knows what the outcome would have been?
Mentioning this matter, a barely perceptible glint of malice flashed in Huo Jin's eyes as he stared directly at the four Huos, "Where is Huo Wuren?"
"Sixth brother..." someone tried to say.
Huo Jin remained unmoved. "Hand it over! I cannot make this decision. The person she wanted to kill was Yuan'er, and should be handed over to Yuan'er to deal with. Whether she lives or dies is none of my concern."
The four Huos practically watched Huo Wu grow up; they were more than siblings to her, so naturally they didn't want to see Huo Wu lose her life.
For a moment, I hesitated, unsure how to begin.
Huo Jin said in a deep voice, "Are you suggesting I go find it myself?"
The four Huos couldn't withstand Huo Jin's oppressive aura for long. They thought to themselves, "Being the emperor really makes a difference. Every word he utters is terrifying."
Now I finally understand why Lao Liu always had a smile on his face in front of them; when he wasn't smiling, he was truly terrifying.
A kingly aura is innate.
Huo Jin gently tidied up the stray hairs at Chu Yuan's temples, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger but exceptional indulgence, "I'll go with Yuan'er."
Settle scores with Huo Wu —
New and old grudges, settle them all at once.
Chu Yuan nodded. She should see Huo Wu again, but before they met, there were a few more questions she needed to ask.
"Huo Xi? I won't call you big brother anymore. I heard from Huo Jin that Huo Wu likes you. May I ask if you like her?"
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