Chapter 115
Fate always seems to like playing tricks on people. The two had clearly agreed that they only wished for each other's safety, but in the following days, Si Yanmo started having that strange dream again.
It's less strange and more torturous.
In her dream, Zhou Yanqing's figure appeared sometimes on her sickbed, and sometimes on a battlefield filled with sandstorms, and the ending seemed to be death.
In his dreams, he repeatedly coughed up blood or was pierced by a spear, and he was never saved.
Si Yanmo was almost driven crazy by the torment.
Every morning I would hold him and cry for a long time, making sure he was still by my side before I could feel at ease.
Several days passed, and she lost a lot of weight. If it weren't for the Lantern Festival banquet, Zhou Yanqing would have taken her back to Qin to get away from all this commotion.
This place is really tormenting Amo.
Speaking of the Lantern Festival banquet, Sano also arrived in Nandu in the past few days, but to avoid suspicion, the group did not meet.
However, Zhou Yanqing had secretly allowed Chen Wu to bring Sano's parents into the city.
There are still many thorny issues to resolve on Sak's side, and Sano's parents won't be able to return anytime soon.
He thought he could take this opportunity to let them meet, which would be a way for them to reunite for the New Year.
On the very day that Sano was supposed to meet his parents, the Southern Emperor summoned them all to the palace.
Si Yanmo was a little worried that the Southern Emperor might have found out about their previous help to Sano, so she came to the main hall with Zhou Yanqing.
Sure enough, Zhou Junsong was there too.
However, the group had already rehearsed their lines. They said they had discovered a fake hostage, and when the hostage went missing, they went to find King Sak, only to find this had happened. Sano, on the other hand, said that he knew his identity had been exposed and that if he were sent back, he would surely be killed by Wu Zhao. He discovered the suffering of the people on his escape route, which is why he rose up in resistance.
Zhou Junsong's situation was even simpler: he didn't know, wasn't clear, and didn't understand, but he only confirmed what he had seen in what both sides said.
It all seems to be just a coincidence.
The Southern Emperor was persuaded by them. After receiving Sano's assurance that he would remain loyal to the Southern Capital, he put the matter aside and dismissed the group.
However, at this moment, Si Yanmo thought of Chen Tingyu's matter. So many days had passed, and there was still no intention to punish him. She couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty previously ordered me to perform a ritual. I remember that Emperor Gu sent down a divine oracle pointing out that Chen Xiangbu had forged the divine oracle. I wonder how Your Majesty intends to deal with him?"
The Southern Emperor narrowed his eyes. "Are you in a hurry?"
"I dare not. I am only worried about the divine instructions. If I do not follow them as soon as possible, I fear that disaster may occur."
The Southern Emperor waved his hand, "Chen Xiangbu has already been dismissed from his post, which can be considered as atonement. Let's leave it at that."
Upon hearing this, the three princes were all shocked in their own ways—Si Yanmo's eyes widened and her brows furrowed; Zhou Yanqing also did not expect him to do such a thing, and his fists clenched; Zhou Junsong, on the other hand, looked indifferent, coughed lightly with his fist to his lips, and looked at the Southern Emperor with a more inquisitive gaze.
Of course, there was also Sano, who knew nothing and stood there at a loss.
Si Yanmo still wanted to argue, "Your Majesty, since that's the case, shouldn't we posthumously grant titles to Tan Yin's family to comfort our loyal ministers?"
On the high platform, the man's eyes sharpened. "Mo Wubu, are you teaching me how to do things?"
His voice was soft, but carried a warning.
Zhou Yanqing instantly sensed the danger and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Mo Wubu only wanted to seek a good reputation for loyal ministers, and naturally dared not overstep his bounds."
He gestured to Si Yanmo to stop talking.
She also knew the principle of not suffering a loss in front of her, so she obediently bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me."
The Southern Emperor seemed to have no intention of pursuing the matter and dismissed the group.
"Your subject takes his leave."
"This concubine takes her leave."
However, just as Si Yanmo was about to leave with Zhou Yanqing, the Southern Emperor suddenly called out to her again.
The two were startled, wondering what he was up to.
Their eyes met, and Zhou Yanqing gestured for her to be careful before leaving.
For a moment, only Si Yanmo and the Southern Emperor remained in the main hall. Even the steward Yu was dismissed, and her heart jumped into her throat.
"I heard that Mo Wubu passed the shaman test in just three months? He is truly a prodigy."
The Southern Emperor's words actually eased her anxiety somewhat.
She answered according to her previous plan, "I have indeed benefited greatly from the teachings of the gods."
"Is there a better plan?"
She pretended not to understand: "The divination is something I dared not even dream of in the past, and anything higher is something I would never even dare to think about."
The Southern Emperor smiled, appearing quite amiable. "What's there to be afraid of? Since the gods are willing to teach you, they naturally hope you will bring blessings to the people of our Great Southern Kingdom. It's such a pity that you're relegated to Qin territory!"
It seems he really wants to stay.
Si Yanmo thought she could take this opportunity to get him to clear the name of Tan Yin's family. "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and does not need me to convey your divine decree."
The Southern Emperor understood her unspoken meaning: she was saying that he had not acted according to the "divine decree" in the matter of Chen Tingyu.
He laughed, thinking that this woman was indeed very bold, and also very naive.
"How old is Mo Wubu this year?"
"Your Majesty, my birthday will be in a few days, and I will be exactly eighteen years old."
"Eighteen, not young anymore." He spoke in the manner of an elder. "Have you ever heard the saying? Everyone has their own unavoidable circumstances, and I am no exception."
"No choice?" Si Yanmo sneered. What was there to be no choice about? He just didn't want Chen Tingyu to reveal the dirty things he had done.
When the Southern Emperor said he was only to be dismissed from his post, Si Yanmo was still a little confused. They had already given him a way out; he just needed to shift all the blame onto Chen Tingyu. But he didn't.
The punishment for Chen Tingyu was negligible.
Hearing this now, she finally understood that Zhou Yanqing had told her that Chen Tingyu had been his advisor since the Southern Emperor was still a prince, and knew too much about him.
Clean or unclean, it's all under his control.
If he were to push all the blame onto Chen Tingyu now, the latter might just blurt out anything in a corner.
When the time comes, the image of an incorruptible ruler that he painstakingly cultivated will be gone when he ascends the throne.
The Southern Emperor values his reputation above all else; otherwise, he wouldn't have kept the Chamber of Commerce's affairs so secretive.
Anyway, when people criticize him, they'll at most say that the Ministry of Revenue is cruel and inhumane, and that he can still come out and act as an upright official, little do they know that all that money will eventually end up in his hands.
He wanted to save face, so he had to appease this person who knew all his despicable acts, and then find a way to get rid of him.
As for the Tan Yin family, they were nothing in his eyes.
He didn't care; at most, he would wait until Chen Tingyu died so that he could clear their names for the sake of his reputation.
But this takes too long, and there are too many uncertainties involved, so Si Yanmo has no intention of dealing with him.
She continued, “Your Majesty’s teachings are my guide. As Your Majesty said, everyone has their own unavoidable circumstances. Although I also wish to go to a higher place, I am already the Princess Consort of Qin, and I am naturally reluctant to be separated from my husband.”
"It seems that Mo Wubu and the King of Qin have a very good relationship." If he were to break them up now, he would be in the wrong.
Si Yanmo responded with a "Yes." Having said all that, she didn't believe the Southern Emperor would still bother with her.
As expected, the Southern Emperor smiled and said in the manner of an elder looking at a junior, "That would be excellent. I wish you a long and happy marriage!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." After saying this, she finally felt relieved and was about to turn and leave when the other person called her back again.
"Wait!" Si Yanmo's heart, which had just settled down, jumped again.
"When you married Yan Qing, I didn't give you anything. Today, I'm giving you a treasure."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Manager Yu carrying a square box walking up to her.
The Southern Emperor gestured for her to open it, revealing a dagger inlaid with a red gemstone, its exquisite craftsmanship evident even from its appearance.
But Si Yanmo knew that this was not a treasure.
She looked up and saw the man on the high throne staring at her with a half-smile, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "I heard you use a dagger. How about I give it to you for self-defense?"
A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "This concubine thanks Your Majesty for the reward."
Since it's for self-defense, then someone might come to kill me!
Si Yanmo felt that she had found the person behind the group of people in Yunjianxuan.
She accepted the dagger, said goodbye, and walked out the door.
Zhou Yanqing had been waiting for her outside. When she didn't come out for a long time, he thought something had happened to her.
He even swore outside that if anything happened to Si Yanmo, he wouldn't hesitate to do what Si Yanmo said that day.
Thankfully, she came out safely.
He rushed forward and pulled her into his arms, his voice trembling slightly, "Are you alright? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"
He then pushed the person away a little and looked around to see if there were any wounds.
Si Yanmo was amused by his nervous appearance, but fearing that he might be really worried, she didn't tell him everything that had just happened. She simply said, "I'm fine, don't worry. It's just that, as we had planned, he wanted me to stay and do divination for him."
"You agreed?" Zhou Yanqing asked nervously, like a child who might be abandoned at any moment.
Seeing this, Si Yanmo really wanted to tease him, so she said, "Yes, otherwise how did you get out?"
These words made his blood run cold. He didn't want Si Yanmo to leave him, but he also didn't want anything to happen to her.
Perhaps the latter is the best answer.
He forced a smile, a smile that looked more like a grimace. "It's alright, as long as you're alright. I'll just come to see you often in the future."
"I thought you were going to talk about divorce."
"Impossible!" Zhou Yanqing exclaimed excitedly.
Divorce is impossible, absolutely impossible!
"Isn't it good that I come to see you often?" He looked pitiful, trying hard to suppress his reddening eyes.
When Si Yanmo saw him, she felt that he was both handsome and pitiful.
She deliberately put on a stern face, "No."
Now Zhou Yanqing was really about to cry. She hugged him tightly, forehead to forehead, and asked, "Why?"
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