This made Su Muqing feel even more guilty. Huo Qiyuan, to prevent any future gossip about her, had taken all the blame onto himself and even claimed it was due to his infertility…
Huo Qiyuan had gone so far for her. Did she really have to be so selfish as to let him be wiped out in this small world, leaving no descendants?
"No, it won't be... Who was this quack doctor you found? How could it be incurable? Right! Muqing knows medicine, you should let her examine you. She can even treat such serious injuries. Yours are just minor ailments. Let her take a look, how can you be unable to have children? Impossible! Absolutely impossible." Madam Zhou was so devastated by the news that she was speaking incoherently, not even noticing that she had called Su Muqing by name.
Her mind was in complete turmoil! The Prince had become a eunuch! What would happen in the future? If she hadn't taken good care of Huo Qiyuan, how could she face the Princess after they met in the underworld?
Madam Zhou looked at Su Muqing with anticipation, hoping she would agree with her words and assure her that she could definitely cure Huo Qiyuan.
Huo Qiyuan also looked at Su Muqing and subtly gave her a look, signaling her to go along with what he had said, which would resolve all future problems.
Su Muqing looked at Madam Zhou, then at Huo Qiyuan, and opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. However, her hesitant expression was interpreted by Madam Zhou as confirmation that she had indeed examined Huo Qiyuan and that his condition was indeed incurable.
At that moment, Madam Zhou felt cold all over, her heart sinking as if she had fallen into an ice cave. It was unbearable. Why would this happen? The Prince and His Majesty were such good people, why was heaven treating them like this!
"Mama..."
"Mama..."
Seeing Madam Zhou leave the room in a daze, they both called out to her, but she didn't turn back. As she reached the doorway, Madam Zhou, exhausted, leaned on the doorframe, turned to look at Huo Qiyuan, and trembled, her lips quivering.
"Prince, Mama doesn't believe heaven could be so cruel. Your illness will be cured, it definitely will! You two will surely have your own children..." After speaking, Madam Zhou stumbled out. Su Muqing, worried she might fall in her distress, quickly got up to follow.
Huo Qiyuan grabbed Su Muqing and called Leng Si to follow Madam Zhou. "Forget it! Let her calm down and process this matter herself!"
Su Muqing turned to look at Huo Qiyuan, not quite understanding why he said that. "Brother Huo, why did you tell Mama that? You clearly know that what she and Uncle Xu wish for most is to see your child born! Didn't we agree before that if not, we would adopt a child?"
"Mama doesn't just want my child; she wants us to have our own child. If that child doesn't have your bloodline, it won't be what they want. Since we'll have to adopt one eventually, it's better not to deceive them from the start. They will be raised by our side from childhood anyway, so whether they are biologically ours or not won't matter as much..."
"Moreover, if I say I'm infertile, they won't force you to drink these medicinal soups anymore. You won't have to rack your brains trying to explain. I'll take care of everything!" Huo Qiyuan hugged Su Muqing and stroked her back to comfort her.
In truth, seeing Madam Zhou so upset had touched him, but Su Muqing was not from this world, and they were destined to not have their own children. He himself felt disgusted when she had suggested he take a concubine earlier.
What he had always wanted was a lifelong commitment with one person! If they couldn't have children, so be it! They would spend a long time together in the future.
"Brother Huo..." Su Muqing tightly hugged Huo Qiyuan's waist, too moved to speak.
Huo Qiyuan poked Su Muqing's nose and wiped the tears from her face. "It's really fine. After some time, when Mama comes to terms with it, she won't be so upset. Besides, as you said, as long as my body can be transformed to be like yours, we can still have our own children, just not in this small world! So why are you still so sad?"
Huo Qiyuan thought that after he had said all that, Madam Zhou would surely give up on making those medicinal soups for him. However, the result was the opposite. Because at dinner, Madam Zhou brought out two bowls of dark, murky soup.
This time, Madam Zhou didn't force Huo Qiyuan to drink it as she had at noon. Instead, she just watched him silently with a mournful gaze.
But seeing her expression, as if she would cry if he didn't drink it, Huo Qiyuan could only pinch his nose and drink it. Fine, if drinking a bit of bitter medicine could put her at ease, then he would drink it.
He was the one who had lied first, and he had lied to Madam Zhou, who treated him like her own son!
The dinner was finished in a very quiet atmosphere. Su Muqing, feeling guilty, didn't dare to meet Madam Zhou's gaze.
Madam Zhou felt sorry for Su Muqing and didn't dare to look up at her throughout the meal.
She was now hoping that the Prince would cooperate with her to cure his illness as soon as possible. She also hoped that His Majesty would not abandon him because of the Prince's illness.
Otherwise, the Prince's fate would truly be too miserable!
A few more days passed like this, and the weather grew hotter. With Huo Qiyuan drinking so much medicinal soup and tonics every day, his face was flushed all day long.
By nighttime, Su Muqing was complaining bitterly, and even her guilt towards him had diminished significantly. Huo Qiyuan, who was not taking tonics before, was already hard to handle when he became passionate. With the tonics, she truly couldn't bear it.
The construction of Chehe City was slowly resuming. During the day, Huo Qiyuan would run around the city, venting his inexhaustible energy. At night, he would relentlessly torment Su Muqing.
One evening, after dinner, they had been busy until past eleven o'clock. Madam Zhou was urging them to rest early. This time, after they returned to their room, Su Muqing refused to enter the space no matter what.
Because whenever they entered the space, Huo Qiyuan would never stop. Su Muqing held Huo Qiyuan's hand and went to the newly built Drum Tower, preparing to discuss going to the capital of Dayu with him.
In order for the space to be upgraded smoothly, Huo Qiyuan finally agreed to stop sending troops and instead follow Su Muqing's advice. They would travel light, go directly to the capital to seek revenge on Emperor Rui, and declare to the world to vindicate his parents.
There was also another matter that weighed heavily on Huo Qiyuan's heart: the remains of his parents. Several years ago, after being poisoned, he had led people back to the capital to search several times, but he had never found them.
This matter had become something that Huo Qiyuan could not let go of whenever he thought about it in recent years.