As the sky began to show the first light of dawn, Madam Zhou was led by Leng Nuo to the outer city wall. They were deeply worried about Huo Qiyuan. An entire night had passed, and he hadn't changed his position at all, still sitting motionlessly on his high perch.
Soaked by the rain all night, Huo Qiyuan's clothes were completely drenched. His hair, blown by the wind, clung to him in strands. He looked nothing like his usual handsome self; instead, he exuded an indescribable disheveled air.
"Your Highness, what are you doing? Do you think you can disregard your health just because you're young? My heart aches terribly to see you like this! Come down quickly..." Madam Zhou shouted at the distant, aloof figure sitting high above.
Huo Qiyuan stirred, his brows furrowing in displeasure. Who had the audacity to call Madam Zhou over!
Seeing that Huo Qiyuan remained unmoving, Madam Zhou decided not to call him anymore. "Leng Ren, carry me up. Since His Highness refuses to come down, this old woman will go up and keep him company."
Leng Ren, having been addressed, glanced at the person above, then looked back at Madam Zhou with a troubled expression. The latter glared at him with eyes as large as copper bells, her threat evident.
With no other choice, Leng Ren put an arm around Madam Zhou's waist and, with a swift leap, carried her up to the high city wall.
As he set her down, he could clearly feel Madam Zhou's legs trembling. The hand holding his clothes also clenched tightly. Madam Zhou shivered uncontrollably, her eyes squeezed shut. Supported by Leng Ren, she took hesitant steps along the edge of the city wall.
Her legs were shaking so much they were beyond her control, yet even so, she was trying her best to walk towards Huo Qiyuan.
Hearing the rustling sound behind him, Huo Qiyuan let out a helpless sigh. He then stood up and walked a few steps to face Madam Zhou. Before she could even open her eyes, she felt herself being lifted into the air once more.
When her feet finally touched solid ground, Madam Zhou opened her eyes to find they had descended. Huo Qiyuan's arm was still around her waist.
"You scared me to death! I accidentally glanced down just now, and I felt so dizzy! I'm getting old, old and useless..." Madam Zhou patted her chest, still trembling, with the look of someone who had narrowly escaped death. She appeared somewhat comical. Despite her extreme fear of heights, she had climbed up to persuade Huo Qiyuan.
"I'm going to change my clothes..." Her clothes were still damp, making her feel uncomfortable.
Moreover, while there had been a heavy downpour in the first half of the night, the latter half had been muggy and hot. Huo Qiyuan's clothes were almost dried by the humidity, and he himself could smell a stale odor, let alone others.
As the Regent of a nation, such an appearance was highly undignified.
"Yes, yes! You should definitely take a good bath. I can smell a faint musty odor on you, you must have gotten soaked last night. Just as I arrived, His Majesty was ordering someone to heat water. You should go find her and get some water, and you both can have a good wash! Last time, on your birthday, His Majesty prepared several sets of new clothes for you. I thought that light blue one looked quite nice; it made you look exceptionally spirited!"
Madam Zhou, feigning ignorance, pulled Huo Qiyuan along towards Su Muqing as she spoke, even selecting his clothes for him on the way.
Although Madam Zhou hadn't explicitly asked Huo Qiyuan to seek out Su Muqing, every word she spoke was an encouragement for him to do so. She had clearly put in a great deal of effort and had good intentions!
Huo Qiyuan understood Madam Zhou's intentions perfectly. If Su Muqing truly needed to bathe, she could simply enter the space; there would be no need to heat water. By the time she finished bathing in the space, the water outside would likely not even be boiling yet! Furthermore, he himself had packed away all those new clothes last time; they weren't with Su Muqing at all...
Seeing that Huo Qiyuan did not reject her suggestion, Madam Zhou felt she was on the right track. Initially, when she saw him standing alone on the city wall, her heart had ached immensely.
But she treated Huo Qiyuan like her own child. When this child threw a tantrum, he needed to be appeased, but he also couldn't be indulged when he needed to be disciplined.
After all, he and Su Muqing were only engaged, not officially married. Their relationship wasn't fully settled, yet the prince quarreled with her every few days.
Didn't he know how sought-after His Majesty was? There were so many talented young men in the court who were eyeing the position of Imperial Consort! The prince truly had no awareness of this. The more Madam Zhou thought about it, the more she felt her heart aching with worry!
"Your Highness, although His Majesty is the ruler of the country, she is, after all, just a young woman. Every young woman has her vulnerable moments. As a man, you should be more magnanimous..." Madam Zhou, being a woman herself, naturally spoke first for Su Muqing.
After all, over the past few years of interaction, everything Su Muqing had done was truly beyond reproach.
"She is no ordinary woman! She... never mind..." Huo Qiyuan mumbled softly. Su Muqing's identity could not be known to too many people.
Once revealed, Madam Zhou would surely pry, and then the matters of his parents and the royal mansion would be brought up. Huo Qiyuan couldn't quite explain why he didn't want them to know. Perhaps he was worried that Madam Zhou and Xu Fu would develop a negative opinion of Su Muqing!
"Of course, she is not ordinary! Which ordinary woman can become the monarch of a country? Which ordinary woman can possess her capabilities? She saved so many people single-handedly and established a country in just a few years..." Madam Zhou began to recount Su Muqing's deeds without end.
Although Huo Qiyuan knew everything she said, he still listened attentively as Madam Zhou spoke.
In reality, the current developments had little to do with Su Muqing. Although Huo Qiyuan didn't quite understand the specific duties of the divine envoy Su Muqing mentioned.
However, she had said that it was her first mission, and it was inevitable for a beginner to make mistakes. The fate of her parents and relatives later on was not personally orchestrated by Su Muqing, so she couldn't be blamed at all.
Huo Qiyuan didn't know why he had been so angry yesterday. Perhaps it was when he heard Su Muqing say she considered him a task that he couldn't help but overthink things.
As a result, even though Su Muqing said many things later, Huo Qiyuan only heard what he didn't want to hear. Anyone would be upset if their fiancée said they were merely one of their tasks...
And the destruction of his parents and the entire royal mansion was just a tragic story concocted by others to increase the difficulty of her mission. That person, in order to make their family suffer as much as possible, had specifically targeted those close to his father, causing him to die at the hands of his own family and trusted individuals...
Huo Qiyuan thought that any person with a bit of spirit would inevitably get angry upon hearing the truth of the matter!