In the study, the Prince of Beijin's face was grim, the pupils of his eyes sharp with coldness. He clenched his fist, veins bulging on his hand.
It seemed that the monk Liaokong could not be left alive, otherwise, the Empress Dowager would surely ruin things. However, he would have to calm the Empress Dowager down once he entered the palace later.
Because Mu Qingyao's internal energy was gone, coupled with not sleeping all night, she appeared very tired. She slept from morning until afternoon before slowly waking up.
When she opened her eyes, she unexpectedly saw someone who shouldn't have been there: the Emperor Murong Liuzun.
“Awake?” His voice was as mellow and sweet as wine. Mu Qingyao was a little unaccustomed to it. She blinked several times to prove to herself that she wasn't hallucinating.
As she had just woken up, her cheeks were flushed. Her movements were incredibly charming, making the Emperor’s gaze even deeper. He reached out to hold her.
“Are you hungry? Get up and eat something.”
“Mm, okay,” Mu Qingyao sat up. She couldn't help but recall how he had unhesitatingly rescued her last night. Her heart softened. Should she try to accept him?
But did she really want to stay in the palace, such a place of magnificent confinement? Confusion welled up in her heart, her eyes lost. She had seen his efforts, she wasn't blind to them. He had always wanted her to stay.
“Someone?” The Emperor’s cold voice rang out. Outside the bedroom door, Mochou walked in and said respectfully, “Your Majesty?”
“The Consort is hungry. Bring the imperial meal. Make it something delicious.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Mochou quickly withdrew and soon led in a line of palace maids holding trays. Mu Qingyao sat on the large bed, wearing a white inner garment, her black hair spread out. She looked lazy and at ease, lacking her usual coldness but possessing a newfound softness.
The Emperor sat beside her, a subtle, ambiguous atmosphere flowing between them. Mochou and the other palace maids, with pursed lips and smiles, began arranging the meal. They spoke respectfully.
“Consort, please eat.”
“Mm, you may leave,” Murong Liuzun withdrew his doting gaze and said sternly. Mu Qingyao paused, then nodded to Mochou, signaling them to leave.
Silence descended upon the sleeping quarters.
Mu Qingyao began to eat. Being so hungry, she paid no mind to the man beside her. Though she didn't look, she could still feel his deep, intense gaze fixed upon her.
This man seemed different from when she first met him. Why had he changed so much? Was everything he did truly out of love? Was it truly so pure, or was it because of some astonishing talent she possessed, leading him to scheme? Even if he liked her, it was likely mixed with ulterior motives.
Mu Qingyao pondered as she ate, her expression shifting unpredictably. Murong Liuzun, sitting opposite her, had eyes as deep as a tranquil pool. His low voice rang out.
“Yao’er, do you have something to ask?”
Mu Qingyao’s expression was calm. She put down her chopsticks and looked at him earnestly. Her eyes held a rare seriousness.
“Your Majesty, let’s talk about what happened last night.”
“Alright, you speak.” When last night’s events were mentioned, the Emperor’s expression turned cold. He wondered who dared to capture the Empress. Such audacity.
“Those assassins must be hidden in Yue Jue Temple. Perhaps the young monks don’t know, but Master Liaokong certainly does. I have met Master Liaokong twice; we are acquainted. Let me go see him. We can see if I can get him to reveal who the mastermind is.”
Mu Qingyao’s demeanor returned to its usual composure. Now was not the time for talk of feelings; resolving the matter of the assassins was more important. Since she had promised her father to help the Emperor, she naturally had to help him with all her heart.
“How can that be?”
Murong Liuzun strongly disagreed. A sharp, eerie glint flashed in his dark eyes. The old monk at Yue Jue Temple must have formidable martial arts. What if he killed Yao’er if she went to see him? The Emperor absolutely refused to take such a risk.
“Yao’er, by whom was your internal energy drugged?” This was the most perplexing part. If the one who drugged her was one of those assassins, they would have killed her long ago. Why bother with such pointless actions? Thinking this way, it seemed there were two forces lurking in the shadows. If one of them was the Prince of Beijin, then who was behind the other force?
Murong Liuzun’s expression changed drastically upon thinking of this. His gaze grew even colder and more ferocious. He clenched his hands, his fingertips turning pale. These scoundrels were too detestable. If he found them, he would kill them all, leaving none alive.
“I don’t know, but I know that the person who drugged me was definitely not among those assassins. It was another group of people. Thinking about it, there are now two factions secretly watching us, so we must be even more careful.”
Mu Qingyao spoke cautiously.
Although she suspected the other group was Chu Qianyi, she would not speak without evidence.
Moreover, if it were truly that man, he should have joined forces with the Prince of Beijin. Why were there two separate forces?
Since the Chu family held military power, why did they establish another organization? Pondering this, it wasn't Chu Qianyi. Then who could it be? Or did Chu Qianyi have some unspeakable secret?
“It was my oversight.”
Murong Liuzun’s dark, devilishly charming eyes flickered with hidden light, flashing and then surging like a crashing tsunami, like ten thousand horses whinnying, overlapping and alternating.
“Yao’er, I will handle the following matters. Your internal energy is gone, I will channel my energy to help you guide it again and see if it can be restored.”
“Your Majesty?”
Mu Qingyao looked up at him, not expecting the man to be willing to help her recover her internal energy. Regardless of success or failure, she was grateful for his intention: “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Seeing that Mu Qingyao did not resist him, Murong Liuzun felt a surge of joy in his heart. He genuinely liked her. The imperial palace was lonely. To have a person he truly loved to accompany him was his greatest wish.
He raised his gaze, the coldness receding, replaced by a softness like spring water. He called out for someone to enter: “Someone, take these things away.”
“Yes,” Meixin and Mochou led two palace maids inside. The atmosphere in the sleeping quarters was gentle. The Emperor was watching the Consort with a caring gaze, as soft as water, a gaze he had never shown before.
At this moment, the Emperor was more handsome than ever, captivating everyone’s attention. The palace staff dared not look directly at him. They cleared the items and quickly withdrew.
The Emperor ordered, “Do not allow anyone to disturb us.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Mochou acknowledged the order and retreated outside the sleeping quarters.
Others might not know, but she knew that the Consort’s internal energy was completely lost. His Majesty must be finding a way to help the Consort repair her internal energy. This showed that His Majesty truly cared for the Consort.
On the intricately carved bed, Murong Liuzun and Mu Qingyao sat facing each other, their palms touching. Both felt a jolt in their hearts, as if an electric current coursed through them, making them tremble.
The Emperor’s deep, dark gaze involuntarily shifted to Mu Qingyao’s faintly pink lips.
Although that night’s taste was fleeting, it left him wanting more. He realized how soft her lips were. Thinking this, a heat surged through him, his eyes becoming boundlessly dark.
Mu Qingyao, unaware of the Emperor’s inner turmoil, found it strange that he had not channeled his energy for so long. She asked.