“How dare you? Who gave you the courage?”
Feng Xie’s eyes flashed with fierce sparks.
Liu Ting sighed in his heart. See? He changed his expression as quickly as he turned his face. This was truly the demeanor of an emperor. Just yesterday he was so emotional, but anything that touched upon his pain would inevitably lead to a change in his mood.
“Your Majesty, in truth, I wish I could leave the capital for Xue Xiu Peak immediately. But have you considered how many people are waiting for you on the journey? The Thirteen Iron Eagles, Feng Luo. Even if you reach Xue Xiu Peak, I’ve heard the mountain is so steep it pierces the clouds; those with low cultivation cannot ascend. If you don’t recover, even if you reach Xue Xiu Peak, you won’t be able to see the Empress. If you fall victim to someone’s scheme along the way, all the Empress’s efforts will be in vain. We aren’t refusing to go to Xue Xiu Peak, but rather waiting a few days. We will go once your body has fully recovered. By then, even if Your Majesty cannot go, I will.”
Liu Ting’s analysis was incisive, and Feng Xie listened intently. Despite understanding the logic, he still felt pain.
The thought of Liu’er’s mind becoming a blank slate made his heart ache.
He would have preferred it if she remembered him. Whether it was past hatred or resentment, as long as she remembered, it was a shared experience between them. If her mind was a complete blank, it meant she had completely forgotten him.
“Very well, you may all withdraw. I wish to be alone,”
Feng Xie waved Feng Lie and Liu Ting out. He then instructed Cui’er to take Mu Xing away. He sat alone and dejected in his sleeping quarters, etching her appearance, her expressions, her joys and sorrows into his mind. Suddenly, a wild, domineering thought arose.
Since she had forgotten, he had the duty to help her recall past events. This way, she could fall in love with him without any reservations.
With this thought, Feng Xie felt much more at ease. Although he was terrified that she might see another man the first moment she arrived and fall for him, what would he do then? His heart was in turmoil, yet he was helpless.
For now, he could only focus on recuperating. Even if she fell for someone else, he would win her back. The prerequisite was that he had to be strong. After all, once he left the palace, he didn’t know how many dangers awaited him.
Fifteen days later, Feng Xie’s health had returned to normal. He could wait no longer and prepared to leave the palace, as usual arranging for Prince Yan, Feng Lie, to impersonate him at court.
Feng Xie suddenly had a peculiar idea. In the future, if he didn’t want to attend court, he would have his imperial brother disguise himself and attend the morning sessions. This felt quite good. Upon seeing his insidious grin, Feng Lie immediately protested loudly.
“This is the only time, and it shall not happen again. If you always have me attend morning court in your stead, won’t those ministers find it strange? Why is it that once the Emperor attends court, the Prince no longer does?”
Feng Xie raised an eyebrow and replied dismissively, “It’s better to have one less prince than one less emperor, wouldn’t you say?”
He then burst into laughter. He was a little excited; he could finally leave the palace to find Liu’er.
For this trip, he didn’t even inform the Empress Dowager, fearing she would worry. However, if he returned late, his mother would surely suspect something, and he would deal with it then. At this juncture, he couldn’t afford to worry about such matters.
Jin Shaoyuan and Liu Ting were to accompany the Emperor out of the palace to protect his safety. However, Feng Xie chose Bai Han to accompany him instead.
Because the other two were too conspicuous, Bai Han was a new official, and his martial arts were not weak; his mind was also first-rate. With him, Feng Xie had nothing to worry about.
There were also Ri Ying and Yue Ying, along with over a dozen plainclothes guards with high cultivation. It seemed more than enough. Feng Xie instructed those remaining in the palace to remain stable and not cause any trouble.
The Emperor’s decision was made, and no one could stop him. Moreover, everyone was indeed concerned about the Empress’s safety, so they could only respectfully say, “Your subjects bid farewell to His Majesty as he leaves the palace.”
This was Feng Xie’s second time leaving the palace. His first departure almost cost him his life by the Chu River. What awaited him on this second journey?
In early spring, the accumulated snow had melted. The graceful Xue Xiu Peak revealed a beautiful landscape. The mountain peaks were lush and verdant, while in the mountain hollows, many tender green wild grasses emerged. Small, nameless purple flowers bloomed amidst the greenery, dotting the landscape with a beautiful pattern, exceptionally fresh and elegant. A woman in white sat serenely on a smooth, clean large stone, her gaze softly fixed on a distant figure. That figure was tall and elegant, reaching out to select a green bamboo. He quickly chose one, cut it down, and walked over with the leafy stalk.
In the sunlight, this man’s long hair cascaded onto his shoulders, his silver hairpin shimmering. His face, as beautiful as jade, was framed by slender brows, and his captivating eyes held pupils as deep and unfathomable as a dark, bottomless lake.
Beneath his straight nose, his thin lips curved slightly upwards, revealing a smile as clear as a mountain spring, refreshing the soul.
The woman was also not bad-looking. Her eyebrows were like painted eyebrows, her nose and lips were delicate, and when she smiled, she revealed a playful and adorable expression. Her eyes were fixed on the man walking towards her, and her sweet voice rang out, “Nangong, is my name really Ye Nu? Why do I feel this name doesn’t suit me? Ye Nu, Ye Nu, it sounds so unpleasant.”
This woman speaking was the one who caused the Emperor so much worry, the Empress Liu Liu. However, the morning after she took the pill, she woke up having truly forgotten who she was, her mind a complete blank.
Thus, Yun Gu called her Ye Nu, implying she was her slave.
Nangong Yue stayed on the opposite Wuliang Mountain and came to accompany Liu Liu every day. This period was the happiest time of his life. But he knew that as soon as she recovered her memory, she would be far from him.
Therefore, he did not expose Yun Gu’s lie. Moreover, if he dared to expose Yun Gu, she would definitely drive him down the mountain. In fact, this kind of pill did not have long-term effects.
In two to three months at most, Liu’er would regain her memory. Thus, the time he could have was these two to three months. Nangong Yue smiled bitterly, a faint melancholy touching the corners of his lips.
Seeing this, Liu Liu stared at his face, puzzled. “Nangong, what’s wrong? Do you have something on your mind? You’re really handsome, why is someone so handsome?”
After losing her memory, Liu Liu revealed a coquettish demeanor, devoid of her former harshness or icy coldness. She was now a gentle and lovable woman, her face bright and radiant.
However, a hint of doubt always flickered in her eyes: why couldn’t she remember anything?
At first, she thought she was injured, but after searching her entire body, she found not a single trace of a wound. But if she wasn’t injured, why couldn’t she remember past events? She couldn’t recall it, and she was too lazy to think about it.
“You are beautiful too,” Nangong Yue concealed a trace of melancholy and lowered his head to fiddle with the bamboo in his hand. He had promised to teach her to play the flute. A bamboo flute was easier for beginners, so he decided to make one for her himself.
Liu Liu, who was sitting on the stone, fell into deep thought because of his last sentence.
What he had just said, it seemed someone had said it to her before. Who was it? It felt so familiar. Trying to recall it seriously, thinking hard, she still couldn’t figure it out. It was truly annoying. She pouted.
Sunlight shone on her flawless, pure face, making her look incredibly beautiful and cute.
A bamboo flute was quickly made. Nangong Yue handed it to her and taught her how to hold it and how to use her fingers to control the notes. The scent of flowers from her person filled his nostrils. He looked up and saw her long eyelashes covering her bright black eyes as she intently watched his jade-like fingers.
He watched as she manipulated the bamboo flute. Nangong Yue couldn’t help but smile as he looked at her. Spending time together intimately like this made him feel very happy. He didn’t want to break this harmony.
“What’s wrong? Is something wrong?” Liu Liu saw that he had been silent for a long time and looked up at him. She saw that his delicate lips were about to touch her cheek, and she panicked and stumbled backward. Nangong Yue laughed and pulled her, “Be careful, concentrate.”
“It’s you who isn’t concentrating,”
Liu Liu rolled her eyes and teased him. Having lost her memory, she appeared playful and adorable, completely lacking her previous reserve with people. Perhaps this was her true nature, and the birthmark on her face had caused her to erect a layer of coldness around herself.