“Daddy, he just brewed three cups of tea, is that worthy of your praise?” Leng Ruo Li raised an eyebrow.
“Lier, is the tea I brewed that bad?” Jun Mo Han’s beautiful purple phoenix eyes gazed meaningfully at Leng Ruo Li. If she dared to utter the word “bad,” he would see how he would deal with her once they returned to the manor.
Leng Ruo Li felt Jun Mo Han’s unusual gaze and her spine chilled. This fellow was threatening her.
“Hmm, it’s not bad,” Leng Ruo Li praised him as well.
Upon hearing this, the corners of Jun Mo Han’s thin, handsome lips curved upwards slightly. It seemed his Lier was still somewhat afraid of him.
“Daddy, when Jun Mo Han and I last left the capital, you mentioned there was a very important secret concerning Liu Ru Yi and that we shouldn’t kill her yet. Now, we want to know what that important secret is,” Leng Ruo Li asked with a serious expression.
“Alas, the Emperor mentioned to me some time ago that when you two returned with the medicinal ingredients for the antidote, if you inquired about this matter, I should tell you the secret. Perhaps you two can be of assistance,” Leng Jin Yu sighed.
“Daddy, what exactly is this secret?” Leng Ruo Li asked anxiously.
Leng Jin Yu suddenly stood up and closed the windows on both sides of the room. Then, he said to Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han, “The Emperor’s Imperial Seal is lost.”
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han exchanged glances. It was indeed as Jun Mo Han had suspected; the Imperial Seal was lost.
After Leng Jin Yu revealed the secret, a long while passed, but Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han showed no expression. This greatly surprised Leng Jin Yu.
“What, neither of you is shocked?” Leng Jin Yu asked, full of confusion.
“Father-in-law, this King had already guessed,” Jun Mo Han stated solemnly, pursing his lips.
“Ah…”
“Indeed, you are both exceptionally intelligent individuals, how could you be fooled?”
After speaking, Leng Jin Yu pursed his lips with a solemn expression.
“Daddy, how did the Imperial Seal get lost?” Leng Ruo Li asked curiously.
Leng Jin Yu glanced at them and slowly said, “I’m not entirely clear on the specifics. According to the Emperor, it was during the Lantern Festival. He ordered a banquet to be held in the palace to entertain the families of civil and military officials to celebrate the festival.”
Leng Jin Yu paused briefly while speaking, then continued, “After the banquet, the Emperor and Empress had a dispute over some matters. When he returned to the Imperial Study, he discovered that the Imperial Seal in his secret chamber was missing.”
After finishing, Leng Jin Yu paused again, looked at the Cold King and his consort, and sighed, “The Imperial Guards stationed outside the Imperial Study and the hidden guards on the roof did not detect any abnormality within the Imperial Study. The Emperor was frantic. If those with ill intentions learned of the missing Imperial Seal, it would surely cause an uproar among all the court officials, and his reign would be unstable. Therefore, he immediately issued a secret order for the hidden guards to search the entire palace, but they could not locate the Imperial Seal.
“Just as he was worrying, a dart was thrown in through the window with a note attached, which read: ‘Marry Liu Ru Yi to Leng Jin Yu, otherwise, I will leak the secret of your lost Imperial Seal.’ This is how the Emperor told me the Imperial Seal was lost. Later, the Emperor secretly instructed Eunuch Li to find a jade craftsman and have a highly realistic replica of the Imperial Seal made as a replacement.”
Leng Jin Yu relayed everything the Emperor had told him years ago to Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han truthfully.
“Then how did you guess that Liu Ru Yi also knew the secret of the lost Imperial Seal?” Leng Ruo Li asked after listening intently.
“That night, for some unknown reason, the Empress kept Liu Ru Yi at Fengqi Palace to accompany her. According to the Imperial Guards stationed outside the Imperial Study, Liu Ru Yi had passed by the vicinity of the Imperial Study. Therefore, the Emperor’s first suspect was Liu Ru Yi, believing she stole the Imperial Seal. He even specially ordered hidden guards to abduct her and imprison her in the celestial prison for interrogation, but they couldn’t extract any secrets from her. In the end, the Emperor had to release Liu Ru Yi. However, a few days later, the Emperor received another anonymous letter stating that Liu Ru Yi also knew the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal and asked the Emperor to arrange her marriage to me. So, when I returned to the capital, the Emperor bestowed Liu Ru Yi upon me. But I was unwilling to marry her, and it just so happened that Liu Ru Yi schemed to get into my bed. The Emperor then went with the flow and allowed me to take her as a concubine,” Leng Jin Yu explained the events of that year in detail.
“Alas, after so many years, has Liu Ru Yi ever leaked the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal? Could the person who stole the Imperial Seal be someone from the Empress’s faction?” Leng Ruo Li continued to ask.
“No. Later, there was unrest on the border of Beijiang, and I was dispatched to garrison Beijiang. I was ambushed by the enemy and severely wounded. The Emperor also shifted his focus and chose to search for the Imperial Seal privately, but after two to three years, there was still no result. Over time, the matter was forgotten. However, the person who stole the seal could absolutely not be someone from the Empress’s faction, because if the Empress had the Emperor’s Imperial Seal, she would definitely use it to threaten the Emperor into establishing Prince Qing as the Crown Prince as a trade-off,” Leng Jin Yu replied.
After listening to Leng Jin Yu’s words, Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han finally had a clear understanding of the incident of the lost Imperial Seal years ago.
“Daddy, my Prince and I will also help you in searching for the Imperial Seal,” Leng Ruo Li said gently, lightly pursing her thin lips.
“Alright, Daddy is getting old, and my methods of handling many matters are somewhat rigid. I’m afraid of this and that. You two act more decisively. Perhaps with your involvement, the Imperial Seal can be found quickly,” Leng Jin Yu said with a hearty laugh.
Afterward, the Cold King and his consort and Leng Jin Yu talked a lot more, including stories of him and the Emperor fighting on the battlefield when they were young. Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han listened intently.
Meanwhile.
Lin Zhen Fei and Lin Zhen Fan, two brothers, along with several court officials, arrived at the palace gates and were immediately stopped by the Imperial Guards guarding the palace.
“The Emperor has just issued an order. General Zhennan, for returning to the capital without authorization against the Emperor’s will, is considered to have absented himself from his post. To enter the palace and have an audience with His Majesty, you must kneel from the main palace gate all the way to the entrance of the Imperial Study,” the Imperial Guard sternly declared.
“You… this is outrageous! General Zhennan returned to the capital this time to attend the Empress Dowager’s birthday next month and rushed back in advance. How can you be so unreasonable?” Lin Zhen Fei said through gritted teeth to the Imperial Guards.
“Duke Lin, your subordinate is merely acting according to His Majesty’s decree,” one of the Imperial Guards replied without flinching.
“Alas, Elder Brother, let’s forget it. This is after all the Emperor’s will, and they are merely fulfilling their duties. Don’t blame them,” Lin Zhen Fan feigned magnanimity and spoke up for them.
“But… if you have to kneel all the way from the palace gate to the Imperial Study, wouldn’t your knees be ruined?” Lin Zhen Fan frowned upon hearing this.
“Elder Brother, don’t be afraid! You…” Lin Zhen Fan said, then leaned in and whispered something into Lin Zhen Fei’s ear.
After hearing this, the corners of Lin Zhen Fei’s mouth curved slightly upwards.