She heard everything.
His question was indeed a knot in his heart.
He had, in his subconscious, killed his own desires.
Ling Yao handed Feng Shihao to Qu Linglong.
"Zhongliang, sleep well, I will always be with you." kuAiδugg
Qu Linglong rested her head on his shoulder.
Why didn't he believe her?
She truly, truly loved him, loved everything about him.
How could she give him up for the sake of pleasure?
It must be that she hadn't done well enough, making him uneasy.
From now on, she would do better, and better.
In the early morning, when Feng Shihao woke up, a head was still resting on his shoulder.
His mind was a bit confused. Had he gone to find his imperial sister yesterday?
"Zhongliang, you're awake?"
Qu Linglong, with sleepy eyes, nuzzled closer.
Feng Shihao was so startled he didn't dare to move.
She rubbed her eyes, sat up, propped herself on the bed with her elbows, and stared at him.
What was wrong? Was there something on his face?
Unexpectedly, Qu Linglong suddenly leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
"I've noticed you don't talk much anymore?"
He used to be quite sharp-tongued, always mocking people with cold words. Now, why was he so silent?
This wouldn't do; it's not good to keep everything bottled up inside.
Is there, is there?
Feng Shihao didn't know, but at this moment, he truly didn't know what to say to her.
The spot on his face where she had kissed him seemed to be burning.
"Zhongliang, I miss Nanxing. When we came, she would already call me mother. When we go back, can you hold her for a bit?"
"Yes!"
He blurted it out, seeing Qu Linglong smile.
Without any of the reserve of a lady from a noble family, she revealed her pearly white teeth, showing her genuine joy at a glance.
He felt he had failed them, mother and daughter.
When they returned, he would definitely hold her tightly, that daughter she had given birth to with her life.
"Big Brother, Big Brother! Hurry up and get ready to leave, something has happened in the capital!"
The door was violently pounded, it was Ling Yao's voice.
Something had happened in the capital!
The news was sent by Yu Liu via carrier pigeon.
The Left Prime Minister had rebelled last night and stormed the imperial palace.
He first entered Feng Que Tower, attempting to capture Bei Yue and Bei Shang. Yu Liu and Yu Shan had escaped with the children through a secret tunnel.
The situation was too sudden, leaving no time to care for others. Currently, the two were at a stronghold of the Immortal King Sect with the children.
Xing Mei had gone to assist the Emperor. His current situation was unknown, and he had not yet emerged from the palace.
"Song Beiting is the commander of the Imperial Guard!" Feng Shihao's expression was grave.
The Emperor trusted him, and the entire imperial palace was under his control. If the Left Prime Minister rebelled, wouldn't the Emperor be in grave danger!
Ling Yao didn't believe it, "Wen Tang Gege wouldn't do that."
"Wouldn't? Where would the Left Prime Minister, a civil official, get troops? It must be an inside job with Song Beiting!"
The Emperor's sister married Xiao Shan, how could he not hold resentment?
Discussing this now was meaningless. The few of them galloped towards the capital.
The capital was under martial law, and the city gates were closed. When Feng Shihao produced his token, the city gates opened, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed the capital had not fallen into the hands of the Left Prime Minister.
"Your Highness! You've returned! The Prince's mansion was..."
A soldier from the Jiang Bei Prince's mansion ran over. He had been waiting here for two days, finally seeing the Prince return.
"What happened to the Prince's mansion?" Qu Linglong asked urgently.
"The rebels stormed the Prince's mansion, burning, killing, and looting. The ladies in the back courtyard all... met a tragic end. Madam Jin was captured!"
"What about Ting Yu Yuan!" Feng Shihao roared.
"Ting Yu Yuan, I don't know, we couldn't find anyone there!"
"Scoundrel!" Feng Shihao cursed angrily, feeling the person beside him sway. He quickly supported her: "Linglong..."
Qu Linglong's face was ashen, her body trembling with fear: "Your Highness, Nanxing, Nanxing..."
"She'll be fine, I arranged for someone when I left."
"Really?"
"Yes!"
Seeing Feng Shihao's firm gaze, Qu Linglong regained some strength.
At this moment, she appeared exceptionally frail, and Feng Shihao couldn't help but hold her tighter: "She'll be fine, don't be afraid."
Just then, a troop of Imperial Guards also appeared at the city gate, led by the Deputy Commander, Duo Rui.
He looked around, his gaze falling on Ling Yao, who was wearing a veiled hat.
He immediately bowed and stepped forward, whispering, "Princess, your subordinate welcomes you back to the palace."
"Is the palace safe? Is the Emperor unharmed?"
Duo Rui was someone arranged by Xiao Shan, so Ling Yao still trusted him.
"The Emperor is well, Princess, rest assured."
Ling Yao wanted to ask about Song Beiting again, but ultimately did not. She entered the palace with Zhang Yan, Meng Jiu, and Chi Yun.
On the way, with Duo Rui's general explanation, Ling Yao finally understood where the Left Prime Minister got his troops from.
It turned out to be the Jing Bei Camp and the Dong Camp, as well as some Qi Rong people.
Judging by the situation, the generals were also controlled by the Soul Devouring Gu. Currently, they had all been killed.
It was Ruan Ji who, with the troops from the Xi Jiao Camp and Minister Cao's men, provided timely support, and together with the 200,000 Imperial Guards led by Commander Song, they strenuously prevented this palace coup.
Speaking of this, Duo Rui's expression was somewhat strange.
"Commander Song was gravely injured while saving the Emperor and remains in a coma."
In fact, he greatly admired Song Beiting. Before leaving, the General had promoted him to the position of Deputy Commander, allowing them to supervise and check each other.
After spending so much time together, he found him to be a principled and upright person, and they had a sense of mutual appreciation.
However, the one rebelling now was his father.
This was a crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan.
He wondered how the Emperor would handle it.
Currently, the Emperor had also ordered numerous imperial physicians to treat him with all their might, seemingly with no intention of executing him.
Hearing this, Ling Yao felt a great sense of relief.
Wen Tang Gege, indeed, had not participated...
"Where is Lingxi?"
"Before the palace coup, the current third-place scholar, Liu Xuanxiu, struck the Dengwen Drum. Princess Lingxi was present and recognized him, stopping the executing guards and bringing him into the palace."
"However, the Left Prime Minister soon stormed the palace gates with his men, and after that, Princess Lingxi was never seen again."
"The Emperor ordered us to search every corner of the palace. The person was not found, nor was her body..."
Liu Donghuai?
Why was he involved in this too?
Was Lingxi with him?
Ling Yao rushed directly to the Taiyi Hall.
The vast Taiyi Hall was very quiet. Fu Lu, with a line of palace attendants, guarded the door.
"Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you inside."
Ling Yao stepped in. The gilded beast's nostrils puffed out wisps of dragon saliva incense. Turning through the spacious hall, on the bright jade steps, sat Emperor Mingde, clad in a robe with intricate embroidered dragon patterns.
"You're back."
He seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
His voice was neither deep nor lonely, but in any case, it was not quite the same as usual, though she couldn't pinpoint how.
Ling Yao felt he was somewhat distant.
"Is the matter of Qi Rong resolved?" he asked again.
His eyes were still handsome, but they seemed to be covered by a layer of something,
making it difficult for her to see clearly.
"Yes, it's resolved. Imperial Brother, are there any other problems? What is the matter with Wen Tang Gege?"
"Wen Tang..." Mingde Emperor pondered for a moment, then did not answer, instead asking, "Were Bei Yue and Bei Shang safely sent out?"
"Yes, they are outside the palace, safe."
Ling Yao frowned.
He was her own brother, with whom she had grown up. They should have been able to talk about anything, to be intimately close.
Why did she feel as if something was separating them, making her conversations with her elder brother feel more at ease?
What was separating them?