Sixty pulled back is Wen/Fatty Ma Xianshan

  As time passed, the teahouse became increasingly crowded with people coming and going, making it even more lively. A storyteller appeared below, set up a table, on which he placed a fan, a tea cup, and a book, with no other utensils.

  Hua Yuye accompanied her son to wait for the steamed buns to be done, and had nothing better to do, so she listened with everyone else as someone told a story. This was her first time listening to storytelling in ancient times, and she found it somewhat interesting.

  Only the storyteller downstairs, with a white face and red lips, was in his twenties or thirties, not old at all. The audience around him was buzzing with discussion, saying that the previous storytellers invited to this teahouse were all older men, how come today they invited a young one, who knows if he can speak as well as the older ones, making the story come alive and entertaining everyone's ears.

  According to Xiao Er's introduction, this storyteller surnamed Li is from a place in the south, so he may have a southern accent.

  Everyone was cracking melon seeds, drinking tea, and lifting their legs. The fans of the young masters were waving back and forth in the summer heat, waiting for Mr. Li to finish a sip of tea to moisten his throat before he began to speak.

  The storyteller usually starts with a proverb, such as "Telling stories and singing operas to advise people to take the middle road. Good and evil will be rewarded in the end, the right path is the world." Then he enters the main topic, and Li Ping's delicate and clear voice slowly narrates:

  "In the year of Jia Wu, a young lady in a certain mansion had just turned thirteen. At that time, it was also this weather, with bright sunshine shining on the girl's face as delicate as a flower, like a lotus emerging from the water, pure and elegant. Coincidentally, a young master from a noble family came to visit the mansion, and he was a childhood friend of the lady's brother, so he often visited the mansion freely. As they walked to the pavilion, they heard the beautiful sound of the guqin, like heavenly music. The young master was startled, parted the banana leaves with his hand, and saw the girl playing the guqin in the pavilion. From then on, he fell deeply in love with her at first sight. It's quite a strange and wonderful thing. It seems that Heaven had arranged it in such a way that when the young master saw the girl, it wasn't their first meeting, but rather they had met before and he had always treated her like a younger sister. Little did he know that on that day, upon seeing her again, he realized his past mistake and almost missed out on the most beautiful woman in the world."

  Everyone stretched their necks, and their eyes and ears seemed to be sucked in. Some people's mouths were open, with a stream of yellow tea flowing down, revealing the extent of their astonishment.

  Hua Yu Nian heard from others that Li Ping Shu was actually talking about an affair between the current emperor and the late Empress, and he wasn't afraid to die.

  Don't mention Dongling, who in the world doesn't know that the deceased Empress is a thorn in Emperor Lei Zimo's heart. Anyone who dares to mention Empress under Lei Zimo's eyelids is asking for death.

  So, how much did Li Zimo favor this deceased Empress Gong? This can be glimpsed from a past court anecdote. It is said that in the past, there was an official who dared to commit the crime of beheading, and petitioned Li Zimo to depose the empress. The reason was that Empress Gong made the emperor forget sleep and food, and had the potential to neglect state affairs.

  Not to mention anything else, just based on the fact that after Empress Gong entered the palace, exactly one year later, she became pregnant with a dragon child. Not too much or too little, but exactly one year of pregnancy, far surpassing those who became pregnant soon after entering the palace or those who didn't become pregnant for many years, it is evident that the Emperor's favor towards her has reached its peak. Furthermore, Li Zimo had once said that in this life, there would only be one Empress, and that was Empress Gong. The Emperor of Dongling Country did not have a precedent of having three thousand concubines. However, after marrying an empress, if the feelings became stale or she was disliked, it was common to divorce her and marry another.

  The Son of Heaven's favoritism towards one woman is unimaginable to some ministers, who can liken it to a sign that the harem will disrupt the imperial court.

  As for some people praising the emperor's favorite concubine as a "red beauty" or "beauty calamity", this has been the case since ancient times, and Empress Guo is no exception.

  Linglong listened to those who didn't know the truth, in private, describing her own family's young lady as a scourge, speaking with reckless abandon and uttering filthy words, getting so angry that her face turned red. She said to Madame Gong: "Madame, look at these people's mouths, sooner or later, I'll report it to the Emperor and have him cut off their tongues."

  Originally, the ones who should be most angry were the family members of the imperial concubine, but Madame Gong was extremely calm and only lightly scolded the maid: "No matter whether a person is alive or dead, who can avoid being gossiped about? Those with narrow minds will naturally let gossip get the better of them. You should know that what I hate most is people wagging their tongues in front of me; go back and copy the Tao Te Ching for me."

  Linglong was startled, and didn't dare to speak so quickly again. She replied in a low voice: "I will go back and listen to your teachings, copy scriptures, cultivate my mind, cultivate my character, and not cause trouble for you, young master, and miss."

  The lady's gaze swept lightly over the common people and storytellers who were chatting about her daughter and son-in-law, and she let out a quiet sigh in her heart. Perhaps only those who had experienced the ups and downs of officialdom could understand this. That's why it's said that wealth and glory are easily obtained, but few who mix in the world can avoid being hurt by knives.

  Hua Yu Yan listened to those people telling jokes about Li Zi Mo, at first she listened carefully because she didn't know the situation and wanted to understand. But after listening many times, she also felt annoyed. It's always using others' joys and sorrows to amuse oneself, really not interesting.

  It's better when sons are at this age, so innocent. When others talk about books, these two little foodies only know how to eat, and they don't miss a single bite. They even had a big fight over the last bun.

  "Nini, you're eating more than me! This is mine, let go of your mouth!"

  Little pig Ni Ni bit down on Bao Zi's other half and wouldn't let go.

  Little Hand and Pigsy fought for a while, the bun split in two, and the pork filling flew out of the bun. The meat block's arc crossed the stairs and flew directly to the floor below. Li Ping, who was telling stories, suddenly felt a heat on his nose, stretched out his hand to touch it, and touched a piece of pork filling.

  The audience who listened to his storytelling burst into laughter at this embarrassing sight of him.

  Linglong couldn't help but smile when she saw Li Ping's misfortune, thinking that this was a good punishment for speaking ill of her mistress. Although no one had punished him, the natural disaster and human calamity were enough to make him lose face. In a few days, the scandal would surely spread throughout the streets and alleys. Turning back, she looked at Xiao Mu, who was eating steamed buns with his mouth full, and her gaze softened, no longer as disgusted as before. Looking at the lady beside her, she had already been smiling warmly at Xiao Mu, unable to contain her smile.

  One hundred buns were freshly baked. After wrapping them up, Xiao Er handed them over to Hua Xiyan. After paying the silver coins, Hua Xiyan took her son back to the inn.

  As she saw the mother and son go downstairs, Madame Gong withdrew her gaze, picked up the cup of flower tea, and slowly took a sip. At the same time, the smiling corners of her mouth also subsided, with a hint of solemn silence.

  Linglong's heart beats faster, feeling that her master's mood is very strange today, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Just a moment ago, she was still smiling, but why did she suddenly fall silent?

  After drinking half a cup of hot tea, Madame Gong said thoughtfully: "Tell the long-following servant to go to the Ministry of Punishment and ask if Young Master will come home for lunch?"

  "Linglong replied, 'I'll go ask him right away, madam.' She immediately went downstairs to find the longsu."

  The mistress's gaze lingered for a long time on the dinner table that Hua Yu and her mother had used.

  Ministry of Justice

  In the dungeon, the sound of whipping and mournful cries pierced through the walls, Huashu'er and Guirong were like startled birds, hugging each other tightly.

  "Older brother!"

  The jailers lined up in unison and saluted respectfully, making Huasheng and Guirong feel as if some great personage had descended into the dungeon.

  The flickering flames in the dungeon gradually outlined a man's figure, who wore an official robe and looked elegant and refined, as if bringing a breath of spring to this dark prison.

  Hua Shu'er and Gui Yuan suddenly opened their eyes, rushed up together, stretched out their hands from the middle of the iron railing to hug the man's legs: "Sir, sir, we are innocent, please save us quickly!"

  The jailer walked up and kicked away the hands of the women touching the man's robe with his toes: "What are you yelling about! This is our Minister of Justice, Gong."

  The Minister of Justice, isn't he here to sentence them? Guiyuan's two hands grasped her head, trembling. Huashu's eyes sank, with a subtle glow flowing, occasionally glancing at Gongxiangru's beautiful face, her eyelids narrowing slightly.

  Someone brought over a chair, and Gong Xiangru gently helped him into his court attire, sat down. All that could be seen was the faint smile at the corner of his mouth, warm, elegant and gentle, making it really hard to imagine that he was actually the official in charge of executions.

  "Guī Yuán took two deep breaths, trembling with fear as she crawled over, intending to plead again: 'Your Honor, I'm Guī Yuán, a maid of the Huā family. I've always followed the orders of the mistress and young ladies of the manor. I beg Your Honor to clearly see that I would never have the audacity to make decisions on my own and commit illegal acts.'"

  "Are you saying it was your young mistress who ordered you to kill?" asked Gong Xiangru in a soft voice.

  "Yes, yes." The other person seemed to have a good temper, so Gu Yuan plucked up the courage to say more. "The second young lady has been harboring resentment towards the eldest young lady and the young master for a long time, and the murder was also something she had planned for a long time."

  Hua Shu'er heard this and coldly interjected, "Sir, are you mistaken? Although I don't know which country this is, since it's not the White Chang, the Minister of Justice Rong from the White Chang is a good friend of my father's, so I'm familiar with him. This is an internal matter of the Hua family, and as an official from another country, you're overstepping your bounds by interfering in the affairs of the Hua family, aren't you?"

  Before the palace replied, the prison officer had already taken a step forward and was furious at the master and servant: "Death is imminent, but you don't know that you have committed the crime of great irreverence! You are unrepentant until death, and that's exactly what you two are!"

  "No, sir. I really don't know who you're referring to as the prince. All I know is that he's our family's young master, my sister's son, Hua Mu Rong." As she spoke, Hua Shu Er clenched her fists secretly, and she absolutely didn't believe that Hua Xi Yan's son had transformed into a prince of another country. After being dumped by Xian Wang, Hua Xi Yan actually encountered an even better man than Xian Wang.

  Huā Yù Rǎng was already disfigured at that time. Which man in the world would have a crush on a disfigured woman?

  This is exactly what Gongsun Zidu wants to know.

  "You say he is your elder sister's son, then who is his father?"

  It's just that as long as they can prove that Huamu Rong's father is an unremarkable person, then it's possible to clear themselves of the crime of wanting to kill the prince.

  "Adults." Huashu'er said, "Actually, we all want to know who the child's father is. However, you should know that my older sister was abandoned by Xian Wang back then and drowned herself in a river due to excessive sorrow. Later, she was rescued by the monks of Qing Shan Temple. When our family brought her back, she already had this child in her belly. So, either this child is not one of the temple's monks or... I don't dare say more, otherwise it would tarnish my older sister's reputation."

  Actually, although Bai Chang is a vassal state under Dongling, Li Zimo rarely goes to Bai Chang. If he does go, it's always in disguise and with a large entourage, so even if he were to encounter a woman in the wilderness, his attendants would know about it. Not to mention that any woman who has been with Emperor Jun would either be given medicine to prevent pregnancy or Li Zimo would want her to keep the child, and there would definitely be records of this in the Imperial Household Department. However, there is no record of such an event in the Imperial Household Department's archives, and even Li Zimo himself doesn't remember anything about it. Therefore, logically speaking, the man that Hua family's eldest daughter encountered must not have been Li Zimo.

  The question turned back to why the son born to Huayexi was not Lizi Mo, but had a face similar to that of the Dongling royal family's young master.

  It seems that even the Hua family themselves don't believe that Hua Xiyan can meet a noble person. Then, Hua Shu'er said: "Sir, you must be mistaken. The young prince is probably playing with my older sister, so he disguised himself as her child, which led to this misunderstanding. Speaking of which, my older sister's face is feared by even the children in our family."

  "How did your older sister's face become like that?"

  Hua Shu'er's whole body trembled: "Born to be."

  Ke Gong Xiangru saw the hesitation flashing across her face and asked Guigui Yuan: "Is what your young lady said true?"

  Longan hesitated and knocked his head: "Yes, yes."

  "If you tell the truth, I may be able to lighten your punishment."

  Guiyuan's face lit up with surprise and delight: "Reporting to the master, Eldest Miss's scar is because——" She had barely begun speaking when her own mistress, Hua Shu'er, suddenly went mad, grabbing Guiyuan's neck with both hands and glaring at her as she cursed: "You beast! My family has supported you for so many years, but you're afraid of death and willing to betray your master! I'm telling you, I'll die, and you must be buried with me!"

  The jailer stood by the horse and opened the gate of the prison cell, and after great difficulty separated the two women.

  The collar had left deep marks on Guiyuan's neck, and her breathing was weak. Hua Shu'er panted, continuing to sneer coldly at her maid: "Don't you forget. If you dare betray me, the lives of all six members of your family are in my hands." Upon hearing these words, Guiyuan bit her tongue. The prison guard hastily used his hand to pry open her mouth, lest she kill herself.

  Now, Gong Xiangru slowly stood up in his light-colored robes and said to the people below: "Use torture. Don't let them die, just torment them bit by bit until they're willing to spill the beans. Ah, yes, use Bone Gnawing Powder."

  The jailer listened to the order and suddenly grabbed Hua Shu'er's proud beauty, baring his sinister white teeth and laughing: "Miss Hua's family, right? I heard she is also the crown prince of Xian Wang. You said your father is very capable, a good friend of Gong Shangshu. But do you know that our Gong Shangshu is a great doctor, comparable to Huang Di. Especially his research on Gu Bone Powder, which can make people who have been tortured feel relieved after sprinkling it on their wounds, but in fact, the flesh has already been corroded, leaving only white bones. If you don't believe me, just take a look at that prisoner over there."

  Hua Shu'er and her maid, who had heard the conversation, turned their heads to look over, only to see a prisoner hanging from the wooden stocks. The dim light in the prison made it impossible to see any other part of the person's body, but a pair of feet with only white bones left were starkly exposed before them.

  Longan is a sharp cry that splits the sky.

  Hua Xue'er, who had been determined to keep her mouth shut even in death, looked at the white bones and her body trembled with fear. She only heard Si Yu's cold words piercing through her ears: "Second Miss, tell me, when this face of yours becomes a white bone and appears before King Xian, what do you think he will be thinking?"

  Hua Shu'er's eyes rolled back, and she was about to faint. But the prepared prison guard had already brought over a hot iron branding tool, and if she dared to pretend to be dead, they would brand her body with it.

  "No! I'll confess to anything, just let me die with a little dignity!"

  Gong Xiangru stepped onto the stairs of the dungeon, walking at a moderate pace, and returned to the office of the Ministry of Punishment. A group of officials from the Ministry of Punishment were waiting for him there. In an instant, the prison warden returned to his side and reported: "He has confessed, Lord Gong."

  "How to say?"

  "It is said that the lady of the Huahua family, one night, secretly ordered someone to set fire to the boudoir of the eldest young mistress of the Huahua family. At that time, this young mistress was only about seven years old." After finishing speaking, the prison guard also felt that the stepmother of the Huahua family was too cruel in her treatment of the legitimate daughter. A stepmother is after all a stepmother.

  Suddenly, it seemed like a flash of the scar on her left cheek. Although I knew it was due to the Easy Makeup Pill, I didn't expect there to be such a terrifying story behind it, making my heart ache. A seven-year-old girl, about the same age as his little nephew, had already been disfigured by the flames at night. Who knows, the pain of being surrounded by fire might haunt her for the rest of her life like a nightmare. Gong Xiangru closed her eyes tightly, as if she couldn't bear to look.

  "A servant came in from outside and bowed to him, 'The steward of the Gong family is outside, saying that the master's mother asked if you will be back home for lunch.'"

  "Does Mother want him to go home for dinner?" Gu Xiangyu's heart skipped a beat, feeling strange. As the wife and mother of a high-ranking official, Madame Gu was very self-aware and would never ask her son to return home during work hours. What she remembered most was that once when she suddenly fell ill, knowing that her son was a divine doctor, she endured it without saying anything, not wanting to disturb his official duties.

  "Tell him." Gong Xiangyu thought for a moment and said, "Let him go back and report to my mother. I have to go to the Emperor's place to report, whether I can return home by noon is hard to say."

  "Understood, sir." The yamen runner went out to inform the senior attendant of the Gong family.

  Gong Xiangru walked out of the Ministry of Justice and headed to Yongning Hall to meet Li Zimo at the agreed time.

  Just as I was approaching the Yongning Temple, I suddenly ran into my little nephew.

  "Uncle!" Li Dongyun's small face lit up with joy, and he quickly walked over to grab one of his hands.

  Gong Xiangru didn't dare to push away his hand, one leg half-knelt down, facing Xiao Yan evenly, smiling: "Your Highness."

  "Father Emperor said that Uncle went to handle an important matter, is it done?" Li Dongyuan's small eyes sparkled at him.

  Receiving the implicit meaning of her little nephew, Gong Xiangru's dimples deepened: "Your Highness is becoming more and more like Emperor Jun."

  The corners of his noble lips twitched, as if he was very worried. Gong Xiangru's words were double-edged, saying that he was like his father the emperor, and also implying that he was like his father the emperor, not speaking out loud but having Hua Xiyan and Xiao MuMu in his heart.

  "Your Highness, please be at ease. The Emperor has his own considerations." After patting the little prince's hand to comfort him, Gong Xiangru looked up and saw several ministers, who had probably just exited from paying respects to the Emperor in the palace, looking over this way.

  Li Dongyun's eyebrows furrowed slightly, feeling somewhat annoyed by the gazes of these people staring intently at this place. Recalling what her father had said, that being overly close to her uncle in front of outsiders would actually harm him, she let go of Gong Xiangru's hand and pretended to clear her throat, saying: "Lord Gong has matters to attend to, you may take your leave."

  "Yes, Your Highness." Gong Xiangru accepted the good intentions of his young nephew and performed the rituals of a subject to his lord, standing upright at one side, quietly waiting for Li Dongyuan to take the lead.

  The young prince left, and Gong Xiangru walked over to greet the other officials before arriving at the palace gate. Li Shunde was guarding the entrance and upon seeing him, he looked overjoyed and tearful, saying: "Lord Gong, you've finally arrived. The Emperor is in a bad mood."

  "What's wrong?" Gong Xiangru asked upon hearing this, "Is Your Majesty unwell, has the imperial physician come to take a look?"

  "Ah!" Li Shunde let out a deep sigh and looked around to make sure no one was listening, then lowered his voice and leaned in close. "He's gone."

  "Are they gone? The palace guards were suddenly enlightened, and it was said that Hua Xiyan and her mother had escaped from the palace. Unconsciously, Si Wen's lips curled up slightly. This mother and son duo were indeed extraordinary, having managed to escape from the heavily guarded imperial palace. How did they escape? When did they slip away?"

  "Don't mention it," said Li Shunde. "Your Excellency knows that our Emperor is a cold-faced but kind-hearted person. Last night, he let the mother and son sweep the Moon Evening Pavilion, starving them for a night, just to show off his imperial power and avoid being unfair. Our Crown Prince was also punished by the Emperor with an empty stomach. However, the Emperor had already instructed the Imperial Kitchen to work through the night to prepare delicious pastries, knowing that Mu Mu Gongzi has a big appetite. So, I took two large boxes of early refreshments and rushed to the Moon Evening Pavilion at dawn, but when I looked inside and outside, I couldn't find anyone."

  No wonder Yun Chen Jing always says that Li Zi Mo got what was coming to him.

  At this moment, Li Zimo was really given a breath of air, and he didn't know whether to be angry with the mother and son or with himself.

  No matter what, the emperor is in a bad mood, and those who are not doing their job well will definitely not be able to escape.

  Li Shunde wiped the corner of his eye: "Those gatekeepers, the few guards who were allowed to pass, were all sent to sweep the toilets. As for the ones guarding the imperial carriage, they couldn't escape the fate of sweeping toilets either. And as for me, this old slave, I almost got sent somewhere to sweep toilets too."

  The palace guards were absolutely not dared to laugh at those who swept the toilets, because Li Zimo's mood was definitely bad. He had been slipped away from under his nose by that mother and son duo from his own supposedly excellent imperial palace guard. Even if they caught the mother and son duo back, with their poisonous tongues, it would be hard for him to avoid being ridiculed about this matter in the future.

  Inside, in the capital city, a dark guard who had found the whereabouts of Huā Yùyán and her son was reporting to Lí Zǐmò. When the other person mentioned that Xiǎo Mùmù almost got whipped by someone, Lí Zǐmò's eyebrows rose: "Who?"

  An Wei hesitated for a moment before revealing the name of the second daughter of the Sun family.

  "How could I have not known that under my very nose, there is such a lawless and arrogant young lady?" The faint voice of Li Zimo carried a hint of coldness.

  The guard hesitated, not daring to speak clearly, and instead said in a roundabout way: "I had already prepared myself to jump down and rescue the person. However, upon seeing the young master safe and sound, and General Sun watching from across the way, General Sun later restrained Second Miss Sun, so I didn't dare reveal my presence."

  "You said Sun Xuanxi saw it all there."

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  The dragon's face seemed to flash with a hint of ink color, and he said, "Go on, continue following them."

  The Dark Guard's figure disappeared within the palace.

  Going around the screen, he saw that Gong Xiangyu was already waiting inside the house. Li Zimo gestured to Li Shunde to close the door.

  "I have an audience with Your Majesty."

  "Has Gong Qing interrogated those two prisoners and gotten answers?"

  "Report back to Your Majesty." Gong Xiangru lowered his voice and carefully recounted Hua Shu'er's confession.

  When he heard that the scar on her face was from this origin, Li Zimo's mind suddenly stagnated. The infighting in a wealthy family is inevitable, but Liu Shi, the stepmother of the Huahua family, has indeed gone too far. A woman's appearance is crucial to a woman, almost related to a woman's lifelong happiness. No wonder, the Huahua family had long regarded Hua Yecai, who was disfigured, as an abandoned child.

  She must have been in great pain when she was burned, right? The sudden daze in front of him was a reminder of another woman who had passed away. She spat blood in front of him, with her mouth full of fresh blood, making it impossible for him to believe that she had died suddenly from a terminal illness.

  His fist clenched unconsciously for five minutes.

  Miyaosou looked at him with an unpredictable expression, frowning and not daring to make a sound.

  After a moment, his face regained its calmness, and with a slight raise of his eyebrows, he said to Gong Yu: "Tonight, I want to secretly leave the palace for a trip, Palace Officer, follow me."

  Gong Xiangru raised his eyes and caught the meaning in his gaze, then nodded: "Your subject obeys."

  "At noon, Gong Qing will be here to have lunch with me. By the way, Xiao Yu misses you. I'll let the Crown Prince come over." Lei Zimo's tone changed as he said this, "The Cloud Sect Master has returned to the Cloud Clan."

  "I have heard."

  "He's angry with me. Back then, he also said that he had to take Xiaoyue to the Yun clan to recuperate, so as not to suffer at my hands here."

  Knowing he was just talking big, Gong Xiangyu smiled and said nothing.

  "Alright, alright, where is he going to go? Can I control him?" Xu Chang sighed, somewhat helplessly. "But the Empress Dowager has arranged a blind date banquet for him, and now that he's leaving, he didn't even give anyone advance notice."

  Mingxiang felt a sense of unease upon hearing this matter.

  He glanced at him and sighed: "I know you don't like it, I'll help you push away the Empress Dowager."

  "I kneel down and thank Your Majesty."

  Li Zimo watched him kneel down to thank him, and a faint light flashed across his face.

  By afternoon, seeing that Qing Cui had recovered a bit, Hua Xi Yan decided to lead everyone in escaping Kyoto for two nights. They couldn't find any cheap horse carriages, so they could only travel on foot. Once they were outside the city, they would think of another plan. Taking advantage of the evening when there were many people around, they blended into the crowd and left the city gate. However, they didn't rush to head towards Bai Chang. Because the night road was not easy to walk, aside from attracting attention, Qing Cui's injury had not fully healed, and after walking for a short while, blood mixed with sweat stained her clothes all over her back.

  Beside the road, there was a dilapidated temple. Hua Xixi helped Lu Cui into the temple and asked her son to help gather some hay for Lu Cui to lie on. She then changed Lu Cui's dressing. Feeling Lu Cui's forehead with her hand, she found that Lu Cui had a fever again.

  Night fell, and Hua Yuexuan gave some buns to her son and Xiaozhu to eat. She herself ate only one, being frugal. Lü Cuì couldn't eat anything, so she could only drink some warm water. Although it was a summer night, this place was hot during the day but cool at night. Afraid that Lü Cuì would catch another cold and make her condition worse, Hua Yuexuan had no choice but to take the risk of starting a small fire again to keep warm.

  Two little foodies walked a long way, ate their fill and got sleepy, snuggled up in a haystack, hugged each other, and soon started snoring.

  Huā Yùn Yán gently put a coat on her son, and used a handkerchief to wipe away the pastry crumbs from his mouth. It's been so long since they came to this ancient era, but for the first time, her son has suffered along with her. Back in their village days, life was hard, but at least it wasn't like now, where they were frantically fleeing for their lives.

  Pick up a small wooden stick, poking at the wood in the bonfire, can't sleep. Remembering today in the teahouse, listening to the storyteller's tale, for a moment, couldn't help but think of that emperor who doted on his empress. Thinking about it, since ancient times, the dignity of the Son of Heaven, men having three wives and six concubines was common, this man, being able to favor only one woman, is already quite remarkable.

  It's inexplicable that he torments her and her son. Is it just because her son looks like his own? Doesn't he know that there are many people in the world who look alike? Moreover, children's faces haven't fully developed yet, maybe they won't look alike when they grow up.

  After all, who is her son's father?

  Knock knock, can't find any memories left by the waste lady of Huajia. Can only go back and ask Old Lady Huajia again. Originally didn't plan to look for the child's father, but was entangled by this emperor, understanding the child's father early will also make this emperor give up.

  She made up her mind secretly. She checked the patient's forehead again and saw that the fever had subsided, covered the patient with clothes, extinguished the fire, and lay down between her son and the patient to take care of both sides.

  At night, a bright moon hung on the tip of the forest. The horse carriage drove out of the palace gate, passed through the city gate, and arrived at the front of the broken temple with lightning speed. The horse team did not light a fire. The coachman comforted the horses to prevent them from neighing, and the people following him dared not breathe a word.

  Yi Feng dismounted and opened the curtain of the carriage for Li Zimo. Gong Xiangru had already gotten down from another horse-drawn vehicle behind them and was standing beside it. Li Zimo, dressed in casual clothes, looked up at the sky and saw that the clouds were thickening, seemingly with a tendency to rain, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

  The ruined temple in front of me, since it can be called a ruined temple, the doors and windows are all damaged, the walls and tiles have gaps, and the cold wind is rampant everywhere. If it were not summer but winter, spending a night here would make it hard to say whether one could survive till tomorrow.

  The corners of her lips were slightly raised, suppressing her anger. She was angry that he didn't know what was good for him, giving her and her son a good house to sleep in but instead choosing to sleep in this old broken temple.

  Doesn't he know that his own wounds are not fully healed? Doesn't he know that his young son is prone to illness? As the precious dragon son, he often gets sick if he's not careful. Children's bodies are still developing, so of course they need extra care.

  And he told them that the Moon Evening Pavilion where they lived was a forbidden place, but when it was first built, only the best building materials were used. When the doors and windows were closed, it was warm like March. Ventilation only needs to open two opposite windows, and the temperature is just right. Moreover, the second floor of the Moon Evening Pavilion has a good wing room and bed. This fool, doesn't he even know that there are beds there?

  "Li Shunde, didn't you take their quilt away last night?"

  Li Shunde bowed his head, knowing that the emperor was displeased and about to shift his anger elsewhere. He spoke cautiously: "Your Majesty, the room on the second floor of the Moon Evening Pavilion has been cleaned by me personally every time you have spent the night there. The bedding and pillows were just changed recently. This morning, I went to take a look at the Moon Evening Pavilion, and it seems that Miss Yan and her companions did not sleep there last night."

  Fool is really fool!

  Perhaps she was foolish, but it's more likely that she didn't have the heart to explore the Moonlit Pavilion, and had already made up her mind to escape from the palace.

  The idea in his mind made him feel even worse.

  He lifted his foot and walked quickly towards the temple. His footsteps were light, and he didn't disturb anyone inside. He went in and, with the help of a beam of moonlight shining through the window, saw clearly that there were three people lying on a pile of broken grass.

  Her son was sleeping while drooling from the corner of his mouth, his small hands tightly grasping her clothes and refusing to let go, occasionally muttering: baozi, baozi.

  This kid looks just like his son, but their personalities are worlds apart.

  Children who only think about eating, don't know how they were starving when they were young.

  A faint sense of awkwardness flashed through his mind.

  He gazed again at the ugly scar on her left cheek, thinking of the story Hua Shu'er had revealed today, and Yun Mei's eyebrows sank even lower. The three people slept like dead pigs. What if it wasn't him who came suddenly, but a sinister person with ulterior motives? Of course, it could also be seen that these three people were exhausted from the day before, or perhaps they had been exhausted since last night, so they were still extremely tired now.

  "Fire."

  At the word of command.

  A torch flared up and lit the temple, shining directly on the three sleeping men.

  The first to be awakened was naturally Huajiu Yan. She only felt a sudden burst of light pressing down on her eyelids, and today she was too tired, making her sleep too dazed. So much so that she suddenly woke up, startled and frightened. Suddenly opening her eyes, she saw the face looking down at her from above.

  A pair of deep, mysterious eyes, even more stunning in the night, filled with sharpness and majesty, gazing down at her.

  Anger. She saw anger in his eyes.

  He's dead.

  Huā Yù Yán closed her eyes. It seemed that in her own consideration, she had never thought that she would be caught by him again. Was it because she was too careless, or did she not think of a reason why he would go to great lengths to catch her again?

  "Li Shunde, take the child away."

  Right after that sentence, she suddenly sat up from the pile of grass, one hand holding her son, two pairs of eyes staring at the people around: if anyone dares to, it's looking for death!

  Li Shunde, who had been summoned by the emperor, smiled bitterly and said: "Miss Yan, I assure you that I absolutely will not harm a single hair on the young master's head."

  "Bullshit! What are you doing, snatching my son away?! Do you think just because you're some kind of emperor, you can snatch people's children?! Her apricot-like eyes were wide with anger, a fierce fire burning within. This was the first time in her life that Huajing had ever been so angry."

  No one dares to meet her eyes, only those with a guilty conscience don't dare. A pair of eyes that blaze like fire, like sunlight, a thousand miles high, makes people afraid.

  Just the eldest daughter of a florist's family, with such an aura, it makes people unable to describe.

  Li Shunde unconsciously took half a step back.

  Li Zimo looked around and saw that no one dared to take another step forward. He slightly frowned, turned to Gong Xiangru standing behind the crowd and said: "Gong Qing, you come and hold the child."

  Miyoshi Aki appeared in the crowd.

  Huayu's face suddenly flushed with anger: This dog emperor, how dare he come up with such a despicable trick!

  "Yan Niang." Gong Xiangyu stood before her, his refined and gentle voice saying, "You know that we won't harm him, not a single person will harm him, including the Emperor."

  Huā Yùyán turned her face away.

  "Of course, and I won't stop you from meeting with your child either. It's impossible to separate you from your child."

  "What are you holding my child for?!"

  The little foodie who was sleeping soundly seemed to have been finally woken up by the continuous noise, flipped his small body, and muttered: "Who, who dares to bully my mother? I'll eat him to death!"

  If it weren't for the current tense situation, this kid's words would be laughable.

  The corners of her mouth struggled to conceal a smile, and Gong Xiangru said: "Miss Yan misunderstood. If we don't take the child away, won't you not return to the palace with us?"

  "It's about debt, right? Don't worry, I'll write an IOU. Hua Xiyuan won't be able to escape, and sooner or later she'll pay back this huge debt!"

  Returned, escaped, and went back with them, but there was no door.

  Her gaze swept back, her profound eyes nailed to her face: "Want to leave? I can let you go, as long as you meet two conditions."

  "What conditions?" Her eyebrows slightly raised upwards.

  "One is to dissolve the Easy Change Pill inside you. The other is to tell me who your child's father is, so I can find him and confirm."

  "The father of the child is who I have already told you. He was a farmer and has died."

  "Don't tell such unbelievable lies."

  "How can you be so sure I'm lying?" She was wondering how he had the nerve, after all, there was no paternity test in ancient times.

  "Look at your son, he looks just like my son. The divine bloodline of the Dongling imperial family, how could it be that a ordinary peasant's child would have it? If you insist on saying that man is the child's father, I'll have someone dig up his grave and we can settle this right now. Because people from the divine tribe, their corpses won't rot even after a thousand years."

  Huā Yù's eyebrows furrowed in concentration: "You're saying my son has the bloodline of the Divine Clan?"

  Yun Mei Yangyang: "Absolutely is. If it weren't for the gods' people, who can eat ten or twenty times more than ordinary people in one meal?"

  Although she had thought that her son's appetite was a bit strange, thinking of the ancient people here who seemed to have some extraordinary people, she didn't take it to heart.

  Looking at her stunned face, it seemed as if she had no idea about these things before. Her eyebrows furrowed even deeper, and she uttered a sentence that even he himself barely dared to believe: "You don't know who the child's father is?"

  Hua Yu Yan hastily tried to conceal the expression on her face, but it was too late.

  Just by looking at her like that, he absolutely wouldn't let her go. If she didn't want to remove the Easy Face Change Pill, then he would force her to do so.

  Suddenly, a dragon's mighty voice boomed: "Pass on My Imperial Decree."

  Everyone inside and outside the temple knelt down together.

  "This person——" Ink pupils locked onto her shadow, "From now on, serve as My Imperial Secretary, and only attend to Me."