Liao Shijun stayed in Luoyang for several days, and Sima Jiao allowed him to enter the palace every day. He could also have meals with Liao Tingyan inside the palace. After a few days, Liao Shijun felt that Sima Jiao was different from what he had imagined before. He had been to Luoyang before and had seen Sima Jiao at court meetings, but he had only looked at him from afar, bowing his head without getting a clear look at Sima Jiaos face, let alone experiencing his personality firsthand.

  Just in these few days, he discovered that the rumored ruthless and brutal tyrant who killed people like flies was actually extremely doting and lenient towards his own daughter. Liao Shike was stunned, and even suspected that the emperor had given his daughter some kind of mind-controlling medicine.

  His daughter used to eat and use things, Liao Shikun didnt notice at first. Later one day when he attended a banquet, he found that the national treasure cups presented by foreign envoys were in his daughters hands, being used to hold cows milk. When they accidentally fell to the ground, she didnt even think of bending down to pick them up, nor did she give them another glance. It was only then that Liao Shikun noticed the decorations around him and suddenly realized that almost all the decorations in the hall were precious treasures. If a fire were to be set here, it would burn away half of the treasures in the inner storehouse.

  Shouldnt these treasures be kept in a treasure chest? Why are they placed out for your daughter to use as she pleases?

  Liao Shijun looked at his daughter, who had become a bit plump but still beautiful and charming, with an even whiter face, and thought that Sima Jiao might have gone crazy, which was exactly the same as what he had heard.

  As soon as her father showed that subtle expression of disappointment again, Liao Tingyan had to put down her chopsticks, wipe her mouth and say: "Dad, dont worry, I havent become a pig yet. When the weather gets hot next year, Ill definitely lose weight." Her father seemed to want to sigh every time he saw her in the past few days. She understood that no one would be happy if their beautiful daughter was raised from a small white vegetable to a big white radish after getting married.

  However, thinking from another perspective, getting fat isnt all bad. At least in the future, if Sima Jiaos country is destroyed and she becomes a chubby girl with an unrecognizable face, people wont call her a beauty who brought about the downfall of the nation. Those old men wont shake their heads and sigh that Sima Jiao was misled by his good looks, but instead will acknowledge that the main reason for the downfall of the country is mostly because Sima Jiao was too arrogant and self-destructive.

  Its not about being fat or thin at all. Looking at his daughters innocent appearance, Liao Shijun sighed and said with a heavy heart, "Tingyan, Dad will be back in Hexia soon. Remember, when youre enjoying wealth and glory, dont be arrogant, and when you fall on hard times, dont be too disappointed. No matter what, living well is the most important thing."

  Dads eyes seemed to say that there was no good outcome for a daughter who fell in love with an emperor, and he warned her to be careful. Liao Tingyan smiled wryly as she chose to come to Sima Jiaos side, hoping to live a good life with her father, but she never thought of falling in love with Sima Jiao. People like Sima Jiao may not necessarily know how to love others, and being nice to her didnt necessarily mean he loved her.

  Anyway, she doesnt want to think about this kind of thing too much, she just wants to live a good life in this world, best if she can always be like now, a carefree and well-protected otaku. Who wouldnt want such a life?

  Liao Shijun continued to urge: "Also, no one in Luojing can take care of you, you need to be smart and pay attention"

  Liao Tingyan: "Dad, the palace doesnt lack clever people, everyone has many tricks up their sleeves, Im already very good like this." After all, Sima Jiao personally admitted that he likes this kind of ordinary, innocent and lovely silly girl. If being silly can gain Sima Jiaos favor, Liao Tingyan understands why the original Sima Jiao kept the original female lead by his side for so long.

  Wait a minute, isnt this indirectly proving the sad fact that she is actually similar in intelligence to the original female lead? And yet her treatment is several levels higher than the original female lead. Does that mean her IQ is also lower than the original female lead by several levels?

  This blind tyrant, its better for him to perish with his country.

  Before long, Liao Shijun returned to Hexia, and Liao Tingyan went to see him off. Wearing a cloak in the cold wind, she gazed far away at the departing carriage, exhaled a breath, and rubbed her hands together.

  Simar Jiao pulled her hand, his hand was not much warmer than the winter snow and ice. Liao Tingyan trembled slightly but didnt let go, instead naturally turning her hand over to grasp his, "Your Majesty, lets head back."

  Simu Jiao gazed at her expression, "If youre reluctant, Ill issue an edict to let your father come to Luoyang to be an official. What position do you want him to hold?"

  Liao Tingyan shook her head, "No, Father has spent more than half his life by the river. His heart and soul are almost all there. Wherever he moves to, he wont be used to it. Lets just let him live out his old age peacefully by the river."

  Simazhao said: "Your family doesnt have any close relatives either. Otherwise, let them come to Luoyang to be officials."

  Here comes the tyrant, must have a favorite concubine, and when favoring her, he must also promote her family members to high positions. As the saying goes, "when one man gets the Tao, his chickens and dogs rise to heaven". The skirt relationship has been a necessary part of ancient palace life since ancient times.

  Liao Tingyan curled her lip, seemingly unbothered. "Forget it, although were relatives, our families havent been close since the unpleasantness with my mother back then. We dont really have any close relatives..."

  Simar Jiao felt useless and thought that the noble consort beside him was like a turtle, making it impossible for anyone to speak.

  "What else do you want?" Sima Jiao stared at her.

  Liao Tingyan: "Simajiaos personality, which is hateful to the point of wanting her dead and loving to the point of wanting her alive, is truly on full display at all times. Every day, if she doesnt get something new, she feels uncomfortable, to the point where she now sees money as dirt. Even when faced with a vast expanse of gold, she would complain that its too dazzling to the eyes. What kind of luxurious experience is this?"

  Liao Tingyan no longer liked those treasures as before, and Sima Jiao pondered other things.

  One day, Sima Jiao came with great interest and asked, "How about building a pavilion for you?"

  Liao Tingyan: "What kind of rooftop is this, where you can jump off and kill yourself whenever you feel like it, and end up as a puddle of mush?"

  Simar Jiao smiled and said: "A hundred feet high platform is built in the middle of the palace, from which you can see the scenery of the whole city. How about it? You dont like to appreciate the view?"

  Liao Tingyan: The plot is so familiar, its like "Zhu Xian Tai" (a Chinese TV series), it seems Im really going to become Diaochan (a character in the series). This cant be happening.

  "I wont deceive Your Majesty." Liao Tingyan patted her chest, and with a serious and solemn expression, she made up a story: "Actually, I feel dizzy and lightheaded when Im in high places, my limbs are weak, I feel nauseous and want to vomit. The higher I go, the more I struggle to breathe. A doctor by the river said this is acrophobia, so Im afraid I wont be able to enjoy the view from the Heavenly Platform."

  Simu Jiao heard her words and suddenly felt uninterested, waving his hand: "Then forget it, if you cant appreciate the view with me, then theres no point in building that pavilion."

  He turned his head back to the front hall, saw a flattering eunuch coming up to him, and without thinking, he pointed at him and said: "Take him out and kill him."

  The eunuch heard this and his smile turned to terror. "Your Majesty, why?!" His mouth was immediately covered by someone elses hand, and he couldnt make another sound.

  Simazuo sat in front of the case, randomly flipping through the documents submitted by various ministers. He didnt mind if someone had ulterior motives and tried to persuade him to do something; if it happened to be what he wanted to do, he would do it, but if he didnt want to do it, the person who made the suggestion would have to die.

  The corpse hanging in front of the Taiji Temple has been replaced with a new one.

  At that time, the young Emperor Sima Jiao wanted to hang the corpses and the peeled human skin in front of the Taiji Temple, which led to the criticism of the courtiers. The ministers scolded the young emperor for being cruel and violent, and as a result, a row of new corpses was hung in front of the Taiji Temple, with fresh blood staining the jade steps red. Later, whenever there were opposing voices, several more corpses would be added to those already hanging.

  When the courtiers came to attend the morning meeting, from the other end of Taiji Square, they could see the corpse hanging on the pole, swaying in the wind like a broken cloth. As they walked to the front of the hall, they could smell the strong bloody smell. All the ministers were silent and fearful, and when they entered the hall, they saw that His Majesty, who was sitting at the top with a childish face but not hiding his gloominess, dared not to underestimate him because of his age.

  To this day, the young emperor has grown up, and the ministers have also become accustomed to the bloody smell that occasionally wafts outside the Taiji Hall and the corpses hanging high.

  "Earlier, I hadnt seen Your Majesty kill people and hang their corpses, so I thought he had changed his ways. Now it seems that his nature hasnt improved after all."

  "Its not possible, previously there were people who said that Your Majesty had favored the imperial concubine and changed your temperament, I had said it early on, but a mere woman, how could she influence Your Majestys temperament, now it seems to be verified."

  "Dont even think about it, you want to hang on too?"

  The ministers looked at each other and saw fear in each others eyes, and immediately shut their mouths.

  But its said that on this side, Liao Shi Jun was summoned to Luoyang for no reason, did nothing, only accompanied his daughter for a few days, and then brought back a large cart of rewards from His Majesty to He Xia. Because of these rewards, Liao Shi Jun slowed down a bit on his way back.

  The river is located within the borders of Gongzhou, and from Luojing back to Hexia, there is an official road that borders Yaozhou. This Yaozhou is the fiefdom of the King of Southern Qin. When Liao Shikes group turned onto this official road, they happened to encounter a team of cavalry with stern expressions, all wearing the emblem of the King of Southern Qin on their armor. Seeing them coming in haste, Liao Shike voluntarily yielded the position on the official road to avoid colliding with people in the chaos.

  But they retreated to one side, and the group of people stopped near them instead. The leader, a burly man with a dark face, reined in his horse, spoke in an unfriendly tone, and pointed at their carriage, asking: "Who is inside?"

  The groom said: "It is my master, my master is Liao Shi Jun of He Xia, who has just returned from Luoyang."

  Liao Shijun sat upright in the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked at the leading cavalry with a frown, "What instructions do you have?"

  As he revealed his identity, the black-faced man restrained his facial expression and dismounted to pay respects. "I didnt know it was Lord Liao, Ive truly been rude. I am Qin Yong, a general of the Qin Nan Wang Fu, sent to pursue a notorious thief who has fled to this place. Due to the urgency of the matter, I have offended Lord Liao, please forgive me."

  After the two groups of people passed each other, Liao Shijun gazed at the receding backs of this group, and unconsciously furrowed his brow. What kind of thief would require the private soldiers of Qin Nanwang to pursue? Moreover, that General Qin Yong, was said to be a trusted subordinate by Qin Nanwangs side, had come to catch a mere thief - wasnt that using a great talent for a minor task?

  The horse and carriage went forward for a while, and met a donkey cart parked by the side of the road. The cart was loaded with bundles of fur tied up with straw, and some windproof and mud-proof rice straw piled high. A young man stood beside it drinking water and resting.

  Liao Shijun was looking outside when he saw this person and felt that he looked somewhat familiar. The servant who was following the carriage happened to know the young man, so he quickly explained to Liao Shijun: "It was this Mr. Chen who rescued the young lady from the mountain bandits on the mountain path last year, allowing her to escape."

  So saying, Liao Shijun suddenly remembered. He asked the driver to stop the car and beckoned to the young man who was looking back at him in puzzlement, "Chen Langjun."

  It turned out that the young man who had been driving a donkey cart was Chen Yun.

  That is the male lead of the original work.

  Chen Yun walked over with an upright posture, neither arrogant nor humble even in the presence of a great figure. He clasped his hands and said: "I dont know what Lord Liao has summoned me for."

  Liao Shijun rarely showed a hint of a smile, "So you recognize me."

  Chen Yun said sincerely: "The people of Hezhou, who does not know Liao Shike?"

  Liao Shijun saw that he was facing himself with an ordinary attitude, without any flattering color, and his expression was even more generous and clear. He couldnt help but appreciate it, and reminded him: "It seems youre heading in the direction of Yaozhou, just now I met a cavalry team, saying they were catching a extremely vicious thief, you alone on the road, be careful."

  Chen Yuns eyes showed a grateful expression, "Thank you for reminding me, I will be careful"

  He finished this sentence and seemed to hesitate again, asking: "I heard that the messenger had gone to Luoyang some time ago. Is it true that you have just returned from Luoyang?"

  Liao Shijuns team set off again, leaving Chen Yun standing in the same place, watching the dust-covered team disappear into the distance, lost in thought.

  At this time, a head suddenly popped out of the haystack behind him, and a soft female voice hummed: "Everyone has left, what are you still staring at? Thats your father-in-law."