Mo Rongzhan held Ye Zhen in his arms, caressing her ears and temples, asking her to tell him what had happened in the villa these days. Looking at her bright eyes, he couldn’t help lowering his head and kissing her. Every time Ye Zhen was interrupted by him in this way, she would complain in a huff, but in return, he’d chuckle softly before nibbling her pink lips yet again.
“You still won’t let people talk properly?” Ye Zhen demanded angrily. She reached out to cover his mouth and glared at him a fiercely.
A smile flitted through his eyes. He grabbed her hand and kissed it a few times. “Tell me, I’ll listen.”
“There is really nothing to say. The long and short of it is that I was just treating Zhao Tianji. You… When will you return to the capital?” She pulled back her hand and pushed him away before choosing the place farthest to him to sit.
“You don’t want to see me?” he asked with a smile, not immediately grabbing her back to his side.
Ye Zhen curled her lips. “You are also the monarch of a country, is it really okay to leave the capital for so long?”
“Go back with me, okay?” he whispered.
“Why are you still talking about this? I’ve already said it. When I’ get back from Huaijiang, I’ll tell you something. However, I don’t think you’d want to hear it.” She was somewhat self-deprecating as she stood up and said, “I’m going to bed. Your Majesty, please carry on!”
“I want to hear whatever you say,” he said.
She smiled. “That might not be the case. When I figure out what to tell you, I’ll come back to find you.”
Looking at her departing back, Mo Rongzhan restrained the urge to capture her. She no longer chose to escape but to face him. Although she still needed some time, it was a good start.
They stayed in the villa for two more days. As expected, Tang Zhen found the cave where the weapons were forged. He even found a batch of weapons that hadn’t been sent off yet. Mo Rongzhan entrusted him(TZ) and General Meng with the matters here. Then, he left the villa with Ye Zhen and the others.
Because Ye Zhen was still determined to go to Huaijiang, Huangfu Chen naturally wouldn’t return to the capital himself. Moreover, he still had some things that he had yet to figure out, so he wanted to go to Huaijiang with Ye Zhen.
Inside the carriage, Ye Zhen’s entire body was wrapped in Mo Rongzhan’s embrace. Her hands were powerless to stop his movements. She could only bite her lower lip tightly and restrain from making any sound,if not those outside would definitely hear her. After all, Huangfu Chen and the emperor’s shadow guards were outside the carriage.
“Yaoyao, you smell so sweet.” Mo Rongzhan held her earlobe and kissed her. He reached his hand into her lapel and gently rubbed her nephrite jade.
“You… Quick, stop!” She cried out in a low voice, staring at him with misty eyes.
He pressed her down and untied her clothes. “How long will it take me to see you again when you go to Huaijiang? Don’t you need to compensate me?”
Alhough he had been living with her in the villa for the past two days, he did not have much time to be alone with her. Other than the first day when he was close to her for a while, he had many other things to do. He was leaving the villa now, but she would head to Huaijiang. He had left the capital for too long, so he had to return to the palace today.
“Your Majesty, wait… No!” She was afraid that he would treat her like that night. She was so scared that she grabbed his shoulder.
“You are so young, I won’t be able to hold on for too long…” He pulled her hand and reached down. “Do you want me to favor other women?”
Ye Zhen’s face flushed red. She closed her eyes and did not dare to look into his burning eyes. After a while, she gritted her teeth and said, “I don’t like it.”
The corners of Mo Rongzhan’s mouth rose high, his thin lips sticking to her ears. “Don’t like what? You don’t like me touching other women?”
“Dirty!” Ye Zhen snorted.
“Why are you so jealous?” Mo Rongzhan laughed hoarsely. “Yaoyao, I only want you now….”
She pushed him. “No, you can’t do that… This is a carriage.”
“I am not like that. I want to kiss you. When you become my empress, I will…,” he smiled and said “… let you grow up again.”
During the two hours journey, Ye Zhen had been kissed by Mo Rongzhan a few times. Other than where she could see it, there were kiss marks on her chest and between her legs. She was so angry that she wanted to bite him, but he kissed her even harder.
With great difficulty, they arrived at the Gujia Village. Mo Rongzhan carried her out of the carriage. Other than Huangfu Chen who looked at him with a smile, the others simply lowered their heads and did not dare to speak.
Ye Zhen slept in the side room of the inn. When she got up, she saw Mo Rongzhan talking to Huangfu Chen.
“Yaoyao, I will return to the capital first. Your two servants are worried. I will have Xue Lin follow to protect you,” Mo Rongzhan whispered. After this incident, he was worried that she would be outside alone. Of all his shadow guards, Xue Lin was one of the best in martial arts. With him by her side, he could know her situation at any time.
“Isn’t there a master?” she mumbled.
Mo Rongzhan raised an eyebrow.. “Either let Xue Lin be by your side or follow me back to the capital.”
How could she still have a choice? She naturally wanted to go to Huaijiang.
They parted ways at Gujia Village. Mo Rongzhan watched Ye Zhen and the others set off. He had hoped that a certain little girl would be reluctant to part with him. At least, she would come out to take a look at him. In the end, the carriage had disappeared into the flying dust and that little girl had no intention of being reluctant at all.
Mo Rongzhan smiled wryly. She really couldn’t wait to get away from him. Am I that scary?
“Return to the capital!” Mo Rongzhan gave the order and led the others on their way through the night. They reached the following night.
“Your Majesty, you are finally back!” When the empress dowager heard that Mo Rongzhan had returned to the palace, she immediately came to Palace of Heavenly Purity to look for him. “Aijia had sent someone to look for you, why is there no news?”
Mo Rongzhan took the handkerchief from Eunuch Fu and washed his face as he smiled at his mother. “Zhen was in the mountains and found a private mine. The road is not easy to walk. Imperial Mother, why were you looking for this one?”
“Three days ago, when the Nian Tzu Temple was in flames, Lu Wushuang… She burned to death!” she said, looking at her son’s face.
“Burned to death?” Mo Rongzhan’s expression remained unchanged as he asked indifferently, “Imperial Mother, why did Nian Tzu Temple catch fire? Did someone investigate?”
“It was a little nun who accidentally caused a fire when she was cooking. At that time, Lu Wushuang was helping in the kitchen and both of them were burned to death. Your Majesty, what should we do?” the empress dowager asked in a low voice, “She is the younger sister of the Marquis Anyang.”
Mo Rongzhan hated Lu Wushuang to the extreme because she got close to him under a fake identity. Now that she had turned to ashes, he naturally did not feel a thing. “Although she has already been stripped of her ranking, she is still considered a concubine. Just let her… be buried with the identity of a Gui Ren.*”
[*gui ren means a noble lady]
Once a Gui Fei* had now been reduced to a Gui Ren. The difference was at least a few ranks, she’s not even a Jie Yu.
[*Gui Fei is right below the empress, and top most concubine. Jie Yu means Lady of Handsome Fairness. We’re assuming this is the ranking derived from the Song Dynasty where if Empress is No.1, Guifei is No.2, Jieyu is No.25 and Guiren is No.28 and the very last.]
The empress dowager had originally thought that since she was dead, she could be given a position of concubine. But when she saw her son’s face wreathed with indifference, she dropped the idea.
Then so be it.
♚♚♚
