The matter in Yuehua Kingdom was resolved thanks to Liu Liu's intervention, which finally put Feng Xie's mind at ease.
Liu Ting also returned to the palace and reported directly to the Imperial Study. The old emperor of Yuehua Kingdom, upon reading the princess's letter and swayed by Liu Ting's eloquent persuasion, quickly convinced the old emperor to withdraw his troops. In addition, due to the damage caused to the Tianfeng border, Yuehua Kingdom made corresponding compensation.
Feng Xie stood in the Imperial Study, looking at the letter of apology from the old emperor of Yuehua Kingdom with satisfaction and a gentle smile. The gloom of the past few days vanished, and his deep gaze fell upon Liu Ting.
"Starting tomorrow, the Prime Minister shall attend court."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Liu Ting responded with humility and deference, took his leave from the Imperial Study, and departed. On the other side, Feng Xie sent the letter from the old emperor of Yuehua Kingdom with Xiao Wanzi to Weiyang Palace for the Empress to enjoy.
Xiao Wanzi, with a cheerful grin, rushed towards Weiyang Palace, looked up at the Empress, and presented the letter from the old emperor of Yuehua Kingdom.
Upon reading it, Liu Liu's heart settled considerably. With external affairs temporarily settled, it was time to focus on internal matters.
According to Prince Yan's report, their assassination attempt upon returning to the capital was due to information leaked by a concubine in the prince's mansion. The concubine later committed suicide, though whether it was truly suicide remained a mystery.
Which faction was behind this?
Liu Liu waved Xiao Wanzi away, instructing him to report back to the Emperor that she had received the news. She then lazily reclined on the couch, contemplating matters.
Meanwhile, young Mu Xing was exploring the palace with a few young eunuchs, marveling at everything around him. He let out exclamations of wonder; the palace was truly immense, and he had already been exploring for days with the young eunuchs.
He heard there were still many places he hadn't seen. As Mu Xing walked, he asked a young eunuch,
"What is that place?"
"That is Changxin Palace,"
The young eunuch replied cautiously. He had been serving this young master for several days and had a general understanding of one thing.
This young master was more difficult to serve than Master Yu Lou, was full of ideas, and often played with venomous snakes and scorpions. If one wasn't careful, they wouldn't even know how they died.
Therefore, these young eunuchs were all afraid of Mu Xing and dared not be negligent at any time.
"What is Changxin Palace used for?"
Mu Xing stopped, his interest piqued by that place. His mother's residence was called Weiyang Palace, his grandmother's residence was called Cining Palace, and his father lived in Yongyuan Hall. What was this Changxin Palace?
Mu Xing's curiosity was aroused, and he stopped his small steps, turning to ask the young eunuch behind him.
The young eunuch trembled for a long time, unsure how to explain. Changxin Palace was the residence of Consort De and Prince Yu Lou. The people in the palace had always assumed Prince Yu Lou would be the Crown Prince, and they had secretly called him Crown Prince.
Who would have thought that the Empress was not dead, and a Crown Prince had appeared out of nowhere? No wonder Consort De hadn't left Changxin Palace for days; she used to enjoy wandering around the harem.
"That is where we live."
A tender yet arrogant voice rang out. Mu Xing turned his head curiously, wondering who was so audacious, his voice filled with boundless pride.
Mu Xing was somewhat confused. Hadn't his father said that only he was the greatest, and then it was him?
Who was this boy who looked like a girl before him? Seeing how he tilted his head up and placed his hands on his hips with such arrogance, Mu Xing was very displeased.
"Who are you? Why are you over there?"
Mu Xing pointed at the tall and magnificent Changxin Palace. Although it wasn't as good as his mother's Weiyang Palace, it was still extremely beautiful.
Moreover, this child's ornate robes and his unrestrained pride made Mu Xing dislike the boy before him. "Sissy," Mu Xing snorted inwardly. His friends Abu and Xinhun were nothing like him.
"Who are you?"
Yu Lou pointed at Mu Xing, unwilling to back down. The two children were at odds, and the young eunuchs surrounding them were numb with their scalps; this was truly a case of two tigers fighting on one mountain. What were they to do?
All the young eunuchs looked miserable, while the two oblivious children turned and ordered the eunuchs behind them.
"Tell him who I am!"
The eunuch following Mu Xing didn't have much to say, as this was indeed the Crown Prince. The imperial prince born to the Empress was naturally the Crown Prince, as the Emperor himself had said.
Although no decree had been issued yet, it was believed that once these busy affairs were over, a decree would be issued. However, the eunuchs following Prince Yu Lou were in a difficult situation because, in their usual attempts to curry favor, they had only called Prince Yu Lou the Crown Prince.
It was nothing at first, as Prince Yu Lou was the only child in the palace, and even the imperial guards had turned a blind eye.
But things were different now. The Empress had returned to the palace, so the position of Crown Prince naturally wouldn't fall to Prince Yu Lou.
However, they didn't dare to speak out. Although Prince Yu Lou was young, he was extremely arrogant. He only feared the Emperor; seeing the Emperor was like seeing a ghost, and he held no one else in his eyes.
"Reporting to Prince Yu Lou, this is the Crown Prince." The eunuch following Mu Xing spoke.
"Reporting to Prince Yu Lou, that is the Crown Prince."
The eunuch following Prince Yu Lou spoke. They were not so foolish as to dare to call Prince Yu Lou the Crown Prince anymore. The true Crown Prince was the one opposite them.
Yu Lou heard the eunuch's words, his small mouth opened wide, and after a long moment, his face darkened, and he shouted sharply.
"What did you call me? Prince Yu Lou, I am the Crown Prince! Who is this ghost? How dare he call him the Crown Prince? Get him out of here immediately." xxs1
As soon as Mu Xing heard his scolding, his expression turned displeased. He glared coldly at the child opposite him and quickly rushed forward, slapping Yu Lou. "You have a foul mouth. How dare you insult me? You're asking for death."
A crisp sound echoed through the air. Yu Lou, after being hit by Mu Xing, seemed to go completely mad. He turned and rushed to the side of the young eunuchs, kicking them forcefully and then grabbing them. The young eunuchs dared not move, allowing him to hit and scold them.
"You dogs, how dare you help this ghost bully me? I'll tell my mother to kill you all and throw you into the well!"
The eunuchs turned deathly pale with fear, not daring to utter a word. They lowered their heads, trembling inwardly.
Mu Xing stood opposite, watching this fellow jump and shout, and coldly warned, "Shut up! If you say another word, I'll cut out your tongue and make you unable to speak!"
At these words, the eunuchs felt a chilling wind blow past them. His Highness the Crown Prince was too terrifying. Even Yu Lou dared not curse anymore.
He was frightened because this ghost dared to hit him, and if he said he would cut out his tongue, he might actually do it. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, as if Mu Xing had already cut his mouth.
Mu Xing turned back with a fierce gaze to the pale-faced eunuchs and spoke at a leisurely pace, "What exactly is he? Prince Yu Lou, is he also the Emperor's son? Am I not the only one?"
The young eunuchs' legs trembled, and after a long while, they replied, "Reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince, he is also the Emperor's son. He is the son of Consort De."
"Consort De?"
Mu Xing clearly did not quite understand the term, but he had some vague ideas in his little head. Wouldn't Consort De also be someone the Emperor married? Didn't the Emperor only have the Empress?
So, there were other women in the palace. No wonder the Empress was unwilling to return to the palace. He thought there was only their family of three living happily together. So, the Emperor had married other people, no wonder there were so many rooms.
"Who else is there?"
Mu Xing's beautiful little face turned dark green, and his breathing became heavy. He regretted helping that man. His mother must be very sad, which is why she was unwilling to return to the palace. He had made a mistake.
So, it wasn't their family of three living happily together; there were others.
Seeing how arrogant this child was, he didn't want someone like him as a younger brother. He wanted a well-behaved, cute little brother.
The more Mu Xing thought about it, the angrier he became, and his head felt like it was on fire. The young eunuchs didn't dare to offend him. They even saw him reach behind his back to feel for those venomous snakes and ferocious beasts, and they inwardly cried out, "Please don't!" They quickly spoke.