The gentle breeze brushed past, its diffused light reflecting off the glazed tiles, making them shimmer as if alive. Along the long corridor, Liu Ting caught up to Mu Xing and pulled him to sit beneath a pillar on one side.
"Mu Xing, your uncle has something to say to you."
Little Mu Xing's eyes were red from sadness, and he pouted. His Imperial Father not only had other children but had also scolded him loudly. He no longer wanted to stay in the imperial palace. He wanted to leave for Xiaoyao Island, where everyone missed him dearly.
"Uncle," Mu Xing cried out, throwing himself into Liu Ting's arms.
Liu Ting felt relieved as he saw Mu Xing let down his guard. He reached out to stroke Mu Xing's dark hair, his eyes filled with warmth, his handsome face touched with emotion.
Liu Ting gazed at Mu Xing, who was affectionately nestled in his arms, and felt a multitude of emotions. Regarding his sister, Liu'er. For five years, he had nearly exhausted his strength missing one person. Just when he thought he was going mad, Gu Lan appeared. Although he had intensely disliked this girl at first, for intruding into his life without reason. But slowly, he found his life changing. He was no longer despondent, but instead, he was angered to death every day, regaining his vitality. Therefore, he decided to return to the capital. Yet, he never dreamed that his sister, whom he had spent twenty years protecting and five years missing, had actually returned. She had returned alive and had brought back a little treasure. His heart, which had trembled at first, now held her deep within. Everyone has someone in their life whom they cherish or wish to treasure for a lifetime. Now, he treasured his sister in his heart and used all his talents to help her guard Tianfeng. This was Mu Xing's everything, and he did not want to fail Gu Lan. Sometimes, missing an opportunity means missing it for a lifetime. In the future, he hoped to have someone to treasure and someone to love.
"Mu Xing, don't blame your Imperial Father. He is an Emperor. Emperors are not all-powerful. His actions are watched by the people of the world and the ministers in the court. Moreover, besides the Empress, an Emperor will have many concubines. This is a rule of all dynasties. In fact, your Imperial Father has sent away all the women in the harem. Only Zhang Xiuyi and Lou Defei remain in the harem. Zhang Xiuyi existed before your mother entered the palace. Lou Defei, because she is carrying Prince Yu Lou, the Emperor cannot depose her unless he finds fault with her."
In the sunlight, Liu Ting's gentle voice, like a spring breeze, whispered softly in Mu Xing's ear. Mu Xing listened as if he understood but didn't. Although he listened attentively and remained still, he actually heard nothing. He simply liked leaning into his uncle's embrace, listening to his magnetic voice resonate in his ears.
"Mu Xing, did you hear what I said?" Liu Ting saw that Mu Xing hadn't moved and knew he wasn't listening. Although he was only five years old, his personality was as stubborn as his mother's. Once he decided on something, he wouldn't easily compromise.
"Mm," Mu Xing hummed faintly. In any case, he didn't want to stay in the imperial palace anymore. What was so great about this place? If that Prince Yu Lou wanted to be the Crown Prince, then let him be. He didn't care. If it weren't for wanting his father's love, he wouldn't have come back here. He had even drugged his mother to help his father. But he discovered that his father wasn't his only child, and there was another child, as well as other concubines. This made him extremely depressed.
Liu Ting knew he couldn't persuade Mu Xing immediately, but he believed he would be fine soon, as he just couldn't accept it for the moment. He reached out and helped Mu Xing to his feet, then beckoned to the eunuchs waiting at a distance to escort His Highness the Crown Prince to Weiyang Palace. The eunuchs approached nervously, as the eunuchs who had attended to the Crown Prince earlier were sent to the cold palace for displeasing him. They dared not make any further mistakes.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, please."
Mu Xing stood up, bid farewell to his uncle, and returned to Weiyang Palace. In Weiyang Palace, Liu Liu was conducting experiments with a young maid, trying to find ways to increase rice yields. She saw that grain yields in ancient times were low, with only two hundred jin of grain harvested per mu. After paying rent and various taxes, many families had little left. The common people were still starving, so Liu Liu had been pondering for the past few days how to improve grain yields. A nation is founded on its people. When the common people truly prosper, the nation will become strong and truly flourish.
As Mu Xing walked in, he called out to his busy mother, "Mother?"
Liu Liu stopped what she was doing and looked at her son. She saw that her usually happy and lively son now looked like a bruised eggplant, hanging his head and lacking energy for a long time. Liu Liu stood up, waved for Cui'er to put away the drawings and items, and beckoned her son to come closer. Cui'er tidily put things away, and Mu Xing, with a slight frown on his handsome little face, walked to his mother's side, blinking his large eyes at her. He couldn't help but pout and speak aggrievedly.
"Mother, Father is so fierce. I don't want to stay here anymore. Let's go back to Xiaoyao Island."
Liu Liu's eyes widened in surprise. Feng Xie wouldn't be fierce to his son, would he? He had gone to great lengths to bring his son back. Why would he be fierce to his son, unless Mu Xing had made a mistake? Liu Liu reached out and pulled her son into her arms. "Tell me slowly, what happened?"
"Today I saw that Prince Yu Lou. He said he is the Crown Prince. Only then did Mu Xing realize that this imperial palace doesn't only have me and Mother, but also other women and children. I went to find Father, and he actually scolded me. Since he has other children, why did he let me come back? I thought he had no children, so I came back to be the Crown Prince, but it wasn't like that."
After hearing her son's words, Liu Liu knew that he must have encountered that little prince in the harem today. She hadn't expected Prince Yu Lou to be so audacious as to claim he was the Crown Prince. It seemed that because everyone had always called him that, the child believed he was the Crown Prince. A cold smile flickered on her lips. This was indeed Feng Xie's fault. Since Prince Yu Lou already thought so, why should he have brought her and her son back? A hint of gloom appeared on her face at this thought.
"Mu Xing, Tianfeng Dynasty is in trouble now. We, as a family, must unite to deal with the foreign enemies. As for the people in the imperial palace, just ignore them. When everything is over, if Mu Xing still doesn't want to stay here, Mother will return to Xiaoyao Island with Mu Xing."
Liu Liu held Mu Xing's hand. Hearing his mother's last sentence, Little Mu Xing finally smiled with satisfaction.
"Okay, Mu Xing will listen to Mother. We'll deal with the bad guys first."
Little Mu Xing nodded seriously. Although he was only five years old, a dazzling light flashed across his noble and imposing little face. No matter how bad Father was, he would never let the bad guys get the better of them. However, after all this is over, he would leave the imperial palace with his mother because he didn't like staying in the imperial palace with that little boy.
The mother and son were sitting on the high seats, talking, as a gentle breeze blew and swirled through the great hall. The floral incense burning in the golden cauldron became more fragrant. A little eunuch rushed in from the palace gate and knelt respectfully, "Your Highness, Consort Defei has brought Prince Yu Lou to seek an audience."
Liu Liu released Mu Xing and frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in her deep, cold eyes. That Prince Yu Lou, at such a young age, was so presumptuous. As his mother, she bore undeniable responsibility. Liu Liu, with a stern expression, waved her hand. "Let them in."
"Yes, Your Highness the Empress."
The little eunuch ran out, and two figures, one large and one small, quickly appeared in the bright hall. That woman, who had always been high and mighty, now appeared worried, her dignified and elegant expression concealing a trace of unease. She held her child as she knelt in the center of the great hall.
"Your humble concubine pays her respects to Your Highness the Empress."