Qi Yu Yuan, currently clad in inner garments, his hair disheveled, was gesturing wildly. Upon seeing her, he abruptly quieted down, his dark eyes shining through his tangled hair.
"Your Majesty, you have finally returned," Wu Hen said, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of Xue Xing Yue.
"What exactly happened?" she asked.
Wu Hen explained, "After you left, His Majesty began to go mad, wanting to leave. Initially, Xiao Ping Zi tried to stop him, but though he was mad, his martial arts were not impaired. Xiao Ping Zi could not stop him, so I had to step in myself and tie him up."
Xiao Ping Zi offered a wry smile. He would never dare to lay hands on His Majesty.
"Has Fan Yan returned yet?" She had dispatched Fan Yan earlier to contact the Prince of Nan Ping, hoping for a resolution.
Wu Hen shook his head. "He has not returned."
Xue Xing Yue nodded, sensing a gaze upon her. She looked up to see Qi Yu Yuan regarding her with a pitiable expression. She sighed and said to Wu Hen, "Let him go!"
"Your Majesty, he is already a mad and foolish person. I fear he might offend Your Majesty," Wu Hen cautioned.
"In this state, he is no match for me. Let him go!" Xue Xing Yue said.
Wu Hen nodded and released Qi Yu Yuan.
Once freed, Qi Yu Yuan approached her, looking at her cautiously. His gaze was filled with a profound sense of grievance, like a child who had been wronged.
Xue Xing Yue reached out and stroked his head. "You have been wronged."
Qi Yu Yuan nodded, then gestured towards the bed and walked over.
She followed and saw Qi Yu Yuan already lying on the bed. He had pulled up the covers and looked at her expectantly. She had no choice but to reach out and pat him.
Before long, Qi Yu Yuan fell asleep.
"Your Majesty, this is no different from coaxing a child," Wu Hen said with a mixture of tears and laughter.
"Children are easy to coax; at least their hearts are pure," she said, looking at the sleeping Qi Yu Yuan.
Wu Hen nodded. Footsteps were heard from outside the door, and soon Xiao Ping Zi hurried over. "Your Majesty, Lord Fan requests an audience."
"Quickly, let him in," Xue Xing Yue said, rising.
A figure appeared at the doorway a moment later, but the severe injuries covering him caused Xue Xing Yue's hopeful heart to plummet. It seemed the situation was more complicated than anticipated.
Fan Yan knelt on one knee, his face filled with guilt. "Your subject has failed Your Majesty's entrustment."
"Fan Yan, get up quickly. Tell this consort what has happened," Xue Xing Yue said.
Fan Yan stood and sat on the chair Xiao Ping Zi had prepared before recounting the events.
It turned out that after successfully leaving the imperial palace, Fan Yan had headed out of the city. Unexpectedly, he encountered someone bullying a woman on the street. Knowing he had an important mission, he intended to take a detour, but the woman being harassed ran towards him, pleading for help.
Fan Yan did not delay. He pushed the woman away, but she clung to him, refusing to let him go. In his helplessness, he had to shove her off, but she clung even tighter. The bullies harassing the woman then surrounded him. He dared not make any sudden movements, fearing discovery. Little did he know, after these bullies attacked, he would regret it. How could ordinary thugs attack with such viciousness?
Later, after beating him severely, they threw him into a secluded corner. When he awoke, he found the city gates heavily guarded, and with his injuries, he could no longer leave. The others who had split off to travel with him had also encountered obstacles.
Hearing Fan Yan's account, Xue Xing Yue understood that Qi Yu Yuan had completely placed them under house arrest. Contacting Qi Yu Ze would be harder than reaching the heavens. She did not know if Qi Yu Ze had noticed anything amiss, but she surmised that even if he had, he would not act rashly. This perfectly gave Qi Yu Yuan time to mobilize the army.
No, she had to go out.
Qi Yu Yuan could not remain here any longer, or his mind might be permanently altered.
She looked back at Qi Yu Yuan, who had become dependent on her since being poisoned. Even now, a struggle was taking place within her heart. One voice urged, "Let's go! Don't bother with him. Isn't it better that he's become a fool? Your revenge is achieved, and you can reclaim the imperial power. Perhaps you can even become Queen."
Another voice said, "Let him remain foolish and senile. Take him with you and let him atone for his sins properly."
These two inner voices had been warring since Qi Yu Yuan became foolish, causing her a terrible headache every day.
She truly wished to abandon him and let Qi Yu Yuan remain foolish, but she knew she could not do that. Qi Yu Yuan's ambition was still present. If news of Qi Yu Yuan's foolishness were to spread at this time, it would surely cause great unrest among the troops. If it led to the suffering of the common people, how could she face them?
The common people were innocent.
This was the second time she had to make a choice: would she let Qi Yu Yuan fend for himself, or help him regain his memory?
Sometimes she wondered if this was all too coincidental.
Why did Qi Yu Yuan always meet with misfortune at such times? In the beginning, she suspected Qi Yu Yuan was faking it, but after several tests, she realized it was simply impossible to feign. While foolishness could be faked, it was difficult to do so without any flaws.
Yet, Qi Yu Yuan had managed it.
"Your Majesty, what is wrong?" Wu Hen asked, noticing her distraction.
Xue Xing Yue shook her head. She looked at Fan Yan and said, "Go back and recover from your injuries first. I will think of another way."
Fan Yan received the order and left.
Xiao Ping Zi also discreetly withdrew, and Xue Xing Yue and Wu Hen proceeded to the outer hall.
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"
What to do? Xue Xing Yue had no idea. She could not leave the imperial city, and Qi Yu Yuan refused to yield. If things continued like this, Qi Yu Yuan would remain foolish forever.