"Taoist Master, could you please take Xu Rui to the Sanqing Temple?"
“Alright,” Yu Zhenzi nodded. He had been missing his little disciple, so he came to see him. Since the Empress had asked him to take his little disciple to the Sanqing Temple, he would take him there.
When Hai Ling saw that Master Yu had agreed, she breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, she had already discussed this matter with Ye Lingfeng last night. Ye Lingfeng also thought that this was the safest way. Because of Feng Zixiao's strange behavior, if he sent someone to secretly enter the palace to plot against Xiao Mao'er, they would be in trouble. Therefore, sending Xiao Mao'er away was a rational approach.
Sanqing Temple is still the number one temple in the world. The Five Elements and Eight Trigrams are arranged around it, and there are many masters inside. With the addition of Master Yu, their son will definitely be safe. So they sent him to Sanqing Temple with peace of mind. They had even planned to send someone to invite Master Yu, but unexpectedly, Master Yu came over.
"Thank you for your trouble, Taoist priest."
"He is my disciple, Your Majesty, there is no need to be so polite."
Hai Ling didn't stand on ceremony with Yu Zhenzi and ordered Shi Mei to bring the little prince over. Inside the hall, Hai Ling chatted with Yu Zhenzi for a while. Soon, Xiao Mao'er was brought over, along with his wet nurse and female officials. Except for those who were close to the little prince, everyone else withdrew.
Inside the hall, Hai Ling glanced at the people serving the kitten, her face cold and stern, and spoke in a chilling tone.
"I have decided to send the young prince to the Sanqing Temple for a period of time. You who serve him closely will also go with him. You must take good care of the young prince. If I find that you have not done your best, I will not forgive you. If you serve the young prince well, I will reward you handsomely when we return to the capital."
Below the main hall, the servants attending to the young prince did not know why the Empress suddenly wanted to send the young prince to the Sanqing Temple. However, the Empress must have her reasons for doing so, so they dared not object and immediately kowtowed, saying, "We understand."
"Get up."
Hai Ling gestured for everyone to stand up, then ordered Shi Mei to call Shi Ju in. This time, Shi Ju, one of Ye Lingfeng's trusted confidantes, was in charge of protecting the young prince. Hai Ling gave Shi Ju a few more instructions before she felt at ease.
The thought of parting with her kitten made her reluctant. She hugged her son for a while, and when she thought about how much her kitten had suffered since birth, her eyes welled up with tears, and she felt very guilty.
Little kitten, please forgive your mother. Once we've dealt with Feng Zixiao this time, we'll never be apart again. Just wait for your mother.
Hailing held him for a while, then, filled with resentment, ordered the wet nurse to take him away. The kitten didn't know that he was going to be separated from his mother this time, and waved as usual. Unlike before, he could talk, so he waved and mumbled at the same time.
"One mother, one queen."
Hai Ling's eyes welled up with tears. She took a deep breath and saw Yu Zhen and the others off from Liuyue Palace. Outside the palace, people were already prepared. There were two carriages and several fine horses. The wet nurse carried the kitten into the first carriage, along with several female officials and physicians. Yu Zhenzi, however, sat in the second carriage. The group left Liuyue Palace in a grand procession and headed out of the palace.
Standing in front of the main hall, Hailing felt extremely reluctant to leave. She opened her mouth to call her son, but then thought better of it and held back. Her son was safest at Sanqing Temple, and she was doing this for his own good. Even though she was reluctant, she could only endure it.
Thinking this, she turned and walked into the main hall. Shi Mei and Shi Lan, who were beside her, naturally knew that their mistress was sad, and quickly comforted her in a soft voice: "Your Highness, don't be sad. Soon we will be able to bring the kitten back."
Hailing nodded, feeling a little tired: "I'm going to my palace to rest for a while. Mei'er, go and tell the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager was unaware that the kitten had left, so she had to give her a heads-up. She feared she would be lonely in the days to come, as she couldn't bear to be without the kitten for a while.
"This servant will go right away. Your Highness, please rest first."
Shi Mei then went out, and Shi Lan helped Hai Ling to her bedchamber to rest.
The Great Zhou Dynasty.
Under the moonlight, the Prince Jing's mansion resembled pavilions and painted terraces, even more exquisite than during the day. The entire mansion seemed to be shrouded in a thin veil, hazy and graceful.
The Prince's mansion was surrounded by numerous secret guards. Lei Hongjun, one of Feng Zixiao's subordinates, prevented anyone from entering the Prince's mansion, guarding it tightly and preventing anyone from getting close.
However, under the cover of night, several figures still glided quickly past, passing through pavilions and corridors, and soon stopped outside a house. They knocked lightly on the door twice, and a clear voice rang out from inside: "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and several people remained standing guard outside. The two people slipped into the room one after the other and then closed the door.
The handsome man sitting upright in the room reading looked up and glanced over. He was taken aback at first glance, then his eyes widened and he said in a low voice, "Feng Qian, didn't you say you were kidnapped? Why aren't you leaving? If the Emperor finds out, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."
It turns out that the people who sneaked into Prince Jing's mansion at night were Helian Qianxun and Feng Qian. After Helian Qianxun kidnapped the bride that day, he originally took Feng Qian away from the Great Zhou Dynasty back to Yunjiang. However, after a few days, Feng Qian refused to leave everything behind and go to Yunjiang. As a princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, she could not stand by and watch her perverted brother destroy the Great Zhou Dynasty. This was her father's hard work, not Feng Zixiao's alone. Feng Zixiao could not destroy the country left by her father because of his own selfish desires.
The Emperor did not only have Feng Zixiao as his son; he also had other sons, such as his seventh brother.
In the end, she begged Helian Qianxun to return to the Great Zhou Dynasty. They wanted to capture Feng Zixiao and, just like before, drug him to make him lose his memory and never remember who he was. Then they would let the seventh prince, Prince Jing, ascend the throne as emperor, which would ensure peace between the Great Zhou Dynasty and Northern Lu, and allow the people to live in peace and prosperity.
But before doing this, they needed to consult with the seventh prince, so they went to Prince Jing's residence.
Feng Qian was somewhat moved by her seventh brother's words. She never expected that in the end, only her seventh brother would support her marriage to Helian Qianxun. Her elder brother and her mother had completely disregarded her happiness.
Before Feng Qian could speak, Helian Qianxun, standing behind her, spoke arrogantly.
“My woman, Helian Qianxun’s woman, is not someone anyone can touch,” he said. If it weren’t for Feng Qian, he certainly wouldn’t have let Feng Zixiao go.
Feng Zihe naturally knew Helian Qianxun's abilities, which is why he believed that Feng Qian would be happy if she married him. Helian Qianxun was very powerful and could naturally protect his elder sister. Thinking this way, he felt at ease. However, considering that they must have something to say about their presence here, Feng Zihe stood up, invited Helian Qianxun and his elder sister to sit down, and then respectfully asked them what was going on.
"You left and then came back. Is there something you need to do?"
This time, Helian Qianxun remained silent, but Feng Qian stood up and looked at Feng Zihe: "Seventh Imperial Brother, the reason I have returned is to do something."
Feng Qian's expression was solemn and cold, and Feng Zihe couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. What was his elder sister going to do?
"What is my elder sister going to do?"
“I will capture my elder brother and destroy his memory, just like I did in Shuangxi Town, so that he will forget that he was once the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I insisted on restoring his memory back then, and today I will destroy it.”
If the two countries go to war, many people will die or be injured. Wouldn't she be guilty of a grave sin?
Feng Zihe was stunned when her elder sister brought up this matter. She immediately shook her head in disagreement, "Elder sister, are you crazy? If we destroy elder brother's memories, what will happen to the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
“Isn’t there still the Seventh Prince? Although I am not in the capital, I know that many ministers in the court approve of your character. If the Seventh Prince were to become emperor, he would be very popular. I have done a lot of things that have offended the ministers and the people since I returned to the capital. It would be a natural thing for you to inherit the throne.”
Feng Zihe was surprised that his elder sister wanted him to become emperor, and immediately refused. Being an emperor was not an easy task. Although he was currently imprisoned, he was a free man, so he did not want to get involved in the mess of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"Seventh Imperial Brother, do you really want to watch your elder brother destroy the Great Zhou Dynasty? He is now determined to oppose the people of Beilu Kingdom. This time, Ye Lingfeng will not let it go easily. When the two countries fight, the losses will be heavy. How many families will be torn apart? Furthermore, the Martial Emperor of Shaoyi Kingdom and the Empress of Beilu Kingdom have a deep friendship. If the Empress of Beilu Kingdom opens her mouth, Shaoyi will definitely send troops to help them. In that case, the two countries will fight against the one country, and our Great Zhou Dynasty will surely perish. Do you really want to watch the Great Zhou Dynasty perish?"
Feng Qian's series of words left Feng Zihe speechless, and his previous aversion to becoming emperor eased slightly.
But when he thought about destroying his elder brother and letting him ascend the throne, how different would he be from those emperors who killed their brothers and fathers? Therefore, he could not agree with his elder sister's actions. Thinking of this, Feng Zihe shook his head: "Elder sister, let's discuss this matter more carefully."
If we can persuade the Emperor to turn hostility into friendship, it would be a good thing.