This time, they did not stay in Fengwu City and went straight back to the capital. As for the 50,000 troops, they rested outside Fengwu City and were ready to be called upon at any time.
Outside Fengwu City, Ye Lingfeng, accompanied by Hai Ling, thanked Mu Ye. The successful capture of Lincheng was largely due to the 30,000-strong navy of Shaoyi Kingdom, so they owed Mu Ye a huge favor. Other readers are currently reading: Remarrying into a Wealthy Family: The President's Ex-Wife Doesn't Lose Her Value (Full Reading).
"Emperor Wu, thank you for your help this time."
Makino's hearty laughter, unrestrained and free-spirited, exuded a natural elegance. His dark hair swung lightly through the air, tracing graceful lines.
"Your Majesty, please don't be so polite. Perhaps we will need Your Majesty's help in the future."
"As long as Emperor Wu sends someone for help, I, Ye Lingfeng, will do my best to assist him."
“No problem,” Mu Ye smiled, his warm gaze falling on Hai Ling. At this moment, he looked at Hai Ling as if she were a younger sister: “Ling’er, take care.”
"Take care," Hai Ling nodded, then took a few steps forward to Mu Ye's horse and beckoned him to dismount. Mu Ye didn't know what Hai Ling wanted to say, so he dismounted. Hai Ling leaned closer to him and whispered a few words: "Mu Ye, thank you. Next time we meet, I hope you will have a confidante by your side. That is my wish."
Makino laughed again, his gloom dissipating like a sunset glow. The past, everything from the past, flowed through his mind, warmly washing over his heart. Some things missed weren't necessarily lost; those things remained forever in his heart.
"good/."
He readily agreed, then mounted his horse, waved his hand, and led his 30,000-strong navy away.
Behind him, Ye Lingfeng ordered Ji Shaocheng: "General Ji, lead your men to escort Emperor Wu and his 30,000-strong navy out of the border of Northern Lu."
"Your subject obeys the decree."
Ji Shaocheng accepted the order and, with dozens of his men, followed Mu Ye westward.
On the other side, Ye Lingfeng mounted his horse, pulled Hai Ling onto it, and sat her in his lap. He calmly commanded, "Let's go back to the capital. The Enchanting Marriage Scheme: Ex-wife, give in to me!"
Thinking of Hailing and Muye's secretive conversation earlier, Ye Lingfeng couldn't help but become curious. For some reason, he didn't feel angry or upset when he saw Muye and Ling'er together. Muye was like another brother to Ling'er, and his eyes were open and selfless, just like Ji Shaocheng's. So he felt at ease. He was just very curious about what the two of them had talked about.
"Ling'er, what did you say to Mu Ye?"
I won't tell you.
Hai Ling's sweet, bell-like voice rang out, but Ye Lingfeng didn't force her. He simply tightened his arms and held her tightly. As long as she was by his side, that was enough. He didn't want to lose her. They would have plenty of time to spend together in the future. The steed galloped all the way to Bianliang City.
Ten days later, the group returned to Bianliang. As soon as they entered the palace gate, court officials knelt to welcome them. Ye Lingfeng ordered eunuchs to bring a sedan chair and escorted Hailing into Liuyue Palace. He then went to the Imperial Study with the court officials to discuss matters.
Inside Liuyue Palace, before Hailing could even sit down properly, the Empress Dowager arrived, supported by Granny Qingzhu. Upon seeing Hailing, her eyes welled up with tears, and she reached out to hold Hailing's hand tightly.
"Ling'er, I was terrified when I heard about what happened at Red Snow Lake. I'm so glad you're alright now."
The Empress Dowager was on tenterhooks, worried about how her son would react if something happened to Hailing. Fortunately, Hailing was unharmed, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Hai Ling noticed that the Empress Dowager looked much more haggard. She hadn't expected that her disappearance would cause so many people to worry. Feeling guilty, she reached out and took the Empress Dowager's hand, saying, "Mother, I'm sorry to have worried you. I won't do it again."
Now that Feng Zihe has ascended the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he will not oppose the Northern Lu Kingdom. However, Feng Zixiao is currently nowhere to be found. He is like an invisible bomb, ready to explode and injure someone at any moment.
However, Hailing didn't want her mother to worry, so she didn't mention the matter and only talked about happy things. Other readers are currently reading: Young Master is Poisonous (TXT download).
"We are fine, and Ye is fine too, so please don't worry, Mother."
"Yes, it's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright."
As the Empress Dowager spoke, she finally felt relieved. Outside the palace, Fu Yue walked in and knelt respectfully to report: "Your Majesty, the Princess Consort of Cang has come to the palace. She is very anxious and wants to see Your Majesty. She came to the palace yesterday to inquire when Your Majesty would return. Now that Your Majesty has returned, she has sent a note from the guards at the outer palace gate."
"Princess Consort of Cang?"
Hai Ling raised an eyebrow. Could it be that it was about Xi Liang that made Princess Cang so anxious? She waved her hand and ordered Fu Yue, "Have someone bring her in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager's expression was rather unpleasant, and she said with displeasure, "The Prince of Cang's family is also blind and ignorant. Don't they know that the Empress needs to rest after just returning to the capital? Even if there is something to discuss, they should come to the palace to request an audience tomorrow."
Hailing knew that her mother was doing this because she felt sorry for her, so she quickly squeezed her mother's hand.
"Ling'er is alright, Mother, don't worry. Princess Cang must have something urgent to discuss with me, otherwise she wouldn't be in such a hurry."
The Empress Dowager nodded. Seeing that Hailing had guests, she got up to greet Hailing, and then led Granny Qingzhu and several other palace maids away from Liuyue Palace and back to Lanqing Palace. However, before leaving, she did not forget to tell Hailing: "Ling'er, you have just returned and you have lost a lot of weight. After you have sent away that Princess Cang, go to your palace and rest well."
"Yes, Mother, Ling'er understands."
Hai Ling nodded, got up and personally saw the Empress Dowager out of Liuyue Palace. She then turned around and leaned against the head of the main hall, closing her eyes to rest. She was indeed a little tired from riding in the carriage these days. If it weren't for the Princess Consort of Cang wanting to see her, she would have gone to her bedchamber to rest long ago.
However, once her head was rested in a comfortable spot, she still felt sleepy and soon drifted off to sleep. Shi Mei immediately brought a thin quilt and gently draped it over Hai Ling's body, then waved for someone to leave. (The following is unrelated to the previous text and appears to be a separate excerpt: "The latest chapter of the novel: This Concubine is a Fake.")
However, she didn't sleep for long. Outside the palace, Fuyue had already led the Princess of Cang in. Shimei naturally couldn't let Hailing continue sleeping, so she gently called to her.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Princess Consort of Cang has arrived."
Hai Ling opened her eyes, stretched her arms and legs, and then smiled sheepishly: "I didn't expect I was really tired. I've been feeling particularly sleepy lately, probably because of riding horses for days. I feel like I'm about to fall apart." She rambled on for a while before realizing she had gone off-topic, and quickly waved her hand: "Let her in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Fu Yue withdrew and quickly invited someone in. As soon as the Princess Consort of Cang entered, she bowed and then anxiously said, "Your Majesty, if it weren't for an urgent matter, I wouldn't have come to disturb Your Majesty's rest."
Princess Cang knew that her actions were too abrupt, so she apologized as soon as she spoke. Hailing gestured for her to stand up and asked gently, "Has something happened to Xi Liang?"
Princess Cang shook her head: "It's the War King of Nanling Kingdom. He's kneeling outside the Cang King's mansion, wanting to see Xi Liang's grave. But Xi Liang isn't dead at all, so where would a grave come from?"
Hai Ling's brow twitched involuntarily. She hadn't expected that Ruan Xiyin had actually survived that day. If he hadn't died, then he had come to Bei Lu Kingdom to pay respects at Xi Liang's grave. She didn't know whether to call this man devoted or hateful. He had clearly married into Nan Ling Kingdom, but she hadn't cherished him. Now that he was gone, she had come here to see some grave.
"You don't need to pay him any attention."
"But he was kneeling outside the gate of the Prince Cang's mansion, which attracted a lot of people on the street to stare. In addition, he has been kneeling for two days. Our Xi family is really afraid that something might happen to him. He is, after all, a prince. It would not be good if he died in our Northern Lu Kingdom."
It's difficult to get help from the Emperor, so she had to approach the Empress. (This is from the novel "Power Over All," available for reading.)