This group of soldiers charged straight towards the palace, killing anyone who tried to stop them without a word. Blood flowed like a river along the way, a brutal and merciless slaughter.
"Ah!" Suddenly, a cry of pain rang out from outside the palace. Baili Mao turned his head and saw a large number of people pouring into the palace. At the head of them was a handsome young general. His eyes were sharp as knives as he looked at Baili Mao as if he were dead. The young general raised his hand and said, "I will punish the rebels on behalf of the emperor!"
"To punish the rebels on behalf of the ruler!" Who else could that person be but Xuanyuan Chaohua?
Baili Mao's expression changed drastically, and he immediately flew to capture Emperor Mingxian. He would have preferred either Emperor Mingxian or Baili Chen. However, Baili Chen sneered, raised his arm, and a silver hidden weapon flew out quickly.
"puff!"
"Ah!" Baili Mao suddenly fell headfirst to the ground, his eyes instantly blinded by the piercing wound. He screamed in agony, clutching his eyes and yelling angrily, "You...you planned this!"
Baili Chen sneered, "You're not completely stupid after all. You're right, I've been waiting for you to take the bait, because I share the same goal as you: I want this world!"
Baili Mao shuddered. Xuan Yuan Chaohua rushed up and stepped on Baili Mao. The reason why Xuan Yuan Chaohua did not return to the capital was for this day's events. Only by taking over the world could he truly avenge Ouyang Yue. They had been planning for this day for a year, investigating the Empress Dowager's several strongholds but not making any moves, waiting for the Empress Dowager to lose her patience and make a move so that they could kill her in one fell swoop.
They were also waging a psychological war. By remaining inactive, they would allow the guilty party to lose their composure. For example, the Empress Dowager proactively approached Baili Mao and promised to help him seize the throne. Of course, the Empress Dowager and Baili Mao were mutually exploiting each other. What happened next, how they fought and killed each other, was not their concern. They were waiting for this opportunity. Back then, Baili Zhi had given up the throne, showing utter disillusionment with the royal family and the throne. Baili Chang and Baili Chen had also been in contact with him long ago. As long as he remained obedient, they could guarantee the Lin Prince's Mansion peace for life.
What he wanted was enough advantage to ascend the throne, so Baili Mao had to die. Baili Chen and Emperor Mingxian had also calculated that the Empress Dowager would bring Baili Mao into the fold. They were waiting for this opportunity to take over Baili Mao and the Empress Dowager's power and give them a heavy blow.
Of course, Emperor Mingxian disagreed with Baili Zhi's decision. However, he thought it better to wait and see if someone who had lost all fighting spirit and ambition could ascend the throne. At this point, Emperor Mingxian realized that Baili Chen was the only one among his princes who could be used. If he didn't use him, who else could he use? He couldn't possibly adopt a prince, as that would eventually cause chaos in the court, which he absolutely could not do. It could be said that he had to settle for second best. However, he had to admit that when Baili Chen really wanted to achieve a goal, his talent and wit were the best among the princes.
Emperor Mingxian was willing to accept Baili Chen's only request: that he not cause a large-scale civil war in the Great Zhou Dynasty because of his revenge. Otherwise, Emperor Mingxian's edict would have a backup plan. Emperor Mingxian had already written the edict, but no one knew what he was thinking. Even if Baili Chen ascended the throne in the future, this edict would still be useful for impeaching him and forcing him to abdicate.
This coup attempt thus came to an end. Baili Mao failed in his attempt and was placed under the custody of Emperor Mingxian in the Shengwang Mansion. All those involved were killed, and Baili Mao's legs were cut off, eliminating any possibility of him ascending the throne. He was also given a bowl of infertility medicine, ensuring that Baili Mao would never have children in his life, and that his descendants would never have the chance to rise again.
The next day, Emperor Mingxian issued an edict in court, appointing Baili Chen as the crown prince with the power to oversee the country. There was no surprise in the court. There were not many princes available for the royal family at the moment. Even if Baili Chen was not their ideal candidate, who else could they choose? The appointment of the crown prince was completed without any major incidents.
As for the Empress Dowager, although Baili Chen hated her to the core, now was not the best time to kill her. Moreover, when Baili Chen wanted the Empress Dowager to suffer a fate worse than death, he also demanded that the Empress Dowager be handed over to Emperor Mingxian when he promised her the position of Crown Prince. It didn't matter who she fell into his hands; the Empress Dowager would definitely suffer the cruelest treatment in the world. Before that, her power had to be dismantled one by one.
Having gained the power of regent, Baili Chen immediately abused public power for private gain, mobilizing even more people to search for Ouyang Yue. He even investigated every town and place around the cliff that showed the slightest resemblance or possibility. This was tantamount to using the power of the entire nation to find a woman. Even though Baili Chen attracted a lot of gossip and received many impeachments for this, he remained unchanged, making the old ministers so angry that their beards twitched, but they were powerless to do anything about it.
Two years later, in the Chen Prince's mansion, although Baili Chen was now the Crown Prince, he still kept the mansion intact, not allowing anyone to change even the signboard or a single plant in the mansion. On this day, in the study of the Chen Prince's mansion, Baili Chen asked in surprise, "Is what you said true!"
"Master, a woman went to the blacksmith's shop in this city to make this kind of hidden weapon. This... this is the exact same blueprint that the Princess gave us back then. I have carefully compared it and there is absolutely no mistake!" Leng Sha also had a happy expression on his face. Three years have passed since what happened back then. Although Baili Chen has not given up, everyone knows that Ouyang Yue has almost no chance of survival. But at this moment, they suddenly discovered that Ouyang Yue might still be alive. Who would not be excited?
"Quickly, set off immediately! I must bring back the Crown Princess!" Baili Xian immediately issued the decree, and a group of people rushed towards their destination. On the way, Baili Su heard the news and insisted on going with them. Baili Su had been living with Princess Shuangxia for almost all these years. He was sensible and would only cry alone in his bed if he cried. However, he never doubted Ouyang Yue.
This is Baicheng, a place in Yuezhou Prefecture. Because it is close to Wuxing Temple, the people here are all Buddhists. The cultural environment is extremely simple and warm. The people on the street are full of vitality and longing for life. It is hard to see the people who are bitter and resentful here. They help each other. It is a rare paradise.
Meanwhile, Baili Chen, Baili Su, Leng Sha, and the others headed straight to the blacksmith's shop where the news had spread to find out what was going on. The blacksmith was a little scared and hesitant when he saw so many people, but when Baili Chen pushed Baili Su in front of the old blacksmith and said that the woman who had asked him to forge a weapon was very likely his wife and the mother of his child, he revealed some information: "This girl also came to Baicheng a year ago. She is aloof and cold, but after spending time with her, I found that she has a good character. She seems to live alone and doesn't like to reveal too much about herself. Sometimes she disappears for half a month or a month at a time. She is very mysterious in Baicheng."
"How many weapons did she ask you to forge?"
The old blacksmith said, "It didn't happen often, only twice."
Leng Sha immediately took out the blueprints and showed them to him: "Are there any crafted items in these?"
"Um, this, this, and this..."
Baili Chen's face lit up with joy: "It's Yue'er, it's Yue'er!"
“Mother…Mother really didn’t die, waah!” Upon hearing this, Baili Su burst into tears. His heart had been clenched all the way here, fearing that he would hear disappointing news again. But they all knew that this kind of thing was not something an ordinary person could produce.
Baili Su was even more aware that it was even more impossible for someone who wasn't a time traveler, and the possibility of a special agent like Ouyang Yue, who was proficient in weapons, was extremely slim.
"Tell me quickly, where does that woman live?"
The old blacksmith was unwilling to say more, only saying, "In two days, that girl will come here to pick up her things. If you are really acquainted, then it will be fine. But if you have ulterior motives, then don't even think about leaving this White City."
Helpless, Baili Chen and his companions remained stationed there. Two days later, after waiting from morning till dusk, a graceful and beautiful figure appeared. Upon seeing her, Baili Chen was moved to tears and rushed towards her. However, before he could get close, the woman suddenly retreated warily, looking at Baili Chen with a cold yet somewhat confused expression: "Who... are you?"
Baili Chen's surprised expression froze instantly. As calm and strong as he was, he was struck by lightning at this moment, swaying and looking at Ouyang Yue in disbelief!
☆、Chapter 291, the finale (part 2)
Looking at the face that was exactly like Ouyang Yue's, now filled with confusion and wariness as it stared at Baili Chen, Baili Chen felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He had been searching for Ouyang Yue for three whole years. How he had spent those three years was a mystery to everyone except himself. He had always firmly believed that he would find Ouyang Yue one day, so even when others said it was impossible, that Ouyang Yue was surely dead, and that he should give up, he refused. Emperor Mingxian even began arranging for him to remarry as the Crown Princess. He told Emperor Mingxian that if he ascended the throne, the future Crown Prince, the future Emperor, could only be Ouyang Yue's son.
Emperor Mingxian was well aware of Baili Chen's stubbornness. Although he repeatedly tried to persuade him, it was to no avail, and he eventually gave up, thinking that if he still couldn't find her in another year or two, he would naturally find a way to make Baili Chen face reality. No one believed him, but Baili Chen never gave up, so finding Ouyang Yue three years later was inevitable for him. However, Ouyang Yue didn't recognize him at all, which Baili Chen couldn't accept.
Ouyang Yue was somewhat puzzled. Although she didn't recognize this unfamiliar man, she had a vague feeling that something was off. It was as if they had met before, as if they knew each other, because she felt that he was somewhat familiar. But how could that be? They had never met before. And this man's gaze was so intense as he called her by name right away. Did he really know her?
From the moment Ouyang Yue could remember, she had already fallen onto that cliff. She didn't know if she had fallen from the sky or had simply transmigrated there, because her only memory was of carrying out a dangerous mission in her previous life, then her mind went blank for a moment, and when she woke up, she was there. There happened to be a cave on that cliff, with two naturally growing trees above it. Because of the force of the fall, Ouyang Yue was caught on the branches as she fell. In addition, the cave entrance was probably once inhabited by wild eagles or flocks of birds, with piles of firewood and hay. These two cushions prevented her from being seriously injured, but she landed headfirst, hitting her back and getting a large bump.
The cave was about two meters long and wide, and the living conditions inside were naturally very harsh. However, as a special agent, Ouyang Yue was top-notch in wilderness survival training. If she could survive on a deserted island with a treacherous environment, she would certainly find a way to survive here as well. There was a rainwater pool above the cave formed by snowmelt falling all year round, and the surrounding area was either planted by wild birds or formed naturally. There were even two fruit trees growing on the mountain wall, and birds would occasionally fly down and become her food. However, the cave was located in the middle of a sheer cliff, neither up nor down, which was extremely difficult. Ouyang Yue thought of many ways to save herself, such as chiseling out of the cave to try to dig a larger tunnel to connect to the outside, but the feasibility was not high. In the end, she spent nearly a year and a half making a climbing rope several tens of meters long and then climbed down the cliff.
In truth, that sheer cliff was vast and expansive. Even if Baili Chen sent a large number of people across, given the treacherous terrain, there was no guarantee they would be found. The chances of someone being missed were still there, as was the case with Ouyang Yue. After descending the cliff, Ouyang Yue wandered around several cities before finally settling in Baicheng a year ago. As a modern woman who had just transmigrated and was also a special agent, she had quite a few ways to make a living. Her method of earning money was to work as a bodyguard under an assumed name. The money from one job could sustain her for at least a year or two in this city—a comfortable life. This was Ouyang Yue's experience over the past three years. Before Baili Chen came looking for her, Ouyang Yue always felt she had just transmigrated. But looking at this man who was both strange and strangely familiar, she was somewhat confused.
"Mother!" Baili Su's eyes were red with tears. He rushed over and hugged Ouyang Yue's leg tightly. As a special agent, he didn't like to get too close to people. The moment the child rushed over, Ouyang Yue tensed up, her palms outstretched. If she accidentally struck him, Baili Su would be seriously injured, if not killed. But at the critical moment, she didn't strike. She saw the child's face and saw the longing and admiration on his face. This gave her an inexplicable urge to hold the child in her arms.
Baili Su's little face was covered in tears, looking like a cat. Seeing Ouyang Yue's hesitation and confusion, his heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. His mother had even forgotten about him. How could he not be heartbroken?
Baili Su's longing over the past three years was no less than Baili Chen's. His mother, whom he had longed to see day and night, no longer recognized him. He cried uncontrollably, his aggrieved and pained appearance heartbreaking to see and tearful to hear. Ouyang Yue's eyes also inexplicably reddened, and she instinctively felt a pang of heartache. She said softly, "Little brother, you've mistaken me for someone else. I... don't know you."
"Waaaah!" Baili Su cried even louder upon hearing this, clinging tightly to Ouyang Yue with his little arms and refusing to let go. "Mother, why don't you recognize me? I'm Su'er, your most adorable, invincible, and incredibly handsome son! You can forget anyone else, but how could you forget me? Waaah, Mother!"
Baili Su's words were quite amusing, but Ouyang Yue was in no mood to laugh. She just felt a sudden, intense pain in her head, which caused cold sweat to drip from her forehead and her body to sway. Upon seeing this, Baili Chen rushed over and supported Ouyang Yue. Ouyang Yue squinted at the anxious and worried expression on the man's face and thought that he probably wouldn't harm her, so she fainted from the pain.
"Yue'er!" Baili Chen exclaimed in surprise, "Quickly, find the imperial physician, no, find a doctor!" Baili Chen urged.
Seeing this, the old blacksmith was also somewhat puzzled. Were these three people really from the same family? The girl didn't acknowledge them, but the father and son were heartbroken, and the adorable son was crying his heart out. Although the girl was as beautiful as an angel, which might easily arouse improper thoughts, the man didn't seem to come from an ordinary family. Right, he even called for the imperial physician, so he must be from a prominent family. He probably wouldn't do something like abducting someone.
"The doctor at Baohetang in our city is the best. Old man, go and invite him."
Leng Sha hurriedly followed, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, old man. I'll go with you to fetch it. This is the deposit for our lady's weapon, and also the money for your errand. Please don't find it offensive." As he spoke, he took out a trembling gold ingot.
The blacksmith, who had only seen this a few times in his life, was taken aback and tried to refuse, but Leng Sha said, "Please hurry, old man. It seems that the lady is not feeling well. It would be best to call a doctor as soon as possible."
"Alright, old man will take you there now."
Meanwhile, Baili Chen's subordinates had already led Ouyang Yue to her residence, which was a small courtyard across the street. The courtyard was not large, but it was enough for Ouyang Yue to have two entrances and exits by herself. The decorations were not luxurious, but they were still elegant. When Baili Chen saw this simple place, he secretly blamed himself for not finding Yue'er sooner, making her suffer so much. He felt it was really wrong of him.
Baili Su placed Ouyang Yue by the bedside, but he held onto her hand tightly, as if she would disappear again if he let go. Soon after, Leng Sha arrived with a doctor and examined Ouyang Yue. He found that she was physically fine, but there was a lump on her head that had been there for three years. Although it had gone down, it hadn't completely healed, which was probably the cause of Ouyang Yue's amnesia and headaches.
"Mother, you've suffered so much, you must be in so much pain. Su'er is by your side, Su'er will never leave you again. Please wake up soon, please remember Su'er." Upon hearing this, Baili Su immediately threw himself into Ouyang Yue's arms and cried.
The doctor was about to stop them, but in the end he did nothing: "Since you two are this lady's close relatives, you should try your best to help her recall her past. Perhaps this will help her recover her memory faster. I will also prescribe some medicine to dispel blood stasis and remove blood stasis. Taking it internally and applying it externally will help the lady recover faster. However, it is hard to say about the memory."
"Doctor, I understand that. Then I'll trouble you, Doctor." Baili Chen nodded. Now that he knew that Ouyang Yue had lost her memory due to injury, although Baili Chen was still disappointed, he knew that Ouyang Yue did not intentionally deny him, so he was not in so much pain. Instead, he felt very sorry for Ouyang Yue and blamed himself for the suffering she might have endured in the past three years.
In fact, Ouyang Yue had known about the head injury for a long time. However, as a special agent, she would always get some bruises every time she went out on missions. It wasn't like she hadn't bumped her head before, so it wasn't anything to be surprised about. Moreover, she always thought that she was a time traveler and had no idea that she had lost her memory, so she couldn't care less about it. Therefore, she gradually stopped paying attention to the injury. Besides, the bump didn't hurt or itch, so she didn't think there was anything wrong with it and kept putting it off until now.
Baili Chen's men took the doctor to fetch the medicine. Baili Chen patted Baili Su's shoulder and said, "Alright, your mother isn't feeling well right now. Don't cry. You're a man, you should protect your mother. How can you cry like this? It will make her worry and feel sorry for you."
Baili Su wiped his face and said to Baili Chen with dissatisfaction, "Then I want to sleep next to Mother."
Baili Chen frowned: "You sleep here, what about me!"
"Father, sleep in another room." With that, Baili Su stuck out his bright red little tongue and nimbly climbed onto the bed next to Ouyang Yue, placing his little head on the wall beside her. Baili Chen snorted coldly. After the servants had prepared the medicine and applied it to Ouyang Yue, he took off his clothes and hugged her tightly, refusing to let go. The two of them were like koalas. Ouyang Yue even groaned uncomfortably in her sleep before the two reluctantly let go.
When Ouyang Yue woke up the next day, she looked at the ceiling of the bed in a daze. She found two rascals clinging to her. One little one was using both hands and feet to wrap around her arms, while the other was even more outrageous, with long arms wrapped around her waist. Their warm breath was blowing directly on her, giving her a strange, tingling sensation. What made her speechless was that although these were all strangers to her, her body didn't instinctively reject them. Otherwise, when she opened her eyes, the two of them would have been dead long ago.
Ouyang Yue was somewhat speechless. Although she lived in the modern world, she hadn't had much intimate contact with men. Why did she feel so familiar and close to this man, as if he didn't want to push her away? Could it be true, as they said, that she and he were husband and wife? But the more she thought about it, the more her head ached. Ouyang Yue turned to look at the man beside her. He looked somewhat haggard, his chin long since unshaven, reaching his neck, making him look like an unkempt, wild man. Yet, this man possessed an air of dominance and nobility. As a special agent in the modern world, Ouyang Yue had seen many high-ranking people; that kind of aura wasn't something others could imitate, but rather something cultivated slowly through their environment. This man's background was definitely extraordinary.
For some unknown reason, Ouyang Yue's heart stirred, and she reached out to touch the man's beard. But the moment her hand touched him, it was stopped by a strong, large hand that completely enveloped her delicate hand. When she looked up, she saw the man's burning, excited expression. The man swallowed and said expectantly, "Yue'er, do you remember me?"
His eager and expectant look made Ouyang Yue a little embarrassed to contradict him. Her heart tightened, but she still shook her head and said, "No, not yet..."
A hint of disappointment flashed in the man's eyes, but he quickly recovered: "It's okay. Now that you don't reject me, that's a good start, and I'm happy."
Ouyang Yue was somewhat speechless. Actually, she wasn't quite used to it yet. It wasn't that her body was uncomfortable, but she felt something was off. She felt that she must have some kind of relationship with this person, otherwise she wouldn't have instinctively chosen to believe him. But she clearly didn't remember this person, and the two of them were intimately embracing on the bed, which made her feel uneasy.
Feeling Ouyang Yue's somewhat resistant hand, Baili Chen pretended not to notice, took Ouyang Yue's hand and placed it beside him, gently saying, "Yue'er, can you tell me about your life these past three years? I want to know how you've been without me for the past three years. I've been looking for you and worrying about you all this time. Can you tell me about it?"
Ouyang Yue's lips twitched, and after thinking for a moment, she finally spoke. Of course, she still omitted the part about time travel. Although she felt familiar with this man and thought he wouldn't harm her, she still had no memory of him, so it was best to be cautious. Besides, time travel was such a shocking thing; she didn't want to be treated like a monster and burned at the stake. Leaving that part out, she recounted how she survived after regaining consciousness in the cliffside cave, how she maintained her daily life, and how she spent a year and a half making an extremely long rope to finally descend the cliff. She described everything bit by bit. Whenever she talked about the hardships and the dangers of the cliff, Ouyang Yue felt that this man was even more nervous than she was. His hand, which was holding hers, was gripped so tightly it hurt several times, but Ouyang Yue didn't complain at all. For some reason, she felt a warm feeling in her heart.
"It was so hard, but Su'er won't let her mother suffer anymore." Baili Su stretched out her soft, white hand and touched Ouyang Yue's face, not to be outdone. The feeling was extremely comfortable. Although it was very hard in the cave, she didn't feel anything when she talked about it now. On the contrary, she felt a little happy. She even wondered if she had masochism. But the joy in her heart could not be faked.
Ouyang Yue's lips curled up slightly as she reached out to stroke Baili Sumei's fair face. Looking at this little one, who now showed the worry and determination of a little adult, she was so cute that she felt both sorry for her and loved her. If she really was her child, then there was nothing wrong with that, was there? Even though she had no memory of it.
Sensing Ouyang Yue's approach, Baili Su paused, then grinned, revealing an even more adorable expression. Ouyang Yue couldn't help but reach out and touch him, making Baili Chen's eyes burn with envy. The brat was annoying; this was supposed to be the time for the couple to nurture their relationship, but this kid had beaten them to it. However, if this kid could use his talents to help Yue'er regain her memories sooner, then he wouldn't hold it against him. That morning, Ouyang Yue and Baili Su's relationship had clearly improved. Although Ouyang Yue still didn't remember Baili Chen and his son, she was genuinely prepared to try and recover her memories. After all, she really wanted to regain Baili Su's memories. Of course, although she didn't want to admit it, seeing the disappointment in Baili Chen's eyes every time he pretended to be fine and continued to fawn over her, she felt a little guilty. For the sake of these two, she wanted to recover his memories. At the same time, she was also curious about whether he had actually lost his memory and about his past life.
Baili Chen and Baili Su decided to stay there. Ouyang Yue wasn't easily swayed; she tacitly allowed them to stay, not because she was forced or persuaded. She also wanted to find the answer in her heart. Later, Baili Chen and Baili Su learned that Ouyang Yue had taken on a job as a thug. Although Ouyang Yue's skills were quite good, making her more than capable of handling the job, they couldn't bear the risk of losing Ouyang Yue again.
So, a strange situation arose around Ouyang Yue: whenever she bathed or went to the toilet, she was always accompanied by two extremely handsome men, one tall and one short. Of course, Baili Chen originally wanted to accompany her when she bathed as well, but Ouyang Yue, still recovering her memories, resolutely refused. Baili Chen was upset for two days because of this, his eyes often filled with accusation as he looked at Ouyang Yue, making her extremely uncomfortable. Wherever Ouyang Yue went, the two followed. Thus, a strange phenomenon gradually appeared in Baicheng: a pair of seemingly celestial beings, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, strolling around with a little tagalong. Whenever Ouyang Yue made even the slightest contact with a man, the two men would become extremely wary, while the little one would cling to Ouyang Yue's leg, complaining of hunger, headaches, and heartaches, leaving everyone speechless.
Sometimes she would even act cute. When Ouyang Yue went grocery shopping, the little one would raise her delicate and adorable face and say in a soft, sweet voice, "Auntie, give me a discount, my family is so poor."
Looking at their exquisite clothes, it would be a miracle to believe him, but his adorable appearance was enough to make the vegetable-selling auntie's heart flutter, and she was willing to be fooled by his words. It really was a case of one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit.
As they spent more time together, Ouyang Yue indeed began to trust Baili Chen and Baili Su more and more. When Ouyang Yue couldn't wait to take on a mission, Baili Chen directly sent her several ledgers. The ledgers clearly showed businesses such as the Beauty Pavilion and the Clothing Pavilion. The amount in each ledger was enormous. Ouyang Yue would be tired just sitting there counting money every day. After that, many people appeared in Baicheng one after another. Some of them claimed to be her servants, such as Chuncao, Qiuyue, and Dongxue, as well as stewards like Leng Can. They recounted their past interactions with Ouyang Yue in detail, and there were no problems with the details.
Later, Qiuyue and Lengcan returned home after a short while. The Meiyi Pavilion and Meiren Pavilion in the capital still needed someone to take care of them, and Chuncao also needed to be taken care of. Moreover, Ouyangyue felt guilty upon hearing that Chuncao and Lengsha's wedding had been delayed for three years because of her. She ordered Bailichen to order them to return first and hold the wedding before coming back. However, Ouyangyue hadn't regained her memory, so she wouldn't be the officiant. Nevertheless, the two insisted. Although they hadn't held a wedding ceremony, they first performed a formal ceremony in front of Bailichen and Ouyangyue, receiving a high bow as elders and masters, before returning to the capital to hold the wedding. Ouyangyue also used some of the money she had earned over the year to prepare a wedding gift for Chuncao. Of course, it wasn't as extravagant as Qiuyue's wedding attire. Although she possessed a large sum of gold and silver from the accounts of the Meiyi Pavilion and Meiren Pavilion, she didn't intend to touch it until she regained her memory. After years as a special agent, she had chosen to trust these people, but she couldn't afford to lose her final precautions.
However, Ouyang Yue made it clear beforehand that if she regained her memories and was indeed the person they were talking about, she would have to give Chuncao an extra-large dowry as compensation. Chuncao just cried and said, "Your Highness, as long as you are safe and sound, Chuncao has no other wish. Chuncao will definitely wait for Your Highness to return."
With the appearance of these people, Ouyang Yue naturally couldn't possibly be unaware of Baili Chen's true identity. At first, she remained calm, but deep down she found it hard to accept Baili Chen's high status—the Crown Prince, the future Emperor. Which ancient emperor didn't have three palaces and six courtyards? How could he possibly have only one woman? Although she subtly managed to elicit information that there were currently no women in the Crown Prince's residence, and that Baili Chen had waited for her for three years and searched for her for three years without any intention of taking another woman, not even a concubine or maidservant, this was truly remarkable for a physiologically normal young man. Ouyang Yue wasn't unmoved, but could Baili Chen guarantee this for the rest of his life? Moreover, he was highly likely to ascend the throne. At that point, it might not even be a matter of whether he wanted to take women or not. As a prince, to balance the various factions, it would be inevitable that he would marry several daughters of powerful families and officials. This might not mean he didn't love her, but it was something she, as a modern person, couldn't accept.
Perhaps sensing that Ouyang Yue's behavior was a bit off, Baili Chen reflected for a few days and realized that Ouyang Yue had changed slightly after learning his identity. She seemed a little resistant to physical contact. Although she didn't say it, Baili Chen always felt uneasy, afraid that Ouyang Yue might run away at any time. He thought back to how difficult it was for him to pursue this woman. At the same time, he thought about all the things that happened when he first started pursuing her. Ouyang Yue had a strong distrust of men, yet she was extremely domineering in relationships. She only wanted one person for life and even wanted to never love again. Baili Chen had gone through so much to win this woman's heart. Could it be that Ouyang Yue had lost her memory and was only doing this once?
Baili Chen already considered it lucky that Ouyang Yue hadn't died, so he didn't care whether Ouyang Yue had lost her memory or not. At least this gave him a goal to strive for, and at least Ouyang Yue was still willing to believe in him and remember him. But if she distanced herself from him because of her concerns, it would make the process much more difficult. He wasn't afraid of trouble or time, but he was afraid that Ouyang Yue would slowly close her heart to him, because that would probably make it even harder for her to recover her memory.
Baili Chen became even more persistent with Ouyang Yue, and he began to express his love to her from time to time. However, compared to the last time, it seemed that the more Baili Chen expressed his love, the more defensive Ouyang Yue became, which made Baili Chen feel more and more helpless.
Today, Baili Su was dressed in a silver-white embroidered koi fish robe tied at the waist, with his jade crown tied high, making him look particularly exquisite and cute, and full of energy. As he passed through the second courtyard, he saw Baili Chen sitting on the front steps with his head down, looking dejected. He was sitting on the ground in his exquisite flying cloud robe without caring about it, and he would occasionally tug at it and tear it into thin strips, showing how bored and aggrieved he was.
Baili Su walked closer, shaking his head and swaying his feet, and sighed, "Why do you look so dejected? If Mother sees you like this, she will dislike you even more."
"Smack!" Baili Su's head was hit hard. Baili Su's eyes widened immediately. He covered his head and looked at Baili Chen angrily: "Why did you hit me? You're being unreasonable."
"You little brat, how dare you laugh at your father! A slap is too lenient. Come and apologize!" Baili Chen said, squinting his eyes. Baili Su pursed his lips, then pouted and said aggrievedly, "I didn't say anything wrong. Look at you, you don't even have any spirit. How can your mother look at you like that? You have to cheer up."
At this point, Baili Su pouted. He hadn't expected his mother to forget his father, let alone him. He was the child she carried for ten months, and there were memories of her pregnancy in her previous life, and even things that happened in the afterlife. Ouyang Yue had forgotten all of these memories, which made him feel extremely frustrated. He sighed and said, "Why am I so unlucky? There's always this saying: 'A son who marries a wife forgets his mother and is considered unfilial.' But now, my mother has completely forgotten me. It's the complete opposite. It's so worrying."
Baili Su stretched out his small hand, clenched it into a fist, and rested it under his chin, gazing silently at the sky with a look of deep bitterness and resentment. Baili Chen looked at Baili Su and felt the same way. The two, one big and one small, stared silently at the sky, a chilling loneliness forming two dark shadows around them, looking quite miserable.
Baili Su reached out and poked Baili Chen's thigh, saying, "Isn't there any way? Think about any particularly memorable things you had with Mother before." Baili Su realized that since Ouyang Yue had truly forgotten about him, he really didn't have anything he could do to provoke her. He couldn't exactly put him back into Ouyang Yue's womb and be reborn, could he? Besides, the things that happened with Sun Meng'er and the Empress were memorable, but they wouldn't happen again. So, this matter had to fall on Baili Chen's shoulders.
Baili Chen sighed, "I tried to use the same shameless tactics I used when I was pursuing her, but I was chased away before I could even get close to her."
Baili Chen wouldn't tell his son the truth, would he? He remembered that once in the Langhuan Jade Pavilion, Baili Chen tried to act shamelessly, and during their struggle, his subordinates burst in, looking like Ouyang Yue was lustfully trying to take advantage of Baili Chen. Moreover, back on Mount Tian, the two had also embraced intimately, and Baili Chen wanted to try it out, but before he could even put his hand around her, Ouyang Yue kicked him. It was fortunate that Ouyang Yue held back; her kick only hovered around his groin before landing on his inner thigh, otherwise his groin would have been ruined. Baili Chen would never dare to do it a second time. But he would absolutely never tell Baili Su about such a humiliating incident.
"Then keep thinking. I don't have many memories, otherwise I'd need you to help." Baili Su wrinkled his nose, looking troubled.
"Sigh!" Baili Chen also let out a long sigh. Why does this feel even more difficult than when he was chasing Yue'er? Why is God giving him such a test again? Is it going to be another case of a rogue chasing after his wife? Baili Chen rubbed his chin, but his brows remained furrowed.
"Sigh!" Baili Su sighed softly, his bitter and resentful expression really not suiting his fair and lovely childlike face.
When Ouyang Yue entered through the second gate, she heard the father and son sighing deeply. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. These two really knew how to amuse and entertain her. They did seem a little aggrieved and dissatisfied, but she could easily see through their act. However, unlike now, Ouyang Yue, who had just stepped into the courtyard, withdrew her foot, her brows furrowing slightly. She felt uncomfortable and, after a while, left the house and went outside.
Baili Su blinked, and after a while, he nudged Baili Chen's leg and blinked twice more quickly. "Are you still there?"
Baili Chen blinked twice at the same time. "They went out."