Chapter 5: The Empress Arrives

  "It's you again! Return my pendant!" Momo thought: Since they already know I'm a girl, I'll just pounce and grab it. The black-clothed person easily dodged Momo's hand.

  "Don't waste your energy, you're still far from being good enough." The teasing laughter was extremely unpleasant to Mo's ears. "I only came to tell you one thing: don't learn martial arts!"

  "Why?!" How can I get back my pendant if I don't learn martial arts?!

  "This is for your own good, and be careful of Xing Chen" After finishing speaking, he disappeared into the night like last time.

  Be careful of Xing Chen? Isn't he the current emperor? He's thousands of miles away, why should I be careful of him?" "Hey, speak clearly!" The only response to Mo Mo was the howling wind outside.

  Tomorrow is destined to be an extraordinary day.

  "Momo——" I knew who it was just by the sound. Suddenly, a weight pressed down on me, and a soft body leaned against me, making me feel uncomfortable. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Han Lin's enlarged face.

  "Han Guanshi, I...I...haven't gotten up yet" Face flushed with anger.

  "Hehe, I knew you weren't up yet. If you were, I wouldn't have come over. Do you know, MoMo, your blushing face is really cute?" Han Lin didn't mean to get down from me at all.

  "Okay, get up!" Although Han Lin had been calling me to wake up like this every morning since I started practicing martial arts, I still wasn't used to it. Who would be used to being woken up in such a way?

  "Mo Mo, even if you're asleep, you must be vigilant. The enemy may launch a surprise attack on you in the middle of the night." Han Lin looked at me with a hint of meaning and continued to say "Even if he is a hundred times stronger than you, as long as you seize the initiative, you can find opportunities to turn defeat into victory." Han Lin played with my hair, saying serious words in a playful tone.

  Did he know who the mysterious man in black was? Or... Han Lin was the man in black! The thought flashed through his mind. Just as he wanted to ask, he forced himself to swallow the words on the tip of his tongue and changed them to "Han, you said I'm a martial arts material?"

  "Practicing martial arts, huh..." Han Lin finally got up from on top of me. He drew out the sound. Looking into my eyes. Then his actions made me feel extremely embarrassed. He actually started feeling me all over!

  "What are you doing!" Wailed loudly.

  "Oh no! Stop shouting. Don't call out... Don't move around! Let me take a look at your bones and meridians." Han Lin furrowed his good-looking eyebrows.

  "Ink ink. Better not practice!"

  "Why?" This was the second time I had asked about martial arts.

  "I don't know, I just feel like your bones and meridians are not right." Han Lin lay back on top of me.

  "Han Guanshi" I raised my arm wanting to push him away, but instead got a cold stare from Han Lin.

  "Gege!" (Big Brother!) He said with a serious tone, as if I had committed some kind of heinous crime.

  "A heavy groan" escaped his lips, and the distance he had struggled to open up was instantly erased as Han Lin's massive body crashed back down.

  "From now on, don't call me someone who doesn't take care of anything. Not taking care of anything is not considered taking care of things." Han Lin finally let me off and sat up too. "Today I came to inform you that you don't need to practice anymore. You have a noble guest coming, so you should also tidy yourself up." After he finished speaking, I felt a dizziness in front of my eyes, a warmth on my lips, and then Han Lin disappeared before my eyes like a whirlwind.

  What's going on? Han Lin... actually... kissed me?!

  No need to practice anymore! I was just about to get dressed when I fell back onto the bed. "Bang" I hit myself and it hurt so much, I was grinding my teeth and curling my lips, when Xiao He came in with a basin saying "Mo Zhu, it's time to get up". I turned over and continued sleeping, ignoring Xiao He's "Winter practice on the 9th, summer practice on the 3rd. Early morning is the best time for martial arts practice"...... In a daze, I heard "Your mother is coming, how can you..." My mother? How could that be? This must be a dream! Yes, it's just a dream!

  Opening her eyes again, she saw a gaze as bright as the stars, and heard "Where is better looking than me? It's nothing but that!"

  "Princess?!" I was startled, hastily got out of bed to pay respects, but forgot that I only wore a single layer of clothes to sleep. "Ah!" Xingru covered her face and went out, and I was stunned again.

  An unmarried princess appears in a man's bedroom, even if I'm not a man, but on the surface, it is. Yet she blushes at me, this fake man wearing only underwear, what kind of situation is this?!

  Previous story split line

  Staring blankly at the woman on the stage, it wasn't a dream after all, it was really her mother. But her current attire also revealed her identity - the Empress.

  I recalled the words of the man in black last night, and I glanced to the side, and indeed, among the guards behind my mother was Xing Chen, the current emperor, who had disguised himself. He is really good to my mother. He doesn't want me to recognize my mother, does he? He looked at me with a disgusted gaze. Well, it's good that my mother will be happier and safer under his protection, and I won't have to fight against bad people for her anymore. But, my heart feels so painful.

  Daughter, my daughter is still young and inexperienced. One day when she has grown up and can protect you, I will... Ha! I'm just being foolish again. Who can rival the emperor's power today?! My passion cooled down instantly, and I thought indifferently: Maybe it's better not to acknowledge my mother after all.

  "A humble villager, I pay respects to Her Majesty. May the Empress enjoy good fortune and health." Kneeling down, knocking head on ground. No courage to look at Mother's face.

  The cry of "Mò ér" broke through my strong and silent defense, and tears burst out.

  "Moe, is that you, Mother? Don't you recognize me?" Mother got up from her seat, helped me up and forced me to look at her straight in the eye. "Moe, my Moe, the one who protected me...". After checking all over to make sure I was unharmed, she pulled me down to sit in her seat.

  Her heart and eyes are filled with her mother's smiling face, tears of joy streaming down, regardless of the cold gaze behind her back, she only thinks: Mother is right by my side!

  "Empress, Yu'er has finally seen you." Xing Ruyu hadn't seen the person yet, but had already heard her voice. A flash of green shadow slipped in, and Su Manran nodded slightly to her, without making a sound, as she swept her gaze over Xing Ruochen. When Li Sihang let him sit beside himself, Xing Ruochen's eyes flashed with surprise.

  Holding a handkerchief and wiping away tears, I see a pitiful pear blossom in the rain.

  "Rain, I've let you suffer." Mother looked at Xing Ruyu and said, "As soon as I received your letter, I rushed over. Are you okay?" Mother was still considerate of others but forgot about her own appearance.

  "Imperial sister, Yu'er is fine, they treated me well, it's just been a long time since I've seen you, so I miss you. Imperial brother, how is he? From the day we parted ways after my marriage, I thought we would never meet again in this lifetime!" As she spoke, her voice became more sorrowful, Li Sihang quietly took away Xing Ruyu's handkerchief that was soaked with tears and replaced it with his own. With almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears and the corners of her lips slightly upturned, the beautiful woman gave Li Sihang a slight nod, causing all the men in the room to become dizzy.

  "Yu'er, I'll come pick you up and take you back to the palace," said the gentle mother.

  "The princess cannot return to the palace!" Li Sihang stood up and made a fist at his mother.

  "Why?" his mother asked, voicing everyone's question.

  Li Si Xing glanced at Xing Ru Yu, who was also expecting something, and continued saying "The princess was kidnapped by the nameless bandit, remarried to Lou Lan, or returned to the palace...". The rest of his words didn't need to be said, everyone already knew: it's a dead end. A glimmer of excitement flashed in Xing Ru Yu's eyes, apparently the princess didn't want to return to the palace.

  "This matter will be discussed later." Nang glanced at the star Xun Chen in the servant's attire and said, "Li Dazhu, can I have a word with you alone?"

  "Following the rules" Li Sihang waved his hand to dismiss a house full of servants, but as I was about to stand up, my mother grasped the hem of my garment and said "Mò'er, don't go, stay and keep me company." Her hopeful gaze was just like when I wanted to go beat up that man who teased her.

  "Mohu stays, Yu'er stays" Li Sihang glanced at Xing Yuchen, and when only five people were left in the hall, he knelt down to Xing Yuchen and called out "Long live!"

  "There is no one else here, I am in disguise outside the palace, don't make such a big fuss" Xing Chenyu supported Li Sixing with an empty gesture.

  "I'd like to know what the Empress's trip is for this time, but Yu'er didn't mention it in her letter." Xing Chen threw out a cold remark, looking at Li Si Xing.

  "I want Su Manran, the daughter of the late Su Lao Tan Zhu, to take over Wu Ming" Li Sihang said calmly and looked at Xing Chen.

  "Preposterous!" As soon as he encountered his mother's affairs, he would become flustered and his normally expressionless face would flash with emotions. "Man Yan is the empress of our current dynasty, how can she set foot in the jianghu?!" Xing Yun Chen angrily stood up, wanting to pull Man Yan's hand and leave.

  "Your Majesty, please calm down and listen to what Li Dangzhu has to say." The empress pressed Xing Chen back into his original position. "Li Dangzhu, I think you've misunderstood. Man Ran is just a village woman and can't be the daughter of Su Lao Tan Zhu. I grew up in the Su family's farmhouse since childhood, and as far as my memory goes, I never left the village. Of course, that was until after I had Mo Mo." The empress said gently.

  "It won't be wrong, the old master had sent his less-than-a-month-old daughter Su Manran to a peasant family for foster care, in order to prevent thieves from making a sneak attack. Only Old Madam heard about it, but Second Master coveted the position of the master and assassinated his brother to usurp power, taking control until just over a month ago. After Second Master's death, Old Madam only made this matter public. However, the Empress is in the deep palace, how could we common people see her casually? So the common people can only rely on the Princess and the Imperial Carriage to convey their voices to Heaven." Li Sihang finished speaking, bowed once, and sat back beside Xing Ruyu, who stared at Li Sihang's knees for a long time, wanting to touch them but refrained due to modesty, so she didn't hear their conversation.

  "No matter what, I won't let my empress stay in the jianghu. I will think of a way to make it work for both parties, but as for the kidnapping and the imperial carriage, how can you explain this to me, Li Dazhu? Is the princess going to be left nameless?" The sharp gaze pierced through the two people sitting together, and Xing Ruyu shifted slightly to the side when she felt Xing Yuchen's gaze.

  "The princess was kidnapped and the imperial carriage was forced to leave, it's all because of unavoidable circumstances. If Your Majesty wants to punish someone, I, a humble subject, am willing to take the blame." Li Si Xing said as he knelt down on one knee in front of the Emperor.

  Li Sixing may not have done things by the book, but when he made a decision, it represented that many things had been prepared and were just waiting for the right moment to be put into action. Xing Chen obviously knew this too.

  "I want to have a good talk with my family, let's go." The emperor's face suddenly became calm and peaceful.

  I shouldn't be considered his family, so when I also raised my leg, Xing Chen called out to me "Mo Er, I have something to say to you, stay and listen" As expected, my mood was complicated, treating me like a family member, with tears in my eyes, I first looked at Mother, then bowed to Xing Chen, and finally threw myself into Mother's arms.

  "Momo, come here, let's talk privately." When we were far away from Niang and Xing Ruyu, Xing Yuchen's next words made me fall from the peak of happiness to the bottom of the valley.