Chapter 352: Interaction (Fourth Update)

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, the Empress's heart was still filled with joy, but the second half caused her mood to plummet instantly.

She raised her eyes in shock

"What? Your Majesty wants to go see Zhenzhen?"

Emperor Jiawen stroked his beard and let out a long sigh.

"Indeed. Previously, she was willful and capricious, so I intentionally ignored her, hoping she would change her ways. A significant amount of time has passed now, and I feel she should have realized her mistakes. Furthermore, I truly miss her, so I have come to find you to visit her together."

Emperor Jiawen had his own considerations in mind.

Rong Jin had committed a great error, but he had received the corresponding punishment. Besides, in the end, it was his own lack of competence that caused the Empress and others to be implicated.

He merely wanted to instill a bit more dread in their hearts, but he had no intention of letting Rong Jin fall into permanent despair.

As for Rong Zhen, she was, after all, the daughter he had loved most in the past, and he still felt a certain reluctance to let her suffer.

Thus, after these past few days, he had taken the initiative to seek out the Empress to visit Rong Zhen.

The Empress said with some hesitation

"Your Majesty, Rong Zhen's emotions have not been stable lately; she has been locking herself in her room and refusing to come out. I am worried that if you go, she might do something to offend you. Would it be better to wait a while until her emotions have stabilized before visiting her?"

Emperor Jiawen frowned: "Locking herself away and refusing to see anyone? What is wrong with her now? Who has provoked her this time?"

The Empress smiled apologetically

"This... you actually know. It is because she had been hoping Vice General Mu could help heal her shattered Primordial Core, but you are aware of what happened later. She is very distressed because of it."

Emperor Jiawen's expression softened slightly.

"No wonder."

He had originally intended to say a few words in Rong Zhen's defense, but Mu Qinghe was truly not an easy person to talk to. Moreover, Rong Zhen had offended him and caused him annoyance, making it even more impossible for him to help.

Given the current situation, one could only blame Rong Zhen's own lack of fortune.

"I did hear that Chu Liuyue pleaded on behalf of the Princess of Yongping, asking Vice General Mu to invite the Heavenly Physician of the Tianling Empire to treat the Princess Consort of Pingjiang..."

The Empress lowered her eyes, her expression sorrowful.

"I truly feel envious in my heart. It is a pity that there were some conflicts between Zhenzhen and Chu Liuyue before; otherwise, I would really have wanted to ask her for help, perhaps then Zhenzhen could..."

As she spoke, she used her handkerchief to wipe away tears, appearing extremely grief-stricken and regretful.

However, out of the corner of her eye, she kept glancing at Emperor Jiawen.

To her disappointment, there was not a trace of anger on Emperor Jiawen's face.

She felt a sense of stifled frustration.

As a Princess, Rong Zhen's treatment was actually inferior to that of a mere Chu Liuyue and Mu Hongyu!

Why was His Majesty not angry at all?

She did not know that Emperor Jiawen had once visited the Tianling Empire and knew exactly how powerful it was.

He knew clearly that he, and even the entire Yao Chen Kingdom, were nothing more than ants in the eyes of Mu Qinghe.

Whatever Mu Qinghe wanted to do or whomever he wanted to help was his own business; how could the Emperor have a say in it?

Emperor Jiawen pondered for a moment and said

"This cannot be blamed on you. Everything has its destiny in the grand scheme of things. However, it is no solution for her to keep going on like this! It is better if I go and see her personally!"

The Empress was startled, and she could not even bother to wipe her tears.

"Your Majesty! I think it would be better to let Zhenzhen calm down by herself for a while? You know her temperament; the more you force her, the more disobedient she becomes..."

Emperor Jiawen's brow furrowed as he stared at the Empress

"Empress, you seem very unwilling to let me go see Zhenzhen?"

This was indeed strange.

One had to know that in the past, it was always the Empress who found every possible way to invite him.

He naturally knew this was the Empress's way of demonstrating his favor toward Rong Zhen, and in most cases, he turned a blind eye.

But today... it was truly strange.

"No! I am just... just..."

The Empress retorted without thinking, but she did not know how to say the rest.

The suspicion in Emperor Jiawen's heart deepened.

His expression became solemn.

"Since you are unwilling to go, then I shall go myself!"

Having said that, he turned and began walking toward the exit!

The Empress's heart fell into a complete panic.

If she did not stop His Majesty, the consequences would be unimaginable!

She followed him without thinking, her mind racing to come up with excuses.

But Emperor Jiawen seemed determined to go!

Just as she was at her wits' end, someone came rushing toward them from the opposite direction

"Your Majesty! Urgent report!"

Emperor Jiawen finally stopped and asked with a frown

"What urgent report is so pressing?"

The messenger presented a wooden box with both hands

"Your Majesty will know once you have inspected it personally!"

Emperor Jiawen glanced at the wooden box, his expression tightening slightly.

This was the box he used for secret correspondence with the Emperor of the Xingluo Kingdom; it certainly contained a secret letter from the other party.

Why was news arriving suddenly at this time?

The Empress took a glance and recognized what it was, a sudden surge of joy rising in her heart!

This was indeed an urgent report; His Majesty would definitely handle this first!

No matter how urgent Rong Zhen's matter was, it could not be more important than matters of state!

Sure enough, Emperor Jiawen took the wooden box in his hand and glanced at the Empress

"We shall stop here for today. Once I have resolved these matters, I will go see Rong Zhen."

The Empress was overjoyed

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will go to see Zhenzhen personally in a little while to patiently guide her."

Emperor Jiawen felt something was amiss, but he could not worry about it now.

"Return to the Imperial Study!"

Eunuch Min flicked his whisk

"Prepare the carriage for the Imperial Study—"

The group departed in a grand procession.

Only after their figures had disappeared from sight did the Empress finally breathe a sigh of relief.

But she knew she had to find Rong Zhen as quickly as possible.

His Majesty was already suspicious and would surely continue his inquiries; if he discovered that Rong Zhen had gone missing by then...

The Empress dared not even imagine it!

She stood there for a moment before finally deciding to play her part to the end

"To the Fourth Princess's quarters!"

***

On the other side, Emperor Jiawen returned to the Imperial Study. Only after ensuring the surroundings were heavily guarded did he finally open the wooden box.

Inside was a snow-white letter with no writing on it.

However, there was no look of surprise on his face. Instead, he habitually spread it out and picked up the brush beside it.

He dipped the brush into the inkstone until it was saturated and drew a heavy stroke across the paper.

Then came the second stroke, the third...

Until finally, he had covered the entire paper with ink.

At a glance, it was nothing but a messy black blotch.

But soon, beneath the ink, white characters began to gradually emerge.

After about fifteen minutes, the contents were fully revealed.

Emperor Jiawen read it once, a flash of shock crossing his eyes.

Then, as if somewhat uncertain, he leaned closer and carefully verified it word by word.

He stared at the paper in long silence, until the characters completely vanished.

"Summon the Crown Prince!"

(End of Chapter)