Chapter 202: Gu Rongjin Abandons You, Uncaring

The Son of Heaven sat down in the main seat, Hongdou and the others bustled in and out pouring tea and serving water, and a tense atmosphere spread throughout the room.

Mu Yuanzhi stood at the lower side, and Qilin stood beside her.

"Since I entered, I haven't seen a single guard or servant—where did everyone go?" the Son of Heaven asked, blowing away the steam from his tea cup.

He was asking despite knowing the answer, and Mu Yuanzhi knew it.

After all, the Son of Heaven is the Son of Heaven; the majesty of the Nine-Five Supreme exerted immense pressure.

Before Mu Yuanzhi could speak, the Son of Heaven asked again: "I've been here a while—why hasn't the Prince Consort come yet?"

His words made almost everyone's heart leap in their chests.

"Gu Rongjin..." Mu Yuanzhi didn't know what excuse to give—any excuse would fail.

Qilin couldn't understand why his senior sister insisted on returning to the capital—it was clearly like a lamb walking into a tiger's mouth!

That despicable Pei Yunxi—just find someone to assassinate him and be done with it!

Now we're riding a tiger and can't get off.

The Son of Heaven seemed unhurried, waiting for Mu Yuanzhi to answer.

"Gu Rongjin ran off on some business!" Qilin blurted out without hesitation, speaking for Mu Yuanzhi first.

He thought that if the Son of Heaven grew angry, the wrath would fall on him rather than on his senior sister.

Anyway, everyone now pretends not to know what they know.

"Ran off?" the Son of Heaven raised an eyebrow, "I should have said he's not allowed to leave the capital."

"Yeah, that's why he ran off—he said he was going to find the National Teacher!" Qilin continued.

Mu Yuanzhi looked at Qilin, wondering what nonsense this child was spouting.

"Find the National Teacher?" the Son of Heaven frowned, "What for?"

"Who knows? Anyway, he never tells us what he's up to!" Qilin said.

"Is something wrong between you and the Prince Consort?" the Son of Heaven turned his gaze to Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi: "My relationship with the Prince Consort is fine."

"Your relationship is fine, yet you don't even know where he went?" the Son of Heaven set down his tea cup with a grand gesture, his voice booming.

Mu Yuanzhi was already anxious, and now she broke out in a cold sweat.

She would have preferred the Son of Heaven to skip the questioning and just arrest people outright.

The Son of Heaven rose and walked over slowly.

Qilin's heart likewise leapt to his throat; he clenched his palms, ready at any moment to protect Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi met the Son of Heaven's gaze; even though she felt afraid inside, her exterior remained calm and composed.

"Zhier, you are my daughter; I will not make things difficult for you. Tell me honestly—where did the Prince Consort go, and where did the National Teacher go?" the Son of Heaven placed his hand on Mu Yuanzhi's shoulder.

Mu Yuanzhi felt that hand weigh a thousand jin, as if it were about to crush her.

She naturally wouldn't believe the Son of Heaven's lies; it was merely a ploy to make her spill everything.

She might have believed it before, but now she wouldn't believe a single word.

"Replying to Father Emperor, your subject truly does not know."

She heard the Son of Heaven let out a light sigh, and her heart raced instantly.

"Your Majesty! Prime Minister Xiao has sent word of urgent military affairs requesting an audience." A palace attendant rushed in, saying, "It concerns Young Master Jin and the National Teacher."

Upon hearing this, the Son of Heaven immediately strode outward: "Have him wait in Xuanshi Hall!"

He had no time to attend to Mu Yuanzhi, merely telling the outside attendant: "Order the Commander of the Imperial Guard to send people to monitor Pingnan Wangfu—no one may enter or leave without my command."

"Yes!"

At that moment inside Pingnan Wangfu, Mu Yuanzhi said solemnly, "What exactly has Xiao Yichen learned?"

"Do you want to know, Ah Zhi?"

Someone who shouldn't be here suddenly appeared at the doorway.

"Xiao Yichen? Weren't you supposed to be seeing the emperor?!" Qilin exclaimed in shock.

Xiao Yichen curled his lips, looking at Mu Yuanzhi: "Ah Zhi, aren't you going to thank me for saving you?"

"What do you mean?" Mu Yuanzhi didn't understand.

"If I hadn't done that, would the emperor have left so easily?" Xiao Yichen said, "I risked danger to lure him away."

He gazed into her eyes, hoping to see some emotion beyond her indifference.

But there was none; she looked at him as she always had—utterly devoid of feeling.

Xiao Yichen felt dejected, protesting: "Can't you at least say thank you?"

"Thank you." Mu Yuanzhi said expressionlessly.

Her thanks carried no emotion; she simply uttered the two words.

Xiao Yichen clenched his fists, stepping forward resentfully: "Gu Rongjin abandoned you, leaving you in peril—why do you still defend him?!"

"You don't understand him, nor me, nor how we get along."

Xiao Yichen gave a complex smile: "I don't understand, but I know that if it weren't for me today, you might not have escaped disaster."

Qilin: "Then Prime Minister Xiao, having seen Buddha to the west, might as well send us on our way!"

Xiao Yichen reluctantly withdrew his gaze, turned, and said: "The guards outside will be derelict in their duty for a quarter of an hour."

"He really helped?" Qilin said, a bit surprised, "It seems his conscience hasn't died out completely."

"Let's go." Mu Yuanzhi called to Qilin.

Xiao Yichen turned to watch the retreating backs of Mu Yuanzhi and Qilin, his eyes filled with desolation.

She didn't even ask him, didn't ask how he could make a clean escape from the Son of Heaven...

She didn't care about him at all...

However, even so, Xiao Yichen still couldn't bear it, couldn't bear her being in danger.

Mu Yuanzhi and Qilin left from the rear of Pingnan Wangfu; the guards were indeed all sent away by Xiao Yichen, and they could easily leave from the rear.

"Running away!"

The sudden sound startled Qilin and Mu Yuanzhi; upon looking back, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You stinky monk, you're going to scare someone to death!" Qilin patted his chest in annoyance.

Mu Yuanzhi: "How did the great master know we were going to leave from the rear?"

"Just a guess." The monk gave a mysterious smile, "Amitabha."

"You just happened to pass by, right?" Qilin didn't believe it.

"Indeed, I just happened to pass by, and I indeed guessed you'd run away from the rear." The monk fiddled with the Buddhist Prayer Beads in his hand, "Patron Qilin, you visited Prince Jia yesterday; this news will surely reach the emperor soon."

Qilin: "You had someone leak the news?"

"Why do you always think of the poor monk as a bad person? Leaking is leaking, but I only leaked it today to Grand Secretary Xiao so he could come rescue you; with so many of the emperor's spies, it's natural that someone at the Princess's level of counter‑surveillance can't shake them off."

"Will Xiao Yichen still listen to you now?"

"It doesn't hinder his wish to save the Princess." The monk looked at Mu Yuanzhi and smiled: "Too bad the prodigal's return; the Princess disdains to change."

Qilin repeatedly chewed over the monk's earlier words, then said angrily: "You stinky monk, how dare you mock my senior sister for being followed without even knowing?!"

"Qilin, the great master is stating the facts; you don't need to get angry." Mu Yuanzhi admitted she indeed didn't know.

Her flowery fists and embroidered kicks are simply not enough for her to discern clearly.