Madam, please listen to my explanation.

Chapter 122 Bring him to me!

"This old minister has failed in his duties; please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Imperial Library.

The furious Zhou Jin had already left, and Zhang Longxing knelt below the stage, kowtowing heavily towards those above.

Zhao Ruoxi was still in a daze, wondering why the two people in her sight had suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye.
She felt empty inside.

Could that lecherous man be angry with me and just disappear, never to be seen again?
Sure enough, Zhao Ruoxi, you shouldn't have acted like a child!
But who could blame him for not showing up again since he ascended the throne?
She thought that as long as she displeased that person, even if he suddenly barged into the palace and questioned her, it would be fine.
Thump. Thump. Thump!
A series of muffled thuds startled the Empress awake.

When she came to her senses, she realized that the forehead of Zhang, the newly appointed commander of the Blood-Clad Guard, was covered in blood from banging his head against the ground.

"Zhang Qing, there's no need for this. Please stop."

Zhang Longxing almost thought that the other party was going to let him die here. Upon hearing this, he quickly stopped what he was doing.

"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!"

"This matter."

Zhao Ruoxi wanted to say that the fault wasn't entirely his, that she had seen everything and didn't mean to blame him.

But then I thought, I can't exactly tell the other person that I was just lost in thought and completely forgot about them, can I?

"This matter must not be told to others. By the way, how is that pawnshop owner surnamed Zhou doing?"

As the supreme ruler, how could he go back on his word? There was no other way but to change the subject.
"Your Majesty! They are imprisoned together with that Blood-Clad Guard. Both are tough characters and have not yet spoken."

"Oh?" Zhao Ruoxi's expression suddenly turned cold.

"Does Zhang Qing mean that the bones of those two Zhou people are harder than the instruments of torture used by my Great Yan?"

Zhang Longxing's heart, which had just relaxed a little, jumped into his throat again. He quickly kowtowed and said:
"Your humble servant is foolish; I will not do it tomorrow! Before nightfall, I will surely pry open their mouths!"

"Step down."

Watching the other person leave respectfully, Zhao Ruoxi was filled with mixed emotions.

So annoying.
Even though she now wields absolute power, and the lives and deaths of countless officials and commoners in the Yan Kingdom are entirely in her hands, what can she do?

Can't even keep a stinky man
'Xu Jinhuan, where did you go?'

"Report! Your Majesty, an envoy from the Zhou Kingdom has entered the city through the east gate."

Zhao Ruoxi's phoenix eyes narrowed, and the rows of bookshelves trembled instantly.

At a time like this, how dare they come and provoke me!
With a flick of her sleeve, she shouted loudly, "Bring him here to me!!!"
-
“Gah—Gah—Gah—”

The cold wind in Fenghua City felt like it could blow a person's bones away. Located in the far north, it is winter all year round except for three months of summer.

For the first time ever, on this snowy day, a flock of crows actually came.

They danced back and forth in the white snowflakes, seemingly tireless, and even though their annoying cries were clearly trembling, they refused to leave the sky above Fengcheng.

This isn't the only strange thing.

Equally unusual were the brother and sister who appeared to be from a wealthy family.

They were dressed in fine silks that no one in Fengzhou had ever seen before, and the two of them were as handsome as the protagonists in a storybook who had experienced ups and downs.

This person was as happy as a child because he bought two candied hawthorns that can be found everywhere on the roadside.

No, that's not accurate.
After all, that little girl with two round buns in her hair was indeed a child.

"Xu Jinhuan"

"what's wrong?"

"I can't bite it. (╯﹏╰)"

On an old cedar tree in Fenghua City, Xu Jinhuan and Gu Niaoniao sat side by side on a branch.

Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but chuckle. He extracted a wisp of warm current from the Great Sun in his sea of ​​consciousness, attempting to envelop the bright red, hard-looking candied hawthorn in the other person's hand.
"Wow, it can be like this? It's so hot! It's on fire!!!"

"Xu Jinhuan, you owe me a candied hawthorn!"

Xu Jinhuan's face darkened. "It's a piece of cake, just wait!"

"Gaga."

He scrambled down from the branch, and in the blink of an eye, returned carrying a whole candied hawthorn 'tree' he had tied up. "Now you can eat your fill!"

Gu Niaoniao, who had almost burst into tears just moments before, was all smiles, just like a vendor who had packed up early. However, the cries of the ravens that had traveled across space from afar seemed to grow increasingly weak and feeble.
After a moment of effort (burning more than a dozen candied hawthorns in succession), he confidently handed his masterpiece to Gu Niaoniao.

Eyes facing each other.

The unpleasant experience of almost losing my baby teeth came flooding back to me.

The poor little girl looked at the crystal-clear ice shell and could vaguely see the red flesh inside, which seemed to be soft and juicy.

She suddenly opened her mouth wide and took a bite!
Xu Jinhuan looked at the other person with anticipation.

A satisfied expression immediately appeared on the girl's round face.

"Delicious~~~! (`)**"

Inspired by the other person, Xu Jinhuan also picked up a stick and started eating.

The taste is indeed very good!

"wave."

"Hmm, what's wrong with you?"

Why do you crave candied hawthorn berries so much?

A big question mark appeared in her little head. She frowned and pondered, then whispered:

"I don't know. I only remember that it was snowing the day I became a disciple of my master."

Before I left home, my aunt bought me a candied hawthorn. It was the last thing I ate that still had flavor, as far as I can remember.

Is that so?
Xu Jinhuan sighed.

He had seen the food brought by servants at the top of Tian Shu Pavilion, and to be honest, it was quite plentiful.

Having fed him green tangerines once before, he knew that the other party could taste the flavor.

Based on his long-term interactions with her, he understood the meaning the girl had failed to express clearly.

What this woman has been shielded from all along isn't her 'sense of taste,' but rather her most fundamental 'appetite.'
A person who has no appetite eats only to maintain the most basic survival.

Naturally, no matter how delicious the delicacies are, they all taste bland and tasteless.

That woman whose eyes were always vacant, yet who tried to learn to make various expressions from children.

Although he gained an immeasurable lifespan and power that could be described as devastating.

However, from beginning to end, he lacked the seven emotions and six desires that a 'human being' should have.
"Niao Niao, do you want to go back to how you used to be?"

Gu Niaoniao turned her head in surprise, "Of course!"

"Why? Isn't it good the way it is now?"

"Hmm, I won't tell you!"

Gu Niaoniao pulled her eyelid with one finger, made a funny face, and laughed innocently.

Xu Jinhuan smiled and said nothing more.

The ring on his hand emitted faint light, and flocks of crows cheered and gathered around.

"Let's go back to Kyoto."

"Um"

Recalling the intense dizziness she felt at the time, Gu Niaoniao subconsciously gripped Xu Jinhuan's arm tightly.

"Don't be afraid."

"By the way, just tell me next time you want to eat it."

"Great!"

Gu Niaoniao's big, round eyes were full of stars.

'I'm too weak like this. If I turn back to how I used to be, I can protect Xu Jinhuan!'

(End of this chapter)