After being thoroughly violated, he ran away with the enemy emperor's child.

"His Majesty ordered me to guard the hunting grounds, but not only did I fail to do so, I also left a path down the mountain for the Empress. This is my crime."

"When the guards were on duty at the checkpoint, His Majesty was left unattended, which resulted in His Majesty being seriously injured for a long time without being discovered. This is the second offense."

"Before the hunting trip, His Majesty warned me several times, but I still disappointed His Majesty. This is my third offense."

"In conclusion, this lackey deserves to die a thousand deaths."

"Yes, you truly deserve to die."

With his hand pressed to his forehead, Mo Yan stared at him: "I trusted you and gave you immense power, yet you used that power to betray me."

"You knew how important the Empress was to me, yet you still helped her leave me, Wu Xu, you deserve to die."

"…yes."

Wu Xu closed his eyes, awaiting the final verdict.

Above, Mo Yan continued, "I am going to Yong Kingdom to find the Queen. If the trip goes smoothly, I will bring her back."

"Your Majesty is a woman of deep affection. Although there was an element of transaction involved in your helping him, if you knew that you died because of him, you would surely blame me."

"Moreover... although you outwardly comply but inwardly defy me, your initial intention was for my sake. From this day forward, you shall leave the palace and find somewhere else to go."

"I will not kill you, but I will also no longer use you."

After he finished speaking, Wu Xu was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

He thought he was doomed; given His Majesty's usual temperament, he would have been a corpse long ago.

But now...

He suddenly felt a little dazed, realizing something: since meeting the Empress, His Majesty seemed to have become much gentler.

Perhaps... having weaknesses isn't all bad.

After Wu Xu left, Mo Yan instructed Wu Jue to keep an eye on Mo Chengyu. In addition, he secretly sought out the Left Prime Minister Feng Wenhan.

"Prime Minister, I need to leave the capital for a while. Mo Chengyu will temporarily handle the affairs of state during this period."

"But Mo Chengyu is stupid and I'm worried about him. Only with the Left Prime Minister watching over him can I leave with peace of mind."

Upon hearing his words, Feng Wenhan was dumbfounded: "His Majesty is leaving the capital?!?"

"Why? Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

Feng Wenhan's face was contorted with worry. "His Majesty is already seriously injured, how can he..."

"My mind is made up; there is no need for the Left Chancellor to persuade me further."

"His Majesty!"

Feng Wenhan wanted to say more, but Mo Yan interrupted him: "Leaving the capital is inevitable. If you truly care about the Zhao Kingdom, then assist Mo Chengyu well and wait for my return to the capital."

"Your Majesty... please reconsider!"

"Even if I think about it a hundred times, let alone three times, my mind will not change."

"..."

Feng Wenhan's lower lip trembled. Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, he sighed repeatedly, "Is Your Majesty going to find the Empress?"

After the hunt, news spread that His Majesty was seriously injured and the Empress had gone missing. Given the depth of His Majesty's affection for the Empress, it was hard for Feng Wenhan not to think in this direction.

"Yes." Mo Yan did not deny it.

"I will bring him back."

"..."

Finally letting out a sigh, Feng Wenhan thought to himself: His Majesty's behavior in matters of love is truly unlike that of the Zhao Kingdom's royal family.

Looking back at the emperors of Zhao Kingdom, which one didn't establish an empress and select concubines early on, and have princes and princesses? But only Your Majesty was alone when he was still a prince, and two years after ascending the throne, the harem was still empty.

She finally found someone she liked, but he turned out to be a man; and to make matters worse, he was a man from Yong; and to make matters worse, he ran away...

I thought that after this ordeal, His Majesty could let go of the Empress, but who knew...

With so many factors involved, Feng Wenhan really didn't know what to say.

The "unspeakable" look on his face was quite obvious. Mo Yan narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything.

"In short, keep an eye on Mo Chengyu during this period. If you encounter any difficult decisions, then send a message to me."

Mo Yan was determined to go his own way, and Feng Wenhan had no choice but to nod: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will assist the Prince in handling state affairs."

"Um."

After finishing his business, Mo Yan rode his snow-covered horse out of the city. Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and he was "locked up" in Lengxi Palace by Aci.

As his memories returned, Mo Yan crossed his arms. The surroundings were extremely quiet; only his own breathing could be heard.

In the dead of night, he jumped onto the roof and met the gaze of a guard.

The other person was stunned and stared at him for a long time without saying a word. Mo Yan ignored him and lay down on the roof.

Gazing at the bright moon, Mo Yan asked, "Do you have a flute?"

"..."

There were only the two of them around. The guard forced a smile and said, "No."

"Find me one."

"..."

Mo Yan's tone was too self-righteous, and the guard stiffened slightly, unsure whether to listen to him.

He didn't reply for a long time, but Mo Yan wasn't annoyed. He sat up, his gaze sweeping over the various palaces, finally settling on one of them: "Does your emperor live there?"

Based on how much Chu Li and Yuan Jin disliked him, Mo Yan guessed that Lengqi Palace must be the palace furthest from "A Ci's residence".

He easily guessed the location of Qianhe Palace. The guards broke out in a cold sweat and silently moved away, but their eyes remained fixed on it.

Mo Yan smiled and said, "It seems I guessed right."

"Aci lives there."

"..."

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Mo Yan lay back down, and soon after, Yuan Jin appeared in front of him.

The two stared at each other for a moment, then Yuan Jin frowned: "I wonder what His Majesty of Zhao is doing here?"

"Can't sleep? Can't I come out for some fresh air?"

"The courtyard is also well-ventilated."

"I just like having fresh air on the roof."

"..."

Yuan Jin remained silent. Although he was dissatisfied with Mo Yan's actions, he couldn't say anything to him, since Mo Yan hadn't left Lengxi Palace.

"After His Majesty Zhao has had some fresh air, please return to your room to rest."

"That's natural."

The three remained locked in a stalemate on the rooftop. Mo Yan refused to leave, and Yuan Jin couldn't shoo him away. Even in the latter half of the night, the guards outside the palace could still vaguely see the shadow of the rooftop.

After an unknown amount of time, Mo Yan jumped off the roof and went inside.

He finally left, and both the guards and Yuan Jin breathed a sigh of relief. Mo Yan was unpredictable; they really didn't know what he would do next...

In the middle of the night, a new group of guards was assigned to the gate, and nothing else happened after that.

The next day, Imperial Physician Lin appeared, prepared the medicine for Mo Yan, and instructed him: "Your injuries have not yet healed. If it is not necessary, you should not leave. It would be better to stay in the palace to recuperate."

"Rest well and you will recover faster."

"Understood," Mo Yan replied.

"Then this foreign official takes his leave."

"etc."

Mo Yan called out to him.

"Does Your Majesty of Zhao have any further instructions?"

Mo Yan glanced at him. "Do you know Doctor Xue?"

"Dr. Xue?"

After a moment of contemplation, Imperial Physician Lin replied, "Divine Physician Xue is only responsible for taking His Majesty's pulse and has no interaction with officials or other officials."

"Then please convey a message to your Emperor for me."

Upon hearing this, Imperial Physician Lin looked troubled: "I am but a lowly imperial physician; Your Majesty, perhaps you should have someone else assist you..."