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

Otherwise, he really wanted to...

He chuckled lewdly, dragged over a chair, sat down, and asked the other man, "When will you be arriving, sir?"

"At midnight tonight, the streets are full of the emperor's men, making it difficult for you to move around."

"oh."

There was still a long time before midnight, and as the man looked at Chu Junci's face, wicked thoughts began to stir within him again.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Preceptor's residence.

The mansion was surrounded by the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Advisor sat in the main hall, a teacup beside him emitting steam.

"Why didn't you send someone to announce His Majesty's arrival?" He said calmly, taking a sip of his tea.

"Where is Aci?"

Mo Yan cut to the chase: "You are hostile to Mo Ci and know the situation in the palace inside and out. Grand Preceptor, I can't think of a second person to choose from."

"Ha ha ha ha."

The Imperial Advisor smiled and said, "Your Majesty is still as wise as ever."

"I watched Your Majesty grow up. Of the eleven princes of the late Emperor, I value you the most."

"Does Your Majesty still remember what I said when you first ascended the throne?"

He continued speaking to himself, "I have said that Your Majesty possesses unparalleled talent and will surely end the division between Yong and Zhao and unify the world."

"But all of this is predicated on you being alive, living rationally, not like this, bewitched by a man of unknown origin!"

At the height of his excitement, the Grand Preceptor paused, then said, "Your Majesty, you are the Emperor of Zhao, don't you want to bring Yong under your control?"

"Of course I want to."

Mo Yan gazed at him: "Having Aci and unifying the world are not mutually exclusive."

"Foolish!"

Seeing that Mo Yan remained obstinate, the Imperial Advisor said with exasperation, "If he lives, you will die."

"Your Majesty, don't you understand now? That Mo Ci was sent by Heaven to bring you misfortune!"

"He stole your snow lotus. If I'm not mistaken, the elixirs are no longer able to suppress the remaining poison in Your Majesty's body, are they?"

"..."

The Imperial Advisor was right; after the last attack of the poison, Mo Yan discovered that the elixirs were no longer effective.

But he discovered something else that could alleviate the poison—Aci's tears.

Or perhaps it's bodily fluids related to Aci.

The reason he lost control and broke into Qiyue Palace that day was that the elixir had lost its effect, but he still managed to leave the secret chamber alive.

Because he swallowed Aci's tears.

Unable to speak these words directly to the Imperial Advisor, Mo Yan simply said, "I have already found another snow lotus, so the Imperial Advisor need not worry."

"Oh."

The Imperial Advisor sneered, "If I had known Your Majesty would be so blinded by lust, I should have chosen the Third Prince back then."

After being berated so long, Mo Yan gradually lost his patience: "He is already dead. If the Imperial Advisor regrets it, he can go down and join him."

"I'll ask one last time, where is Aci?"

"No comment."

The Imperial Advisor was determined, willing to die to kill Chu Junci: "At midnight tonight, my men will kill that demon...man."

"Once he dies, His Majesty will regain his senses and realize that my choice today was the right one."

He always believed that Mo Yan was bewitched by Mo Ci. As long as Mo Ci died, not only could the poison in Mo Yan's body be cured, but he could also regain his sanity, killing two birds with one stone.

"Kill me or torture me, it's up to you. But as for me to reveal the demon's whereabouts, that's impossible."

"Someone come here."

Mo Yan rubbed his temples, not wanting to waste any more time: "Imprison the Imperial Preceptor. The rest of you, continue to expand the search area. Make sure to find Chen Jun before midnight."

"yes!"

After giving the order, Mo Yan didn't rest. He led his men to search the city, but they still couldn't find the person by the time it got dark.

As the ionization time drew closer, Mo Yan became increasingly agitated, his heart filled with anxiety, worry, and fear, causing his hand holding the reins to tremble slightly.

With only one hour left in the ion time, Mo Yan stood on the street, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"Aci".

He murmured softly, "Where are you...?"

"Your Majesty! Suspicious individuals have been discovered!"

The Imperial Guards appeared, escorting a man. "This man acted suspiciously; he ran away as soon as he saw us, and he also had a token from the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion on him."

The commander of the Imperial Guards handed the token to Mo Yan and said, "Your Majesty, this token was found on him."

The man's appearance gave Mo Yan hope. "Where is my Aci?"

Unlike the fearless Imperial Advisor, he trembled uncontrollably upon seeing Mo Yan and confessed everything—

Half an hour ago.

In the small courtyard where Chu Junci was being held, the man nudged the scarred man: "I'm going to relieve myself. Keep an eye on him and don't let him escape."

"rest assured."

After he left, Scarface leaned closer to Chu Junci, sniffed the lotus fragrance, and remarked, "As expected of the emperor's man, she smells wonderful!"

The scarred man circled the man, sizing him up, and sighed, "What a pity, how did you manage to offend the master?"

"Otherwise, it would be much better if you came with me."

"To be honest, I've never tasted the life of an imperial concubine."

He rubbed his hands together, and seeing that his accomplices had not yet returned, he couldn't resist reaching out to Chu Junci.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch his skin, the person in front of him suddenly opened their eyes, startling him.

"W-How did you wake up?"

Chu Junci ignored him, his right leg jerked, and the dagger flew out, then landed in his palm.

The rope snapped to the ground, and he threw the dagger. "Because... you can die now."

The dagger slid across the man's throat; he clutched his throat, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Hehe..."

Blood flowed from between his fingers, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, dying with his eyes wide open.

After the scarred man died, Chu Junci went straight out of the courtyard and made his way without encountering the Imperial Guards or the other assassin.

Once he reached safety, he exhaled, his palms feeling slightly numb.

The reason why the scarred man was able to kill him so quickly was because of the surprise attack. Although Chu Junci had learned martial arts, he was not confident that he could deal with two people at the same time.

He had intended to take this opportunity to leave Zhao Kingdom, but having wasted so much time, he feared that Mo Yan had already laid a trap...

Sure enough, just as he changed into civilian clothes and put on his bamboo hat, he saw a group of Imperial Guards approaching from a distance, holding a portrait. "Have you seen this person before?"

"no."

Seeing that they were about to find him, Chu Junci quickly smeared mud on his face, pressed down his straw hat, and hunched over.

"Old man, have you seen this person before?" A soldier came up to him and looked him up and down.

But the sky was dark, making it impossible to see his face clearly.

"no."

With a hoarse voice, unrecognizable from its original tone, Chu Junci coughed a few times, her voice filled with anguish: "Young man, stay away from me. I've contracted tuberculosis, lest I pass it on to you."

Upon hearing this, the soldier immediately covered his mouth and nose and subconsciously moved away.

Chu Junci also wisely walked away, coughing as he went, and soon disappeared from their sight.

After escaping their gaze, Chu Junci leaned against the wall, clenching his fists nervously.

It wouldn't be easy for him to escape from under Mo Yan's nose all by himself.

Especially now that the city gates are closed and soldiers are patrolling everywhere, he can fool one person, but not everyone. What should he do...?

As time passed, after rejecting the fourth plan, Chu Junci took off his bamboo hat, a resolute glint in his eyes.

The only remaining option is to retreat in order to advance.

Not far away, the soldier who had been fooled by Chu Junci became increasingly suspicious and decided to head in the direction Chu Junci had left.

But Chu Junci had already left, and he found nothing.

"Am I overthinking this?" he muttered.

"Xiao Liu, what are you doing?"

Someone called his name, and he turned around: "Coming."

They returned to the assembly point empty-handed, only to find their captain beaming with joy.

?

What happened? Why are you so happy?

"We've found Chen Jun," the captain explained to them.

"real?"

"Of course, His Majesty has already returned to the palace, so let's go back too."

-

The Qiyue Palace was brightly lit. Mo Yan rested his head on Chu Junci's neck and said, "Aci, it's my fault for not protecting you well."

"I never expected the Imperial Advisor to dare to lay a hand on you. Fortunately, you escaped and returned to my side."

"It's not your fault."

"It is my fault."

Mo Yan held him tightly around the waist: "I knew long ago that the Grand Preceptor was dissatisfied with you, but I was not prepared. It was my fault."

He would never forget the scene when Aci appeared in front of him—his face covered in mud, his clothes ill-fitting coarse cloth, and his voice hoarse.

"Aci, you've been wronged."

Mo Yan's voice was full of pity. Chu Junci glanced at him and asked, "Was that suddenly appearing guard someone you sent to spy on me?"

"..."

His pity faltered, and Mo Yan nervously swallowed hard. "It's not surveillance, it's protection. I sent them to protect you."

"oh."

Chu Junci said calmly, "I went to find you as soon as I escaped, but His Majesty doesn't seem to trust me."

"No way, Aci, don't overthink it."

Holding the person with a bit more force, Mo Yan coaxed in a low voice, "If you don't like it, just let them go. From now on, I'll protect you."

"Um."

"Aci, I am so happy."

Mo Yan nuzzled against Chu Junci's neck, a smile playing on his lips.

When he first heard from the assassin that Chu Junci had run away, he instinctively thought that he had been taken away in order to leave him.

But then Aci returned and went back to him, calling out to him with her pitiful face covered in mud: "Mo Yan".

He didn't want to think about the real reason, and simply assumed that the vow he made that night had taken effect, and that even if the opportunity to leave was presented to him, Aci would not leave him.

Chu Junci was unaware of the many thoughts he had drawn. Successfully dealing with the spies in the shadows eased his mind somewhat, and he even showed a more favorable attitude towards Mo Yan: "Mo Yan, was it very lively outside the palace on New Year's Eve?"

"Yes, according to tradition, there will be performances and lots of food outside the temple on New Year's Eve."

"People gathered together, releasing lanterns, solving riddles, or watching performances; in short, it was a hundred times more lively than usual."

As he spoke, he stroked his face: "Aci wants to leave the palace?"

"Yes, I've lost my memories of the past and don't know what New Year's Eve is like. I want to go and see it."

These words pained Mo Yan deeply. "On New Year's Eve, I will take you out of the palace."

"it is good."

While the two were talking, several passersby checked into an inn outside the palace.

Upstairs in the main room, a servant pushed a teacup toward Xie Yunzhou: "Young General, have some water."

The group of people were travel-worn and hadn't had a proper rest for several days.

"I'm not thirsty."

Brushing aside the teacup, Xie Yunzhou opened the window and gazed in the direction of the palace: "Liu Ran, Chu Li said he's inside."

It was obvious who "he" was. Liu Ran sighed and said, "The Zhao Kingdom's palace is heavily guarded. Unless we know the exact time of the shift change, we'll only alert them if we go in."

"Young General, I know you are eager to save His Majesty, but you must not act rashly."

"I know."

Xie Yunzhou gritted his teeth: "That's why I didn't rush to save him."

He had suspected that His Majesty was missing for a long time, but it wasn't until Chu Li asked him to replace the portrait in the secret room with someone else that he learned the truth: His Majesty had been taken back to Zhao Kingdom by Mo Yan, who was lustful at first sight.

He was bestowed the title of Imperial Lord, unique and supremely noble.

But His Majesty is the Emperor of their Yong Kingdom! He is the bright moon in the hearts of him and countless others. How could Mo Yan, a mere nobody, be worthy of holding him in his arms?

In his heart, no one was worthy of His Majesty, including himself.

He stood by the window for a long time, his hands frozen by the cold wind, but he didn't move an inch.

After an unknown amount of time, another attendant brought back a message: "Young General, we've found out why the city gates were closed today."

They were supposed to enter the city at noon today, but when they arrived outside the city, they found the city gates closed. They were not opened until half an hour ago.

"explain."

"According to the waiter, a noble person in the palace went missing, which is why their emperor sealed the city gates in order to find him."

"A benefactor?"

Xie Yunzhou's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be...?"

"This is the portrait my subordinates obtained from them."

"Give it to me quickly."

Xie Yunzhou froze upon receiving the portrait.

The person in the painting has a pair of peach blossom eyes and an exquisitely beautiful face. His gaze is indifferent, as if nothing can catch his eye.

"Your Majesty...it really is you..."

Xie Yunzhou ran his fingertips across the face of the person in the painting, then pressed the painting to his chest. "Your Majesty, I am late."

If he could arrive a day earlier, he would definitely be able to find Mo Yan before him, and then he could take His Majesty back to Yong Kingdom.

"Young General..."

Xie Yunzhou snapped out of his reverie, folded the portrait neatly, and put it in his bosom: "Keep a close eye on the palace's movements, and report any news immediately."

"Find a way to see His Majesty. As long as His Majesty cooperates with us, everything will be fine."

"Yes."

Besides his own men, Chu Li also sent a team to this trip. As long as they could meet him, all the problems would be solved.

Under the cover of night, everyone was lost in their own thoughts, but Chu Junci, inside the palace, didn't think so much; he was sleepy.

He had been pretending to be unconscious for a long time today, and felt exhausted after relaxing. He leaned against the couch with his eyes slightly closed.

Mo Yan left a quarter of an hour ago without saying where he was going, and he didn't ask.

A while later, a faint smell of blood wafted in the cold wind. He opened his eyes and saw Mo Yan, who looked at him and then picked him up.

"...Where to?"

"Muchun Pavilion".

Walking on the road, it was extremely quiet around us; we could only hear their footsteps.

Chu Junci, smelling the blood on Mo Yan's body, asked, "Where did you go just now?"

"Killed a few damned people."

Mo Yan clearly didn't want to talk about it anymore, and Chu Junci didn't ask any more questions. Before long, they arrived at Muchun Pavilion.

The Muchun Pavilion was filled with mist, and the air was warm as spring.

Chu Junci was placed in the water, his back against the stone wall. Mo Yan stood in front of him, his right leg wedged between Chu Junci's legs.