“You won’t say it?” Mo Linyuan’s patience gradually became thin. His phoenix eyes slightly narrowed as he said, “This emperor’s grandmother was rash a day ago–she has baptized the Heaven’s Rites Temple with her blood. Could it be that she will force me to do the same for today?”
The murderous intent in his eyes made Zhao Yunqin shudder. “This Dowager is telling you, te-telling you…”
She had never thought that one day she would be scared out of her wits by a child, but there was nothing she could do to escape.
“Your royal father… your royal father is within the palace! He’s in the underground mausoleum!” The mausoleum was the place where all the deceased emperors were worshipped. Afraid that Mo Linyuan would misunderstand, Zhao Yunqin hurriedly continued, “He’s still alive! This Dowager didn’t kill him! ”
It was hard to say what he was feeling at the moment. Mo Linyuan had originally been prepared for the news of his father’s death, but now that he discovered that he still has very important family members alive, his heart unconsciously skipped a beat!
The underground mausoleum! His royal father was actually just so near him? He fixed Zhao Yunqin with a deep look for a moment. Without further ado, he threw away the fragment in his hand, turned around, and left with his people.
As soon as he left, Zhao Yunqin moved. She ran barefoot out of the bed and repeated the order, “Quick! This dowager is leaving the palace! Go and prepare the carriages immediately!”
She could no longer stay in the palace, or else her life would be in danger at any time!
When Mo Linyuan brought his men to the mausoleum, the empress dowager had already fled from the palace. When Mo Linyuan heard of this, his brows only scrunched as he threw the thought to the back of his head.
“Someone, open the underground mausoleum!”
This was the resting place of the Mo family’s old ancestors. Under normal circumstances, it was not allowed to be opened. However, Mo Linyuan’s face was terribly gloomy, and the Imperial Guards could not say anything against him but do as they were told.
Finally, at the deepest, darkest part of the mausoleum, he found a man who was trapped in a dungy stone prison. What surprised him was that he was not only one person who occupied the prison; a little girl with disheveled hair accompanied him.
Mo Linyuan recognized her in an instant. She was the younger sister that he had wanted to take away before… but she had betrayed him. The scene before her was very clear–she had not gained any benefit from betraying him after all. Her life was worse than that of a beggar in the capital!
The sudden arrival of a large group of people caused the two people in the prison to be surprised. The little girl was only half a year younger than Mo Linyuan. When she saw her brother in the flesh, she was stunned.
“Royal brother?! You are my imperial brother, right? Wuuuu… royal brother! I am Xiao Die! ”
After she finished speaking, the man behind her also pushed aside his messy hair and came over. His eyes instantly widened at the sight before hom! He asked in a trembling voice, “Yo-you are Yuan’er…! Yuan’er! Quick, save me! Save your royal father!”
The people who came in didn’t expect that there would be two living people at a place where the dead were supposed to be worshipped. Moreover, it was the astounding identities of the old emperor, who they were told was lying sick in bed, and the imperial princess who had been missing for a long time.
What was going on? The all thought.
When Mo Linyuan saw them, his soul fell into a trance for a moment.
How beautiful and splendid was the life of his royal father in the past? Of the riches and countless beauties around him, he was just one of his insignificant, neglected children.
And now, in just a few short years, it was as if the world had turned upside down. His half-brother, princes they were, had all died, and their royal father had become old and thin, without the slightest bit of his elegance and majestic aura left anymore.
Although he’d rather not recall his tragic past, familial kinship still caused Mo Linyuan’s emotions to fluctuate a little more than usual. He hurriedly ordered his men to release them, but in his heart, he felt very regretful that even though his royal father and sister were alive, his strict, yet pathetic mother would never be able to return.
Seeing the light again, Mo Shiwen was so moved that he wailed pitiful despite onlookers! Mo Die wasn’t any better, she cried and howled, completely devoid of the proper demeanor a princess should have.
For five years, they were locked up. And in these past years, they both had lost all of their imperial bearing, leaving behind only the most basic urge for humans. Originally, they had wanted to cry bitterly with Mo Linyuan in their embrace. However, the Mo Linyuan before their eyes was very unfamiliar to them. Especially because of the thick, noble aura that oozed from him, they found themselves unable to find courage to approach him.
Mo Linyuan neither had the intention of getting intimate with them. To him, the person he was closest to, was the Queen Mother. Moreover, he had very little impression of his father. After all, there were only quite a few times this man had appeared in his memories before he was five years old.
As for his sister…
From the moment she sold him out, he no longer held any affection for her. Saving her now was just a coincidence and a casual act, but the fact that Mo Die and his mother had similar expressions still made Mo Linyuan’s attitude towards her soften a lot.
Mo Linyuan waved his hand and had his men clean them up before leaving with a complicated expression on his face.
On the way, he heard that the empress had headed straight for the Zhao manor the moment she left the palace and was even using heavy weapons to protect her base. He could not help but sneer.
The empress dowager, who had been acting arrogantly for so many years, did not expect that there would be a day where she would run away with her tail between her legs. It hadn’t all been for vain to taste the bitter ‘accidents’ she had brewed just for him these past few days!
When he returned home, he saw that Ye Mu had already woken up. The moment he saw her, his mood instantly eased.
During dinner, he slowly told her what had happened today.
“Ah? Your royal father and imperial sister?”
Ye Mu was at a loss because in the book, there was no instance in the text that told about Mo Linyuan’s royal father and sister… In other words, they should have died before Mo Linyuan’s ascension to the throne. Otherwise, they would have been mentioned if they hadn’t. However, these two people who did not appear in the plot suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
“Yes.” In his heart, Mo Linyuan was still also a little puzzled. “I don’t know how to face them…”
There was a rare look of confusion in the youth’s eyes. When Ye Mu saw this, she smiled and patted his shoulder!
“This is a good thing! Isn’t it better if there are two more people in the world who are closely related to you? You should be happy.”
When Mo Linyuan heard this, he pursed his lips. In fact, what he wanted to tell her back is that in this world, he only needed her to be the one close to him.
“They have been locked up for almost five years; I don’t know what they have become during that time, but no matter what, I hope you understand that they are not as important as you are. So, you better get well as soon as possible.”
Only with Ye Mu would Mo Linyuan would speak more than he would. Ye Mu’s heart warmed as she nodded vigorously and said without hesitation, “In this world, you are also the only and most important person to me. You are still growing, so you should eat more!”
As she spoke, she picked up a big chicken drumstick for Mo Linyuan!
Seeing that Ye Mu’s personality had returned to its former liveliness after waking up, Mo Linyuan was naturally ecstatic. He felt that he had to work harder and shouldn’t always rely on Ye Mu’s help. He also wanted to properly protect her happiness.
When he thought of this, the worries his father and sister had all brought disappeared. He revealed a somewhat bashful smile and lowered his head to eat the food Ye Mu had given him.
Only after when the food was all wolfed down in hunger did Mo Shiwen and Mo Die stop eating; they were full to the point their stomachs could not handle anymore.
Inside the dungeon, they were mercilessly left to starve for a day or two. The food Zhao Yunqin gave them can be even described as something dogs would never touch. Naturally, eating a warm and delicious meal after five years of being captive, they were almost driven to tears of joy.
“Royal father, tell me, was the empress dowager indeed killed by royal brother? Then my royal brother is…he’s the emperor now!”
After Mo Shiwen had washed up, he sat there for the first time wearing neat and elegant clothes. Hearing his daughter, he rolled his eyes, “It would be terrific if that old demoness had died under my hands.”
He glanced at the guard stationed at the side and was not able to issue an order, locked in silence for a long time. After being viciously humiliated by Zhao Yunqin for five years, Mo Shiwen lost all the imposing aura he had from before.
“Y-you tell me, is the Empress Dowager, that old demon…how is that woman now….?” He stumbled with his words, his confidence utterly lacking. Still, the guard was very respectful with his reply.
“To answer the emperor, the empress dowager has already left the palace.”
His words frightened the two people at the table terrible they almost jumped in place!
“What?! She’s still alive?!”
Both of their faces instantly turned deathly pale. Previously, when Mo Linyuan came to save them, they thought that the old demoness was already dead. Who knew that she was still alive!
When Mo Linyuan brought Ye Mu in, he was in time to hear their exclaimed voices and couldn’t help but frown.
Similarly, when Ye Mu saw the gloomy face on Mo Linyuan, she comfortingly squeezed Mo Linyuan’s hand and gave him a beaming smile, only then did he walk inside.
Currently, he had successfully instigated a rotten relationship with the empress dowager and a few other noble families. And even if some of the families would find out it wasn’t Zhao Yunqin who killed their men, their losses would still be far too high; Zhao Yunqin wouldn’t be able to compensate them even if she wanted to.
On top of that, Zhao Yunqin had already fleed from the palace. With her departure, Mo Linyuan finally felt like a fish in water, much better than when he had been restricted in many things by that old woman before. The moment he entered, Mo Shiwen and Mo Die quickly surrounded him.
With fear and trepidation, they greeted, “Royal brother! You are already the emperor! Why didn’t you kill that old demoness Zhao Yunqin and help us take revenge?!”
“That’s right! Zhao Yunqin has imprisoned us for five years! How can you allow her to live?!”
Mo Linyuan’s entrance was met with two forces gripping him on the sides, Ye Mu was immediately pushed aside. A whiff of the former, various dishes they had eaten oozed from their bodies, making Mo Linyuan nauseous, suddenly feeling the urge to turn around and leave!
“The empress dowager had already been in power for so long—even when you had the throne, father. How could she be easily overthrown after these five years of ruling?”
Mo Linyuan also didn’t want to explain the current situation to them, “Anyway, don’t worry about this matter. If you meet her, just stay away.”
Mo Linyuan’s detached and straightforward personality and the aura as if he didn’t want to be touched, finally made the two of them let go of him in embarrassment.
Although the person who stood in front of them as still a youngster, his current bearing was not something an ordinary person could contend against…let alone the likes of them who had lost their former grace.
“But-” Mo Die immediately lowered her voice as Mo Linyuan’s gaze fell on her. “But brother, aren’t you the emperor…?”
“That’s right! Y-you are already the emperor! Could it be that you can’t eradicate a woman?!” The old emperor looked at him with a displeased face.
Mo Linyuan heard them speak these words in suspicion, a bit of reprimanding in them as if he was being berated for not taking revenge for them.
Mo Linyuan couldn’t help but sneer, “That’s right, I’m already the emperor.” His cold phoenix eyes then swept over the old emperor. “But when you were still an emperor, weren’t you imprisoned by a woman as well? For five years, might I add.”
“You!” Mo Shiwen’s face turned red from this direct stab!
“It’s not the s-same! She colluded with aristocratic families and caught me off guard. I-I…”
No matter how regal and imposing the old emperor used to be, being locked up for five years took a toll on his thinking as well, making him slow to understand things. Mo Linyuan’s little sister, who was only ten years old, was none the better; her eyeballs rolled back and forth between them in a frenzy in anxiety.
The old emperor was stuttering for a long time, but he couldn’t say anything when faced with Mo Linyuan. In the end, he just asked the other guards to leave, which left him a little discouraged. It was at this moment that Mo Die suddenly pulled his sleeves. He suddenly thought of something and said with a stern expression.
“If that’s the case, then forget it! Even though you are incapable of avenging your father, that’s understandable because you are still young. How about this–I’m not dead yet! And now that I have been freed shouldn’t you– ”
Mo Linyuan’s gaze instantly turned dangerous. “What should I do?” The old emperor was suddenly scared stiff by his threatening tone, making him forget the earlier lines he had discussed with Mo Die! However, Mo Die was stubbornly pushing him from behind, urging him to continue. He wiped his neck and stuttered, “Shouldn’t y-you return the throne t-to m-me?”
He clenched his fists to force himself, but his aged face was still filled with fear and uncertainty. After he finished speaking, he held his breath and waited for Mo Linfen to answer.
At that moment, both Ye Mu and Mo Linyuan felt that what they heard was too absurd, it couldn’t be right! Mo Linyuan even suspected he just listened to the most outrageous thing.
The room instantly quieted down. Seeing Mo Linyuan’s stormy face, Mo Shiwen was even more afraid. However, he recalled to mind that the person before him was still only eleven years old–and his own son! What was there to be afraid of?
He braced himself and said, “You—how old are you even? Can you handle political schemes at your age? Let me tell you, the empress dowager’s methods are too ruthless. You’re definitely not a match for her. So, it would be better to return the authority to me, and I will be able to deal with her properly! You will be like Die’er, protected under my wing! Isn’t that easier?”
Hearing this, Mo Linyuan could not help but laugh in anger. “You? Protect me? You’re going to deal with her?”
“Yes. That’s right…”
Mo Linyuan walked to Ye Mu’s side and once again pulled her small hands into his. His phoenix eyes drooped as he scoffed and narrated, “I left the palace when I was just five years old. Yet my memories about royal father were unforgettable. If royal father wishes for me to be obedient, then you should be sorely disappointed.”
He raised his eyes and shot a piercing glance at Mo Shiwen. “The next time I hear you say that I will cut your tongue off myself.”
“Y-You, you…!” Mo Shiwen was terrified by Mo Linyuan’s brutal words. He hid behind his daughter, looking at him in pure terror!
“This is outrageous! Where is your filial piety! Did you learn anything at all?!”
Mo Linyuan coldly harrumphed in reply, “When we left the palace, I couldn’t even recognize a single word. And you want to talk about filial piety?”
He pulled Ye Mu outside and said the last few words without even turning his head to glance at them.
“All these years, I only know that those who follow me will live, but those who disobey me will only be fed to dogs.”
Ye Mu had could feel the killing intent dripping from his words. This was a side of him she had never seen before.