Looking at Tai'an from the full moon

Xiao Zuochen shook his head. He did not agree with what the emperor said.

"That's because you don't know how to love someone. You don't cherish those who are sincere to you. And you force someone who doesn't like you to stay. In the end, you may get nothing."

The emperor turned around and faced Xiao Zuochen. His wrinkled face was slightly frosted.

"No, you're wrong. I will definitely get what I want! Hahaha!"

After the emperor finished speaking, he laughed and walked upwards under Xiao Zuochen's surprised gaze, and every step seemed firm.

Xiao Zuochen's eyes were full of shock. He had never seen his father laugh so arrogantly. Was it because he was too spoiled and arrogant? He didn't notice that his father would be so flamboyant. Or did he underestimate his father? Because he always thought that his father was mediocre, and most of the affairs in the court depended on the advice of the civil and military officials. But now it seems that his father seems to be a man with a lot of ideas in his mind. The conversation just now made him doubt that this was not his usual father. Or, was all this just an illusion? Was it because he was biased towards Chu Yao, so he had some hostility towards his father?

At this moment, Xiao Zuochen was a little confused. He had never doubted his own judgment before, but now he really doubted himself.

"Your Highness Prince Yun, please come in!"

The emperor had already reached the last few steps of the stone staircase, but Xiao Zuochen was still standing there in a daze. Yue Wu had to whisper a reminder behind him to bring him back to his senses.

Xiao Zuochen wanted to lift his leg and take a step forward, but he found that his body was already a little frozen, and he staggered when he took this step.

At this time, the emperor also noticed that no one was following him, so he turned around and looked at his son.

It seemed like an illusion. Xiao Zuochen felt that his father at this moment, with that condescending attitude, looked like a king looking down on the world. He seemed so insignificant in front of his father, as if in the next second, he could ask Yue Wu to lock him up in this dark secret passage, leaving him to fend for himself.

"Are you ok?"

The emperor spoke with concern, his tone as gentle as usual when talking to Xiao Zuochen, as if the person who had just talked about power was not him.

Xiao Zuochen frowned in confusion, raised his legs with difficulty, and spoke with all his might.

"Fortunately."

Yue Wu saw this, walked up to Xiao Zuochen, squatted with his back to him, as if he was going to carry him. But before Xiao Zuochen could say anything, the emperor hurried back from above, waved his hand to let Yue Wu move aside, and squatted down in front of Xiao Zuochen.

"Let your father carry you on his back. When you were little, you loved riding on me!"

Just one sentence made Xiao Zuochen suddenly remember that when he was a child, because he didn't get maternal love, Xiao Zuochen placed all his expectations on his father. But the better his father treated him, the more the queen and the third prince would target him. He was still young at that time and didn't understand the twists and turns. He only knew that if he stayed away from his father, he would feel better. Later, he left the palace and gradually forgot about his childhood. After being crowned king, he only remembered that his father favored him, but he seemed to have forgotten how and why he favored him. It seemed that the emperor's favoritism towards him had become a matter of course.

For a moment, Xiao Zuochen's eyes turned red. His father had been really good to him.

If the person who just talked about power is a real emperor, then the person in front of me is a father. But how can a person's attitude change so quickly? Is everything an illusion?

"Hurry up~"

The emperor waved his hand behind his back to Xiao Zuochen, signaling him to come up quickly.

Xiao Zuochen saw that the emperor was struggling to support his thighs, as he was old after all. He pulled his father up and helped him walk straight up.

"Ah~ I'm really old!"

"Father is in his prime, how can he be old~"

After the two of them came up, Yue Wu closed the secret passage behind him and disappeared on his own.

The two stood on the first floor of the attic. Xiao Zuochen rubbed his hands to relax. The emperor saw that he was frozen and reached out to wipe the frost off Xiao Zuochen's face with a doting expression.

"Although you are a man, you have inherited the beauty of your mother. I'm sure all the women in Tai'an are vying to be your Princess Yun!"

"Father, I still..."

Xiao Zuochen was just about to say that he was still young and was not in a hurry to get married.

The emperor simply waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say anything.

"Father knows. I don't care about this matter. If you like someone, just marry her."

The emperor then took another look at the location of the secret passage.

"I feel guilty towards Chu Yiyi. After all, it was because of your mother that I got entangled with her, so after she died, I froze her body here so that I could visit her often.

So I won't interfere with the relationship between you brothers, you can all make up your mind, if you like someone, even if it's not a good relationship, your father will agree."

Xiao Zuochen nodded, agreeing with his father's approach. But he was still curious whether Chu Yiyi's body would be frozen here forever?

"Her body can't be moved?"

"I asked the Imperial Master to perform a ritual here and freeze her body to prevent it from rotting. If she leaves this place, it will probably rot within a day."

After the emperor finished speaking, he sighed again, and then seemed to think of something else.

"By the way, did you meet Mu Yi on your way here today?"

Eunuch Mu Yi? Xiao Zuochen didn't understand what his father meant by this, but he hadn't met him.

"no, what happened?"

"Didn't meet her? I just wanted to take you to the attic to see your mother today, so I asked Mu Yi to pass on a message to you. I saw you came so quickly, so I thought you met her on the way, so I came directly here."

Xiao Zuochen paused. This was what his father meant when he asked him why he came so quickly. He thought his father was saying that he suspected his father so quickly after getting the bag. It seemed that he had misunderstood. His father didn't seem to be looking for Chu Yao.

"I've told you too much today. I shouldn't have told you about Yi Yi's matter. It has nothing to do with you, but it's hard for my father to keep this secret all by himself. Concubine Xian refused to accept the title of Queen and worshipped Buddha all day. Your mother ignored me, and the Queen has already had two hearts with me. In this huge harem, there is no one who can share my joys and sorrows."

The emperor looked into the distance, his eyes filled with melancholy.

"Father..."

At this moment, Xiao Zuochen suddenly felt that his father seemed a little old. Perhaps it was because he had misunderstood him just now and felt guilty.

"Alas, it's getting late. I won't keep you for dinner. Go home quickly! I still have memorials to deal with."

After the emperor finished speaking, he waved his hand as if to chase him away.

Xiao Zuochen pursed his lips and didn't say much. He bowed deeply to his father and left.

Sitting in the carriage on the way back to the palace, Xiao Zuochen was still a little confused, as if everything just now was a dream. Although he came here for Chu Yiyi's matter, all the news came a little suddenly, and coupled with the change in his father's mood, he was a little confused.

But what Xiao Zuochen didn't know was that after he left, Eunuch Mu Yi and his strange steps suddenly appeared beside the emperor.

Yes, Eunuch Mu Yi actually knows martial arts, this is a secret unknown to everyone.

"Is it done?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured. It's just a small matter. How could I make a mistake~"

"Well, the Imperial Master will be back in the palace tomorrow. Three days later, you can try out the technique yourself. I have met that kid Mu Dai, he is quite suitable."

"Yes~ I will definitely choose someone with a healthy body so that I can accompany Your Majesty for a long time~"

"Heh~ You're the only one who can coax people with your mouth~"

--------

Until Xiao Zuochen returned home, he still hadn't figured out how to tell Chu Yao about Chu Yiyi.

"Yunchen!"

Chu Yao had been looking forward to Xiao Zuochen's return, and sat in the seat closest to the door, hoping to see him first.

When Chu Yao spoke, everyone gathered around.

"You are finally back!"

"What did the Emperor say?"

"Did you get any news?"

"..."

Everyone gathered around and asked questions at once. Xiao Zuochen looked at the expectant eyes of the crowd, sighed secretly, and lowered his head slightly.

Chu Yao noticed that something was wrong with his condition, and hurriedly stood beside him to stop everyone.

"Hey! Let's talk while we eat. It's already past 3 p.m. and I'm starving! Come on, sit down!"

Xiao Zuochen had been away for too long, and everyone in the mansion had nothing to discuss except for the information Chu Yao had told them and the useless gossip they had heard on the street in the past two days. Everyone was just waiting for Xiao Zuochen to bring back something useful.

Several people sat down around the table, and Chu Yao began to talk about the dishes for tonight, trying to attract everyone's attention. Xiao Zuochen naturally knew that he was trying to help him out. But the more Chu Yao did this, the harder it was for Xiao Zuochen to speak. Finally, he couldn't hold her back anymore.

"Father is not the one who switched the items! He doesn't know about this."

Xiao Zuochen's voice was a little loud, and everyone was stunned and didn't react.

After two seconds, Chu Yao was the first to react.

"Isn't it good not to be the emperor?"

From Chu Yao's perspective, it seemed that since it wasn't the emperor who did it, there was less embarrassment between him and Xiao Zuochen. But he didn't know there was something even more embarrassing.

"How do you know it wasn't Father who did it?"

Prince Qing asked, although he did not want his father to do this, but when he listened to Chu Yao's talk in the afternoon, he felt that his father was indeed the best person to do this because it was most convenient for him to do it.

Xiao Zuochen did not answer King Qing directly, but looked at Chu Yao.

"Has there been a eunuch coming to report at 5 pm?"

Chu Yao thought about it and nodded.

"It seems like someone came to see you. I didn't come to the hall to see you. Uncle Mo received you."

Xiao Zuochen nodded and continued.

"After I entered the palace, someone was already waiting for me. At that time, I thought that my father had already discovered that it was Chu Yao who moved the cloth bag, so he was watching our every move and knew that I was going to enter the palace. The little eunuch first took me to the attic near Yunyuan, where my father was looking at my mother's yard, waiting for me. Then my father took me to Mingxiang Pavilion. I thought that Chu Yao had just searched the cloth bag from Mingxiang Pavilion today, and my father took me there, which made me more certain that he was the one who switched the bag. But in fact, he just wanted to take me to see my mother, so he sent Eunuch Mu Yi to the mansion to find me, and I happened to be going to the palace, so I missed Eunuch Mu Yi."

"But, if we want to show you Concubine Yun, why do we have to go to Mingxiang Pavilion? Mingxiang Pavilion is quite far from Yun Garden."

The Qing King raised questions.

The person who was most concerned about this matter at this time was of course Chu Yao. He opened his eyes wide and listened carefully to every word Xiao Zuochen said.

Xiao Zuochen swallowed, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke.

"Because, my father told me why he favored my mother, but at that time, Na Chuyi entered the palace!"

"Is it because of her identity!?"

Chu Yao spoke. He and Chu Yiyi's identities were made public to everyone before Xiao Zuochen came back.

"No, it's because..."

Xiao Zuochen was a little hesitant. This reason might be more difficult for Chu Yao to accept than the fact that she was his concubine.

"Because of what?"

Xiao Zuochen took a deep breath and still said it.

"Because Chu Yiyi looks exactly like my mother!"

"What!?"

"Looks like Concubine Yun?"

"..."

The other three people discussed in a low voice, only Chu Yao walked closer to Xiao Zuochen with his hands clenched into fists.

"You mean, your father is using my sister as a substitute for your mother?"

Xiao Zuochen only glanced at Chu Yao, then looked away and nodded. He was a little afraid to look Chu Yao in the eye. Although it was his father who did it, he always felt that he was quite sorry for him.

Chu Yao paused for a moment, loosened his clenched hands, and spoke to Xiao Zuochen in a comforting manner.

"You don't have to be like this. This matter has nothing to do with you. You have done your best to help me."

Chu Yao reached out and patted Xiao Zuochen, but Xiao Zuochen knew that he felt worse than himself.

"Have you seen the portrait of Concubine Hui?"

Liuli asked.

Xiao Zuochen shook his head. Just when Liuli was about to ask him again how he could be sure that the two people were exactly the same without seeing the portrait, he said something that shocked Chu Yao.

"I saw her in person!"

When these words were spoken, not only Chu Yao, but everyone else opened their mouths in surprise.

Meet Chu Yiyi in person? Hasn't she been dead for eleven years? Is she not dead?

"To be precise, what I saw was a corpse. Father sealed her body in an ice coffin and asked a Taoist priest to perform a ritual to ensure that the body would not decay. Father said that this was the only thing he could do for Chu Yiyi, and he also knew that he was sorry for Chu Yiyi."

Everyone was a little surprised. It was rumored that when Concubine Hui died, she turned into a wisp of black smoke and floated away, so no one had ever seen her body. It turned out that it was hidden by the emperor's father.

"Can I go see my sister?"

Chu Yao looked up at Xiao Zuochen. He needed Xiao Zuochen to help him.

Xiao Zuochen nodded.

"Even if you didn't mention it, I would take you there!"

"Okay! Tonight, okay? I can't wait any longer!"

There was some pleading in Chu Yao's tone, which made Xiao Zuochen feel distressed.

"No problem! I'll arrange it right away."

"Yun Wei Yun You!"

Xiao Zuochen shouted and told them some things, then decided to take Chu Yao to explore Mingxiang Pavilion tonight.