The cold emperor reigns supreme, the arrogant empress begs for a truce.

Chapter 100: Mu Guiying of Southern Chu

Leng Yuling cursed countless times in her heart, but of course, she wasn't cursing Ma Xiaoxiao, but Mo Zhen.

She no longer cares about the rumors surrounding her; instead, she's concerned about whether Ma Xiaoxiao will leave the capital.

Before Ma Xiaoxiao left the palace, she went to Shangqian Palace to find Mo Zhen.

At this moment, Mo Zhen was reviewing the memorials submitted by his ministers when he was not in the capital, when he suddenly heard the voice of the eunuch guarding the gate. He said anxiously, "Your Majesty, no one can enter without the Emperor's permission..."

"Get out of the way." Leng Yuling's voice grew closer and closer, and Mo Zhen couldn't help but frown. She still didn't have the demeanor of an empress at all.

Ever since Mo Zhen got angry when Leng Yuling barged into the Imperial Study last time, no one has dared to let Leng Yuling in. In order to save his own head, he had no choice but to offend Leng Yuling: "Your Majesty, the Emperor said that no one is allowed to go in and disturb him."

The little eunuch stood in front of Leng Yuling, arms outstretched, looking as if he were ready to die. Normally, Leng Yuling would have teased him, but now she was neither in the mood nor had the time.

Leng Yuling shoved the little eunuch away: "Get out of my way."

The young eunuch grew increasingly frightened, yet he still chased after Leng Yuling, saying, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, this old servant cannot persuade Your Majesty..." The young eunuch then knelt on the ground, trembling, fearing that Mo Zhen's displeasure would cause him to lose his head.

"Get out." Mo Zhen said without looking up. When Leng Yuling stormed in, he didn't stop writing, nor did he even glance at her before asking, "What are you doing here?"

Already angry, Leng Yuling became even angrier when she saw Mo Zhen ignoring her. She walked straight up to him, placed one hand on the memorial in front of him, and said angrily, "I have something to ask you."

Only then did Mo Zhen slightly raise his eyes to look at her, but he didn't speak, only waiting for her to speak. Before Leng Yuling could speak, he leaned back, his hands casually placed, and looked at her: "Speak, what is it?"

Seeing his expressionless face made Leng Yuling panic. She swallowed hard before asking, "Why...why did you send Xiaoxiao to the border? She's a girl, why send her to such a dangerous place?"

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and she became increasingly unsure of herself. She had a feeling that Mo Zhen was up to something bad, which made her wary.

However, Mo Zhen casually remarked, "You should know that she has more courage and ability than any man in Southern Chu. In terms of leading troops, even I dare not say that I am much better than her."

"You're someone who only needs to talk, what are you talking about leading troops into battle?" Leng Yuling curled her lip, looking utterly disdainful.

Although the voice was soft, Mo Zhen still heard it, but he did not explain that he was the undefeated general of the Southern Chu Kingdom before he ascended the throne, because in his eyes, it was not something to boast about.

"Even with my explanation, do you still think Xiaoxiao is just an ordinary woman?"

Leng Yuling never denied that she was an extraordinary woman. Could Mu Guiying of Southern Chu be a simple person? But what she cared about was never whether she could protect her country, but whether she could live in peace.

“What I care about is never whether she can protect the country, you know?” After saying that, she realized that she had said what was on her mind. Then she saw Mo Zhen’s increasingly curious face. “I remember telling you that I consider her a friend. Even if it’s Yun’er, I don’t want to see her face danger.”

When Leng Yuling said those words, she was more serious than ever before.

Mo Zhen couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why are you suddenly telling me these things?"

"I'll only ask you one question: does she absolutely have to go to the border?"

Leng Yuling did not answer Mo Zhen's question. However, he did not care much about Leng Yuling's answer. Instead, he was curious about what she would say next.

Leng Yuling looked at Mo Zhen and said, word by word, "Mo Zhen, don't you know? She likes you." Or perhaps, half of the reason Ma Xiaoxiao went to the border was because of Mo Zhen, to protect the kingdom for him, and also because she didn't want to see him being affectionate with other women.

After he finished speaking, Mo Zhen frowned. He couldn't stand hearing others say such things to him, especially now that the person saying these things was his empress, Leng Yuling.

"What do you want to say?" Mo Zhen's tone seemed to turn cold instantly, and Leng Yuling even felt the temperature around her drop several degrees, enough to freeze her.

She looked at Mo Zhen, and he looked at her too. They stared at each other but didn't say a word.

"She likes you." After what seemed like an eternity, Leng Yuling finally spoke, her tone tinged with an indescribable helplessness.

"Don't let her go anywhere else." After saying that, she withdrew her gaze from Mo Zhen, turned and walked towards the door, stopping after a few steps. "Please think carefully about what I have to say."

As soon as she stepped out, Leng Yuling saw Mo Xuan standing at the door, and the latter followed her all the way to Jingling Palace.

"What are you doing going to see your brother? Why do you look like this? Did you two... have a fight?" Mo Xuan asked cautiously, yet with a hint of watching a show.

Leng Yuling rolled her eyes at him, but also sighed: "How could he do that? Even if he only reads memorials in the palace, he should know that places like the border are dangerous. Besides, Xiaoxiao is a woman, okay? That place is full of men, how inconvenient is that?"

Leng Yuling sat on the stool and casually said, "He actually had the audacity to say that he was better than Ma Xiaoxiao. It's ridiculous." She only thought that Mo Zhen was an emperor who was good at literature but not martial arts.

Unexpectedly, Mo Xuan then said, "Sister-in-law, that's not right of you." Leng Yuling was taken aback before he continued, "Sister-in-law, you may not know this, but five years ago, when Father was still alive, my brother led three thousand men to repel ten thousand men from the Donglin Kingdom who were about to invade. This was one of the reasons why Father eventually passed the throne to my brother."

Mo Xuan only briefly summarized Mo Xuan's great achievements, but Leng Yuling knew that the truth was definitely much more impressive than Mo Xuan described.

She was somewhat surprised that Mo Zhen had actually led troops. Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly asked, "None of you princes ever considered vying with him for the throne?"

This is illogical. In her memory, none of the royal family members were harmonious and did not fight among themselves. This is absolutely illogical!

Mo Xuan shook his head and said, "We all know my brother's abilities. He is steady and has his own ideas. If we want Southern Chu to become the largest country on the entire continent, the only way is to make my brother the emperor, because only he can do it."

Mo Xuan had a high opinion of Mo Zhen, and it was clear that he respected Mo Zhen as his elder brother. No wonder Mo Xuan listened to everything Mo Zhen said.

Leng Yuling was truly bewildered. Had she been misunderstanding Mo Zhen all along?