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

Chapter 104: Are you out of your mind?

Mo Zhen originally intended to make the horse run faster, but Leng Yuling kept barking. Seeing her frightened expression, he had no choice but to give up.

The horse walked slowly across the grass, and gradually Leng Yuling got used to being on horseback. Although it was her first time, with Mo Zhen behind her, she wasn't so scared.

"I heard from Mo Xuan that you led troops and went to the battlefield before you became emperor?" The two of them were riding the same horse, and it would be a little awkward if they didn't talk, so she found a topic to talk about, not to relieve the awkwardness, but because she was really curious.

Mo Zhen's reply was infuriating; he casually murmured "Mmm" and showed no intention of continuing the topic.

However, Leng Yuling, who would have been an entertainment reporter if she hadn't been a doctor in her previous life, did not give up her curiosity about Mo Zhen's past. She immediately asked, "Have you ever won?"

After asking the question, she didn't hear Mo Zhen's reply for a long time. She thought that her words were too direct, so she turned around and looked at Mo Zhen. She saw that his eyes were full of the four words "What do you think?"

Well, Mo Xuan had told her that in every war with Mo Zhen present, Southern Chu would be the victor, but she just couldn't believe that the seemingly refined Mo Zhen was actually a military general.

Just like the first time Leng Yuling saw Ma Xiaoxiao, although she had a very sharp aura, she did not make Leng Yuling think that she would be a female general.

"Are only those who are both literate and martial qualified to be emperors here?" Leng Yuling asked from the bottom of her heart, not at all considering herself Mo Zhen's wife, nor realizing that marrying Mo Zhen would make her a person of Southern Chu, but still considering herself a person of the 21st century.

Therefore, Mo Zhen found these words very unpleasant to hear, yet she said them to him more than once.

"Do you really have absolutely no awareness?" Mo Zhen suddenly said in a deep voice.

Leng Yuling, however, didn't know why he suddenly changed his tone and asked directly, "What kind of realization?"

Mo Zhen frowned. Before Leng Yuling could react, the horse had already started running very fast. No matter how much Leng Yuling called out, Mo Zhen wouldn't let the horse slow down.

Leng Yuling's cries only ceased when the horse stopped.

After dismounting, her whole body was trembling slightly, and she was so weak that she could barely stand. If Ziyan hadn't stepped forward to support her in time, she probably would have fallen to the ground in embarrassment.

Leng Yuling looked at Mo Zhen with displeasure: "Mo Zhen, are you out of your mind? I know you're good at riding horses, but do you have to show off in front of someone like me who has never ridden a horse before?"

"I remember you were the one who said you wanted to ride a horse." After saying that, Mo Zhen turned his head to look at Leng Yuling, and only then did he notice that her face had turned much paler from fear.

Leng Yuling is genuinely afraid of riding horses.

At that moment, he felt a little regretful, but he pretended to be indifferent. Leng Yuling became even angrier and directly called him a lunatic before gesturing for Ziyan to help her to sit in the pavilion.

After she left, Ma Xiaoxiao stepped forward, followed Mo Zhen's gaze, and said with a faint smile, "It's clear that the Empress is a very lovely woman, quite different from the concubines in your palace."

Hearing Ma Xiaoxiao's voice, Mo Zhen withdrew his gaze and turned to look at her, his face expressionless. He casually remarked, "It's different. Those women don't dare to talk back to me!"

Although Mo Zhen said this, there was no sign on his face that he was angry because Leng Yuling had offended him, but there was a hint of inexplicable curiosity.

“I think you treat her quite differently.” When they were alone, Ma Xiaoxiao never addressed him as a servant, but instead referred to herself as “I”, just like when she was a child.

“Because her identity is different from others.” Mo Zhen was not unaware of what Ma Xiaoxiao was referring to, but he did not directly respond to her words, instead cleverly changing the subject.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Ma Xiaoxiao looked at Mo Zhen, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end she didn’t speak. She only said that she knew Mo Zhen could tell that’s not what she meant.

Mo Zhen didn't speak again, but raised his eyes and looked in Leng Yuling's direction. The emotions in his eyes were something Ma Xiaoxiao couldn't understand, but she didn't want to guess. The more she guessed, the more her heart ached.

Mo Zhen carried her away, leaving Ma Xiaoxiao standing there blankly, watching Mo Zhen walk in the opposite direction from Leng Yuling, feeling increasingly uneasy.

"Ah Zhen," Ma Xiaoxiao called out softly.

Upon hearing this, he paused, but did not turn around. Ma Xiaoxiao knew he was waiting for her to speak.

The next moment, she asked, "Do you... like her?"

In the end, Ma Xiaoxiao still couldn't bring herself to ask the question. Instead, she said, "Are you not planning to let me go back?" She had heard about this from Ma Zhiyun, who said that Leng Yuling had a big argument with Mo Zhen in the Imperial Study because of this.

She just hadn't expected that Mo Zhen would actually listen to Leng Yuling and let her stay in the capital. She did want to stay in the capital, but she hoped that the person who would keep her there would be Mo Zhen, not anyone else, and she especially didn't want it to be Leng Yuling.

Mo Zhen did not answer, which was taken as tacit agreement. Ma Xiaoxiao smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "There have been unusual developments in Donglin Kingdom recently. I should return in a few days."

Ma Xiaoxiao still requested permission to continue staying at the border. Although she didn't say it, Mo Zhen vaguely knew the reason.

"We'll talk about this when we get back," Mo Zhen said casually before striding forward.

When the news of Mo Zhen's impending marriage and the establishment of an empress reached the border, she was initially not worried, because she knew that Mo Zhen's heart was never filled with romantic love, but rather with concern for the people and their nation.

Later, she heard that Jun Ao wanted Leng Yuling to exchange for Bai Xiaozi, and she also learned that Mo Zhen and Mo Xuan personally took Leng Yuling to the Northern Desert Kingdom. She originally thought that they were willing to exchange for Ma Zhiyun.

Unexpectedly, Bai Xiaozi did arrive, but Leng Yuling also returned unharmed.

Upon receiving the news, she could no longer hold back. She intended to return immediately, but on the way, she heard that a major flood had occurred in Yongcheng. Thinking that Mo Zhen must be very worried about this, she turned back to Yongcheng to relieve his worries.

In the end, Mo Zhen did arrive, but Leng Yuling also came along, and she perfectly solved the problems of the natural disaster in Yongcheng and the people's food and lodging.

Only then did she have to look at Leng Yuling with the eyes of an enemy, only to find that Leng Yuling had no hostility towards her at all, but was actually very kind to her.

She thought Leng Yuling knew something and was deliberately trying to please her, but seeing that even Mo Zhen hadn't tried to please Leng Yuling, how could she possibly please her?

The more she got to know Leng Yuling and the more time she spent with her, the more she realized that Leng Yuling was not simple at all. She was pure-hearted yet had a lot of ideas, and such a person was truly rare.