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

Chapter 95: Thank you, Miss Su Xi

With the plan finalized, post-disaster reconstruction in Yongcheng began quickly, and the people injured in the natural disaster recovered under Leng Yuling's daily care.

Leng Yuling's reputation in Yongcheng rose overnight.

The people of Yongcheng all say that the Southern Chu Kingdom has a good empress, and some even consider her to be a goddess reincarnated. Upon hearing these words, Leng Yuling simply smiled faintly. She might not be a goddess, but she was certainly no longer the original Leng Yuling.

"Your Majesty, this trip to Yongcheng was well worth it." Mo Xuan had heard many comments about Leng Yuling, which was why he came to congratulate her.

However, this didn't bother Leng Yuling. She always felt that as a doctor, healing the sick and saving lives was her mission, and she would not be proud of receiving thanks from those she helped.

She glanced at Mo Xuan: "If I were you, I would rather spend my time checking on the reconstruction than wasting my breath talking to me here."

Mo Xuan was taken aback. He hadn't expected that she could remain so calm despite the popular tales about her. There wasn't a trace of pride on her face. He truly admired her from the bottom of his heart.

"You are the woman I admire most besides Xiaoxiao." Mo Xuan's face was full of admiration and respect.

But then Leng Yuling said slowly, "Being admired by you isn't necessarily a good thing."

Hearing Leng Yuling's words, Ma Xiaoxiao, who had come with Mo Xuan, couldn't help but smile. Over the past few days, she had become more and more accepting of the banter between Mo Xuan and Leng Yuling.

Of course, they also increasingly saw a different side of Mo Zhen in front of Leng Yuling than usual.

For example, when Leng Yuling asked him to pour her some tea, Mo Zhen unconsciously but very consciously poured a cup of tea and handed it to her, without any displeasure on his face.

"When are we going back?"

Mo Zhen raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his face, and said, "You were the one who insisted on coming in the first place. What, are you getting bored now?"

Leng Yuling took the tea, glanced at Mo Zhen, and said, "It's not that it's boring, it's just that..." She paused, seemingly thinking for a moment, and then, realizing that she had attracted everyone's attention, said, "I'm just not used to being treated like a goddess."

These past few days, she hasn't even dared to leave her house. Many people in Yongcheng recognize her, and whenever she goes out, she's surrounded by people, just like a 21st-century celebrity.

However, she is an extremely low-key person and does not like the feeling of being fawned over; she finds it all superficial.

Unbeknownst to Leng Yuling, a verbal battle was about to unfold before her.

-

Not long after that day, Mo Zhen told Leng Yuling that they were going back to the capital.

Leng Yuling subconsciously asked, "Will Xiaoxiao come back with us?" Only when she saw Ma Xiaoxiao did she feel like she had seen Xiaoxiao again. After all, Xiaoxiao was her relative from the 21st century, and she had another person she wanted to protect in this era.

She always felt that when she saw Ma Xiaoxiao doing well, it was as if God was telling her that Xiaoxiao was also doing well in another time and space, and only then could she feel at ease.

“You seem to care a lot about Xiaoxiao.” These days, he had also noticed that Leng Yuling seemed to have an inexplicable interest in Ma Xiaoxiao and always wanted to see her.

Just a few days ago, he regarded Ma Xiaoxiao as a rival in love, but now he seems to be worried about her as if she were family. This really makes Mo Zhen unable to understand.

"Of course, she's my..." Realizing she almost let something slip, she quickly shut her mouth, swallowed hard, and said, "She's my friend, Yun'er's elder sister, and a heroine of the Southern Chu Kingdom. Is there anything wrong with me caring about her?"

Her words were impeccable, and her explanations were flawless; however, the more flawed she was, the more curious Mo Zhen became.

"Do you want to see me and her become sworn enemies? Mo Zhen, your fetish is truly perverted." Finally, she changed the subject, blaming everything on Mo Zhen, who was completely baffled but had no time to explain before she was gone.

Leng Yuling walked to the stone bench outside the courtyard and sat down. She knew that Ma Xiaoxiao had been guarding the border. If she hadn't known before, that would have been one thing, but now that she knew that Ma Xiaoxiao looked like Xiaoxiao, she naturally regarded Ma Xiaoxiao as her own sister. How could she bear to let Ma Xiaoxiao go through danger?

She let out a long sigh. Seeing this, Ziyan asked curiously, "Your Majesty, why are you sighing? Don't you want to go back to the capital?" She had heard Leng Yuling ask Mo Zhen when he would return more than once before. Now that the return date was confirmed, she seemed unhappy, which piqued Ziyan's curiosity.

“You don’t understand,” Leng Yuling said, shaking her head.

She wanted to go back, but she also wanted to take Ma Xiaoxiao with her. However, she could tell that Mo Zhen was curious about why she cared so much about Ma Xiaoxiao, but she couldn't tell anyone the reason why she cared so much about Ma Xiaoxiao.

This was the first time Leng Yuling had felt so troubled, so conflicted, so helpless, and so powerless since she transmigrated here.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor dotes on you so much that I believe he will not refuse any request you make to him." Ziyan seemed to sense that Leng Yuling had something to say to Mo Zhen, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"You little girl are quite knowledgeable." Leng Yuling looked up at Ziyan.

In fact, having served Ziyan for so long, she could tell that Ziyan was a very clever girl, though she was bound to be a bit confused at times. But for her, she didn't need to be too smart, just clever enough.

Leng Yuling rested her chin on her hand, seemingly asking Ziyan, but more like talking to herself: "Do you think Xiaoxiao will come back with us after we return to the capital?"

"General Ma is returning to the capital with us this time." Just as Leng Yuling was wondering, a voice came from not far away. Looking in the direction of the voice, who else could it be but Su Xi, who had been by Leng Yuling's side for a long time but rarely spoke?

Hearing her words, Leng Yuling was so excited she almost jumped up, but she also asked with some uncertainty, "Are you sure?" After seeing Su Xi nod, she stood up, walked to Su Xi, and hugged her tightly, "Thank you for bringing me such good news."

She was overjoyed, but little did she know that her actions had stunned Su Xi. As the emperor's bodyguard, she had practiced martial arts with a group of men since childhood and rarely went home, let alone had anyone hold her so tightly.

Although she knew Leng Yuling's personality was quite strange, she still couldn't quite get used to this action, so she could only stand there and let Leng Yuling hug her.

After hugging for a while, she let go of Su Xi and then said to Zi Yan as if nothing had happened, "Zi Yan, come with me to pack your luggage." After taking a few steps, she turned back to look at Su Xi and said, "Miss Su Xi, I have never felt so grateful to have you here as I do now."

Faced with Leng Yuling's sudden gratitude, Su Xi was stunned again. Before she could react, Leng Yuling and Ziyan had already disappeared before her eyes.