Poison Doctor Roaming the Martial World

Upon hearing Yang Jianwu's words, Jing Nan dared not mention it again. Money was important, but human life was more important. A gentleman loves money but earns it in a proper way. He was not the kind of person who would disregard human life.

"Is it okay if we eat like this now?" Jing Nan smelled the fragrant meat but hesitated to take a bite.

Yang Jianwu looked at Jing Nan as if he were an idiot, "Are you brain-dead?"

"Gah..." Jing Nan didn't understand. "What does 'brain-dead' mean?"

Yang Jianwu looked away and continued eating her skewers. "It's nothing, meat doesn't taste good when it's cold."

"Oh." Jing Nan continued eating her skewers. With Yang Jianwu, the miracle doctor, around, she wasn't afraid, so why should she be? Eat~ Oh my~ Not only was the meat delicious, but the vegetables were so good too! Qingdai used to serve Miss Yang, so she must have often eaten these kinds of delicious food. She was a little envious of the little girl and missed her… She gave Yang Jianwu a resentful look, wondering what she was thinking. Taking her home wouldn't mean she'd mistreat the little girl…

As night deepened, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and countless stars twinkled. The evening breeze caressed people's faces, carrying a slight chill that was cold on the surface but also cold in people's hearts. Mo Yu sat alone in the courtyard of the Cold Palace, drinking wine. The wine was strong, but even the strongest wine could not warm his body and mind.

After downing another glass of wine, he picked up the wine pot to refill it, but a hand stopped him. "If you're in a bad mood and want to act crazy while drunk, go somewhere else. You're not welcome here."

Mo Yu released the wine pot, rested his elbows on the stone table, and propped his head up with his hands. He truly couldn't understand why he and Wu'er had come to this point. He asked in a sullen voice, "Mother, am I really your biological son? Other mothers help their sons find wives, and they specifically choose those from good families with connections. But you don't care at all. Did I do something wrong? You never care who I marry?"

Qi Fei sat down on the stone bench next to her. "Yu'er, over the years, I have not played the role of a mother well. I have indeed let you down."

Mo Yu raised his hazy eyes, his voice hoarse from the alcohol, "Then can you help me persuade Jianwu? Leaving her is really painful for me. I think about her every day, her every smile, her every glance. Before, I only thought she was beautiful, but after we separated, I realized that she had her own unique qualities. She was unpretentious, she wasn't coy, she didn't care about poverty or wealth, and she was so smart. She could make so many little things. Mother, do you know? Even the wild vegetables that only the people on the border could eat, she could make into a delicious dish."

Qifei looked at her son, whose face was sculpted with distinct features and sharp angles, making him exceptionally handsome. Jianwu had probably agreed to be his queen because of his face. It was just a pity that no matter how much she liked his face, her heart was not devoted. She would rather have nothing than something bad. "Love arises without knowing where it comes from and goes deep. It's good that you can recognize your feelings... A beautiful appearance is a dime a dozen, but an interesting soul is one in a million. Jianwu's soul is unique."

Looking at Consort Qi's kind smile, which, though bright, also revealed the marks of time, Mo Yu said, "Father also loves your soul, doesn't he? You are different from the other women in Father's palace."

Qifei thought for a moment and nodded, "I guess so. Everyone should have their own principles. I just want to be myself."

Mo Yu suddenly realized that he had never understood his mother, just as he had never understood Wu'er. His father loved his mother so much, so why was she so cold to him? Having grown up among princes, his mind had been influenced by her upbringing, and his heart still leaned towards his father. He felt indignant for Emperor Dongli, "You have not only wronged me, but also wronged your father. He cares about you so much, yet you would rather live in the cold palace than forgive him."

Consort Qi said calmly, "I am not ashamed of your father; he deceived me first."

Recalling the past, tears welled up in her eyes. How could a modern woman allow a man to have multiple wives and concubines? When she first confirmed her feelings for him, she had asked Emperor Dongli, "Do you have a wife?" The answer was, "No." She was overjoyed, believing that they were truly in love. Little did she know that everything was a deception. When she learned that he was the emperor, he simply explained coldly, "I have never married, but I have established an empress and bestowed titles upon my concubines."

Consort Qi pinched a silk handkerchief to wipe away the tears that hadn't yet fallen from her eyes. "Jianwu and I are the same kind of people. If I can't have her all to myself, I'd rather not have her at all."

Mo Yu shook his head. "I don't understand why you think that way?"

Consort Qi patted Mo Yu's head. The last time she patted his head like this, he was only seven or eight years old. Now he's grown up and will at least be a prince in the future. "Yu'er, this world is too harsh on women. If you truly love a woman, how can you bear to make her sad? It's not that you don't love her enough. Men are so fickle. Yesterday they thought this girl was nice, today they thought that young lady was quite good, and tomorrow they need marriage to maintain family relationships... Men can have many women... What about women? They can only stay with one person. How unfair is that?"

He picked up the wine pot on the table, brought it to his nose, and smelled it. "Moreover, women cannot provoke men. Even if they do, they will be gossiped about and even labeled as unchaste. In severe cases, they may even be thrown into a pig cage."

“The concubines in the harem look forward to the emperor every day. Even just seeing him would be good. Many of them don’t see him for a year or two. They spend countless nights in silence and loneliness. Once they enter the palace, they belong only to the emperor and their families. They have no self. This is not what I want.”

"Yu'er, you weren't raised by my side since you were little, so I can't replicate my thoughts in you. You're grown up now and have your own ideas. The only reason you agreed to marry Miss Li is because your father has confirmed that she is the so-called Phoenix Star. If you still care about Jianwu, then stop thinking about seizing the throne. Just be a good prince and live a good life with Jianwu. Jianwu doesn't belong in the inner quarters. Do you want her to look forward to your return every night? Do you have the heart to let her hear that you stayed in someone else's room again today and feel heartbroken and shed tears?"

Mo Yu raised his head, feeling uneasy.

Consort Qi did not stop, and continued, "If you still believe that marrying Fengxing will make you the master of Dongli, then stay away from Jianwu and get along well with Miss Li."

Mo Yu opened his mouth to speak, but Qi Fei covered his mouth. "I'll say it one last time, don't make me try to persuade Jian Wu. She's not Ehuang, nor is she Nüying. She's independent, and she'll be fine without you."

After Qifei finished speaking, she stood up and left with a flick of her sleeve. Her ethereal voice echoed: "One day, you will suddenly think of someone who once gave you hope for tomorrow, but who never appeared in your tomorrow. There is also someone who will give you a longer happiness in the years to come, even though she never came into your youth."