Saving the foolish general, she accidentally becomes his favorite.

"But fate is always so ironic. That brothel was vandalized that very night, and a masked man bravely rescued the female healer. She helped treat the wounded, and then disappeared without a trace. The two of them missed each other again..."

The Emperor Emeritus sighed, his voice filled with longing, "The young man had thought that they were destined to be apart, but unexpectedly, the female physician went to the palace to treat the Empress, and they had another chance to meet. As they spent more time together, the young man realized that the female physician was not only kind-hearted but also very knowledgeable, able to discuss any topic with him. So the young man grew to like her more and more, and later even wanted to marry her..."

"But then something unexpected happened. The female physician entered the palace to treat the Empress, but the Empress died instead. Later, someone reported that she was a spy from an enemy country who had infiltrated the palace to harm people..."

"The young man naturally didn't believe it. How could such a kind and beautiful woman be a spy? But unfortunately, the evidence was conclusive, and the female doctor admitted to him that she was indeed from another country. She had only come here by chance and accepted the reward for a traveling doctor offered by the palace."

"The female physician told the young man that she had no intention of harming the queen. The young man, of course, believed her and did his best to clear her name and get her out of prison. However, because of her identity as a 'spy,' the woman said that it was not safe for her to stay there and that she wanted to return to her country..."

The young man was heartbroken, but for the sake of the woman he loved most, he entrusted his country's general to escort the healer back to her homeland...

The retired emperor gazed into the distance with a deep look, seemingly lamenting the departure of his old friend.

Ye Li asked softly, "So she got back safely?"

The Emperor Emeritus shook his head: "No, the general who escorted her was a handsome young man. They were the same age, and they fell in love on the road. Later, the female physician fell in love with the general... They got married, and the female physician changed her name and went into seclusion in her residence, never to return to her country..."

Ye Li had already vaguely guessed what was going on. She sat quietly, waiting for the Emperor Emeritus to finish telling the story.

"The young man believed that the woman he loved had returned to her country, so he gave up all hope, obeyed his family's arrangement, married the woman his family had chosen for him, and lived a life of marriage..."

"The two were separated by vast distances, and he thought that was how his life would be. But fate played a cruel trick on him, and later, he saw the female healer again..."

"The female physician tried every means to enter the palace, knelt before him, and begged him to save the general. It turned out that the general had been exposed for colluding with the enemy and committing treason, and was to be executed by slow slicing soon. The female physician said that the general was innocent and begged him to save him..."

"The young man never expected that the female healer hadn't left! But what shocked him even more was that she had actually married the general and stayed in her own country!"

"He was jealous! He was resentful! He felt that the general had stolen his beloved, and he wished he could have that man slowly tortured to death. When he heard that the general had committed treason, the young man was overjoyed... but seeing the doctor's tearful expression, he couldn't refuse her..."

"The young man stalled for time to keep the female physician in check, telling her that he would find a way. He kept her in the palace. At that moment, the young man finally had the opportunity to tell her his feelings. He told her the story of how they met and missed each other years ago, and begged her to stay by his side."

"In order to save the general, the female healer finally agreed to stay by the young man's side..."

"Upon hearing this, the young man was overjoyed. To appease the female physician, he used every means at his disposal to ensure that the general, who had committed treason, was not immediately executed but remained imprisoned..."

"The female physician was extremely grateful to him. After gaining her trust, he took advantage of her vulnerability and fabricated a secret letter in which the general confessed his crimes in prison, telling the physician that the general was a despicable and shameless villain..."

"The female doctor initially refused to believe it, but the protracted evidence and the long separation eventually drove the two apart..."

"While the young man was pursuing the female doctor, he also ordered his men to torture the general in prison. He hated the general for taking away the woman he loved, and he also hated the general for making it so late for the two of them to be together."

"Later, a few years later, the general was eventually tortured to death in prison... The young man thought he had won, but little did he know that shortly after the general's death, the female doctor would also commit suicide..."

"Only then did the young man realize that the female physician knew everything, but she had endured humiliation to stay by his side until now in order to save the general. After the general died, she lost the will to live and followed him in death..."

Hearing this, Ye Li felt deeply moved by the story's poignant beauty and resolute conclusion.

"On her deathbed, the female physician left a letter for the young man, saying that even if the general hadn't escorted her away, she would never have fallen in love with him. She was naturally free-spirited and disliked life within the palace walls. She expressed her hope that her child would not be trapped in this vast cage, and she begged the young man not to tell her child the truth, allowing her child to do whatever she wanted..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Li stammered, "...that child..."

"The young man did not want to go against the doctor's last wish. He did not make things difficult for the child, nor did he tell him the truth about the deaths of his parents. He helped the child live the life he wanted... That child is now the youngest general in the Tian Shu Kingdom."

"Do you think that young general will forgive him?"

The Emperor Emeritus's eyes were cloudy at this moment, showing the dejection of an old man, as well as regret and remorse. He asked cautiously, yet he was afraid to hear a reply from Ye Li.

His complex emotions ultimately made him restless.

Ye Li was suddenly struck by these long-forgotten stories and didn't know what to do. She had expected that Mo Chen's identity was not simple, but she never imagined it would be so complicated!

No wonder Xuanyuan Ming disliked Mo Chen so much, and both Xuanyuan Ming and the Imperial Father-in-Law's Mansion went to great lengths to assassinate Mo Chen. The arrow he shot when he first met Mo Chen was probably because of Mo Chen's identity.

The female physician from back then was forced to live in the palace because she wanted to save Mo Chen's father. No matter how well a living person hides, there will always be traces.

Since the traces cannot be erased, those in power and influence within the palace have the opportunity to learn the truth.

Mo Chen is a hidden prince with the potential to inherit the throne, which is why Xuan Yuanming dislikes him and even wants to suppress and kill him...

The retired emperor said slowly, "Later, the young people grew old and became elderly, and then one foot was in the coffin. People, once they are not far from death, crave family affection even more..."

Seeing that Ye Li was not overly surprised after hearing the truth, the Emperor Emeritus couldn't help but sigh:

Do you know what it means for me to tell you the truth today?

"The Emperor Emeritus...does he want Mo Chen to forgive you?"

Ye Li pondered the Emperor Emeritus's meaning. In this story, he appeared so helpless and powerless, as if all the bad things were caused by the General, a third party, interfering with his beautiful love with the female doctor.

Then, thinking about how the retired emperor might be nearing his death and longing for family affection, he might be hoping that Mo Chen could forgive him for forcing his parents to their deaths back then.

The retired emperor shook his head, and said something startling yet unwavering:

“Mo Chen is a prince with royal blood flowing through his veins. If Xuan Yuanming is unable to have children, Mo Chen will be qualified to inherit the throne and become the emperor of Tian Shu Kingdom.”

"Huh?" Ye Li was stunned when she heard this news.

When she married Mo Chen, he was a fool and a general, but she never imagined he would become a prince.

Although he is still an unclaimed illegitimate child for the time being.

Seeing Ye Li's wide-open mouth and stunned expression, the Emperor Emeritus dropped another bombshell:

"If I were to make Mo Chen emperor, you would be the empress of Tian Shu Kingdom."

Ye Li: "?!"