Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Regent's House

Inside the Fuyun Palace, Mu Jinchen slowly opened his eyes.

"Your Highness, you're awake!" Yingfeng exclaimed in delight.

Mu Jinchen propped himself up on the bed, trying to get up.

Yingfeng immediately stopped him, saying, "Your Highness, the imperial physician said that you have suffered serious internal injuries and need to rest and recuperate."

"I am unharmed."

Just then, Zhang Taohong walked in, "Your Highness."

Mu Jinchen said unhappily, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard that Your Highness is ill, so I came to take care of you."

"I have no need for your care, get out."

“I took care of you back in Zhangjia Village. Now that I’m yours, I should take even better care of you now that you’re sick,” he said, taking the medicine from Chunlan’s hand and about to feed it to him.

Mu Jinchen said coldly, "I've already said it, get out. I don't want to say it a third time."

Zhang Taohong couldn't understand why he was so cold towards her. "Your Highness, did I do something wrong? Tell me, and I will definitely change."

"If it weren't for the fact that you took good care of me for half a month, do you think I would have kept you until now, or even brought you back, based on what you did?"

Zhang Taohong felt a little guilty, but still said, "I did it because I like you and wanted to stay by your side..."

Mu Jinchen would not believe her words, because the greed in her eyes was impossible to hide. Moreover, he did not like her. "From now on, without my order, you shall not step into Fuyun Palace."

"Your Majesty".

Mu Jin showed an impatient expression.

Yingfeng immediately said, "Aunt Zhang, please go out. Your Highness will be well taken care of here."

Zhang Taohong was unwilling to give up, and looked at Mu Jinchen pitifully and aggrievedly.

But Mu Jinchen didn't even glance at her.

"Aunt Zhang, please."

Zhang Taohong could only leave with resentment.

Then, Yingfeng returned and handed the medicine to Mu Jinchen, saying, "Your Highness."

Mu Jinchen, without anger, said with an air of authority: "Since when has anyone been allowed to enter my Fuyun Palace?"

"It's the subordinates' fault for not disciplining their servants properly."

"If this happens again, you won't need to be my personal attendant anymore."

"Yes".

Mu Jinchen then took the medicine.

棋社

Su Qianrou arrived here as promised.

Liu Chengjun was waiting for her in the private room. When he saw her arrive, he immediately stood up to greet her, saying, "You're here. Please have a seat."

Su Qianrou walked to the table and sat down.

Liu Chengjun personally poured her a cup of tea, saying, "This is newly arrived tea; please try it."

"Thank you very much".

"Please don't mind that I invited you here so abruptly."

"No," he said, then asked, "Did you ask me to come here for something?"

"I was worried when I heard you were missing. I wanted to go to the Su residence to see you, but my grandfather had just passed away, so it was not appropriate for me to go. Therefore, I had to ask you to come out. Now that I see you are safe and sound, I am relieved."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you," she said, then added, "I am deeply saddened by the passing of General Liu."

"My grandfather has been suffering from illness for many years, but now he can finally be free from it."

"General Liu was a respected elder, it's a pity I couldn't go to see him off."

"Grandfather was very grateful to you and, before he passed away, he specifically instructed us to repay you properly in the future."

"I didn't do anything."

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to stand up again. And Second Uncle, treason is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations. If you hadn’t pleaded with the Regent, our Liu family would probably have been destroyed and died without a burial place. How could my grandfather have died peacefully in his old age?”

"It was Qiulan who helped you get back on your feet, and this was a deal, wasn't it? As for your second uncle's matter, he was given lenient treatment because of the great contributions that General Liu and General Liu made to Yunyue in their early years. I dare not take credit for it."

"So getting Xiaoyue into the army camp is your achievement, right?"

"I don't deny that, but it's also because she's so capable."

Liu Chengjun looked at her with doting eyes, his love for her overflowing, but Su Qianrou didn't notice, or rather, she didn't think of it that way.

It was half an hour later when they came out of the chess club.

Liu Chengjun escorted Su Qianrou to the door.

Just then, Mu Jinchen happened to pass by.

Upon seeing the two of them, Yingfeng greeted them, "Your Highness, Your Highness, and Young Master Liu."

Upon hearing this, Mu Jinchen lifted the curtain from the carriage and looked at them.

Su Qianrou didn't notice him and said, "No need to see me off, I can go back by myself."

"Okay, be careful on the road, see you in a month."

"Hmm," Su Qianrou said, and then left with Yingyue.

After she walked away, Liu Chengjun turned his gaze away and inadvertently saw Mu Jinchen not far away, so he walked over and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Young Master Liu seems to have a lot of free time."

"I am a commoner without any official position, so I am not as busy with affairs of state as Your Highness."

"Young Master Liu is a talented man. It would be a waste for him to be a frivolous person. How about I arrange for you to be a manager in the Ministry of War?"

"Thank you for your high regard, Your Highness, but my ambitions lie elsewhere, and I fear I will fail to live up to your expectations."

"Oh, then I wonder what Young Master Liu's ambitions are?"

"I'm afraid Your Highness will laugh at me if I tell you this, but I have a woman I love. I missed my chance for her before for some reason, but fortunately, Heaven has taken pity on me and given me another chance. This time, I will definitely not let her go."

Mu Jinchen could easily understand his unspoken meaning: "This is Young Master Liu's ambition."

"Having met such a good man, what more could one ask for?"

Mu Jinchen was furious and didn't want to talk to him anymore, so he lowered the curtain and said coldly, "Yingfeng."

Yingfeng immediately drove the carriage away.

"Respectfully seeing off Your Highness, please take care," Liu Chengjun said loudly on purpose, as if afraid that Your Highness would not hear him.

Inside the carriage, Mu Jinchen's face was grim. If he hadn't still retained some rationality, he would have really wanted to kill Liu Chengjun.

Youlan Courtyard

Su Qianrou sat by the window, gazing at the drizzling rain outside, lost in thought for a moment.

Su Mingxuan came in and saw her lonely figure. A pang of heartache flashed through his heart. He then walked towards her and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Hearing this, Su Qianrou came back to her senses, looked at him with some surprise, "Big brother, it's raining here, why did you come? Please sit down."

Su Mingxuan sat down and asked, "You're leaving tomorrow, have you packed everything?"

"Yes, it's almost done."

Su Mingxuan looked at her and said with emotion, "Unconsciously, you are already seventeen years old. You are no longer the little girl who followed behind me calling me 'brother'."

"No matter how old I am, even if I'm seventy, you'll still be my brother," he said playfully, then called out, "Brother."

Su Mingxuan chuckled, then asked, "Is it really impossible between you and the Prince? During the time you were missing, he was more anxious than anyone else. He not only ordered the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice to search the entire city for your whereabouts, but he even sent soldiers to search the mountains. I don't think his feelings for you are fake."

“I know, but it’s true that he had relationships with other women. I can’t be completely indifferent and pretend that nothing happened and continue to be with him. Even if I endure it, there will always be a thorn in my heart. Whenever we have a quarrel in the future, this matter will be brought up again. Over time, we will only hate each other and become a resentful couple. Rather than going to that point, it’s better to separate as soon as possible.”

Since she had already said that, Su Mingxuan couldn't persuade her any further. He said, "If you're unhappy or don't want to stay here anymore, just come home. We'll always be here for you."

"it is good".

Then the two looked at each other and smiled, their understanding unspoken.