After being thoroughly violated, he ran away with the enemy emperor's child.

"Oh?"

Zhou He also became curious, "Who is he?"

A month ago, Mo Yan inexplicably brought a man back from Snowfall Cliff and bestowed upon him the title of Chen Jun, only telling the outside world that he was a hunter from the nearby area.

Zhou He had seen him before, and Mo Ci didn't resemble a hunter at all. Instead, he looked like a pampered young nobleman.

It's laughable that his foolish sister, who lives in the palace, actually tried to lure him with fame and fortune. How stupid!

As he pondered, Feng Zhong, standing in front of him, said mysteriously, "He comes from Yong Kingdom, and his status is not low. He is—"

"Xie Yunzhou, Xie Yun's only son."

Xie Yun was the Grand General of Yong Kingdom, a figure comparable to a war god, but unfortunately he passed away last year.

Although Zhou He viewed Xie Yun as an enemy, he also admired him.

"Xie Yunzhou?"

"Exactly."

Feng Zhong explained, "I have an old acquaintance in Yong who is skilled in painting and has a good reputation. Many high-ranking officials in the capital have asked him to paint their portraits."

"Two years ago, on the eve of the death of the late Emperor of Yong, he was invited into the palace by the regent."

"According to him, at that time, Crown Prince Chu Ling of Yong Kingdom and Xie Yunzhou were inseparable and had a very good relationship. Chu Ling did not like portraits, but he asked him to paint one for Xie Yunzhou, which was the one that his subordinate presented to the Prime Minister."

"How do you know if what he said is true?" Zhou He was suspicious and always needed to confirm things from multiple perspectives several times.

"Your Excellency, rest assured. After learning the truth, I went to the Xie residence to investigate. The stewards and servants there all said that the person in the painting was their young master."

"Moreover, Xie Yunzhou is not currently at the Xie residence; he has been missing for almost a month."

With the information matching up, Zhou He believed it to some extent. "I see. I understand now. You may go and rest."

"Thank you, Prime Minister."

After Feng Zhong left, Zhou He wrote a letter and had it secretly brought into the Fu'an Palace.

Half an hour later, the letter arrived in Mo Yan's hands.

Wu Xu said, "Half an hour ago, a man dressed in black robes appeared at the Right Prime Minister's residence. He and the Right Prime Minister conspired in secret for a long time inside the house. After the man left, the Right Prime Minister wrote this letter and had it brought into the Fu'an Hall."

"But... there is one thing I don't understand."

Mo Yan leaned against the headboard and sneered, "He knew perfectly well that I was watching his every move, yet he still wrote this letter. This can only mean that he wrote it to me."

Zhou He knew that Mo Yan was watching him, and Mo Yan also knew that Zhou He knew that he was watching him. The two had been fighting each other for two years, and they already knew each other's secrets.

They are all waiting, waiting for the right moment to break this balance.

Clutching the letter but not opening it, Mo Yan looked at Chu Junci by the window: "Aci."

Chu Junci was playing chess alone, picking up a black piece between his fingers and gently putting it down, pretending not to hear Mo Yan's call.

Seeing that Chu Junci ignored him, Mo Yan smiled, opened the letter, and read it quickly.

Slowly, the smile on his face disappeared.

The guard's earlier words, "Xie Yunzhou and Chu Ling once slept side by side," resurfaced in his mind, causing him to clench his fists.

"His Majesty?"

His expression changed so quickly that Wu Xu became suspicious, but dared not ask any further questions.

"Get out of here."

"Yes."

Wu Xu left, leaving only Mo Yan and Chu Junci in the hall.

Mo Yan got out of bed and, ignoring his bleeding wounds, went to Chu Junci and took his hand.

"Aci, have you regained your memories?"

"no."

"real?"

He stared intently at Chu Junci's eyes and brows, trying to determine if he was lying, but he couldn't tell.

His acquaintance often lied to him, and he wondered if he was lying to him again this time.

"I'm not lying to you this time."

Chu Junci looked into his eyes as well, "It really hasn't recovered."

Mo Yan remained silent. The letter was crumpled beyond recognition. He suddenly remembered Aci saying he was rotten...

Did Aci have experience with something that wasn't bad before?

The thought flashed through his mind, and Mo Yan gritted his teeth, gripping Chu Junci's hand with even more force.

"What's wrong with you?"

Mo Yan's unusual behavior was too obvious, and Chu Junci instinctively felt that the contents of the letter were related to him: "Let me see it."

Mo Yan refused, blocking his hand: "There's nothing to see."

The letter was thrown into the charcoal brazier and then turned to ashes.

The two people in the room fell silent. After a short while, Mo Yan suddenly said, "Aci seems to be very interested in Chu Ling."

"That day in the Imperial Study, you even stared at his portrait, lost in thought. Aci, why are you interested in him?"

"I……"

Before he could finish speaking, Mo Yan continued, "You said my skills are bad because..."

Unable to utter the remaining words, Mo Yan was burning with anger, but fearing that Chu Junci would recall the past, he simply remained silent.

Mo Yan was baffled. Chu Junci's face darkened, and she shook off his hand: "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean...?"

Mo Yan felt as if countless insects were biting his heart, making him almost insanely jealous.

Blood seeped out and dripped onto the ground along with the bandages. He suddenly stepped forward and hugged him. "Mo Ci, you can only be mine."

"No matter who you were before, from this day forward, you can only stay by my side!"

Mo Yan's renewed outburst pushed Chu Junci to her breaking point, and her pent-up resentment towards him exploded in an instant.

The anger of being forced... and the resentment of being threatened made him push him away forcefully and press the dagger against his chest: "Mo Yan, don't force me."

"..."

Mo Yan laughed, looking at the dagger between them: "Does Aci intend to kill me?"

Not only was he not afraid, he even took a few steps forward.

With the dagger plunged into his chest, he stared intently at Chu Junci: "I told you, I would never let you go, even in death."

"Through heaven and earth, we are destined to be together."

"...I think you've really gone mad."

Blood dripped onto the ground, and Chu Junci gripped the dagger, a struggle flashing in his eyes.

After a while, he let go.

If he killed Mo Yan in the Zhao Kingdom's palace, Mo Yan would surely die, but he couldn't die.

Someone is waiting for him.

"Aci still can't bear to part with me."

Mo Yan smiled as he pulled the dagger from his chest, blood spurting out. A few drops splashed onto Chu Junci's face, which he gently wiped away.

He ran his fingertips across Chu Junci's face and said, "Aci, I've given you a chance."

"..."

Chu Junci slapped his hand away and closed her eyes, deciding to ignore it altogether.

Before long, Physician Liu arrived, his face full of worry: "Your Majesty, your wound was already too deep and you need to rest properly. How could you..."

"It's alright."

Mo Yan interrupted him: "Just bandage it up."

"…Why."

Physician Liu, who was always diligent and conscientious, couldn't help but advise, "Your Majesty should be more restrained in your sexual affairs, especially now that you are injured. It would be best to exercise some self-control."

Mo Yan glanced at him, knowing he had misunderstood, but didn't explain: "I understand."

As night fell, Mo Yan started getting hot again.

He held Chu Junci's hand tightly, his body radiating an astonishing heat.

Chu Junci was awakened by the heat. He turned his head and saw that Chu Junci's lips were dry and his face was flushed with an abnormal redness.

He struggled, but couldn't break free.

Mo Yan's grip was so strong that the spot where he was holding him began to turn red.

Unbeknownst to him, Mo Yan was having a dream at that moment.

In a dream.

Standing beside Chu Junci was a man whose face was obscured; the two held hands intimately.

A moment later, he heard the man ask Chu Junci, "How do I compare to that Mo Yan?"

"He is far inferior to you."

His Aci smiled and said, "I like you, Your Majesty."

"No!"

Mo Yan couldn't bear to watch any longer. He rushed between the two, cupped Chu Junci's face in his hands, and said, "Mo Ci, you can only love me!"