After Mo Heng had withdrawn and gone far away, Empress Dowager Xiao looked at Mo Qingchen standing nearby. “Chen’er, what brings you here at this time?”
“Mother Empress, His Majesty summoned me to the palace today. Having just left the Imperial Study, I came specifically to pay my respects to Mother Empress,” Mo Qingchen replied truthfully.
“I’m rather tired today. You may leave the palace and return to your residence now.” Empress Dowager Xiao glanced at Ye Yun beside her and thought for a moment before saying, “I recall that the route from the palace to your Prince Chen’s Mansion passes by the Protectorate Duke’s Residence. In that case, you may escort Yun’er back to her residence along the way.”
Hearing this, Ye Yun felt it somewhat abrupt to have Mo Qingchen escort her back like this. “Empress Dowager…”
She originally intended to politely decline, but before she could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager’s voice came again.
“Is there a problem with simply escorting Yun’er back since it’s on your way?”
“Since Mother Empress has commanded it, your son naturally has no objections. Then, I shall take my leave now.”
Ye Yun said nothing more, curtsied slightly, and turned to follow Mo Qingchen out of the palace. She knew perfectly well that she had no acquaintance with this Mo Qingchen. Had the Empress Dowager not spoken, this man wouldn’t have agreed. Having just arrived in this world and encountered such a man who caught her eye, she naturally couldn’t treat this casually. This was the time to retreat in order to advance.
“Empress Dowager must care for me deeply to have Prince Chen do this. Anyway, the Duke’s Residence carriage is waiting at the palace gates. I…”
“It’s no trouble. We’re going the same way anyway.”
Ye Yun thought to herself that her approach seemed effective, and responded in a gentle voice, “In that case, I’ll trouble Wang Ye then.”
Mo Qingchen glanced at the young girl beside him, thinking about her earlier confrontation with Mo Heng, and felt a spark of curiosity. Without thinking, he asked, “Regarding matters between you and Mo Heng, I’ve heard some rumors. To so decisively beg Mother Empress to annul your engagement with the Crown Prince – what? Don’t you want to be Crown Princess anymore?”
“So Wang Ye is part of the gossip crowd too!”
“Gossip crowd? What does that mean?”
“Ah… nothing. I just didn’t expect Wang Ye would pay attention to such matters.” From the original host’s memories, Ye Yun knew that Mo Qingchen paid no attention to anyone in the palace except the Empress Dowager and Emperor. She hadn’t expected he would have heard about her affairs with Mo Heng.
Mo Qingchen smiled faintly. “I wouldn’t call it paying attention. But in this Imperial Capital, your matters with Mo Heng are something people can hardly avoid knowing about.”
Ye Yun pondered this and agreed – given the original host’s previous deep infatuation with Mo Heng, it was indeed common knowledge. She looked up at Mo Qingchen and said, “The past is the past, the present is the present. Right now, I don’t like the Crown Prince at all, and I have absolutely no interest in the position of Crown Princess. I’m extremely happy to have the engagement annulled.”
“Does Wang Ye not believe me?” Seeing Mo Qingchen remain silent, Ye Yun continued, “After today’s events, even if Her Majesty the Empress handles everything cleanly and no one dares to gossip, for me personally, having Empress Dowager intervene to annul the engagement means my Ye family has no further connection with the Eastern Palace. I won’t be entangled with Mo Heng anymore, so this matter has reached a satisfactory conclusion for me. As for future matters, who can predict them? Don’t you agree, Prince Chen?”
Mo Qingchen grew increasingly curious about the little girl beside him. Everyone in the Imperial Capital described her as a delicate, sickly “Beauty Lantern” that would shatter at the slightest breeze, yet reality was far from it. Indeed, given the status and position of the Protectorate Duke’s Residence, what did it matter if breaking off the engagement offended the Crown Prince? Not to mention this matter was decided by the Empress Dowager.
Moreover, throughout history, there had been many crown princes who failed to smoothly inherit the throne. No one could predict what the future held.
“Whether I believe it or not is irrelevant. The truth is as you say—who can be certain of the future?”
Ye Yun met his gaze directly upon hearing this, her expression relaxed as she joked, “I’ve long heard that Wang Ye pays no mind to people or matters that don’t interest him. So, after speaking with me so much today, are you interested in me or in the situation I’m in?”
Mo Qingchen’s eyes were captivated by Ye Yun’s faint smile, which seemed to bloom from her delicate demeanor with a unique beauty that was utterly enthralling. He couldn’t help but recall her earlier remark about him being “quite good.” How strange—why was he so mesmerized by this little girl today? “Get in the carriage. I’ll take you back to your residence first.”
Ye Yun didn’t press further and averted her gaze from Mo Qingchen, stepping gracefully into the carriage of Prince Chen’s Mansion. She had to admit—it was truly fit for a noble imperial uncle, luxurious and exquisite, perfectly suiting him.
For a while, the two sat side by side in the carriage. Ye Yun noticed that after sitting down, Mo Qingchen closed his eyes and remained silent, as if drawing a clear line between their earlier casual conversation and the present moment. She turned sideways and earnestly admired him. Damn, he’s absolutely stunning. Even with his eyes closed, he’s gorgeous.
Suddenly, the carriage began to move. Because she was sitting sideways, Ye Yun felt as if she were about to fall the next second. Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed Mo Qingchen’s hand. When he opened his eyes, she simply grinned sheepishly.
“Sit properly.”
“Okay.” Ye Yun complied, casually smoothing out the sleeve of Mo Qingchen’s robe that she had wrinkled.
But as her hand moved to his wrist, her fingers inadvertently sensed the rhythm of his pulse. Something seemed off. Pretending it was unintentional, she properly took his pulse. So that’s it…
Mo Qingchen’s gaze fixed on his wrist, watching the little girl’s hand resting there. He had always disliked any physical contact with others—if it were anyone else, he would have unceremoniously pushed them away. But with this girl, he didn’t.
Just like earlier, when she had superficially judged him as “quite good” based solely on his appearance—normally, he would have been angered by such shallow assessment, but today he wasn’t. Most importantly now, her touch didn’t repulse him in the slightest. After a moment’s pause, a faint, delicate fragrance drifted up from below, permeating his senses. This girl actually…
She was actually leaning against his chest, her warmth carrying an elegant lotus-like fragrance that was refreshing and soothing.
Had he truly lost his mind? Suddenly snapping back to reality, Mo Qingchen’s throat moved slightly as he said firmly, “Miss Ye, please maintain your decorum.”
Ye Yun naturally noticed that Mo Qingchen’s heartbeat had quickened. Even though he deliberately suppressed it, such subtle changes were effortlessly detectable to her. She moved away and sat upright beside him, speaking calmly, “Self-respect? Wang Ye, I am helping you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Of course, it’s the long-accumulated old injury within your body.”
Mo Qingchen frowned slightly. Even the Elixirists in his residence, who were proficient in Elixir making, were helpless against his internal injury. They could only use Elixirs to assist and suppress it with Inner Force. How could this young girl discern it so easily, merely by pressing against his chest and listening to his heartbeat?