Farewell Flower Festival

On the way back, Chao Yan saw teams of guards running hurriedly, and the palace servants retreated one after another. It seemed that the palace was under martial law.

Jadeite and Amber were both a little uneasy at this, worried about what would happen next.

When the master and his two servants came back, there were two more Tianwu guards at the door. After entering, they found that there were four Tianwu guards standing in the yard, one each in the east, west, south and north.

After entering the house, Chaoyan just sat down when Eunuch De came over and took her to see Emperor Mu. When Chaoyan followed Eunuch De to the main hall in front, she saw a circle of Tianwu guards standing in the yard, and Han Lie was personally guarding the door of the main hall.

When Eunuch De brought Chaoyan into the palace, Han Lie slightly turned his eyes. As soon as he came in, Chaoyan heard a cough. Eunuch De hurried over and handed the teacup to Emperor Mu, advising, "Your Majesty, take care of yourself and don't be too tired." After Emperor Mu drank a sip of tea and took a breath, Eunuch De took the teacup and put it down. Emperor Mu waved his hand and asked Chaoyan to come over.

Chao Yan saw two piles of memorials on the table, one with more and the other with less, and she didn't know which one had been reviewed. When she saw Emperor Mu close the memorial in front of him and put it on the pile with more, she knew that the pile had been reviewed. Then Emperor Mu took another memorial and unfolded it. She didn't know what to say. If a doctor encountered such a stubborn patient, it would probably be a headache.

"Have you met your father?" Emperor Mu asked while reading the memorial.

Chao Yan nodded and replied, "Father told me not to worry and told me to take good care of myself. Father, you should also take care of yourself, get enough rest, and don't work too hard."

After Eunuch De sent Chaoyan out, he went back to the palace to serve. Chaoyan and Han Lie's eyes met, but neither of them spoke. Chaoyan went to his residence in the back.

Before dinner, Concubine Yin came over.

During the days when Emperor Mu was ill, Concubine Yin would come to visit him every morning and evening, chatting with him for a while and asking him to relax and recuperate. Except for Concubine Yin, the other concubines did not dare to come without the Emperor Mu's summons.

Previously, Shu Fei asked Bai Shao, the senior palace maid, to bring some supplements. Emperor Mu asked Eunuch De to accompany Bai Shao to visit Shu Fei. After Eunuch De came back, Emperor Mu asked Shu Fei how she was. Eunuch De reported that she was fine, just caught a cold the past two days. The imperial physician had already checked on her and it was nothing serious.

The next day, Eunuch De took Mu Tianchen to visit Concubine Shu. After coming out of Jingning Palace, Eunuch De took Mu Tianchen to pay his respects to Emperor Mu. After the father and son talked alone for a while, Eunuch De saw Mu Tianchen off.

Before Emperor Mu summoned the three people, he had never summoned Mu Tianqi or Mu Tianling individually.

The news of martial law in the palace spread quickly.

Most people privately wondered whether Emperor Mu might not live long, so they became more cautious. They went straight home after court and did not say a word to their colleagues to avoid causing trouble.

Mu Tianqi's Rui Palace, Mu Tianchen's An Palace and Mu Tianling's Ling Palace were all closed and refused all visits.

If one does not restrain his desire for personal gain at this time, he will be putting his neck on the edge of a knife and become the first one to stick out.

After learning that the palace was under martial law, Mu Tianling was concerned about Chao Yan's safety all the time. Fortunately, with Feicui and Amber by her side, he felt a little more at ease. If she was alone, he would probably have rushed into the palace and brought her back.

The cold wind howled all night and the temperature dropped again.

When Chao Yan woke up, she saw that the light in the room was dim, as if it was still dark.

When Jadeite and Amber came to help her get up, as soon as they opened the bed curtains, Chaoyan felt a gust of cold air rushing in. She asked if it was snowing outside. Jadeite said it was drizzling outside and the weather was bad, so it might snow.

After breakfast, light snow fell from the sky, mixed with occasional raindrops.

Chao Yan stood under the eaves, looking at the fluttering snowflakes, thinking of the newly grown sapling she had seen in Xueyin Palace before. She wondered how big it was now, and whether it had bloomed...

In the past two days, she has been thinking about a problem.

What's the point of being kept in the palace?

Now, she suddenly understood one thing.

fear.

Even though they are father and son, they still have to be on guard when it comes to the throne and power.

How true and how false is the love between father and son?

Her father's departure from the capital at this time might not only be due to the unrest in the north. Perhaps Emperor Mu trusted her father and believed that her father would not pursue personal gain, but he still did not trust Mu Tianling enough and did not dare to take the risk. He could only feel at ease when his father was transferred away from the capital.

If that’s the case, why did he agree to her marriage with Mu Tianling in the first place?

Is it because Mu Tianling and she both asked for the marriage in person, so Emperor Mu still took into account the father-son relationship and granted the two of them?

It is said that the heart of an emperor is unpredictable, but Chao Yan feels that this sentence sounds a bit pitiful now. On one side is father and son, and on the other side is the throne. I wonder how many emperors throughout history have been caught in a dilemma between these two things in the dead of night. It is really not easy to find a balance between them. No wonder the art of checks and balances is the study of emperors.

Chaoyan was staring at the white snowflakes in a trance when a figure holding an umbrella walked towards her.

It’s Eunuch De.

Eunuch De held an umbrella for Chaoyan and took her to the main hall. On the way, Chaoyan dared to ask why Emperor Mu ordered the cutting down of the red plum tree in Xueyin Palace. Eunuch De was slightly surprised when he heard that, and he stopped and told Chaoyan not to mention the matter of Concubine Plum in front of Emperor Mu. Now that Emperor Mu was in poor health, no one could afford it if something happened to him.

Han Lie saw Eunuch De leading Chao Yan over, and his gaze paused for a moment. Chao Yan was wearing a fluffy mouse-colored cloak, which matched the snow scene very well, like a painting. When Eunuch De led Chao Yan closer, he shifted his gaze away without leaving a trace.

After entering the hall, Chao Yan saw that Concubine Yin and Priest Yu Chen were both there, and Priest Yu Chen was taking Emperor Mu's pulse.

After Eunuch De brought Chaoyan over, Chaoyan bowed quietly. Concubine Yin raised her hand to indicate that she didn't need to be polite.

After checking the pulse, Concubine Yin asked about the situation with concern. Yu Chen replied, "I think the emperor didn't get enough rest in the past two days and was overworked."

At this time, there was news outside that the Second Prince had arrived.

Eunuch De came over with Mu Tianqi. Emperor Mu gestured, and Eunuch De went over to bring over the pile of memorials on the table. Emperor Mu said, "Take these memorials back and have a good look at them. If they are not important matters, you can make your own decision." At this point, Emperor Mu started coughing again. Concubine Yin reached out and patted Emperor Mu on the back. After Emperor Mu calmed down, he continued, "Thank you for your hard work these days."

Mu Tianqi replied: "I, your son, should share your worries. I hope you take care of yourself and get well soon."

Emperor Mu patted his shoulder and said, "You and the Crown Prince have had a good relationship since childhood. You are the most outstanding among the brothers in terms of ability and talent. I will be relieved to have you assist the Crown Prince in the future." Then he changed the subject and asked, "There are rumors outside the palace that I want to depose the Crown Prince. Do you know about this?"

Mu Tianqi replied: "I don't know. Don't worry, father, I will investigate this matter thoroughly."

Emperor Mu nodded and said, "What I am most worried about is that you will be deceived by the traitors and kill each other. If that happens, I will not be able to rest in peace in my grave. Qi'er, promise me that you will assist the prince wholeheartedly in the future."

Mu Tianqi promised solemnly.

Only then did Chao Yan realize that the person Emperor Mu feared the most was his second brother.