Chapter 19: A Step Back to the Past

Chapter 19: A Step Back to the Past

Feeling Mo Lingyun's body stiffen, Zhang Luoyi knew she had hit the mark. She exerted force to break free from him.

Mo Lingyun stared blankly at his hand before clenching it tightly.

"If there's nothing else, Your Highness, I'll take my leave," Zhang Luoyi said, averting her gaze from him.

"Wait!"

Seeing that she was about to leave, Mo Lingyun hastily called out to her.

Uncertain of his intentions, Zhang Luoyi halted but did not turn around.

With reddened eyes, Mo Lingyun struggled to maintain a calm tone as he asked her, "Ten years ago, when I fell into the Imperial Garden's lake, you were the one who saved me, weren't you?"

"..."

Zhang Luoyi remained silent, her thoughts drifting back to the past.

Back then, before her mother had passed away, she accompanied her to the palace to visit the Empress. While her mother was engrossed in conversation with the Empress, she slipped away, intending to catch butterflies in the Imperial Garden. Instead, she heard a splash of water.

Curiosity-driven, she hurried over and discovered a boy struggling in the water. With her strong swimming skills, she promptly jumped in to rescue him without hesitation.

Upon surfacing, she found that the boy she had saved was an exceptionally handsome child. She gazed at him happily for quite some time, but when she realized her own drenched state and feared her mother's scolding, she quickly fled the scene.

She assumed their paths would never cross again, yet fatefully, they met at a royal banquet. At first sight, she was captivated by his youthful charisma.

At that time, due to her father's favoritism towards his concubine, she had become the laughingstock of all Shang Jing. When she was being ridiculed, it was Mo Lingyun who stepped in to sternly reprimand her tormentors.

From that moment, she fell head over heels for him. Unbeknownst to her, the late emperor soon issued an imperial edict to marry them. Upon learning that she would wed the man she longed for, she reveled in joy for days.

However, the late emperor's passing intervened, and they waited another two years.

She believed she would be the happiest person in Shang Jing, at least marrying the one she loved.

Yet, on their wedding day, she anticipated his recollection of her, eagerly awaiting him to lift her veil. To her disappointment, he pretended to be drunk and retreated to his study to sleep. Afterwards, when she attempted to win his affection and amuse him, he rebuked her for her lack of propriety.

She believed she had done something wrong to make him despise her so much, until one drunken night when he fell upon her, repeatedly whispering the name Lin Ling with a tenderness and gentleness she had never seen before, filled with longing.

Despite her fierce resistance, she couldn't push him away, and they became physically intimate.

The next morning, upon realizing it was her, he scolded her for her shamelessness, accusing her of ruining his promise to be with his beloved for a lifetime.

It was then that she understood - it wasn't that his heart was unwarmed, but rather, it already held someone he genuinely cherished.

He even resented her for taking the place that should have belonged to his beloved.

Mo Lingyun waited for an answer but got none. He approached her, grasped her shoulders, and faced her, repeating his question.

"You were the one who saved me back then, right?"

This time, his tone was certain.

When Zhang Luoyi lifted her gaze again, tears shimmered in her eyes, yet a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"So what if it was me?"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier then?"

With the answer, Mo Lingyun's eyes widened in disbelief, his grip on her hand tightening slightly.

"Why would I tell you? So you could think of me as a manipulative woman, using my status as your savior to pressure you and let you insult me again?"

Mo Lingyun looked at her with a pained expression and shook his head. "No, that's not it. I just... wanted to hear it from your own lips!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Zhang Luoyi slapped away his hand and turned her face away from him.

"Since the Duke has heard it, can I leave now?"

A tear slowly trickled down the corner of Mo Lingyun's eye, but he wiped it away casually. After a moment, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Go ahead and leave!"

Upon finishing his words, Zhang Luoyi turned around and left without any hesitation. As she descended the steps, she paused and spoke once more.

"In fact, I had told the Duke a long time ago, but the Duke didn't listen carefully!"

With that, she left decisively, not looking back.

Mo Lingyun stumbled backward, barely managing to steady himself with the support of the stone table behind him.

He took a deep breath, recalling a moment in the past when she had indeed seemed ready to speak about that year's events.

After the imperial banquet, as they were returning, she had smiled softly, mentioning his lack of swimming skills while boasting of her own proficiency. Just as she was about to delve into the matter, their conversation was abruptly interrupted.

And the one who had interrupted them was none other than Lin Ling!

Thoughts of this stirred a flash of murderous intent in his phoenix-like eyes. Lin Ling had always known that he regarded her as his savior, often reminding him of this fact. If he did anything to displease her, she would declare that even if he didn't care for her, he should at least consider the debt of gratitude from that past life-saving act.

Mo Lingyun clenched his fists, veins pulsating on his forehead. All these years of gratitude and affection had been directed towards the wrong person!

...

In just a few days, it would be Great Xia's annual Welcoming Spring Festival. Buoyed by his recent punishment of several notorious ministers, Mo Cangyan ordered grand festivities.

As Consort Li assisted in managing the six palaces, it fell upon her to oversee the arrangements. Feng Xiyao, on the other hand, enjoyed a rare respite.

However, two recent incidents had caused Feng Xiyao immense pain.

Firstly, all the hard-earned money she had painstakingly saved was nowhere to be found, despite her search throughout the entire Fengchun Palace. It frustrated her so much that she felt as if her heart and liver were being scratched, and even after interrogating everyone, she still couldn't locate it.

Secondly, and most crucially, Feng Xiyao realized that no matter how much she tried to please the Tyrant or accompany him, her vitality would not increase.

"Ahh, what should I do, what should I do?! I don't know what to do!"

"All my efforts have been for naught; it's as if I've returned to square one."

Ruyi was perplexed by her lady's sudden outburst of madness. Though she wanted to comfort her, considering the lady's transformation over the past two months, Ruyi decided against it.

Her lady's temperament now was as unpredictable as the weather, so it might be better to let her be!

Upon entering, Mo Cangyan saw Feng Xiyao lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless, with the courtyard dug up into a mess. He could guess what had happened.

Approaching her, he asked kindly, "What happened to the Empress? Was Fengchun Palace robbed?"

Feng Xiyao initially intended to pretend to be dead, but then she recalled that she had questioned everyone in her residence without any results. The problem might very well lie with the Tyrant.

With this thought, she climbed up and threw herself into the Tyrant's arms, holding onto his clothes as she asked him.

"Did you take my treasures away?"

Eunuch Hai, who followed behind, retreated with a maternal smile on his face upon witnessing the scene.

Mo Cangyan raised an eyebrow, maintaining a calm expression. "I have no idea what the Empress is talking about!"

"..."

Feng Xiyao was about to say more, but considering his status, it was impossible for him to steal her treasures. Reluctantly, she released her grip and began to cry bitterly.

"Your Majesty, the treasure you gave me... It's been stolen. What should I do?"

Mo Cangyan remained indifferent, seemingly puzzled by her reaction.

"Stolen? Who would dare to directly break into the Empress's chambers to steal something?"

Feng Xiyao wept tragically.

"It wasn't stolen from inside the room. I buried it under the peach tree, and it was taken!"

Mo Cangyan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, why would the Empress bury such valuable items?"

Feng Xiyao's hand paused in wiping away her tears. She hadn't expected the Tyrant to ask this question, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.

After struggling for a moment, she spoke, her voice softened by her recent weeping.

"Because... because these were gifts from His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. I wanted to keep them safe, but I didn't expect them to be... stolen!"

With that, she burst into tears again, her sobs more sorrowful than before.

Mo Cangyan had intended to tease her a bit more, but seeing her teary-eyed, nose red, like a little rabbit, he found her quite endearing, and his heart softened.

"..."

Just as he was considering giving her something else to comfort her wounded spirit, Feng Xiyao's next words instantly extinguished Mo Cangyan's goodwill.

Feng Xiyao fiercely wiped away her tears and angrily shouted.

"I curse the thief who stole my belongings – may they not be able to defecate for a month!"