Mu Wang's gaze followed the sleeve upwards and finally met those cold phoenix eyes.
The upturned corners of the eyes were filled with the arrogance unique to an emperor.
Their gazes clashed in the air, and for a moment, there seemed to be a faint flash of thunder and lightning.
As a subject, Mu Wang should have stepped back without hesitation.
But when he saw Qu Yue fainting in another man's arms, an indescribable feeling of depression welled up in his heart.
This depression gave rise to boldness, and he reached out his hand towards the noble in front of him. "Your Majesty, this is my elder brother's wife. I'll carry her back."
Xie Qichi slightly lifted his pitch - black eyebrows. "Your elder brother's wife?"
"Of course." Mu Wang's hand hung in the air. "Your Majesty just admitted it yourself, didn't you?"
Xie Qichi gently tightened his fingers around Qu Yue. "But she is also the wife of my meritorious official. It's only natural for me to take care of her."
Mu Wang raised his hand a bit higher. "There's no need for Your Majesty to take care of the people of the Mu family."
As if intentionally or unintentionally, he emphasized the words "Mu family".
Sure enough, this almost provocative remark made everyone watching hold their breaths!
All under heaven belongs to the emperor. Qu Yue should first be the emperor's subject and then the concubine of the marquis's mansion!
Mu Wang must have had a lot of nerve to talk to the emperor like this.
The first one to be scared was Song Luo. She rushed out of the crowd and dragged Mu Wang aside. "Silly boy, what are you talking nonsense about!"
With great effort, she managed to pull Mu Wang aside.
Gasping for breath, Song Luo bowed to Xie Qichi. "Mu Wang has always been protective. Your Majesty, please don't blame him."
Xie Qichi disdained to respond. The pale face of the woman in his arms was tightly wrinkled, looking extremely pitiful.
"Forget it."
He simply dropped this single word and quickly left the mourning hall.
Song Luo stared at the emperor who was being guided by the servants and still felt scared. "Son! Were you crazy just now? How dare you talk back to the emperor?"
She looked up at Mu Wang and planted the seed of suspicion.
Since Mu Yuan's death, her son's attitude towards the widow Qu Yue had been a bit strange.
Could it be...
Mu Wang snorted impatiently and interrupted her speculation. "Am I crazy? Should I wait until the emperor finds out that the princess of the heir he appointed is living in a deserted courtyard and gets angry to blame others before it's not considered crazy?"
These words woke Song Luo up.
The carefully - maintained face of Song Luo instantly changed color.
Mu Qing's roar exploded in the ears of every servant. "Hurry up and find someone to lead the emperor to the guest courtyard!"
Suddenly, the entire marquis's mansion was shrouded in uneasiness.
Hasty footsteps sounded everywhere, and people whispered secret orders nervously. Finally, they managed to lead the emperor to the guest courtyard without attracting too much attention.
But as smart as Xie Qichi, the moment he stepped into the courtyard, he knew it was a place found in a hurry to deal with him.
He knew Qu Yue well.
Every corner of her residence was carefully decorated.
It always exuded a strong sense of life, and once you stepped in, a sense of happy belonging would wrap around every guest.
But none of this mattered for now.
He carefully laid the woman on the bed and called for the imperial doctor who had come with him to examine Qu Yue.
The imperial doctor bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty, Miss Qu fainted temporarily due to over - exertion. She just needs more rest and proper conditioning."
Xie Qichi was relieved. He waved his hand at the imperial doctor. "Let's go out together."
The two left the guest courtyard one after another.
The grand eunuch, Eunuch An, was waiting for Xie Qichi outside. When he saw the emperor come out, he quickly opened an umbrella and greeted him.
His shrill voice was full of flattery. "Your Majesty, now that we know the general's wife is safe, shall we return to the palace now?"
In Xie Qichi's unseen eyes, there was a dark agitation. He rejected Eunuch An's suggestion. "Stay for a while. I want to ask Qu Yue something in person."
Eunuch An's eyebrows twitched.
This Emperor Xie, who usually only cared about state affairs, was really so concerned about this little widow?
Originally, the court had decided that the regent would come to pay condolences, but before setting off, the emperor suddenly said that Mu Yuan had made great contributions to the world and he wanted to go in person.
It was true that Mu Yuan had made contributions, but saying that his merits were recorded in history was a bit of an exaggeration.
Anyone with a discerning eye could guess that the emperor had other motives.
But the emperor's mind was hard to fathom, so they still did as they were told.
Eunuch An bowed slightly. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Xie Qichi took a step towards the outside of the courtyard.
Suddenly, he remembered the light weight of Qu Yue when he was holding her just now, and her skeletal frame was especially clear.
He turned his head and glanced at Eunuch An with his phoenix eyes. "In the past few years, were all the rewards given to the Marquis of Zhaoping's mansion distributed as I ordered?"
A faint coldness covered the exposed skin of Eunuch An. He quickly nodded. "All the rewards were given to the general's wife of the Marquis of Zhenyuan as Your Majesty ordered."
Xie Qichi nodded. Just as he was about to ask if they had actually reached Qu Yue, Mu Qing's hasty and respectful figure interrupted the conversation.
There was a flattering smile on his square face. "Your Majesty, would you like to go to the teahouse to take a short rest?"
Xie Qichi didn't respond for a long time.
His cold gaze landed on Mu Qing's face, like a sharp knife, lingering on his chin.
Mu Qing even slowed down his breathing. The muscles on his face stiffened, and he didn't dare to move at all.
Just when his whole heart was soaked in uneasiness, Xie Qichi spoke.
"Sure."
Mu Qing's tense soul instantly relaxed. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Mu Wang stepped aside to make way for Xie Qichi.
He didn't start to follow until the emperor had walked fifty meters away.
——
Qu Yue slowly woke up. Her head was throbbing with dull pain.
She reached out her hand from under the quilt and gently tapped her head.
After the pain eased a bit, she opened her eyes.
The overly magnificent decoration in front of her surprised Qu Yue.
This high - class canopy bed!
These silk bed curtains!
This thin and seamless silk quilt!
Before she could admire the room enough, Liu Xu's anxious voice sounded from the side of the bed. "Miss, you're finally awake."
Qu Yue propped herself up and sat up. "Why am I here?"
Her delicate face had regained its luster after the rest, looking especially charming.
Liu Xu's heart softened when she saw this and felt even more distressed. "You fainted due to over - exertion!"
Qu Yue frowned slightly. "What about the grand burial ceremony?"
This was related to Mu Yuan's funeral. Her sudden fainting shouldn't have ruined it, right?
"Madam Song presided over the rest of the ceremony." Liu Xu replied with a pout. "But she was extremely reluctant. I really don't understand. Since they are all her own children, why is she so mean to the general..."
Qu Yue shook her head. "I don't know either."
Liu Xu waved her hand. "Forget it. Don't think about this. Hurry up and wash your face and go to the teahouse to meet the emperor!"
Qu Yue instinctively resisted being alone with him. "Why does the emperor want to see me?"
The coldness of the other person always gave her the illusion of being stared at by a snake.
Moreover, the gap between their identities was really too big.
Liu Xu also looked worried. She whispered speculatively, "Maybe it's because you fainted?"
That's right.
Qu Yue's muddled mind became clear.
Since Mu Yuan was a loyal official highly valued by the emperor, and she had ruined his grand burial ceremony.
Qu Yue buried her head in the quilt. "Oh no..."
But no matter how reluctant she was, she could only go to the teahouse obediently.
However, on the way, two unexpected people blocked her path.