Chapter 432: Forget about killing
Although Xiao Si and Zhui Feng"s voices were not loud, Mo Chuan and Chu Shao Bai had strong internal strength and had already heard their whisperings.
Mo Chuan was too lazy to deal with the two of them, so he pretended not to know. However Chu Shao Bai was focused on them, he also wanted to know where the emperor went.
The emperor had disappeared for the past few days. He had entered the palace several times to find it empty.
He never thought that when Xiao Si was about to mention the key information, he would be cut off by the emperor.
"Emperor, you were gone from the palace the past few days, where did you go?" Chu Shao Bai couldn"t help asking.
"It was this one that called you here, you aren"t here to ask about this one"s whereabouts." Mo Chuan"s eyes were cold as he picked up the letter from the desk and threw it to Chu Shao Bai.
Chu Shao Bai reached out to grab it and his hand slightly sunk down. This letter was like a heavy object. He couldn"t help praising, "The emperor"s internal strength is truly deep."
"Stop flattering me, look at the letter." Mo Chuan had a serious face without a single trace of a smile.
Chu Shao Bai stuck out his tongue. He could see from the emperor"s serious expression that this letter"s contents were very important, so he stopped joking around. He took out the letter to look at it.
"Ah! How could this be! The East Qin Country is really to deceitful!"
Reading only a few lines, his handsome face turned red. The more he read, the angrier he was, almost ripping the letter to pieces.
"Emperor, is this letter true?" His hand holding the letter trembled from anger.
"Un."
"Why would East Qin make such a shameless request! Why would they want to double our tribute! What qualification do they have!" Chu Shao Bai was so angry that he almost flipped the table.
Thinking that this was the emperor"s royal study, he finally endured it.
"Of course they have this qualification. Shao Bai, don"t forget they have the life blood of our West Chu in their hands!" Mo Chuan slowly said this.
When he first read this letter, he was just as angry as Chu Shao Bai. However, with his inverted nature, he hid it all without revealing anything.
Hearing this, it was like a bucket of cold water fell on Chu Shao Bai and he instantly calmed down.
He panted with rage and angrily said, "Emperor, do we have to obediently listen to them like this? They ask for double this year, then what if they ask for triple next year? How do we have that much money for them to exploit? Do the people of West Chu not need clothes or food!"
Every word he said was a large headache for Mo Chuan, but he kept silent, not saying a word.
Internal problems and foreign aggression.
His lips curled into a bitter smile.
Mother, ah mother, you forced your son into the emperor"s throne in the past because you knew being an emperor was hard, so you let your son handle everything, isn"t that right?
Chu Shao Bai grabbed the letter and read it over again, suddenly giving a snort.
"Emperor, look, they really are shameless! They even used this high sounding reason, saying that they"re sending out special envoy that want to compete in three compet.i.tions with us. The subject will be designated by the envoy and if we lose a single match, our tribute will be doubled! Why is the subject decided by East Qin! This is clearly deceit, clearly winning by force!"
Mo Chuan also knew this and he was frustrated because of this. He knew that the other side was being unreasonable, but he was still at the mercy of the other side.
This feeling of being controlled by others was truly suffocating.
"Emperor, how about I go and a.s.sa.s.sinate the East Qin"s envoy, directly killing him. If we kill him, then we don"t need to care about any kind of compet.i.tion." Chu Shao Bai made a person killing gesture.
Chapter 433: The emperor"s flattering
When Mo Chuan heard this, he looked at him and slightly shook his head, "This one called you here is not because I want you to kill someone. If I wanted to kill someone, this one has the secret guards and would not need to call you here. Not to mention the fact that they have already entered our West Chu Country and are only a few days from the capital, it would be a large matter if they were to die in our country."
"Then why did the emperor call me here?" What Chu Shao Bai said earlier was just words of anger.
He had no choice but to admit, although the Emperor was only a bit older than him, his reasoning, his eyes, and his thoughts were all much deeper than his.
Mo Chuan considered it a bit and then slowly said, "You"re smart with good qinggong and martial arts, so this one wants you to investigate the East Qin"s envoy and find out what their goals are. The so called know your enemies so you can know yourself."
He took the letter from Chu Shao Bai"s hand and pointed out a few words on the letter, "This East Qin"s envoy is very mysterious and there is no mention of his origin in this letter, making it very suspicious. I hope you can think of a way to sneak into their East Qin envoy"s group and find out the secrets of the special envoy."
It really was a good idea.
Chu Shao Bai wanted to agree, but he suddenly thought of the task Empress Dowager Zhou gave him and he paused for a second.
"Emperor, this matter should not require Shao Bai to go personally, right? Zhui Feng should be able to complete this task as well. His qinggong is not below mine, he is very vigilant, and he"s not dumb." He praised Zhui Feng.
It wasn"t that he didn"t want to go, but if he went to find the East Qin envoy"s secret, then he wouldn"t be able to stay by her side and protect her.
"Zhui Feng"s martial arts and qinggong cannot compare to yours, and he isn"t as smart as you. This one only believes you. Shao Bai, are you not willing?"
Mo Chuan actually gave him three praises.
Chu Shao Bai suddenly felt like he was flying as he said in his heart, "It was rare for the emperor uncle to praise him, flattering him. He had to go whether he was willing or not. Compared to guarding the temple this was a matter regarding the entire country. Weighing the pros and cons, he had to make this decision."
"Alright, this minister is willing. However, Shao Bai has a favour to ask of the emperor."
"Oh, what is it?" Mo Chuan looked up.
"It"s something the Empress Dowager has entrusted Shao Bai….." Chu Shao Bai repeated everything Empress Dowager Zhou told him and then said, "After this minister leaves, I hope that the emperor can send people to protect the temple and protect the Ding Yuan Princess."
Mo Chuan"s expression did not change as he nodded, "Shao Bai, you can go a.s.sured. Regarding this defending the Peaceful Life Palace matter, this one will take care of it for you. When you come back, the Ding Yuan Princess will be perfectly safe, without a single hair missing."
Chu Shao Bai was pleasantly surprised, "Many thanks emperor! This minister will leave immediately."
Mo Chuan also nodded.
Chu Shao Bai looked at the sky outside, the third period was already gone and his meeting time with that brat Hei had already pa.s.sed. Would that brat Hei have thought that he ran in defeat?
[TL note: Third period is a part of the twelve two hour periods in the day, from 11pm to 1 am.]
He rubbed the thunderbolt eggs in his sack and he thought that brat Hei was lucky. When he came back, he would let him see just how powerful these thunderbolt eggs were!
"Shao Bai, you have to be careful. This one will send Zhui Feng with you, you have to take care of each other."
Mo Chuan"s right hand pressed a few b.u.t.tons on the dragon throne which sent out a secret signal.
Very quickly, Zhui Feng"s figure silently appeared in the royal study.
He came and left just like the wind, it was just like his name.
Chapter 434: Seeing what one shouldn"t see
"Zhui Feng, you will go with King Jing An to complete a task. You must listen to King Jing An"s orders on the road and can"t act on your own, do you understand?"
Mo Chuan"s tone was very strict.
"Your subordinate will obey." Zhui Feng bowed down.
Chu Shao Bai suddenly gave a laugh to Zhui Feng. That calm and clear laugh made Zhui Feng suddenly feel a chill run down his spine.
King Jing An…..He wouldn"t try to take revenge, right?
He hadn"t even offended King Jing An.
"Then you may leave." Mo Chuan waved his hand and the two of them left the royal study.
Chu Shao Bai thought about it and couldn"t feel a.s.sured. He turned towards the Peaceful Life Palace. He wanted to see her and personally tell her about this.
"King Jing An, we should leave the capital from the east side, why are you heading the other way?" Zhui Feng felt this was strange. He followed behind Chu Shao Bai, keeping close to him.
Chu Shao Bai suddenly felt annoyed by this shadow like man following him.
He angrily said, "The emperor gave the order that you had to follow this king"s orders. If this king wants to go west, that is none of your business! Shut up for this king, you"re not allowed to talk."
Zhui Feng immediately stopped talking.
Chu Shao Bai saw that they were almost at the Peaceful Life Palace, so he turned around and said, "You wait here for me, I need to go find the Empress Dowager for something, I"ll be back soon."
"At this time, the Empress Dowager should already be asleep. Your highness….." Zhui Feng couldn"t help saying.
"Stay, you"re not allow to talk or move. You"ll just wait for this king right here!"
In front of Zhui Feng, Chu Shao Bai used his king"s status, being filled with prestige.
Humph, this brat Zhui Feng, he never put this king in his eyes because of his status as the emperor"s secret guard. Today the emperor has given the order for you to listen to everything I say. If I tell you to spin, you"ll spin. If I tell you to lie flat, then you lie flat!
Chu Shao Bai gave an evil laugh as he looked at the frozen Zhui Feng in front of him, before quickly running to the Peaceful Life Palace.
The candle had not been extinguished, but Chen Ning was lying on a soft couch. Her breathing was deep and she was deep asleep.
There was a tome of scriptures on the ground in front of her.
When Chu Shao Bai entered the temple, he saw this picture of a begonia sleeping.
Before he walked closer, he picked up the scripture on the ground and placed it on her pillow. Then he covered her with an embroidered cloak.
He stood in front of the couch, reluctantly looking at her. He was not willing to leave and he was not willing to wake her, but if he left just like this, then he wouldn"t feel willing.
"Yi, I got it!"
He suddenly curled his lips into a smile.
He lifted a pen and drew a bird on her left cheek. On her right cheek, he wrote: Wait for me.
The bird"s name was cuckoo and its cry was, "Dang gui, dang gui!"
She believed that with her intelligence, as long as she saw the bird and the words she left, she would definitely understand his meaning.
When he came out of the Peaceful Life Palace, he found Zhui Feng standing in the same spot, keeping the position he had before, not moving an inch.
"Let"s go!" He moved past Zhui Feng like a gust of wind.
Zhui Feng followed behind him while a strange smile appeared on his face.
So the reason why King Jing An insisted on coming to the Peaceful Life Palace was just to come see her!
He had hidden outside the temple"s window and had clearly seen everything. The girl that was sleeping in the temple was a girl that he had recognized. He had seen her before, she was King Ding Yuan"s princess!
Ze, ze, it seemed like he had seen something he shouldn"t seen and found a secret that he shouldn"t know!
Chapter 435: So bold
In order to not be noticed by King Jing An and silence, Zhui Feng quickly stopped watching and let, but his heart continued to beat fast.
Last time he was at the King Ding Yuan palace to give the orders, he felt that the way King Jing An looked at the princess was strange, but it seemed like it really was strange.
He never thought that this little brother really like his elder brother"s woman!
This was really interesting!
Wu, he had noticed this king of large secret, should he report this matter to the emperor?
Zhui Feng began to ponder this.
Chu Shao Bai left a while, but there was a black robed figure that silently entered the temple.
Mo Chuan walked in and saw the painting and words Chu Shao Bai left on her face, he couldn"t help feeling stunned. He quickly understand the meaning of these words and drawings and he knit his handsome brows.
Humph! This brat was truly bold. He actually treated her face like paper and drew words and pictures on her face?
He quickly disappeared out the door. When he came back, there was an extra wet towel in his hand.
Sitting in front of the couch, he slowly used the towel to wipe off the ink from her face. Out of fear of waking her, he could only wipe gently.
Her face was very delicate, white and tender. After being rubbed a few times, her face had already turned red, like a white camellia being dyed red, becoming incredibly charming.
When he saw this, he suddenly felt his heart beat fast.
While Chen Ning was sleeping, she felt her face itch. She knit her brows and muttered, "So itchy, where did this mosquito come from."
She opened her eyes and Mo Chuan"s black eyes were right in front her, instantly stunning her.
She finally reacted after a while, "Mo Chuan, it"s you? What are you doing?"
She found that Mo Chuan had a towel in his hand that was on her right cheek, no wonder she felt itchy.
Mo Chuan"s face was very calm as he said, "Your face was dirty, so this one was helping you wipe it."
He continued to wipe twice, wiping off the last of the ink let by Chu Shao Bai, not leaving a single trace.
"How could my face be dirty, I just washed it last night."
Chen Ning curiously touched her face and then looked at the towel in Mo Chuan"s hand. It was black and grey, that apparently came from her face. Her face suddenly turned red, but she couldn"t understand how her face became like this. Did she wash her face with ink?
Mo Chuan threw away the towel and he slightly pursed his lip, but he smiled as he looked at her smooth as jade face. He was feeling a little bad, but when he saw her, his mood inexplicably became better.
Chen Ning"s eyes looked at his face and she suddenly asked, "Did something bad happen to you?"
He was a little stunned, "How do you know that this one is unhappy?" When he saw her, he was always smiling.
"Of course I see it from here." She raised her and and poked the spot between his eyebrows, which was warm and soft. Mo Chuan did not move to the side.
"You frowned not long ago, so the mark here did not disappear. Did you encounter some kind of trouble, do you want to talk to me about it? Perhaps I can help you a bit." Chen Ning looked at his chin and revealed a look that showed she was listening.
Mo Chuan shook his head, "This is a matter with the nation, it is better if you don"t know about it."
"Matter with the nation? I like to listen to nation matters. Like things in the palace where you harm me and I harm you, even if you want to tell me about it, I"m not willing to listen." Chen Ning wrinkled her nose.
Mo Chuan couldn"t help wanting to pinch her nose, "Do you really want to hear it?"
Chapter 436: It was unfair for this pot carrier
"If it really is a large secret, then you better not tell me. I still want to keep my head to eat with." Chen Ning smiled as she stuck out her tongue. She looked around a bit, "Yi, where"s Xiao Bai? Why isn"t he back yet?"
She was waiting for the good news brought back by Chu Shao Bai. She didn"t know what kind of situation Chu Shao Yang would be in after he ate the thunderbolt eggs she worked hard to make.
Mo Chuan"s expression was very calm, but his brow could not help slightly move. He said in a calm voice, "You"re asking about Chu Shao Bai? This one has sent him on a job, so he has already left the capital and won"t be back for a few days."
"A job?" Chen Ning suspiciously looked at Mo Chuan. Although she couldn"t see anything, she was aware of some clues, so she gave a gentle laugh, "Mo Chuan, smart people don"t speak hidden words. Did you deliberately send him away? Last time you also deliberately sent him away from the capital. Say it, what is your motive?"
Mo Chuan was placed on the spot by her and felt very awkward. His face however was very calm and his black eyes pierced into her. His lips slightly curled and he asked a question back.
"What motive do you think this one has?"
"You….." Chen Ning"s face suddenly turned red. Wasn"t his motive very obvious?
He was jealous!
But he was being jealous for no reason. The relation between her and Chu Shao Bai was clean, there was nothing there at all!
"Sending him off on an errand, aren"t you afraid it will be dangerous?" She was a little worried. It was unfair for Xiao Bai this pot carrier.
[TL Note: Pot carrier is a slang for someone that takes the blame on other"s behalf.]
"What, are you worried about him?" Mo Chuan had no expressions, but his voice was cold, "He is this one"s blood related nephew, you think this one will harm him?"
Yi, he seemed to be becoming even more jealous.
He stood up and pointed at the box he brought, "Take this to the Empress Dowager tomorrow."
Chen Ning looked over and could already guess what was inside, "You copied more scriptures?"
Mo Chuan gave a non committal snort and turned to leave.
In order for her to keep a good impression in the Empress Dowager"s heart, he had stayed up two nights to copy scriptures for her, but she was worried about another person……
She really was a girl without a conscience!
His heart was bothered when he couldn"t see her, but when he saw her, a single sentence from her was enough to make her feel uncomfortable.
Chen Ning stared at his back in a daze. He was angry over this?
Because she was worried about Xiao Bai?
He really was stingy!
She curled her lips. It was fine if he left, was she supposed to beg him not to!
She looked down and her eyes fell on the box he brought. Opening it, there were several pages of copied scriptures. The writing was straight and beautiful. It was clear he was trying to copy a woman"s writing style, but he could not hide his own style.
Her heart couldn"t help turning soft and she bit her lips.
Although his martial arts was good, copying scriptures required one to move stroke by stroke and one couldn"t go fast just because their martial arts was good. Then, he must have spent a lot of time copying these, right?
As the monarch of a country, he had many things that he needed to finish, but he did not hesitate to help her with this kind of trivial thing.
Chen Ning"s heart turned into a soft mess. She looked up and saw that Mo Chuan"s tall as a pine"s back had already reached the door.
She jumped off the couch and ran as fast as she could after him on her barefoot.
"Mo Chuan!"
He suddenly stopped, but he did not turn around.
She ran up to him and hugged his waist from behind. She tightly pressed herself into his back and sincerely said, "Thank you!"
Chapter 437: Evil and stingy
Mo Chuan felt like his acupuncture point had been pressed and he couldn"t move.
He felt two soft arms around his waist and her warm body across his back. He could almost feel her heartbeat. "Dong, dong, dong", beating faster time and time again, just like his heart.
He was silent and said nothing. He wanted to push her away, but couldn"t bare to do so. Would he not be angry anymore with just this? He couldn"t do that either.
Thinking of all he did for her, how could he be satisfied with just a thank you!
Chen Ning looked up and found that Mo Chuan still had not turned around. He was not saying anything and was not moving, so she couldn"t help revealing an evil smile in her eyes.
His qinggong was so high, if he really wanted to leave, how could she catch him? If he wanted to dodge, how could she catch him?
He was waiting for her to admit defeat!
Humph, he really is an evil and stingy fellow.
"Alright, you can go." She let go and moved back a step.
Mo Chuan was stunned. The warm feeling from his back disappeared and his brows couldn"t help filling a trace of annoyance.
She let go just like this?
He had not enjoyed the beautiful feeling of being hugged by her enough and it had suddenly disappeared!
He turned around to see her sparkling eyes, blinking as she stared at him. That pure and innocent look made him surprised.
"So cold." She was standing barefooted on the blue tiled floors. The cold air current blew up and she suddenly gave a shiver.
He looked down and saw her snow white lotus like feet. His face turned dark and his heart filled with anger once again.
This girl actually chased after him barefooted, was she not afraid of getting a cold!
He wasn"t really leaving and was just pretending. How could she be so anxious that she didn"t even put on shoes?
Thought it was unknown why, but while his mind was filled with worry, there was a trace of sweetness that was mixed in.
His long arm reached out and grabbed her legs, lifting her up and walking over towards the couch.
There were only cushions in the temple, but this couch was just sent over by people sent by Su Jin. Of course this was also with Empress Dowager Zhou"s silent agreement.
He put her on the couch and reached out a large palm to grab her feet. A cold and smooth feeling entered his hand, a kind of cold feeling that entered right into his heart.
He did not make a sound, only silently using his own hand to warm up her feet. He was looking down, not looking at her at all.
Under the light, his face was perfect and delicate. Those long lashes were thick and dense, hiding all the emotions that were inside his dark eyes.
Chen Ning"s feet slowly warmed up, but her heart was also feeling warm. She laid back on the couch and looked at him without blinking, admiring his pleasing face.
In the room, not a person talked. There was only the occasional spark that came from the candle.
"This one is doing it for your good." Mo Chuan suddenly spoke with a low and deep voice.
Chen Ning was stunned, but she quickly recovered. Was he talking to himself, or was he explaining why he sent Chu Shao Bai away?
Her blinked her eyes once, but did not say anything.
"This one has sent him on a job that isn"t dangerous, so he will not be hurt. In a few days, he will be back without a hair missing. This one has also sent Zhui Feng along to protect him, you should be a.s.sured with this, right?" Mo Chuan then said.
Chen Ning couldn"t help raising her brows and looking at him.
What did he mean by this?
"This one will be busy over the next few days and may not have time to come see you. If you"re lacking anything, then you can tell Su Jin about it, she will help you take care of them. As for the scriptures you have to copy, this one will sent someone to bring them over for you….."