Talisman Emperor - Chapter Ep

Ep

“Hi, I’m Wu Chuanliu, I’m one of the staff from the capital’s Administrative Council.” The man who was wearing a windbreaker smiled as he took the initiative to introduce himself.

Chen Lan shook his hand and said, “You should be aware of our identities, so let’s cut to the chase. What exactly was all of that?”

Wu Chuanliu smiled and said, “It was just a tiny misunderstanding. I heard Young Master Zhao Zhicheng suffered an accident and was slightly injured during a reunion dinner.”

“Oh, I understand now.” Chen Lan instantly understood that it was actually the Zhao Family that was pulling the strings!

Mu Qing clearly understood it as well, and her beautiful brows couldn’t help but raise as she spoke angrily, “Why are they doing all of this? It was clearly Liang Liang who hit him and not us!”

Wu Chuanliu smiled yet didn’t explain.

Chen Lan shrugged and said, “It’s very simple. The Zhao Family doesn’t dare to offend Liang Liang, so they can only vent their anger on me. I just never expected that they would actually choose Dragon Rise County as the location to act against me, and it was even on new year’s eve…. Looks like the Zhao Family doesn’t intend to let me have a peaceful new year.”

Wu Chuanliu was stunned. He was just about to say something when Chen Lan had taken Mu Qing’s hand, paid the bill, and left the restaurant in the hummer.

Wu Chuanliu shook his head and returned to his seat.

There was an old man seated on the other side of the table, and he was peeling a salted egg in a neither swift nor slow manner. He seemed very carefree.

“Senior Lin, I seem to have said something I shouldn’t have.” Wu Chuanliu thought for a long time before he spoke softly, “I seem to have sown discord between the Zhao Family and Mu Family. It’ll probably cause a huge amount of trouble if those old men from those families are to find out.”

The old man finished eating the egg before he spoke slowly, “Why care about all of that? Liang Liang even lent her hummer to that pair of youths. That’s all we need to know.”

Wu Chuanliu thought for a moment, and then he couldn’t help but arouse admiration as he said, “It’s all thanks to Senior Lin’s guidance or even I wouldn’t have been able to think of that.”

Indeed. The entire conflict had arisen because those police officers intended to arrest Chen Lan and Mu Qing with the excuse that they were using the army’s insignia without authorization. If it was at any other time, then it wouldn’t be a big deal. But it was a big deal right now. Because that was Liang Liang’s personal car, and that specific insignia utilized on it was recorded as A rank throughout the military, Ministry of Defense, and the Imperial Security Bureau. So, how could it possibly be fake?

Under such circumstances, regardless of whether it was the Zhao Family or Mu Family, both of them could blame everything on the insignia. As for who would take the blame in the end, it was definitely those unfortunate souls in police uniform.

So, Wu Chuanliu was able to rest at ease when he thought up to this point.

Senior Lin seemed to have thought of something and sighed. “Wu, my boy, have a little more to eat. We’ll probably be unable to have a proper new year’s eve dinner today.”

Wu Chuanliu was stunned, and then he nodded.

If Chen Lan knew that the reason Wu Chuanliu had helped them deal with the situation had merely been because Wu Chuanliu had recognized the hummer as Liang Liang’s and not because of him or Mu Qing, one could only imagine what he would think.

 
However, it made sense because only a small handful of people in the entire empire knew of his true identity.

…

Dragon Rise Guest House.

Zhao Zhicheng was dressed stylishly as always, but the injuries on his face hadn’t healed completely. So, his face seemed quite swollen, and it spoiled his handsome appearance.

At this moment, he had surprise covering his face, “You’re telling me that the Secretary of the Commission of Politics and Law in this tiny county town stopped them?”

A middle aged man in a suit who was standing at the side said, “Exactly. I made a call to him, and I found out that Secretary Chen received a call from Secretary Wu of the Imperial Administrative Council.”

The Imperial Administrative Council!

Such a title was horrifyingly powerful, and it was absolutely one of the most authoritative councils in the empire. So as the Secretary of such a council, Wu Chuanliu’s identity was simple at all.

At this moment, Zhao Zhicheng couldn’t help but frown, “Was it Mu Qing who asked Wu Chuanliu to lend a hand through the Mu Clan’s networks?”

That was the crux of the matter.

The middle aged man in a suit hesitated for a moment before he said, “It didn’t seem like that. Wu Chuanliu is in Dragon Rise County right now.”

Zhao Zhicheng’s pupils constricted, “What’s he doing here? How could someone of his status come to such a remote place during new year’s eve?”

When he spoke up to this point, Zhao Zhicheng asked, “Do you know what he’s doing here?”

The middle aged man shook his head. He was puzzled as well because he wasn’t even aware of Dragon Rise County’s existence until he came here.

The reason he was here was entirely because Zhao Zhicheng was anxious to take revenge on the young man called Chen Lan, so he had no choice but to follow Zhao Zhicheng here.

In other words, both he and Zhao Zhicheng had only come to Dragon Rise County to teach Chen Lan a lesson. However, he hadn’t imagined that a figure like Wu Chuanliu would actually be at Dragon Rise County as well, and he truly wondered what the reason for it was.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked on the door, and it wasn’t long before a strong black clothed man walked in and said, “Young Master, they’ve left the county, and they seem to be heading to Yellow Millet Village. Moreover, I found out that Chen Lan’s hometown is there.”

Zhao Zhicheng frowned, thought for a moment, and then he spoke with slight annoyance, “This truly puzzles me! Why would Qing’qing fall for a useless bookworm like him, and she’s even going to such a lousy place to spend new year’s eve with him. This is simply… simply beyond comprehension!”

“Young Master, what should we do now?” asked the middle aged man who was wearing a suit.

“Let’s forget Wu Chuanliu for now. We’re following them to Yellow Millet Village as well. Let me see exactly how horrible Chen Lan’s hometown is, and I’ll seize this opportunity to have a talk with his family.” Zhao Zhicheng gritted his teeth.

“Young Master, should we be a little ruthless?” asked the middle aged man.

“No, I’m just going to chat with his parents, and I’ll achieve my goal if I’m able to make them ask their son to leave Mu Qing obediently.” Zhao Zhicheng waved his hand.

“But… what if they refuse?” asked the middle aged man.

“If they refuse?” Zhao Zhicheng laughed with ridicule, “We’ll just toss money at them, of course! Bumpkins like them haven’t experienced the world at all, and they lost money the most. I refuse to believe that it won’t work!” His voice was filled with deep disdain.

 
Zhao Zhicheng immediately led the middle aged man who was wearing a suit and the other strong man out of the guest house, and then they got on a land cruiser and headed to Yellow Millet Village.

…

At the same time, within a motel in Dragon Rise County.

Mu Tianyuan and his wife packed up their luggage, walked out of the motel, got on a black SUV, and then drove off into the distance.

“I hope we won’t be disappointed by the state of that kid’s family.” Mu Tianyuan rubbed his forehead with slight exhaustion as he sat in the car. It was the first time he’d travelled on new year’s eve to such a remote village. Not to mention how arduous the journey was, the key was that his mind was rather heavy.

On one hand, he was worried that his daughter had found a bad match for herself, and on the other hand, he was worried because of the injuries Zhao Zhicheng suffered. The Zhao Family had been constantly pressuring him throughout the last few days, and it made him feel utterly exhausted from dealing with all of this.

“Don’t worry, Liang Liang even lent her hummer to that young man, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” Liu Xiuzhi spoke in a gentle tone.

“Alas, it’s not that I despise the poor and favor the rich, but their living conditions are completely different. How can people who live in two different worlds become united as one? Once they get married, their views on consumption, life, and work would definitely conflict greatly. That’s the greatest misfortune one could suffer during a marriage, and I don’t want Qing’qing to regret her decision.” Mu Tianyuan sighed as he spoke. A daughter was always the most precious child to a father, and he naturally doted on her greatly. So, he was utterly unable to allow his daughter to do as she liked when it came to choosing her husband.

“Why think so much about all of that? We’ll arrive at Yellow Millet Village today, and there’ll naturally be an outcome to all of this once we see the state of his family.” Liu Xiuzhi seemed to be speaking in a relaxed manner, but she was actually rather worried in her heart.

“That’s all we can do.” Mu Tianyuan spoke powerlessly in a soft voice.

Their car left the county town and continued along an extremely muddy and bumpy countryside road. The entire road was extremely rough, and there were no lamp posts at the side of the road, so they were surrounded by complete darkness.

This made Mu Tianyuan feel even worse. After all, it was the new year’s eve. He should have been celebrating happily at home. Never had he imagined that his daughter’s willful decision would exhaust him and his wife to the point they couldn’t even celebrate the new year and even had to suffer a bumpy and muddy journey to a remote village.

…

It wasn’t just Mu Tianyuan and his wife, or just Zhao Zhicheng’s group that were suffering, there was another group.

This group had left even earlier, and they were travelling at high speeds. It was even to the extent that they’d overtaken Chen Lan and Mu Qing who’d left before them.

They were in a total of 9 cars, and every single one of them were black SUVs. If Liang Liang saw these SUVs, she would definitely immediately determine that the tires and performance of these SUVs were even much more superior to her hummer. Not to mention trying to buy them, even Liang Liang found them difficult to obtain.

Wu Chuanliu and Senior Lin were sitting in the same SUV.

“Senior Lin, exactly which influential figure are we going to visit this time?” Wu Chuanliu asked the question that he’d been keeping in his heart until now. All along the way, he’d thought that they were heading to some famous area, but never had he imagined… that they would actually be headed to a remote village. Coupled with Senior Lin’s solemn expression throughout the journey, it made him feel even more curious.”

 
“You’ll understand once we get there. Remember that you can only watch but not speak.” Senior Lin instructed.

Wu Chuanliu nodded. Since he was able to possess his current status, he was naturally no fool. So the more Senior Lin acted in this way, the surer he was that this journey was absolutely not ordinary.

After all, had anyone ever seen all the peak authoritative figures of the entire empire gathering together and setting out on new year’s eve to pay a visit to someone?

Just thinking about it was horrifying.

Suddenly, Wu Chuanliu seemed to have thought of something, but he shook his head right after.

“What’s wrong?” asked Senior Lin.

“It’s nothing. I just suddenly recalled that Mu Qing’s boyfriend seems to have grown up in Yellow Millet Village.”

Senior Lin was stunned, “What a coincidence.”

Wu Chuanliu smiled, “It really is.” However, he hadn’t that Senior Lin seems to have fallen into deep thought.

…

New year’s eve was a day that all houses were brightly illuminated while fireworks reverberated incessantly. It was the most anticipated and celebrated day throughout the year for ordinary folk.

On the other hand, Chen Lan, Mu Qing, Zhao Zhicheng, Mu Tianyuan, Liu Xiuzhi, Senior Lin, and the others, they were quite exhausted instead.

It couldn’t be helped because heavy snow had covered the entire empire, and it had made the road to Yellow Millet Village become extremely rough and muddy.

Young Master Zhou Zhicheng was already annoyed to the point of cursing incessantly, and his curses were more or less filled with his intentions to never step foot on such a damnable place in his entire lifetime….

The road was bumpy, rough, and completely dark. Villages were just like that. They were desolate and were far from being able to be compared to cities.

After travelling for an entire day, Mu Qing who was sitting on the passenger seat beside Chen Lan felt exhausted and sleepy, so she had no choice but to summon up the energy to forcefully stay awake.

Chen Lan noticed it, and he didn’t seem to have done anything, yet a green peach had appeared in his hand. He passed it to her and said, “You’ll feel better after you eat it.”

The green peach was glistening, merely the size of an infant’s fist, and emanated an extremely alluring and refreshing fragrance.

“What sort of peach is this?” Mu Qing had taken it from him and taken a bite as she spoke. It tasted sweet and refreshing, and its juice transformed into a warm flow that swept through her entire body. It was like drinking a bowl of steaming hot soup during the winter, and it instantly refreshed Mu Qing’s spirits. Her exhaustion was completely washed away while vigor filled her entire body. Moreover, her body felt lighter and indescribably comfortable.

“Where… where did you get such a peach?” Mu Qing crunched down on it as she asked curiously. She’d had countless fruits throughout her lifetime, and she even often consumed fruits from outside the empire, yet she’d never seen a fruit that was so miraculous like this green peach.

“I stole it from the abode of a god. It flowers every 3,000 years, bears fruit every 3,000 years, and contains the spirit of the world. Men who consume gain an extended lifespan while women gain eternal youth. The only side effect is that women who consume this fruit will only love me for eternity.” Chen Lan smiled as he joked.

Mu Qing rolled her eyes and said, “Bookworm, you’re really so bad when you’re not being serious! Anyone who falls for you will definitely suffer misfortune for generations.”

“Then why are you suffering misfortune with me?”

“What can I do when I’m so stubborn?”

Chen Lan chuckled.

The interruption of this joke had made Mu Qing forget about asking about the green peach’s origins, and she lazily stretched her slender and delicate body and said, “How long before we get home?”

“Soon,” said Chen Lan.

It really was soon. Another 10 minutes passed before an expanse of lights had lit up in the distance, and it grew brighter and brighter as they approached. It seemed like it had expelled the darkness of the night.

Moreover, they could faintly notice the outline of some buildings in the distance, and they seemed especially striking amidst the pitch black darkness here.

It was a mansion that seemed like a manor, and it covered a rather huge area. Such a mansion was quite rare even in the villages.

There was a limestone path constructed right to it from far away. The surroundings of the mansion were covered in towering trees. At this moment, the area under its roof, its walls, and every single towering tree were covered in strings of red lanterns. They were like winding fire dragons that illuminated this entire place.

The bright red lanterns were high hung above, and they were filled with the aura of celebration. Moreover, they dispersed the darkness brought by the night sky and caused one’s heart to be instantly warmed by the sight of them.

“Hey, this place isn’t bad. This is Yellow Millet Village? Why is there only a single mansion here?” Mu Qing was rather surprised. She’d originally imagined that since Chen Lan lived in a village, then no matter how well off it was, it couldn’t compare to a city at all. Never had she imagined that the mansion she saw was actually so dazzling and indescribably grand.

 
If one was proficient in Feng Shui, one would be able to immediately discern that this was a precious plot of land that embodied the meaning of a rising dragon amidst the violet qi of the east, and it converged the auspicious energy of the heavens. It was normally called the best dragon vein, and it was such outstanding land that ordinary people were utterly unable to enjoy such fortune.

After all, too much fortune was misfortune as well.

Only those with extraordinarily formidable destiny and luck could live here peacefully and be nurtured by it.

“Who told you that others are living at Yellow Millet Village?” Chen Lan smiled, and then he stopped the car at the side and turned off its engine.

“Young Master, you’ve returned.” A figure suddenly appeared like a ghost, and it was an old man with an amiable expression.

“Uncle Yong, I’ll be troubling you with this.” Chen Lan tossed the keys over to the old man.

The old man grinned and said, “Serving you, Young Master, is only right and just. Others can only wish for such an honor.”

Chen Lan couldn’t help but chuckle, and then he pointed at Mu Qing and said, “Uncle Yong, this is my girlfriend, Mu Qing. She has come to celebrate the new year with me.”

The old man was clearly shocked, and it took him quite some time to recover from his shock and hurriedly say, “So it’s Young Master’s partner. Quickly enter the mansion, the seniors are waiting for your return.”

Chen Lan nodded, and then he led Mu Qing towards the brightly illuminated mansion.

At this moment, Mu Qing seemed quite quiet, and she seemed to be digesting all of this. Quite a while passed before she said, “Your family….” She wanted to say something yet didn’t know how to word it.

“Don’t mind all of that. Come meet and wish my parents happy new year first, and then I’ll slowly explain everything to you.” Chen Lan smiled as he took Mu Qing’s hand, and the warmth of his palm caused Mu Qing’s heart to feel warm as well. She stopped thinking about all of it and just walked side by side with Chen Lan into the mansion.

“Young Master Lan actually found a commoner as his companion. The Madam… will probably not allow her to join the family with such ease.” Uncle Yong watched the youths enter the mansion and couldn’t help but shake his head before driving the hummer away.

A short while passed before Uncle Yong walked back here, but he didn’t enter the mansion. He stood before the limestone path and pondered for a moment instead, and then he waved his hand, “Some distant relatives will be visiting later. All of you take care of it. Remember, no cars are allowed to approach 300m of the mansion. Besides that, no one is allowed to take a single step into the mansion without prior approval.”

He turned around and left once he finished speaking.

A group of men and women suddenly appeared here not long after he left, and they waited silently.

All of them were extremely strong and graceful, and their auras were heavy and condensed. They emanated an indescribable aura just by standing casually on the spot.

They seemed like they’d become the guards of the mansion, and they remained solemn and silent.

A wave of the rumbling of car engines resounded from afar, and it wasn’t long before a convoy drove over beneath the night sky. All of them were black SUVs, and they slowly came to a stop before those guards.

A young man jumped off the first SUV and spoke swiftly, “Hello, we’ve come to pay a visit to the master of the mansion. We’ve notified him in advance.”

 
The man in black traditional garments who led the guards spoke in a calm voice, “Please get out of your vehicles and wait here.”

“Get out of our vehicles and wait here?” The young man was clearly stunned and said, “I presume all of you are aware of who is seated within the car, right?”

“We do.” The man said, “However, the orders we received is that all cars must be left 300m away, and no one is allowed to step foot into the mansion without prior approval.”

The young man’s face sank, and he almost thought that he'd misheard them. He said, “Are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure that your master dares to offend the VIP seated within the car?”

The man in traditional garments remained indifferent and didn’t say a word.

“Little Zhou, what’s wrong?” Meanwhile, a short and fat middle aged man got off the car, and his voice was rather sonorous. If any high ranking official of the empire was here, that person would definitely be able to recognize the short and fat middle aged man as the Director of Internal Affairs in the empire, Ma Yunfei. He possessed full authority and responsibility over the emperor’s travel and accommodation. If it were during the previous dynasty, he would be an authoritative figure comparable to the manager of the Imperial Household.

The young man who was addressed as Little Zhou hurriedly moved over and described everything that had occurred.

Ma Yunfei frowned, and then he stepped forward and spoke with a benign expression, “My friends, can you make an exception? We’ve been travelling the entire day, so you can’t make us continue waiting here, right?”

His status allowed him to command great authority and be surrounded like a dazzling star wherever he went, so when had he ever humbled himself like this?

Even though Ma Yunfei didn’t know who exactly they were visiting today, he knew that the arrangements made for this journey were very special, and he couldn’t act rashly no matter what.

“These are the rules, so forgive me for being unable to permit it.” The man in traditional garments answered without providing any room for discussion. It felt quite annoying even for Ma Yunfei to hear, and he felt uncomfortable in his heart. This is just a tiny remote village, so what rules are there? Regardless of how great those rules are, can they compare to the constitution of the empire?

Of course, he only dared to criticize in his heart.

Meanwhile, the VIPs seated within the convoy had gotten off from the car, and they swarmed over. There were at least a few dozen of them.

Amongst these people was the Secretary of the Administrative Council, Wu Chuanliu, the Commander of the Imperial Garrison, Xue Shiheng, the Commander of the First Regime in the Empire, Xiahou Zhong, the Imperial Defense Ministry’s Five-star General, Bai Yongchui, the Director of the State Council, Xiao Zhanyuan, and various others.

These strings of names and titles represented the greatest authority and glory within the entire empire. They were the true influential figures of the empire, and they were the hottest group of high ranking officials. Normally, ordinary people could only see these familiar faces on the news. But at this moment, during this new year’s eve night that was covered in heavy snow, and at this place which seemed like a remote village, all of these influential figures had actually gathered together!

If such a scene were to be witnessed by a reporter, that reporter would definitely go mad. Because it was too inconceivable. After all, one could only wonder who possessed such ability to actually gather all of these influential figures at a remote village on the night of new year’s eve!?

 
However, the inconceivable thing was that it had actually occurred!

At this moment, all of these influential figures were gathered around a dignified and tall figure, and they surrounded him like a host of stars surrounding a bright moon.

That tall figure wore a windbreaker, had a calm expression, and walked with vigorous strides. Even though there was a smile on the corners of his mouth, he emanated an oppressive aura of majesty.

“Brother Ma, what’s going on?” The tall figure smiled.

Ma Yunfei hurriedly ran over and explained softly.

The tall figure was stunned, and then he laughed lightheartedly, “That’s nothing. There’s nothing wrong with waiting for a while.”

As he spoke, he took the initiative to move aside, and then gaze at the brightly illuminated mansion from afar. His expression seemed to be calm, but his heart was actually surging.

The other influential figures of the empire exchanged glances when they witnessed this scene, and then they tacitly moved over and waited silently there.

However, all of them couldn’t avoid feeling puzzled. Why has the emperor insisted on coming to this remote village with the intention of paying a visit to a distinguished guest that the emperor says has come from afar instead of staying in the capital on the night of new year’s eve? This is simply inconceivable.

Such an incident was simply unimaginable to them.

All of these influential figures had been pondering on this all along the way, but they were really unable to figure out which distinguished guest could make the emperor lower himself to such a level.

Now, they’d finally arrived here, yet they were refused entry and asked to wait outside amidst the heavy snow. Moreover, they were extremely tired and worn out from travelling through that bumpy and rough road. Such hardships were something they hadn’t experienced for a very long time.

However, when they saw that even the emperor had willingly accepted all of this, how could they dare to flare-up? So, they could only forcefully endure the discomfort they experienced and wait silently at the side.

Screech!

The ear piercing sound of a car’s tires screeching as it came to a halt resounded from afar, and it drew the attention of many. Someone else is here?At this moment, a black SUV had stopped behind the convoy, and then Mu Tianyuan got off while seeming to be in an exhausted state. He couldn’t endure the discomfort in his belly any longer, and he stood at the side of the road and started vomiting.

Liu Xiuzhi hurriedly went over and patted her husband on the back while heartache covered her face.

“Fuck! We’re finally here!” A short while later, Mu Tianyuan was finally barely able to straighten his body, and he couldn’t help but curse when he recalled how arduous and difficult the journey here was.

“Are you alright?” Liu Xiuzhi passed a cup of warm water to him.

Mu Tianyuan waved his hand and said, “I’m fine.”

He took a large stride forward while he spoke, “That house over there should belong to that kid. Let’s head over. We’ll meet his parents today, speak about everything, and resolve everything. I don’t want to suffer anymore.”

Liu Xiuzhi hurriedly moved forward, and only their driver remained to take care of the car.

“Tianyuan, that little girl, Liang Liang, said that Chen Lan’s background isn’t ordinary. Let’s take a look at the situation first. Don’t do anything stupid.” Liu Xiuzhi reminded him.

“Don’t worry.” Mu Tianyuan took a deep breath and said, “However, but for the sake of our daughter’s happiness, I refuse to just let it be.”

 
Liu Xiuzhi nodded, and then she suddenly noticed that the convoy ahead seemed to be quite familiar. She said, “Tianyuan, look at that convoy. Doesn’t it seem familiar?”

Mu Tianyuan was thinking about the matters that weighed down upon his mind, so he hadn’t noticed all of that. So, only when she pointed it out to him did Mu Tianyuan notice that there were over 10 black SUVs parked ahead, and all of them were specially made models.

His figure instantly stiffened when he sized them up carefully, and then he couldn’t help but rub his eyes. He’d actually thought that he was seeing things.

However, when he confirmed that all of it was true, Mu Tianyuan wasn’t able to maintain his composure any longer, and he gasped repeatedly. What the fuck is going on? Why have all of those sly old foxes gathered here? Don’t they have to celebrate the new year?Mu Tianyuan felt quite dazed.

“Eh, I was wondering who it was. So it’s Brother Mu. What’re you doing here?” Meanwhile, Ma Yunfei had walked over, and he couldn’t help but speak with surprise when he recognized Mu Tianyuan.

“Director Ma.” Mu Tianyuan felt even more surprised, and he hurriedly walked forward and said, “What… what are you doing here?”

Ma Yunfei smiled and said, “Come, let’s not start chatting here. There are even more old friends waiting over there.”

As he spoke, Ma Yunfei turned around and led the way.

Mu Tianyuan exchanged glances with his wife, and he faintly understood what Liang Liang meant. Compared to the exhaustion he felt right now, his mind was filled with various other things.

Both of them followed Ma Yunfei. When they arrived at the front of the convoy and noticed all those influential figures who possessed extremely high rankings in the empire, Mu Tianyuan and Liu Xiuzhi couldn’t help but gasp, and they unconsciously became slightly reserved.

Moreover, when they noticed the tall and dignified leader who led the group, Mu Tianyuan and Liu Xiuzhi were completely speechless. They just stared at that figure while unprecedented shock surged within their hearts. Even… even… even the emperor himself has come here?

Meanwhile, Ma Yunfei spoke a few words by the emperor’s ears, and then the emperor turned around and smiled as he gestured at Mu Tianyuan.

Mu Tianyuan shuddered, and then he hurriedly moved forward, “Your Majesty.”

“There’s no need for that while we’re outside the capital. Tianyuan, what’re you doing here so late at night?” asked the emperor in a curious tone.

“Err.” Mu Tianyuan hesitated for a moment, and then he told the emperor the true story.

“You’re saying that… your daughter is with a kid from Yellow Millet Village?” The emperor grew even more curious, and then he said with an interested tone, “So, you’ve come to propose their marriage?”

Mu Tianyuan smiled bitterly, “To be honest, I’m worried that little girl of mine would be tricked, and I’ve constantly been against their relationship. So, I couldn’t help but come here myself to have a look at that young man’s background.”

In an instant, the emperor came to a complete understanding, and then he revealed a thought provoking smile as he said, “Alas, your perception is even inferior to your daughter. It’s best if you pay less attention to that. Come see me after you return to the capital. I’m very interested in this marriage of your daughter’s.”

“Of course, of course.” Mu Tianyuan nodded repeatedly while his mind was in quite a mess. He’d faintly discerned what the emperor had implied, but he wasn’t able to say for sure. So he was quite perturbed in his heart.

 
“Right, Your Majesty, why haven’t you headed in?” Mu Tianyuan suddenly realized this and couldn’t help but inquire about it.

“I’m waiting to offer my well wishes.” The emperor spoke casually in a composed manner.

“You’re waiting here to offer your well wishes?” Mu Tianyuan was dumbstruck, and he felt that the wisdom he possessed was far from sufficient to process this.

Ma Yunfei explained softly from the side, and then Mu Tianyuan finally came to an understanding. However, he grew even more surprised when he found out about all of it. The rules of just a village were actually able to make the emperor and all these influential figures dare not take a step forward?

What exactly is that little fellow’s background? Could he be even more noble than the royal family of the empire? Mu Tianyuan was shocked by his thoughts. As he recalled the conversation with Chen Lan during the reunion dinner and how he’d objected to their relationship, Mu Tianyuan’s emotions were extremely complicated, and his thoughts were in slight disorder.

Meanwhile, a wave of clamorous noise suddenly resounded from the back of the convoy.

“What sort of shitty place is this? It was so bumpy that I almost vomited. I would never come to such a fucking place if it weren’t for Qing’qing.”

“Young Master, the situation seems to be slightly off.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Look at those cars.”

“Isn’t it just a bunch of cars? The amount of cars here can only prove that the kid's family isn’t as poor as we imagined.”

“No, look over here.”

“There’s no need for that. Come with me to that kid’s house first. I can’t take this anymore. I’m definitely going to make that kid’s parents retreat in the face of difficulties!”

Zhao Zhicheng cursed as he walked over with the two other men. He saw the group of figures gathered at the side yet paid no attention to them, and he just walked over and shouted. “Move aside, all of you move aside.”

All of those influential figures of the empire were stunned. What an arrogant kid!

Some even recognized Zhao Zhicheng, and they instantly frowned. What’s this kid from the Zhao Family doing here? Moreover, he’s even coming over in such a threatening and arrogant manner. Has he come here to seek revenge?

If it were at any other time, Zhao Zhicheng would have been able to rely on his perception to notice that the atmosphere was off. However, he was truly too exasperated today. He’d been travelling through that pitch black, rough, and bumpy roar for two hours, and it had almost turned his stomach inside out. So, how could he be bothered about everything else? Coupled with the fact that this area was quite dark, he hadn’t been able to distinguish their appearance at all, so he just strode forward all the way.

“Stop right there! What a rude fellow! Which family are you from?” One of them couldn’t bear the sight of this any longer and berated.

“Who the fuck….” Zhao Zhicheng was instantly infuriated when he heard someone from a tiny village had dared to berate him, and he immediately started cursing. However, he’d merely spoken halfway when he was stunned on the spot, “Uncle Xue! What… what are you doing here?”

That person who spoke was the Commander of the Imperial Garrison, Xue Shiheng. He didn’t speak a single word when he heard Zhao Zhicheng, and he just gazed coldly at Zhao Zhicheng to the point the latter broke out in cold sweat.

 
At this moment, his mind had suddenly cleared up, and he realized that the situation here wasn’t normal. After that, he gazed at the other figures here, and then he instantly seemed as if he’d been struck by lightning and his mouth opened wide as if he was being choked.

What… what’s going on? Why have all of these seniors come to a village on new year’s eve? Zhao Zhicheng was horrified, and it was especially so when he noticed that dignified and tall figure who was at the center of the group. It terrified him to the point he almost slumped down to the ground, and a wisp of indescribable horror surged from within his heart.

He recalled his impudent actions from before, and he wished for nothing more than to slap himself while extreme regret surged within him.

“Who’s that little fellow?” The emperor glanced at Zhao Zhicheng.

“He’s Lieutenant General Zhao Pingbo’s son. He’s usually quite smart, but he seems to be acting quite foolishly today.” Ma Yunfei hurriedly explained.

The emperor nodded, and then he turned his gaze away and didn’t say another word.

However, Zhao Zhicheng was instantly horrified when he witnessed this scene, and his entire body felt cold as if he’d fallen into an icy pit. How could he have imagined that he would actually encounter the most powerful group of people throughout the empire at such a village?

This minor farce passed quickly. The influential figures here couldn’t be bothered to pay any attention to Zhao Zhicheng, so they naturally wouldn’t take his offence seriously. However, one couldn’t say for sure whether they would tell Zhao Pingbo about it once they returned to the capital. In the way… the consequences would be obvious.

Mu Tianyuan and his wife witnessed all of this, and complicated emotions filled their hearts while they felt dazed. They’d really looked favorably upon the union between Zhao Zhicheng and Mu Qing in the past, but they’d abandoned such thoughts when they witnessed this scene.

Because Zhao Zhicheng’s seemingly impudent actions had caused him to leave a bad impression in the hearts of all those influential figures, so his future was worrying.

Uncle Yong’s figure suddenly approached from the limestone path, and he said, “Thank you for waiting. Please come with me.”

As he spoke, Uncle Yong waved his hands to order the guards to withdraw from here, and then he turned around and walked towards the mansion.

“Come, let’s go with him. Remember that you absolutely must take care of your manners and etiquette.” At this moment, the emperor revealed a solemn and serious expression as he took a deep breath and walked over behind Uncle Yong.

The other influential figures of the empire grew even more serious when they witnessed this scene, and their expressions became solemn as they followed Uncle Yong. From the beginning until the end, no one paid any attention to Zhao Zhicheng.

Mu Tianyuan and his wife acted as if they were avoiding the plague as well, and they followed closely behind the group.

“What… what exactly is going on?” Zhao Zhicheng’s mind was in chaos after he witnessed this scene.

He was sure that the mansion in the distance should be Chen Lan’s home. But…. Why have all of these influential and authoritative figures come here tonight? Moreover, even the emperor himself has come here?

He couldn’t figure it out.

The middle aged man who wore a suit asked, “Young Master, what should we do now?”

“Since we’ve come, then let’s go over and have a look as well. Let’s see if we can turn the situation around.” Zhao Zhicheng sighed as he followed the group like a walking corpse.

…

The mansion was brightly illuminated, and the ground was covered in a red carpet. All the furniture and decorations seemed to be antiques, and they were elegant and extraordinary.

At this moment, a man and a woman were seated upright in the hall. The man was handsome and calm while the woman was beautiful and dignified. There was a group of old and young by their side.

Amongst them was Chen Lan and Mu Qing who were standing behind the man and woman.

When the emperor led the group into the hall and saw the man and woman seated at the seats of the host, his entire body shook, and he actually knelt on the ground as he said, “Big Sister, Brother-in-law!”

All the influential figures of the empire were dumbstruck. The emperor actually knelt down!!Even though the empire still maintained many traditions from the previous dynasty, it had been developed greatly. It was completely like a modern society, and the act of kneeling down and kowtowing wasn’t prevalent any longer.

Yet now, the emperor had knelt down!

This was too shocking. If reporters were to have snapped a picture of this, then it would definitely shock the entire empire and even the entire world!

 
Zhao Zhicheng who’d just arrived outside the hall just happened to witness this scene, and he was instantly shocked to the point of crying out involuntarily while horror filled his heart.

After an unknown period passed, Zhao Zhicheng finally recovered from his shock, but he didn’t walk into the hall and walked over to a corner of the mansion inside. He took a few deep breaths before withdrawing his handphone with shaky hands, and he dialed his father’s number.

“Hey, father.”

“What is it?”

“I just… I just saw…. I… I’ve made a mistake.” Gloominess covered Zhao Zhicheng’s face, and he seemed as if he’d lost his soul.

“What exactly happened?”

Zhao Zhicheng took numerous deep breaths for a long time before he spoke bitterly and described everything that had just occurred.

The person on the other side of the call fell silent for a long time before speaking once more, “It was you who made the mistake. Don’t come back if you can’t make amends!”

The call was cut right after.

Zhao Zhicheng was instantly stunned on the spot, and he felt the world was crumbling down around him.

…

After the emperor and the others finished conveying their new year wishes, they left hastily beneath the veil of the night. Only when they were on the way did the emperor give the other officials a short explanation.

It turned out that Yellow Millet Village or ‘黄粱村’ was phonetically similar to the words ‘Royal Liang’ or ‘皇梁’, and it was where the Royal Liang Family had originated from.

In other words, that mansion was where the royal family’s bloodline had started!

At this moment, all the officials finally came to a slight understanding. However, they were still shocked in their hearts, and they wondered who that big sister and brother-in-law of the emperor were!

Moreover, they wondered why that brother-in-law of the emperor seemed even more revered and respected!

The emperor didn’t reveal the answer to this, and it was even to the extent that it was his first time meeting that brother-in-law of his. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so anxious and hastily rushed over here without even celebrating new year’s eve just to pay his respects.

…

Yellow Millet Village. Within the Liang Family Mansion.

Mu Tianyuan and his wife had stayed behind, but they seemed very ill at ease.

Especially when they faced Chen Lan’s parents right now. They actually felt pressure that caused them to be unable to catch their breaths. After all, they’d watched with their own two eyes as the emperor knelt to them just moments ago….

“Since Lan’er and Miss Mu Qing like each other, then I, his father, would naturally not obstruct their relationship. However, our Chen Clan is slightly special, so please be more understanding in the future.” Chen Xi smiled as he took a sip of tea. With his current status, he would naturally not do something like splitting the young couple. Regardless of what sort of girl his son fell for, he wouldn’t stop them so long as they liked each other.

“Of course, of course.” Mu Tianyuan nodded repeatedly.

“There’s no need to feel ill at ease. We’ll be a family in the future, so just treat it as a casual chat with your family,” said Liang Bing before she started engaging Liu Xiuzhi in conversation.

Chen Xi withdrew a bottle of wine instead, and he started drinking with Mu Tianyuan.

 
Chen Lan pulled Mu Qing away and left the room when he noticed that there was nothing left for him to do.

“Hey, your parents look really like ancient people. Especially your father, he’s even wearing green robes and has hair that reaches down to his shoulders. He really seems so much more elegant and unrestrained than a bookworm like you.” Mu Qing’s eyes glistened with excitement. She’d never imagined that her parents had actually come here as well. Moreover, they’d changed their attitude and stopped standing in the way of her relationship with Chen Lan.

“My father… is very unrestrained indeed.” Chen Lan sighed. However, he hadn’t told her that his father wasn’t just unrestrained, his father was simply talented in romance to a point that he could look down proudly upon the world. Of course, according to his father, his father was always the person that was being pursued….

“Right, your mother is actually a distantly related older sister of the emperor? Why didn’t you tell me about this in the past?

“Besides that, all of the servants of your family seem so extraordinary. They’re simply like a group of gods.

“Right, you said that you have a few older brothers and an older sister? Where are they? Why aren’t they here to celebrate the new year?”

Mu Qing was like a curious child that asked questions in succession.

Chen Lan instantly laughed bitterly. He’d expected such a situation to arise, but he hadn’t expected it to arrive so quickly.

“I can tell you with absolute certainty that even I didn’t know that the emperor was my mother’s distantly related younger brother. As for those servants, they are gods. Besides that, my older brothers and older sister aren’t here. But I’ll take you to see them in the future.” Chen Lan explained patiently.

These two youths just continued talking and talking with each other, and dawn had arrived before they’d even realized it.

When dawn arrived, Mu Qing suddenly realized that what Chen Lan had said during the reunion dinner that night was true, they really were people of two different worlds.

Fortunately, Chen Lan had come into her world now, and that was all that mattered to her.

On the other hand, Mu Tianyuan and his wife had realized the exact same thing when they left Yellow Millet Village. Their daughter and Chen Lan... really were people of two completely different worlds. But now, they had to be worried about whether their daughter would suffer any injustice once she was married to Chen Lan….

This was what being a parent was like. All their thoughts revolved around the well-being of their children. Perhaps they would do some things which their children disliked, but it was always done with good intentions.

The night of new year’s eve came to an end just like that.

The End.