MRE – Chapter 19

Chapter 19

 

“Your Highness, are you okay?” Youwen worriedly asked.

 

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” Xiao Zhan said while busy studying about the empire’s affairs. He decided to study it, just in case he needed it, he should at least know what the current affairs of the empire are.

 

“You looked stress and busy for the last few days, you should rest properly.”

 

“Why do I look ugly now?” Xiao Zhan jokingly said.

 

“No! No, I mean, of course not, you’re still beautiful, that will never change,” Youwen said with a hint of blush with his face.

 

“Hahaha I’m just kidding, thank you Youwen.”

 

“I tol you I will always protect and support you.”

 

 

For the last few days Xiao Zhan has been studying the current affairs and secretly spying on the Wen Clan with the help of Wen Qing, he cannot let Youwen knows, it’s not because he doesn’t trust him, but he is still in coalition with the Wen Clan, and he already knew about Wen Ning. It might also put him at risk, and he is still Wei Wuxian’s friend, and he knew how sincere his feelings with Wei Wuxian.

 

Every night he asks for Wen Ning’s help, of course with Wen Qing’s knowledge. They have discovered that the Wen Clan has been dumping bodies to the Dafan Mountains from their experimentation of using the Yin Iron and use them as a fierce corpse. Xiao Zhan has been eliminating these fierce corpses for the last days, that is why he is trying to convert his attention to the affairs to avoid interacting too much in people because of his temperament due to the demonic cultivation.

 

However, he was really exhausting himself and the emperor didn’t even ask for his audience. No, he thought, the emperor is busy with his plan as well and maybe spending his time with Xiao Xingchen. Ever since he used Chenqing these fast few days, he has been emotional and feeling hot, he wanted to drink some alcohol.

 

Xiao Zhan snuck out in the palace kitchen to look for some alcohol, thankfully he hid some of it the kitchen without Wen Qing’s knowledge because she will throw it away, but before he could reach his palace, someone from the dark grabbed his wrist.

 

“Waaah! You mother fuc!!!!”

 

“Mother fu—what? Oh, I’m sorry to startle you My Empress, I just saw you without any attendant or guard, I’m just worried,” Lan Zhan said.

 

“Aiya! You scared me!”

 

“I’m sorry, but why are you here? Lan Zhan asked.

 

“i-I just got something in the kitchen,” Xiao Zhan said as he hides the Emperor Smile behind him.

 

Lan Zhan subtly smiles because the empress looks cute hiding that beverage, he decided to invite him in his pavilion hoping that the empress will agree with his invitation. Thankfully, Xiao Zhan agrees with it, he wanted some companion as well while drinking. The two started drinking without talking to each other but somehow, they are quite comfortable with the silence. Lan Zhan gets his guqin and starts playing his favorite song. It was a melody that was familiar to Xiao Zhan so he tried to play it whenever he wanted to relax and wanted to calm Wen Ning as well.

 

“This melody is really familiar, I cannot remove it I my head, but still now I don’t know what’s the title of is, aiyo, I’m getting dizzy, aiyoo,” Xiao Zhan said.

“The title of this song is —” Lan Zhan said but as the time goes by Xiao Zhan’s consciousness has been fading away and was not able to hear what Lan Zhan was was saying all he could hear is a sweet good night from the emperor and a gently kiss on his forehead.

 

 

Wen Qing has been double spying the Wen Rouhan for the past few days, of course she cannot forgive what Wen Chao did to her only brother, so she decided to double spy for the empress. Also, Wen Rouhan has threatened her if she will not report about the empress. Wen Qing is quite useful to the clan due to her medical knowledge, but she despises them.

 

However, Wen Rouhan has been hiding their secret plans as well, evident that the prime minister didn’t fully trust her. After reporting for the few days, she’s also sneaking around with the help of Youwen as well, by doing this she discovered the plan of the Wen Clan during the upcoming celebration of the late kind’s birthday and with this she needs to report it to the emperor and the empress as soon as possible.

 

Wen Qing hurriedly ran towards the emperor’s palace to inform him since it was directly related to it and afraid that the empress might ask her to not to mention it to the emperor and tried to intervene it by himself.

 

“Your Majesty, can I talk to you for a moment, this is just a very important matter,” Wen Qing asked for permission.

 

“Go ahead,” Lan Zhan gives his permission and Lan Xichen lets her in.

 

“Your Majesty, I know this is so sudden but tomorrow during the celebration the Wen clan are planning to do something horrible to you,” Wen Qing said and informed them about what she heard from the Wen clan and their plan.

 

 

“Thank you for your concern, Wen Qing,” Lan Zhan said.

 

“Aren’t you worried Your Majesty?!” Wen Qing asked.

 

“Please, do not say it to the empress.”

 

“But, they are planning to kill you, Your Majesty! You know I only swear my loyalty to the empress but if your die, he will surely, you know what he feels for you!” Wen Qing trying to reason out, she still thought that the empress is still madly inlove with the emperor, so she is afraid that the empress might sacrifice himself again, yes again, like what he did in the Xuanwu cave.

 

“I hope that’s the case,” Lan Zhan mumbles and remembered how the empress rejected her after he confessed.

 

“Your Majesty, I have to tell you something, it is about your kidnapping case before,” Wen Qing said, this is her last resort to convince the emperor not to attend the celebration tomorrow to save himself.

 

“Did you know anything about it?! Speak,” Lan Zhan said and asked Lan Xichen to wait outside to have privacy.

 

“It was not Xiao Xingchen who saved you, but the empress asked me not to tell you this,” Wen Qing said but Lan Zhan is already aware of this.

 

“Mn, I know, Xingchen told me a few days ago.”

 

“Is that so, I guess he can no longer kept it in, that time, when your father was still the king, the prime minister kidnapped you to assassinate the late king and make you a puppet king, like what he did. But during that time, I know you already knew it was him, they wanted to permanently disable you that is why they destroy your golden core. But it was too painful for your and you are almost half alive after all those tortures, and that’s when he come crying and trying to protect you in front of the prime minister, that’s when he also makes a contract with the prime minister in exchange of your life. Did you know one of the reasons why the prime minister believes that you are a puppet king and can only do a low based cultivation? That’s because he always thought that they have permanently damaged your golden core and remain powerless. But after the empress made a contract with the prime minister, they left you in the cave and the empress begged me to heal you,” Wen Qing explained.

 

“H-heal me? Did you repair my golden core?! Is that possible?” Lan Zhan asked.

 

“Of course not, Your Majesty, that’s entirely impossible.”

 

“Then how?”

 

“The empress,” Wen Qing hesitantly said.

 

“What about him, w-what did he do?”

 

“He gave, he gave his golden core, and the transferring took whole two days.”

 

“Wh-what? H-he’s awake?” Lan Zhan asked while stuttering, he can feel the chill all throughout his body when learned the truth, it seems that the words are still trying to sink in and he added, “Was he in pain?”

 

“He was awake during the two days, Your Majesty,” Wen Qing said, and Lan Zhan suddenly limped on his chair, he doesn’t know what to say, is that the reason why the empress told him that the way he can survive is to use the demonic cultivation?

 

Lan Zhan read before that to use demonic cultivation, one must lose his golden core and replace it using the demonic cultivation since a body can only handle one medium for the cultivation power. Maybe that is also the reason why he is no longer using his sword Suibian, so it was all his fault and he selfishly despised him all this time despite being in love with him since they were students, even denying his feeling for him.

 

“So Your Majesty, please do not waste your life nor let them damage again your core, please do something about it, if not I will inform the empress,” Wen Qing threatened, but of course she will not do that, the empress is like the emperor, they tend to sacrifice themselves for each other.

 

 

“No Wen Qing, I need you to be quiet for a while.”

 

“But the Wen Clan will—” but before she could finish Lan Zhan made her fall asleep and asked Lan Xichen to hide her first in one of the rooms and let her go tomorrow during the celebration.  That day, Lan Zhan promised that he would finish everything and asked for the empress’ hand once again. He wanted to talk to him, but he needed to focus, and destroy the Wen Clan.

 

The day of the late king’s birthday has arrived, and this may sound strange, but they are still celebrating it, of course just for formality. The emperor and the empress greeted the whole council before the celebration started and after them Wen Rouhan also gave him his speech and finished with.

 

“Everyone, let us enjoy the feast for our late king!”

 

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