Chapter 360

Chapter 360 – The Onsets of Doubt (1)

Ye Zhen arrived at Cining Palace to accompany and chat with the empress dowager. When Mo Rongzhan came in, she didn’t even want to spare him a glance. She wouldn’t play Go with him hereon. She thought he treated her as a younger sister. Now, it seems that this bastard was still the same as before, harboring ulterior motives.

Mo Rongzhan knew she was angry, so he didn’t stay for too long. He made to leave soon after greeting his mother. But before he left, the empress dowager told him to go to Xianfei Xu.

He agreed and snuck a peek at Ye Zhen. Seeing how she had lowered her eyes, refusing to even look at him, he felt a tinge of bitterness in his heart.

When Mo Rongzhan left, the empress dowager asked Ye Zhen, “Yaoyao, what happened to you and the emperor? Did he do something to make you upset?”

The empress dowager knew her son’s intentions towards Ye Zhen, and considered trying to not let them be alone. After all, Lu Yaoyao had already become a princess, but she couldn’t be too obvious lest she attract suspicion towards herself.

Today, when she heard that the two were playing Go, she felt gratified and thought that the emperor had finally put aside those intentions. Now, looking at Lu Yaoyao’s countenance, it seemed that something had happened.

Ye Zhen naturally knew that she couldn’t tell the empress dowager the real reason. Between her and Mo Rongzhan, he would be the one to be favored. She leaned toward the empress dowager. “Imperial Mother, Brother Emperor is very bad, I don’t want to talk to him anymore.”

“What happened?” Although the girl said so, the empress dowager felt her expression said otherwise.

“Today, he told me that I can go to the Library Pagoda as long as I solve the endgame. I solved it, but he said that I can only go in to read books for one day. Imperial Mother, he didn’t say at the beginning that it would be just for one day!”

The empress dowager immediately burst into a hearty laughter. “Didn’t he say just one day when he played Go with you the other time?”

“The last time was the last time, but he didn’t say it today.” Ye Zhen harrumphed emphatically. “I won’t play Go with him anymore. He cheated.”

“Aijia will take care of the scoundrel who acts shamelessly about his words. Do you still want to read books in the Library Pagoda for several days? No man is this foolish. Just go and see it next time. ”

Ye Zhen thought that she didn’t want to play Go with Mo Rongzhan anyway, and probably wouldn’t have a chance to go to the Library Pagoda. “Imperial Mother, what about  Brother Emperor?”

The empress dowager smiled and nodded her head. “Aijia shall take care of it for your own good!”

After chatting and laughing with the empress dowager for a while, she ate the fish maw soup the empress dowager had asked the imperial kitchen to prepare for her. Then, she finally returned to her chambers to rest.

Thinking back to Mo Rongzhan’s eyes that looked at her, she was afraid. How could she have forgotten how dangerous he was only after a few days?

Ye Zhen was lying on her bed thinking she didn’t know as to when to retaliate against Mo Rongzhan. For now, she needed to be with Mo Rongyi as he grew up. From now on, she would teach the little prince how to win people’s hearts and how to make the aristocratic families in the capital loyal to him. Mo Rongzhan had a group of confidants to accompany him. Mo Rongyi also needed a group of loyal and reliable supporters.

Mo Rongyi also needed to be taught how to rule a country. Now, Mo Rongzhan certainly wouldn’t ask a teacher to teach him these things. If she wanted to teach him, she had to do without leaving a trace, she couldn’t afford being found out.

Also, this was the best way for her to get rid of her hatred. She didn’t want the people of Jin to be ruled by a fatuous monarch while she didn’t want to see Mo Rongzhan sit in that high position either. She had to support the little prince and let Mo Rongzhan taste the pain of betrayal. Then she would drop everything and leave. Of course, the premise was that Lu Lingzhi and his sister would also meet retribution.

Imagining the future, Yee Zhen’s lips lifted into a smile, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

In the dead of the night, Mo Rongzhan appeared beside her bed again. Embracing her, he kissed her for a long time and then reluctantly let her go.

Brother Emperor… Mo Rongzhan never thought these two words would sound so harsh.

“Yaoyao, zhen wants your heart, so I am willing to give you time.” Mo Rongzhan’s husky voice drifted to her ear. Anointing her a princess had also been a ruse to ease her psychological defense.

Ye Zhen slept sweetly and didn’t hear Mo Rongzhan’s whisper at all.

Mo Rongzhan nibbled and sucked her lips for a moment longer before lying down beside her for a nap. After a while, knowing that it would be the third night watch* soon, he got up reluctantly to return to his chambers.

[*Ancient Chinese time-keeping method: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_timekeeping ]