By the time they reached Danyang City, his body still hadn't fully recovered.
Like a fierce hound that had its fangs pulled out, he looked listless and stopped talking to Duguxuan Yue.
However, they had already agreed to go their separate ways in Danyang City.
They chose to return on their own. Duguxuan Yue would arrive at the palace ahead of time, while Huo Wei would claim to be ill and return to the Prince's Mansion in the imperial capital later.
Not long after Duguxuan Yue and her entourage left, Huo Wei lay in bed, recalling the scene in the small courtyard room in Nanchu Town. His face flushed and his blood boiled.
The sight of her naked body moving towards him kept replaying in his mind. It was truly maddening.
Just half a moment later, he found that his body had fully recovered, and his lower body was as tense as a tightly drawn bowstring.
Huo Wei sprang out of bed, put on his clothes, and rushed out. He went to Shen Guilan and Murong Jue's room and gave them a good beating.
Murong Jue said aggrievedly, "Brother, I did it for your own good. Just think about it in your heart. Don't cross the line."
Shen Guilan rubbed his cheekbone with an egg and said in pain, "Huo A'man, I'm doing this for your own good. Once you form this bond with the queen, you'll surely go crazy when you part ways in the future.
The two of you should stop here. It's enough that you can help each other in the court."
Huo Wei glared at Shen Guilan with his fierce black eyes and didn't bother to argue further. It was as if he and Duguxuan Yue were doomed to be fated but not meant to be together.
After venting his anger, he sat in front of a wide chair and arrogantly placed one foot on the edge of the chair. "A Jue, do you want to be the crown prince?"
Murong Jue answered without hesitation, "No."
Huo Wei looked at him seriously with his black eyes and told Murong Jue all about Murong Min's plan for Danyang City.
Murong Jue stood there stunned and said in disbelief,
"My... My father is not such a person. He has always been kind and benevolent. He is gentle to his subjects and lenient to sinners. How could he use the lives of the people in a city to disrupt Nanchu?"
Shen Guilan patted him on the shoulder. "We all know about this, including your brother Huo Wei and the queen.
We didn't tell you because we thought this was too cruel. The real face of your father, whom you've always been proud of, is like this.
A Jue, we're like brothers who have gone through life and death together. We won't lie to you. You can figure it out for yourself."
Huo Wei said on the side, "When I first came to Danyang City, the troops and supplies your father gave me were a clear indication of this."
He took out the fake topographic map he had collected on the border of Nanchu.
"My original purpose of coming to Danyang City was not to rescue the people at all. It was to sneak into the border of Nanchu to investigate the defense and terrain of the Nanchu army."
Murong Jue took the things and looked at them. He said blankly, "Then why did you still choose to save the people?
If this is really my father's plan, then you'll be in danger when you go back. Father will surely not let you go."
Huo Wei smiled coldly. "Yes, he won't let me go, but I don't regret my decision.
The common people of Beiyan shouldn't die because of your father's greedy desire for conquest. They're too innocent.
However, the tragedy won't end here. This time it's a plague. Next time, we don't know what it will be. If we want to resist, only if you step forward will we have hope."
There was a bit of passion and responsibility on Murong Jue's young and innocent face.
His father had been scheming to seize the Nanchu throne, but he used the lives of his own people to achieve his goal. Murong Jue was somewhat ashamed of this.
The group talked all night. Murong Jue's heart was wavering, but he knew that if he didn't stand up this time,
Once Huo Wei returned, his father would surely blame him for not following the imperial edict and allowing Danyang City to be saved.
However, Danyang City was the result of the efforts of all of them, including the queen. He didn't think he and the others had done anything wrong.
Huo Wei and Shen Guilan stayed in the city for a few more days. After handling the aftermath, they left the follow - up matters in Danyang City to the local officials to deal with slowly.
The group packed up and galloped back to the imperial capital of Beiyan on horseback.
Murong Jue and his entourage entered the palace and reported the plague in Danyang City to the emperor. They also told their father that Huo Wei was seriously ill and couldn't get out of bed. The cause was unknown, and he was being treated.
Duguxuan Yue had been back in the palace for some time. On the third day after her return, she pretended to be seriously ill, suffering from nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea due to "acclimatization". She always looked drowsy and pretended to be in pain.
Murong Min was annoyed to see her constantly nauseous and vomiting, so he returned to his Zichen Hall and told the queen to report to him after she recovered.
When Duguxuan Yue heard that Murong Jue had returned, she thought the time was right.
So she put on a light - colored, plain phoenix robe with dark patterns. She applied a lot of white powder on her pink lips, which looked healthy, making her look even more haggard at first glance.
When she arrived at the Zichen Hall, she saw Murong Jue and his mother, Concubine Wei, in the hall, talking about the situation in Danyang City.
Duguxuan Yue stepped forward. With a tired look in her eyes, she said,
"I was really useless during this trip to Danyang City. It was all thanks to the Third Prince who fought on the front line and took on many matters. He handled everything personally, which saved the people in the whole city.
Your Majesty, you should reward the Third Prince well."
Concubine Wei's eyes almost popped out. She thought the sun was rising from the west. The queen was actually praising her son. It was really strange.
She also smiled and echoed, "Oh, Your Majesty the Queen, you're overpraising. I know my son well. He's very playful."
Murong Min narrowed his eyes. "Who allowed you to go to Danyang City? No one informed me. You've been running around all day. Do you know how dangerous Danyang City was?"
Murong Jue said, "Father, I'm a prince of Beiyan. I was born with the responsibility of defending the territory and protecting the people. These are things I should do."
Murong Min's plan had been disrupted, but this was his own son, who was dedicated to the country and the people. He couldn't find many words to scold him.
He originally thought it was Huo Wei who was causing trouble, but unexpectedly, it was his own prince who had done this.
Concubine Wei said with emotion, "Your Majesty, our prince has grown up."
However, Murong Min shifted his gaze to Duguxuan Yue. His deep, unfathomable eyes showed no emotion, and his tone was calm as he said,
"Queen, I sent people to pick you up personally, but unexpectedly, all the people I sent died. Those bandits seem to be quite extraordinary."
Duguxuan Yue was stunned for a moment. She knew that this trouble would eventually come to her.
She blinked innocently and squeezed out some tears.
"Yes, those bandits are said to be powerful outlaws lurking nearby. Fortunately, the Prince of Yuzhang arrived in time to rescue me, and he was also injured. I heard that he fell ill in the palace a few days ago."
Murong Min scrutinized her with his eyes. "Is that really so?"