Huo Wei shook off her wrist and said coldly, "The Empress of Southern Chu pays a private visit to the territory of our Northern Yan. So, are you here to spy on our military and people's livelihood?"
Du Gu Luanyue pursed her lips and said, "Then I'll leave today."
Huo Wei let out a cold snort. "Leave? Do you think you can come and go as you please?"
She looked up at Huo Wei's cold expression. Deep in her heart, she knew that Huo Wei hated her. His lowered black eyes were already filled with rage.
Du Gu Luanyue was silent for a while before saying, "I need to go back and prepare for my mother's birthday banquet."
Shen Guilan wrapped up the treasure and walked over. "It's just right. We're going the same way. Let's go together."
Huo Wei glared at him with his black eyes. "..."
Shen Guilan even handed the clam spirit to Aunt Mei Jiang. "Anyway, it's a gift for your Empress Dowager of Southern Chu. You can take it yourself."
Huo Wei: "..."
Aunt Mei Jiang smiled. "This is really embarrassing. If we had known, our Empress wouldn't have bid for it. It has cost His Majesty of Northern Yan so much."
Huo Wei's voice came slowly and steadily. "Shen Guilan, this sum of money will be deducted from your salary as the prime minister."
Shen Guilan: "???"
He was extremely angry. He would have to work for Huo Wei for twenty years for free.
Originally, Du Gu Luanyue didn't resist traveling to Southern Chu together. But with the two children, she refused.
These children were the apple of the Empress Dowager of Southern Chu's eye. If Huo Wei really tried to take them away, her mother would put on armor herself and attack Northern Yan to get her grandchildren back.
"There's no need to travel together. Let's go separately. I'll wait for the two of you in the Southern Chu Palace."
Hearing this, Huo Wei's already cold heart cracked a little more. "I'm going back to the palace. Prime Minister Shen can go by himself."
...
Shoukang Palace, Southern Chu Palace
The Empress Dowager Zhao Minghua hadn't seen her two lovely grandchildren for a long time. Today, they finally returned.
However, she knew that her daughter had always been in love with Huo Wei and was deeply infatuated. But as an empress, she couldn't cry and make a scene all day long and abandon everything to go to Huo Wei.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have named her eldest son Xie against the opposition of the entire clan and started to pay homage to the ancestors of the Xie family in Danyang City last year.
As soon as Du Gu Luanyue sat down, she asked, "Mother, how come I didn't know at all that the Emperor of Northern Yan and the prime minister are coming to Southern Chu?"
Zhao Minghua hugged and rubbed the little princess's face and said with a smile, "Isn't it to get one more gift?"
Du Gu Luanyue gave her a slight glare. "What's the use of meeting Huo Wei again? Five years have passed. I've gotten through the most difficult times. Why bother him at this time?"
The two invitations were secretly sent by Zhao Minghua. The signature on them was also imitated by her. Du Gu Luanyue was unaware of this.
Zhao Minghua ordered the palace servants to take the two children away. She said seriously,
"Daughter, although you're the empress and have responsibilities, you're also a human being. Why do you have to be so strong all your life?
You and the Emperor of Northern Yan have misunderstandings and have never been able to resolve them. You think he hates you, and you dislike this hatred.
Since there are so many knots in your heart, why don't you untie them yourself? We don't expect you to be together forever. We just hope you can resolve the misunderstandings, let go of the past grudges, and talk things through. You'll feel better.
In the past five years, you've been taking medicine to relieve liver qi stagnation, and your qi and blood are not good. Isn't this affected by your mood?"
A few years ago, Du Gu Luanyue also couldn't help but want to write a letter to Huo Wei. Because the court of Southern Chu was in chaos, she really couldn't hold on anymore and just wanted to find someone to talk to.
But she endured it. If she did so, either she would involve Huo Wei and even Northern Yan, or she would make Huo Wei think she was cheap and using him again.
Five years had passed in a flash. She really hadn't let go, but it was too difficult to bring up the past again.
Du Gu Luanyue smiled bitterly. "He won't come. I saw him in Danyang City. He's already back in the Northern Yan Palace."
Empress Dowager Zhao sighed. "Mother just wants you to resolve your misunderstandings. Mother is worried that if the resentment is too deep, one day, the ruthless Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Yan will hate Southern Chu and mention an attack. It will be very difficult to deal with."
Du Gu Luanyue leaned back and looked at her firmly.
"Huo Wei won't attack a country because of this hatred. But Mother, if he finds out about the children's existence and tries to snatch them away, won't you be reluctant?
Moreover, even if we resolve our misunderstandings, we can't be together. We're in the south and the north. Why bother to stir up trouble and make ourselves and others sad?"
Zhao Minghua immediately stood up. "How dare he! These are the descendants of our Du Gu family. No one can take them away!"
Three days later, the birthday banquet of the Empress Dowager Zhao of Southern Chu was held in Chang'an Palace of the Southern Chu Palace.
Du Gu Luanyue searched for Huo Wei's figure among the guests, but only saw Shen Guilan following. It seemed that he really didn't come.
The birthday banquet was grand and solemn, but after half of it, it became boring.
Du Gu Luanyue got up and went to the side of the Taiye Pool to get some fresh air. Walking alone, she looked a bit lonely.
Shen Guilan took a special look to see if there were any men approaching Du Gu Luanyue. There really weren't.
Even Sheng Yunqi wasn't there. It was strange. Didn't the royal family of Southern Chu always say they wanted to form an alliance with the Sheng family?
On such an important occasion, the emperor's husband wasn't there.
Meng Tan entered the palace to report. "Prime Minister, His Majesty has found the two children. He said he'll take them away tonight."
Shen Guilan suddenly turned around. "Is he crazy? This is the Southern Chu Palace. Does he think it's his own home?"
Meng Tan said, "His Majesty said he's determined to get them."
When they met Du Gu Luanyue in Danyang City that day, Shen Guilan's subordinates reported that two of Du Gu Luanyue's servants had secretly sent a child away.
At that time, Shen Guilan's guards disguised themselves as common people and stood beside the little boy. They said he looked exactly the same as the child they saw in the Xie Family Ancestral Hall that day.
After Huo Wei learned this, he immediately woke up. The name Xie Si'an was enough to drive someone crazy.
He traveled a half - month journey in seven or eight days and arrived in the capital of Southern Chu.
Du Gu Luanyue was shocked when she received the news that Xie Si'an was missing in the palace. She said sharply,
"What? How could the eldest prince go missing in the palace for no reason? What are these palace servants and guards doing?"
The little princess Du Gu Jingshu ran over crying. "Mother, big brother was taken away by an uncle in the direction of Qianyuan Hall."
Du Gu Luanyue immediately rushed to her bedroom, Qianyuan Hall. As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Huo Wei and Xie Si'an sitting on the ground playing a game.
Xie Si'an was holding a painting in his hand. "Mother, is he my father? He looks exactly the same!"
Du Gu Jingshu also ran over. "Big brother, let me have a look too."
Huo Wei looked at the little girl's face. He didn't even need to confirm. This face was almost the same as his.
His expression froze, and he was stunned for a while. "There's actually another one."