"Then it's settled. You go back to the Northwest and raise an army. Over the years, I've built up some connections in the court, all for you. And with the power of my maternal family, my father will surely help you too. Prince, I knew you're the kindest person to me in the world."
Ji Huang forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
"Yes, I understand. You may leave first. I'd like to be alone for a while."
"Prince, if you need anything, just call me outside."
"Okay."
...
Half a month later, a shadow guard stumbled into the imperial study and brought a shocking piece of news.
"Mother, he has rebelled!"
When Shi Muyuan heard this, she was learning to embroider a sachet. The needle pierced straight into her fingertip, and blood welled up. But she didn't care about such details. She rushed forward, grabbed the young emperor, and her eyes were full of disbelief.
"What's going on? Who has rebelled?"
Ji Heng's face darkened. Thinking of the news he had just received, if it weren't for the fact that the shadow guard had been with him for years, he wouldn't have believed it either.
"The younger brother has rebelled. Now he has control of all the troops around the Northwest."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! You should know better than me what kind of person Huang'er is. Although he can be a bit disobedient, he would never do something so treasonous. There must be someone trying to drive a wedge between us. We must investigate this thoroughly."
She knew that she had owed that child a lot in the past. But so many years had passed. If he had other motives, she would have noticed long ago, and he wouldn't have chosen this critical moment.
As expected, the young emperor took out a letter.
"This was obtained by the shadow guard at the cost of his life."
Shi Muyuan unfolded it. The content leaped into her eyes. Every single word was evidence of Ji Huang's collusion with others.
She had never thought that one day she would hear someone say that this child was trying to rebel.
Looking at the place where he was last seen, which wasn't far from Changjing City, Shi Muyuan decided to go there herself.
"You may go back first. Let mother think this through."
"Okay. I'll summon the ministers to discuss how to deal with this."
"Alright."
Night fell.
Shi Muyuan nudged Ziyi, who was still asleep. "Ziyi, I'm sure they should be near Changjing City by now. Come with me. I must persuade him not to do something stupid."
"Master, this is too dangerous. How about we bring some people with us? If the eldest young master finds out, he'll be angry."
"We don't have time. If they keep going like this, they'll anger the emperor, and the emperor won't spare his brotherly affection."
Finally, after much persuasion, Ziyi used her lightness skills and took her out of Changjing City.
Sure enough, not even a hundred miles in the northwest direction, they spotted some sneaky people.
They quietly got closer and overheard their whispers.
"The prince sent us here first to scout the situation. Keep your voices down. We don't want any unnecessary trouble."
"I'm so jealous of those who get to stay by the prince's side. They get to enjoy the best food every day. Unlike us poor souls, we have to do these menial tasks."
"Tell me about it. But the prince is really affectionate. Since I joined his army, there's only been the princess by his side. Even I, a man, envy and resent him for that."
"Pfft. You're right. At least she has a child. I heard she used to be a concubine in the palace. You know how it is. Not many women can survive in the palace for so long with a child. Even we don't have such scheming minds."
"Yeah, the prince is really something. He could even make a move on his nominal sister - in - law. If it weren't for the fact that the prince is a decent guy, I don't think I could have stayed under his command."
Shi Muyuan stopped listening to the rest. From their conversation, she already knew who the princess they were talking about was.
She thought Ji Huang had never been such a person. How could he suddenly do something so absurd just because of something that happened in his childhood? It turned out that someone had been instigating him from behind.
She should have taken action when she first discovered He Hui's identity. Now He Hui had even dared to harm others.
Well, since He Hui was with him, she had to go find him secretly tonight.
From the conversation just now, she had caught an important piece of information. Tomorrow in Yijin City not far away, Ji Huang was going to distribute free porridge in public to win the hearts of the people.
It was indeed an effective move in this era full of disasters.
Shi Muyuan took a deep breath, and the two of them rushed to Yijin City overnight.
At dawn, she confirmed the location of the porridge distribution and quietly hid there, waiting for the familiar figure to appear.
She waited for about half an hour, being bitten by mosquitoes all the time, and finally saw the person she had been waiting for.
She rushed forward without caring about the many soldiers behind him.
"Huang'er, I finally found you."
Her appearance was unexpected to Ji Huang. Seeing the soldiers behind him about to take her away, he quickly spoke up.
"All of you, back off. I know this person. We need to talk alone. You go and distribute porridge to the common people first. I'll join you later."
"Yes."
Then he led the woman to a secluded place. After making sure there was no one around, he spoke.
"Mother! You shouldn't be here. I'm sure you've received the news from the elder brother and know what I'm doing."
"But I don't believe it. I want to hear it from you. You're not that kind of person, child. You've suffered a lot being away from home. We didn't let you be with He Hui back then for your own good."
Hearing this, Ji Huang's eyes gradually turned cold.
"I hope mother won't say anything bad about Hui'er in front of me ever again. She's a contented woman, and I'm doing all this for her. If mother doesn't get involved, you can still be the supreme empress dowager. I'll take care of you in your old age."
Shi Muyuan's eyes widened. She almost thought she had misheard.
"How could you say such things? Huang'er, you're a smart child. Your mother and elder brother will just consider this as your childish behavior. If you stop in time, it hasn't become common knowledge in Changjing City yet. Your elder brother is waiting for your attitude. As long as you stop and go back to the Northwest, mother can speak up for you."
Ji Huang pulled his hand away without any room for negotiation.
"It seems mother has already decided which side to take. Since you're not on my side, you may go back."