Chapter 575, 576, 577, 578 |
575: Stinky, Superficial Relatives
Madam Hua thought because of Feng Wu’s age, that if she coaxed her a little, Feng Wu would leave Ming Xi on her own accord. It would save them all a lot of time and effort.
Feng Wu blinked. She had watched Madam Hua’s performance expressionlessly without saying a word.
It was hard to tell what she was thinking.
The Moon empress was afraid Feng Wu would be moved by her sister. If Feng Wu seriously considered what her sister said and left, Ming Xi would be mad!
“Xiao Wu, don’t listen to my eldest sister’s nonsense. You are Ming Xi’s chosen person, the girl he likes. No one can deny who you are. Our Ancient Silver Moon kingdom has rules. In the future, the Moon emperor is qualified to choose his own wife, and no one can intervene. Even us parents have no say in the matter, so do not worry. As long as Ming Xi has you in his heart, then you are Ming Xi’s future wife. No one can shake your position.”
The Moon empress hurried to explain the situation as she reached out to hold Feng Wu’s hand in a gesture of reassurance. She was afraid her future daughter-in-law would be told away by her unreliable sister.
“Little sister! What nonsense are you talking about?! How can you let Ming Xi marry such a dirty woman? I absolutely do not agree! If Ming Xi wants to marry a wife, it can only be Hua Jin.
The two of them grew up together and Hua Jin loves Ming Xi so much. They will get everyone’s blessings and be very happy together. Having them marry is the only correct choice.” Madam Hua spoke righteously.
The past few years had seen the Hua family become more and more unsightly. Relying on the blood relationship with the Moon empress, they put on airs all day long and thought themselves superior to everyone but the emperor.
They were even dreaming about making Hua Jin empress. But with that girl’s virtues, the high priest knew Prince Ming Xi wouldn’t acknowledge her. . . and he was right. Prince Ming Xi found a girl he liked and she was clearly better than Hua Jin, that duplicitous woman, in every way.
“Elder Sister, stop talking nonsense. Ming Xi doesn’t love Hua Jin. It’s impossible for the two of them to have that kind of future.” It was the first time the empress used such a harsh tone in front of her maiden family.
“Luili, what did you just say? That is your elder sister you are talking to. Don’t you ever dare speak to her like that again!” Old Madame Cuiya was so angry that she called the Moon empress by her given name.
The Moon empress’s given name was Sheng Luili and she was the daughter of the Sheng family in the Ancient Silver Moon kingdom. However, after she married the emperor and ascended the throne to be empress, it was no longer proper to call her by her given name. No one dared call her Sheng Luili anymore.
No, that wasn’t entirely true. The one person who dared was the Moon emperor.
“Mother, must you make it difficult for this daughter?” The empress spoke with difficulty as she tried to hide her sadness. She understood that it wasn’t easy for her mother to raise her and her sister. Because of this, she had tolerated both her mother and sister’s behavior, but now they were behaving as though that tolerance was their natural entitlement. They took it for granted and dared get involved with Ming Xi’s marriage. Sure enough, she had handled her maiden family wrong.
The empress’s eyes filled with pain but Old Madam Cuiya turned a blind eye and didn’t acknowledge her sadness.
“How am I making it difficult for you? How dare you speak to me that way. Do you still think of me as your mother? You forgot who raised you. If I hadn’t worked so hard to bring you up, how could you enjoy the status you have today? You ungrateful child!”
Old Madam Cuiya behaved the same way she always did and immediately brought up old scores as soon as her daughter expressed any kind of dissatisfaction. She wouldn’t stop until the empress was speechless and admitted defeat.
The Moon empress hung her head and shut her mouth. She knew that once her mother started digging up old debts, it wouldn’t end until she apologized. But she didn’t want to apologize today – she hadn’t done anything wrong! She didn’t want to admit fault like she habitually did; it didn’t matter if she was really at fault or not!
The emperor and high priest stayed out of it and didn’t help the empress. The emperor would only be able to properly take care of the scheming mother and sister, who interfered every day, once they pushed the empress too far and she stopped interceding on their behalf.
Until then, he had no choice but to let his wife suffer a little injustice. It was the only way to help her be stronger and come to a firm decision about her maiden family.
“Aren’t you. . . those stinky, superficial relatives Jier mentioned?” Just as Old Madam Cuiya was about to take advantage of her victory and force her daughter to apologize, Feng Wu, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up.
Feng Wu spoke seriously and her big eyes were shiny and bright.
The single sentence nearly choked Old Madam Cuiya and Madam Hua to death.
“You uneducated, unruly girl, what nonsense are you spouting?!” Old Madam Cuiya was so angry that the wrinkles on her face trembled. She reached out and jabbed a bejeweled finger at Feng Wu’s forehead.
A seed of admiration for Feng Wu sprouted in the empress’s heart. At the same time, she hurriedly pulled Feng Wu away, fearing her mother would hurt Feng Wu.
The empress had been afraid of her mother since she was a child. She never dared say a harsh word in her presence. Her mother was an unusual woman who had the knack of making people feel so stifled they wanted to vomit blood. Now the shoe was on the other foot and it was her mother who looked like she wanted to vomit blood.
It was unfilial to think this, but the words stinky, superficial relatives also appeared in her heart.
Moon emperor: I see it too.
High priest: Here, here.
And in that moment, all three were completely in sync.
It was easy to see how unlikeable Old Madam Cuiya was.
“Jier said that every family will have a few stinky, superficial relatives. You are those relatives Jier talked about, right?” Feng Wu had been curious about what they were since learning the word from Jier. He said most people had them, so how come she never saw one? She was really curious about these stinky, superficial relatives.
Jier said that she would know the type when she met one. Sure enough, as soon as the mother and daughter duo rushed in, the words “stinky, superficial relatives” flashed through her mind.
Jier said not to be entangled by them. Otherwise, it would be impossible to get rid of them later on. Staying away from them was the best policy.
She finally got to meet stinky, superficial relatives today! Feng Wu was very happy!
576: The Moon Emperor’s Forgiveness
“You are. It turns out stinky, superficial relatives look like this.” Feng Wu nodded seriously.
“Irreverent girl! Liuli, are you going to just stand there and let this girl be rude to your own mother?!” Old Madam Cuiya wished she could rush over and slap Feng Wu in the face. But her son-in-law, the emperor, was in the room, and she didn’t dare provoke him.
In front of the emperor, she could be a little rude, but she didn’t dare be too presumptuous. It was precisely because Old Madam Cuiya didn’t go overboard that the emperor gave his wife face and tolerated the old lady.
The Moon empress laughed awkwardly and then said, “Mother, Xiao Wu is still young. You should not let a child bother you.” It was rare to see someone who could make her mother so angry. Going to Feng Wu’s side to fight her mother, it was refreshing!
“This girl is beyond rude. You won’t let her go? Just look at her. She hasn’t already started yet and she dares treat me and your sister like this. I am Ming Xi’s grandmother but she is just a wild, unruly, uneducated girl with no manners. She is simply too much! Relying on her conniving and scheming to behave shamelessly!”
Old Madam Cuiya’s face was distorted in anger as she yelled loudly at the empress.
No, it was obviously you who is shameless and relying on connivance.
Both the emperor and empress had the same thought at the same time.
High priest: Hahaha. . .
“It’s rare for Xiao Wu to come as a guest, so Mother should not bother her.” The empress didn’t even talk about driving Feng Wu away.
“You. . . you girl, you are amazing. You dare not give me face as your mother anymore, do you? Okay, I’ll teach her lesson in your place then!”
Old Madam Cuiya was so angry that she forgot herself. She reaching into her dimension ring and pulled out a sword, aiming it directly at Feng Wu. Clearly her intent was murder.
“Hump!” The emperor snorted softly. Old Madam Cuiya felt an invisible pressure pressing in on her on all sides.
With a bang, she dropped her sword and nearly fell to the floor herself. She looked really weak with the color drained from her face.
Once the sword fell to the floor, the pressure eased, then fully disappeared. Cold sweat broke out on her head. Her mind, which had muddled from anger, cleared up. She actually dared draw a sword in front of the Moon emperor. How could she have made such a mistake?!
She knew the emperor wasn’t an undisciplined, unprincipled monarch who could be led by the nose by a woman. If he was, she would have controlled the entire Ancient Silver Moon kingdom ages ago through her daughter as proxy.
Since that failed, she had been grooming Hua Jin to be the next Moon empress. This way the Hua and Sheng family would get even more benefits and privileges.
“Mother!” Madam Hua was so frightened she hurried forward to support her mother to keep her from slipping to the ground.
“Bold, to dare draw a weapon in front of His Royal Highness, Old Madam Cuiya has committed the crime of irreverence!” The high priest had waited so long to deal with Old Madam Cuiya and now here was a rare opportunity. He didn’t let it slip by and immediately pounced, declaring her crime clearly and quickly with a selfless face.
When Old Madam Cuiya heard this, her legs, which were already jelly, went limp. Madam Hua was shocked to the core. Their ambitions were high, but unfortunately their intelligence had not caught up. They were both scared.
Madam Hua fell to her knees and nervously spoke while subtly winking at the empress. “Your Highness, forgive my mother. She was confused and did not mean it.” She wanted her sister would speak up on their behalf.
The Moon empress turned her head away and pretended not to notice. Her mother and elder sister had become too outrageous recently. This was a good opportunity to teach them a little lesson and reign them in. It was better for her not to interfere on their behalf.
Madam Hua became even more anxious when she saw the empress ignoring them. She secretly scolded her little sister for being a white-eyed wolf with a black heart, but she didn’t dare show dissatisfaction on her face.
“Forget it. From this emperor’s perspective, I do not care about the matter. Old Madam Cuiya seems to be unwell. Madam Hua should help her return home to rest. During that time, neither of you should enter the palace. Old Madam Cuiya should take good care of her body.”
The emperor waved his hand and spoke generously.
Old Madam Cuiya was dissatisfied but she didn’t dare say anything more, so she let her eldest daughter lead her out.
The two left the palace and boarded their carriage and rushed to the Sheng estate. Inside the carriage, Madam Hua was cursing her sister out while wiping the sweat from her mother’s brow.
“Liuli, that white-eyed wolf, she doesn’t want to think about how mother raised her anymore. How can she do this to us today? She didn’t say a word to support us at all. It’s chilling. . . ” Madam Hua was really unhappy with her sister’s attitude and behavior.
How was it possible her sister become the empress of the Moon kingdom, while she was only the wife of the Hua family head? On top of that, she had to curtsy when she saw her little sister. How stifling! But it wasn’t like she could beat her sister up. All she could do now was curse in her heart.
Hearing her daughter’s words made Old Madam Cuiya uncomfortable. “Do you think your sister has changed? She never contradicted either of us before. But today, she not only contradicted me, she also looked away as the emperor humiliated me.”
Old Madam Cuiya thought of her youngest daughter’s unfeelingness, hating her for not living up to expectations. If this had happened before Sheng Liuli got married, Old Madam Cuiya would have broken her legs. But now that her youngest daughter was married, even if she wanted to do something to her, it was impossible. Punish the empress of the empire? Old Madam Cuiya didn’t have the audacity.
“She has already become the Moon empress; how can she still be the same? Since little sister became empress, she stopped listening to us. She isn’t even willing to help Xiao Jin with Ming Xi’s marriage. It seems that she dislikes us and doesn’t want to pay attention to us anymore.”
Madam Hua had harbored suspicions about her little sister since she rose above her and became empress. Her little sister forgot where she came from after climbing high. Madam Hua wanted Hua Jin to marry Ming Xi, which would be good for the entire family. With the Sheng and Hua family’s support, wouldn’t it be easier for Ming Xi to carry the burdens of that position in the future. Why wouldn’t her little sister help?!
After thinking about it, Madam Hua came to the conclusion that it wasn’t because her sister didn’t want Hua Jin to be the next Moon empress, it was because her sister didn’t want her to Ming Xi’s mother-in-law.
577: Ming Xi Wakes Up
The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt about her little sister.
“Your sister shouldn’t be that kind of person.” Old Madam Cuiya knew the personalities of both her daughters very well.
Her eldest was competitive, courageous and ambitious. They were similar and got along very well. In contrast, her youngest took after her dead husband and was soft-hearted, was overly gentle and disliked conflict. She didn’t like this kind of personality when her husband was alive. Seeing it in her daughter didn’t make her like it any more so.
Well, if they couldn’t see eye to eye, then they couldn’t see eye to eye. There was nothing for it. Both of them crawled out of her and there wasn’t a reason not to love them; it was just that her youngest was not as pampered as her eldest.
“You can know a person for a long time but not understand their true nature. After little sister married out and became the Moon empress, how can she still have the same temper as before she was married?” Madam Hua snorted coldly with disdain.
“That’s enough, don’t talk about it anymore. Just remind Xiao Jin to get things done quickly. If this Feng Wu isn’t eliminated, our Xiao Jin will miss out on the throne.” Old Madam Cuiya didn’t want to talk about her youngest anymore and changed the topic to her granddaughter, Hua Jin, instead.
“This daughter knows. I will have a good talk with Xiao Jin.” Madam Hua nodded as she massaged Old Madam Cuiya’s shoulders.
Back at the palace, the Moon empress patted her chest after Old Madam Cuiya and Madam Hua left. She had been suppressing the fear in her heart and keeping it from showing on her face. She had always been afraid of her mother, and this was the first time she confronted her like that. It was no wonder her heart was pounding.
“I was scared to death.” The Moon empress said in shock.a
“Don’t be afraid. I will protect you.” Feng Wu looked at the empress seriously.
The emperor’s mouth twitched at the corners. Little girl, shouldn’t that be my line?
With the rotten relatives gone, Ming Xi finally had a stable environment to recuperate.
He wasn't injured; just severely worn out. In order to find Feng Wu, he had used a secret technique that he shouldn’t have used with his current strength. This exhausted the power in his body and his consciousness went into a coma to protect itself.
The high priest said that if Ming Xi wanted to get better, all Ming Xi had to do was bathe in the Imperial Moon ointment.
Speaking of, it really was a good thing. Every three months, golden energy descended from the sky onto the kingdom. This energy was the Imperial Moon ointment. It could heal bodily diseases, improve the potential for physical fitness and had a very good warming effect on damaged qi.
Trees and grass bathed in the essence could even develop spiritual wisdom and obtain cultivation methods specially made for grass and trees. From there, they could even get rid of their plant forms and take on human shape while embodying their plant essence.
The Imperial Moon ointment was a good thing, but it only came every three months. There were so many people who wanted it, but few lucky enough to get it.
This wasn’t a problem for the Moon emperor though. As long as the celestial moon was willing, he could draw down the Imperial Moon ointment and let Ming Xi use it.
The ability was unique to the Moon emperor so Ming Xi couldn’t do it yet. Each of the four emperors on the continent had special abilities. The Moon emperor’s ability related to the moon; basically, things that had to do with the moon were within his domain. Ordinary people could not do the same even with a lifetime of practice.
With the Moon emperor there, the issue of the Imperial Moon ointment was not a problem. The Moon emperor asked someone to come and help Ming Xi to the window. He pointed to the moon, and at the light gesture, the celestial moon seemed to feel his intent. A golden streak flew out from the moon and into the bottle the emperor took out.
The thread, if closely inspected, was actually liquid. This liquid was the Imperial Moon ointment.
After the bottle filled, the Moon emperor withdrew his power and the flow of ointment stopped. It was as if the scene just a moment ago never happened.
Ming Xi’s damaged foundation quickly healed after soaking in the ointment.
Being able to bathe in so much Imperial Moon ointment was something no one could dream of. Even those born in the Ancient Silver Moon kingdom could only encounter the ointment once every three months.
In fact, even though the ointment came every three months, there wasn’t much of it. Getting a drop was considered lucky. Anything more than that was a dream.
You have to understand, the Imperial Moon ointment could enlighten plants. Who would be willing to use it to for a bath? The extravagance of doing that would be unreal.
The ointment absorbed into Ming Xi’s skin upon contact and the amount in the tub disappeared visibly.
Ming Xi’s vitality improved and his formerly bloodless face became rosy. His heartbeat, which was so slow as to be nonexistent, became powerful and heavy, thumping strongly.
Ming Xi slowly opened his eyes after absorbing all the liquid.
He could tell from a glance he was in his own room. He was sitting in a tub, but he wasn’t soaking in anything; he was just sitting naked.
Standing directly opposite him was the high priest from earlier. Ming Xi’s face turned dark. Fortunately, he had spare clothes in his space ring. He pulled some out and dressed in the blink of an eye.
Naked and face to face with an old man, it wasn’t a feeling he wanted to feel ever again.
“Your Highness! You’ve finally woken up!” The high priest laughed happily. He secretly admired his little prince’s figure. Yes, the little girl Feng Wu would be pleased.
It was a good thing Ming Xi didn’t know what the kind-faced high priest was thinking. If he did, he would have kicked the old man out for sure.
578: Confession
The high priest laughed. He was in a very good mood.
Ming Xi didn’t have the heart to drive him away since it looked like the high priest had healed him. He couldn’t very well turn his back on the old man as soon as he recovered.
“The girl who was by my side, where is she?” Ming Xi frowned when he thought about recent events and found Feng Wu not by his side.
“Do not worry, Your Highness Ming Xi. Miss Feng Wu is eating in the garden with the empress.” The high priest laughed.
Ming Xi heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing the words. He stepped out of the tub and put on his shoes before walking out of the room.
“Your Royal Highness, please wait! Your body is still healing, please don’t run around so much!” The high priest chased after Ming Xi. His old legs were still nimble and he shouted as he chased, attracting the attention of the surrounding maids and guards, who gave both sidelong glances.
Ming Xi pretended no to hear and kept onwards to the garden without pausing.
As he reached the pavilion where people liked to rest, he saw his mother sitting with Feng Wu around a table filled with delicious, exquisite food.
The Moon empress helped Feng Wu pick up vegetables, while Feng Wu focused on eating. The two, one feeding, one eating happily, were cooperating very well.
Ming Xi was instantly hit with ten thousand points of damage. Were they taking him seriously at all? While he was being treated in the tub, the two women he loved most were enjoying a leisurely get together.
“Ming Xi!” His mother noticed him first. Upon seeing her son properly walking, the joy that filled her face was also evident in her voice.
Feng Wu stopped eating and turned her head to look. Her eyes lit up when Ming Xi’s beautiful figure came into view. She immediately got up and flew into Ming Xi’s arms like a happy bird, wrapping him in a tight hug. There was a trace of obvious joy on her normally expressionless face.
The force of her hug knocked Ming Xi back a couple of steps. He had just recovered and his consciousness was awake, but his strength wasn’t all there yet. To fully recover his essence and vitality, he would have to take medicinal tonics for several days.
He immediately stabilized his body so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself in front of everyone.
“Be careful!” Watching as Ming Xi nearly topple over made the empress worried.
“It’s OK.” Ming Xi smiled and shook his head slightly in his mother’s direction. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” He lowered his eyes and gazed at the top of Feng Wu’s head. His eyes became as gentle as water.
“Does it hurt?” Feng Wu asked.
“No, it’s just I don’t have much strength right now. A few days of rest and I will be good as new.”
“Don’t be afraid! If you have no strength, I’ll carry you on my back. I have a lot of strength!” Feng Wu said earnestly as she looked up at him with her big black eyes.
“Uh. . . that’s OK.” Ming Xi coughed lightly, feeling a little helpless.
As they were talking, the empress had walked over and was pulling them toward the pavilion where the meal was set.
“Ming Xi, eat a little. This chicken soup is made from spirit ingredients. It is very nourishing. Drink more.” The empress pulled the two of them down to sit. A clever little maid immediately served Ming Xi the soup.
Ming Xi, sitting between his mother and Feng Wu, took a sip. The soup was indeed made with extremely precious and rare spirit fruits and snow chicken. It was absolutely delicious. A comfortable feeling pervaded his body as the soup slid down his throat and warmed up his dantian.
“This is not bad.” Ming Xi appreciated it with a smile.
“Of course it’s good. Imperial Mother personally picked the snow chicken for you. And Xiao Wu donated the spiritual fruit. The fruits Xiao Wu brought are all treasures and extremely valuable. You should thank her well. Only Xiao Wu could have done it.” The Moon empress liked Feng Wu very much. She saw so many people with hidden motives come and go and it had been a long time since she saw someone so clean and pure.
“You’re welcome.” Feng Wu said expressionlessly.
Ming Xi had a gentle smile on his face as he stroked Feng Wu’s head.
This was the happy scene the high priest saw upon finally catching up the Ming Xi: a family of three happily sitting, eating, and chatting together. Forget it. He wouldn’t disturb their family reunion. He would just go home and read a book.
The High priest stroked his beard before sighing and turning around to leave.
After the lovely lunch, the Moon empress took Feng Wu to rest while Ming Xi went to the emperor’s study to account for his actions.
It was unavoidable, and sooner or later, he would have to confess.
“Tell me how you got yourself into this.” The emperor put down the half read official documents and looked at his youngest son helplessly. He was proud of his son but also frustrated.
Ming Xi had no choice but to reveal everything that happened after he entered the Duke of Blue Moon’s territory. He was like this because he wasn’t strong enough to use his powers to the limit in his present stage, so his body was injured and he suffered serious physical repercussions. If it weren’t for the protection of the divine blood, it would not have resulted in just exhaustion and falling into a coma, he would have directly used all his life force and died.
The emperor didn’t know what to say after hearing the story. He originally though the Duke of Blue Moon had attacked Ming Xi, but it turned out Ming Xi’s injuries were self inflicted.
This child, if he couldn’t deal with the duke, why couldn’t he have come to his father for help? Why did he have to be so brave? Didn’t he know his safety was related to the future of the entire kingdom? He really didn’t know how to properly cherish himself.
The emperor had no idea Ming Xi had tried so hard to find the duke’s location. The only thing he knew was that something had happened to Ming Xi’s sweetheart, that she had fallen into a dangerous situation. That was why Ming Xi was in such a hurry to rescue her. That child had even borrowed his ancestral sword. Had he known, he would never have agreed to let Ming Xi go alone.
The duke was an ancient monster. Who knew how long he’d existed? Was a person like that someon Ming Xi could handle alone?
The emperor was so angry with Ming Xi. He gave his son a stern lecture before letting him return to his room to rest. He felt so helpless. Did his son’s IQ drop after falling in love?
Obviously, Ming Xi was very smart before. But now he was like a fool, insisting on rushing forward even though he knew he wasn’t invincible. If the duke hadn’t given the kingdom face, he doubted Ming Xi would have returned from Blue Moon.
Under the care of the empress and Feng Wu, who brought him soup and tonics every day, Ming Xi’s body recovered perfectly without any residual effects.
Even his hand injury was nearly fully healed. As long as he didn’t use the injured hand to do any difficult martial arts or move physical objects, he would fully recover after resting for another half month at most.