Chapter 23

I feel like some of you are confused so I decided to clear it... The Emperor's name of honor or courtesy name is Li Yanlong. But his personal name is Li Yan and that name can only be used by the closest people to him, ok? The name of the Empire he's ruling is Li Yang...

And don't miss this chapter...💕

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Back to the story...

The night was cold. At Yixian Palace, the twin consorts were sitting on the enormous bed. Khutulun helplessly patted her big sister's swollen foot. "You're always like this! Hurting yourself for the sake of others!"

But Sagangui looked at her sister and smiled. "Khutulun, what did big sister tell you before coming here? You should keep out of harem fights. This is not like home. It's completely different. As long as you can keep out of troubles, big sister can protect you!"

"But who is there to protect big sister? You always get injured like this! I can't take it! It's unfair!"

"It's fine. Big sister is already used to it. There are many who needs help. I'll protect them as far as I can." Sagangui gently pressed her down the bed sheets beside her and pulled the quilt over khutulun. "It's already past midnight. You'll sleep with big sister tonight, ok? Don't be angry. You'll become ugly!" She smiled teasingly, pinching Khutulun's nose tip.

But Khutulun angrily slapped her hand away. "Big sister! I'm serious!"

Sagangui looked at her gravely. "Sleep! It's late!" She was sitting on the enormous bed with her back leaned upon the bed rest.

Khutulun was very angry. She did not speak anymore. She burried into the sheets and angrily closed her eyes. But as usual, her hand habitually coiled around Sagangui's arm.

Sagangui smiled. Khutulun was naive and warm hearted. She hated injustice the most but her naivety would always bring her trouble. Sagangui was happy that she was still there to protect this little sister of hers'.

She silently sat there for hours. The pain in her ankle had withdrawn into a faint itch by now. But it was still hurting. She couldn't move her foot. Khutulun had already fallen asleep. For a moment, she was in deep thought.

She took out a piece of crumpled paper from her sleeve pocket and looked at it seriously. This crumpled paper was forced through her fingers the moment Shen Nuo bent down to apply medicines to her leg that afternoon.

Once she came out after the harem meeting and took a quick glance it, she was purely shocked. The letter contained just a brief messy sentence.

Help! Altai besieged Xu Lin Pass...

The reason for her amazement was, Prince Altai was her childhood sweetheart before she and her twin were forcefully married to here. Prince Altai was a tribe leader and an aggressive prince who loved her since small. They were bethrothed lovers.

He would listen to her on any matter. The day she married Li Yan, Prince Altai was nearly driven mad. But after their communication methods got cut off, she did not hear from him anymore.

But she had expected Altai to attack Li Yang. She knew he would do everything to get her back... But it was that this was a bit too quick and unexpected. No matter what, Altai would definitely fail if this battle continue. He was powerful.

But he was nowhere to match the military power of Li Yang... As long as Emperor Li Yan and Grand Martial Shendu is there, no one could even think of attacking Li Yang...

The thing is, how did Shen Nuo know? Because if he did not know about the matter between her and Altai, he definitely would not write this letter.

It was obvious that Shen Nuo was asking her help to stop the battle from happening. If Li Yan goes to greet him, she knew it would cause a great bloodshed. Li Yan and Altai were the same. Both were aggressive...

If she can interfere and personally calm down the Mongolian Prince... Wouldn't that also be fine without starting a battle?

She furrowed her brows, hiding the letter in her sleeve pocket. She needs to think the matter over. If there was something she could do, she won't just sit and watch.

Just as she was about to blow off the candle by the bedside, an enormous shadow felled, shielding the gentle moonlight that stole through the screen of the window.

Her eyes widened. "Who-"

"Shhhhh!" A deep voice hissed.

Sagangui was shocked when she identified the voice. It was Li Yan! The Emperor had never visited her chamber before! She tried to get off the bed.

But Li Yan softly spoke. "Don't wake up Khutulun! It's alright! Your leg is injured."

Sagangui felled back to the bed weakly in her initial sitting posture and leaned her back to the bed post. "Your Majesty!"

Li Yan silently sat by her side. His face was grim under the candle light. He looked at Khutulun who was loftily sleeping with her arms wrapped around one of Sagangui's arms. Then he turned to look at Sagangui. A gentle light flickered in those cold phoenix eyes. "You must be hating Zhen." He said in a low whisper.

Sagangui gasped. She lowered her head immediately. "No, Your Majesty."

Li Yan nodded silently. "Is it still hurting?" It was obvious what he was asking about.

"No either, Your Majesty, little brother Shen applied some medicines and it's already cured. He told me to come tomorrow to get the fracture fixed." Sagangui said in a reassuring voice.

Li Yan continued to look at her. Then he looked away. "Stretch out your leg."

Sagangui's eyes widened. "Your Majesty! No!!!"

Emperor shook his head and directly pulled her injured leg onto his lap and pushed her night dress up her knees. "Don't scream, your sister is sleeping..."

Sagangui was horror-stricken. The Emperor had never touched her or her sister after the day they got married. And if he touched them it was that morning their wedding was held while they completed the rituals... What has happened to him???

"The ankle bone is slightly dislocated." Li Yan said after observing the milky white ankle under the candle flame. "What did you do to fall this much badly? Weren't you just tricking to fall off your seat?"

Sagangui's eyes widened. "But how does Your Majesty know?" She blurted out blindly in a whisper.

"Zhen saw everything that happened." Li Yan simply replied in a soft voice.

Sagangui tried to withdraw her foot back awkwardly. "I didn't do it on purpose, Your Majesty, it was an accident. It's fine. It's nearly cured."

But Li Yan held her leg gently but firmly. He looked at her gloomily. "Still lying? You were clearly protecting someone."

"I...I..."

"Do you often get hurt like this for the sake of others?" Li Yan suddenly asked in a distressed voice.

Sagangui was speechless. She opened her mouth but did not know what to say. She looked at him helplessly.

Li Yan saw her miserable look and couldn't help but sigh. "Let me fix it. Don't scream!"

Before she could say no, Li Yan wrapped his palm around her smooth white ankle. The initial pain she felt was immediately replaced by a pleasant warmness as his warm palm held her ankle gently for a while without moving.

Then suddenly his grasp tightened and moved sideways causing her bones to crack and creak.

She threw her head back in pain biting her lower lip to muffle her scream. Tears bursted off her tightened eyes convulsively. Li Yan looked at the dislocated bone that he had just fixed.

"I'm sorry." He said then in a soft whisper. It sounded a bit hoarse. He wrapped his palm around her ankle again and this time, his palm was warmer, gently relieving all the pain she had been feeling.

Sagangui was speechless. She blinked her moist eyes. "Your Majesty!"

"It was completely Zhen's ignorance before. Zhen will promise this won't happen again." His voice was indifferent but genuine.

Sagangui's jaw dropped. What had happened to this Emperor?

She stared at him for a moment in disbelief, forgetting that it was very rude.

Li Yan looked at her. His indifferent face looked freezing than ever. "I came here to warn you. You shouldn't do anything reckless. You already know what I mean."

Sagangui wasn't dumb. She immediately understood he was speaking about the matter of Prince Altai. She lowered her head biting her lower lip.

Li Yan grew gloomier. "Do you still love him?" He asked.

Sagangui didn't say anything but the tears that seeped down her closed eyes betrayed her. She was suddenly too afraid to speak. But the Emperor did not get angry. After a long time, she heard Li Yan sigh.

She looked at him with glassy tearful eyes pleadingly. "I'm already Your Majesty's. I only beg Your Majesty not to kill him. Please! Let me help! I can stop the war from happening. I can protect the people from the bloodshed. Just let me meet him once, ok?"

But Li Yan looked at her narrowing his eyes. His aura was drawing cold again. He let go of her ankle gently and pulled the quilt over her. "Zhen had already sent Martial Shendu to capture him. Not a single city under Zhen should be attack by others at will."

He stood up. "Zhen reminded you before not to do anything foolish. His life will be decided on your performance. If you fail to come up to Zhen's satisfaction and keep out of this matter, Zhen will really kill him!"

Sagangui felt as if she was stabbed. She pressed her hands hard upon her lips to muffle her cry. Her sister stirred gently beside her, as if she sensed her discomfort.

Li Yan pursed his lips and strode out silently.

"Guards! Consort khutulun and Sagangui are here by confined for three months! They are not to leave this Palace unless Zhen lift the confinement, understood?"

"Yes!" The guards shouted bowing. Even Khutulun woke up with a startle...

When the Emperor walked out of their Palace and came out to the lakeside, he stopped to feel the cold breeze. No one knew what he was thinking. He looked silently at the beautiful moonlight that got reflected against the glassy water surface of the lake.

The cold indifferent face that he wore when he was at Sagangui's room had now disappeared. His sharp and handsome face looked very sorrowful. After a long time, he spoke in a hoarse voice to the person who stood beside him.

"Zhangsun, do you think I'm heartless?

Zhangsun did not reply. He knew his Master was sad. He lowered his head and kept silent gravely. After a long time, he spoke his thoughts genuinely.

"Prince Altai and Consort Sagangui were bethrothed before she was forced to marry Your Majesty as a peace treaty among the two states." He wiped his nose and stood straight again. "It's obvious he's now attacking to take her back. But Martial Shendu would definitely capture him and bring him back before the Spring Hunt. What are Your Majesty's plans?"

Li Yan smiled. He looked miserable. "What else do you want me to do?"

He sighed again deeply. This afternoon when he saw Sagangui trying to protect Shen Nuo at the risk of getting herself injured, he was shocked. Once long ago, some five years aback, there was also a person like Sagangui, who wanted to protect everyone and maintain the harmony in the harem. There was a person who used to love him truly without regrets when she already knew he could not return it back.

That was his former Empress Xi Jinluo, the birth mother of Minghe. But she did not die happily. She was killed ruthlessly at the childbirth. And he failed to save her. Now when he saw her through Sagangui, he felt as if history was repeating itself...

He sighed deeply and turned to look at the moon. The wind was cold and chilling. But he did not feel it. His eyes were drenched with sorrow though his face remained cold when those memories of old slipped back to his mind.

Li Yan silently walked away. "I want to be alone for a while. Zhangsun, don't follow me!"

Zhangsun pursed his thin lips and bowed. Then he looked at the tall and the majestic figure of the Emperor under the cold moonlight, disappearing into the night's darkness slowly...

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Don't miss the coming chapters if you wanna know how things came to this point. If you miss a single part, oh yeah, you won't understand the rest, ok? Instead, y'all will go on cursing my dear ML who sacrificed all his previous life for the sake of Shen Nuo... 🥲🥲🥲 You'll know how...