Chapter 158: The Emperor of the Jin Country

“Your Majesty, welcome back.” A man who dressed like a minister bowed respectfully to You Lanchen.

You Lanchen nodded coldly and turned to check Xia Muqing’s reaction.

He wanted to see her shocked expression, but she didn’t react at all. He couldn’t help but ask, “Weren’t you very curious about my identity? Why aren’t you surprised?”

Xia Muqing had guessed long ago that his status wouldn’t be a lowly one. Earlier on, when he casually offered to change the rules, she was even more convinced that he was of a high status. At the very least, he would be a prince. Although she didn’t expect him to be the emperor of the country, she wasn’t that surprised.

Xia Muqing looked at him mockingly and asked, “Where do I stay?”

The interest in You Lanchen’s eyes deepened as he smiled and said, “Of course the royal palace.”

The minister looked at Xia Muqing in surprise. Who was this woman? She actually made the emperor so happy?

When Xia Muqing arrived at the palace, it was similar to the imperial palace in her country. She lost interest after taking a few glances at it.

You Lanchen sent someone to lead her to her bedchamber before he proceeded to the royal study. There were many ministers already gathered there. The emperor had left the palace for such a long time without any news, and they were almost going crazy with anxiety.

Finally, he was back, and everyone was waiting to meet him.

The originally noisy study instantly regained its silence after You Lanchen entered. Everyone lowered their heads and didn’t dare to speak.

You Lanchen’s face was filled with coldness. It was completely different from the cheeky smile he had when he was with Xia Muqing. Or rather, this was the real him. He sat behind his desk and asked in a deep voice, “Why are all of you so anxious to see me?”

The ministers pushed and nudged each other. It was an official, Lord Lin, who went forward. After he bowed, he said, “Your Majesty, you have traveled for too long this time, and all of us are a little worried.”

“If you have time, you should work hard and think of how to handle matters. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to find the Holy Lady personally.”

“Your Majesty, the woman you just brought back is the Holy Lady?” Lord Lin couldn’t care less about the emperor’s anger and asked excitedly.

Thinking of this, You Lanchen smiled and nodded. “Yes, the Holy Lady of the Jin Country has finally returned. That matter can begin.”

“Yes.” All the ministers nodded in agreement and retreated. Their faces were filled with excitement and amusement, making them look extremely bizarre.

…

Xia Muqing received excellent hospitality in Jin Country. No matter what unreasonable request she made, they would agree to it. Not only did You Lanchen indulge her, even the ministers didn’t have any complaints about her and were very respectful to her. Clearly, she didn’t have any power in the country as the Holy lady, so their behavior was rather odd.

Moreover, she noticed that although the ministers fawned over her in every way, they looked at her oddly. They didn’t look like they were respectful nor friendly, but they acted as if they were looking at their food.

Yes, food. It was as if they were planning something.

Xia Muqing was worried about Ye Qingxuan’s situation but she didn’t dare to leave the country without second thoughts. She could only think of a way to figure out what was going on.

As her investigation went on, three years had passed in a flash. Before she knew it, she had been in Jin Country for three years.

Xia Muqing walked out of her bedchamber. Over the past three years, she had understood more. It was rumored that none of the Holy Ladies in the country had survived past the age of 20. Every time a Holy Lady reached the age of 20, every one of them would suffer from various inexplicable illnesses and then die.

Except for her mother who fled when she was 18 years old and died in an accident away from Jin Country, none of the dead Holy Ladies died with her corpse intact.

This was the first strange thing. The second thing was that the Jin Country didn’t have any history of previous emperors. It was as if the only emperor that existed was You Lanchen. But that was impossible. The Jin Country had existed for more than three centuries. You Lanchen looked like a teenager.

These two suspicious points invaded Xia Muqing’s thoughts. Recently, she felt that the atmosphere in the palace was getting more and more suspicious. Or rather, it had always been suspicious. Now, they had stopped trying to conceal it.

The ministers were looking at her without reservation now. It was bizarre.

Even You Lanchen would occasionally look at her with greed.

Thinking about it, she would be 20 years old in a few days.

“Muqing, what is on your mind?” You Lanchen’s voice sounded from behind her.

Xia Muqing retracted her gaze and said, “I’m thinking that this building isn’t high enough.”

The palace she was staying in was built a few years ago. She wanted to test how much they could tolerate her, so she asked them to build a twenty-story palace. It was a difficult project in this era, but they still agreed readily.

The corners of You Lanchen’s mouth twitched. When they first built this building, they almost emptied half of their national treasury.. She was still dissatisfied? However, she wouldn’t be able to live long.