Until the retreating figures completely fades from his view, Mo Rongzhan didn’t move a muscle, shocked by the name he recently heard.

  Is this just a coincidence? Many people may have the same name. But another part of him screamed that there was more to this!

  Mo Rongzhan’s heart swelled with doubts. Lu Wushuang had the jade pendant he gave to the little girl who saved him years ago, the girl whose nickname was Yao Yao—Lu Wushuang’s nickname wasn’t Yao Yao, not even close!

  Here comes a miss from the family who bore the same nickname which kept him up many nights.

  His eyebrows scrunched up, thinking of the woman he saw with Tang Zhen earlier. This coincidence was just too good to be true……

  He remembered the torn embroidered brocade he found in the dry well. From what he remembered, his trusted subordinates investigated the pieces of brocade, and told him that it was one of the pieces bestowed by the previous emperor to the wealthy families having solid allegiance to the crown.

  How could any other miss from the Lu family possess the said brocade if at that time, neither wealth nor fame they didn’t have?

  Mo Rongzhan calmly went into his bedchamber and changed his riding clothes, which reminded him of Lu Lingzhi’s injury.

  He met Lu Lingzhi when he was most depressed. At that time, his mutiny would not have been so smooth without the help of his merchant ships and caravans.

  Therefore, he was willing to give his family wealth and splendor. He even favored his sister Lu Wushuang.

  Inspite of this, he only gave her the highest position of a concubine — Lu Wushuang was in

  no time, anointed as the Dynasty’s Wang Fei.

  As for the position of the empress, there was only one person in his mind. Lu Wushuang claimed to be the Yao Yao he met in the woods, but his heart was somewhat reluctant……

  When he found that Lu Wushuang owned the jade pendant, for at one point, he believed that she was indeed the person she deemed herself to be, but by the time he asked her of their secret code, she knew nothing of it!

  Perhaps, because of this that he began to have qualms.

  How could she forget? If his memory served him right, the little girl told him it was her and her father’s secret code!

  “If you don’t recognize me in the future, I’ll tell you this, the King of Heaven, the Tiger of Earth, the River Devil of Pagoda Town, that’s my code and yours. You can’t tell anyone this, it’s our secret!”


  He reminisced on the memory, and seemed to have heard again the cheerful voice of the girl.

  The secret code was engraved deep in his mind and his heart.

  *

  Lost in these thoughts, Mo Rongzhan found himself standing outside of Lu Lingzhi’s house before he even knew it! The people outside shouted that the emperor had arrived.

  As he strode in, the people in the house immediately knelt on the ground and inside Lu Lingzhi’s chamber, he found him holding on his bed for support as he tried to render a salute.

  “Don’t bother to salute when you’re hurt, just lie down.” Mo Rongzhan said flatly, seeing that the two imperial doctors were both here, he asked about Lu Lingzhi’s condition and learned that it was not a big deal.

  Lu Lingzhi was moved by the fact that the emperor came to visit him. “Your majesty, I am only slightly injured, forgive me for I may have alarmed you.”


  The emperor’s gaze swept over his injured leg. “I won’t have my assistant war minister injured. Serious or not, you will be temporarily recuperating in Chengde mountain villa and will only return after complete recovery.”


  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Lu Lingzhi gratefully agreed.

  Mo Rongzhan looked around the room and saw the woman kneeling in the corner. In quick apprehension, he knew that she was the third madam of the Lu family who Tang Zhen had mentioned.

  He wanted to ask about their family, but there were others present.

  “Assistant minister, have a good rest. I must go.” Mo Rongzhan found that when he was around, people are uncomfortable. The third lady didn’t even dare to look up at him.

  Lu Lingzhi bowed his head in a hurry and instructed the servants, “Please see the emperor outside.”


  The others then followed suit.

  Mo Rongzhan came out of the house, thinking about going to the hot springs in the later hours again. If he intentionally cross through the wooden wall, he might see the woman who bore the nickname Yao yao.

  Slowly walking, with his attendants in tow, he was put out of his reverie by an unforeseen intrusion.

  “This student pays salute to the emperor!” A young man knelt down beside him and saluted.