Too high to reach

Chapter 294 Beauty is Easier Than Enchantment

The emperor was only slightly surprised, but quickly he flicked his sleeve and left.

The Empress called out from behind, "Your Majesty!" She lost her composure.

How is this possible?

How much suffering did her daughter endure from a young age?

It was through betrayal, scheming, flattery, and fawning, with her hands stained with blood, that she finally fought her way to the throne of Empress.

Her daughter also became a noble princess.

She could have lived a life of glory...

But he was humiliated by this bastard.

For so many years, my daughter has been waiting and suffering in Beijing...

Meanwhile, he was having children and enjoying family life over there.
I really want to have those four brats flattened right in front of him!

Just as she was about to scream, the Crown Prince walked up to her. "Mother?"

The Empress then realized that she had lost her composure.

The Crown Prince stayed by her side and said softly, "Please don't lose your composure. Yu'an's performance today was quite something." He was scolding her.

"You...you shouldn't blame her either. Who can swallow this insult?" The Empress instinctively defended her.

The Crown Prince sighed inwardly: His mother hadn't realized that, ultimately, this was their fault. Their initial victory had made them too complacent.

He thought that after suffering for so many years, he could finally do whatever he wanted...

Therefore, when her younger sister proposed to marry Dongfang, neither her mother nor she herself tried to dissuade her. Instead, they joined her in believing that this was the fruit of victory and should be accepted as a matter of course.

What should we do now?
He looked again at the yellow figure under the cloud canopy. Could he deal with him?
The reason he dared not make a move was because he did not yet know what trump cards his father had.

If I do it, will I get caught?

Thinking that if you just persevere, you might succeed. But being too aggressive could lead to complete failure...

Even now, he still can't figure it out or make up his mind.

Upon arriving at the emperor's central command tent, a few people were left behind, while the rest were sent outside.

Princess Yu'an, who had just been bandaged up, heard the news that Dongfang had children and struggled desperately to run over.

Ignoring the pain all over his body, he sat there, staring at the east, still feeling a mixture of love and hate.

Right now, the happiest person was Dongfang's father. He looked at his two grandsons and two granddaughters one after another, muttering repeatedly, "It must be my son's child... Look at that nose, look at that chin, tsk tsk, those eyes..."

However, no one paid him any attention.

The Emperor pointed eastward: "Tell me, you've gotten married again over there?"

Dongfang said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I am not married. These women are women who admire me and are willing to bear my children."

"What about...the women?"

"I don't know! They were sent away after the children were born. It was agreed beforehand that they were willing to have the children, and I have no official status for them," Dongfang said frankly.

"Your Majesty, you must do justice for Yu'an!" The Empress cried, her face streaked with tears.

The Emperor gestured to the Empress to calm down, "Do you know how many crimes you've committed?" He was impressed with his own good temper for being able to ask such a calm question.

Dongfang nodded respectfully, "Your Majesty, I know... in fact..." His tears suddenly flowed without warning.

Crystal-clear tears slid from those beautiful, innocent eyes down to the side of her sharply defined nose...

That's why people say good-looking people have a natural advantage.

The emperor was not lacking in rage to drag Dongfang out and behead him, but when those tears fell, Pingbai's heart softened a little.

"Back then, when Mingming passed away, I was half dead too. I wanted to go with her..." Dongfang recalled the past.

"What a joke!" The Emperor pointed at the children kneeling on the ground beside him. "Not only are you not dead, you're having a great time!"

He looked at the children; they couldn't escape, they were his offspring!
They weren't as good-looking as this dog, but they were all good-looking. And their expressions were all the same.

"Your Majesty, I was already dead when you bestowed this marriage upon me and Princess Yu'an. This man..." Dongfang sighed and looked at his father.

His grandfather was a favored minister of the late emperor. His father, though handsome, was somewhat simple-minded and not very bright. "Ah, fate has its own way of giving. On one hand, it bestows much, on the other hand, it gives very little… I have committed the crimes of disobeying the imperial decree, defying the emperor's command, and showing great disrespect. I have also failed to live up to your loving heart. My sins are unforgivable. These four children are all from different mothers… I gave birth to them only hoping that someone would remember Ming'an, remember me, remember our time together… Ming'an couldn't be buried in the imperial mausoleum, and I don't want her to have no one to pay her respects in a few years."

My grandparents passed away early, and my mother is gone too, leaving only my father… He only has me in his heart and soul. If I live, he lives; if I die, he dies. It doesn't matter. If the Emperor blames us, then kill us… I only beg the Emperor to forgive the four of them. On Qingming Festival, the first day of the tenth month, Mingming and I will receive their offerings…”

The Empress said sadly, "No matter how good Ming'an was, she's gone. Yu'an was devoted to you, why are you so cruel to her?"

"Your Majesty, when you expressed this intention, I made it clear to you. With Ming'an gone, my life or death is of little consequence. I may even marry and have children, but I cannot marry a princess..."

Because no one else can take Ming'an's place... But you won't listen! Yu'an's infatuation is a burden to me... Your Majesty, I haven't returned home for many years, I didn't even visit my father, I went to be with Ming'an, and stayed at her grave for several days. I beg Your Majesty to sever my ties with Yu'an. When I die, I want to be buried beside Mingming..."

The Emperor rubbed his face, wiping away the rouge he had applied... He stole a glance at Li Jing.

Li Jing's face held a half-smile, as if he were standing on a high place, watching everything that was happening.

What an injustice!

Yu'an, who had been listening quietly to the whole story, suddenly screamed wildly, "Don't even think about it! In this life, you are mine, in death, and you will be mine! You'll be buried by my side. I've guarded you for so many years, and you think you can just dump me? Dream on!"

"Yu'an!" The Empress and the Crown Prince spoke up at the same time to stop him.

Dongfang looked at Princess Yu'an for the first time, "Princess says you've kept your virginity for me? Very well... If you've truly remained chaste for me all these years, then prove it to me. If you are still a virgin, I will not hesitate to commit myself to you, to love you dearly, and to spend my life with you!"

"Shut up!" That's what the Emperor said.

"How dare you!" the Empress roared.

"You bastard!" Even the crown prince couldn't hold back anymore.

"Hehe..." Li Jing laughed.

Princess Yu'an's face turned red with rage. She grabbed a teacup from the side and smashed it towards the east, but her arm hurt so much that she screamed in pain.

Dongfang gently stepped aside, then looked Princess Yu'an up and down with a mocking expression.

The emperor was so angry that he coughed, his face turning red and his neck thickening.

Dongfang immediately jumped up, disregarding any taboos, and gently patted the Emperor's back and rubbed his chest. "Please don't be angry..."

Just like back then... he and Ming'an broke the emperor's favorite porcelain.

"Get out..." the emperor said weakly.

The Empress could no longer bear it and fainted...

And so, the interrogation ended abruptly, without a clear conclusion.

When Li Jing returned, his princess was waiting with shining eyes. "Your Highness! How did it go?!"

Li Jing glared at Mo Yi, amused by her agitation, then sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.

“This is the East! At that moment, I realized that what was described in the Book of Songs was not just a figment of imagination. There really are such people in the world… If the princess were still alive… she would be the happiest woman in the world!” As she spoke, Mo Yi’s eyes reddened.

"This is the kind of friendship described in the book: a bond that transcends life and death!"

Li Jing sneered, "You actually believe that kind of thing? You're really stupid..." That's what she said, but she still looked at Mo Yi gently.

This silly woman was so excited, she was as fidgety as a little rabbit, and she found a sweet feeling in her heart.

Mo Yi felt regretful again, "But... how could he have a child with someone else? Was it really him who had the child with someone else? Did he get married?"

"Everyone has something unique that belongs only to them. Dongfang is beautiful and passionate, but also very eccentric... Perhaps beauty makes one prone to being bewitched? He has his own logic."

For example, he wants to have several children so that they will remember his relationship with his sister. He wants to spend Qingming Festival and National Day with his sister to enjoy the ancestral rites, and he is especially afraid of being forgotten by others.

That's really what he thought! The four children were indeed his, but not from the same mother. He made it clear he wouldn't keep any of them, but those women were all willing. Like moths to a flame…” He shook his head after saying that.

“I understand…” Mo Yi nodded. The East truly can drive people crazy!
Li Jing's inner thoughts: You don't understand anything!

"Moreover, he really isn't afraid of death. When my sister went there, if it weren't for me, she probably would have gone with her... and the same goes for fighting over there."

“It’s really touching! Or is this what you mean by something special? Something that ordinary people don’t have…” Mo Yi fell into deep thought.

"Do people who are good-looking get forgiven for their mistakes?" Li Jing asked.

“As far as I’m concerned, he certainly deserves to be forgiven!” Moe nodded.

Li Jing grabbed her and said, "Don't look at him anymore, look at me..."