The World's Number One Medical Hall

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Emperor's Persistent Provocations

With the Empress pleased, the atmosphere in the palace naturally became much more relaxed.

However, a voice soon rang out from beside Mo Bai: "Sixth Brother, if you had been this sensible earlier, how proud Mother would have been. You must never act so rashly again. You must learn from this lesson, otherwise, if you make another mistake after Feng Mingzhu, Mother will surely worry about you from afar!"

Without a doubt, it was his elder brother, the emperor.

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall paused slightly, as if everyone was recalling Mo Bai's past outrageous behavior.

Mo Bai straightened up and looked at his elder brother, wondering why his brother disliked him so much.

But he really didn't care, his eyes were extremely calm, and he simply smiled softly and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

The elder brother smiled broadly, as if about to speak, but Mo Bai had already turned to face the Empress and bowed, saying, "Mother, I will be leaving early tomorrow morning. There are still many matters to arrange in the palace, and I am afraid I cannot accompany you any longer. Please forgive me!"

It's quiet now.

No one expected that he would take his leave before he could even finish speaking. Most importantly, he never mentioned his injury once.

This truly surprised everyone in the palace.

Even the elder brother looked slightly taken aback, but then immediately spoke up: "Sixth brother, you're leaving tomorrow, why don't you want to spend more time with Mother? Could it be that you harbor resentment towards Father and Mother after this attack?"

"What do you mean, Your Majesty? What grudge do I hold against you?" Mo Bai really didn't want to have any entanglement with him, but after he came in, he saw that the Empress seemed unaware that her son was about to die.

Otherwise, how could she have shown such relief and even a hint of joy before? Even if she were indifferent, she wouldn't have been completely unmoved if her son was in trouble.

He inherited the body of the Ming King and did not want his birth mother to be heartbroken, so he was already displeased with his elder brother's repeated provocations.

"Sixth brother, you must think this through. It's not that Father and Mother don't stand up for you, but our royal family is in the wrong in this matter. After all, you were the one who provoked Lin Suyin first, and your methods were truly... truly despicable. Now, Shangqing Mountain is seeking justice for its disciple and accidentally injured you. Even if Father and Mother are willing to severely punish the Shangqing Mountain sorcerer for you, if this matter blows up, how can we silence the gossip of the world? How can our royal family bear the reputation of forcibly taking a Taoist nun? Sixth brother, you can't blame Mother!" The elder brother sighed heavily.

As he spoke, the hall grew even quieter, and the atmosphere changed.

Mo Bai was genuinely unaware that Emperor Dingwu had given such an explanation internally. However, upon reflection, the reason was indeed quite good, and it did not diminish his authority internally.

But what Mo Bai noticed was some information revealed in her words: the Lin woman was a disciple of Shangqing Mountain, and there was a story behind his relationship with Lin Suyin, suggesting that he had used some despicable means...

He was actually unaware of the specific details of the whole affair, but now was not the time to delve into those matters. Listening to his elder brother describe him in such a despicable way, he became increasingly suspicious. Could he possibly compete with him for the emperor's favor in the royal family?

Judging from how Emperor Dingwu abandoned her so easily, she didn't seem to be that favored.

"Brother, just now, Father told me in the main hall that he would severely punish the person who injured me to uphold the dignity of the royal family. What, could it be that the person who injured me, um, Shang Qingshan? The people from Shang Qingshan have already been released? Are they not going to be dealt with?" Mo Bai asked with a puzzled look.

The elder brother's lips parted slightly; he truly hadn't expected this to happen.

The situation became awkward for a split second.

"This..." The elder brother was at a loss for words. Should he say that he had just made things up, or that the emperor was talking nonsense?

The Empress, seated at the head of the table, spoke softly: "My son, there's no need to worry. You are, after all, a member of the royal family. Your father will handle this matter for you! But my son, how are your injuries? Come here, let your mother take a look!"

Mo Bai raised his head and looked directly into the Empress's phoenix eyes. This was somewhat impolite, but at this moment, he didn't care about such things, as if he wanted to look into the depths of the Empress's eyes.

"It seems she really doesn't know?" Mo Bai paused slightly. At this moment, the Empress's eyes clearly showed worry, not sadness or indifference.

"Mother, there's no need to worry. That alchemist Zhang said that I only need to rest for a few months and I'll be fine!" Mo Bai smiled bitterly to himself. This kind of concern was something he had no choice but to accept.

He didn't tell the truth, because he knew very well that given the current situation, his fate of leaving tomorrow would not change no matter what.

When she saw that he refused, the empress was slightly taken aback and carefully examined his face.

She was genuinely surprised: "My son seems quite different today. He's suffered such an injustice, yet he hasn't uttered a sound, and his expression remains so calm..."

But then, as if suddenly remembering something, she spoke softly, "My son, are you going to Mingzhu to find your foster mother?"

Foster mother?

Mo Bai paused again, wondering why there were more and more stories.

For a moment, he didn't know how to respond, but then his elder brother glanced at his mother's expression and spoke up again: "Sixth brother, your mother is doing this for your own good. You grew up among the common people, so it's inevitable that you'll have some bad habits. Your mother doesn't want you to find your foster mother and sister because she hopes you can adapt well to royal life..."

Mo Bai was truly displeased. Why was this guy trying to provoke him with every word? To be honest, he secretly hoped to distance himself from his mother.

But being provoked repeatedly is quite unpleasant.

I'm not arguing with you about anything, is it worth it?

However, some information surprised him even more.

Growing up in the countryside?

foster mother, younger sister?

He knew he couldn't possibly understand these things on his own, so he turned around, his gaze fixed on her face, and said softly, "Royal brother, may I ask you to teach me? Since she is my foster mother, whose kindness to me is as great as a mountain, shouldn't I stop remembering her, in order to maintain my royal character?"

"Hmm?" The elder brother's eyes flashed, and his heart tightened slightly. Only then did he realize that his sixth brother was indeed different today.

His calm expression and composed voice, unlike his usual angry shouts, only made him seem sharper.

Before he could even respond to Mo Bai, he hurriedly bowed to the Empress and said, "Your Majesty, that's not what I meant. I meant..."

"Brother, don't worry. I was just saying it casually. There's no need to take it seriously!" Mo Bai interrupted him casually.

"Alright, my son, I will not stop you from repaying my debt of gratitude. But remember, as a member of the royal family and the supreme Prince Ming, you must not learn those bad habits of the common people once you arrive in Mingzhu." The Empress's beautiful face showed a stern expression as she earnestly admonished her.

Mo Bai was somewhat speechless. He could tell that the Empress might often harbor anger towards him, but in the inner palace, their mother-son bond was even more evident.

"I will heed your teachings, Mother!" Mo Bai bowed and replied.

"You haven't eaten yet. Come, you two brothers, dine with your mother today!" The Empress said softly without saying anything more.

Mo Bai really wanted to go back immediately, but he had no choice but to obey.

But just as she was about to move, she saw the empress extend her hand to her, yet she remained seated.

Before Mo Bai could react, his elder brother had already stepped forward and reached out to support the Empress.

The Empress chuckled softly and did not insist that Mo Bai help her.

The old palace maid also came forward and supported the Empress's other hand. Before Mo Bai could figure out what was going on, he saw the Empress struggling to get up with the help of the two of them.

"Hmm, what's this?" Mo Bai finally realized that his mother seemed fine, but her legs appeared to be weak...