After being thoroughly violated, he ran away with the enemy emperor's child.

Mo Yan thought about many things. He rode his horse at full speed on the official road, and he could reach the capital in three days at the latest.

Meanwhile, in the Qin Zheng Hall of Yong State, Chu Junci received a secret letter.

The letter contained the following content:

Emperor Mo Yan of Zhao left the capital at noon yesterday, alone on horseback, without any attendants.

The horse he rode was a thoroughbred; his subordinates could not catch up with him and did not know where he had gone.

The secret letter was sent back by a spy who had infiltrated the Zhao Kingdom. Considering the time the letter spent on the road, Mo Yan had been away from the capital for at least three days.

Three days...

That was enough time for Mo Yan to bring Taxue to the territory of Yong Kingdom.

Will Mo Yan come?

Chu Junci clenched his fists, looked at the words on the letter, and then placed it in the flames.

The letter was licked by the flames and soon burned to ashes.

"Someone come here."

"Your Majesty." Bai Yang appeared again.

"Summon the commander of the Imperial Guards to see me."

"Yes."

Bai Yang left, and a short while later Yuan Jin appeared in the Hall of Diligent Governance. He was wearing a black and gold casual robe and his hair was tied in a ponytail.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Yuan Jin".

Chu Junci looked at him and cut to the chase: "Are you in charge of this equestrian archery competition?"

"It is your subject."

Yuan Jin nodded and explained, "Originally, this was not my responsibility, but a few days ago, a friend who was in charge of this competition had a family accident, so he asked me to arrange the remaining matters."

He blinked and asked, "There are only seven days left in the competition. Will Your Majesty participate as well?"

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Chu Junci slowly opened his lips: "Today, the Ministry of Works produced two versions of crossbows according to the blueprints, and I would like to use them as prizes for this competition."

"Firstly, it can demonstrate that my Yong Kingdom has acquired another weapon; secondly, it can inspire the people and show my emphasis on 'martial arts'."

Chu Junci knew that if he wanted to strengthen the country, he could not stand still. Only by constantly learning and making progress could he achieve sustainable development.

Yuan Jin also strongly agreed with the suggestion: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will make arrangements in advance to inform them that the prize for this competition is a new type of crossbow."

"Um."

Chu Junci responded softly, then added, "Don't tell them I'll be there too."

If it were the old him, he could still mount a horse and shoot arrows, but now...

He should just ignore the word "ride".

"it is good."

After the matter was concluded, Yuan Jin scratched his head and asked, "Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"

He seemed a little anxious, and Chu Junci couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing much, it's just..."

He looked embarrassed, his ears turning red: "I made plans with A-Li to go out of town today, and it's almost time."

"..."

Chu Junci was silent for a moment, then said, "It's nothing, go."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

He chuckled, looking somewhat similar to Chu Li. Chu Junci was momentarily dazed, and when he came to his senses, Yuan Jin was already gone.

After Yuan Jin left, Chu Junci met with the commander of the Imperial Guards and instructed him to strengthen the palace's defenses to prevent anyone from sneaking in.

At the same time, he instructed the city gate guards that if they saw someone enter the city, they should not alert the suspect, but simply observe their whereabouts.

After all, "someone" was exceptionally strong and could not be defeated by the city gate guards.

Along with the order, a portrait was also sent, painted by Chu Junci himself.

From that day on, the people often saw guards secretly comparing portraits, as if they were searching for someone.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

One morning, a special person arrived at the city gate.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked travel-worn, clearly having not rested for several days.

Holding the black horse by the reins in his right hand, he calmly handed the diploma to the guard.

The guard sized him up, then glanced furtively at the portrait, before finally handing the diploma back: "Go in."

The man stepped into the city, led his horse, and found an inn. Not far from the inn was the Xie residence, which now appeared somewhat deserted.

Sitting down in the lobby, Mo Yan ordered a pot of wine and a few side dishes. He had been traveling for three or four days straight, but his spirits remained high.

Whether it was his imagination or not, the moment he stepped into the city, he seemed to smell the lotus fragrance on Aci's body.

He didn't say anything. After eating and drinking his fill, he went upstairs to his room, took a shower, and combed his hair meticulously.

He opened the window and saw the Xie residence not far away, with two stone lions standing at the entrance. The character "Xie" was imposing and grand, just like the impression Xie Yun had given him.

After glancing at the Xie residence a few times, Mo Yan looked towards the palace. The palace stretched as far as the eye could see, and in addition to the regular patrols, there were also many hidden guards.

He had a premonition that seeing Aci would not be easy.

He looked away and closed the window.

Sitting on the bed, he took out Chu Junci's red fox fur coat. The scent on the coat had completely faded, and he could no longer smell the lotus fragrance.

But he still draped the fox fur over himself and planned to sneak into the palace that night.

But before that, he needed to meet with a few people.

**

As Mo Yan entered the city, Chu Junci was attending court.

Today he wore a black and gold dragon robe, with golden dragons embroidered in gold thread on the chest and cuffs.

"If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

"His Majesty."

The Vice Minister of Rites, holding his court tablet, stepped out from the crowd: "Your Majesty, I have a matter to discuss."

"The Kingdom of Moyang submitted a memorial yesterday, hoping to celebrate His Majesty's birthday."

Moyang Kingdom is a small vassal state of Yong Kingdom, located deep in the desert, and is extremely mysterious.

Three years ago, the ruler of the Moyang Kingdom voluntarily submitted, and since then it has become one of the vassals of the Yong Kingdom.

Chu Junci had a deep impression of this country. His father had once said that the Moyang Kingdom had a special terrain and its location was constantly changing. Without a leader, no one could find them.

After a moment's thought, he said softly, "Granted."

His birthday is April 25th, and today is only March 14th, so there's still more than a month to go.

only……

Chu Junci was lost in thought for a moment, and in a daze, a voice rang in his ears: "My birthday is March 20th, Aci, remember to give me a gift."

Suppressing the sound, he regained his composure: "Is there anything else?"

"His Majesty."

The Minister stepped forward and brought up the familiar topic: "Your Majesty, we hope that the matter of establishing an empress will be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

"..."

He went on and on, even mentioning the Zhao Kingdom: "Yong and Zhao are rivals, and as far as I know, the current emperor of Zhao has no heir."

"If Your Majesty can outmaneuver him in this matter and cultivate a crown prince 'like Your Majesty was back then' early on, why worry about not being able to defeat the Zhao Kingdom in the future?"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty establish an Empress and select consorts as soon as possible, so that a Crown Prince may be born soon."

He spoke with deep emotion, and Chu Junci pressed his temples, saying, "I understand."

"Dismiss the court."

Standing up, Chu Junci strode away, suddenly remembering something his father had said to him—

He was four years old that year.

"Ah Ling, that old-fashioned Wen Xiang keeps urging me to establish an empress. You have no idea, before you were born, he was almost constantly nagging me about establishing an empress, choosing concubines, and having a prince..."

"My ears are practically calloused!"

"Fortunately, you were born later, so he stopped nagging about it."