Chapter 55: Mo Jingyu Must Not Be Kept—Dangerous

Xiaoyue knelt inside the grand hall, offering incense and praying sincerely.

After about half an hour, having finished her prayers to all the deities, Xiaoyue walked toward the back chamber.

"Your Majesty?" Seeing a figure in bright yellow standing outside the chamber, Xiaoyue couldn't help but call out curiously.

"Yue'er, have you finished?" Xiao Yin turned around, watching his sister approach and responded.

"Wasn't Your Majesty supposed to meet Master Jing En? Why are you here?" Xiaoyue looked into the room.

"Master Jing En has given Me a great gift!" The emperor's words carried a hint of bitter laughter.

"What?" Xiaoyue stepped forward, trying to take her daughter from her brother's arms, but he shook his head, indicating that the little girl was asleep and pointed her to look inside the room.

"...A boy?" Xiaoyue couldn't help but walk in, looking at the boy lying on the bed. "This child is beautiful; he must be around eight or nine years old? How could he be so badly injured?"

The boy was thin and frail, with barely any flesh on his bones.

Not only that, his arms, face, and neck were covered in scars, new and old crisscrossing each other...

"Princess, this is Prince Mo Jingyu of Xiyue!" Jing En said.

"Xiyue?" Xiaoyue turned to look at her brother.

Three years ago, taking advantage of Great Wei's instability during the coronation of a new emperor, Xiyue invaded Great Wei's borders, intending to annex it.

However, Emperor Xiao Yin led his elite Black Armor Guard and forced them back, even successfully entering Xiyue's capital and forcing their emperor to sign a treaty agreeing not to wage war for ten years!

Xiyue’s attempt backfired, turning them into a vassal state of Great Wei.

"Three years ago, I brought back the fourth prince as a hostage. However, he was useless, and I grew tired of him. When Xiyue's envoy came mid-year, they offered to replace him with the seventh prince. I casually agreed," Xiao Yin explained.

"So, this one came here as a hostage on his own?" Xiaoyao asked.

"Yes, the seventh prince set off with a servant, but just as they entered our borders, they were ambushed and killed. His servant died, and he was saved by me and brought back," Master Jing En said.

"Replacing the fourth prince with the seventh prince, only to be ambushed upon entering Great Wei—how interesting!" Xiaoyao smiled faintly, shaking her head.

"Amitabha, Xiyue has the Seven-Color Palace. If it isn't destroyed, they might rise again." Jing En glanced at the emperor.

Though he was a monk and shouldn't involve himself in worldly affairs, he knew that in times of war, the most vulnerable were innocent civilians. As a monk, he felt compassion for them.

"Seven-Color Palace? How can there be a Seven-Color Palace in this world too? Hmph, it seems that evil always exists, no matter where you go. Without these things, life would be boring!" Ruo Xi twisted her tiny hands together, blowing a bubble, showing her interest in the matter.

Master Jing En raised an eyebrow, looking at the swaddling cloth.

Xiao Yin gently patted the swaddling cloth and said, "Take him back to the palace and let Wen Xu treat him properly. After all, if he dies here in Great Wei, they'll have an excuse."

"The injuries on this child aren't from just a month or two; he must have been abused since childhood." Xiaoyao gently covered Mo Jingyu with a robe, her eyes welling up as she saw the crisscrossed wounds on the small child.

Thinking of her own son's suffering over the years in the general's mansion, she felt deeply guilty.

"Yue'er, take him back to the palace first," Xiao Yin said, seeing his sister's expression. He knew she was thinking of her experiences with that beast Shangguan Jinghong. His eyes filled with concern.

Looking down at the little girl in his arms, he felt relieved: Thankfully, thankfully, Xiao Xi'er is safe, and he had fulfilled his role as an uncle.

Eunuch Gao stepped forward, carrying Mo Jingyu, following the emperor down the mountain.

The carriage headed straight for the palace. Mo Jingyu's consciousness was hazy due to the inflammation of his wounds, causing a high fever.

Ruo Xi, held by her uncle, had a clear view of the young boy leaning against her mother.

"Purple Dragon aura! This child must not be kept!" Ruo Xi's brows furrowed slightly: "Purple Dragon aura signifies imperial power. My uncle's Purple Dragon aura is strong, and it only fluctuates when he gets angry. But this boy, at such a young age, has such heavy Purple Dragon aura? Dangerous, dangerous!"

Xiao Yin paused slightly, patting his niece's hand. He looked at the child in Xiaoyao's arms and suddenly smiled.

If so, it would be good to train this boy well and send him back to Xiyue to conquer it!

Emperor Xiao Yin, who had trained many elite soldiers, was confident he could turn a child into a formidable subordinate!

Xiaoyao heard her daughter's thoughts. She instinctively lowered the wet cloth closer to Mo Jingyu's mouth and nose.

If...

"No, we can't let this little villain die now; it would cause trouble for Uncle!" Ruo Xi began plotting: "I need to find a legitimate reason later, preferably handled personally."

Xiaoyao's hand loosened, and the cloth fell.

She glanced at her brother, relieved that he was smiling at his daughter and hadn't heard Xi'er's thoughts.

Xiaoyao thought that if her brother knew how ruthless Xi'er was, he might dislike her.

After all, a baby with such ruthlessness... In the future...

Her brother Xiao Yin had risen through bloodshed and had implemented many policies emphasizing filial piety, yet he never enacted them.

Sibling rivalry and fratricide were his deepest traumas, making it hard for him to overcome.

Mo Jingyu stirred, his swollen eyes opening slightly, revealing a round, chubby face...

In the royal palace of Great Wei.

Mo Jingyu was taken to the Colored Glass Palace, which was Xiaoyao's former residence before her marriage. The emperor had it renovated and refurbished for his sister and niece.

"This child... the oldest scars on his body seem to be five or six years old!" Wen Xu shook his head, saying.