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When Mo Xiao Li walked in, he happened to see Mu Junqi quietly sitting by the window, gazing at the scenery outside. The sunlight streaming through the window filled the entire side hall, and for a moment, Mo Xiao Li was captivated by this sight of Mu Junqi, standing there in a daze.
Ziyue also happened to witness this scene, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Taking advantage of Mu Junqi's unawareness, she quietly slipped away, leaving only Mu Junqi and Mo Xiao Li in the side hall.
As if sensing something, Mu Junqi suddenly turned around and looked at him, revealing a gentle smile. Seeing this Mu Junqi, Mo Xiao Li could no longer hold back and took a few steps forward, pulling Mu Junqi into his embrace, breathing in her scent.
Mu Junqi was momentarily taken aback and simply wrapped her arms around Mo Xiao Li's waist in a daze. They stood quietly for a while until Mo Xiao Li released her and said, "You look especially beautiful today."
Mu Junqi playfully replied, "If that's what Your Majesty thinks, then I must look terrible on ordinary days."
"Don't you know what I mean? In my eyes, you have always been the most beautiful," Mo Xiao Li said as he placed a light kiss on her forehead.
Suddenly, Mu Junqi spoke up, "Ever since Consort Qian and Consort Xi are no longer here, the entire harem has been very quiet. Just now, the Empress Dowager sent someone to say she wants to leave the palace to pray for Western Yan at the Quiet Mind Temple. What do you think we should do?"
Mo Xiao Li pondered for a moment before taking her hand and sitting down. He then said, "Although this is what the Empress Dowager wishes for, she is getting older now and doesn't have familiar attendants around her. I think it would be quite difficult for her there, so I would prefer for the Empress Dowager to stay here where we can look after each other. What do you think?"
"The Consort thinks so too. Now that everything has ended, the Empress Dowager should naturally stay here and enjoy her peace," Mu Junqi replied.
Once this matter was settled, Mo Xiao Li once again embraced Mu Junqi as they looked out the window. Suddenly, as if recalling something, he leaned closer to her ear and whispered softly. However, before he could finish speaking, Mu Junqi blushed and pushed Mo Xiao Li away with her hand, saying, "Your Majesty is just talking nonsense."
"I am not joking with you. As Empress, you must pay attention to this matter. If my Western Yan has fewer heirs, that would be your problem," he said before glancing at Mu Junqi.
But Mu Junqi's face was flushed as she lowered her head, completely unaware of his earlier expression. Seeing her like this made Mo Xiao Li chuckle as he pulled her back into his embrace again and said with a smile, "After all these years, you are still so easily embarrassed."
After a long pause without any response from Mu Junqi, he curiously asked, "When did you first meet me?"
Upon hearing his question, Mo Xiao Li stopped laughing. He adjusted her posture and stared intently into her eyes before recounting that memory that belonged solely to him for the first time.
Ten years ago, Mo Xiao Li was only eleven or twelve years old. At that time, there were few offspring in the harem, and he naturally became the prime candidate for the crown prince. However, fate had other plans. On his birthday, a favored consort of the Former Emperor also became pregnant, and ten months later, she gave birth to a prince.
Thus, there were two princes, which naturally led to competition. Despite being the eldest prince, he still had to rely on his own abilities to secure the throne.
At that time, Mo Xiao Li was quite mischievous and often thought about leaving the palace. One day, when the weather was gloomy and it was getting dark, it unexpectedly started to snow. He accidentally got separated from his Attendant and began to feel scared as the darkness deepened. However, there were hardly any people on the street, so he walked blindly forward.
Before he knew it, he found himself in front of a courtyard. At the entrance knelt a young girl wearing thin clothing. Given the cold night, and perhaps because their situations were too similar at that moment, Mo Xiao Li approached her with some confusion.
He noticed she was staring intently at the closed door, and he could vaguely see tear stains on her cheeks, which were already turning a bit blue from the cold. He asked, "Did you make a mistake?"
The girl did not respond but continued to fixate on the door. No one had ever dared to be so rude to him before, so he looked angrily at the plaque on the door and then turned back to her, saying, "If you don’t speak, I’ll have someone inside come out." With that, he stepped up the stairs to knock on the door.
"I made a mistake; this is my punishment," the girl suddenly spoke from behind him.
Mo Xiao Li stopped his advance and turned back to look at her. For some reason, he felt she looked particularly pitiful at that moment, just like himself. He took off his outer garment and said, "Put this on. If anyone bullies you, come find me in the palace."
Just as he finished speaking, his Attendant came looking for him. That was their first encounter, and after returning to the palace, Mo Xiao Li often thought about that poor girl.
Later on another occasion when he could leave the palace again, he brought his Attendant back to that place. However, before he could get close, he saw a woman comforting a beautiful young girl while hitting another girl nearby with a willow branch. The girl being hit did not resist at all, which made Mo Xiao Li feel angry. Without hesitation, he rushed forward.
"You wicked woman! Don’t hit her!"
The woman looked at the suddenly appearing child and was about to strike him when a loud voice rang out from nearby: "Stop! How dare you lay hands on him! Do you want to lose your life?"
Upon hearing this, the woman immediately knelt down in fear and pulled down the two young girls beside her. She then said, "Your Highness Prince, may you be blessed. This foolish servant begs for your forgiveness."
At that time, Mo Xiao Li clearly saw how much force the woman used to pull the little girl, so he said angrily, "You can just keep kneeling here." After saying that, he took the little girl's hand and left.
After that incident, Mo Xiao Li often went to the General's residence to play with her. Naturally, he learned that her name was Mu Junqi and that she was despised by her family for not saving her brother in time. During that time, he gradually understood what it meant to feel heartache.
However, good times did not last long. The favored consort sent someone to assassinate Mo Xiao Li. From then on, he was locked in the palace and never saw her again until later when the Former Emperor discovered that the favored consort's child was not his at all. He ordered their execution, and only then was Mo Xiao Li finally named the Crown Prince. However, when he saw her again, she had already forgotten the boy who had once protected her.
Mu Junqi listened quietly as he recounted that unknown past, her eyes already moist. She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. Mo Xiao Li spoke first: "I tell you this past not to make you cry, but to help you understand. Compared to Xia Ziqian, our meeting was much earlier. No matter now or in the future, you are my woman, Mo Xiao Li."
After hearing this, Mu Junqi could no longer hold back and suddenly threw herself into his arms, choking back tears as she said, "So it was you... so it was you."
Mo Xiao Li was clearly taken aback; he never expected her to say that. In disbelief, he asked, "You... you remember?"
"Why didn't you say it earlier? That boy back then might never forget this life—gentle and polite. It was because of him that I managed to get through those times. But later I never saw him again; I thought I would never see him in this lifetime. So every year around that time, I would go to the outskirts to pray for his safety. That year after praying, I met Xia Ziqian. I thought that was heaven's way of compensating me, so I put all my effort into liking him," Mu Junqi said through tears.
She paused before continuing: "At that time, I had no idea you were the prince, so we completely missed each other."
Mo Xiao Li never imagined such a story would unfold. He tightened his grip slightly and said, "I originally thought we had missed each other back then; I didn't expect this truth to come out. If we had clarified things earlier, wouldn't there have been so many complications later?"
"Perhaps all of this is a test from heaven. If you hadn't insisted on marrying me into the palace, we might have really missed each other. After going through so much together, we've learned how to love and understand the importance of cherishing those in front of us. So this can be considered a blessing in disguise," Mu Junqi said softly.
Even at this moment, she couldn't believe how deep their connection ran. Perhaps everything was truly destined; no matter what happened, it would ultimately end in a comedy.
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