Chapter 5: Meeting the Emperor and Empress

“General, young miss, the palace is here,” the coachman’s loud voice interrupted Mu Ling’s thoughts.

Entering the palace again, Mu Ling felt a pang of sadness. The Emperor and Empress, such wonderful people, had tragically died at the hands of Concubine Qin in her past life.

In this life, she was determined to rewrite the ending!

In the Yangxin Hall, upon hearing that the old general was bringing the future crown princess to see him, the Emperor quickly sent someone to fetch the Empress.

In his heart, he felt that it was truly unfair to the young girl who agreed to marry his critically ill son. He and the Empress must treat this child well and not let her suffer any grievances.

When Mu Ling and the old general entered Yangxin Hall, the Emperor and Empress had already been waiting there. Seeing the elderly man leading the young girl to pay their respects, the Empress quickly gestured to the elderly Liu Mamma beside her, “Mamma, quickly help the girl up. We’re all family now, there’s no need to be so polite.”

The voice of Empress Chu was still as gentle as ever. In her previous life, after the crown prince passed away, she didn’t blame Mu Ling at all; instead, she kept comforting her.

Mu Ling remembered that time; her voice had been so soft and kind.

“Child, are you regretting coming to see me today?” The Emperor spoke gently, without blame or sarcasm, only the tenderness and helplessness of an elder.

“Child, don’t be afraid. Even if you regret it, it’s nothing. Han’er’s condition… and you’re here as a substitute bride… it’s normal to have second thoughts. Sigh… if you truly regret it, I can come up with another plan. However, I hope you can understand our feelings as parents. After all, the national teacher said that marrying you would help Han’er survive a bit longer, so we…”

“Your Majesty, Empress,” Mu Ling knelt on both knees again, “I do not regret it! I did not come here for that reason, but for…”

Mu Ling paused, glancing around at the palace attendants. She didn’t want outsiders to hear what she was about to say.

The expressions on the Emperor and Empress’s faces instantly turned to one of relief as they understood Mu Ling’s intentions. The Emperor waved his hand, “You all may leave.”

In the hall, only the Emperor, Empress, their personal eunuch Ming Gonggong, and Liu Mamma remained.

“Child, please get up and sit down. Now that there are no outsiders, feel free to speak your mind,” the Empress said softly.

Mu Ling stood up and sat down, thinking for a moment before speaking calmly, “Your Majesty, Empress, I want to talk about the crown prince’s illness.”

“Illness?!” The Emperor and Empress exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Mu Ling nodded, “Yes, His Royal Highness is not suffering from a serious illness, but rather he has been poisoned with a unique toxin from the Western Liang Kingdom, called ‘Thousand Threads.’ The name itself…”

“What?! Poisoned!” The Empress exclaimed in shock, and the Empress swayed, nearly fainting if not for the Emperor’s support.

Seeing the Empress’s pale face, Mu Ling felt a pang of hurt and stood up, “Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. You don’t need to worry; I have already thought of a way to detoxify the crown prince. I assure you, he will live a long life.”

“Really?” Even the Emperor lost his calm, standing up with a start, “Girl, did I hear you correctly? You said Han’er will recover, right?”

Mu Ling nodded firmly, “Yes, I assure you, His Royal Highness will recover, and within a few days, he will stand before you, healthy and well.”

“Wait… girl, this… this…” The Emperor and Empress rushed down from the dragon throne, forgetting everything else, and grabbed Mu Ling’s small hands. “Your Majesty, Empress,” the old general interjected, “You know this child… she has been labeled as a worthless child by that so-called master since she was young. Her parents… forget it, I don’t want to mention that family of beasts! But this unfortunate child was sent to a farm to fend for herself. Fortunately, she met a divine doctor there and became a closed-door disciple. That’s how she learned her medical skills. So, I believe her when she says she can save the crown prince.”

What? The Emperor and Empress looked at Mu Ling with dazed expressions. A divine doctor? A closed-door disciple? Could it be that their royal son was saved?

Mu Ling noticed the Empress’s doubts and smiled gently, “What Grandfather said is true. As for the details… I will explain everything to you when I have time. But for now, we must think about who poisoned the crown prince with such a vicious toxin. This person clearly wants the crown prince’s life.”

Mu Ling already knew who had poisoned him, but she couldn’t directly tell the Emperor and Empress. That would only make them feel disgusted with her. However, she believed that with the Empress’s intelligence and the Emperor’s decisive methods, they would soon realize who was behind this and uncover the truth.

“Girl, do you mean…” The Emperor seemed to have thought of Prince Ling and Concubine Qin.

Mu Ling didn’t answer, merely taking out two pills from her pouch. These were her proudest creations, made with her own blood. They could not only prevent various poisons but also strengthen the body.

She had prepared these to give to the Empress before entering the palace. She didn’t want the Empress to suffer any harm from Concubine Qin again.

“Your Majesty, this medicine… can prevent all poisons. If you are not at ease, you can ask the imperial physician to take a look.”

At this point, the Emperor and Empress understood. The young girl was indirectly telling them that the poisoner was among them! Now that the crown prince had collapsed, perhaps they would be the next to fall.

The Emperor took the pills and nodded, “I believe you, and I thank you. Don’t worry, child, I know what to do.”

Mu Ling smiled with relief; it was good that the Empress’s life was saved. Next, they needed to focus on the crown prince.

“Your Majesty, I have one more request.”

“Speak, what is it? As long as I can manage it, feel free to ask,” the Empress replied, now much calmer, though a glimmer of ruthlessness had appeared in her clear eyes—something she had never had before.

“I want to postpone the marriage for a while. First, let me stabilize the crown prince’s condition. As for the wedding… I hope His Royal Highness can appear at the ceremony in good health.”

The Emperor nodded with a smile, “Alright, it shall be as you wish. Whenever the wedding is, wait until you have healed Han’er, and you can decide for yourselves. However, girl, is there anything you need me to handle with your parents?”

Actually, the Emperor held some grievances against the Hou family, especially regarding that so-called lucky star. Originally, it was her who had an engagement with the crown prince. The Duke had said that his daughter was a lucky star who would bring good fortune to the crown prince and to the Great Yan as a whole. While he didn’t put much stock in legends, hearing that she could bring fortune to Han’er made him believe it a bit, which is why this engagement was settled.

In short, this engagement was something they had pleaded for. Now that the crown prince was critically ill, they had even sought someone to take her place… how could the Emperor not hold resentment?

Mu Ling shook her head, “Thank you, Your Majesty. I have already obtained a severance letter from them under the condition of agreeing to take their place. I have no further ties with them! However, any hatred or grievances—I will settle with them myself.”

For some reason, both the Emperor and Empress saw the shadow of Han’er in this young girl. The bold and carefree young man, the legendary war god of Great Yan, was as decisive in killing and rewarding as this girl before them…

“Very well, I agree that you handle it yourself. But you must also know that the Emperor and Empress will always be your strongest backing. Whatever decision you make, we will support you.”