Crossing the Palace Fighting Fox Harem

Chapter 412 Full Moon Night

"Your Majesty!" Ji Anni screamed, the blood making her calmness disappear.

Long Mohan was calm and said softly, "Don't be afraid, it's not a serious illness."

As she spoke, she took out a silk handkerchief and wiped away all the blood on her hands and around her mouth.

At this moment, Ji Anni suddenly understood why Long Mohan did not attend the court early. Maybe... it was not because the ministers had no basis to submit a memorial, but because Long Mohan was unable to attend the court due to illness.

"It seems I can't hide it from you anymore. Three days ago, the imperial physician found out that I have lung disease. I didn't want to make it public, but somehow the general found out. He suggested that I rest and recuperate for a while..." Long Mohan had a helpless smile on his face.

"Then Your Majesty should just focus on recuperating. Zhao Ji will take care of you." Ji Anni suddenly felt a sense of responsibility.

Long Mohan shook his head. "I thought I could achieve something after getting rid of the Queen Mother, but... I suddenly got sick... I don't know if it's God punishing me, or if someone has evil intentions..."

"Your Majesty, you think too much." Ji Anni didn't want Long Mohan to be worried and think that someone in the palace was plotting a murder.

"You think too naively, but..." Long Mohan smiled faintly, "This is exactly why I like you."

Ji Anni's heart was beating wildly and she subconsciously looked away from Long Mohan.

"That's fine. Anyway, I never had any ambitions. I returned to the palace just to find out the cause of my mother's death. Now that the queen mother has been punished, my wish has been fulfilled. This serious illness allows me to put aside my busy work and spend time with you and Prince Ming."

Long Mohan spoke seriously, and it didn't sound like he was joking or giving up on himself. Ji Anni couldn't help but secretly admire his optimism.

"Your Majesty, did the imperial physician say that your illness can be cured?" After he said this, he realized that he had asked an unlucky question and quickly changed the subject, "No, no, what I just said does not count. Your Majesty's illness can definitely be cured."

Long Mohan was amused by her panic and said, "Of course it can be cured. Even if it is cured, I don't want to return to the court. I want to be lazy and continue to recuperate."

"If you continue like this, you will learn bad things tomorrow." Ji Anni pretended to be angry and put her hands on her hips.

No wonder the Ming prince always skipped school, it turned out that the top beam was not straight and the bottom beam was crooked.

"Now the general is helping me handle government affairs, but... this is not a long-term solution after all."

If this continues, the emperor will be powerless, and all major affairs in the world will be decided by the general alone. Where will the imperial power remain?

Even though Long Mohan had no intention of fighting for power, he did not want to watch his kingdom fall into the hands of others.

"Zhao Ji, do you want to be the queen?" Long Mohan suddenly changed the subject, startling Ji Anni.

"Zhao Ji?" Seeing that Ji Anni did not answer, Long Mohan gently shook her shoulders.

Ji Anni came back to her senses and asked, "Why did the emperor suddenly mention this..."

"I know you don't care about the position of empress, but... if you are not the empress, Prince Ming cannot legitimately become the crown prince. Since ancient times, a son is honored by his mother, and a mother is honored by her son. If you become the empress, Prince Ming will be the crown prince, and if Prince Ming is the crown prince, you should be the empress. Now that the empress dowager has lost power, the remaining remnants of the An family in the court will not have many good days left..."

"Your Majesty," Ji Anni suddenly interrupted Long Mohan, "You yourself don't even want to be the emperor, and don't want to be involved in the whirlpool of government politics, so why do you want Ming'er to follow in your footsteps?"

Long Mohan was stunned for a moment, but had to admit that what Ji Anni said made some sense.

"But, asking me to give up the throne... I can't do it." Long Mohan gritted his teeth.

Even if it is something you don’t want, you are unwilling to give it to others for nothing, hoping to pass it on to your next generation.

"In short, Your Majesty, you should just take care of your health first. Just let these things take their own course. Whether or not you can become the queen is not important to Zhao Ji." Ji Anni looked at the few traces of blood remaining on Long Mohan's lips, and her heart ached. She was most afraid of others getting hurt in front of her, let alone vomiting blood.

She took out her silk handkerchief, wet it with water, and helped Long Mohan wipe off the blood stains that had not been wiped off just now.

Her gentle movements made Long Mohan feel warm, but also inexplicably sad. Although the woman in front of him had Zhao Ji's appearance and aura, her eyes and demeanor always revealed a bit of Ji Anni's feeling.

That day, when he heard Ji Anni, who had just woken up from a coma, suddenly call him "Mo Han", he thought Zhao Ji had finally returned to him, but the short dream was quickly shattered. Now he has gradually realized that the Zhao Ji in front of him is not Zhao Ji, but the one who coexisted with Ji Anni.

He didn't want to mention anything about Ji Anni in front of her, thinking that this way, he could keep Zhao Ji for a little longer... thinking that this way, he could get rid of his longing for her for a little longer...

In the afternoon, Hua Rong brought news to Ji Anni that the Queen Mother was about to leave the palace. The Queen Mother had been under house arrest for five or six days, and there had been rumors in the palace that she was going to move out. Yuan Rong, who was making trouble everywhere, distracted everyone's attention, making everyone focus more on avoiding the demon and not spreading rumors about the Queen Mother. To this day, for most people, why the Queen Mother was under house arrest is still a mystery.

Ji Anni still has many memories that have not recovered. After hearing the news brought by Hua Rong, she just felt that the Queen Mother was a very distant person from her and did not care much about this matter.

"Where is she going after leaving the palace?" Ji Anni asked casually.

Hua Rong said: "It seems that he is going to the other palace in Dongdu. He probably won't come back after this trip."

"Really? When do we leave?"

"Probably tonight. The luggage is ready, and the general is sending people to arrange the convoy."

"Why choose night?" Ji Anni felt a little strange. Wouldn't it be more convenient to travel during the day?

"Of course we have to choose the night, so that no one will talk about it, otherwise rumors will definitely spread among the people."

Ji Anni nodded, not interested in asking further. She then asked Hua Rong if she could move back to Taoyuan. Hua Rong said that she had to consult the Imperial Master, so Ji Anni sent Hua Rong to ask. Hua Rong felt a little strange, thinking that the relationship between Ji Anni and the Imperial Master seemed a little distant. In the past, Ji Anni would never miss any opportunity to talk to Yun Zhen.

Hua Rong guessed that something must have happened between Ji Anni and Yun Zhen, but as a maid, she didn't dare to ask more questions. She just followed Ji Anni's instructions and told Yun Zhen about Ji Anni's wish to return to Taoyuan.

I thought Yun Zhen would not object, but Yun Zhen refused outright and said that Ji Anni must stay in Xianke Pavilion today.

Huarong asked why, and Yunzhen replied: "Because today is the night of the full moon..."

The night of the full moon is when the demonic power of the monsters is the strongest. If a powerful monster releases demonic energy at this time, even humans who are not monsters will be affected by the demonic energy and stimulate the demonic nature hidden in their bodies. Ji Anni is just such a person who is easily triggered by demonic power. Yun Zhen must keep a close eye on her to ensure that she does not change on the night of the full moon.

Although Hua Rong didn't understand Taoism, she knew the effect of the full moon on monsters. At this moment, she could no longer deceive herself and was more certain that Ji Anni was a fox demon.

"Imperial Master, will the Queen harm anyone?" Hua Rong asked meaningfully.

Yun Zhen answered without thinking: "No, she is kind by nature and will definitely not harm anyone."

"Master, Hua Rong can pretend to know nothing, but...how long do you think you can keep it a secret?"

If Hua Rong hadn't asked, Yun Zhen wouldn't have thought about this question at all. His responsibility was to protect Ji Anni's safety. No matter what happened, no matter what unexpected situation he encountered, as long as Ji Anni was safe.

Yun Zhen didn't want to answer, but facing Hua Rong's eyes that seemed determined to keep asking questions, he answered helplessly, "Hide it until I can't hide it anymore."

Hua Rong seemed dissatisfied with this answer and reminded him, "Master, have you forgotten that a hundred years ago, the concubine who was discovered by the Emperor Taizu to be a fox demon was executed..."

Hua Rong was conflicted and didn't know whether she should tell the general about Ji Anni's secret and cancel Kang Xiaorong's marriage with the princess, or pretend that she knew nothing and continue her current life. An important reason why she didn't dare to tell the general was that she couldn't bear to watch Ji Anni repeat the same mistake as the fox demon queen who was burned at the stake.

"The Emperor has deep feelings for Concubine Zhao. Even if he knew she was not human, he would not kill her."

Hua Rong didn't dare to think as optimistically as Yun Zhen. She subconsciously always took things very seriously.

"I hope so, but Imperial Master... rather than hoping that others will give you a break and accept your identity, it is better to take the initiative and let you do something convincing to everyone as a fox demon. In this way, not only will people not distance themselves from her because of her identity as a fox demon, but they will also worship her."

"What you mean is..." Yun Zhen looked at Hua Rong as if he understood something.

Hua Rong said: "The people in the palace are now in a panic because of Yuan Rong. As long as the queen can subdue Yuan Rong with the method of using a demon to control a demon, she can establish her authority among the people and prove that she is not a demon that harms people, but the patron saint of everyone."

Yun Zhen smiled and shook his head, "No, Huarong, this approach is in line with your character, but it is not in line with the Queen's character. She is just an ordinary person who likes to spend her days in leisure. What she fears most is to cause trouble and become the focus of other people's discussions."

"Master, I am doing this for the good of the queen. The queen has already revealed her true colors in front of me, and I can keep my mouth shut, but what about next time? Who will see her next time? Will that person still keep the secret for her? By then, if three people speak out, they will slander the queen, and I am afraid you will be powerless to protect her."

Hua Rong seemed to be born with a kind of bewitching magic. Anyone who talked to her would be unconsciously influenced and led by her. Three question marks in a row made Yun Zhen worried. Although Yun Zhen was usually calm and not easily disturbed by the outside world, his worry about Ji Anni made him a little abnormal.