The Luohai Kingdom? Both Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei were amazed.

Ling Zhang didn't give details after telling them it was the Luohai Kingdom that he'd just returned from. Since Ling Zhang made no more remarks on his journey, Ling Zhaowen and Fu Caiwei, both of whom had great sense of perspective, didn't ask any further questions on that score.

"Uncle Zhaowen, Aunt Caiwei, this time around I'm here because I want to bring Aunt Caiwei back to the capital city," said Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhaowen exchanged a look with Fu Caiwei and thought about it for a moment. Actually Fu Caiwei's pregnancy was now in a very stable state, so making a journey back to the capital city wouldn't be a problem for her if her carriage traveled at a gentle pace. Besides, if she went with Ling Zhang, she would be sitting in Ling Zhang's carriage which was, naturally, far better than those of common people, so she wouldn't experience any discomfort. Most importantly, as the Shengzhou governor, Ling Zhaowen was fully aware of the recent covert movements of the North-western Army. Though presently Shengzhou assumed a semblance of peace and normality, the prospect of war was actually looming large. Unless he was very much mistaken, it wouldn't be long before the fighting broke out.

Connecting this with Ling Zhang's return from the Luohai Kingdom and his special detour to Shengzhou with the intention to bring Fu Caiwei back to the capital city, Ling Zhaowen became more convinced of the truth in his conjecture and at the same time caught on to what Ling Zhang meant.

"Do you have to depart right away?" asked Ling Zhaowen.

Fu Caiwei looked at him in astonishment, for previously they had decided that she was to stay in Shengzhou waiting for the baby to come. Still, instead of interrupting her husband immediately, Fu Caiwei started pondering. She knew that Ling Zhaowen, after making a decision, wouldn't change his mind unless the situation changed. On top of that, her nephew seemed quite determined as well...

Her mind racing, Fu Caiwei felt that she had vaguely guessed something, a faintly apprehensive expression appearing on her face in spite of herself.

Since Ling Zhaowen was asking about the time of departure instead of raising an objection, Ling Zhang came to know that his uncle must've guessed the reason. Having heard no objection from his aunt either, Ling Zhang replied, "We depart the day after tomorrow, which means we have one day to make preparations."

Ling Zhaowen gave a nod. "All right."

Fu Caiwei opened her mouth but eventually said nothing. She just raised her hand and stroked her belly as the look on her face gradually became one of unswerving determination.

Ling Xuxu, though unable to tell what the adults were thinking about, had come to understand what Ling Zhang and Ling Zhaowen meant. "Is Mom going to the capital city?"

Ling Zhang looked down at him. "Yeah, and you're coming with us. Your big brother and grandfather are both in the capital city waiting for you. Do you miss them?"

Ling Xuxu answered with a head bob. "Yes!"

But he immediately added, "What about Dad?"

"Your dad has work to do, a lot of it, so it's just you and your mom going back to the capital city," Ling Zhang said to the boy.

Appearing slightly disappointed, Ling Xuxu looked at his father.

Sensing his son's reluctance to leave him, Ling Zhaowen felt gratified, but the next moment he heard Ling Xuxu say, "Rest assured, Dad, I'll take good care of Mom."

Ling Zhaowen, "..."

He was happy to see that his son had such filial affection for his mother, but why was he feeling a sense of loss?

Fu Caiwei threw her husband a glance, inwardly snickering.

...

A decision to return to the capital made, everybody in the residence started bustling around. Except for the couple of servants who were in Ling Zhaowen's and Fu Caiwei's confidence, everyone was baffled as to why Fu Caiwei suddenly wanted to go back to the capital city. However, it was not for them to ask questions in that regard. Though a solid day had been set aside, the servants were still having difficulty getting everything ready before the departure. Ling Zhang suggested that he and Fu Caiwei set off as scheduled, that the servants pack the rest of the things later and then have them delivered to the capital city. After he made this arrangement, all the servants were relieved, caught their breath and began to pack in a more careful way.

Ling Zhang gave up his carriage for Fu Caiwei. Designed by the best artisan of the Ministry of Works, it was roomy and comfortable, and passengers in it could barely feel any bumps when it was progressing.

Ling Zhang himself, along with Ling Xuxu, got into another horse-drawn carriage.

It was early in the morning of the third day that they departed from the Abode of Governor, exited the city and headed north towards the capital city.

They didn't travel fast. Ling Zhang put Fu Caiwei's health first, making sure that she had plenty of rest, so the fleet of carriages was going very slow. However, Ling Zhang still felt that it was not slow enough and would have ordered the fleet to slow down even further if the court physician that had previously been sent to the Abode of Governor hadn't promised him that Fu Caiwei was okay.

It was ten days later that they reached the capital city. After entering the city, the fleet of carriages directly drove into the Ling Mansion.

Ling Maomao, who had been informed some time before, had welcomed them with a group of servants at the city gates. Some citizens had recognized Ling Maomao and felt quite curious at the sight of the long fleet of carriages entering the city. When they had found that all the carriages bore the crest of the Ling family, they had speculated that it was a member of the Ling family who had returned.

Ling Zhang escorted Fu Caiwei back to the residence and watched as she was settled in her chambers. Only after the court physician examined her several times and assured Ling Zhang she was fine did Ling Zhang set off to return to the imperial palace.

In the imperial palace.

Yuwen Tong had long since received a letter saying Ling Zhang was coming back, but unexpectedly, not only had Ling Zhang made a detour to Shengzhou halfway through the journey, but he had traveled so slowly that it'd taken him nearly half a month to return to the capital city. Yuwen Tong didn't dare harbor any grudges against Fu Caiwei, so he had vented his anger on his court. As a result, over the past half a month or so, the courtiers had found themselves going through hell once again. It was not until Ling Zhang's return that they were rid of that miserable situation.

Surprisingly, by sitting in a carriage among the fleet of the Ling Mansion, Ling Zhang made it more difficult for people to find out about his presence. Nobody noticed that the empress, who everybody believed was still in closed-door cultivation, was actually in one of the carriages.

After leaving the Ling Mansion, Ling Zhang quietly entered the palace, and then went to see his children instead of going to the imperial bedchamber.

The palace that the two princes and the princess were living in was the closest to the imperial bedchamber. Since the princess was still young and might feel lonely if she lived alone, the imperial couple had let her live in the same large palace where her two big brothers lived. Yuwen Qi and Yuwen Lin lived in the east wing, while Yuwen Yue, her wet nurse and some handmaids lived in the west wing. The two wings were not far away, so when Yuwen Yue needed anything and called out to her brothers, they could hear her. Also, when Yuwen Qi and Yuwen Lin had the time, they would go to the west wing to play with their little sister for some time.

Yuwen Yue was still young, so Ling Zhang pretty often went to the west wing to keep her company. All handmaids and eunuchs in this palace had been carefully screened several times before being assigned to this palace. Anybody whose honesty was not absolutely unquestionable would never be allowed to serve in this palace. In addition, there were a lot of guards on duty, and some of Yuwen Tong's secret bodyguards were covertly keeping a close watch on people in the palace. Before the princes and the princess reached adulthood, the imperial couple would do everything within their power to keep them safe.

Ling Zhang went into the palace with intense anticipation only to be told by a eunuch that the two princes were having a lesson, that the princess had been carried to the imperial study by the emperor. Ling Zhang was astonished.

Did Yuwen Tong not know that he was returning today? Why had Yuwen Tong done this knowing that he'd undoubtedly been worried about the children? Ling Zhang narrowly avoided losing his temper. He spun around and it wasn't until he had walked through the palace gates in haste that he cooled down and halted. After standing there for a while, he said, "Let's go back to the imperial bedchamber."

"Yes, Young Master."

Ling Zhang went back to the bedchamber. First he took a bath, washing off the travel fatigue, then changed into clean, soft clothes, got fully dressed, sat down and finished a bowl of congee and a dish of braised pork with soy sauce before he set out to the imperial study.

In the imperial study, Yuwen Tong, holding Yuwen Yue in his arms, was keeping her from scribbling on the table with the writing brush in her hand, pretending to be listening carefully to the discussion between the courtiers when actually his mind was wandering. The Wan Kingdom was itching for a war, and the Great Wen had secretly made some preparations already, but the issue of provisions transportation and the details of many other matters still needed discussing. Yuwen Tong normally wouldn't have listened to their long-winded ramble and would have directly told them to get out of his sight and not to come back until they got everything sorted out, but on this day, his mind was on something else, so he didn't stop them.

In fact, the courtiers were also secretly bewildered. The emperor they knew would have some time ago chucked them out to rid himself of their meaningless chatter. Why was the emperor so quiet today? Why was he showing no inclination to have them leave after such a long time? Somewhat unaccustomed to the sudden change of the emperor's attitude, the courtiers gradually lowered their voices. All of them were worried that the emperor appeared cool and unemotional because he was actually extremely angry and considering how to punish them.

On noticing that they gradually quieted down, Yuwen Tong tossed them a glance and asked, "Why are you not talking any more? You guys have figured it out?"

The couple of courtiers exchanged apprehensive glances, having difficulty finding the courage to make a reply. Eventually, it was Old Master Ji who stepped forward an said, "We feel it inappropriate to bother Your Majesty with such trivial matters, so we think it'd be better if we work out a solution first before we come back here to submit it to you so you could make a final decision."

Yuwen Tong said blandly, "All right. This matter brooks no delay. It has to be sorted out as soon as possible. I have an intimate knowledge of the overheads of both the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War in recent years. Also, none of you need me to tell you what you ought to do. As for how to have the next few batches of army provisions transported to the destination without anybody noticing, it concerns the big plan of the Great Wen, so you guys had better put the heads on your necks to good use while they're still there. You've discussed this matter for quite some time. If you don't figure something out soon, there will be consequences."

"Your Majesty may rest assured we'll do our level best to get it done. We'll sacrifice our lives without hesitation if that's what Your Majesty and the Great Wen need us to do."

"Okay, enough with the big words. You may leave now."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The courtiers were just about to leave when a eunuch in the doorway of the imperial study reported aloud, "The empress arrives!"

The empress? The couple of courtiers paused at the same time. They were all members of the inner circle of the imperial court, and naturally were aware that lately the empress had probably been away from the palace instead of in closed-door cultivation. Therefore, on hearing about the return of the empress, they all came to a halt.

They counted as the most powerful people in the Great Wen except for the imperial couple, but none of them had ever got wind of the time of the empress's departure from the imperial palace or when he'd returned to the city, which was why all of them were shocked. There had been increasing occasions of this kind in recent years. During the first few years following the enthronement ceremony, they had been able to find some faint traces from time to time, but now they couldn't find a single one, and they were all fully aware of what this meant.

Five years before nobody had thought that the empress would become so resourceful. Most courtiers had even believed that the empress would get himself into deeper and deeper trouble, but ever since the emperor's sudden decision to adopt some children of his relatives', things had been going in a direction that none of them had expected. There were now two princes and a princess in the imperial household. Though none of them was the empress's trueborn child, the two princes were both Yuwens. The princess was not a Yuwen, but being a princess meant that she had no claim to the throne, so there wouldn't be a problem. Presently, the two princes and the princess were all so close to the empress as though he'd given birth to them. Also, the marital bonding between the emperor and the empress had been very strong all along, and the former had no inclination whatsoever to take any concubines. The empress's position had been getting more and more secure. Currently, the empress was in charge of more than half of the Great Wen's intelligence sources. There was nothing any of the courtiers could do that the empress wouldn't find out. Even if any of them harbored ulterior motives, he wouldn't dare risk disclosing anything to others.

All the courtiers halted and looked in the direction of the doorway of the imperial study.

On entering the study, Ling Zhang caught sight of the couple of courtiers who appeared to have just paused on their way out. Slightly surprised, he wondered what this was about.

Apart from him, Old Master Ji and the others were also secretly surprised as their eyes met. Ling Zhang was walking in with his back to the daylight coming from outside, and not only did every line of the contours of his figure seem to be cloaked in some kind of halo as he moved, but a sense of power was spontaneously radiating from him, and, though not quickly, was flooding towards them. When looking at Ling Zhang's eyes, they felt that their souls were quivering. His eyes were so penetrating as though the owner of them was seeing right into their hearts and reading their minds!

Almost all of them were awed and on the alert in spite of themselves. Even Old Master Ji, after a brief moment's stupor, gave a horrified start.

Ling Zhang was approaching, an involuntary expression of confusion appearing on his face as he saw them remaining stationary.

Old Master Ji was the first to realize the situation. "I'm honored to bow before you, Your Highness."

The others became conscious of externals and all hastened to pay their respects to the empress.

Inwardly raising his brows, Ling Zhang said, "There's no need for formalities, Your Lordships. Are you going inside or..."

"Your Highness, we're going back to the hall to confer with each other about the matter of army provisions."

"I'm impressed by your dedication."

"A compliment none of us deserve. I think it's safe to say Your Highness is here to talk with His Majesty and Her Highness, so we'd like to take our leave if you'll excuse us."

Ling Zhang nodded and resumed progressing. Old Master Ji and the others watched as he walked towards the far end of the study.

Ling Zhang sensed the gaze from behind him and the corners of his mouth unnoticeably curled.

Between the front doors of the imperial study and the inner chamber where the emperor's desk was was a straight passageway paved with mirror-like floor tiles. All those who could tread it were top-ranking officials of the Great Wen, pillars of the imperial court. Over the past five years, Ling Zhang had seldom come to the imperial study on his own initiative, even more rarely to the consultation hall, and there were very few occasions when he'd met any of the courtiers. The last time he'd seen Old Master Ji and the others was at a banquet held in the palace on the eve of the New Year's Day. At that time he hadn't reached the sixth layer of his method of cultivating internal energy yet, and his proficiency in the utilization of the Force of Blood in him had still been at a rather low level. Now he had reached the sixth layer, and it was as though he had truly taken his first step into another realm. He was seeing and hearing things in a very different way and also capable of control his powers in a more efficient and accurate fashion. A short while before, after he sensed Old Master Ji's and the others' presence in the study, he'd been briefly surprised, decided to try it out on them and gradually lifted the restrictions he'd imposed on his powers, and the outcome struck him as satisfactory, for he had noticed that even Old Master Ji, a wily old fox, had had an involuntary look of shock and astonishment in his eyes.

"Ahem."

At this time, a fit of coughing suddenly came from inside, which didn't sound like the kind of cough that people couldn't stifle. It was tinged with displeasure. Clearly the person inside was displeased with Ling Zhang's slow pace.

Ling Zhang lifted his brows and quickened his pace. Through the see-through curtains, he could now see the major part of the interior of the imperial study. Around a corner was a spacious hall. On the two sides were tall bookcases laden with books of all descriptions. Right between the two rows of bookcases was the emperor's desk which faced due south, and which people could see immediately after turning the corner.

Yuwen Tong, who was holding Crescent in his arms, had cocked his ears the moment Ling Zhang had entered the imperial study. Hearing Ling Zhang's footsteps and his greetings to the courtiers, feeling the sense of power radiating from him, Yuwen Tong had slightly squinted his eyes with a proud look on his face. Eager to see Ling Zhang, he had deliberately let out a cough to give him a prod and then perceived him quickening his pace. Through the curtains, he could vaguely see a figure coming towards him. When Ling Zhang was standing in the hall, Yuwen Tong fixed his eyes on him. He hadn't seen Ling Zhang for nearly two months, and now he could finally put an end to the days when he had to lie in bed alone and unable to sleep. He hardened his face, preparing to "dress down" Ling Zhang to let him know that he had been lonely and suffering from insomnia all this time. However, he had just opened his mouth when the countenance of Ling Zhang standing opposite him changed drastically and with that Ling Zhang let out a roar.

"YUWEN TONG, WHY ARE YOU SUCH A LOUSY PARENT?!"