264: Light a lamp

When Lance, seeing stars, was gently pushed to the door by Tu Nan, she finally came to her senses.

"Tu Nan, you've dragged me into a huge pit. I, I'm going to be killed by you." She gripped the doorframe, refusing to leave.

"Nonsense," Tu Nan looked at her disapprovingly, "This is called entrusting you with an important task. Do you see me talking to anyone else about this?"

"Besides, whenever I feel like I'm at a dead end, you light a lamp for me. It's been like that every single time."

Tu Nan cupped her face in both hands, very earnestly.

"You are my lucky star. You truly are a koi fish."

Lance was coaxed into feeling lightheaded again.

The Two Children sat on the floor, giggling and waving their hands as they watched them "bicker," finding it very amusing, waving their little hands and smiling sweetly.

"Don't you want to help Your Majesty?" Tu Nan asked, "Isn't he your idol anymore?"

"..." This wasn't a question of wanting to or not, but Lance was clearly wavering.

Tu Nan knew the matter was settled and directly instructed her: "You can discuss it with James; he knows everything. But apart from him, do not speak to anyone else."

Her gaze was very serious, and Lance nodded subconsciously.

Tu Nan smiled slightly, pulled open the door, and efficiently sent her out.

* * *

When the flagship returned to the Capital City, Tu Nan had already started wearing high-waisted skirts again—because this time, her belly seemed to be growing faster than before.

Completely within her expectations, during the voyage, the Children in her belly established contact with her.

The two girls were full of Origin Qi whenever they were awake, and they were not quite the same as their father.

This was good... Although they would have to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the Empire in the future, first, they needed to grow up happily as beloved Children.

The flagship had already docked with the space station, and a slight vibration could be felt.

Tu Nan stood before Your Majesty, watching the water surface that remained motionless with the help of the stabilizer.

Although Your Majesty neither moved nor spoke, just gazing at him gave Tu Nan a sense of inner peace.

"Look, we've returned to the Capital City. Together with Little Qing and Little Bai."

Tu Nan whispered to him.

[We are going home.] She told the Children by the way.

[Together with Dad?] Little Bai asked.

Both Children were Dragons, and they were quite clear about their species themselves, introducing themselves to their mother by saying one was an Azure Dragon and the other was a White Dragon.

The door behind her slid open, and Shou stepped sideways to shield her.

Tu Nan turned back to look, and it was the person who had deliberately ignored her all this time—the other The Emperor, Your Majesty's younger brother.

"What's the matter? How long are you going to keep throwing a tantrum?"

The Emperor opened his mouth with a false accusation, and James, who had followed him over, could only shake his head secretly.

"If you don't come with me, I won't care if you get skinned alive by those old ministers later."

He condescended to reach out, building a ladder for himself to climb down smoothly.

Tu Nan walked towards him slowly, and Little Qing suddenly asked in confusion: [Strange, it feels like Dad.]

This was the first time she had felt her father's aura nearby.

The Emperor's pupils suddenly constricted, and he stepped forward to grab Tu Nan's hand. He frowned slightly and asked in surprise: "This fluctuation, is it?"

Tu Nan sneered, pulled his hand, and placed it on her belly, saying to the Children: "That's right, this is your unreliable dad."

Little Qing became happy and giggled.

The Emperor's eyes darted back and forth with the sound of the laughter.

"How interesting..." He didn't know what he was marveling at.

"She recognizes me." His smile brightened instantly, and he put his arm around Tu Nan's waist and led her outside.

Shou followed silently.

"Go help James. Do you think I need you when I'm by her side?" The Emperor was always so self-willed in his actions.

Tu Nan narrowed her eyes and pinched his arm. The man grunted softly and didn't speak again.

Your Majesty's expedition had not been short, and the results were significant, so there were indeed many people waiting to welcome him at the landing pad.

However, unlike what The Emperor had used to threaten Tu Nan, he took Tu Nan straight to the car, leaving everyone else behind and returning directly to the palace.

She didn't even get a clear look at who had come.

But the main event was actually in the imperial palace, at least for Tu Nan.

When Tu Nan followed him into the main hall of Your Majesty's palace, she shrank back, which was rare for her.

Hain stood behind the Empress Dowager, gazing at her silently. His gaze fell on her slightly protruding belly, and then, his gaze suddenly dropped, staring only at the small patch of ground in front of his feet.

"Your Majesty, you have truly returned with a great victory." The Empress Dowager came up to greet him, her smile full of satisfaction, but when this gaze fell on Tu Nan, it turned into a glare of scrutiny and harshness.

"I must have misheard. They actually said she has latched onto you?" She looked at Tu Nan's belly and twitched her lips.

"She is certainly capable of conceiving, one pregnancy after another. She just gave birth not two days ago and her belly is already restless again. Your Majesty's Children? What a joke. Would Your Majesty even look at her?"

"Empress Dowager..." Hain tried to dissuade her, "Tu Nan is, after all, a Third-Class Female Official."

He was stopping the Empress Dowager from such vulgar verbal abuse; it was too jarring, and no matter what, he did not want to hear anyone treat her like that in his presence.

"Female Official." The Empress Dowager sneered repeatedly, "I think she doesn't have to be one now."

"Are you finished?" The Emperor asked coldly.

He waited leisurely for the Empress Dowager to finish her long speech, then pulled Tu Nan, who was hiding behind him, closer to his side.

He looked down at Tu Nan with tenderness for a long while, then, with a smile full of disdain, asked the Empress Dowager: "Whether I look at her or not, do I not know that myself?"

"As for the Female Official position, it is even less your place to meddle."

The Empress Dowager clutched her chest, stepped back twice in anger, and after being supported by a maid, pointed tremblingly at Your Majesty.

"You, you!" She was furious, finally realizing that something was wrong with all of this.

She wanted to step forward to question him, but looking around, Hain was there, the maid beside her was a newcomer, and there was also the inscrutable Tu Nan.

Looking at Tu Nan's belly with a gloomy face, the Empress Dowager suppressed her anger and said: "Your Majesty has just returned and must be tired. Why not rest first?"

"I will come again tomorrow." She did not want to say more, planning to find someone to figure out the situation first.

After the Empress Dowager stepped out of the door, The Emperor suddenly asked the guards guarding the palace chamber.

"How do I remember issuing an order that without my permission, she is not allowed to set foot in this palace chamber?"

"What? When did I ever rescind that order?" He smiled, but all the guards around knelt down instantly.

"You!" The Empress Dowager turned around, furious.

The Emperor waved his hand casually, and the guards immediately surrounded the Empress Dowager, preparing to "escort" her back to her own palace.

Tu Nan recalled.

Right, last time it must have been because the Empress Dowager discovered something wrong with this person, and as a result, she was sent back. After that, he ordered that he did not want to see the Empress Dowager here again.

Later, when it changed back to Your Majesty appearing, the Empress Dowager had never come again.

It turned out that his disgust for this Empress Dowager was already so deep.

The Empress Dowager could only leave in resentment.

But Hain stepped back and insisted on staying behind.