Shao Chen's tears were still flowing ceaselessly. Even so, his spine was completely healed.
"I'm sorry. I only know a rough method to heal it," Yan Mei said regretfully. She offered a handkerchief to Shao Chen so that he could wipe off the tears.
After the situation slightly calmer, Yan Mei changed the topic.
"What do you want to do today? Learning again?"
Shao Chen, who was still a little bit absent-minded, was silent for a long time. Yan Mei only smiled and wait. She had been used to this.
Shao Chen began to shook his head and it won't stop. It seemed the shock from before still lingered and interfered with his brain motor coordination.
Afraid that Shao Chen's neck might suddenly come off, Yan Mei held his head with both hands to stop it.
"I understand. So, what do you want to do?" she asked, reminding him that he had not answered her question.
"I…."
'Revenge!' His inner self shouted, reminding him again.
"Yes, that's right!" Shao Chen suddenly exclaimed, made Yan Mei jumped.
"What?"
"I want to go to the thief emperor!"
Yan Mei chuckled. "You want to meet His Majesty? You know where he is now?"
That question struck Shao Chen. 'I don't know!' he shouted to himself and his enthusiasm was immediately lost.
"Oh my … don't be sad. If you don't know, I can tell you," Yan Mei comforted him.
Shao Chen's eyes lit up. "Tell me!"
Yan Mei calmed Shao Chen who was too excited and fired up. She wondered why Shao Chen was so happy to meet her son but she did not plan to ask.
"Eat your breakfast first! This is still too early for His Majesty to start his work. After you ate, I will escort you to him." Yan Mei lifted a basket full of dishes.
Shao Chen nodded and obediently ate them.
*****
Chen Liqin went to his office while inhaling fresh air happily. The smile on his feature became wider and wider every time he remembered Ming Yu's cute face last night when they were pleasuring each other on the bed. Red blossomed on his cheeks.
A jab on his cheek snapped him out of his reverie. When he turned back, Chen Yongrui was standing behind him with a teasing smile.
"Ahn~ did you satisfied?" Chen Yongrui asked, making a 'tugging blanket up to cover his body' gesture as if he was a naked woman who had just finished making love.
Chen Liqin laughed wryly while smacking this ridiculous thirteenth prince's head. After that he trotted inside the office, followed by Chen Yongrui who was still laughing.
'Did it show up clearly on my face?!'' Chen Liqin suddenly lost his confidence in his making poker face skill and decided to be more careful next time. Maybe he should check his expression on the mirror every morning before getting out from his private pavilion.
"Good morning, Your Majesty, Thirteenth Prince," Liang Hu paid respect when he saw the two came into the room.
Chen Liqin immediately switched his thought from Ming Yu to his job. After clearing his throat, he asked Liang Hu, "What is today's schedule?"
"Only checking on these documents, Your Majesty." Liang Hu showed a big mountain of documents on both of his hands.
''only' … sigh….,' he thought with a wry smile. Checking documents was the simplest job but also the most boring activity. There was more than one time that he was tempted to issue a decree to erase this kind of job.
"Placed them on the table! Anything else?"
"There are no more, Your Majesty."
Chen Liqin nodded. "Then, do the usual."
Liang Hu cupped his hands then bowed before leaving the room. 'the usual' was his job to make sure to serve the emperor tea, snacks, and daily meal according to the schedule that had been determined by Chen Liqin himself.
Chen Liqin sat behind the desk, returned his attention to Chen Yongrui. "Any update?" he asked about the supervision of Dai Junjie task that had been assigned to his youngest brother.
Chen Yongrui shook his head regretfully. "It was so hard just to make sure I don't lose him! I did not get anything!"
"Don't be hasty. Junjie was indeed very tricky. It's a bit hard to rip off his mask and see what he had been hidden inside," Chen Liqin comforted. If he, himself, did this task, he might get the same trouble as Chen Yongrui's.
Chen Yongrui sighed. "I will try harder."
When Chen Liqin almost answered, Chen Yongrui suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "What if I ask my father about this?"
"Uncle Shoushan?" Chen Liqin thought for a while.
The illegal auction invited a lot of high-ranking officials and nobles. Of course, his father, Chen Guang, did not get the invitation, but….
'Maybe Uncle Shoushan got it!'
Believing in his own instinct, Chen Liqin approved the idea.
Chen Liqin thought Chen Yongrui would immediately run to search for fifth uncle but Chen Yongrui still stood there and smiled weirdly at him.
'What's up with this kid? Did he knock his head somewhere?' Chen Liqin frowned in wonder.
"First Brother, I heard you sent that girl, who had made a commotion in the birthday party, to the cold palace?" Chen Yongrui asked with a meaningful smile.
Being reminded about that crazy girl, Chen Liqin could not help but bending his feature down. "Why did you ask about her?"
Chen Yongrui chuckled. "She was really ridiculous! She had made the palace become lively and fun!"
'What do you think of the palace? A playground?!'' Chen Liqin sighed inside. This youngest brother of him was really like to play and as long as it was fun, he would love it.
"She was too irregular. I will instantly become bald if she was still free loitering around the palace! If I kept her inside the cold palace, she definitely will not show her face again!"
Indeed there were not any written rules stated that the cold palace resident could not visit another area of the palace. However, the cold palace itself already meant exile indirectly so no one would dare to go out after sent inside the cold palace block.
As stupid as she was, she would surely understand this meaning! That was what he thought but he did not aware that he had exaggerated Shao Chen's intelligence too much.
At that time, Shao Chen had been so near to the royal office.
Next to him was Yan Mei who had escorted him here. Some of the palace residents from various ranks and positions had passed by them with surprise and confusion. At first, they thought that Shao Chen had run away and intended to catch him back to the cold palace. However, Yan Mei's existence made them stopped. They wondered why The Queen Mother was there with this despicable girl but they did not dare to ask so at last, they decided to turn blind on them.
"There is the emperor's office," Yan Mei said while pointing at the grand building which only had one big luxurious door.
Shao Chen nodded then approached the door. At the same time, Liang Hu was approaching with hot tea for his majesty.
Liang Hu's eyes widened when he found that crazy girl. His heart almost stopped beating. "You ho—"
"THIEF EMPEROR!" Shao Chen shouted, interrupting Liang Hu's exclamation.
BANG!
Shao Chen broke into the office without further ado.
Chen Liqin heard that familiar voice and a headache soon attacked him. 'D*mn!'
Chen Yongrui could not stop laughing. His laugh became louder and louder until he almost rolled on the floor. "Who is it again that definitely won't show her face?" he teased while laughing.
Chen Liqin's cheeks blushed. His grip tightened in anger.
"THIEF EMPEROR!" Shao Chen shouted again after could not find Chen Liqin's figure. It was because of the folding wall in front of him that separated the room into two sections. The front where Shao Chen was located was for receiving guests and the latter section was Chen Liqin's private office.
"Aaaaagh!! Shut your mouth up, Ah Rui!" Chen Liqin ruffled his hair in annoyance. That crazy girl's voice was like a sign of the opening of the hell's gate.
Shao Chen heard the emperor's voice but still could not find his figure. He did not notice that Chen Liqin was behind the folding wall. He was about to shout again when someone seized his arm.
"Miss! Please go out from here! You had been exiled to the cold palace and prohibited from getting out of there. Please go back!" Liang Hu was the one who seized Shao Chen's arm and now he tried to dragged Shao Chen out.
However, Shao Chen stubbornly pulled his hand back. He strengthened his footing so that he won't be dragged easily. "THIEF EMPEROR! GAVE ME BACK MY MONEY!" he shouted, did not care about what had Liang Hu said.
Liang Hu did not give up and exerted more strength to pull him. "You are prohibi—"
"Let go!" Shao Chen swung his arm roughly, trying to break free.
Liang Hu, who had been old enough, lost to the swing and even losing his footing. He was directly pulled towards Shao Chen!
Shao Chen instinctively knew that he would be crushed by the old man, immediately moved. However, his feet slipped by the spilled tea.
THUMP! BANG! CRASH!
The two of them crashed on the folding wall. the light wall immediately collapsed.
"Ouch…."
Liang Hu tried to stand up but suddenly his back felt like it was being pulled in the wrong place. The excruciating pain immediately attacked him. "OUCH! MY BACK!" he cried. Cold sweat was flowing down from his forehead and dripping on the floor.
Chen Liqin ran towards Liang Hu to check his condition. He hoped the old man did not hurt badly but after seeing Liang Hu, who almost could not move an inch, his hope crashed.
Shao Chen got up without any care to the old man that was ceaselessly complaining. That was because his eyes had caught Chen Liqin's red feature who was also stared sharply at him in anger.
"You, thief emperor! get ready because I—"
"SHUT UP!" Chen Liqin roared. He could not hold himself anymore.
This girl always managed to break all of his calmness and happiness and now she even harmed his secretary until this old man sprained his spine!
Remembering his piled-up job and he had to do it without Liang Hu's assistance made his headache getting worse. If this girl was still living inside the palace area, no one knew what trouble would she bring to Chen Liqin again.
'I have to drive her out of here!' This time, he did not postpone and directly dragged Shao Chen forcefully.
"Hei! You—ouch! It's hurt, you fool! Hei! Thief Em—"
"Shut up! I kick you out of the palace!" Chen Liqin snapped. He even did not want to look at Shao Chen anymore. He had fed up with her foolish face.
Fortunately, this time, Shao Chen's brain work properly and quickly. Noticing that he would be kicked out from here, he immediately strengthened his footing to prevent Chen Liqin to pull him out easily.
Chen Liqin mustered up more energy to pull Shao Chen until his arms felt like they were about to come off the hinges.
"Don't be stubborn! Get out!"
"No way!"
The two of them continued to fight when Yan Mei opened the office's door and came inside.
Chen Liqin's face brightened. "Mother! Please help me to drag this crazy girl outside the palace!"
"What nonsense did you say?!" Beyond his expectations, Yan Mei was indignant.
Chen Liqin was dumbfounded at Yan Mei's utterance. At the same time, The Former Emperor, Chen Guang, who had gotten the message that his wife was calling him to his son's office had finally arrived.
"What had happened?" he asked decisively.
"Your Supreme Majesty, His Majesty was trying to kick Shao Chen out of the palace!" Yan Mei reported unsatisfiedly.
"Who is Shao Chen?" Chen Liqin blinked two times in confusion. "Whatever! More than that, Father! This crazy girl makes trouble again. We have to drive him out or this palace will be destroyed by her sooner or later!"
"Yo—You—" Liang Hu tried to speak but his back pain was too tormenting that he passed out before managed to utter one word completely.
Chen Yongrui who was only watching until now could not take it anymore and finally rolled on the floor with a big laughter.
Chen Guang knitted his brows, confused. The condition was too chaotic, "What the hell was actually going on?!"