Nuo Ying Su wanted to stop Huang Qiaoli but couldn't afford to say a word. The woman had instilled a pressure on her that she didn't know about. Even though Lady Huang knew that she was a transmigrated woman, she could still insist that the woman was spouting nonsense.

But her instincts told her that it would be wrong to make her an enemy. It was so strong that she had gotten stiff in her seat.

Huang Qiaoli had no idea about what the female lead was thinking, she continued conversing with the Emperor. "I think I'm being chased around by assassins these days. His Majesty might know why?"

Long Yi Ran looked bewildered. She had to give it to him. He was better at acting.

"Assassins? Was that the reason why you were separated from your envoy? That's... We don't know what to say but We'll definitely investigate and give you an explanation!"

Hearing this, Huang Qiaoli laughed. As soon as the sound escaped her lips, she stopped in a disturbing manner.

"Don't kid with me. What do you want to do? Is there any sense in keeping me here?"

She stared straight at Long Yi Ran. Her golden eyes were determined to read any emotion on his face.

The Emperor's serene smile cracked a little. He was a person of royal descent and being stared at like this sparked a flame of anger in his heart.

He lowered his lids to hide his annoyance before looking at the man behind the lady. "We never knew this was the kind of woman you wanted to marry."

Mao Zhu felt lightheaded. So it was true.

She... she was really alive! But how could Hong Chun change her appearance like this?

"Emperor, please don't change the subject. We must speak like real adults here and save the poisonous words for your ministers, what do you say?"

Mao Zhu walked forward a few steps just to hear these words from the woman who looked like Hong Chun but didn't sound like her at all. Chun mei would never say something so irresponsible.

Ignoring all the questions in his head, he warned her, "Chun mei, watch your words in front of his Majesty!" You might get yourself killed!

He didn't dare to utter the last part.

Qiaoli glanced at him and whispered. "You don't need to call me that anymore... Also, you don't need to worry about me. From the moment you chose to serve your Emperor, you lost Hong Chun."

It wasn't just because he didn't warn her about the assassins. It was also because her status wouldn't allow a man from Great Han to be with her.

Qiaoli didn't have the chance to think of matters between a man and a woman when she was a robot. Of course, that was because she was a robot. Now that she was back in this world, she had thought it through. Even if she would need a man, she wouldn't get a person who was indecisive as f*ck.

Forget about his attraction to Nuo Ying Su over there. Let that subject be bygones.

Mao Zhu already chose to protect his family and she wouldn't fault him for that. But he should do it until the end without looking back at her with those sickening loving eyes.

It only made her want to punch him. Her way of thinking might be extreme but nothing could sway her mind.

Mao Zhu was left speechless. When he saw her, all he thought was 'she came back'. He forgot about the fact that he knew what was going to happen that night. And he obeyed the royal order instead of lending her a hand.

There was no right choice between his family and the woman he loved. He happened to choose the former and she made him remember that.

Seeing the man fall back, Qiaoli smiled at the Emperor.

See? The sucker you wanted to use against me lost in the first round.

Long Yi Ran admitted that he miscalculated. He thought that the girl was deeply in love with Mao Zhu. That was one of Mao Zhu's values to him but it turned out that she didn't care about him.

The reports told him that the daughter of the Hong family waited for the third young master Mao for five years because she didn't want to marry someone else. Was that a lie fabricated by the Scholar's Guild?

As the stalemate lasted, surprisingly, the female lead chose to side with the strange woman.

"Yi Ran... it's better to negotiate with her." She hinted at her husband.

Nuo Ying Su knew Long Yi Ran wouldn't budge unless she persuaded him. She didn't know the consequences if they drove the woman named Huang Qiaoli to a corner.

So it was better for their side to first take a step back and gain an advantage later on.

Long Yi Ran glanced at his wife. He may not know it but Qiaoli whose attention was pinned on him from the start noticed how his expression softened somewhat. It wasn't the same generic calmness he exuded as an emperor.

Qiaoli knew at that moment that whatever the main leads had between them, it was real. For a moment, she seemed suffocated for an unknown reason.

Mao Zhu was too shellshocked to notice her abnormality but Si Hai, who had witnessed it once, noticed that there was something wrong with her again.

The fox who looked like a kid inched closer to her and tugged at her sleeve.

Fortunately, Qiaoli woke from her stupor. Si Hai didn't want to witness another manic episode. His poor heart couldn't forget the fright he felt yesterday.

This time, the Emperor acquiesced with his Empress. "Well, since the lady wishes to know, Zhen won't hide it from you anymore."

As he spoke, Qiaoli found her nails interesting all of a sudden. Though it was just an excuse to ground her into the present.

Her mentality was really unstable, the smallest things could trigger her!

Long Yi Ran decided to ignore her rude behavior as he swept a glance at the servants inside the hall. They immediately got the message and left the hall for the second time today.

Noticing everyone but the necessary people left, Yi Ran sighed. "We will need your help..."

Huang Qiaoli raised her head upon hearing this.

"A year after We sat on the throne, bizarre things started happening in the Northeast. At first, they could be passed off as baseless superstition but after those things happened more than a few times, We sent people to investigate."

Qiaoli frowned, not knowing where this was going.

What could the male lead not solve? And why did they need her?

"In the forest lying between Great Han and Huo Ai, strange plants and animals are appearing at a slow rate. Along with it, a permanent cold mist seemed to come down from the Su mountain ranges. At a glance, it looks like winter is spreading.

We haven't alerted anyone in the capital about this as it won't be good to create hysteria."

The Emperor looked like his liver hurt while giving out free information about the status of his land. But he forced himself to say it anyway.

Nuo Ying Su sat beside him. She didn't hold his hand. She didn't even do anything but it seemed her presence alone calmed Yi Ran's anxiety.

"A few months ago, We accidentally knew of your existence but didn't make a move against the Scholar's Guild. Getting the Mao family's loyalty is a means to reduce the Hong family's aids. Otherwise, Lady Huang won't be here today." He had a bitter smile as he said this.

And Qiaoli's face was turning more and more placid as he explained.

Mao Zhu's mouth blabbered like a fish but he couldn't utter a word.

The missing pieces in Qiaoli's mind were more or less answered and her steely composure as a robot was becoming more evident.

She was the one who continued for the Emperor.

"Once the secret that a daughter of Huo Ai was out, it was hard for you to conceal it so instead of being harassed by the other nations, you decided to spill it. Crimson Trail was then hired by the four nations. I'm guessing you don't even know what kind of identity Hong Chun had but you still made a random action, hoping that my real family will hear of this."

The voice that came out of her mouth sounded more like the Quiet Plum that she was familiar with. Devoid of inflection and feelings. Just plain deliverance of a series of words.

Long Yi Ran, Nuo Ying Su, Mao Zhu, and Si Hai had varying degrees of shock on their faces upon hearing her tone of speech.

"But you also don't want me killed. Otherwise, the assassins that entered Hong's residence would be more than five feeble people. Then, you declared my death in hopes to deter the other nations. But you know how persistent Crimson Trail can be so you sent Mao Zhu out there, knowing that he'll be able to recognize me no matter what."

One resounding clap was heard inside the hall which startled all the occupants.

"Indeed, your intelligence can't be underestimated." That single clap and humorless praise came from the red-haired lady in the center of the room.

The people who were with her had the same thought. Hearing her sarcastic remarks earlier was better than seeing this vacant, stoic face.