Chapter 2868 - 2869: Maturity

Chapter 2868: Chapter 2869: Maturity

"What should you do then? You are Achun’s aunt, I should call you aunt too. Why don’t you come with us?" Bai Ruozhu said.

The Luo Family smiled kindly, "No, I can’t leave, if I do, everything here will be in ruins."

Bai Ruozhu understood instantly, if she left, all those "living" people would die.

"Then what exactly are Fang Qing and Aluo?" she asked again.

"No idea, you must leave quickly, Aluo is coming in." The Luo Family urgently pushed her.

Bai Ruozhu awoke suddenly, with Jiang Yichun hastily grabbing her hand, "How was it?"

She gestured ’shhh’ to him, mouthing: Talk later.

Jiang Yichun sensed something unusual, nodded and helped her up.

"Sister, sister, how is my mother?" Aluo walked in, a little child carrying two cups of hot tea.

If it weren’t for what the Luo Family just said, Bai Ruozhu might still think he was a sensible child, but now she felt she had to be more cautious around him.

"It seems your mother has a sleep disorder, quite difficult to treat, but not a serious issue; she won’t fall into a permanent sleep." Bai Ruozhu told him.

"Really?" Aluo went to check on the Luo Family, then noticed Fang Qing standing aside, "My father is dazed again, oh well, whatever."

Bai Ruozhu smiled at him, "Take good care of your mother, we need to continue our search."

"Alright, let me see you out first." Aluo cheerfully escorted them to the door, only going back inside once they were far away.

Bai Ruozhu led Jiang Yichun back to their place, he could feel sweat on her palms, which made him sense there was something wrong.

"What happened?" he asked urgently.

"The Luo Family pulled me into a dream." Bai Ruozhu was still very worried for the Luo Family’s safety.

At this moment, Tang Yin walked in, "What did you discover?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, the Luo Family brought me into her dream, advising me to leave quickly. She is being exploited." Bai Ruozhu recounted the Luo Family’s words.

"Who is exploiting her? How did that person revive Fang Qing and Aluo?" Tang Yin listened with confusion.

"It’s not resurrection, she mentioned initially she believed Fang Qing and Aluo had come back to life, but later realized they were substitutes. It’s unclear what exactly they are. Also, she never saw the person’s face, they negotiated through dreams. Recently, the person asked her to trap you eternally in the dream."

Bai Ruozhu frowned, "Your Majesty, this person is certainly unusual; able to enter dreams and create replicas indistinguishable from living people. If it weren’t for the Luo Family’s kind heart, unwilling to do evil, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"When did you decide to come to North Pass, Your Majesty? Who else knows?" Jiang Yichun suddenly asked.

Tang Yin’s expression shifted slightly, "I only mentioned it to Wenwen before you returned to Capital City."

Wenwen is the Consort, but she wouldn’t harm him. Most likely somebody overheard the conversation.

So that person began plotting and chose the Luo Family.

If that’s the case, how safe can the Consort be with such a demon hiding by her side?

"Why are you all so troubled? I thought it was something more complicated... it’s just a Dream Demon, isn’t it?" Ao Song’s voice chimed in as he entered, followed by the Astrologer.

The Astrologer nodded at Bai Ruozhu, "Have you forgotten about Rouge and Gong Feng?"

Bai Ruozhu certainly hadn’t forgotten; they’re spirits from Fusang, rare in Zhongyuan. Could it really be a Dream Demon?

"Dream Demons can’t enter the Imperial Palace; they can’t even get near the Emperor. The dragon’s qi is more than they can handle," Ao Song said.

The Astrologer agreed, "Indeed, otherwise they’d invade the Emperor’s or officials’ dreams, spread false messages, and confuse minds with impunity."

"Exactly, so it could only infiltrate the Luo Family’s dream. Perhaps because the Luo Family has dream manipulation abilities, aligning with the Dream Demon, which is why they can exploit her; they can’t do it themselves, but the Luo Family can. And only if the Emperor is within the Luo Family’s dream range. As for Fang Qing and Aluo, it should be someone else’s doing." Ao Song explained.

The two continued analyzing until the situation became clear.

Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh, "You two make quite the duo, want to go catch that Dream Demon?"

"I think catching the mastermind is more important," Ao Song chuckled, "Lure the snake out of the hole."

Bai Ruozhu winked at Jiang Yichun, "We aren’t skilled at handling monsters, can we leave it to you two then?"

"Sure, you should rest for two days, the Emperor needs protection too." Ao Song patted his chest proudly, "Leave it to me."

She didn’t catch Bai Ruozhu’s implication, but the Astrologer did, blushing slightly, "Alright, I haven’t captured a demon in ages."

Ao Song called the Astrologer to leave together, Jiang Yichun asked worriedly, "Is this appropriate?"

"Competition fosters growth, without engagements or marriage, how could one know who suits them best?" Bai Ruozhu stated confidently.

Jiang Yichun squinted, "What about marriage?"

"Marriage is lifelong, naturally one must be loyal; why consider anything else?" Bai Ruozhu sensed danger and quickly clarified her views on marriage.

Whether in Ancient Times or modern days, she felt it was fine to consider carefully before marriage; certainly choose the right person.

But once married, one should be responsible for their family, looking outside is wrong.

Jiang Yichun’s expression turned amused; he was glad he’d married her early and had kids early, proving he was ahead from the start.

Tang Yin looked at the two in exasperation, "You two should keep flirting; I need to send someone to investigate palace traitors."

"Your Majesty, perhaps you should mention this to Consort Wenwen. You’ve always shielded her too well; she needs to grow, fierce like a mother. Don’t underestimate the Consort; for her children, she will become stronger." Bai Ruozhu said.

Tang Yin thought of saying with me here, she needn’t be strong, I’ll protect her a lifetime.

But he reconsidered, holding back; after experiencing so much, he was no longer reckless, overly proud, but rather calm and composed.

He too had his failings and limits, time to let the Consort handle things herself.

"Alright, I’ll take your advice." Tang Yin said, then walked away.

Bai Ruozhu smiled at Jiang Yichun, whispering, "More mature indeed."

Jiang Yichun chuckled; his lady meant Tang Yin used to be quite childish.

"Lady, we have nothing else to do now, shall we return to the room and rest?" He reached to wrap her slim waist.

Bai Ruozhu rolled her eyes at him, "It’s broad daylight, what are you planning!"

"What’s wrong with a nap? What were you thinking?" He teased with a grin, "Lady, your mind is too complicated."