47: Why bring up old matters again?

Nangong Yu shook his head, “Nothing’s wrong, it’s just... it’s just that you, Mother, haven’t eaten yet!”

Hearing this, Shangguan Yuexi’s expression froze for a moment, then she smiled, “Yu’er, we are Cultivators; we hardly ever get hungry and don’t need to eat!”

“Is that so?”

Nangong Yu looked at Nangong Ruoxue in confusion. Nangong Ruoxue quickly nodded and smiled, “Yes, not to mention Second Imperial Aunt, even your sister, me, is now in the Grotto Heaven Realm. I won’t be hungry even if I don’t eat for a few days.”

Hearing this, Nangong Yu nodded slightly. He naturally knew this.

On the Xuanling Continent, the higher a Cultivator’s cultivation, the less their need for food due to the nourishment of spiritual power.

When one reaches the Deity Transformation Realm, as long as spiritual power exists, they can go without food until their Lifespan is exhausted, and they won't feel hungry.

Although he knew this, in the eyes of outsiders, he should not have known.

Nangong Yu smiled, his small face full of seriousness, “Then I want to become a Cultivator too, so Mother won’t have to worry about cooking for me and delay her Cultivation.”

Hearing this, the two couldn't help but exchange a smile. Shangguan Yuexi, however, stroked Nangong Yu’s small head and smiled, “No, Mother is willing to do anything for Yu’er. Don’t overthink it, okay?”

Nangong Yu also smiled happily, gave Shangguan Yuexi a kiss on the cheek, and said, “Mother is so good. Yu’er understands. When Yu’er grows up a bit more, Yu’er will cook delicious food for Mother!”

Shangguan Yuexi smiled sincerely, her eyes filled with relief and joy.

“Good! Then my Yu’er must grow up quickly and healthily, Mother is waiting!”

“Mm-hmm!” Nangong Yu nodded quickly, his small face full of smiles.

At this moment, Nangong Ruoxue leaned over. She looked at Nangong Yu, her pretty face showing some anticipation, “Little Yu, Little Yu, what about Big Sister? Aren’t you going to cook for Big Sister?”

Nangong Yu glanced at her, scratched his head, and said, “I’ll cook delicious food for Big Sister too.”

“Mm, that’s my good little brother!”

Nangong Ruoxue only smiled after hearing the answer she wanted.

The three chatted and laughed, and soon arrived outside the sleeping quarters of Empress Dowager Ji Ziyu.

They saw Cui Zhu come forward and say, “Greetings to Grand Consort of Zhenbei Your Highness, greetings to Princess Your Highness and Little Prince!”

Shangguan Yuexi nodded slightly, “Aunt Cui, please inform her. Yuexi has brought Yu’er to pay respects to Imperial Mother.”

But upon hearing this, Cui Zhu shook her head, “Your Highness, the Empress Dowager is Cultivating. She might only come out for a short while at 4:00 PM during this period. Please come back in the evening!”

Hearing this, Shangguan Yuexi nodded slightly, “Then Yuexi will not disturb Imperial Mother. I’ll come back in the evening!”

As she said this, she thought of something from before and said somewhat apologetically, “Oh, by the way, Aunt Cui, after Imperial Mother comes out of seclusion, could you send someone to inform me? Yuexi wants to come over quickly; there’s something I want to tell her.”

“Certainly!”

Cui Zhu didn’t think much of it and readily agreed. This was within her capabilities, and there was nothing to object to.

Since the three couldn’t see the Empress Dowager, they left.

Shangguan Yuexi thought of the situation in her sleeping quarters, so she didn’t go back, heading straight to the Shouxian Palace Garden, intending to play with Nangong Yu there for a while.

She looked at Nangong Ruoxue, who had followed her, and casually asked, “Ruo Xue, don’t you need to Cultivate today?”

Nangong Ruoxue nodded, “The entire Supervision Office has a day off today. I completed the tasks arranged by the Instructor this morning, which is why I came over.”

“Mm!”

Shangguan Yuexi nodded, then said, “However, you should also pay more attention and not neglect your Cultivation.”

“Ruo Xue understands!”

Nangong Ruoxue nodded. Her mind was already mature; she still knew the priorities of things... Qianqing Hall.

Nangong Aotian sat high on the Dragon Throne, leaning slightly forward as he looked down. His expression was stern, and his majestic voice echoed through the hall.

“Wang Chongming, where are Ming Tian’an and the other commanders now?”

Wang Chongming stepped into the center of the hall, faced Nangong Aotian, and bowed, “Reporting to Your Majesty, the Grand General Protecting the Nation and his forces have now reached Jinyang Pass. They are expected to arrive at the Northern border in two more days!”

Nangong Aotian nodded, “Monitor the movements of the Northern Expeditionary Army at all times and report any developments promptly!”

“Your subject obeys the decree!”

Wang Chongming bowed in response, about to retreat, when Nangong Aotian continued to ask, “Are there any unusual movements from the three nations of Eastern Flame, Silver Moon, and Western Mist?”

Wang Chongming shook his head, “Your Majesty, there have been no anomalies from the Eastern Flame Empire and the other three nations these past two days. It is likely that either our Intelligence Office members have not yet detected any movements, or the information has not yet been sent out.”

Hearing this, Nangong Aotian’s expression remained unchanged, “I understand. You all must constantly monitor any unusual movements from the surrounding Empires and report them at any time!”

“Understood!”

Wang Chongming bowed and nodded, standing silently in the distance, awaiting Nangong Aotian’s next instructions.

Indeed!

Nangong Aotian continued to ask, “Are there any other anomalies in the Northern territory?”

Wang Chongming shook his head and bowed, “No, the Beichuan Empire has been relatively quiet these past six months, with only occasional small-scale incursions at the border!”

At this point, Wang Chongming thought of something and couldn't help but say, “There is just one matter that makes this subject somewhat surprised and unable to comprehend its key.”

“What is it?” Nangong Aotian frowned slightly and asked directly.

Wang Chongming quickly bowed, “It’s like this, Your Majesty. The Zhenbei Army, led by Nangong Wenxin and two others, often counter-invades the Beichuan Empire’s army, winning every battle as if they know a lot of information about the enemy.”

“However, our Intelligence Office personnel in the Northern territory were not involved in this matter, and we don’t know where their intelligence comes from. This is a dereliction of duty by our Intelligence Office; I ask Your Majesty for punishment!”

Hearing this, Nangong Aotian frowned slightly, “Didn’t you mention this before? I also said at the time that regarding matters of the Zhenbei Army, apart from the military pay that should be given, everything else should not be questioned. Why are you bringing up old matters again now?”

Seeing Nangong Aotian’s expression change, the officials lowered their heads and glared disapprovingly at Wang Chongming.

Who doesn’t know now that His Majesty treats the Little Prince of Zhenbei better than his own imperial princes? And the Zhenbei Army belongs to the Little Prince of Zhenbei, so why bring this up?

Wang Chongming also seemed to know that he had spoken incorrectly, and hurriedly knelt, saying, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. This subject only thought of this matter and felt that the Zhenbei Army’s intelligence was exceptionally accurate. I wanted to ask if we could know the source of their intelligence, so we could cooperate and prepare more precise intelligence for the Grand General Protecting the Nation’s Northern Expedition. I ask Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!”

Hearing this, the officials couldn't help but raise their eyebrows slightly, their faces thoughtful.