[COMPLETE] Transmigrated Author: The Quiet Plum

Chapter 55: Landing to One's Death

"Captain Mao..." The Empress didn't know how to approach him.

Mao Zhu didn't look her in the eyes and instead, he made a full salute. "This subject knows his boundaries. I've pledged my whole life to His Majesty. Long live, long live his Majesty!"

It was a vow of allegiance but somehow lost its original devotedness.

The captain made his stance clear. No matter what happened with his personal life, he was the Emperor's person. His loyalty wouldn't be diminished but that didn't mean he was less agonized.

It was just that Mao Zhu never forgot who he was. A mere soldier in the sea of turbulence.

There was no backing out for the sake of his family and for his merchant guild. To protect everyone... even the Hong family.

If he did something out of line, all of these people would be affected. His conscience wouldn't take it.

As he ushered the Empress back to her palace, Mao Zhu kept a bigger distance between them.

He went back to his station after he saw that her Majesty entered.

He breathed in as he clenched his fists. 'Chun mei, aren't I a good for nothing?'

Meanwhile...

The Chun mei he was hurting for was sleeping lightly inside her brother's supposed quarters.

Something pulled her from her deep sleep. It was the same unknown reason one would wake up in the middle of the night.

The Duke had the best accommodations in the temporary residence for the Huo Ai dignitaries. And he gave the main chamber to his sister without a second thought as he opted for the side hall.

Huang Qiaoli didn't have an inkling about the huge emotional turmoil Mao Zhu had. But something about the silence of the night brought bothersome thoughts at the fore of her mind.

She barely showed grief since she got out of the cave where Qin Yu healed her. It wasn't because she didn't care for the things she lost.

Hong family, Mao Zhen... especially Old Shang.

It was just... she didn't have the ability to get them back or to even protect them if she did. Wishing for something one couldn't have could consume one's entire person and she didn't want that.

She knew better than to be swallowed by pointless anguish. If she let herself be like that, she would exhaust herself trying to crush Great Han to exact revenge.

If she got hung up on her loss, her fury would be so great that she wouldn't stop until it all ended in mutual destruction. Wasn't that what she did with her Papa in the modern world?

So right now, she had to bury everything. She shouldn't retaliate against them... the Emperor and Empress, as long as they wouldn't do anything to the Hong family.

Now that she was calmer, Qiaoli knew that she would also follow the same path if she was the Emperor. She already saw through Long Yi Ran's scheme and his reason for doing the things he did. She admitted that he was a great strategist and a fearsome sovereign.

This was her rational thought but it didn't stop the slow-burning fire inside her. That was why she needed to be away from this place.

Her subconscious told her that she needed time to mull through everything that happened. She lost a person she was fond of and she would also be away from the family and friend she grew up with. No matter how she believed her heart to be made of metal, she was still affected.