Master, don't tease me, you can't handle three of them.

Chapter 183 Father

A moment later, the boy slowly walked out of the shop and headed towards a less crowded area.

The boy glanced at the peony lantern in his hand. Although it wasn't as exquisite as the lantern with the riddle as its prize, it was still quite nice.

She'll like it, won't she...?

Thinking of this, the boy's lips curled into a faint smile.

But soon, the boy's smile faded.

In a deserted alley, the boy stopped. Several figures appeared instantly and knelt down on one knee in front of him.

"Your Majesty, the master is waiting for you," the head guard said respectfully.

"I understand," the boy said casually, but the way his fingertips kept stroking the lantern betrayed his nervousness.

"How does your master seem to be in a good mood?"

"I don't know, but Master should have arrived by now," An Yi replied.

The boy's lips twitched slightly, and he turned and left the alley.

A discreet carriage had already stopped at the entrance of the alley. The boy walked out of the alley, took a deep breath, and then got into the carriage.

Inside the carriage, a man sat on a couch, resting with his eyes closed. He wore a black robe with delicate patterns at the collar, but the rest of the robe was not decorated much, yet it did not appear plain at all.

Upon hearing someone approaching, the man slowly opened his eyes, his piercing black gaze sweeping over the young man.

"Father," the boy spoke first, breaking the silence.

The man glanced at the peony lantern in the boy's hand, but ultimately said nothing to reproach him.

“Aze, the substitute I gave you isn’t for you to use like this. Next time you come out, inform the guards and have them accompany you.”

The man rubbed his temples, his eyes revealing obvious fatigue.

Bei Yuze nodded slightly and took off his mask. The boy's face was very similar to the man's, but his features were much softer.

"Understood, Father. I will return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation after I deliver this lantern to the Empress Dowager."

Bei Yuze paused for a moment, then added, "Father, you should also take good care of your health."

The carriage moved slowly, and Bei Yan'an put down his hand. "It's alright, we can rest after this is over."

Seeing this, Bei Yuze stopped talking, turned around, lifted the curtain, and looked out the window.

There were still many people outside the window, and everyone's face was filled with happy smiles.

Bei Yuze's eyes gradually glazed over. Although he knew roughly what his father had done, he was absolutely not allowed to interfere.

There's currently no chance to ascertain their relationship with that group. But what if they used him as bait?

Could we put this matter behind us once and for all, so that Father can finally get some rest...?

As Bei Yuze was thinking this, a red figure quickly ran past the carriage.

Bei Yuze's eyes widened suddenly, and he knelt up without regard for his image, leaning half of his body out of the carriage window.

But the figure was extremely fast and quickly disappeared into the crowd. However, the familiar butterfly hair ornament reminded Bei Yuze of the girl who had previously competed with him for the first prize.

she......

"Aze, what's wrong?" Bei Yan'an asked in confusion. He rarely saw Bei Yuze so unconcerned about his image. What had he seen?

"N-nothing... I must have misread it..." Bei Yuze sat back down and shook his head.

"This isn't the way back to the palace, Father. Where are we going?" Bei Yuze changed the subject.

"Prime Minister Song sent a letter asking me to help him find his daughter." Bei Yan'an's expression showed a hint of helplessness.

If it weren't for the fact that Prime Minister Song was a veteran of two dynasties, and Song Yuanyuan was his only daughter, born late in life, he would never have wanted to get involved in this matter.

Bei Yuze's lips curled slightly, his eyes clearly showing a hint of amusement. "Miss Song is truly still deeply in love with Father. Does Father really not intend to consider Miss Song?"

Bei Yan'an glanced at Bei Yuze indifferently, "If you keep talking nonsense, and the civil and military officials suggest that you take a concubine or marry a wife again, I won't stop you."

Bei Yuze waved his hands repeatedly, "No way, I just turned fifteen not long ago, I can't get married yet. Besides, given our current situation, wouldn't marrying a wife be like taking her life?"

"You know that too?" Bei Yan'an asked in return.

Bei Yuze lowered his head and gently fiddled with the peony lantern in his hand. "Father is different... Grandfather and the others all hope that Father can find his own happiness... Moreover, Father's cultivation is very high, so having offspring will not be easy..."

As they were talking, Bei Yuze stopped talking on his own initiative. He lowered his head, and Bei Yan'an had no idea what he was thinking.

It's best if Bei Yuze doesn't say anything. He always brings up his father and the others, and Bei Yan'an has no temper with Bei Yuze.

"All I need to do is take good care of you and protect this dynasty, that's enough." Bei Yan'an said this to Bei Yuze, but also to himself.

The carriage quietly came to a stop, and Bei Yan'an got up and walked out of the carriage.

On a set of steps, a woman dressed in a light blue dress sat, staring blankly at the butterfly mask in her hand.

Song Yuanyuan was the apple of her family's eye since childhood and had never suffered any grievances. Six years ago, at a palace banquet, she fell in love with the current regent at first sight.

She was young then and didn't understand love and romance, but she knew that once she looked into Bei Yan'an's eyes, she could never look away.

Now that she's reached marriageable age, she finally mustered the courage to express her feelings today.

However, Bei Yan'an rejected her without hesitation.

Bei Yan'an looked down at her, his tone devoid of any warmth, "I have no interest in children. You are Prime Minister Song's daughter, so I will pretend this never happened."

Song Yuanyuan's heart was shattered. She had never suffered any injustice in eighteen years and couldn't help but squat down and cry. This attracted the attention of thugs and hooligans.

The filthy words echoed in her ears, and Song Yuanyuan covered her face with her hands, feeling both regret and fear.

She regretted sneaking out alone, fearing she wouldn't know what to do now that she was in this situation.

Suddenly, the voices of the thugs and hooligans disappeared, followed by screams of agony.

A delicate butterfly mask was gently placed on her face, and a playful voice followed.

"How can such a beautiful young lady cry? Today is the Lantern Festival, so why don't you go home and reunite with your family? As for these bad guys, leave them to me!"

Song Yuanyuan's face was already streaked with tears, and she didn't dare to look up at anyone. But she wanted to thank the little girl for her help.

But by the time she wiped away her tears and tried to see the little girl's face clearly, the girl had already chased after the group and left. She only had time to catch a glimpse of the fluttering butterfly hair ornament on the little girl's head...

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Note: This is a fictional scenario. In the Northern Dynasty, the marriageable age for both men and women is eighteen. Bei Yuze is the emperor, and his ministers advocate for him to marry first. This is a poor child who has been pressured to marry since he was twelve years old. ~乁 ? o ? ㄏ