Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Back then…” Mu Yi lowered his gaze. “I refused.”

“So what?” The Ninth Emperor turned to Mu Yi. “It was all there and done. There is no need to mention that again.”

The Ninth Emperor did not tell Mu Yi that on the very same night, Old Lady Mu had brought people over to kidnap her, forcibly wanting to sell her as a concubine.

So she escaped.

That night, she finally understood that the Mu family, who said they wanted to help her, were ruthless.

To her, it was useless to talk about this now.

From then on, she had no more relations.h.i.+p with the Mu family.

“Little Nine! How could you bear to watch Qingya die?” Mu Yi said painfully. “I'm telling you this because I just want you to know that I never did anything to hurt you. I disagreed with my mother back then! Why can't you forgive Qingya this time for the kindness I once gave you while raising you back then?

“I chose Qingya and the emperor's son-in-law's family that day because you are not my biological daughter. Since you know all that, why do you still hate me?”

He had given her a life. Was that not enough?

Why did he have to give up the emperor's son-in-law's family and Qingya to protect her?

After all, Qingya was his only daughter. Why should Little Nine resent him for this?

The Ninth Emperor turned around expressionlessly and looked at him.

“You think I hold resentment against you?”

She walked toward Mu Yi and inched closer.

Her voice carried a questioning tone.

“Mu Yi, I never hated you. It's just that from then on, the Mu family and I no longer had anything to do with each other. And I already repaid your kindness some years ago.”

Mu Yi froze and looked at the Ninth Emperor, somewhat shocked. His voice filled with bewilderment.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Some years ago, you once went out and were in danger. If I hadn't saved you, you would have died long ago. You said you gave me a life, and then I returned life to you too! We're even now.”

‘Some years ago?'

Mu Yi seemed even more bewildered.

He remembered that he had only encountered danger once.

That was more than ten years ago before he married Qingluo…

Back then, he was out and met a spirit beast. He did vaguely see a person come up to scare the spirit beast away and save him.

He had lost too much blood and fainted. He then saw Old Lady Mu.

Old Lady Mu told him that Princess Qingluo had brought someone to save him.

If it were not for Princess Qingluo, he would have died long ago.

He had never had any feelings for Qingluo, not then, not now.

He thought that he owed Qingluo too much and naturally had to protect her.

The other thing was to respect each other like guests and nothing else.

However, it was because of the old lady's words that he had to marry Qingluo to return the favor of saving his life.

But now… Little Nine was telling him that she saved him?

So, his mother had gone out of her way to deceive him and set him up with Qingluo?

Mu Yi froze. His face grew paler, his body was trembling uncontrollably, and his entire mind was blank as if there was a thunderbolt exploding in his head, buzzing non-stop.

“And…” The Ninth Emperor smiled faintly. “I have let her go many times. She does not know repentance and still came up to bug me. I had no choice. So when you wanted me to let her go, there was absolutely no way!”