The Way of the Empress

After Moodys woke up, he recovered a lot. After eating breakfast, he took the water from Zhuo Yang. He was taken aback when he saw his monstrous scarlet and hideous face like a monster as a blurred reflection in the water. He was shocked he wasn’t wearing a mask.

Touching the uneven scars on his face, he asked with a hint of confusion: “Where is my mask?”

Guides are the weakest creature in the world. As a sentinel, letting a guide face his terrible was very rude in Moodys mind.

Fortunately, Zhuo Yang never showed a frightened and horrified look…

Otherwise he would not be so calm.

The fact that the two guides were scared to tears before obviously left him with a huge psychological shadow.

“We’re at home now, there are no outsiders. Always wearing a mask should be stuffy and uncomfortable… Your Highness, I don’t think you need to wear it anymore. You can put it on when you go out.” Zhuo Yang heard his words, but made no move to find a mask for him.

Just as he never thought he was good-looking according to his aesthetics, he also never felt that Moodys was ugly…no matter what Moodys looked like.

He just… just feels distressed for Moodys…

Moodys sighed, not knowing what he was thinking about, and almost mockingly repeated Zhuo Yang’s words: “We’re at home now, there are no outsiders?”

Even if Zhuo Yang is already his spouse in the legal sense, he doesn’t think he can treat the other party as his wife.

“Yes, Your Highness.” Zhuo Yang eyes looked fixedly at him. His answer was firm.

To be the spouse of the crown prince is his ideal in life…

Moodys instinctively avoided Zhuo Yang’s sight, before turning his gaze back to face Zhuo Yang’s dark eyes. “You see my face? You see the scars on my face?”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Zhuo Yang did not even flinch as he continued to look straight at the other party.

Moodys asked him again: “Do you think it’s ugly?”

“How could I? Your Highness.” Zhuo Yang gently shook his head and looked at him. It was unexpected would Moodys have such a question.

In his eyes in the past, Moodys was synonymous with sunshine and self-confidence. Like the proud son in a gloomy world favored by fate, there was no need for him to suffer hardships, or appreciate the bitterness of life. Who would have thought that he would have such inferiority and low self-confidence, to ask such a question?

Zhuo Yang sighed that fate played jokes on people, feeling deeply distressed for Moodys.

Given that fate took care of him the first half of Moodys’ life, why not let him take care of the rest?

“However, this face scared several guides and maids. They even cried and said that I was an evil spirit…” Moodys chatted with him a little bit.

Zhuo Yang didn’t know how to comfort him, thought for a while, and said: “They are them. In my opinion, the scars on your face are not so much scars, but the medals of a hero.”

They were left during Moodys’ efforts to save entire Glory Legion back then.

Moodys said: “But they, many people, and many guides don’t think so. They just think its terrifying.”

He will never forget that when Rand and his mother, Queen Catherine, first saw him disfigured, she was so frightened that she didn’t want to look at him again.

It caused a great blow to him at the time.

“Since you have made such a choice and firmly believe that it is right, why do you care about what others think?” Zhuo Yang said softly, “It’s not so much that your scars scared them. It is better to say that they are blocked by the skin, and can’t see your soul beneath it.”

Moodys said: “You’re right, but most people in the world can only see the appearance. How many people can see through to one’s soul?”

“I don’t think so. People like that are just superficial people. I think the beauty of one’s soul is far more important than the beauty of one’s skin. The skin is nothing but vanity. One day they will grow old and no longer, but the beauty of the soul is eternal.” Zhuo Yang said verbatim.

Moodys looked at his face for a moment, but said: “…That’s incredible coming from your mouth.”

When it comes to looks, he has never seen a better person than Zhuo Yang.

But then the words that ‘beautiful appearance is nothing but vanity, and the soul is eternal’ came from Zhuo Yang’s mouth. How can people feel it so easily?

“Really?” Zhuo Yang didn’t think so.

Moodys looked at him for a long time and sighed: “You are very different. Not like many many guides I have seen.”

“Perhaps.” Zhuo Yang echoed his words.

The observation period after Moodys recovered was very boring. He couldn’t leave the special room, didn’t want to watch TV or surf the Internet, and didn’t want to talk to Zhuo Yang, so he could only lie motionless in a daze on the bed…

Silence and loneliness are very scary.

Zhuo Yang was afraid that he would be bored, so he found a few travel notes and novels for him. Opening his mouth, he read the stories whether Moodys wanted to listen or not.

Moodys remained motionless, not knowing what he was thinking, or whether he was listening to Zhuo Yang.

Zhuo Yang is not only extraordinarily good-looking, but even his voice is unusually sweet and magnetic. When he is reading, he seems to be whispering to his lover, gentle and warm, but also full of emotion… Even if he’s speaking nonsense, simply listening to his voice will make one feel good.

Moodys, whose eyes were empty, was deeply sleepy after his reading.

Before closing his eyes and going to sleep, he left a pertinent evaluation of the stories that Zhuo Yang told him: “Your voice is very good.”

Only then did he fall into a deep sleep.

Because of Zhuo Yang’s accompaniment, Moodys felt like days of pain  when his illness flared up was not so difficult.

There was even a moment where he thought that if he died at this moment, he was happy and died comfortable.

—–

The observation period after Moodys’s recovery was complete three days later. This time, thanks to Zhuo Yang’s care, he got better sooner than the previous episodes. The spirit of his whole person seems to be much better. Unlike the past where he appeared hollowed out and gloomy after recovering, this time he looked alive and well.

This made the crown prince’s mansion cheerful, and they were sincerely grateful towards Zhuo Yang, the prince concubine.

And the first thing Zhuo Yang did after Moodys’s recovered, was to leave the mansion and meet with his friend, the little Duke, Allen.

“You will dispense the medicine for me right away, so I can restore my original mental energy right away.” When Zhuo Yang saw Allen, he didn’t make any greetings like before. Instead, he opened his mouth and asked Allen to help him.

Allen was not surprised, as he busied himself pouring a cup of coffee for Zhuo Yang. “Congratulations. You are now married to the crown prince. No one can threaten you anymore, and you don’t have to continue following your stepmother’s intentions to hide your true spiritual power level, and can reveal your spiritual power of at least S+.”

Back then, because of the prediction of Zhuo Yang’s fate, Mr. Zhuo’s special preference and high hopes for Zhuo Yang aroused Xia Xiuzhi’s jealousy. She was afraid that Zhuo Yang would develop in the future and punish her to avenge Tan Yuzhi. With some backhanded dealings, she Zhuo Yang a forbidden drug with the goal to damage Zhuo Yang’s mental power, so it will never grow up and he’ll become a waste.

Having always been on guard against Xia Xiuzhi, Zhuo Yang discovered it early on.

But at that time, Zhuo Yang considered that even if he had escaped this time, Xia Xiuzhi would continue to make small movements. Coupled with his appearance, quantum beast, and potential S+ mental power, it would be too eye-catching. He feared becoming the target of criticism, arousing ‘people’ to worry, and turning into the object of many powerful sentinels. When the time comes, before they are convicted of crimes, he’s afraid he will not be able to be his own master.1

In the absence of sufficient strength, it is not a good thing to be too sharp and glaring.

Therefore, Zhuo Yang chose to comply with Xia Xiuzhi’s intention. He let her do as she wished, pretending to be successfully pitted by Xia Xiuzhi, but secretly injected another medicine. It could let his mental power be restored later, but made him stay at B-level for the time being. He took took it one step at a time, and could calculate the bill later.

As the crown princess with the royal family’s blessing behind him, it is naturally now time for Zhuo Yang to recover his true spiritual power.

“You wait, I will dispense the medicine for you now. In less than a year, your mental power will be able to return to the normal level of mental power you should have.” Allen said: “I remember when your mental power was still growing, I made predictions that unless there’s an accident, in adulthood, it should be above S+, right?”

“We have not have a guide with a spiritual power above S level in Osphia for many years. You’re going to be awesome again, crown princess.” Allen chattered and was about to dispense the medicine to Zhuo Yang.

Zhuo Yang stopped him: “A year is too long. I can’t wait… I want my mental strength to return to normal in the fastest possible time. You can give me the accelerated recovery medicine.”

“Are you mad? What’s the hurry?” Allen was stunned at the spot: “Your mental strength has been at B-level for too long long. The projected one year gradual recovery is the best for your physical capacity and the most tolerable. This is already the limit. No matter how fast you want your mental power to rush up, it will be very painful. Your body will not be able to bear it. Be realistic.”

He suddenly didn’t understand Zhuo Yang.

Even if he are in a hurry, he should not use this kind of anxious method that ignores his body.

Zhuo Yang’s attitude is still resolute: “No matter how painful it is, it doesn’t matter. I can bear it. I only need to restore my mental strength in the shortest time. You only need to help me prepare the medicine.”

Allen was unclear why. “What are you trying to do in such a rush? Can’t you wait a year?”

“Even if I can wait, His Royal Highness’s body can’t wait anymore.” Zhuo Yang’s attitude was very firm.

Allen was taken aback, shocked, and then he understood what Zhuo Yang wanted to do: “Do you want to save the crown prince?”

“Yes.”

Allen never thought that there would be such a day when friend he had met since childhood would show such self-sacrificing spirit. He didn’t know what kind of drugs the crown prince had lured Zhuo Yang with. After walking back and forth several laps, he opened his mouth and continued to try persuading him: “You, calm down. It’s really painful to force your mental strength. Your body simply can’t bear it.”

“Besides, besides… To save the prince, you must have a mental power of S+ or higher, even if it’s estimated your mental power is S+ or higher in adulthood, it’s just an estimate. Even if it comes true, you won’t be able to save the prince.” He licked his dry lips and said.

Although the prince is a good person, as a friend and a guide, he is more concerned about Zhuo Yang’s physical condition…

Zhuo Yang moved his lips and said in a deep voice: “So, I would like to ask you to do me a favor… Please help me prepare a potion for skipping levels. When my mental power is restored, if I cannot reach SS grade, I will inject it.”

In the past few days, he has repeatedly considered many possibilities.

“Are you crazy? That’s a forbidden drug… Although, after the injection, your mental power will double in a short time, it is only temporary. After the drug is used, you will suffer backlash and your mental power will be damaged. It may even be completely useless.” Allen looked at Zhuo Yang in surprise, terrified. “Impossible. Don’t think about it, I won’t give you this kind of thing.”

He didn’t even know that the crown prince gave Zhuo Yang that made Zhuo Yang to lower his head. Turning Zhuo Yang, who has always been so sober and knew how to protect himself, willing to selflessly dedicate himself to such an extent.

Zhuo Yang stared at him: “If you don’t help me, I will find a way to get it from other places. You know me. From childhood to now, as long as it is what I want to accomplish, no matter what the cost, I will do it.”

“Now, I must save His Royal Highness.” He looked at Allen: “So, if you are a friend, please help me. I have no one else to trust.”

The crown prince rescued him and changed his destiny.

So, even if there is only a glimmer of hope, he will pay any cost… He wants Moodys to live.

If he could save Moodys, he wouldn’t feel an ounce of regret even if his mental energy is completely abolished.

Allen frowned at him for a long time, speechless.