After The Simp Sealed His Heart With Cement, The Demon Lord Immediately Fell In Love! - Chapter 8

The entire room fell into an eerie silence. Yan Yichen looked at the indifferent Su Mo, his eyes overflowing with sympathy, while Wen Muli sat with a cold face, remaining silent.

“I did not. She is lying. Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for me.” Zhou Yanyu wept, crawling toward Wen Muli and attempting to touch his shoes with her cheek. Wen Muli’s expression remained frozen. He bent down slightly, gently lifted her chin with his hand, and parted his thin, pale lips to utter a few words: “Yanyu, have I spoiled you too much?”

That single sentence left Zhou Yanyu feeling as though she had plummeted into an icy abyss.

“Someone, strip Zhou Yanyu of her cultivation and send her back to the Shuiyun Sect. Tell their Sect Master that Zhou Yanyu committed insubordination against the Empress. I am sparing her life out of respect for my past ties with the sect, but if anyone dares to show disrespect to the Empress again, I will hold them strictly accountable!”

“No! Please, have mercy, I was wrong! I was wrong, Your Majesty! Spare me, I do not want to leave.”

The wailing Zhou Yanyu and the three palace maids were quickly dragged away by guards. If Zhou Yanyu were not to have a good end, one could only imagine the fate of the other three. By the end of today, the news of the Emperor’s rage for the sake of his beloved would likely spread through every street and alley.

Whether it was genuine love or hidden selfish motives, outsiders might not know, but Su Mo could see it more clearly than anyone. You must respect the master before punishing a servant; Zhou Yanyu’s actions were a direct slap in Wen Muli’s face, undermining his authority in public. Moreover, imperial power feared nothing more than a subject whose power eclipsed the throne. When the Shuiyun Sect first stood up to support Wen Muli’s ascension, eliminating many opposing forces, they were a major contributor. In return, he had granted them many special privileges. In recent years, the Shuiyun Sect had become increasingly overbearing, and Wen Muli had long wanted to suppress them. Zhou Yanyu’s insubordination gave him the perfect opportunity. And this was only the beginning. In the near future, the Shuiyun Sect would surely fade into obscurity among the four great sects.

“Your Majesty, the Phoenix Seal held by Zhou Yanyu should it be handed to the Empress?” asked Song Zhi, the Captain of the Imperial Guards and Wen Muli’s shadow guard, hesitantly.

Wen Muli pondered for a moment, then turned to ask Yan Yichen, who was watching the scene unfold: “Chen’er, are you willing to manage the Phoenix Seal?”

The youth was startled and hurriedly waved his hands in refusal: “No, no, that would be highly inappropriate. I have no name or status here.”

“So, you are blaming me for not giving you a status? It is my fault. Issue my decree: take Yan Yichen of the Yan clan as Imperial Noble Consort, with the title Xian! Select an auspicious date for the wedding, and conduct the ceremony according to the standards of an Empress!” Wen Muli, in high spirits, laughed loudly as he gave the order.

“Yes!”

“Congratulations to His Majesty on welcoming a new consort! Long live the Emperor, and may the Consort live for a thousand years!” The servants and guards inside and outside the room knelt, kowtowing to offer their congratulations. Yan Yichen’s face flushed red and then paled as he looked timidly toward Su Mo.

“Congratulations to you, Chen’er.” Su Mo’s expression was genuine, offering sincere well wishes. He then looked at Wen Muli and, after a long pause, said in a hoarse voice: “Congratulations, Your Majesty… you have achieved your wish!”

Wen Muli said nothing and turned to leave.

“Your Majesty, since the master’s body is in such poor condition, I beg you to allow him to leave the palace for the summer villa to recuperate!” Ye Lin knelt with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.

She hated this heartless, ungrateful man with every fiber of her being. She desperately wanted to take Su Mo far away, to spare him from witnessing the wedding banquet of this pair of scoundrels, as it would be too cruel and ironic. After all, when Su Mo married Wen Muli, there was no grand celebration; he had been brought into the Heart Sealing Palace silently through a side gate in a tattered sedan chair. Not to mention a bridal night, her master had spent nearly a century in cold, solitary confinement.

“Do you want to go, Su Mo? I see. You would least want to see me marry him. But what can I do? The more you do not want to see it, the more I insist that you do! Not only will I have you watch, I will have you preside over this wedding banquet. I will have you realize deeply that even if you plotted for a century and harmed countless people, I am the one who achieved my wish!” Wen Muli ignored the kowtowing Ye Lin and stared intensely at Su Mo, offering a profound smile as he spoke every word with clarity and brimming resentment.

“Yes.” Su Mo offered no objection, simply smiling and nodding in agreement.

His demeanor was as if he were truly proud and offering blessings for Wen Muli finding the love of his life to walk hand in hand with. The fact that he was so compliant made Wen Muli feel as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly. Why was it like this? He clearly loved him deeply; shouldn’t he be heartbroken and pained that he was marrying someone else? Why did he seem so happy, as if he were finally rid of a great burden?

Wen Muli’s face gradually darkened.

“Now that Consort Xian has regained his health, Your Majesty should spend more time with him. I will not bother you two any further; I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.” Su Mo offered a sincere smile and a salute, then gestured for Ye Lin to leave.

“Su Mo!” Wen Muli roared in fury from behind, having lost all composure. But what he received was not Su Mo turning back, but his departure without even a glance.

Yan Yichen found the scene hard to watch. He did not understand. Wen Muli clearly had Su Mo in his heart; why couldn’t he treat him better? Why insist on such a performance of deep, abusive love, only to hurt himself in the end? What was the point?

“Your Majesty, Brother Su is the best man in the world; you should treat him better. Life is so short, do not wait until you have lost him to regret it.” he advised earnestly.

“I will not regret it. Without losing, there is no cherishing; without cherishing, there is no losing. Chen’er, you are always taking his side. Could it be that you have developed special feelings for him?” Wen Muli scoffed, his expression dismissive.

“What nonsense are you saying? My feelings for Brother Su are absolutely not romantic. I respect him, I honor him, and I treat him as my own family. Your Majesty, please, for my sake, treat him better. Do not torture him anymore. When you see his condition, do you not feel heartache?” Yan Yichen pouted, holding his hand and coaxing him further.

“I will see how you perform.” The latter replied noncommittally.

“What do you mean, see how I perform? You are too mean.”

On the way back to the Heart Sealing Palace, Ye Lin asked hesitantly, “My Lady, are you alright?”

“What could possibly be wrong with me? Rest assured, I am doing quite well.” Su Mo replied with a laugh.

“Wuwuwu… you do not have to hold it in. If you want to cry, you can borrow this servant’s shoulder!” Ye Lin felt even more heartache, believing he was only forcing a smile.

Su Mo found it difficult to explain. He truly did not feel that the two of them getting married was anything worth being sad about. After all, he was finally about to be liberated! When he met the System again, he would definitely tell it to choose a simple, modern society for him. He did not want to experience such storms again. A few hundred years was too long, too agonizing and too lonely. He only wanted to find a partner he loved, who loved him back, and live a simple, ordinary, and happy life for the rest of his days.