Returning Home

Su Qing couldn't help but chuckle as she spoke.

She continued, "Besides, letting you enjoy yourself to the fullest—how can that be considered scaring you? What, are you actually afraid?"

When Bai Yuhe heard this, she immediately felt a bit indignant...

She crossed her arms and stared at Su Qing, saying, "Who would be afraid of you?"

"Then?"

"I'm just worried you'll be too tired."

"I see..." Su Qing only intended to tease Bai Yuhe and didn't plan to bully her, so she stopped at the right moment. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you... Do you have much official business today? If not, come out for another stroll with me. Being idle is boring anyway..."

Bai Yuhe gave a light huff, not dwelling on Su Qing's earlier teasing.

She replied, "State affairs are the same as ever, but I've delegated most of the work to my subordinates. There aren't many urgent matters to handle. Accompanying you for another stroll today shouldn't be a problem. Besides, after being so exhausted last night, I don't have much energy for those tasks..."

Su Qing pursed her lips and flashed a smile, then nodded. "In that case, there's no time like the present. Let's head out!"

"So soon?" Bai Yuhe blinked in surprise.

"Naturally!" Su Qing nodded, then grabbed Bai Yuhe's hand and pulled her out the door.

Not far away...

The maids who were silently waiting on them didn't say anything as they watched this scene.

They simply turned to report the matter to the State Preceptor and the Prime Minister, preventing them from worrying if they couldn't find Bai Yuhe.

After Su Qing and Bai Yuhe left the palace, they didn't wander within the capital this time.

Instead, they headed to other counties within the Women's Kingdom.

They had strolled through the capital countless times and were as familiar with it as possible. Even if there was always something new to see, it had still become a bit repetitive.

However, while they were tired of the capital, they rarely visited the other counties of the Women's Kingdom. Thus, visiting these places offered a much greater sense of novelty.

Beyond that, visiting other counties held additional benefits for Bai Yuhe.

By personally experiencing life in the counties, she could learn things that couldn't be found in the ministers' memorials. It allowed her to see clearly whether the counties under her rule were truly as the ministers reported.

So, Su Qing had several considerations for visiting these counties.

Of course, the main reason was that she was bored with the capital and wanted to go somewhere else... helping Bai Yuhe understand her realm better was just a side benefit.

In one of the county towns.

Bai Yuhe sat on a chair in a small shop, watching the pedestrians on the street. "I didn't expect you to suddenly think of bringing me to these places... Thank you."

Su Qing shook her head. "I was just bored with the capital. Why thank me?"

"I just wanted to," Bai Yuhe smiled. "Previously, I could only learn about these places through memorials. Now that I've seen them with my own eyes, I can distinguish which of those people are falsifying their reports."

"You could have distinguished them even without coming here. I just let you see it for yourself," Su Qing said, spreading her hands.

"Regardless, the result is the same. The rest doesn't matter much..."

"Mm, think whatever you like." Su Qing raised a finger. "As long as it doesn't make your trip less enjoyable."

"Don't worry~ I'm in a great mood. How could I be unhappy?" Bai Yuhe replied with a beaming smile.

Hearing this, Su Qing stared at Bai Yuhe for a moment. Seeing that she didn't seem to be lying, she nodded. "That's for the best... By the way, this county isn't large. It won't take long to finish looking around. Is there anywhere else you want to go after this?"

"No rush for now... Though this county is small and won't take long to tour, since we're here, let's enjoy it properly... Just doing a quick lap would be a bit pointless." Bai Yuhe wasn't in a hurry to move to the next location; she wanted to stay and play a bit longer.

Su Qing didn't refuse. She nodded and said, "In that case, we'll do as you say and stay here a while longer!"

Receiving Su Qing's answer, Bai Yuhe stood up and pulled Su Qing back onto the street...

Her smile remained, and she looked to be in truly high spirits.

Seeing this, Su Qing stopped overthinking and simply accompanied Bai Yuhe as they wandered through the county.

Time spent playing always passes quickly...

In the blink of an eye, it was time to return.

Although Bai Yuhe still felt she hadn't had enough fun, when the time came to leave, she had to leave.

Su Qing summoned a cloud and brought Bai Yuhe back to the palace.

However, this time Su Qing didn't use the Somersault Cloud. Instead, she used an ordinary Auspicious Cloud. It wasn't fast, but it gave them time to admire the scenery along the way and allowed them to chat easily.

"How do you feel?" Su Qing asked Bai Yuhe beside her with a smile as they sat on the cloud.

"Hmm, my feelings? It was quite good... This county is better than I expected, though there are still some pests that need to be dealt with." Bai Yuhe rubbed her chin as she answered.

Hearing this, Su Qing wore a helpless smile.

She had been asking if she had fun.

Yet this girl answered about the state of the county.

Seeing Su Qing's strange expression, Bai Yuhe realized she had missed the point of the question. She added with a smile, "Of course, I also had a very fun time..."

"Really?" Su Qing asked skeptically.

Bai Yuhe nodded. "Naturally!"

Bai Yuhe truly had enjoyed herself. After all, she rarely had the chance to travel anywhere outside the capital.

Therefore, from any perspective, this trip had made her quite happy.

So, her answer was sincere and not just said to please Su Qing.

Su Qing looked at Bai Yuhe and, after a moment of silence, felt that she wasn't lying. She nodded and said, "As long as you're happy..."

"Don't worry, I have no reason to lie to you. Besides, do you think my happiness today was all an act? If that were the case, wouldn't it be exhausting? Although I do care about the county's affairs, I was also playing seriously." Bai Yuhe looked at Su Qing and spoke very earnestly.

Su Qing nodded slightly upon hearing this, then braced herself with her hands behind her and stood up. She said with a smile, "I know... I'm not blaming you. I just don't want you to be so tired even when you're resting. After all, you are my Queen!"

Bai Yuhe's heart warmed at these words. With a smile on her face, she replied, "You can rest easy on that front. I won't wrong myself..."

"That's for the best!" Su Qing nodded, then with a thought, she increased their speed.

Before long, the two returned to the palace.

After returning, Bai Yuhe still didn't check on her daughter, Bai Ningxiang, who was being cared for by the maids. Instead, she pulled Su Qing to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers and chat about the future for a while.

Just like that, time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, another day had passed.

The next morning.

Perhaps because they hadn't worked hard the previous night, Bai Yuhe woke up quite early today.

However, she was still a bit later than Su Qing.

By the time she woke up, Su Qing was already dressed and sitting on a chair in the room, looking at a pair of picture books.

"Sister Xiao Qing woke up quite early..." Bai Yuhe yawned, walked to Su Qing's side to take a look, and said, "But reading those things first thing in the morning—is Sister Xiao Qing feeling insatiable?"

Su Qing smiled and shook her head. "It's just that these are the only books you have here..."

"..." Bai Yuhe was momentarily speechless. In fact, she had other normal books, but Su Qing had clearly chosen to ignore them.

Seeing Bai Yuhe's silence, Su Qing didn't continue the topic. She closed the book in her hand and said, "I'm planning to leave... I've been out for several days, and it's time for me to return to my domain."

Hearing this, Bai Yuhe wasn't surprised or reluctant, as this had been agreed upon beforehand.

She nodded and said, "Since you plan to leave, I naturally have no reason to stop you. Just don't forget to visit me often."

"When have I ever forgotten?" Su Qing smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, I won't forget. As for you... don't overwork yourself with state affairs..."

Although Su Qing had said this more than once, she couldn't help but remind her again, thinking of Bai Yuhe's mortal body that couldn't withstand excessive fatigue.

"How could I be overworked... Most things have been delegated to my subordinates. All I have to do is review them. At most, I just care a bit more..." Bai Yuhe shook her head, telling Su Qing to be at ease.

"That's for the best..." Su Qing nodded, then flipped her palm to reveal several bottles of pills. "I noticed the pills you use to regulate your body are almost gone. I made some this morning after I woke up. Take these, and I'll refine more for you once you've used them..."

Su Qing was already adept at refining pills for mortals.

In fact, she could even refine them while reading without any issues.

So, in a short amount of time, Su Qing had refined more pills suitable for Bai Yuhe's use.

Although Bai Yuhe had cultivated for a while and could be considered to have crossed the threshold, until she reached the Divine Immortal realm, she still had a mortal body... she couldn't use those powerful elixirs.

Therefore, she could only use specially refined pills for mortals.

The quality and materials of these pills weren't bad, but the dosage was much smaller, and the effects were significantly weakened.

However, for a mortal, this was just right... it ensured there were results without damaging the body with excessive medicinal potency.

Bai Yuhe was slightly stunned, then smiled and nodded. "You've gone to so much trouble again... I didn't think you cared so much about my health."

"What's so strange or surprising about that?" Su Qing shook her head. "We are wives; isn't it only right for me to care about you?"

Hearing this, Bai Yuhe's mood brightened even more. She didn't say anything, but simply leaned in for a kiss to express her feelings.

Su Qing wasn't too surprised by the kiss. She just looked at Bai Yuhe with a grin, then stood up and said, "Alright, now that you're awake, I should be going."

"Mm, let me see you off!"

"No need for the trouble, I'm flying..."

As Su Qing spoke, she stood up, pushed open the door, and then departed the palace on a cloud.

Bai Yuhe watched her figure vanish into the distance, then clapped her hands to call a maid. "Bring the Prime Minister and Minister Huang Yuyan to me."

Now that Su Qing was gone, Bai Yuhe naturally had to attend to state affairs.

The maid didn't dare ask questions and quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

With that, she hurried off to carry out the order.

On the other side.

Su Qing rode her Somersault Cloud and soon returned to her domain in the Northern Continent.

Not long after Su Qing returned to her sleeping quarters...

An unexpected guest arrived.

This guest wasn't a great power like Guanyin Bodhisattva, but Liu Xixi.

"It's quite rare for you to come here at this time..." Su Qing said with some surprise as she looked at Liu Xixi. "Could it be that you're truly overwhelmed with work and saw that I returned, so you came to ask for help?"

Usually, at this hour, Liu Xixi would have already started handling official business.

It was almost impossible for her to look for Su Qing.

Unless there was some important matter or official business that required Su Qing's attention.

Otherwise, it was always Su Qing who went to find Liu Xixi, never Liu Xixi who took the initiative to find her.

Liu Xixi shook her head and said, "No... I didn't know you had returned, Sovereign. I just came to see if you were back yet, and I didn't expect to run into you."

Hearing this, Su Qing was even more surprised and puzzled.

She asked, "So... what is it exactly? I don't think you simply missed me and dropped your work just to come see me."

Su Qing knew Liu Xixi very well and was certain she wouldn't come just because she missed her. There was definitely something going on.

Seeing Su Qing's question, Liu Xixi remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, "I... I have done something that goes against the Sovereign's orders."

Hearing this, Su Qing was even more confused.

What do you mean?

What order of mine did you disobey?

How come I don't know anything about this?

Wait, when did I even give you an order?

Su Qing's mind was a mess, completely unable to grasp what the girl was talking about.

"Can you speak clearly? I'm not sure what you're talking about anymore." Su Qing rubbed her temples and said.