Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 573 - 493 Overbearing Queen (Ten Updates)

Queen Zhi Lan arrived at the Peach Garden and noticed that the servants in the courtyard were absent, causing her brows to furrow slightly.

Emperor Hao Tian followed closely behind his wife. As he was about to call out to summon someone, a glance from Queen Zhi Lan stopped him in his tracks.

The couple lightened their footsteps and quietly approached the entrance of the chamber.

It turned out that the servants in the Peach Garden were all inside, respectfully listening to Nancy speak.

Nancy cast a cold gaze at the servants and said, "Do you think just because my father doesn’t visit Joseph, you can act as you please? Let me tell you, no matter what mistakes my aunt has made, she’s still my father’s blood sister. And this child is my father’s very own nephew!

If I ever catch you mistreating him again, beware—I’ll have you all thrown out of the palace! From now on, I’ll be making unannounced visits to check on Joseph. If you behave well, I’ll give you a raise. If you don’t—well, you’ll face the consequences!"

The servants were so frightened by Nancy that they didn’t dare breathe loudly. Nancy scoffed coldly and turned to leave.

"Dad, Mom!" As soon as she stepped out, she spotted Emperor Hao Tian and Queen Zhi Lan standing under the corridor, her expression faltering slightly as she quickly walked up to them.

"How have they been mistreating Joseph?" Queen Zhi Lan asked coldly, her expression sour.

"Mom... I heard a child crying as I passed by here, so I came in to check. They were all busy with their own tasks, and not a single one of them went over to comfort Joseph," Nancy explained, supporting Queen Zhi Lan’s arm.

Queen Zhi Lan pulled her arm away, walking slowly into the chamber. Pointing at one of the maids, she asked, "What were you doing when Joseph was crying?"

The maid quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I was preparing powdered milk for Joseph."

"And you?" Queen Zhi Lan asked, turning to another maid.

"Your Majesty, I was fetching diapers for Joseph."

Queen Zhi Lan questioned all five of the servants in the room before turning back to Nancy. "Do their accounts match what you saw?"

Nancy pursed her lips tightly, taking a long moment before she nodded.

"All five of them are tending solely to Joseph. The ’neglect’ and ’mistreatment’ you mentioned—where did that come from?" Queen Zhi Lan walked up to Nancy and asked softly, "The Peach Garden is on the far northern edge of the palace. Even with the car ride, it took me and your father ten minutes to get here. Can you tell me, exactly where were you going, just happening to pass by here?"

"Mom..." Nancy lowered her head, avoiding Queen Zhi Lan’s gaze, and meekly called, "Mom."

Queen Zhi Lan chuckled lightly. "Where’s Xia Rou? Why isn’t she with you?"

"She went out to buy something for me. I was bored, so I wandered over here," Nancy replied.

"If you’re bored, can’t you spend some time with your mother?" Queen Zhi Lan looked deeply at her daughter. "Nancy, you have a younger brother. If you spent the time you waste wandering to the Peach Garden with him, he wouldn’t have run away from the palace."

"Mom, I understand. How about I go bring him back?"

"No need. Your brother is happy away from me, and you only seem more like yourself when you’re away from me, too. I liked the you from earlier—so commanding!"

Queen Zhi Lan gave an enigmatic smile, then turned to the servants and said, "None of you should dare to neglect Joseph in any way. He is Emperor Hao Tian’s blood nephew. I’ll send someone over shortly to tend to Joseph exclusively, around the clock."

After giving her orders, Queen Zhi Lan left the chamber abruptly, got into the car, and demanded to leave the Peach Garden, not even waiting for Emperor Hao Tian.

Nancy looked nervously at her father.

Emperor Hao Tian shook his head in resignation. "Your words just hurt your mother."

Nancy stared blankly at her father. "I said something wrong? I’ll go apologize to her right now."

Emperor Hao Tian patted his daughter on the shoulder. "Walk with me."

The pair left the Peach Garden side by side, only then did Emperor Hao Tian speak in a heavy tone. "From the moment your mother agreed to marry me, your aunt has constantly made things difficult for her—she even did very cruel things.

Your mother endured it all for my sake; only I know how much pain she carries in her heart. She’s a kind woman. Even though your aunt hurt her so badly, she’s never thought of taking revenge by mistreating Joseph. She may not have given Joseph the very best, but she’s fulfilled all the duties of an aunt.

Those servants you confronted—your mother assigned them to take care of Joseph. You criticized their work and announced you’d personally supervise them. Just think about it—who are you really supervising here?"

Nancy’s tears began streaming uncontrollably. "Dad, I didn’t know about the feuds between Mom and Aunt. I hurt Mom’s feelings—I’ll go apologize to her right now."

"Not today. She’s upset, and if you go now, it might backfire. Let me soothe her first, then you can go. And from now on, visit the Peach Garden less frequently. With me around, Joseph won’t be treated unfairly."

Nancy nodded earnestly.

Emperor Hao Tian sighed deeply. "The only person who can lift your mother’s spirits is Danton. That troublesome boy—I wonder when he’ll finally come back."

"Dad, should I go fetch him back?"

"If you leave again, your mother will only worry more. Leave this matter to me—I’ll figure it out." Emperor Hao Tian took two more steps before asking, "Nancy, have you ever taken a photo with Danton?"

Nancy shook her head.

Emperor Hao Tian frowned slightly, pulling out his phone to show to Nancy. "Take a look at this."

Nancy took the phone and burst out laughing as she looked at the photo. "Why is Danton so mischievous? He photoshopped me and him together!"

"Is that really you in the photo?" Emperor Hao Tian glanced at Yi Luowa’s picture on the phone, then at Nancy.

Nancy smiled. "Who else would it be if not me?"

"That cheeky boy suddenly sent this to us, making your mom and I think you’d gone to Xia Wu."

Nancy’s gaze shifted slightly. Smiling, she said, "Mom was so mad, she left us here stranded. Let’s hurry back. Once we’re home, help me comfort her."

"Alright, I’ll do my best to win her over. Hopefully, she’ll show me some leniency."

Emperor Hao Tian retrieved the phone from his daughter and dialed a number. Soon, a car arrived to take them back to the palace.

As Emperor Hao Tian entered the bedroom, he overheard his wife chatting on the phone. Listening closely, he realized she was talking to Danton.

Queen Zhi Lan glanced at her husband and said over the phone, "Why couldn’t I reach your phone earlier?"

"I bought a new phone, but the battery died after just a short while. I just charged it a bit and called you immediately."

"Finally, someone in this family with some sense! Son, when do you plan to come home?"

"...Mom, did you see the photos I sent you?" The reluctant-to-return son immediately changed the topic.

Queen Zhi Lan chuckled bitterly. "I saw them. What kind of tricks are you up to now?"

"Mom, think carefully—did you really only give birth to one daughter?"

Queen Zhi Lan laughed irritably. "How many children do you want me to have?"

"Mom, the person in the photo isn’t Nancy—it’s Yi Luowa! I wish you’d given birth to two daughters. I like Yi Luowa—I want her to be my biological sister."

Queen Zhi Lan gripped the phone tightly. "Yi Luowa? Are you saying the person in the picture isn’t photoshopped?"

"It’s not!"

Queen Zhi Lan gestured at Emperor Hao Tian for his phone, mouthing: "Phone."

Emperor Hao Tian quickly handed it to her.

Queen Zhi Lan opened the MMS and flipped through the photos one by one. "How is this possible? They look so alike!"

"Mom, just say you gave birth to twins. Yi Luowa doesn’t have a mom—she’s really pitiful." Danton’s voice grew small over the phone.

Queen Zhi Lan laughed. "Silly boy, you can’t just make things up like that! I truly only gave birth to Nancy."

"Ah..." Danton sighed dramatically.

Queen Zhi Lan laughed. "Don’t act like a little old man! If you feel sorry for her, bring her back. I’ll adopt her as my goddaughter to make you happy."

Danton groaned softly. "I can’t bring her here!"

"Oh, upset with Mom now, are you? Throwing a tantrum like a child."

"Mom, I’m not throwing a tantrum—I really can’t bring her back. She’s..."

"Danton, what are you doing? It’s lunch time," Yi Luowa called from outside the room.

"Mom, let’s talk later. I’ll call you when I have time." Danton put down the phone and dashed out.

Queen Zhi Lan chuckled bitterly, setting down her phone and continuing to look at the photos on Emperor Hao Tian’s device.

"What did Danton say? How did the conversation veer toward adopting a goddaughter?"

Queen Zhi Lan furrowed her brows. "Your son wants the girl in the photo as his sister. Imagine—a world with people who look this similar. I really want to meet her."

"Who is this girl?" Emperor Hao Tian asked with curiosity.

"He called her something like ’Luowa.’ His voice was so soft, I didn’t catch it clearly." Queen Zhi Lan handed the phone back to him. "On the way home, I thought about it—how about you handle the servants for Joseph?"

Emperor Hao Tian smiled and shook his head. "You’ve taken such great care of Joseph, why should I interfere now? Zhi Lan... don’t take the incident to heart. Nancy’s just a child acting impulsively. I told her a few words earlier, and she was already crying rivers..."

Queen Zhi Lan gave her husband a deep look. "Today, I realized our daughter is hardly simple! She acts meek in front of us, but turns into a commanding queen in front of others."

"Just like you!" Emperor Hao Tian teased, ruffling his wife’s hair. "Zhi Lan, how about you step outside and relax for a bit?"