The Empress simply smiled and raised her hand to tidy the stray locks of her hair on her forehead, saying with a smile, "Alright, your punishment is to quickly and truthfully report all the experiences along your journey."
"As you command..."
Mo Chou blushed, started stammering, and then quickly recounted the key information from her journey. The Empress listened quietly, occasionally asking a question midway.
In the end, she gently nodded and said, "Though you were not by my side during this journey, you still made contributions in protecting the throne. Are the others in the side hall? They deserve a reward."
Mo Chou quickly shook her head, "I don't dare to take credit. It's just my duty as a subject. As for protecting the throne, I heard that Junior Guardian Zhao escorted Your Majesty back to the capital. The other day, Your Majesty even... proposed to him?"
