Chapter 152 Restoring Memories

The doors of the Hall of Mental Cultivation were slowly pushed open, and the afternoon sunlight rushed in, casting three elongated shadows on the ground.

Three meticulously dressed young girls, at the behest of the head maid, lowered their heads and walked in with light, graceful steps.

"This humble woman pays her respects to Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, and Consort Zhuang." The three bowed in unison.

"No need for formalities." Huo Lin's voice came from above, revealing no emotion.

The Empress Dowager's face returned to a smile, and her gaze swept over the three young ladies-in-waiting, showing obvious satisfaction.

Huo Lin looked at the three of them, and the moment his gaze swept over He Ling, a sudden change occurred.

An invisible wave quietly spread from He Ling as the center.

Buzz—

A sharp buzzing sound, audible only to Huo Lin himself, suddenly exploded in the depths of his mind without warning.

Huo Lin's body stiffened abruptly, as if countless steel needles had been pierced into his temples.

A sharp pain struck, and he groaned involuntarily.

Everything before my eyes blurred instantly, and all the scenery spun wildly and became distorted.

Instead, countless bizarre and fantastical fragments of images flooded his consciousness like a burst dam.

A slender figure wearing an apron in the small kitchen, a woman who suddenly fell from the edge of the palace cliff, a person sleeping peacefully in his arms in the silent night...

More familiar scenes surfaced in his mind, so vivid and filled with intense emotions, crashing wildly through Huo Lin's chaotic consciousness.

Huo Lin pressed one hand to his throbbing forehead, his face ashen white.

This sudden turn of events stunned everyone, but Jiang Huan was the first to react and rushed forward.

"Your Majesty!" she cried out in alarm, catching Huo Lin just before he fell.

As their skin touched, a series of chaotic and irritable thoughts suddenly crashed into Jiang Huan's mind.

My head hurts so much...

[Jiang Huan? What's she doing here? No, she should be here, it's me...]

[Hiss, these memories...]

Jiang Huan tightened her grip on Huo Lin's hand, and she suddenly looked up, meeting Huo Lin's eyes, which were slightly red from the pain.

Can she hear her own thoughts now?

Is Huo Lin trying to remember now?

Overwhelmed with shock and elation, Jiang Huan's mind went blank, but she refused to let go of Huo Lin's hand.

Huo Lin was so tormented by a headache that his vision blurred and his temples throbbed violently.

The chaotic fragments of memory were still surging wildly, but Jiang Huan's face, so close to his, was like a stabilizing anchor.

It is she, Jiang Huan, my Consort Zhuang.

An incredibly clear realization exploded in his mind, and countless fragments of memory, like puzzle pieces scattered by a storm, began to violently reassemble.

[A talent show? Why is the Emperor holding a talent show?]

[I clearly promised her I wouldn't choose her!]

[You even dragged her to watch me choose together? Have I lost my mind?!]

Huo Lin's thoughts exploded in Jiang Huan's mind, and a wave of joy almost overwhelmed her.

He was truly recovering; he even remembered the promise he had made to her.

"Your Majesty? Quickly, summon the imperial physician!" The Empress Dowager was already in a panic.

Wen Yilin was terrified and her face paled. Liu Shuyao also frowned slightly, looking at the Emperor with concern.

Only in He Ling's mind did the system's shrill alarm sound almost pierce her eardrums.

"Warning! Warning! The target's mental state is fluctuating abnormally. The aura buff is being strongly rejected by an unknown mental barrier, severely hindering the mission!"

Amidst the chaos, Huo Lin, enduring excruciating pain that felt like it was tearing him apart, raised his head.

His face was still pale, and there was cold sweat on his forehead, but his eyes looked as if they had been washed with water, becoming even sharper.

"That's enough. Today's draft is over."

"Your Majesty!" The Empress Dowager exclaimed in shock and anger, "What do you mean by this! The young ladies-in-waiting are still waiting for you!"

Huo Lin ignored him, got up, grabbed Jiang Huan, and strode away.

He gripped Jiang Huan's wrist tightly, with astonishing force.

Jiang Huan was pulled so hard that she stumbled and almost had to jog to keep up.

From the Hall of Mental Cultivation to the Weiyang Palace, the palace servants and eunuchs along the way were terrified when they saw the Emperor pulling Consort Zhuang along at a rapid pace. They hurriedly knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a sound.

The Emperor's face was more grim than ever before, radiating an aura that kept strangers at bay. Consort Zhuang, whom he was holding tightly, had a complex expression, and her eyes seemed to be red.

What happened? The imperial concubine selection has only just begun. Why is the Emperor dragging Consort Zhuang out in such a huff?

No one dared to ask; they could only bury their heads even lower.

Huo Lin was oblivious to everything around him, his mind still buzzing, and lingering pain pounding at his temples, but what he found even more unbearable were the memories of these past few days.

[Damn it! What have I done?!]

[They actually sent her to the talent show? To watch her sit there listening to the Empress Dowager's reprimand?]

[I...I even said I was following precedent and trying to balance things out in court? I'm utterly incompetent.]

[I had assured her before that I wouldn't be involved in any talent shows; how wronged she must have felt.]

A series of heartfelt words reached Jiang Huan's ears. Listening to his intense self-criticism, she felt a mix of emotions.

I'm angry at his previous bastard behavior, but I'm also softened by his current remorse.

That bastard, is he regretting it now?

But looking at Huo Lin's pale profile, an emotion more overwhelming and complex than grievance suddenly broke down her defenses.

Finally, the gates of Weiyang Palace came into view.

The palace maids and eunuchs guarding the gate saw the emperor rushing over with his concubine in a flurry of activity. Just as they were about to bow, Huo Lin interrupted them with a low growl.

"Get out! No one is allowed to come in without my order."

"yes."

The palace servants were so frightened that they scrambled back, clearing out the entire front hall of Weiyang Palace in an instant.

The palace doors were closed, isolating the outside world from everything.

An eerie silence instantly fell over the hall, with only the sound of their breathing mingling together.

Huo Lin's hand gripped Jiang Huan's wrist tightly, like a branding iron, with astonishing strength, as if she would disappear if he let go.

The sunlight streaming in through the window cast shadows on his cold face, making him appear even paler, but his eyes were surprisingly sharp, fixed intently on Jiang Huan.

The emotions surging within were too complex, but more than anything, there was overwhelming regret and the relief of regaining what had been lost.

“Jiang Huan…”

Huo Lin's voice was terribly hoarse; those two words seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

Jiang Huan felt a sharp pain from his grip on her wrist. The dull ache in her wrist, combined with the pent-up grievances of the past few days, caused her to explode all at once.

She suddenly looked up: "Now that Your Majesty's headache is cured, please release me. My wrist is about to break."