Chapter 57 Success "So...do I have it?"

Both outside the palace and within the capital, in the past two days, officials, prominent families, and merchants have been donating money to contribute to disaster relief efforts.

The debate over the order of names before the monument was cast was fierce and intense. The official in charge of fundraising was also shrewd and cunning. He intentionally or unintentionally put some officials and powerful families in the capital who had conflicts together. The side that was put down was naturally dissatisfied. Regardless of whether it was a trap or not, they still had to continue to donate silver and grain in order to suppress the other side.

The effect of the merit stele was far better than Wen Miao had imagined. While officials in the capital were doing their best to help Cangzhou, Wen Miao, who was in the Fengyi Palace, also carried a wooden box and handed it to Emperor Qian Yuan.

It was evening, and the emperor, who had been reviewing memorials with his head bowed, looked up, slightly puzzled: "This is..."

"For disaster relief."

The wooden box was placed on the table. Wen Miao opened it from the outside, revealing stacks of silver notes and gold and silver jewelry inside. Before Emperor Qian Yuan could speak, she said softly, "I also want to do something."

Emperor Qianyuan paused, then raised his hand to accept the wooden box. "I understand... The people of Cangzhou will be alright."

After saying this, he closed the last memorial of the day, took Wen Miao's hand, walked to the bedside, and pulled her to sit down.

"The weather is getting colder."

Emperor Qianyuan calculated the days and realized that Wen Miao's period was still seven or eight days away. He had already made up his mind, so he said, "Empress, please sit down. I'll have them bring in some hot water so you can warm your feet."

Before Wen Miao could speak, Emperor Qian Yuan turned and walked out even faster.

Back when Wen Miao was in the Qin Garden of the Xie family, Shi Cui and Wan Bi were often by her side. But since she entered the palace, Emperor Qian Yuan has fallen in love with the feeling of personally serving Wen Miao. As of now, Shi Cui and Wan Bi have been "unemployed" for half a year.

Before long, Emperor Qianyuan personally brought over a basin of warm water, steaming hot. The bronze basin was held firmly on the footstool by his large, veiny hands.

The next second, the hands, still warm from carrying the basin of water, grasped and held Wen Miao's ankles.

"wait……"

"What's wrong?"

Emperor Qianyuan's black hair was tied up and loosely draped over his shoulders. Since he was in his bedchamber, he was only wearing a dark-colored nightgown and outer robe without any other decorations. This made his features appear less cold and hard than when he was attending court, and instead, they seemed to have a touch more gentleness and affection.

At this moment, he held Wen Miao's ankle with one hand, lifted half of her skirt with the other, relaxed his shoulders, raised his neck slightly, and knelt in front of Wen Miao's legs in a looking-up posture.

It has the feel of a fierce dog being docile and obedient.

Wen Miao chuckled softly, and instead of shyly backing away as usual, she reached out and gently tucked a stray hair behind the emperor's ear.

She said, "Looking at it this way, it feels like His Majesty and I have reversed our roles."

From the very beginning—from the moment she met Emperor Qian Yuan—this man seemed never to have displayed any imperial power in front of her—except, of course, when he initially forced her to marry him.

At that time, Emperor Qianyuan was truly hateful. He always displayed a sense of control that he could handle with ease. He appeared gentle but was actually ruthless. He often pushed her step by step and never left Wen Miao any way out.

Surprisingly, while Emperor Qian Yuan's actions were infuriating, they weren't universally disliked. Occasionally, Wen Miao would reflect on this and think that perhaps it was because of the many things the emperor had done—

On one hand, he was forcing this relationship, and on the other hand, he was elevating Wen Miao and lowering his own status, giving this "forced acquisition" a different flavor.

Throughout this process, Wen Miao felt ashamed, angry, confused, and helpless, but she never felt wronged.

"I think it's alright to reverse the order."

Emperor Qian Yuan smiled and lowered his eyes, slowly and deliberately taking off Wen Miao's shoes and socks. He then tested the water temperature before gently placing her snow-white foot into the water.

The water was warm but not too hot. Emperor Qian Yuan cupped the water in his palms and poured it from Wen Miao's calves downwards. Soon, her feet, which had been a little cold, warmed up again. Then he took a dry towel and carefully dried them.

The candlelight in Fengyi Palace cast a warm glow. Emperor Qianyuan knelt there, then suddenly leaned down and kissed Wen Miao's knees and calves, chuckling softly, "The matter of raising funds has been resolved today, so the Empress can finally get a good night's sleep?"

Wen Miao blushed and said somewhat awkwardly, "I slept quite well the past few days."

The emperor chuckled softly, unable to resist kissing Wen Miao's instep again. "I wonder who it is that's always frowning in their dreams, making my heart ache. It seems someone is even muttering in their sleep, asking me to save them..."

"Ji Huan!"

"I will say no more, Empress, please do not be angry."

Emperor Qian Yuan stood up, intending to lean closer and kiss Wen Miao again, but she pushed him away, saying, "You're not allowed to kiss me."

He was taken aback, thinking that Wen Miao was still angry with him, but the next moment he heard her say, "You just kissed my feet, go rinse your mouth first, or don't come near me."

"...I don't mind at all."

The Empress always smelled sweet and warm. Her clothes and blankets were imbued with a pleasant fragrance, just like a fairy in the form of a flower. There was no part of her body that he hadn't kissed!

Wen Miao tucked her legs in and sat back on the couch, her soft skin behind her ears still tinged with a thin layer of red. She raised her hand to pull the soft quilt closer, and while taking off the jade hairpin from her hair, she said lazily, "But I don't like it."

Emperor Qianyuan had no choice but to wait until he finished washing up and returned before finally obtaining the Empress's permission to kiss Wen Miao's soft lips and beautiful eyes.

He's given me my money's worth!

The candlelight was dim at night, and the bed curtains created a warm and cozy space. The scent and aroma of passion flowed slowly within, gradually engulfing Wenmiao completely.

Outside the palace, a light snow had fallen sometime earlier, and a sweaty hand suddenly peeked out from the gap in the bed curtains in the dim light.

Those hands were snow-white and delicate, with knuckles glowing a warm pink, and rounded nails stained with vibrant flower juice. Just by looking at them, one could almost smell their intoxicating fragrance.

Before long, the bed curtains swayed, and another dark, thick hand covered with veins reached out.

Like a fierce beast that seizes its prey and refuses to let go, it firmly grasps the struggling creature, slowly prying it open inch by inch against the base of its fingers until the ten fingers are interlocked.

The night was long, and the snow fell without pause.

I fear that after sunrise, the branches growing under the snow will be dotted with red plum blossoms, filling the air with their cool fragrance.

...

Following the establishment of the merit stele and the imperial plaque, the disaster relief and grain collection proceeded smoothly. The required amount was obtained in less than three days and was sent to the Cangzhou area to provide relief to disaster victims in the surrounding eighteen prefectures and counties. This included distributing food, money, and supplies to the victims and addressing the resettlement of people affected by the flood.

News of the relief efforts in the capital, including the collection of grain, reached Cangzhou far before the money was received.

The messenger, weary from his journey and bearing the marks of time, could not conceal the excitement in his eyes. He practically leaped off his horse, staggering, and, supported by his companion, shouted the good news with all his might.

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty has sent people to rescue us! We won't starve to death!"

"The disaster relief funds have been on their way from the capital for three days! They should arrive in Cangzhou in about half a month! We won't have to worry about a tough winter this year!"

Upon hearing this, the local officials and residents, who had been busy with post-disaster reconstruction and were exhausted and dejected, could no longer sit still. They stood up shakily, some choking back tears, others exclaiming in surprise, cheering that they had survived this disaster.

The dark clouds that had been hanging over Cangzhou began to slowly disperse, revealing the bright sunlight that melted the winter snow, rekindling hope in the hearts of the people who had been affected by the disaster.

The young official who was staying with the refugees from Cangzhou rubbed his hands, which were covered in chilblains. After hearing the exciting news, he laughed loudly and quickly told his servants to add a stove to cook meat so that everyone who had been working hard all day could warm up.

—Eat a good meal, and once they have the strength and hope, they will continue to rebuild this chaotic area!

Before long, a large iron pot was set up in the makeshift thatched hut, the firewood sizzling and the flames burning brightly below. Soon the water in the pot was bubbling and steaming, producing a thick cloud of white vapor.

The meat, already frozen solid in the winter, was placed directly into an iron pot to cook. The burly man in charge of cooking sprinkled in some wilted vegetable leaves, scraped some scrapes from a nearly empty jar, pulled out a few pieces of salt stuck together, and threw them all into the steaming iron pot.

The soldiers and civilians in the surrounding area had been hungry all day, and there weren't many seasonings left in the pot. But the aroma of the meat still made their mouths water, and they stared longingly at the iron pot, their stomachs rumbling incessantly.

Soon, it was time to cook the meat.

There were more than a dozen iron pots set up nearby. There wasn't much meat in them, but there was plenty of broth and dry flatbread to go with the meal, enough to fill you up for a meal.

The burly man intended to serve a few bowls to the soldiers who had helped them rebuild their houses and gather supplies, but the young soldier, who looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, shook his head, swallowed hard, and quickly said, "Fellow villagers, eat first! We...we're not in a hurry!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach growled again.

The old woman who helped the strong man cook the meat soup smiled and handed the bowl to the young soldier. Seeing that he was at a loss and didn't know what to do, the old woman laughed and said, "Eat up, eat up. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't be alive today."

The soldier blushed, whether from the cold or embarrassment, or perhaps because his superior officer behind him couldn't bear to see him like that, he patted him on the shoulder and told him to eat quickly and not to disappoint the people's kindness.

The fragrant broth was very tempting, and the dried biscuits that kept best were soaking in it. Even though the biscuits were as hard as stones, they softened in the hot broth in no time and were eaten with the minced meat paste.

It was half an hour later when they finished their meal. Several strong soldiers and men, sweating profusely, rolled up their sleeves, picked up their shovels and spades, and started working again.

They needed to repair the dam and reinforce the riverbed before it got even colder; they needed to salvage the flooded granaries and check if any damp grain could be dried and stored; they also needed to ride horses and carts to distribute grain, clothing, and medicine to neighboring prefectures and counties…

With the Emperor and Empress's mercy and the knowledge that the disaster relief funds were on their way, they had enough to eat and drink and had plenty of energy to work. They felt that the days after the flood weren't so bad after all! Just hang in there, persevere, and it will pass! After winter, next spring will be a good time again!

Long live His Majesty! Long live the Empress! Those who donated money for disaster relief are all good people!

Here in Cangzhou, the people are enthusiastically engaged in reconstruction work after the disaster, while in the capital city, thousands of miles away, snow is falling again.

A few days ago, because of the disaster in Cangzhou, even though they were far apart, Wen Miao couldn't help but worry. In addition, she kept having dreams after winter started, which greatly affected her sleep. Fortunately, she received good news the day before yesterday. In the evening, she was pestered and teased by Emperor Qian Yuan, and she slept soundly until dawn. She didn't even know when Emperor Qian Yuan went to court.

Wen Miao lazily propped herself up on the couch and sat up. Luo Shi, Shi Cui, Wan Bi and the others who heard the commotion immediately came in to serve her.

Shi Cui and Wan Bi greeted Wen Miao with their morning greetings. When their eyes fell on the mottled red marks on the Empress's neck and arms, their ears turned red instantly. They felt that the Empress was like a peony in full bloom, making their hearts race. They were too shy to look, yet they wanted to.

The older Lady Luo remained calm and composed. Having served in the palace for a long time and seen many things, she had never encountered an emperor like Emperor Qianyuan, whose possessiveness towards his empress was so astonishing.

Because of the falling snow, Wen Miao wore a light pink dress, which made her look even more radiant. Seeing that there was still some time before Emperor Qian Yuan finished his court session, Wen Miao called Xueqiu and prepared to go for a walk and play in the snow for a while.

If Wen Miao was busy on weekdays, Wan Bi would usually take Xue Qiu for a stroll and exercise in the palace.

According to Wanbi, Xueqiu seems to have found a new playmate in the palace these days. It often runs around and doesn't want to come back. Fortunately, the little thing knows the way. After it has played enough, it wags its tail and slowly responds to her call, emerging from some corner.

For this reason, Wanbi has been staking out the palace several times. Although she herself is a person who has practiced martial arts and has a foundation, she still can't find Xueqiu's whereabouts and has not yet seen who the little thing's "partner" is.

However, when she later gave Snowball a bath, she found a few short black hairs on its body—but she still couldn't guess what species it was. Wanbi thought that as long as it wasn't a big black rat, anything else would be fine!

Today, upon seeing that Her Majesty the Empress wanted to take Snowball for a walk, Wanbi immediately mentioned it, and even said indignantly:

"Your Majesty, you have no idea how clever Snowball is! It's especially good at hiding from people, and I can never catch it! It's deliberately bullying me!"

Wen Miao chuckled upon hearing this. She glanced at Wan Bi, who looked aggrieved, and then at Xue Qiu, who was squatting beside her feigning innocence. She had no choice but to act as the gentle judge for the day. "Then today I'll go out with Xue Qiu and see if he's made any new friends? Or if he's deliberately bullying Wan Bi?"

Snowball whimpered and wagged its tail, leaving only its furry bottom visible to Wanbi.

Wanbi: "Your Majesty, look at it!"

...

With the disaster relief efforts in Cangzhou now concluded, Wen Miao felt a sense of relief, and also found herself with a new kind of enjoyment.

After getting dressed, she strolled through the snowy palace with Xueqiu. Luo and several other nannies worked together to handle the affairs of the inner palace and stayed in Fengyi Palace. Shicui and Wanbi followed Wenmiao, while Pang's servants and eunuchs lagged far behind and did not disturb the Empress's leisure.

Within the entire Great Chu palace, Consort Rong stayed in Shou Kang Palace year-round and never went out. There were no other concubines or noble ladies. All the servants in the palace recognized Snowball, who was the second most powerful figure in the palace—the other being a jade lion with a good temper towards Wen Miao.

So at that moment, Snowball walked ahead with its head held high, wearing the little red clothes that Wanbi and Shicui had embroidered for it.

Of course, Wen Miao initially wanted to embroider a little bib for Xueqiu, but the emperor was too petty and jealous. Upon hearing that Wen Miao was interested in this, he asked her before she could start—

"Your Majesty, did Snowball have this handkerchief, or did I also get one?"

When asked the question, Wen Miao paused for a moment before glancing at the emperor, who looked as if he had suffered a great injustice, and said slowly, "...Your Majesty, this is a dog's bib."

She paused, then added, "It's for wiping drool."

Emperor Qianyuan's expression was serious. "I know, so... do I have it?"

So what if it's for wiping drool? Who says a bib can only be used to wipe drool? Whatever that little thing has, he should have too, especially since it was made by the Empress herself.

Wen Miao felt that Emperor Qian Yuan was sometimes really unreasonable. Emperor Qian Yuan said that the Empress no longer loved him because she had a puppy, which made Wen Miao feel helpless and amused. In the end, she coaxed Emperor Qian Yuan with a kiss, but Xueqiu's bib... was gone.

From then on, all of Snowball's little clothes were made by Shi Cui and Wan Bi, with Wen Miao providing suggestions: a red padded jacket, a blue gauze skirt, a yellow vest...

At that moment, Wen Miao couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Xueqiu, who was dressed in a little red outfit. She turned her head slightly and saw that the plum blossoms were in full bloom not far away.

Wanbi asked, "Your Highness, would you like to pick some plum blossoms to put in the room?"

“Hmm, that’s fine.” Wen Miao nodded. “You can pick a few to pick, but not too many. They look better growing outside.”

"Alright, I'll go right away!"

Wanbi happily trudged through the snow to pick plum blossoms. Shicui noticed that Wenmiao's fingertips were slightly stained red, so she said, "Your Highness, this servant should go back and get you a small hand warmer."

"...Actually, it wasn't that cold."

Wen Miao glanced at the light red mark on her fingertips and felt that the temperature was just right.

Shi Cui shook her head in disapproval, "Your Majesty, catching a cold is not good for your health."

Perhaps influenced by Emperor Qian Yuan, or perhaps because they knew that Wen Miao had been in a coma for a long time last winter, once winter arrived, the thick-skinned Wan Bi was fine, but the more meticulous Shi Cui would occasionally show some anxiety and concern.

Wen Miao knew that Shi Cui was doing this for her own good, so she smiled gently and nodded, with a kind of gentle indulgence and seriousness. "Okay, then I'll wait for you here?"

"I'll be right there."

Snowball tilted its head, glancing at Wanbi breaking off plum branches not far away, and then at Shicui walking quickly behind it. It swung its tail, ran around Wenmiao once, stretched its back as if to yawn, and made an "invitation to play" gesture before immediately taking steps and running to the other side.

Wen Miao's heart softened at the sight. Seeing Xueqiu running and turning back to whimper at her, she told Wan Bi from afar, then lifted her skirt slightly, gathered her cloak, and chased after her in small steps.

Seeing its warm and cozy mistress following it, Snowball seemed to have received affirmation, and it strode even more proudly. Its clean, white fur, paired with a bright red jacket, made it look even more spirited and beautiful.

It has always loved its sweet and soft female owner, but its hard, mean, and always complaining male owner is truly detestable!

As Snowball ran, it sniffed around with its damp nose. It was a descendant of wolves and dogs, larger than a typical puppy and growing faster. It left a trail of paw prints in the snow before running straight up the brick-red palace wall.

Wen Miao followed for a few steps, then turned around and saw the other servants following a few meters behind. She was completely relieved and called out, "Snowball, slow down!" while carefully avoiding the plum blossom prints on the ground.

When she looked up again, she saw Snowball leading her to a somewhat familiar place.

—It's the Cold Palace.

It was the place where Emperor Qianyuan had previously held her hand and led her around.

The accumulated snow had turned the walls around the Cold Palace white. Wen Miao paused slightly, ran a few steps, and when she saw that her mistress hadn't followed, Snowball wagged its tail and came bounding back, whimpering and tugging at Wen Miao's skirt.

Wen Miao bent down and patted Xueqiu's head, saying softly, "This is the Cold Palace... Is your new friend here too?"

Snowball let out a howl and nudged Wen Miao's calf with its head, trying to push her towards the Cold Palace.

"Okay, okay," Wen Miao's heart softened at the sight of the little one. "I'll follow you, you can lead the way, okay?"

The spirited Snowball hummed and wagged its tail again, moving forward with light steps. Wen Miao followed behind, step by step, until they stood completely at the entrance of the Cold Palace courtyard.

The place looks much the same as when I last visited; the old gates are tightly closed, and there's more snow around.

Snowball skillfully used its bottom to push against the door panel, and with a burst of strength, it actually squeezed through the crack in the door. Then, it stared with its round eyes, waiting for Wen Miao to come over as well.

Wen Miao glanced at the overly narrow gap, remained silent for a moment, and then simply stepped forward and pushed the door open completely.

Although it was a cold palace, it had been a place where people lived for more than ten years before, so it was never locked. There used to be people specifically guarding it. But since Emperor Qianyuan ascended the throne, the cold palace was completely abandoned. There were no people inside, and the outer door was unlocked, so naturally no one guarded it anymore.

It's as if it's been forgotten.

Wen Miao went inside completely. Snowball had already rushed to the room directly opposite the main door. The old wooden door had an old-fashioned brass lock, but there was still a crack in the door. It just pried at it a few times with its paws and opened a crack about two fingers wide.

The winter sun was shining brightly, and a ray of pale golden light shone down from above the wall of the Cold Palace, swaying and falling into the gaps, reflecting a silvery light that made Wen Miao squint slightly, but her heart skipped a beat for no reason.

As Wen Miao turned her head to avoid the reflection, she heard a soft, meowing sound like a kitten.

Wen Miao paused for a moment, her body frozen in place, before finally taking a step and stepping onto the snow in the yard until she reached the door.

The gap between the door panels was completely stretched open by Snowball's chubby body, revealing a glittering white hue under the light, like countless beads, giving Wen Miao an inexplicable sense of bone-chilling familiarity.

She wanted to see what was inside.

...

Meanwhile, inside the Taiji Hall—

Emperor Qianyuan had just risen from his dragon throne after the morning court session when a servant rushed over and whispered something to him. Instantly, the emperor's eyes turned gloomy, and he even accidentally knocked over a jade ornament on the table.

Bang!

The jade ornament fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Below the high platform, the ministers knelt in silence, not daring to move. The emperor, standing before the dragon throne, stood there in a daze, then suddenly quickened his pace, stepping over the shattered jade, leaving only silence in the hall.

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Author's note: Zootopia 2 is so good! [Milk tea emoji]