Chapter 225 It's Hard to Survive Alone
Jiang Huan sat in a chair, watching Huo Lin busy himself in front of the stove, and a warm feeling washed over her.
The oil was so hot, and he just used his sleeve to block it. What if he got burned?
She was both moved and heartbroken, and couldn't help but blurt out, "Your Majesty..."
Huo Lin paused, "Hmm?"
Jiang Huan wanted to say thank you, but the words just wouldn't come out.
"Would you risk your life to save me no matter what danger I'm in?"
Huo Lin placed the bamboo shoots he had scooped up into a dish, and paused slightly upon hearing this.
He then nodded solemnly, his gaze unwavering.
"Yes, I grant your request."
Jiang Huan did not respond immediately; an idea popped into her head uncontrollably.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, concealing the hint of gloom in her eyes.
"Well, I have a question I'd like to ask you."
Huo Lin looked up at her: "Speak, I'm listening."
Jiang Huan carefully considered her words and softened her voice.
"If, and I mean if, one day I were to pass away due to an accident, would Your Majesty be sad?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent, with only the bubbling sound of the pot at the bottom.
Huo Lin's expression froze instantly, and his eyes suddenly sharpened, as if his deepest sore spot had been touched.
Why would someone suddenly ask such a question? Has she been threatened? Who wants to harm her?!
Was it an oversight on my part, or is it something I cannot see?
[I will protect her. Anyone who dares to touch her will have to step over my dead body first!]
If... no! There are no ifs!
Huo Lin instantly flew into a rage, his mind filled with violent and murderous intent.
His gaze locked onto Jiang Huan, deep and intense: "Why do you ask this?"
Jiang Huan's heart skipped a beat when he looked at her, but she didn't back down: "Everyone has this day. I just suddenly thought of it and asked."
Huo Lin looked at her in silence for a long time before slowly speaking, his voice heavy.
"Jiang Huan, I..."
At that moment, he didn't want to use the lofty title "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I, the Emperor").
As soon as he uttered the word "I," Huo Lin himself paused slightly, as if he had broken free from some heavy shackles.
He took a deep breath, his gaze intense, and spoke each word clearly and firmly.
"I can't imagine life without you, if that day ever comes..."
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"No matter where you are, I will be with you, in heaven or on earth, you can't get rid of me."
Just thinking about it almost drove Huo Lin to the brink of collapse.
[What's the point of me being alone in this cold palace without her?]
If it weren't for her status as emperor, I would only want to be an ordinary couple with her, eating together, listening to her talk, and watching her laugh...
If anything happens to her, I won't live on alone. I'll crawl to her side even if it kills me, sob sob sob...
Huo Lin's inner voice instantly burst into tears, as if Jiang Huan was about to disappear at any moment.
Jiang Huan clearly heard Huo Lin's thoughts, and a wave of bitterness welled up in her heart, making her eyes slightly hot.
Looking at the panic that Huo Lin was trying so hard to suppress but still managed to reveal in his eyes, she felt as if something had hit her heart, making her feel both sore and tender.
This idiot, what nonsense are you spouting, talking about living alone or not?
She suddenly regretted asking that pointed question.
But if I can enter the book for no reason, what if one day I will also enter it again without warning?
At that time, faced with the sudden loss of this "accident," what would Huo Lin do? Could she really let go of it?
She forced a smile, suppressing the stinging sensation in her nose.
"Pah, pah, pah! No one is allowed to say such unlucky things again. I was just asking casually. Everything's fine."
Then, as if afraid that Huo Lin wouldn't believe him, he put his hands on his hips, raised his hands, and exaggeratedly drew a circle in front of him.
"I still want to accompany Your Majesty to see all the beautiful landscapes of this vast country. Your Majesty must not get tired of me first."
Huo Lin looked at Jiang Huan's forced smile and listened to her reassuring words, but the panic in his heart had not completely dissipated.
He held Jiang Huan's hand tightly and said solemnly.
"no way."
Huo Lin's voice was deep, and his eyes were filled with tenderness and depth, as if he wanted to etch her image into his very bones.
"Having seen all the land, it's a promise, you mustn't break it."
Jiang Huan was slightly taken aback, then nodded vigorously.
Who knows what the future holds?
Perhaps as long as they work together, new opportunities will emerge and things will take a turn for the better.
"Okay! It's a deal!"
The atmosphere between the two eased.
Huo Lin picked up his long chopsticks again and started simmering the meat slices and vegetables, occasionally placing the cooked food onto the plate next to Jiang Huan.
Time passed quietly, the night outside the window grew deeper, and the candle on the candlestick burned shorter.
After finishing her meal, Jiang Huan sat on the carpet, reading a storybook while keeping Huo Lin company.
At first she was full of energy, but in the latter half of the night she became increasingly sleepy.
She tried to open her eyes wide, but her eyelids felt heavier and heavier, as if they were glued shut.
I'm so sleepy. What time is it? How come he still has so many memorials to write?
Being an emperor is really not easy. I have to hold on and stay by his side...
She tried to encourage herself, but her body betrayed her and began to protest.
Not long after, Jiang Huan's head tilted uncontrollably downwards, and then rested on Huo Lin's lap.
Huo Lin's actions of reviewing memorials stopped instantly. He looked down at Jiang Huan, whose breathing had become even and deep.
She turned her face to the side, her cheek pressed against the dragon robe, her long eyelashes casting thick shadows under her eyes, her lips slightly pouting, sleeping soundly without any guard.
She's asleep, so soft and sweet.
You must be exhausted after spending so much time with him.
However, the ground is cold, and her neck will be sore from lying like that tomorrow morning. I'll have to carry her to the tatami mat.
Having made up his mind, Huo Lin held his breath and bent down quietly.
He carefully supported Jiang Huan's neck with one hand, slipped the other hand under her knees, and then used the gentlest of strength he could muster to lift her up.
Jiang Huan seemed to sense the movement in her sleep, and let out a soft moan of dissatisfaction, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.
Huo Lin's heart jumped into his throat.
Don't wake up, don't wake up, don't wake up...
He stood frozen in place, not daring to move, until the person in his arms began to breathe evenly again, at which point he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Phew, thank goodness he didn't wake her up.
He carried Jiang Huan, walked around the huge desk, and headed towards the soft couch in the imperial study.
He walked slowly and steadily, as if afraid that the slightest bump would wake her.
Finally reaching the soft couch, he placed Jiang Huan on it, pulled over a thin blanket, and carefully covered her with it, tucking the corners of the blanket in neatly.
After doing all this, Huo Lin straightened up.
Looking down at Jiang Huan's sleeping face, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
In the candlelight, her sleeping face seemed to possess some kind of magic, which dispelled much of his fatigue from the past few days.
Huo Lin yawned, looking at Jiang Huan's peaceful sleeping face, a strong sense of drowsiness also swept over him.
He rubbed his throbbing temples and glanced at the still mountain of memorials.
This memorial...
Never mind, let's talk about it tomorrow.
Reviewing official documents is nothing compared to holding her while she sleeps.
Huo Lin lay down quietly, trying not to make a sound.
He turned to face Jiang Huan and gently closed his eyes.
Feeling the warmth around him, the fatigue of the past few days washed over him like a tide, and soon his breathing became even and long.
Inside the imperial study, the candlelight flickered, illuminating the piles of memorials on the desk and the figures sleeping in each other's arms on the soft couch.
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