Chapter Fifty-Eight: Departure
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the imperial procession set off again.
Jiang Huan stood beside the carriage, her toes unconsciously grinding against the pebbles on the ground. Gazing at the distant, layered mountain shadows, she felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her heart.
Are you going back already?
There are more rules in the palace than there are steamers in the imperial kitchen; just thinking about it gives me a headache.
During her time at the imperial palace, although she encountered many unexpected disasters, she also experienced an unprecedented sense of ease.
Without the constraints of elaborate palace rules, even Huo Lin became less like a high and mighty emperor.
"My lady, it's time to get in the carriage," Xiao Zhao reminded softly.
Jiang Huan pouted and reluctantly moved toward the carriage.
As soon as I got into the carriage, I heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats approaching from afar.
"Report—!"
A guard galloped over and dismounted in front of Huo Lin's carriage.
"Your Majesty, General Lin has brought his personal guards to request an audience."
Jiang Huan's ears immediately perked up.
General Lin? Isn't that Consort Jia's brother?
Huo Lin lifted the carriage curtain, his face calm and composed.
"Announce."
Before long, a young general in military uniform strode over.
His face was resolute, and his brows bore a resemblance to those of Consort Jia, but he possessed a more stern and murderous air.
"Your subject Lin Zheng greets Your Majesty." Lin Zheng knelt on one knee. "I have heard that my younger sister has angered Your Majesty, and I have come to beg for forgiveness."
Huo Lin's eyes turned slightly cold: "General Lin is certainly well-informed."
Standing not far away, Jiang Huan could clearly see that General Lin was followed by dozens of elite cavalrymen, each of them clad in armor and armed with weapons.
This isn't an apology; it's a demonstration.
“My younger sister has been spoiled since childhood. If she has offended anyone, I beg Your Majesty to forgive her for the sake of the Lin family’s generations of loyalty.”
As General Lin spoke, he took out a memorial from his bosom.
"This is a letter written by my father. I humbly request Your Majesty to take a look."
Wang Degui took the memorial and presented it to Huo Lin.
Huo Lin unfolded the document and his face grew even more gloomy.
[What a cunning Lin family! They're using border military affairs as leverage!]
Jiang Huan felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing these thoughts.
It seems that the Lin family's influence on the border is even more deeply rooted than imagined.
After a long silence, Huo Lin finally spoke.
"General Lin, please rise. It is General Lin's wish..."
He paused, then said, "Issue the imperial decree that Consort Jia shall accompany the emperor back to the palace."
A glint flashed in Lin Zheng's eyes: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty," Xiao Zhao said in a worried whisper, "General Lin's entourage is clearly..."
Jiang Huan gently shook her head, signaling her to be quiet.
Some things are better left unsaid, just understood in your heart.
Around noon, the group rested on a plain.
As soon as Jiang Huan got out of the car, she saw Huo Lin standing alone on a small hill not far away.
In the sunlight, his figure was outlined as a solitary silhouette.
His dark cloak fluttered in the mountain wind, but it couldn't hide his ramrod straight back.
Its sharpness is concealed, like a sword sheathed.
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Huan walked over.
"emperor."
Huo Lin didn't turn around, but simply said, "Why aren't you resting in the car?"
"My back aches from sitting in the carriage, so I'd like to stretch my muscles."
You can't exactly say you came to check on him because he was in a bad mood.
Huo Lin then turned to look at Jiang Huan, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
Can you ride a horse?
Before Jiang Huan could answer, she heard his inner thoughts.
[Say it quickly!]
"I...I know a little bit," Jiang Huan said, forcing herself to speak.
"Have a horse ride with me."
Before Jiang Huan could respond, Huo Lin had already ordered two fine horses to be brought over.
One horse was pure white, the other was as black as ink.
"Mount up," Huo Lin said, already nimbly mounting the black horse.
Jiang Huan looked at the tall white horse, somewhat hesitant.
Before she transmigrated into the book, she spent her days lying around in the office like a corpse. How could she possibly know how to ride a horse?
Huo Lin seemed to sense her concerns, and suddenly rode closer, bent down and pulled her directly to his side.
"ah!"
Jiang Huan exclaimed in surprise as she fell into Huo Lin's arms.
Her back was pressed against the man's firm chest, and she could even feel his strong heartbeat.
"Hold on tight."
Huo Lin's voice rang in her ears, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe.
The next moment, the horse shot off like an arrow.
The wind whistled in her ears, and Jiang Huan instinctively grabbed Huo Lin's arm.
The scenery on both sides rushed past, and my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
It feels so good to hold her like this.
It seems no trouble can catch up with me.
Jiang Huan's cheeks flushed as she listened to these heartfelt words.
This was the first time I truly felt the emperor's lack of control over his own destiny.
If she had never transmigrated into the book, and never possessed the ability to read minds.
Are Huo Lin's worries something he can only bear alone, and will no one ever know about them?
As his thoughts drifted away, the horse slowed down and stopped on a hillside covered with wildflowers.
"Are you feeling better?" Huo Lin suddenly asked.
Jiang Huan was taken aback: "What?"
"Your mood," Huo Lin's voice was low, "I noticed you haven't been very happy the whole way."
What? You're not happy yourself, and you're trying to comfort her... Jiang Huan felt a warmth in her heart.
She was indeed somewhat disheartened; returning to the palace meant facing those power struggles and intrigues once again.
"I just..." she carefully chose her words, "...are a little reluctant to leave the days at the palace."
As dusk deepened, the last rays of sunset painted the clouds a gentle orange-pink hue.
A gentle breeze swept across the hillside, creating waves of flowers and carrying the fragrance of grass and wildflowers.
Jiang Huan's hair was blown up, some of it floating messily in the air.
Huo Lin raised his hand and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingertips brushed against her earlobe, sending a slight shiver down her spine.
"Your Majesty..." Jiang Huan called softly, her voice unconsciously softening.
Huo Lin did not respond, but simply stared at her.
After a moment of silence, Huo Lin suddenly lowered his head and gently kissed her hair.
!!
Jiang Huan froze instantly, forgetting even to breathe.
What, what, what's going on here?!
[We kissed!]
The book says this is the perfect time to kiss your hair!
Will she be angry?
[I don't think so, her ears are red, so cute...]
Jiang Huan's helplessness vanished, and Huo Lin's innermost thoughts always managed to hit her funny bone perfectly.
Although it's always a mix of laughter and tears.
She quietly turned her head and saw Huo Lin with a serious expression, as if the person who had just stolen a kiss from her was not him.
"emperor……"
"Um?"
"You..." Jiang Huan wanted to ask him why he kissed her, but the words that came out were, "Are you feeling better?"
Huo Lin's eyes flickered slightly: "Of course."
It's not just good, it's absolutely perfect.
Jiang Huan couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Huo Lin frowned.
“It’s nothing,” Jiang Huan said with a smile, “I just feel very happy to be able to ride a horse with the Emperor.”
Huo Lin maintained a cold and stern expression, but his ears were secretly turning red.
She said she was happy being with me, which, in essence, means she likes me.
[This idea of riding horses was my own; tomorrow I'll make sure Shen Yi remembers it in his so-called Thirty-Six Stratagems.]
As Jiang Huan listened to these heartfelt words, the gloom in her heart unknowingly dissipated by more than half.
The two played outside for a long time until the sun set, when they rode back to the group together on a single horse.
Huo Lin's arm was loosely wrapped around her waist, giving her a great sense of security.
When they returned to the camp, Consort Jia's carriage had already joined the procession.
Through the slightly lifted carriage curtain, Jiang Huan saw Consort Jia staring coldly at her, her eyes filled with resentment and malice.
A chill ran through me, and the ease and joy I had felt earlier vanished instantly.
After returning to the palace, she truly made Consort Jia her enemy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com