Chapter 58 His wife, who had been restored to her former glory, would no longer pay him any attention.
After finishing his morning court session, Emperor Qianyuan hurried towards the Cold Palace.
Since he ascended the throne, the entire Great Chu Imperial Palace has been under his control. Whether it was the cooling medicine that the Empress ordered the maid to prepare or the previous trip to the Cold Palace, Emperor Qian Yuan's possessiveness made him aware of everything about Wen Miao, which is why he dared to gamble on that previous trip to the Cold Palace under this invisible net.
He just didn't expect that Wen Miao would go to the Cold Palace again today, following Xueqiu.
They went to the forbidden land where the goddess's robe was hidden.
The road from Taiji Hall to the Cold Palace was not short. Along the way, Emperor Qianyuan's mind was filled with all sorts of chaotic thoughts, his entire brain seemed to be tangled together in contradictions, leaving him suddenly at a loss for how to react.
Perhaps the Queen simply stumbled upon this place by following the snowball?
Perhaps the Empress has already left the Cold Palace?
Perhaps the Queen will never discover the secret hidden in that room?
Perhaps the empress saw the white gauze dress, but did not recall her past?
perhaps……
Many "maybes" appeared in Emperor Qianyuan's mind, corresponding to countless "endings." But when he walked quickly along the brick-red palace wall, stepping through the snow, and finally stood in the cold palace with its gates wide open, he couldn't help but feel a dull pain in his heart.
It was a physiological fear and anxiety, which even made Emperor Qianyuan feel nauseous and convulsed at one point.
What should he do at this time?
clatter.
The emperor's steps gradually slowed down until they finally came to a complete stop.
At this moment, Emperor Qianyuan was only three steps away from the old wooden door of the Cold Palace, which had already been pushed open.
Rustling.
The winter wind blows as the snow falls.
Palace servants stood at a distance, not daring to approach without orders. In the shadow of the cold palace, Emperor Qianyuan stood motionless outside the gate, like a statue.
He is waiting.
Waiting for the other person who is currently in the cold palace.
His empress has been inside for so long, yet she hasn't come out yet. This likely signifies that this dream, which belongs to Emperor Qian Yuan and to Ji Huan, is in vain.
...It's time to wake up.
Within the entire Great Chu Imperial Palace, the Cold Palace was like a tomb, where countless lives had been buried, along with countless loves and betrayals.
No one likes anything associated with the Cold Palace.
The palace maids and servants were among them, as was the seventh prince, Ji Huan, who used to live in the cold palace.
In Emperor Qianyuan's distant memories, the Cold Palace was the shackle that bound him in his childhood. In that desolate and bleak palace, several insane women were imprisoned. Some of them were the former favorite concubines of the late emperor, while others were maids who had been framed and driven there...
As a prince born in the cold palace, the young Emperor Qianyuan was not valued. He had no mother to rely on, and in the first few years, even the late emperor did not know of his existence as the seventh prince.
At that time, he didn't even have a proper name. He could only live like a wild man who was unloved and uncared for, surviving on scraps from the cold palace.
In the cold palace, there were many mosquitoes in summer, no charcoal fire in winter, the old roof would leak when it rained, and the cold air would whistle in when the wind blew.
The young Emperor Qianyuan lived in such an environment for a long time, trying to get used to it and adapt, simply to survive.
One winter, his hands were covered in chilblains as he huddled in a dilapidated house, shivering from the cold. He finally managed to fall asleep from hunger, only to find himself in a warm room.
The house was like a paradise to him, clean and bright, free from the cold wind, and incredibly beautiful. It was a scene he had never seen before. As he stood inside, he turned a corner and bumped into a beautiful and lovely goddess.
—Like a jade carving, like a little bodhisattva from the horizon, only lacking the red dot on his forehead, as if he came specifically to save him alone.
Unlike his brothers and sisters in the palace who always bullied him, the little goddess was very well-behaved, with delicate skin, arched eyebrows that conveyed pure kindness, large and bright eyes, and red lips and white teeth. She was even a thousand times more beautiful than the late emperor's most beloved princess.
That's a kind of nobility that even gold and jade decorations can't bring.
The seventh prince, who was not yet ten years old at the time, blushed in confusion. He felt that his tattered clothes were unsightly and hurriedly stepped back. But he saw the little goddess pass right through his body, her skirt fluttering, leaving only a warm breeze.
Seeing the little goddess leave, the dazed seventh prince stood there stunned. Before he could even think about his current situation, he saw the little goddess who had passed through his body suddenly stop.
The off-white gauze dress trembled slightly in mid-air. The little goddess with her long hair flowing around her turned her head, her eyes filled with curiosity, and looked towards the clean and empty corridor.
She even took a step forward.
In that strange space where dreams and reality intertwined, the thin, frail, and disheveled seventh prince stood frozen in place, his posture invisible to others, with even a few beads of sweat of tension clinging to his forehead.
In front of him—at a slightly lower position—the bright and delicate little fairy boy tiptoed, raised his head, and his starry eyes were filled with doubt. But in that instant when the angle shifted slightly, his fair nose just brushed against the Seventh Prince's chin.
Touch and then leave.
In his dream, he held his breath, afraid to breathe, while the little goddess was called by name a moment later, and turned and gracefully left the corridor.
He heard someone call the little goddess as... Wen Miao.
After a long while, the Seventh Prince, who had suddenly come to his senses, was panting heavily in this fairyland. He was even reluctant to pull himself out of his dream, so he carefully followed after him.
He instinctively regarded the little goddess as his only support in this fairyland.
From that day on, the seventh prince, neglected and abandoned by everyone in the cold palace, was like a dark rat in the shadows, spying on everything related to the little goddess—initially just out of curiosity, longing for that fairyland, and envying and yearning for the little goddess.
Gradually, the Seventh Prince began to regard the little goddess, who was unaware of his existence, as his only friend and childhood sweetheart, and little by little, he developed a possessiveness that the little goddess should not have had to bear.
That possessiveness, born in a distorted environment, quietly grew stronger and stronger, and gradually flourished, becoming the most beautiful memory that occupied the Seventh Prince's entire childhood.
Like the moon that hangs high in the sky, casting a soft light on his dirty and muddy life.
He learned to read and write with the little goddess, and the first word he learned to write under the wall of the Cold Palace was the little goddess's name; he watched the little goddess grow up little by little, and naturally remembered her likes and dislikes.
He always remembered the age at which the little goddess started menstruating, but was unable to remind her to eat less ice due to his dreams; he would remember the little goddess's class schedule for a certain period, but always regretted that they could not be classmates.
Countless times, in his dreams, the Seventh Prince witnessed the entire growth of the little goddess, watching her grow from a child to a young woman, and also watching her go to study in a distant place, while those annoying men and women surrounded the goddess and fawned over her.
So many people adore his little goddess, yet he, who has quietly accompanied Wen Miao for so many years, hasn't even had a chance to stand beside her...
The name "Wen Miao" encompassed so much of what he wanted to obtain at all costs. He wanted to have the opportunity to stand beside the goddess, so he studied hard, practiced martial arts, and at that time chose to go to the deadly battlefield of the Northern Expedition.
Having been neglected since childhood, the seventh prince, who was able to glean bits and pieces of information from the palace, knew very well that the north was often in turmoil, with barbarian tribes frequently harassing the border people. The battlefield was the cruelest, most dangerous, and also the place where one could most easily achieve merit.
That was his only option at the time.
So while his other brothers and sisters indulged in pleasure and focused only on the capital, he was riding his horse to the forefront of the Northern Expedition; when he was seriously injured and had a fever at night that nearly cost him his life, it was the hazy and gentle figure of Wenmiao in his dream that made him grit his teeth and persevere.
The battlefields in the north are dry, cold, and harsh; there are no women, only rough, hot-tempered men.
During the day, they fought on the battlefield with their swords. At night, the married men would look at the moon and talk about their wives and children at home, saying almost everything they could think of. The unmarried men would listen with envy and whisper that after they finished fighting and saved up some money, they would also go back to their hometowns to find wives!
Those conversations hidden in the dead of night became a turning point in Emperor Qianyuan's youth when he glimpsed changes in his own emotions.
So, at some point, his possessiveness towards the goddess in his dreams, which was like that of a close friend, began to give rise to another emotion called "jealousy".
When the seventh prince, who had already established himself in the army, realized that his feelings were beginning to be limited, he suddenly discovered that he had developed a different kind of affection for the goddess who had grown into a beautiful young woman.
It's liking, it's love, it's possessiveness and desire like that of a married couple.
He wanted to marry her.
He didn't want the goddess to bear his children, be a good wife and mother, or be tainted by the mortal world. He only wanted to rise to a high position and hold the goddess of his dreams forever.
Driven by this dream and his unwavering conviction, the Seventh Prince went from the Cold Palace to the battlefield, and then from the battlefield to the turbulent court.
The goddess in his dream allowed him to glimpse the appearance of another world—
He knew that the imperial examination system could be used to separate power from aristocratic families, that the way to govern a country must be based on agriculture and prioritize the enrichment of the people, and that the exchange of goods could resolve the disputes and chaos between the Great Chu and the border barbarians...
Later, the Northern Expedition against the barbarians was a great victory, and the tea-horse trade temporarily resolved the border issues. By then, he had already seized power and gone from a prince in the cold palace to the only Crown Prince of the Great Chu. He also received the favor of the Grand Tutor of the court and was given the name "Huan," which means vast and far-reaching.
Only then did he dare to speak to himself in his dream, revealing his name to his goddess.
Ji Huan stayed with Wen Miao the whole time.
But Wen Miao had no idea about Ji Huan.
Throughout this dream that lasted for more than a decade, Emperor Qian Yuan, Ji Huan, never forgot her goal—
He consolidated imperial power, worked diligently to govern the country, and did everything he could to enable the people of the Great Chu to live a prosperous life. He dared to say that he had a clear conscience towards the people of the world, but when facing Wen Miao, he felt only indebtedness and unease.
Being the emperor above all others did not give Emperor Qian Yuan a sense of superiority; instead, it made him anxious and fearful of any possibility that Wen Miao might tire of him.
Today, the cause he caused by greed last winter has finally borne fruit. For the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after Wen Miao entered the Cold Palace, Emperor Qian Yuan stood there like a stone waiting for his wife, his expression withering inch by inch, and even his upright shoulders seemed to collapse completely.
So long...
The Empress has been inside for so long...
Has she remembered everything?
Has she begun to hate me and wants to leave?
When she turns to leave, will she glance at me again?
Emperor Qianyuan hesitated in place, and just as he was feeling troubled, he suddenly heard a faint rustling sound of footsteps on the snow coming from behind the gate of the Cold Palace.
The next second, the fluffy white snowball squeezed out from the side of the door, wagging its tail wildly, as if it knew nothing of sorrow. When it saw Emperor Qian Yuan from a distance, it even hummed twice as if to greet him.
But the emperor, whose aura was almost frozen, had no time to look at Xueqiu. He just stared blankly at the gate of the Cold Palace until another pair of footsteps that he could recognize even in his dreams slowly approached.
It is Wen Miao.
She was his queen...his wife.
despair.
A light-colored, thick-soled rabbit fur embroidered shoe, half-hidden by the skirt, stepped over the threshold and landed completely on the snow in front of the door. The exquisite and warm cloak trembled and drew a warm-colored arc in mid-air.
Emperor Qianyuan had known for a long time that the Empress was beautiful, like a goddess with ethereal grace, a kind and compassionate bodhisattva, and also like the embodiment of all his desires.
Now, when that familiar figure finally emerged, Emperor Qian Yuan did not see even a hint of a smile on that beautiful, fair face.
"Empress..."
Only after he opened his mouth did he realize how hoarse his voice was.
Upon hearing Emperor Qian Yuan's voice, Wen Miao paused slightly, her large sleeves folded up and down, as if she were holding something in her arms.
The sunlight swept across the deep red palace walls and the snow-covered ground, falling precisely on Wen Miao's hair and shoulders, making her appear exceptionally gentle, yet also creating a sense of distance.
Emperor Qianyuan had experienced that feeling before.
He had seen Wen Miao like this countless times in his dreams.
It is elegant and bright, yet filled with a sense of alienation from another world; it is clearly gentle, yet seems to be forever untouchable.
The winter sun was still quite bright. Wen Miao and Emperor Qian Yuan were two or three steps apart. As the emperor looked at her, his eyes filled with dark and deep emotions that were impossible to understand, Wen Miao was also looking at him.
Since their first meeting, most of the emperors in front of Wen Miao had a smile on their lips, a smile that conveyed joy and ease. If the other party suppressed their expression, they would appear cold and indifferent, capable of easily taking lives, displaying the demeanor of a superior.
But now, Wen Miao could only glimpse unease and anxiety beneath Emperor Qian Yuan's expressionless facade.
The anxiety that had troubled her for most of autumn seemed to have been answered by the emperor. So... was it because of her?
Wen Miao paused slightly, then withdrew her gaze from the emperor, slowly stepping past him, while gently stroking the kitten she had brought from the cold palace in her arms.
—Also a friend of Xueqiu.
“Vast, so vast…”
As if he knew he had made a mistake, Emperor Qian Yuan reached out and gently grasped Wen Miao's sleeve, but dared not exert any force. Despite his large size, he appeared cautious and even somewhat pitiful.
Wen Miao's eyelashes trembled. Her mind and heart were in turmoil. She hadn't figured out how to tell Emperor Qian Yuan yet. Even the memories that surged up from seeing the old objects still needed time to be digested and pondered.
So she simply said, "...I want to be alone for a while."
"Okay, okay."
The emperor, who was usually decisive and authoritative in front of his court officials, responded helplessly. He was like a large dog abandoned by its master, carefully following the empress and not daring to step over her.
Wen Miao heard footsteps following behind her. She turned around slightly and happened to meet Emperor Qian Yuan's gaze.
Caught red-handed, the emperor paused for a moment. Seeing that the empress was only staring at him silently, he opened his lips and said softly, "I'm going back too, it's on my way..."
It was clearly the truth, but when Emperor Qian Yuan said it, it made him seem particularly guilty.
Wen Miao asked, "Which palace will His Majesty return to?"
"..."
Emperor Qian Yuan remained silent for a moment, then reluctantly said, "...Taiji Palace."
"Okay, I understand."
Wen Miao nodded, and quickened her pace while holding the kitten in her arms. Shi Cui and Wan Bi, who had been waiting at the corner of the palace wall, also moved cautiously, and vaguely glimpsed a subtle tension between Emperor Qian Yuan and the Empress.
...The only thing that could make His Majesty show such an expression was that matter, which was not only a sword hanging over His Majesty's head, but also theirs.
Wanbi was anxious. She wanted to say something, but Shicui grabbed her arm and gently shook her head.
They, like His Majesty, are sinners who deceived the Empress.
...
The Phoenix Palace was very quiet that day; the atmosphere inside could even be described as frozen.
They may have bumped into each other while taking a walk. The Empress was brought back by His Majesty, but the two seemed to have had a disagreement.
Normally, the distance between His Majesty and Empress would not exceed one step. If the two walked together, His Majesty would always put his arm around Empress's lower back and gently hold her wrist with his other hand. They looked so affectionate, an intimacy that no one in the palace had ever seen between emperors and empresses in history.
But today is different.
Today, the Empress walked ahead alone, holding a listless kitten in her arms. Her elegant, wide sleeves swayed slightly with each step, but the Emperor was nowhere to be seen beside her.
As for His Majesty, who used to hold the Empress's waist, he followed behind alone, his long, deep eyes fixed on the Empress's back. But the other person being watched never turned around.
This is an unprecedented scene since the Empress entered the palace!
Almost the instant they saw this scene, everyone waiting in Fengyi Palace tensed up.
These days have been enough for them to know how much His Majesty values the Empress—it doesn't matter if you offend His Majesty in the Great Chu Palace, because the Empress is kind-hearted, and as long as it's not a matter of principle, she will only give you a minor punishment.
But if anyone angers the Empress, the Emperor will usually punish them without the Empress even having to say a word.
Now, the usually gentle Empress was unusually cold-faced, while His Majesty followed cautiously behind. Anyone who saw this scene knew that His Majesty had made a mistake—between Emperor Qianyuan and Empress, there was never a saying that "the monarch is without fault."
Luo and the other nannies swallowed back the words they were about to say. They had planned to report the month's palace affairs to the Empress, but they never expected to see this scene half an hour later.
The old women were all veterans in the palace and were very good at reading people's expressions. Especially when they saw that Shi Cui and Wan Bi were timid and dared not go forward, and His Majesty was standing outside the Fengyi Palace looking forward to it, they immediately shut their mouths and stood obediently in place.
Inside the Phoenix Palace—
Wen Miao placed the thin kitten in her arms on the couch to the side. She pursed her lips, stroked the snowball at her feet, and suddenly sighed softly.
It was clearly just a physiological reaction as she processed her emotions alone, yet the palace servants inside and outside the hall suddenly knelt down.
Wen Miao paused, a moment of stunned silence flashing across her face.
She almost forgot that this was a feudal dynasty, a place where those in power could easily control the lives of those in power.
Unbeknownst to her, she had lived peacefully in this era for nearly a year—never being tainted by the almost cruel feudal system of this era, and even after regaining her memories, her mentality did not change much.
Wen Miao knew perfectly well whose credit it was, but regardless, she still needed time to think it over, so she said:
"Stand up, everyone. Go do what you're supposed to do. You don't need to crowd around me."
As she spoke, she rubbed her temples, her voice gentle. Even though she had just experienced a flood of past memories, she remained calm, rational, and remarkably stable.
Then Wen Miao stepped over the crowd, looked at Shi Cui and Wan Bi, and suddenly said, "Come in and talk to me."
Shi Cui and Wan Bi exchanged a glance and whispered, "Yes."
That day, the gates of Fengyi Palace were closed very early, leaving Emperor Qianyuan outside. He stood there quietly for a long time before turning and leaving after Xu Sheng asked him tremblingly.
He should have returned to Taiji Palace, but Emperor Qianyuan really disliked that cold and empty palace, where the Empress was nowhere to be seen.
Since their wedding, he has spent almost every night with Wen Miao. Even if they do nothing, even if they simply hold Wen Miao while sleeping, it is all very good to Emperor Qian Yuan.
As for today, Fengyi Palace is destined not to let him in, and Taiji Palace is deserted with only him left.
His wife will ignore him.
As Emperor Qian Yuan walked dejectedly toward Taiji Palace, Wen Miao sat on a soft couch, gently brushing away the restless snowball while keeping an eye on the kitten.
The kitten was black, very thin, and curled up there, looking emaciated. Wen Miao fed the kitten goat milk that the palace servants had prepared in advance, little by little, while speaking softly, "You two... knew from the beginning?"
Wanbi remained silent, but Shicui suddenly pulled her down to kneel on the ground with her forehead touching the earth.
Wen Miao frowned, "What are you doing..."
"We were the ones who deceived Your Highness first, so whatever punishment Your Highness may give us is justified."
Shi Cui's voice was slightly hoarse, and her shoulders trembled. "I... I only beg Your Majesty not to send us away."
Wanbi immediately said, "Your Majesty, you may punish me however you wish! I can bear it! Please, Your Majesty, don't abandon us..."
Wen Miao: "Everyone, stand up and speak."
"Your Majesty..."
"Are you being disobedient?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Cui and Wan Bi immediately stood up, each standing as straight as the other, as if they were being punished.
Seeing that the kitten's belly was slightly bulging from eating, Wen Miao placed it on a soft cushion. Snowball also whimpered and went over to it, finally lying down obediently.
After doing all this, Wen Miao looked at Shi Cui and Wan Bi and said softly, "Tell me—tell me everything you know."
She needs to know what happened during the time she was seriously ill and had a high fever after she inexplicably appeared in this era.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Wen Miao—A stunningly beautiful older sister with incredibly stable emotions.
Ji Huan – an invincible, insecure, and obsessed emperor (although he is older than Wen Miao and seems to have the upper hand, the initiative has always been with Miao Miao).
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