Chapter 49 Don't be afraid, but she cares.
As autumn deepened, a rainstorm swept through the Ling Mountain.
In the latter half of the night, Wen Miao vaguely heard the sound of rain hitting the eaves in her sleep. The shadow under her eyelashes trembled for a few moments before she slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the window.
The blanket around her neck slipped down a bit, making Wen Miao feel a slight chill.
The room was dimly lit, so it must have been before sunrise. The outside was brighter because of the rain, which gave it a damp, dark blue hue, and there was a whistling wind.
"It's still early."
A large, warm, even scalding hand came from behind, pulled the blankets back up, and pulled Wen Miao closer to its own chest.
It fits perfectly.
Wen Miao's plump, soft flesh, separated by a layer of nightgown, was completely embedded in Emperor Qian Yuan's embrace by his actions. The jade key, adorned with a red string, was warmed by the touch of their skin and hung between them, eliciting a low, hoarse chuckle from Emperor Qian Yuan.
Wen Miao's ears tingled, and she shyly moved to the side.
They were clearly husband and wife, and had even done more outrageous things in bed, but Wen Miao was still easily embarrassed. It seemed that she had naturally thin skin. Whenever Emperor Qian Yuan did something reckless, her cheeks and neck would turn bright red, which made the jade key appear even more translucent and white.
Emperor Qianyuan pulled his arms closer, his embrace filled with the soft, fragrant flesh, and he noticed something else—
"The Empress seems to have become more plump lately?"
At first, perhaps because she had just woken up and her mind was a little foggy, Wen Miao didn't react immediately. With her face still slightly flushed, she looked up at the emperor and happened to meet his gaze, which was lowered and looking down.
...Have you gained weight?
Wen Miao also lowered her head, but as soon as her gaze touched the edge of the jade key, she suddenly realized something, and the blush on her face immediately deepened, making her face look even more like a peach blossom.
"I'm not ashamed. I think it's better this way, and my body will be stronger."
She was in much better shape than when she was unconscious, pale, and with thin, frail wrists last winter... Back then, the emperor was always afraid that a gust of wind would blow the goddess from his dreams away from him.
At this moment, Emperor Qianyuan raised his hand and hooked out the small key that was sandwiched between the two of them.
The red rope swayed gently, winding out a rouge color, before being carefully held by fingers a shade darker, and placed under the collar of Wen Miao's light-colored nightgown.
It is warm, soft, and fragrant.
The red rope fell into the shadow of the moonlit embrace, but Emperor Qianyuan held Wen Miao in his arms and exhaled a deep breath, as if the aura around him was surging with heat again.
The nightgown beneath the bedding was so thin that even a slight touch allowed her to sense subtle yet intense changes occurring within the emperor.
Wen Miao trembled slightly, "You..."
"Miaomiao, let me hug you."
Emperor Qian Yuan breathed heavily, burying his head in the crook of Wen Miao's neck. Outside, the rain was pouring down, threatening to intensify, while the wind had subsided, creating a warm and humid atmosphere.
Wen Miao, who was being held tightly by the emperor, stiffened slightly. She couldn't help but whisper a reminder, "...This is inside Lingyun Temple."
It is a place of quiet practice for monks and nuns.
"I know."
Emperor Qianyuan chuckled. In the Empress's eyes, he was probably the most reckless and easily swayed person in the world by beauty. But there was nothing he could do; as long as it was the Empress, he couldn't resist even the slightest temptation.
Seeing the shyness still lingering in Wen Miao's sleepy eyes, he suppressed his restlessness, like a young boy, and simply sniffed the Empress's fragrance like a dog.
...It smells so good.
He said, "Don't worry, I'll sleep a little longer. I won't do anything."
Even just holding her like this, quietly gazing at the Empress, he felt content.
Rainwater cascaded down the eaves like a small waterfall. Just as Wen Miao was about to close her eyes and sleep a little longer, she suddenly heard a somewhat indistinct commotion outside—
“...Someone…in the woods…”
"Quick, take a look..."
"...Who is it?"
"Call...Master here..."
The conversation was scattered by the rain, and it was impossible to make out what it was. Before Wen Miao could ask, Emperor Qian Yuan raised his hand and covered her ear with his warm palm.
The man's hands were large and heavy, with distinct knuckles and slightly protruding veins. His palms were covered with rough calluses, marks left by years of battles and wielding swords. They were rough yet full of majestic power, but at this moment they were as soft as silk, carefully shielding Wen Miao from the sounds from the outside world.
There is a unique kind of gentleness.
The previous noise and the sound of rain faded away, so that between the beds, she could only hear the emperor's calm and powerful heartbeat.
"Go to sleep."
Wen Miao was indeed still a little sleepy. She rested her head on the emperor's arm, her ears covered, and soon fell asleep again, peaceful and content.
...
More than an hour later, the deep morning bell rang out in Lingyun Temple.
As dawn broke, the sun hung above the pine forest, and the autumn rain that had been falling for a while gradually subsided, leaving only damp marks on the mountain stone steps.
When Wen Miao woke up again, Emperor Qian Yuan was no longer by her side. She got up, put on soft embroidered shoes, and washed and tidied herself with a towel that had been soaked in water and was just the right temperature. Then she put on a rabbit fur cloak and pushed open the tightly closed wooden window.
creak—
The window opened, and on the damp open ground outside the room, Emperor Qianyuan, dressed in a black outfit with his long hair tied up, looked like a general on the battlefield. He held a long sword in his hand, wielding it with great power, as if one could glimpse the ferocious aura that had emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Wen Miao was mesmerized.
The silver blade, carrying immense weight, slid past the grass beside the wielder's arm the instant it pressed down, picking up a few dewdrops before instantly rising upwards, scattering a crescent-shaped spray of water vapor before abruptly tilting forward.
Clang!
It was the sound of a blade trembling slightly.
Wen Miao, clutching the warm cloak to her chest, blinked slowly, only then noticing an unknown off-white wildflower resting on the tip of the knife pointing at her.
The autumn air was chilly, and after a rain, this wildflower, blooming out of season, was trembling as it was lifted by Emperor Qian Yuan's blade and given to the voluptuous beauty behind the window.
Wen Miao smiled. "Is it for me?"
Even though she asked that question, her hands were already prepared to take it.
"I hope the Empress won't find it too shabby." Emperor Qian Yuan also curled his lips slightly. Without giving Wen Miao a chance to get close to the blade, he turned his wrist, causing the off-white wildflower to fall into Wen Miao's palm.
Wen Miao: "Come in and wipe your sweat, don't catch a cold."
The dampness after the rain seeped into the room through the open window. Wen Miao carefully gathered the flowers, took out a book from the chest that accompanied the emperor, wiped all the dew and rainwater off the petals, and then laid them flat and placed them between the pages of the book.
Her entire movement was meticulous, as if she were holding not an ordinary roadside wildflower, but an expensive variety specially cultivated in the palace.
Emperor Qianyuan sheathed his long sword and entered the room from the other side. He clung to Wen Miao like a large dog, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder, enjoying a perfect view of Wen Miao's movements.
"Even a wildflower deserves such meticulous care from the Empress?"
Wen Miao always felt there was a hint of sourness in those words.
It's just a flower.
Wen Miao occasionally felt helpless and amused by Emperor Qian Yuan's excessively strong possessiveness. She continued what she was doing, responding skillfully without looking up:
"...This flower was a gift from His Majesty."
From the day she accepted the emperor's feelings, Wen Miao was also prepared to spend the rest of her life with him. Therefore, no matter how much she felt for him, she would naturally make these actions. On the one hand, she didn't want to waste his feelings, and on the other hand, she wanted to maintain their relationship.
This is a reaction unrelated to memory, hidden in Wenmiao's instinct.
How could anyone not like Wen Miao?
Emperor Qianyuan, who had initially felt jealous of the wildflower being gently held by the Empress, was instantly soothed. He murmured, "The Empress is so kind." After Wen Miao finished her work, the two sat down together to prepare for today's imperial meal.
Recently, the royal family has been worshipping Buddha, and Lingyun Temple has been preparing vegetarian meals with a light taste. Emperor Qianyuan felt that he was thick-skinned and could eat anything, but when he saw the bland dishes touch Wen Miao's lips, he couldn't help but feel guilty.
Wen Miao knew what Emperor Qian Yuan was thinking at a glance.
She slowly swallowed what was in her mouth. "Your Majesty, occasionally eating vegetarian food can be quite enjoyable, and besides..."
She paused, then added, "I'm not that difficult to raise."
In the memories she glimpsed in her dream last night, Wen Miao realized that she seemed to have also suffered from hunger and cold. However, when she tried to examine the past scenes in detail, she was sent out of the dream, leaving her feeling lost and empty.
Emperor Qianyuan responded softly, looked at the vegetarian meal in silence for a moment, and concluded, "But I want to take excellent care of the Empress."
Wen Miao smiled and decided to change the subject. She placed a piece of tofu on Emperor Qian Yuan's plate and asked, "Does Your Majesty like it?"
"……like."
Emperor Qianyuan thought that he really couldn't tell what he liked to eat. As long as it was given to him by the Empress, it tasted like a delicacy. How could he not like it or find it unpalatable?
Thus, His Majesty's search for his preferred food has failed once again.
Wen Miao ate elegantly and gracefully, and her appetite was not that large. After she finished eating, Emperor Qian Yuan naturally brought over the remaining food, intending to eat it together.
Wen Miao was taken aback: "Your Majesty, I ate that..."
The way meals were served in the palace was different from what was happening now, so this was the first time Wen Miao had ever seen such a scene.
Emperor Qianyuan, however, remained calm and composed. Taking advantage of the fact that only the two of them were in the room at the moment, he spoke clearly: "I have even drunk the Empress's water, so how could I not be able to eat a few bites of the Empress's food?"
Wen Miao's face instantly flushed red, her complexion as radiant as a blooming peony, yet she couldn't hide the slight annoyance and embarrassment in her eyes. "Eat whatever you want!"
...This guy is absolutely outrageous!
The monks at Lingyun Temple regularly held morning prayers, and the diligent worshippers would join in chanting sutras and praying for blessings. Emperor Qianyuan, who showed little reverence for gods and Buddhas, beckoned Xu Sheng in after his meal so he could recount the past of Princess Rui, Zhao, to Wen Miao.
"In the summer of the second year of the Qianyuan era, Mingchun, a third-class maid in the Prince Rui's mansion, broke a glass lamp. She was beaten forty times by the Princess Zhao and died on the spot. It was said that she died of illness and her body was buried in the backyard of the mansion."
"In the winter of the fifth year of the Qianyuan era, Duanwu, a servant of Prince Rui, refused to tell the Zhao family where the prince was. He was beaten to death in public. It was said that Duanwu had offended his master. Prince Rui then found someone to bury him and appeased his family with gold and silver."
"In the spring of the seventh year of the Qianyuan era, Zhao sent someone to change the contract of Zhang Ying, a third-class maid in the mansion, from a live contract to a dead contract, and gave her to the heir of Prince Rui to be his concubine. A year later, she became pregnant, but died after being given an abortion drug due to the advanced stage of pregnancy, and was buried in the backyard of the mansion."
"Autumn of the eleventh year of the Qianyuan era..."
The items Xu Sheng received were all prepared by Cheng Yingwei the night before. Many of the contents had been edited and simplified to remove the ugly and filthy parts, but they were still enough to show people the murder case that Zhao was carrying.
Just as Wen Miao had thought, Zhao Shi's casual remark that the county magistrate's daughter was of low social status was a common offense on this trip. However, what she did was far more heinous and terrifying than Wen Miao had imagined.
It was like a knife that peeled back the hidden evils of this era, revealing them to Wen Miao in a bloody and brutal way, catching her completely off guard.
Even though this is a simplified version, the truth is many times more brutal.
The differences of the times shocked Wen Miao after she lost her memory. She felt a tightness in her chest and vaguely recalled Xu Sheng's words. In the blink of an eye, a warm tear rolled down her cheek.
Those were countless human lives lost.
But why is it so unworthy of cherishing here?
Seeing Wen Miao's pale face, Emperor Qian Yuan immediately dismissed Xu Sheng, carefully took Wen Miao's hand, and gently patted her back to comfort her.
"...Don't be afraid."
Emperor Qian Yuan's throat tightened. He knew all too well how peaceful and happy the world Wen Miao had lived in was. Now that she had suddenly witnessed the dark side of the Great Chu's prosperous era, she would surely feel distressed and disgusted.
But he had no choice but to do it.
He wanted Wen Miao to forge more ties with the Great Chu.
Emperor Qianyuan pulled Wen Miao, who was sitting quietly on the stool seemingly lost in thought, into his arms, gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and whispered, "Before, they had nowhere to seek justice, but this time is different..."
He kissed away Wen Miao's tears, and after meeting her stunned gaze, he said, "This time, you have seen their injustice."
Most powerful families and officials wouldn't interfere, but the only empress of the Great Chu noticed it.
Those lives may not be worth much in this era, but Wen Miao cares.
...That is priceless.
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Author's Note: I'm here! Today I'm randomly selecting 20 lucky readers from the comments section to receive a red envelope! [kissing emoji]
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