Chapter 65. His wife.
Unexpectedly, as evening approached, it suddenly started to rain, fog shrouded the mountain road, and the rain drizzled down.
Just as the Empress was about to leave, the rain blocked her way. She looked at Zhong Changjun and said, "There is one more thing. I would like to trouble you, Zhong Gong, to convey it to His Majesty for me."
Zhong Changjun leaned closer and heard the Empress's resentful voice. She was blaming His Majesty for the complicated affairs of state, which was why the Empress had come to Chanxu Temple.
She lowered her brows and said, "Zhonggong, you said that His Majesty only has a few days of rest after his marriage, yet he is so eager to deal with state affairs. I have been staying in Changqiu Palace for a long time with nothing to do, and I can't see His Majesty. What's wrong with coming here to pray for His Majesty and the longevity of the country?"
Such disrespectful words made Zhong Changjun's eyelids twitch slightly, but the Empress's gaze was so piercing that Zhong Changjun could only smile, nod, and respectfully withdraw.
Zhong Changjun hesitated before going to see the Emperor. At that time, the Emperor was standing on the side of the mountain path with an umbrella, about to descend the mountain.
Zhong Changjun's words were a thousand turns of thought as he carefully observed the emperor's expression, only to suddenly see him raise his head and look behind him—
The guards, carrying the bamboo palanquin, stopped on the mountain path, their bodies soaked by the rain. The Empress, with palace servants holding umbrellas for her, walked gracefully in, her jeweled attire shimmering among the green trees. She lifted half of her skirt and stepped into the palanquin, but soon returned.
"There's no need for a sedan chair; I'll just walk down the mountain like this."
The Empress stopped the guards, saying, "The mountain road is slippery. It is too dangerous to carry the sedan chair down the mountain like this. I can walk a few steps and get down the mountain as quickly as possible."
Out of the corner of her eye, she looked toward the spot where the emperor stood not far away on the stone steps. Through the rain, the two gazed at each other from afar.
The rain that kept falling in the woods soaked her clothes, but she only glanced at it before turning her head away.
Zhong Changjun said to the emperor, "The Empress just said that His Majesty has been busy with state affairs these past few days..."
Before he could finish speaking, the figure beside him suddenly took a step and walked towards the Empress.
As Yuan Chaolu bent down to lift her skirt, she felt a shadow fall beside her. Looking up along the hem of his clothes, she saw his slender hand holding an umbrella, the moisture on his eyebrows dampening the skin.
"The wind and rain are too strong, and it is almost dusk. I think if the Empress does not want to return to the palace, she may stay in the temple for another day."
"No need, I wish to return to the palace."
"The mountain road is difficult to walk on, and it may be inconvenient for the Empress to wear a skirt."
Upon hearing this, she immediately bent down to tie up her skirt and trousers, but the trailing hem of her skirt was too intricate to roll up properly.
When the palace servants were about to handle the matter for the Empress, the Emperor bent down.
Yuan Chaolu paused, slowly stopping what he was doing.
His Majesty's gesture of lifting the Empress's skirt caught everyone present off guard.
Xiao Zhuo stood up, looked at Yuan Chaolu, and said, "Let's go."
Yuan Chaolu went inside.
The bamboo umbrella was just the right size for one person, but now with Yuan Chaolu in it, it felt a bit crowded. Rainwater slanted in from the edge of the umbrella, splashing raindrops onto Yuan Chaolu's face, forcing her to move closer. Then, without warning, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Your Majesty was just about to leave, but now you've stayed to wait for me. It seems you feel that you've neglected me these past few days because you've been busy with state affairs, so you've come to find me?"
She took the opportunity to snuggle into his arms and looked up at his chest with her eyes raised.
Xiao Zhuo said, "The Empress is at Chanxu Temple. I send people to inquire about her condition every day."
"Isn't that neglect?" she asked, pursing her lips and staring intently at him. "On the second day after our marriage, you were handling state affairs with your ministers in the Xuande Hall. What was that concubine to you?"
Yuan Chaolu preemptively questioned him, how could he appease him according to his temperament? Instead, he pretended to be angry, making him give in to him.
She hugged him tighter, blocking his path down the mountain.
Xiao Zhuo lowered his gaze, seeing the provocation in her beautiful eyes, and behind her was a strange sky, with turbulent winds and clouds.
He said, "I first met the Empress in this Buddhist temple. At that time, the Empress pretended to be weak and delicate, taking the opportunity to deceive me, and also wanted to share an umbrella with me to go down the mountain."
Yuan Chaolu was taken aback, and a look of annoyance and embarrassment appeared in her eyes. He lifted her up with his other warm hand, put it on her shoulder, and hugged her tightly in front of him.
He lowered his face and said, "When I face a hundred or so ministers, those who are cunning and scheming, I don't have to worry about them as much as I do when I'm with the Empress. Just like today, the Empress took the opportunity to make things difficult for me. She seems to care about me a lot, but it's more like she's trying to cover up her own guilty conscience."
Yuan Chao's thoughts were guessed by him, and she said, "Your Majesty thinks so badly of me? You truly break my heart."
Xiao Zhuo said, "In the past, I could tell at a glance whether the Empress was being clever or deceitful. But people's hearts are easily influenced by external things. Now I can hardly tell whether the Empress is being genuine or not. It seems that the Empress really feels neglected and disappointed. Otherwise, why would she act so genuinely?"
This sentence caused Yuan Chaolu to pause abruptly.
She suddenly recalled the last question she had asked the Princess of Yiyang during their conversation: "When did Her Majesty the Empress come to persuade me to give up the idea of entering the palace?"
What kind of state of mind...
His phoenix eyes, damp with rain, gazed at her, and Yuan Chaolu's eyelashes trembled slightly.
"I don't know what the Empress is thinking, but she is my wife after all, so I have to come and bring her back to the palace."
Yuan Chaolu never expected to hear that word from his mouth. Suddenly, her ears burned as she was pulled into his arms, the steady heartbeat coming from his chest right next to her ear.
She said sullenly, "Then Your Majesty and I should hurry down the mountain, the rain is getting heavier."
"As for neglecting and ignoring Your Majesty at Chanxu Temple..." she grabbed his arm, "I promise that this will never happen again."
**
The guards and palace attendants watched from afar as the emperor, with his arm around the empress, shared an umbrella and descended the mountain.
However, the wind and rain in the mountains were too strong, and by the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the two of them were completely soaked.
The two sat together in the carriage. A palace servant handed in a clean towel from outside. Yuan Chaolu took it and was about to wipe her damp hair when she suddenly remembered the king beside her.
She tried to make him lower his head so she could wipe his hair, but he had already taken the handkerchief and started wiping her hair.
"Come closer."
Yuan Chaolu moved closer and found his movements incredibly gentle. He wiped her hair meticulously, carefully removing the wet hairpins from her temples without hurting her in the slightest. He wiped her hair from her temples to her eyebrows and eyes, then used a handkerchief to support her chin with both hands, and finally wiped her neck clean...
"I came from the palace today, got soaked in the rain, and walked so much up and down the mountain, all because of the Empress."
She had removed all the hairpins from the Yuan Dynasty, her black hair flowing down her back, and said to him, "It was my fault."
The air was thick with dampness, and the carriage swayed back and forth. Yuan Chaolu, amidst this atmosphere, gradually avoided his gaze, lowered her head, and fiddled with the exquisite dagger hanging at his waist with her fingertips. She changed the subject: "I got caught in the rain today, and now I feel feverish. I wonder if I'll catch a cold when I get back?"
The person beside him looked her over and said, "I think the Empress is in very good condition."
Yuan Chaolu remained silent, looking at the black hair hanging down on his robe, and suddenly raised his hand to touch his still damp face.
Xiao Zhuo said, "I'll wipe it myself."
Yuan Chaolu shook her head. "I was thinking of something else."
Then, under his gaze, she drew the dagger from his waist and placed it aside. With her fingertips, she took a strand of her loose black hair and a strand of hair that had fallen from his jade crown, and tied them together gently in a knot.
"On our wedding night, Your Majesty and I forgot one step. I wonder if Your Majesty has ever heard of a poem that goes like this—"
Her eyes, like warm jade, held a shy smile. "Heart to heart, love must be deep."
He looked at the two strands of hair, tied together, with the ends of the hair pulling at their entire flesh and blood bodies.
After those words were spoken, I suddenly felt the blood in my veins surging and burning, rushing to every corner of my body.
She gently placed the knotted hair into his palm, asking, "Wouldn't Your Majesty and I be considered a married couple?"
Just as Yuan Chaolu was about to cut the tangled hair with her dagger, he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her. Yuan Chaolu winced in pain and was about to frown and speak when he suddenly leaned over and silenced her with a kiss against the carriage wall.
His low, husky voice came: "What else does the Empress think is acceptable?"
The rain roared like a waterfall, yet inside the carriage, it felt as if one were cut off from the world. The bamboo curtain swayed in the strong wind, carrying icy raindrops that repeatedly slapped against Yuan Chao's bare back, sending shivers down his spine.
After a while, she realized that they were still in the speeding carriage. She wanted to tell him to stop, but the words that were about to escape were all swallowed back by his lips.
The sound of the torrential rain outside the window was far less clear than the intense breathing in my ear.
The elaborate skirt gathered at her waist, and a long, strong hand gripped her waist, its fingertips sinking into the layers of soft silk.
Every time the wheels rolled over the stones, she was jolted and fell heavily into his arms.
Last time, she let him have the upper hand; this time, it's her turn.
The key to the "feigned indifference" tactic is the ebb and flow of the pull when the hook is laid. She has already been cold to His Majesty for several days, so in the coming days, she must take the initiative to be enthusiastic.
Yuan Chaolu took the initiative and sat on his lap, looking down at him.
The carriage was stuffy and hot, like a steamer. Sweat slid down Xiao Zhuo's wispy hair. He watched as she picked up the sash and wrapped it around his neck. Then, her fingers suddenly tightened, pulling him closer little by little.
His neck was in her grasp, his breath was guided by her, and he was forced to look up at her. Xiao Zhuo had known before that his empress was different: the first time he felt his blood boil for her was when he saw her tame that wild horse in the martial arts parade ground.
The emperor, the chosen one of heaven, had never been suppressed like this before.
As her fingertips inch closer to the ribbon of her skirt, the veins on Xiao Zhuo's neck bulged and slid, his palm pressed against her lower back and tightened suddenly, feeling her approach, and he kissed her with an almost suffocating kiss.
He used to be the one controlling others, but now that he's being controlled, he understands the strange, pleasurable, and exhilarating feeling that comes with it...
The cool breeze blowing in from outside the bamboo curtain couldn't dispel the heat from the two of them; all that could be heard was the creaking rhythm of the cart shaft.
When the carriage arrived at Changqiu Palace, it stopped. The palace servants had already been dismissed by Zhong Changjun, leaving only him to serve outside the carriage, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
As the rain gradually stopped, the moon shone even brighter after the world had been washed clean.
Xiao Zhuo looked at the woman lying in his arms. She pressed her cheek against his shoulder, her breathing gradually returned to normal, and she murmured something before falling asleep.
Moonlight filtered through the bamboo curtain, illuminating the scattered robes and skirts inside the carriage. He raised his hand to touch the back of her neck, gently soothing her, and then helped her put on the robes one by one. She opened her eyes with considerable displeasure, but then closed them again, too weak to do so.
After tidying his clothes, the Emperor carried the Empress down from the carriage. Zhong Changjun, who had been waiting under the eaves and was about to fall asleep, was startled awake and came forward to greet them.
Just as he was about to speak, he met the Emperor's gaze, which signaled him to be quiet.
The woman in his arms fell asleep peacefully. Zhong Changjun understood and followed behind. After entering Changqiu Palace, when His Majesty placed the Empress on the bed, he whispered, "The bath in Changqiu Palace is ready. In Xuande Hall, several officials have been waiting for Your Majesty since evening, Your Majesty?"
Xiao Zhuo looked at the bed, but she was sleeping so peacefully, and one of her hands was still holding his wrist, the strength was light, but she never let go.
Xiao Zhuo said in a low voice, "Go and convey my message to them, saying that I was in the wrong tonight, and that they should stay in the palace for the time being."
The palace doors rang and then closed again.
She woke up groggily, too lazy to open her eyes, and let him wash her body.
Xiao Zhuo placed her on the bed and stood in front of the Empress's dressing mirror. He suddenly squinted, touched her neck, and looked at the red mark left by her skirt ribbon.
The marks were too clear, too bright red to be concealed.
No wonder Zhong Changjun stared at his neck, seemingly wanting to say something, when he got off the carriage.
There's an important occasion tomorrow, and I need to appear with the Empress...
Xiao Zhuo's body was exposed to the cold wind blowing from the window, and the cool breeze swept across his listless dark eyes.
He saw the moon hanging high outside the palace, with dark clouds floating all around, as if it were about to rain.
His wife lay quietly on the bed, her shallow breaths like the gentle lapping of the tide, instantly calming his restless heart.
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Author's Note: I only managed to write one chapter today, so I'm really sorry to have kept you all waiting. I still owe you one more chapter, which I'll make up for in the next few days.
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