Emperor Shunqing visibly relaxed, and helped Empress Dowager Zhou to his feet. "You're right," he said, "an old man like me, how could I possibly have the energy to manage state affairs or oversee the country?!"
The two slowly walked away, making sure to have the heavy palace doors closed behind them.
She turned her head and saw Chu Heng staring at her in shock.
She sighed softly and stretched out her hand. "Your Majesty, may you rise?"
Chu Heng was stunned for a moment, then quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her up together, his face full of disbelief.
"You Ran, what did you call Father and Mother just now?"
Is that what he meant?
With a leisurely smile, she said, "What? We're getting married in seven days. Can't I call you Father and Mother?"
Chu Heng's eyes lit up instantly, "You Ran! You..."
She nodded. "I had a long talk with my master last night, and I know everything."
Chu Heng suddenly became a little nervous, "You... what do you know?"
You Ran reached out and grasped his right hand, gently stroking his little finger, and said with some heartache, "In your previous life, this part of your right hand was broken off. Did it hurt?"
Chu Heng froze, instinctively trying to pull his right hand back.
You Ran wouldn't let go, turning her hand over and grabbing his sleeve, pulling it up. "Here, the tendons were severed here, it must have hurt a lot, right? And here, here..."
All of them were the scars she had touched on his arm in her previous life.
Chu Heng was trembling all over. "You Ran, I...I'm sorry."
I couldn't find you in time in my previous life.
Then she pulled open her other hand, revealing the butterfly-shaped birthmark on her wrist. "In my previous life, at the Duke's mansion, I was once pushed into the lake by Shi Wenxia, and you saved me, didn't you?"
Chu Heng nodded slightly, "So, you remember everything..."
Looking at him leisurely, she said, "A few days ago, you asked me if I had someone else in my heart. The truth is, I don't. Although I still think about that person from my previous life, I only wanted to find him to repay a debt of gratitude. I never thought of comparing him to you."
You are the father of my child, and although I... am somewhat attracted to you, it's not enough for me to give up my freedom outside the palace... I don't want to enter the palace, but... I don't want to lose my freedom, and even more so, I don't want my child to be involved in future power struggles. That's why I hesitated."
Chu Heng's eyes lit up, and the anxious look on his face vanished, replaced by undisguised joy. "You Ran, what did you just say? You've fallen for me, haven't you?"
She suddenly hugged him. "Chu Heng, you were so good to me in our past life, and you're just as good to me in this life. How...how could I not be moved? Maybe I can't love you as much as you love me right now, but could you give me a chance to marry you, so that I can love you more and more in the future?"
Chu Heng felt her in his arms in disbelief and murmured, "You said last night... if you wanted to marry an ordinary person, I could become..."
She reached out and pressed her hand to his lips, bravely looking him straight in the eye. "Go ahead and do what you want. You can protect the Great Zhou Dynasty and all your loved ones. Trust me, I have the ability and courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and face all the conspiracies and schemes, the high walls and prisons."
"Really?" Chu Heng felt like he was dreaming. "You...you're willing to become my empress? You won't hate me anymore, you won't hate the palace anymore?"
You Ran shook her head. "Since I became pregnant with our second child, I have never felt any aversion to you. My hesitation before was simply because I didn't want to lose my freedom."
"You wished for me to become an ordinary person, because you believed that freedom lay outside the palace. But Master was right: wherever my heart finds peace, there is freedom."
"I've figured it out. No matter how many difficulties I face from court officials or how many power struggles I encounter in the future, I'm not afraid!"
"And, most importantly."
She paused, her face slightly flushed, and said shyly, "Master said that the child from the previous life has come back. Shall we protect him/her together?"
Empress Dowager Zhou's last words were correct. If he abdicated, and the new emperor became powerful, he, the living former emperor, would become a major threat. How could he protect her and her son?
Chu Heng's eyes lit up with boundless joy, "Is it Qianqian or Wanwan? Oh no, it doesn't matter which one it is, it's all the same! All the same!"
He held the girl tightly in his arms, as if he wanted to melt her into his very bones, "Little crybaby! You Ran!"
Yu Ran's heart, which had been pounding since last night, seemed to have found its home and slowly calmed down.
He cupped her exquisite face in his hands and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.
Three years of exhausting search for his wife, two years of eager anticipation, and nearly a month and a half of mixed joy and sorrow—all of this came to a perfect end at this moment.
Gazing leisurely at that incomparably handsome face, I suddenly realized how foolish I had been in the past.
He has such a handsome face that it's outrageous, so why did I dislike him a few years ago?
On the way back to Beijing, she was already touched by his tender advances.
Seeing how much he dotes on his children, he has even had moments when he is madly moved by their love.
Now that you've made up your mind to love him, you must show it through your actions.
Watching his cautious movements, she couldn't help but smile mischievously. She pinched his chin, stood on tiptoe, and planted a kiss on his lips.
Chu Heng was stunned.
He didn't expect that today's surprises would come one after another.
When he felt an even warmer touch, he snapped out of his daze, took the initiative, pressed down on the back of her head, and kissed her fiercely.
...
After confirming her feelings, You Ran looked back at the betrothal gifts and her dowry list sent from the palace, and everything she saw filled her with joy and warmth.
Qianqian and Wanwan were overjoyed to learn that they would not be separated from their mother and would be able to stay with their father.
Soon the day of the Emperor and Empress's wedding arrived.
You Ran was dragged out of bed early in the morning and made to do all sorts of things. Her two children were also dragged out of bed early by the palace maids sent by the palace to bathe and be perfumed.
The wedding banquet at the Yun residence had 180 tables, and almost all the powerful and influential people in the capital city attended. Yun Yue had also received advance notice and rushed back from Liaozhou.
With tears in her eyes, You Ran bid farewell to her grandmother, father, and mother.
The two children, like flower girls, held the hem of their mother's skirt, looking incredibly cute and endearing.
After slowly circling the city once, the imperial carriage was gently carried into the inner city of the palace.
Chu Heng, who had been anxiously waiting, rushed to the gate the moment he received the news, disregarding the objections of the Ministry of Rites officials, and personally took You Ran, who was dressed in her finest attire, from the imperial carriage.
You Ran was dressed in a bright red phoenix robe with gold thread embroidery, while Chu Heng was dressed in a bright red wedding gown with gold thread dragon patterns. The two of them standing together were truly a stunningly beautiful couple.
Even Wanwan, standing on the phoenix carriage, was stunned by what she saw.
Just as she was about to exclaim "How beautiful!", she suddenly covered her mouth.
His eyes were cunning.
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