Chapter 101 - if: Tyrant x Imperial Concubine
From that night on, Hua Deng always felt inexplicably nervous whenever she saw Chen Zhou.
If they were merely an emperor and his concubine, it wouldn't matter. But just as she had mentally adjusted her attitude towards him, he shattered all of that.
She still remembered the feeling when he kissed her that day; it was a tenderness and affection completely different from usual. He looked down at her, his eyes filled with emotions she couldn't understand.
But that was the only time; he never did anything like that again, as if that night was just her dream and nothing had happened in reality.
He still came to Jiaofang Palace as usual, ignoring her nervousness. Every time he looked at her, his gaze reminded her of his question from that day: What do you take me for?
"..."
Hua Deng was also puzzled. She treated Shen Zhou as a friend, but did Shen Zhou really treat her as a concubine?
She couldn't think of any other possibilities, after all, he was the emperor of the Great Wei, destined to be estranged from all love and romance.
It was another beautiful, sunny day.
Hua Deng declined the company of Yueya and Yueman and went for a walk in the Imperial Garden alone.
I didn't expect to run into two acquaintances here.
Inside the pavilion, Shen Xi and Yin Zejing were playing chess. Shen Xi was clearly in the lead, while Yin Zejing scratched his head and smiled wryly.
Hua Deng wanted to avoid him, but Yin Zejing was worried about not being able to get away. He caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye and jumped up instantly: "Hua Deng, what a coincidence that you're here too!"
They addressed each other casually in private, and thanks to Shen Zhou's imposing presence, no one dared to say anything more.
Hua Deng had no choice but to walk over. As expected, Yin Zejing stuffed the chess piece into her hand and said in a particularly cheerful tone, "Didn't you used to love playing chess with her the most? Come on, I'll give you the chance."
The lights were silent as she looked at the dilapidated chess game, thinking that even if she were a chess master, she would be powerless to turn the tide.
She still finished the game for him in the end. She played seriously, and Shen Xi went easy on her. In the end, it actually turned out pretty well.
She put down the chess pieces and asked, "How come you all have time to play chess at this hour?"
Yin Zejing chuckled: "We pushed all the work onto Shen Zhou. He's busy, so we're free, aren't we?"
Shen Xi coughed lightly and said, "It is because of my brother's diligence in government affairs and dedication to the people that we can only look up to him."
Hua Deng: "Is he very busy lately?"
He would come to the Jiaofang Palace every day to eat and sleep with her, and even take a nap with her, making her think that being the emperor was so easy.
Sometimes, when she takes a short nap in the evening, he would suddenly appear, shake her awake, and ask her if she wanted to go out of the palace to play.
Hua Deng could only turn over in pain, waving her hands repeatedly to say no.
Of course, the most likely outcome is that he sits there waiting for her to wake up before going out with her.
Hearing her question, Shen Xi and Yin Zejing exchanged a glance. Yin Zejing said, "Of course he's not busy in front of you. You are much more important to him than political affairs."
Hua Deng laughed and said, "You're treating him like a tyrant."
Yin Zejing said, "He likes you so much, if you need him, he would definitely be a tyrant for you."
Hua Deng paused for a moment, then remained silent.
Yin Zejing was completely oblivious, engrossed in studying the chessboard, occasionally remarking, "I'm playing this game quite well; Hua Deng can still be saved."
Instead, Shen Xi glanced at her twice and asked in confusion, "Hmm?"
"Didn't I tell you?" Shen Xi asked hesitantly, "He has feelings for you."
That day, Yin Zejing came to her crying, saying that Shen Zhou was having trouble in love and was taking it out on her. She had no choice but to go to Hua Deng and explain the situation, even though her brother had repeatedly ordered her not to tell anyone.
Hua Deng said sullenly, "I thought we were friends, that he cared about me, just like I cared about him..."
"You two still want to be friends?!" Yin Zejing suddenly looked up and almost fell off his stool.
Hua Deng: "Your Majesty is, after all, the Emperor of Great Wei, I..."
Yin Zejing suddenly realized, "I understand now, he must not have told you why he came back!"
Hua Deng paused, feeling inexplicably nervous, and sat up straight, waiting for him to continue.
Yin Zejing then said, "Back then in Li Kingdom, although things weren't easy at first, they weren't as bad as you think. He wasn't good at political maneuvering, but he was good at playing the game. Those old fogies in Li Kingdom were completely fooled by him."
“According to the plan, he would be able to return to the Great Wei safely in five or six years. But just then, the news that you had become the Crown Princess reached the Li Kingdom. I really thought he had gone mad.”
Yin Zejing clicked his tongue twice and continued, "He gave up everything, moved up the plan, and insisted on returning to Li Kingdom. You know what happened next. In just one year, he found a way to stir up internal strife in Li Kingdom and took the opportunity to escape."
"When he left, he only had fifty personal guards with him. With just these men, he fought his way to Yangguan and joined me. The situation was really dangerous. Those men were bloodthirsty from his killing spree and relentlessly pursued him. Moreover, their tactics were insidious; they would feign death and then launch a sneak attack, firing an arrow."
"It was this arrow that almost pierced Shen Zhou's throat. At the time, we all thought he was not going to survive, but he survived."
"When he was bedridden and dying, he always held the hairpin he gave you in his hand, and the only two words he uttered while he was unconscious were your name."
Hua Deng subconsciously reached into her hair and touched the cold hairpin.
After saying his last words, Yin Zejing said, "So I think it's because you were there that he risked his life to return to Jianye."
Hua Deng slowly removed the hairpin, a few strands of hair falling down, and she lowered her head in silence.
Shen Xi suddenly said, "May I take a look at this hairpin?"
The lantern was handed to her.
*
At night, the streetlights arrived as expected, waiting until the daylight faded.
He showed no signs of fatigue from a day of handling official business, remaining as calm and composed as ever.
Hua Deng leaned against the headboard as usual, holding a book in her hand, flipping through it casually. When he came over, she slowly took the book away, revealing what she was holding.
Shen Zhou glanced at it and said, "Holding this hairpin, are you planning to assassinate the emperor?"
Hua Deng was amused by him, but she quickly composed herself and asked seriously, "What does the writing on this hairpin mean?"
Shen Zhou said, "What do you think?"
Hua Deng looked at him and said, "I don't know the Li language."
Shen Zhou chuckled softly, his hand covering hers, the hairpin gradually heating up in their palms.
He stared into her eyes and said, word by word, "You are the one I miss, the one I love, the one I have pursued all my life."
The streetlights were so bright you could almost hear your own heartbeat.
She said slowly, "But Your Majesty can love three thousand women in the harem, while I only have Your Majesty."
"You mind this?" Shen Zhou asked without any hesitation, his words startling. "Then I won't be the emperor."
Hua Deng: "...Wait!"
Shen Zhou: "Let Shen Xi be the emperor, and you and I will leave Jianye. The world is vast, and we can go anywhere."
Seeing her increasingly surprised expression, and fearing she wouldn't believe him, he added, "The Imperial Concubine was entrusted to Yin Zejing."
Hua Deng: "That's not what I meant."
She couldn't help but laugh. It turned out that Yin Zejing was right during the day; this man was actually willing to be a tyrant.
“But I don’t have any plans to leave Jianye right now,” she said softly. “It’s nice here, and the palace is nice too. I can go out of the palace to see my parents. If I get tired of this kind of life someday, it’s not too late to leave.”
Shen Zhou said, "You can do whatever you want. But now, you should have something else to say to me."
Hua Deng silently pulled up the blanket: "Really? I don't think so."
Shen Zhou leaned closer, pulled the blanket away, grabbed the back of her head, and pried open her lips.
"No?"
"……have."
The girl's faint voice was swallowed up in the entanglement of lips and tongues.
"I miss you, I love you, and I want to be with you forever."
*
Hua Deng was living a very comfortable life in the palace, but many people became envious when they saw that His Majesty favored the Consort.
They all hoped to send their clan's daughters into the palace to gain glory, but now His Majesty doesn't even glance at other women. What are they supposed to do?
As a result, people in the imperial court began to propose holding a talent selection to enrich the imperial harem.
Even worse, some people blamed Hua Deng for the recent floods and waterlogging, calling her a "femme fatale who brought disaster to the country."
The day after Hua Deng learned of this news, the imperial edict appointing her as empress was delivered to her.
At that time, she was playing chess with Shen Xi in the Imperial Garden. Without Yin Zejing to disturb them, the two were playing back and forth.
Holding the imperial edict, Hua Deng expressed her amazement at Shen Zhou's solution.
Shen Xi said, "Those old guys have been tormented by the Emperor for so long, but they still don't understand the Emperor's thoughts."
Hua Deng also heard that those who slandered her had all been killed, and just as Shen Zhou said, no one dared to say anything bad about her anymore.
“If they are still not satisfied, they will probably cry their hearts out when the Emperor really steps down from the throne,” Shen Xi said.
Hua Deng believed this: if history records everything truthfully, then Shen Zhou's achievements would definitely be on par with his reputation as a tyrant.
Suddenly, Shen Xi glanced at her and said, "However, he never cared about any of that. He only cares about you."
"……Um?"
“He has cared about you since you were seven years old.”
The streetlights slightly opened their eyes.
Didn't he hate me back then?
“Of course not,” Shen Xi said. “He is always happy when you come to see him, and I can feel it even if he doesn’t say it.”
Life in the palace was dull and monotonous. Her brother grew up in a dog-eat-dog world and was forced to mature prematurely.
From the time Shenxi could remember, he had always been like that, unmoved by anything, like a stagnant pool.
Only when the streetlights are on will he listen to her talk with a smile, banter with her, and tease her in all sorts of ways.
He would look forward to her arrival the next day at night, and would stay up all night to carve and make a suitable pen for her.
She was an inseparable part of his life, and this part continued to expand until it occupied his entire being.
“He really can’t live without you,” Shen Xi said.
The lights seemed to purse their lips slightly.
After a moment, she laughed and said, "Me too, I've been inseparable from him for a long time."
*
The sky was high and the clouds were light that day.
Dressed in auspicious attire, adorned with a phoenix coronet and floral hairpins, Hua Deng was bestowed the title of Empress amidst the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Shen Zhou, dressed in a black imperial robe, was looking at her from a short distance away.
When she approached, he smiled slightly and extended his hand to her. Hua Deng understood and took her hand. The two walked side by side up the stone steps, then turned to receive the kowtows of the civil and military officials.
The world is vast, and the breeze is gentle. The bright lights hold the hand of the person beside you, bringing an unprecedented sense of peace.
That night, some unusual noises were heard inside the Jiaofang Palace.
Amidst the rustling of the bedding, Hua Deng's curious yet innocent voice rang out in a muffled tone: "Your Majesty, you don't know what to do, do you?"
"..."
"It's okay, I can teach you."
"OK."
"Then let the Empress set an example."
[Author's Note]
The Emperor and the Imperial Concubine story is over. The next chapter will feature the male ghost Zhou and the Taoist priest Deng. I'm more skilled with ancient Chinese settings, so I'll start with this one.
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