Chapter 145 Attitude Shift
Su Luoxue gently tugged at Yuwen Che's sleeve, her tone pleading: "Ache, I want to go for a walk in the Imperial Garden and see the children."
Yuwen Che immediately shook his head, his tone gentle but leaving no room for doubt: "No. You need to rest properly. You can't move around before Bai Xiao returns."
"Ah Che," Su Luoxue softened her voice, with a hint of coquetry, "I just want to get some fresh air; it's so stuffy inside. Just for a little while, okay?"
Looking at her pale face and expectant eyes, Yuwen Che finally softened and sighed helplessly: "You... alright, I'll help you go. But it's agreed that you'll only stay for a while, get some fresh air, and then come back to rest."
Su Luoxue immediately nodded obediently: "Yes, I'll do whatever you say."
Yuwen Che then carefully helped her up, draped an outer robe over her shoulders, put his arm around her waist, and slowly walked out of the bedchamber toward the Imperial Garden.
The sunlight shone on her, carrying the warmth of early autumn. Su Luoxue took a deep breath of the fresh air, feeling the tightness in her chest ease somewhat.
From afar, they could hear the children's laughter and play.
Upon closer inspection, one could see Yuwen Hao, Cheng An, and Ting Xue engrossed in playing with small wooden swords. Cheng An and Ting Xue surrounded Yuwen Hao, wildly brandishing the swords, while Yuwen Hao carefully parried and dodged, a rare relaxed smile on his face.
"Mother! Father!" Cheng'an, with his sharp eyes, spotted them first and immediately dropped his wooden sword and ran over.
Tingxue ran over and threw herself at Yuwen Che's feet, crying, "Father!"
Yuwen Che quickly freed one hand to support his daughter, saying, "Slow down, don't fall."
Yuwen Hao stopped what he was doing and saw his father and mother who had come to the Imperial Garden with him. The smile on his face instantly disappeared, and he returned to his timid appearance. He stood there and bowed somewhat awkwardly, saying, "Father...Mother."
Looking at the children's rosy cheeks, especially seeing Yuwen Hao's brief smile just now, Su Luoxue felt gratified and asked softly, "Did you have fun?"
Cheng'an nodded vigorously: "Happy! Brother Hao'er is playing with us!"
Tingxue also said in her childish voice, "Brother Hao'er... Okay!"
Yuwen Che looked at the scene before him. The three children stood together. Cheng'an and Tingxue were only three years old, lively and bold, while Yuwen Hao, at seven, was quiet and timid, a stark contrast. His gaze lingered on Yuwen Hao for a moment. Remembering his promise to Su Luoxue, he finally spoke. Although his tone wasn't particularly affectionate, it was much gentler than usual: "Yes, be careful when you play, don't fall."
Yuwen Hao seemed surprised that his father would speak to him first. He paused for a moment before hurriedly lowering his head: "Yes... Your subject understands."
Seeing Yuwen Hao's flattered expression, Su Luoxue felt a pang of sadness. She gently squeezed Yuwen Che's hand and gave him a grateful look.
Yuwen Che caught her gaze, sighed inwardly, tightened his grip on her waist slightly, and said in a low voice, "We've been out for a while, and you've seen the three children. It's getting a bit chilly, we should go back."
Knowing that she had not yet recovered and should not stay any longer, Su Luoxue obediently nodded and said softly to the children, "Your mother is a little tired, so I will go back to rest first. You can play for a while longer, but remember to go back for your meal, okay?"
"Yes, Mother!" Cheng'an and Tingxue replied in unison.
Yuwen Hao also whispered, "Your subject respectfully sees off Father Emperor and Mother Empress."
Yuwen Che didn't say anything more, but simply helped Su Luoxue up and slowly turned to walk back.
After taking a few steps, Su Luoxue couldn't help but turn back and glance at the three children standing there watching them go. Sunlight shone on them, creating a seemingly harmonious scene.
As his father and mother walked away, Yuwen Hao stared blankly at their retreating figures.
Cheng'an gently tugged at his sleeve, looked up at him with her little face, and said earnestly, "Brother Hao'er, don't be afraid of Father. Father is really, really good!"
Yuwen Hao lowered his head, pursed his lips, and remained silent.
Cheng'an continued counting on his fingers: "He would fly kites with me and Ning'er, and they would fly so high! He would also make us little wooden swords and little wooden horses."
“Look, these were all made by Father!” He pointed to the toys on the ground.
"Father even plays with our little wooden swords! I can even beat him!"
Zhang Mama and Fuling, who were standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh out loud when they heard the Crown Prince's naive words.
Fuling chimed in, "Yes, our Crown Prince is incredibly capable!"
Tingxue followed her brother's example, nodding vigorously and chiming in her childish voice, "That's right... Father is the best!"
As Yuwen Hao listened to his younger siblings describing their father, whom he had never imagined to be so gentle, and then compared that to the cold, even disdainful, eyes he remembered, he felt a profound sense of bewilderment and alienation.
He murmured softly, "Really...?"
"Of course it's true!" Cheng'an nodded vigorously, taking his hand. "Brother Hao'er, you'll play with us from now on, and Father will definitely play with you too! Come on, let's continue our sword fight!"
Yuwen Hao was warmly pulled along by Cheng An. He looked into his younger brother's clear, bright, and innocent eyes, and then looked at Ting Xue beside him, who was also looking at him with innocent eyes. The hard ice shell in his heart seemed to melt a little bit without him realizing it.
He gripped the small wooden sword in his hand and nodded gently: "...Okay."
Su Luoxue was led back slowly by Yuwen Che, but she couldn't help looking back towards the Imperial Garden until the trees obscured the children's figures.
Yuwen Che tightened his grip on her arm and whispered, "Alright, you can't see anything anymore. Watch your step."
Su Luoxue then turned around, a gentle and satisfied smile on her face: "Ache, look at the three of them, how well they're having fun."
Yuwen Che's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded: "Yes, it's more... harmonious than I expected."
Su Luoxue leaned against him, her voice soft and gentle, tinged with a barely perceptible sense of melancholy: "A-Che, if... I mean if, that poison... can't be cured in the end..."
"There are no ifs!" Yuwen Che abruptly interrupted her, raising his hand to gently cover her lips. His eyes suddenly became sharp and resolute, tinged with a hint of panic. "Don't talk nonsense! There must be an antidote! Bai Xiao has already gone to find it!"
He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and his tone turned firm and concerned: "The only thing you need to do now is to obediently recover for me, and you mustn't get angry or have any wild thoughts, understand?"
He gazed into her eyes, trying to dispel the slight sorrow between her brows with a firm tone: "Besides, didn't Bai Xiao also say that if it's suppressed well, it's possible that the poison will never flare up again? Listen to me... Xue'er, don't say those things to scare me, okay?"
Seeing the undisguised worry and lingering fear in his eyes, Su Luoxue's heart softened. She nodded obediently, swallowed her unfinished words, and said softly, "Okay... I won't say anything more."
She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling his steady steps and warm body temperature. Her gaze was fixed on the azure sky above the palace walls, and her voice became calm and distant: "Now... I ask for nothing more. As long as the Great Zhou is peaceful and prosperous, and the weather is favorable. As long as we, Hao'er, Cheng'an, Tingxue... are all well, and our family can live in harmony and peace... that's enough."
Yuwen Che stopped and turned his head to look at her intently. Sunlight fell on her still pale but serene profile, and her eyes, gazing at him, were filled with the deepest love and longing for him, for the children, and for this land.
His heart fluttered, and he grasped her hand, solemnly making a promise, his voice deep and powerful:
"Alright. I agree."
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