Chapter 156 A Harmonious Family
The two strolled for a while under the moonlight before returning to the Sizheng Hall.
Su Luoxue ordered a palace servant to bring over the prepared medicine, personally tested the temperature, and handed it to Yuwen Che: "Ache, it's time to drink your medicine."
Yuwen Che looked at the bowl of thick, dark medicine, his tone carrying a rare hint of resistance: "I feel much better, so... I won't drink this medicine today."
Su Luoxue sat down beside him, holding the bowl of medicine, and said softly, "Then... shall I feed you?"
She looked at him with tender eyes, a hint of determination mixed with heartache. "You've always taken care of me before, but today it's my turn to take care of my A-Che. Let me feed you, okay?"
Looking into her eyes and hearing her soft pleading, Yuwen Che's slightest resistance vanished instantly. He finally relented: "Alright... whatever you say."
Su Luoxue's face immediately lit up with a smile. She scooped up a spoonful of the medicine, carefully blew on it, and then brought it to his lips.
Yuwen Che obediently lowered his head and drank it. The bitter taste of the medicine spread in his mouth, but when he looked at Su Luoxue's focused and gentle profile, he felt that the bitterness had turned into sweetness.
She patiently and meticulously fed him the entire bowl of medicine, spoonful by spoonful. Finally, she immediately picked up a piece of candied fruit she had prepared beforehand and popped it into his mouth to wash away the unpleasant bitterness.
"Alright." She put down the medicine bowl, picked up a handkerchief, and gently wiped the corner of his mouth.
Yuwen Che took her hand, pulled her into his arms, gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head, and whispered, "With Xue'er here, even taking medicine becomes a pleasant thing."
Su Luoxue leaned against him and suddenly chuckled softly, with a hint of mischief in her voice: "I think I've discovered a little secret."
Yuwen Che looked down at her in confusion: "Hmm? What secret?"
Su Luoxue looked up to meet his gaze, her eyes sparkling as if filled with starlight. Suppressing a laugh, she said, word by word, "So... our fearless Emperor, the mighty Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty—Yuwen Che, is actually... afraid of taking medicine?"
When Yuwen Che was exposed, a fleeting, almost imperceptible embarrassment crossed his face. He then feigned composure and denied it, saying, "Nonsense, when have I ever been afraid?"
"Still not admitting it?" Su Luoxue extended her fingertip and gently tapped his slightly pursed lips. "Just now, when I asked you to drink it yourself, you hesitated. But as soon as I said I would feed you, you immediately agreed. And... after you finished drinking the medicine, your brows were tightly furrowed, and you looked so bitter and resentful, I saw it all!"
She found it more and more amusing as she spoke, and couldn't help but laugh again: "Who would have thought that His Majesty, so decisive in killing, would be afraid of such a mere bitter medicine? How... adorable."
Yuwen Che couldn't help but laugh at her, his ears turning slightly red. He reached out and pinched her cheek, his tone filled with helpless indulgence: "Well, now you dare to make fun of me? It seems I've been too lenient with you."
Su Luoxue hugged his waist and buried her face in his chest, her muffled laughter coming from behind her: "What am I teasing you about? I just think that this version of A-Che is more real, and that's why I...like him more."
Yuwen Che's heart softened, and his slight embarrassment vanished instantly, leaving only a feeling of warmth. He pulled his arms closer, holding her even tighter in his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head, and chuckled softly, "Alright, from now on, all this hard work will be left to Xue'er."
"Mmm!" Su Luoxue nodded vigorously in his arms, her voice filled with joy, "Leave it to me!"
The flickering candlelight inside the hall illuminated the two people embracing, and even the faint medicinal scent in the air seemed to have taken on a sweeter hue.
A few days later, Yuwen Che's back injury had mostly healed. He was accompanying Su Luoxue by the window as she practiced calligraphy, holding her hand and patiently guiding her stroke by stroke.
Suddenly, his eyes flickered as he sensed a familiar presence. Without making a sound, he turned his head and placed a gentle kiss on Su Luoxue's forehead, saying softly, "Xue'er, you write for a while, I'll go to the inner chamber for a moment."
Su Luoxue looked up at him and smiled sweetly: "Okay, go ahead."
Yuwen Che stepped into the inner room, and Ye Ying's figure immediately appeared silently, kneeling on one knee: "My lord."
"Speak." Yuwen Che stood with his hands behind his back, his expression returning to its usual cold and stern look.
Night Shadow reported in a low voice: "I have found out that the palace maid who set the fire that day was indeed a spy planted by Nanzhao for many years. Nanzhao had previously believed that Your Majesty was the one suffering from the Gu poison and was about to die. They thought that Your Majesty's time was coming to an end, so they planned this fire, intending to take advantage of the chaos to get rid of His Highness the Crown Prince and create panic."
He paused, then continued, "Their plan is that once the emperor... encounters misfortune and the crown prince dies young, the court will surely be in chaos, and they can then collude with insiders to seize the opportunity to start a rebellion and disrupt the Great Zhou."
Yuwen Che's eyes flashed with a cold light, and a chilling smile appeared on his lips: "What a Nanzhao! They've schemed against me and even tried to harm my son... It seems I've been too lenient with them all these years."
He looked at Nightshade: "The spy and her family?"
Nightshade lowered his head: "Everything has been cleaned up, leaving no trace."
"Hmm." Yuwen Che nodded slightly. "Continue to keep an eye on the movements in Nanzhao. Report any unusual activity immediately."
"Yes!" Nightshade accepted the order, his figure flashing as he once again disappeared into the shadows.
Yuwen Che composed himself, put on a gentle smile again, and then turned and walked out of the inner room.
Su Luoxue had just finished writing a character when she looked up and saw him come out. She smiled and waved, "Ache, come and see, how is my writing?"
Yuwen Che strode over, embraced her from behind, held her hand holding the pen, and said softly, "Let me see... Hmm, our Xue'er has made great progress..." It was as if the fierce conversation from just now had never happened.
The three children ran into the Sizheng Hall like a whirlwind, followed by their wet nurse with a helpless expression.
Cheng'an, who was running at the front, immediately spotted his mother being held in his father's arms. He pointed at them and, mimicking the way adults usually teased him, exclaimed in a childish voice, "Mother, you're so shameful! You're so big and you still want Father to hug you!"
Tingxue, standing beside her, clapped her little hands and said in a childish voice, "Mommy's so shy! Hug me!"
Even the usually timid Yuwen Hao couldn't help but purse his lips and secretly smile.
Su Luoxue's cheeks flushed red from the children's laughter. Feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, she lightly punched Yuwen Che and glared at him angrily, saying, "Look at your son! You've spoiled him rotten!"
Instead of being annoyed, Yuwen Che hugged her even tighter, laughed loudly, kissed her puffed-up cheek, and then looked up at the three little ones and said, "I just love holding your mother, what do you think?"
He looked at the children, their eyes sparkling as they gazed at him, and suggested gently, "Alright, stop making fun of your mother. I'll take you to the Imperial Garden to fly kites later, shall we?"
"Great!" Cheng'an and Tingxue cheered immediately, jumping up and down excitedly.
Although Yuwen Hao wasn't as excited as his younger siblings, his little face showed obvious anticipation, and he quietly took a small step closer to his father and mother.
Su Luoxue looked at the children whose attention had been instantly diverted, and then at Yuwen Che, who was smiling smugly beside her. Her slight embarrassment turned into a helpless smile, and she gently leaned back into his arms.
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