The basket of scalding hot eggs seemed to weigh a ton, causing Lin Wanwan to finally let the tears that had been welling up in her eyes slide down her cheeks.
She did not refuse, but simply held the basket tightly and nodded heavily to the simple and honest woman in front of her.
Finally, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan boarded a carriage that had been prepared in advance, seemingly ordinary but with hidden secrets.
There was no grand procession, no entourage of guards; they arrived as quietly as they had.
The wheels turned slowly, and under the watchful eyes of countless people filled with reverence and reluctance, they slowly drove out of the heavy city gate of Zhenbeiguan.
Only when the carriage completely disappeared at the end of the official road did the silent crowd finally erupt into a burst of suppressed discussion and sighs.
"His Majesty and the Empress... are they really gone..."
"Yes, I really wish they could stay a few more days."
"To have witnessed such a wise and virtuous ruler and empress in my lifetime, even death would be worthwhile!"
Li Daniu looked in the direction the carriage had disappeared, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, turned to his colleagues in the "Military and Civilian Inspectorate" behind him, and said in an unprecedentedly firm tone: "Stop looking! His Majesty and the Empress have entrusted Zhenbei Pass to us, and we must not let them down! All of you, cheer up and get to work!"
...
The atmosphere inside the carriage was somewhat quiet.
Lin Wanwan leaned back on the soft cushion, still holding the basket of warm eggs in her hands, her eyes still slightly red. The subtle and touching farewell scene had moved and shocked her deeply, and she couldn't calm down for a long time.
Xiao Che sat beside her without saying a word, but simply reached out and gently took her hand.
His palms were large and warm, carrying a reassuring strength.
After what seemed like an eternity, Lin Wanwan finally took a deep breath and calmed herself. She turned her head, looked at the desolate scenery rushing past the window, and a relaxed smile returned to her face.
She winked playfully at Xiao Che and said in a tone like a modern company giving a year-end summary:
"Your Majesty, congratulations! The KPI for this 'incognito visit' project has exceeded the target!"
Xiao Che was amused by her novel explanation and followed up, saying, "Oh? Empress, please tell me in detail how I exceeded my 'KPI' target?"
"Of course!" Lin Wanwan counted on her fingers, a smug look on her face, and began to take stock. "Look, our two core objectives for this trip were: first, to solve the long-standing problems in the salt administration in Jiangnan; and second, to rectify the corrupt officials in the military in Beiguan. We not only successfully completed both of these tasks, but also gained extra 'performance bonuses' as a bonus."
“For example,” she picked up a warm egg and tossed it in her hand, “she gained 100% of the love and respect of the soldiers and civilians of Zhenbeiguan, established a sustainable ‘new logistics system,’ successfully turned a senior employee (Zhang San) within the enemy (Qian Canjun) to defect, and obtained crucial ‘startup documents’ (real ledgers) for the ‘Great Purge in Beijing’ project.”
She looked at Xiao Che with a grin and concluded, "In conclusion, your performance on this trip was simply godlike! You must give yourself a huge year-end bonus when you get back!"
Xiao Che couldn't help but burst into laughter as he listened to her string of unfamiliar yet remarkably apt terms. The heaviness that had weighed on his heart from witnessing the suffering of ordinary people over the past few days seemed to dissipate considerably in her lighthearted and amusing summary.
"Good, good, good!" He said three times, then reached out and affectionately pinched her nose. "I am very satisfied with the Empress's 'performance report.' This year-end bonus is approved! Tell me, what do you want?"
Lin Wanwan's eyes darted around, and she said mischievously, "As for the year-end bonus... Your Majesty, the punishment is to eat all of these 'Umbrella of Ten Thousand People' brand love eggs!"
The two looked at each other and smiled, filling the carriage with a cheerful atmosphere.
After laughing, Xiao Che's smile gradually faded. He was no longer the "Master Xiao" who joked with his wife, but had reverted to the Emperor of Dali who cared deeply for the world.
He leaned against the carriage wall, gazing out the window, his eyes becoming deep and distant.
"Wanwan," he said softly, his voice filled with an unprecedented sense of emotion, "Before leaving the palace, I reviewed memorials from all over the country every day. They all said nothing more than 'favorable weather and abundant harvests, peace and prosperity for the country' and 'with a wise ruler on the throne, the world is at peace.'"
"I used to think that the words on those memorials were real."
His voice paused, tinged with self-mockery: "Now I realize that those few thin pages can only hold so little. They cannot describe the blood and sweat of the salt workers in the Jiangnan salt fields, who are exploited layer by layer; nor can they describe the soldiers shivering in their reed coats on cold nights at Zhenbeiguan."
"It cannot contain the fact that a hero who sacrificed his life for his country was falsely accused of desertion; nor can it contain the fact that his old father dared not even cry loudly."
Lin Wanwan listened quietly. She knew that this journey had a transformative impact on Xiao Che.
This transformed him from a monarch accustomed to governing the country through words and data into someone who had personally witnessed, heard, and experienced the hardships of the common people.
"And now?" Lin Wanwan asked softly, "What do you know now?"
Xiao Che slowly turned his head. His gaze was no longer filled with confusion, but with an unprecedented firmness and sharpness. It was the look of someone who had truly seen the direction and was determined to see this path through to the end.
"I know..."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm and resonant, like metal striking the ground:
"...It's time to return to the capital and 'settle' that Vice Minister of Revenue, along with everyone behind him!"
An invisible, chilling killing intent instantly emanated from him, making the temperature in the entire carriage seem to drop several degrees.
The leisurely time of traveling incognito has come to an end.
A storm that will sweep through the entire Dali court is about to begin the moment they return to the capital!
Looking at the burning flame in his eyes, Lin Wanwan felt a sense of peace. She knew that her husband had fully matured into a truly responsible, powerful, and compassionate emperor.
She smiled and gently rested her head on his shoulder. This familiar gesture carried a sense of dependence and trust.
The past few days of travel had indeed left her somewhat exhausted. Now that the important matters were settled and she was on her way home, all she wanted to do was relax.
She habitually raised her eyes slightly, ready to see what adorable, sarcastic emoji was popping up above her husband's head.
As is customary, at this point, what should be floating above his head is something like "Going home to see Tuanzi.gif" or "My wife snuggling with me feels so good.jpg", right?
However--
When her gaze fell upon the area above Xiao Che's head that she knew all too well, the smile on her face suddenly froze.
There……
It was completely empty.
There are no jumping pixelated figures, no blinking text boxes, and no familiar .gif or .jpg images.
There was nothing there.
A blank page.
"Huh?"
Lin Wanwan couldn't help but let out a soft, questioning murmur.
She thought she was seeing things, or that she was leaning against the wrong angle.
She blinked, blinked hard.
Then, she quietly adjusted the angle of her head, looking from the left and then from the right, even straightening up slightly to look down from above.
Still... nothing.
The "bullet screen" area, which had once been the stage for countless inner monologues and provided her with endless information and laughs, was now completely black, like a screen that had been unplugged.
emojis...
It's gone?!
(End of Volume 6)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com