Lin Wanwan couldn't help but let out a questioning "Huh?", which was as light as a feather and instantly disappeared into the rolling sound of the wheels, without attracting the attention of the man beside her.
She froze, still leaning on Xiao Che's shoulder, her eyes wide open, as if trying to drill two holes in that familiar "blank area" with her gaze.
What happened?
Is it a bad signal? No, this isn't a mobile network, so there's no signal problem.
Is the angle wrong?
Quietly, like a cat caught doing something wrong, she subtly adjusted the angle of her head. She tilted it to the left, her gaze angled upwards at a forty-five-degree angle…nothing. She moved her head to the right, her gaze shifting horizontally…still nothing.
She even straightened up slightly by adjusting her posture, scanning from top to bottom with a perspective comparable to that of an examiner.
It was still empty, a void.
That "bullet screen" area, where countless inner monologues had unfolded, provided her with countless pieces of information and laughs, and was arguably her biggest advantage in securing her survival after transmigrating, was now like an old-fashioned monitor that had been unplugged by a naughty child—completely black, so clean that it made her uneasy.
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Lin Wanwan took a deep breath, forcing herself to mentally prepare herself: It must be because this journey was too tiring, with boats and cars, and so much bumping around for so long, even the strongest person couldn't withstand it. Hmm, it must be my eyes playing tricks on me, a hallucination. Yes, that's it.
While she was desperately trying to hypnotize herself, Xiao Che beside her was completely oblivious. He was still immersed in the tumultuous events that would ensue upon his return to the capital, continuing the previous topic with a icy snort in his voice:
"That Vice Minister of Revenue, I think he's tired of living."
He spoke these words expressionlessly, his gaze calmly fixed ahead, as if stating a mere fact: "The weather is nice today." Yet, the chilling murderous intent emanating from his words caused the temperature inside the carriage to drop noticeably.
Lin Wanwan's heart sank sharply along with the temperature.
An unprecedented and intense sense of "discomfort" instantly gripped her.
Something's not right, something's really not right!
In the past, if Xiao Che had said such a thing, no matter how composed and inscrutable his face might have been, his head would have been abuzz with excitement. At the very least, a pixelated "[I will exterminate his entire clan.gif.]" or a dynamic "[Drag him out and execute him.jpg.]" would have appeared, accompanied by a line of flashing text: "Dare to touch my purse, humph!"
Those lively and cheeky emojis are like a translator for the emperor's aloof exterior, allowing her to instantly grasp his true emotions.
But now... she can't see anything.
All she could see was a cold-faced emperor speaking harsh words. Was he truly calmly stating a plan, or was he already seething with rage, merely suppressing it? Was his murderous intent directed only at the Vice Minister of Revenue, or had it already implicated a wider group?
She... couldn't see through it.
This realization, like a tiny ice needle, unexpectedly pierced Lin Wanwan's heart, instantly waking her from the warmth and contentment she had just felt.
Just as she was in a state of utter confusion, the commotion outside the carriage grew louder and louder as it approached.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress!"
The deafening shouts, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, pierced through the thick walls of the carriage and came in clearly.
The carriage had already entered the territory of the capital.
Unlike their quiet departure, news of their return to the capital had already spread throughout the city through arrangements made by trusted ministers such as Meng Wei. At this moment, the imperial road from the city gates to the palace was already crowded with ordinary people and officials who had come spontaneously to welcome them.
People's faces were filled with heartfelt reverence and joy. They raised their hands and cheered with the loudest applause to welcome their holy king and virtuous queen who had personally gone down to the people and rid them of harm.
This was the grand ceremony befitting the emperor and empress's return to the palace, the most magnificent coronation for their achievements on this trip.
The carriage slowed down, and Xiao Che nodded slightly to the window. His face regained the majesty and composure befitting an emperor.
Lin Wanwan quickly composed herself and looked at the excited faces outside the car window through the curtain, a warm feeling welling up inside her. But beneath that warmth, a trace of cold anxiety lingered that she couldn't shake off.
This grand occasion should have made her extremely happy, but at this moment, her smile seemed somewhat forced.
Finally, the carriage slowly drove into the palace gate.
Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, a little boy dressed in a bright yellow casual outfit burst out from the waiting crowd, toddling towards the carriage with his short legs, calling out in a childish voice, "Father! Mother! I missed you so much!"
The carriage curtain was lifted by the eunuch, and as soon as Xiao Che saw that small figure, all the imperial majesty on his face instantly melted away.
He stretched out his long arm and scooped the Crown Prince "Tuanzi" up from the ground before he could pounce on him, easily pulling him into his arms with an irrepressible, radiant smile on his face and a voice full of doting affection: "You brat, have you been listening to your tutor?"
This is pure, unadulterated joy of fatherhood.
Lin Wanwan's heart jumped into her throat.
Almost instinctively, she immediately and with all her attention, stared intently at the top of Xiao Che's head!
This is the perfect opportunity! Such intense father-son affection, such pure joy—surely a meme should pop up? 【My dear son.jpg】? 【My little cotton-padded jacket is leaking air.gif】? Anything will do, just one of these will do!
However, reality dealt her another heavy blow.
There, it remained a despairing void.
It was as if the man in front of her, holding his son and smiling gently, was no different from the cold emperor who had just said "he's tired of living" in her "vision".
Lin Wanwan's heart turned completely cold.
She knew it wasn't a case of seeing things or being tired.
Her cheat code... seems to have really... stopped working.
Back at Kunning Palace, after dismissing all the palace servants, Lin Wanwan felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion wash over her. She practically collapsed onto the soft bed, not wanting to move a single finger.
Xiao Che played with Tuanzi for a while, then sent him back to the East Palace. When he came in, he saw his wife lying on the bed with a tired look on her face.
"You must be exhausted?" He walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently tidied the stray hairs on her forehead.
"Hmm..." Lin Wanwan responded vaguely, burying her face in the quilt, her voice muffled, "I'm exhausted, my bones feel like they're going to fall apart."
She dared not look at him, afraid that she would be unable to resist looking at the top of his head again, and then face that heart-wrenching emptiness once more.
How could this happen? Everything was fine before. Could it be... that this cheat ability has an expiration date? Or... that it malfunctioned because of something she doesn't know about?
Her mind was in turmoil, with countless thoughts swirling around, but she couldn't grasp any of them.
For the first time, she realized how dependent she had become on that ability. Without it, she felt like a student accustomed to seeing standard answers, suddenly thrown into an exam hall, facing a blank test paper, lost and helpless.
"Take a good rest." Xiao Che's voice sounded above your head. "You've had a long journey, you deserve a good night's sleep. I'll have dinner with you after you've woken up."
"Okay." Lin Wanwan kept her face buried in the blanket and answered in a muffled voice.
Xiao Che sat with her for a while longer before getting up and going to the outer hall, presumably to deal with the backlog of memorials they had accumulated during their time away from the palace.
The bedchamber was quiet again.
Lin Wanwan slowly raised her head from under the covers and let out a long breath.
She looked at the empty room and rubbed her temples hard.
"I must be too tired," she whispered to herself, as if trying to persuade a disobedient child. "Yes, I'm just too tired, my brain has stopped working. It's okay, I'll get some sleep, and as long as I get a good night's sleep, everything will be back to normal when I wake up tomorrow morning."
She reassured herself with such certainty, forcing herself to close her eyes and not think about that eerie blank space.
However, she did not know that this was not a temporary fatigue that could be repaired by sleep.
This is just the beginning. The start of a long "aftereffect".
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