After that burst of manic laughter, the imperial study fell into a deathly silence even more terrifying than during the argument.
Lin Wanwan slowly raised her hand and, with remarkable elegance, wiped away the tear stains on her cheek with her sleeve.
When she looked up again, all the emotions on her face—anger, despair, and even that eerie smile—had vanished without a trace.
Instead, there is an ultimate, perfect, and flawless tranquility.
It's a kind of peace that only comes after the heart has died.
Her expression became exactly the same as it had been a few days earlier in the dining hall of Kunning Palace.
Perfect, yet distant.
She looked at the man before her, who was still in a state of rage and confusion, and slightly bent her knees.
It was an extremely standard, yet extremely perfunctory, form of etiquette.
"Your Majesty... I understand."
Her voice was as light as a breeze, yet as cold as ice, devoid of any warmth.
Xiao Che was completely bewildered by her sudden, 180-degree change.
clear?
What do you understand?
His brain, already burned to a pulp by anger and resentment, was completely unable to keep up with her pace.
Lin Wanwan didn't give him time to think.
She slowly straightened up, and her almond-shaped eyes, which had once burned with flames, were now like a stagnant pool, no longer able to stir up a ripple.
“Your Majesty is right,” she continued, her voice as calm as if she were reciting a text that had nothing to do with her. “It was I who was being unreasonable.”
She actually... admitted it?
Xiao Che's brows furrowed unconsciously.
Something's not right.
This is really not right!
Based on his understanding of Lin Wanwan, even if she was truly wrong, she would never admit it so easily. She would either argue her case logically or act coquettishly and stubbornly; in short, she would never appear as if she had "emptied her mind of worldly desires and attained enlightenment on the spot."
This made him even more uneasy than when she was crying and laughing earlier.
"Your Majesty's decision should not be questioned, and you should not let your emotions affect matters of state."
Lin Wanwan's voice continued.
She was like the most perfect queen, conducting the most profound "self-examination".
"Your Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state and cares deeply about the world. It is I who am too narrow-minded and only care about personal feelings."
With each word she spoke, Xiao Che's heart sank a little further.
He felt like he had... messed things up.
It was a complete disaster.
"Your Majesty," Lin Wanwan looked at him, her empty eyes reflecting no trace of his anxiety, "it won't happen again...."
She paused, as if making an extremely solemn and unwavering promise.
"From now on, I will never bother Your Majesty with such 'trivial matters' again."
What constitutes a "small matter"?
Sending flowers is a small matter, drawing eyebrows is a small matter, cooking is a small matter.
Her unease was trivial, her suspicion was trivial, her tears were trivial.
Everything related to "emotions" is a "trivial matter".
From then on, they only discussed "national affairs" with each other.
They only discussed the relationship between ruler and subject, not between husband and wife.
This unspoken message, like an invisible, sharpest knife, pierced Xiao Che's heart.
It was even more suffocating to him than her earlier roar.
It stung him even more than her tears had just been.
He would rather she argued with him, made a scene with him, or even beat him up than see her looking so... heartbroken.
He felt as if the raging fire in his chest had been instantly extinguished by a bucket of ice water.
It was completely annihilated, leaving only a cold, choking pile of ashes.
"you……"
He opened his mouth, as if to say something.
He wanted to say, "That's not what I meant."
I wanted to say, "Don't do this."
However, it was as if something was tightly blocking his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Looking at her terrifyingly calm face, he felt, for the first time, a feeling called "panic".
He felt as if he was about to lose her.
It doesn't refer to her as a person, but to her...heart.
Lin Wan-wan had already said everything she wanted to say.
Once again, she curtsied to him impeccably.
"If Your Majesty has no further instructions, I shall take my leave."
After saying that, she didn't look at him again, and slowly turned around, preparing to leave this suffocating place.
"you……"
Xiao Che has finally found his voice again.
He watched her resolute, unwavering back as she walked away, and a surge of anger, even stronger than when he had been "misunderstood," mixed with immense panic, instantly overwhelmed him!
"You...good, good, good!"
He squeezed out those three words through gritted teeth.
Every word carried a cold, wounded ferocity.
Her "heartbroken" politeness stung him a thousand times more than when they were arguing!
Since you want "quiet", then I will grant you "quiet"!
He suddenly flicked his sleeve, a gesture that carried a childish, defiant, and violent quality.
"I also need 'quiet'!"
He roared and, almost as if fleeing in panic, rushed out of the Imperial Study once again!
He hadn't even decided where he was going.
He was simply instinctively trying to escape this place that filled him with terror and suffocation.
All he wanted was to stay away from that terrifyingly calm woman.
"Bang!"
He slammed the door to the imperial study shut with a loud bang.
The entire imperial study seemed to tremble.
Lin Wan-wan paused slightly in her steps.
But it was only one meal.
She didn't turn around.
She stood still for a second, then took a step and continued walking forward.
Her back was ramrod straight.
Like a plum tree, frozen stiff by the cold wind, never to bloom again...
Xiao Che, who had rushed out of the imperial study, stopped abruptly after running a few steps on the cold palace path.
He stood on the deserted palace path, a cool evening breeze blowing by.
Where is he going?
Back to Kunning Palace?
No, he dared not. He was afraid to see her empty eyes.
To other palaces?
He didn't want to either.
At this moment, this emperor who possessed the four seas discovered for the first time that the vast palace actually... had no place for him to stay.
He had nowhere to go.
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