Page 404

The desolate Fengyi Palace, without the Empress, had not a hint of liveliness.

The Emperor stood in front of the window for a long time before turning to sit by the bed, looking down at the red plum hairpin in his hand.

The Empress had even left behind the hairpin he gave her.

The Emperor sighed, "You’re not a child anymore; why don’t you understand my heart?"

The Emperor’s words, of course, could not reach the Empress who was far outside the city.

At this moment, the Empress lay in bed, reading by the candlelight for a while, wondering what the dog Emperor was up to—whether he was staying the night at He Jiayu’s place.

After closing the book, the Empress crawled into the covers, refusing to think about the things that upset her.

The Emperor clenched the plum blossom hairpin in his hand and lifted his head to see the items on the table. He stood up, walked over to the round table, and picked up the small garment, a pink fabric outfit that was still unfinished but clearly carefully sewn by the Empress.

The pink must have been for Susu.

Thinking of Susu’s sweet smile, her tiny hands clinging to his fingers and not letting go, the Emperor’s heart ached again.

After dwelling on the Empress, his thoughts turned to Susu...

Then he thought of Taotao’s fondness for sleep—this night, the Emperor was destined for insomnia.

At the fifth watch,

Eunuch Li, as usual, reminded the Emperor to get up.

"Your Majesty, it’s the fifth watch already; it’s time to rise for the morning court."

Inside the room, came the Emperor’s weary and hoarse voice, "Inform the civil and military officials that I am feeling unwell today and will not hold court."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Li couldn’t help but be concerned, "Should this servant call for the Imperial Doctor to take a look at you?"

The Emperor replied coldly, "No need, withdraw."

Though Eunuch Li was worried about the Emperor’s health, he dared not disobey the Emperor’s commands, "Yes."

The civil and military officials, who were already waiting in Jinluan Hall, learned that the Emperor was not feeling well and there would be no morning court.

"Eunuch Li, what happened for the Emperor to suddenly fall ill?"

"Eunuch Li, is the Emperor’s health serious?"

"Eunuch Li, did you have the Imperial Doctor check on him?"

Although they outwardly expressed concern for the Emperor’s illness, inside, a million curses raced through their minds.

Roused from bed early at the fifth watch, shivering with the cold as they dressed, not even having eaten breakfast, braving the chilly wind to attend morning court.

But now, with a single word from the Emperor about being unwell, all that effort was for naught.

In the deep winter, it took sheer determination to attend morning court.

Who wouldn’t be angry?

Although Fuyao Residence was located in the suburban outskirts, the environment was exceptionally pleasant.

With a lake in front and mountains behind, it was an ideal place for seclusion.

Xiao Jinyan had awoken early, but he wasn’t in a hurry to get out of bed. His eyes dropped to the person in his arms—her sleeping posture in winter was completely different from summer.

In summer, she couldn’t keep far enough away from him, limbs spread out.

In winter, her delicate body seemed desperate to cling to him without letting go.

Just like now, holding him very tightly.

Xiao Jinyan lowered his head and kissed her full forehead, "Xiao Jiu, I have to leave."

With her eyes still closed, Shen Chuwei hummed, "Let’s sleep a bit more."

"You keep sleeping," Xiao Jinyan, pulling her hands away, intended to get out of bed when Shen Chuwei woke up.

"Your Highness," Shen Chuwei rubbed her eyes; her sleepy gaze was still half-closed.

"You continue to sleep," Xiao Jinyan said as he picked up his clothes and began dressing.

Shen Chuwei propped her arm under her head, watching Xiao Jinyan get dressed, planning to continue sleeping after he left.

Susu, waking up hungry, pouted for a while, and when no one paid attention to her, she started to cry pitifully "wah wah."

Chun Xi, who was already dressed, heard the baby’s cry and quickly pushed the door open, only to see His Highness inside, just finishing dressing with only the waist ribbon left undone.

Who could tell her why the Crown Prince, who was supposed to be far away in the Imperial Palace, appeared here?

"I didn’t see anything," Chun Xi quickly shut the door and ran off.

After running a few steps, she saw Qin Xiao. Half a year had passed, and the scars on his face had healed, leaving no traces of previous injuries.

"When did Your Highness arrive? That was so awkward just now."

In the winter day, Chun Xi wore a blue cotton outfit with a soft ring of fur around the collar, making her chubby little face especially endearing.

Qin Xiao rarely saw Chun Xi, and now seeing her with rosy cheeks, he found her very attractive.

"The master came last night; you ran too fast, and I couldn’t stop you."

Seeing Qin Xiao wearing so little, Chun Xi’s almond eyes filled with confusion, "Why are you dressed so lightly? Aren’t you cold?"

Qin Xiao explained, "I practice martial arts; I’m not so afraid of the cold."

Chun Xi cautioned, "Even if you’re not cold, you should wear more. Otherwise, you’ll chill to the bone. It’s going to be miserable when you’re older."

Qin Xiao nodded with a smile, "Alright, I’ll wear more later."

The earlier minor embarrassment quickly faded, covered by Susu’s crying.

Xiao Jinyan didn’t even bother to fasten his belt properly as he strode to the little bed and saw Susu crying with such grievance that he quickly picked her up to soothe her.

"Susu, don’t cry anymore," he said.

As Xiao Jinyan comforted Susu, he came to the bedside and said to Shen Chuwei, "Susu might be hungry."

Hearing this, Shen Chuwei got up, took Susu from Xiao Jinyan’s arms, and seeing her pitiful look, felt both heartache and amusement.

When the food reached her mouth, her crying stopped instantly as if a switch had been flipped.

Watching his daughter eat greedily, Xiao Jinyan said with indulgence in his tone, "Susu is a lot like you, waking up in the morning because she’s hungry."

Shen Chuwei had no retort; when she woke up in the morning, one hundred percent of the time, it was because she was hungry.

Both Taotao and Susu were well-behaved, though Susu was a bit greedier when it came to food.

Chuwei looked curiously at Jinyan, "Your Highness, is the Emperor very angry that we made a run for it from the palace?"

"It is natural for him to be angry," Jinyan replied, "but more than that, he is worried."

At this, Chuwei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Before leaving, Jinyan instructed, "Xiaojiu, I’m going first. Stay here safely, there’s no need to worry about the palace."

After Xiao Jinyan left, Susu was full, and then she lay there, eyes wide open, playing with the blanket.

At that time, Taotao also woke up, similarly hungry, but she didn’t cry as loudly as Susu.

Susu’s crying was like someone was taking away her favorite food.

Fuyao Residence was not as particular as the palace.

With Susu in her arms and a fur ball in hand to amuse her, the Empress suddenly suggested, "Lady Shen, how about grilled fish for lunch?"

Shen Chuwei’s eyes lit up at the mention. "Sounds good, I haven’t had it in a long time and was just thinking about it."

After agreeing, Chun Xi started to prepare the grilled fish.

Chuwei didn’t bring much when she left the palace, but she did bring the pots and stoves needed for grilled fish and hotpot.

There were ingredients available at the Fuyao Residence, and anything missing could be bought.

Grilling fish was actually quite simple, and Chun Xi had become quite practiced at it.

There was a fish pond in the Fuyao Residence with fish weighing up to four taels.

When Chuwei and the Empress were eating grilled fish, Chun Xi held Susu, whose pitch-black little eyes kept staring at them, as if to say if she could talk, "I want to eat too."

When it came to food, Chuwei and the Empress had similar tastes.

Full and contented, both of them sat rubbing their bellies with satisfaction.

With Taotao and Susu asleep, the Empress found herself with too much free time.

In the palace, she managed the Phoenix Seal and attended to the affairs of the harem every day, living a fulfilled life.

Now with some spare time on her hands, she actually felt a bit bored.

With a sigh from the Empress, Shen Chuwei heard her and asked, "What’s wrong, Empress?"

"Just bored with nothing to do," she replied.

Shen Chuwei thought of how Lady Xu and Lady Tao both loved reading romance novels and wondered if the Empress would like them.

"Would you like to read a romance storybook, Empress?" she asked.

With curiosity, the Empress looked at Shen Chuwei, "What storybook?"

Chuwei turned and went into the inner room, picked up a golden classic of the domineering CEO falling in love with me, and then handed it to the Empress.

Curious, the Empress took the book, "Well, it’s not like I have anything better to do, might as well pass the time reading."

Meanwhile, Shen Chuwei took out her drawing board to continue the unfinished painting.

It was supposed to be just a way to pass the time, but she found herself unable to stop reading, to the point of forgetting to eat or sleep.

If it were not for the greater charms of Taotao and Susu surpassing those of the storybook, the Empress would barely be able to put it down.

On the sixth day of residing in the Fuyao Residence, a guest arrived.

That day, after Susu fell asleep, the Empress continued with her storybook.

Sun Momo came in to report, "Milady, Master Ye seeks an audience."

The Empress took a moment to react upon hearing this, she lifted her head to look at Sun Momo, "Did you say Master Ye has returned?"

Since she had entered the palace, she had not seen Ye Chu for a long time. In more than twenty years, they had only met a few times.

Sun Momo nodded in affirmation, "Indeed, Milady."

Master Ye had entrusted her with instructions that if anyone came to the Fuyao Residence bearing the Mo Hun jade pendant, she was to notify him immediately.

Therefore, on the night the Empress moved in, Sun Momo had sent someone to inform Master Ye.

"What, are you not welcoming me as a guest?"

A melodious voice came from outside the door.

The Empress lifted her head toward the entrance and saw a man dressed in elegant cyan robes slowly stepping in. The man’s appearance was cool and otherworldly, with eyebrows and eyes gentle as if painted.

Perhaps having not seen him for too long, the Empress was momentarily stunned.

Shen Chuwei curiously watched the newcomer, a super handsome man whose handsome features differed from those of the Emperor Xiao Jinyan.

To her, the man before her felt like he was from a world of immortals~

ps: One more update