Chapter 16: The One Who Became Empress

All kneel on the ground and shout, "Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years."

Chu Yunzheng's official duties are a bit busier today; after handling the trivial matters, dinner time has already passed.

Yet he does not mind the distance and arrives at Cuivei Palace.

Seeing Wan Tang's bright smiling face, his fatigue seems to vanish, and he steps forward to grasp her hand.

"Get up; the ground is hard and bad for the knees."

Wan Tang smiles with secretive eyes, leaning against the Emperor.

"Everyone, get up!"

Only then do the others shout, "Thank the Emperor."

Chu Yunzheng holds Wan Tang's hand; although his gaze remains as deep as a pool, his tone has softened considerably.

"What shall we eat tonight? Are there four‑joy meatballs?" Chu Yunzheng asks.

Wan Tang stays by Chu Yunzheng's side and walks into the inner chambers in one step: "Of course there are, and moreover, I have also prepared crab‑yolk tofu."

"Hmm, good, not bad."

"This little kitchen in Cuivei Palace is making my appetite grow ever more!"

Chu Yunzheng smiles and taps Wan Tang's nose: "Your skillful hands truly satisfy my appetite."

"Huh? Is it only the appetite?" Wan Tang, a little flustered, was about to say she prefers tea art more.

Who would have thought Chu Yunzheng would smile meaningfully: "You, you've learned to be naughty."

"What?" Wan Tang asks, puzzled, and instantly her face turns red.

Shyly she lightly pats the Emperor's arm: "You're…bad…"

Chu Yunzheng does not get angry, smiles and whispers something into Wan Tang's ear. In an instant, her face reddens to the roots of her ears.

【Wow, why does it feel so sweet, I want to ship them.】

【Honestly, in this moment there truly feels like an ordinary married couple.】

【Could it be that the Emperor and Wan Tang are true love? Our heroine is just an accident?】

Amid the barrage's ambience, Wan Tang looks on, feeling a bit dazed.

"The tofu is good."

A piece of tofu appears in Wan Tang's bowl.

The Emperor personally picks the dishes; what an honor. Wan Tang, in panic, wants to kneel and give thanks.

Chu Yunzheng laughs, "It's just a meal, no need to be restrained."

"By the way, just now you seemed distracted?"

Chu Yunzheng's gaze appears to glance off Wan Tang casually, yet his eyes flash with a keen light that seems to pierce everything.

Wan Tang smiles, "I always feel something is missing; I just recalled it now."

She rises, walks to the flower basket, selects the prettiest hydrangea, and places it into the vase on the dining table.

Chu Yunzheng's eyes suddenly darken.

He puts down his chopsticks, refuses another bite, and in an even tone says, "The hydrangea is beautiful; I recall the Empress loves to raise hydrangeas."

"Indeed!"

Wan Tang feigns composure, saying casually, "I visited the Empress today and learned that the Emperor likes hydrangeas."

"The Empress misses the Emperor, so she asked me to bring hydrangeas back."

Chu Yunzheng's complexion deepens again.

His gaze locks onto Wan Tang, unblinking: "Hydrangeas are beautiful, yet too hard to keep alive."

"They must not be exposed to sun, wind, or rain…"

His words already contain much discontent.

Wan Tang's heart races; after ten years in the deep palace, she naturally knows how to flatter with words.

Yet the Empress gave a task, and Wan Tang cannot dare to refuse. What she wants is for Xu Luoyan to pay the price, not to make enemies throughout the harem.

With a bitter smile, Wan Tang forces herself to say, "The Empress seems unwell, yet she still forces herself to tend the flowers; I fear hearing these words would sadden her."

Chu Yunzheng narrows his eyes slightly; his bewitching phoenix‑like eyes now look rather terrifying.

Like a leopard on the hunt.

Sweat beads densely across Wan Tang's nose, beyond her control.

She still forces herself to say, "Your Majesty, why not take a look at these flowers…"

"Enough!"

Chu Yunzheng cuts her off, his voice cold and distant: "Others use countless tricks just to get a glimpse of me."

"I come to Cuivei Palace every day, and it seems to have bored Lady of Grace Wan."

Wan Tang's body trembles, and she hurriedly kneels on the ground.

Her tone trembles slightly, "It is I who spoke out of turn; Emperor, please pardon me, Emperor…"

Chu Yunzheng walks to the doorway, looks up at the moon, then glances at the lifeless pear tree.

His voice carries a hint of melancholy: "A tree of pear blossoms presses down on the crabapple."

"Li Defu, what time is it today?"

Li Defu, who has been waiting outside, hunches forward and says, "Reporting to the Emperor, today is the fifteenth."

"Come to think of it, I have had many fifteenths without visiting the Empress."

He spins the prayer beads in his hand again, his tone tinged with disappointment: "Go to Kunning Palace."

The Emperor's retinue, vast and grand, departs.

When the Emperor leaves, Cuivei Palace seems empty as well.

"Little Master." Li Ping'er saw this and, feeling distressed, stepped forward.

She hurriedly helped Wan Tang up from the ground.

With reddened eyes: "It's all because I am at fault; Little Master got involved with them because of me, and I had no choice but to act this way, making the Emperor's heart grow cold."

"Little Master, if you are upset, you may strike me!"

Wan Tang laughed and tapped Li Ping'er on the head: "Fool, why would I hit you?"

"Blessings and calamities alike, I alone cherish the Imperial harem, which will cause all women to hate me—more loss than gain."

"Speaking of that, I truly haven't had a proper sleep in ages."

Wan Tang spread her arms and yawned.

She didn't care about any of that and just fell onto her back to sleep.

Chu Yunzheng was in the prime of his youthful vigor, and each night's turmoil truly left Wan Tang exhausted.

Finally, she could catch a breath.

Wan Tang didn't even remove her hair ornament, flopped onto the bed, covered herself with the quilt, and fell asleep.

Li Ping'er saw this, her eyes reddening severely.

She clenched her fists tightly and whispered, "Little Master must be extremely upset."

"In this cold Imperial harem, to encounter such a Little Master, I, Li Ping'er, will certainly do something for her to repay this kindness."

She swore beside her.

Wan Tang's sleep was also restless.

Barrage noises kept echoing in her mind.

【Is the supporting female character mentally ill? Letting the Emperor out at this moment is courting death, isn't it?】

【Doesn't she know what the Emperor likes about her?】

【They truly are different; after all, she wants a lifelong pair, and if it were her, she would never let the Emperor go, not even for a day.】

【Honestly, when the Emperor was young, he liked exactly this vigor of hers.】

Wan Tang slept in a drowsy haze.

Her?

Who is she?

What was the Emperor like when he was young?

Although the reasons weren't clarified, only one thing made Wan Tang very resolute.

The most ruthless imperial family; you discuss a pair with the Emperor, and that person's mind is somewhat flawed.

The moonlight was bright, but suddenly dark clouds gathered, accompanied by a startling thunderclap, and rain began to fall.

【Oh my! The Emperor is truly passionate.】

【Just as they were about to get into bed, they could instantly leave and come to Cuivei Palace.】

【Wan Tang, wake up quickly, your good fortune has arrived.】

【Could this be love?】

The noisy barrage sounds indeed made Wan Tang roll over and sit up.

It has nothing to do with love.

Purely because the opportunity arrived.

Wan Tang immediately shouted, "Ping'er, quickly boil the silkworm cocoons, quickly, the fan, quickly…"

The rain poured like a bucket, and only the thunder and the sound of water on the eaves remained in her ears.

Footsteps hurried, Chu Yunzheng slammed the door open, rushed in, and shouted, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"Emperor?" Wan Tang hurriedly rose, stepped forward, and was about to bow.

But Chu Yunzheng instantly scooped her into his arms; his movements were gentle, as if cradling a treasure, lightly patting Wan Tang's back repeatedly.

His voice soothed warmly, "Don't be afraid, I have arrived."

"I am here."

Outside, thunder rolled continuously.

Wan Tang thought to herself: Could the Emperor think she is afraid of thunder?

"With the Emperor here, I fear nothing," Wan Tang went along, pressing her face into the Emperor's embrace.

In her heart she wondered, at this critical moment the Emperor arrived here, and she wasn't sure whether this still counted as fulfilling the Empress's task.

Chu Yunzheng still harbored resentment, but seeing Wan Tang's expression unchanged, he finally released her.

Yet he did not leave; instead he said, "After the thunderstorm passes, I will depart on my own."

"What smell?"

Chu Yunzheng suddenly smelled something, then noticed a small stove nearby, where silkworm cocoons were being boiled.

There were also several tools nearby, seemingly being used to make something.

"In the middle of the night, what's this for?" Chu Yunzheng asked.

"The weather grows increasingly hot; I have obtained some golden silkworm silk and am crafting a round fan. I hope to finish it within these two days," Wan Tang explained calmly, with no trace of resentment in her eyes.

"You pushed me to the Empress just to make these trinkets?"

"In Lady Wan's eyes, I am delaying you!"

Chu Yunzheng's tone was still relatively calm, but it was not hard to hear that doubt had crept into his words.

Wan Tang gently shook her head: "In my heart, the Emperor is, of course, the most important."

She began to speak but stopped, hurried forward: "Emperor, your clothes are soaked; change them quickly, lest you catch a chill."

Facing Wan Tang's outstretched hand to change his clothes, Chu Yunzheng simply stepped aside.

The tone was laced with resentment: "No need."

"The thunder has ceased; I shall go now."

Chu Yunzheng, at this moment, unexpectedly showed a hint of childlike innocence.

Wan Tang's face was in utter panic, yet her heart was very calm; it seemed she could only voice her grievances.

Although doing so would be slightly less effective, at least it wouldn't cause a rift with the Emperor.

Just as it was about to begin, a "Thud!" sounded beside the ear.

Li Ping'er knelt heavily on both knees, her voice trembling: "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood Lady Wan."

"It's not that Lady Wan doesn't want to keep the Emperor; it's that Lady Wan has no way."

Chu Yunzheng halted his steps.

"Shut up!"

Wan Tang deliberately scolded Li Ping'er, her gaze full of reproach: "Do not speak nonsense before the Emperor."

Li Ping'er still bore injuries; even after only a day following Wan, she had already surpassed the many years she spent in Jingxin Hall.

Thinking of the grievances Wan had suffered, her eyes were very red.

"Even if the Emperor were to cut off my head, I still do not want a rift between the Lady and the Emperor."

Li Ping'er forced herself to kneel and struck the ground with several heavy, resonant kowtows.

She said earnestly: "She wanted to keep you, but had no choice."

"But someone gave you a hard time?" Chu Yunzheng turned his head toward Wan.

Wan lowered her head, giving a bitter smile: "With the Emperor's protection, I am the happiest woman in the Imperial harem."

"Who would ever give me a hard time?"

She reached out, trying to clasp Chu Yunzheng's arm.

Chu Yunzheng instead seized Wan's hand, his gaze cold as he looked at the wrist exposed from his sleeve.

A bright scar of blood on the pale wrist was glaringly conspicuous.

"Who wounded it?" Chu Yunzheng's eyes were already covered with a layer of frost.

Reporting the matter is the quickest way to resolve it, but that is not the way the Emperor desires.

The Emperor prefers pure, flawless whiteness; even Wan must become a lotus that rises from the mud without staining.

She hurriedly withdrew her hand, quietly tucking it behind her back: "Your Majesty, it was my own carelessness."

She plastered a smile on her face, acting coquettishly toward Chu Yunzheng.

Chu Yunzheng remained silent, and a chill deepened somewhere.

Suddenly, he kicked Li Ping'er: "You wretched servant, you can't even look after your own master; what use are you?"

"Better I give you a white silk thread, and you end yourself!"