Emperatriz viuda Xiaoxuan

Capítulo 85

Upon seeing Jun Ying enter, Empress Yanzai's face lit up with joy, her eyes shining brightly. She quickly stepped forward, gazing at the swaddled baby in Jun Ying's arms with a beaming smile: "Jun Xiaosan, you were right, Lin'er's eyebrows really do resemble mine."

How long has it been? How long has it been since I've seen her smile so genuinely?

Jun Ying's cold, handsome face softened slightly by the Empress's smile. But when his gaze swept over the infant, a fleeting look of coldness crossed his eyes. Though that coldness flashed by quickly, it did not escape the Empress's sharp phoenix eyes.

Empress Yanzai raised her phoenix eyes slightly and smiled brightly at Jun Ying: "Jun Xiaosan, quickly put him on the dragon bed so that I can have a good look at him."

"Your Majesty, this...this is not appropriate...how could he..."

Empress Yanzai tugged at Jun Ying's sleeve in dissatisfaction: "I told you to release him, so just release him." Her tone carried a hint of girlish naiveté.

Jun Ying stared blankly at the Empress before him. How long had it been? How long had it been since she had shown him any girlish charm?

Jun Ying, almost in a daze, gently placed the infant on the dragon bed. Empress Yanzai sat smilingly beside the infant, pointed to the empty seat opposite, and gestured for Jun Ying to sit down.

Jun Ying wanted to decline, but he yielded to the expectant gaze of Empress Yanzai. He sat down uneasily on the other side.

Empress Yanzai carefully examined the infant. The infant seemed to sense the empress's gaze, opened its eyes wide with curiosity, and suddenly broke into a big smile.

Empress Yanzai excitedly grabbed Jun Ying's arm and laughed loudly, "He's smiling at me, he's smiling at me, look... he looks just like you when he smiles."

Jun Ying had no choice but to look in the direction the Empress was pointing. The baby was clenching its little fist and shaking it gently.

Empress Yanzai carefully held the baby's tiny fist in her palm and said softly, "His eyebrows are just like mine, and his smile is so similar to yours. He looks exactly like your and my child."

Empress Yanzai glanced at the shocked Jun Ying, smiled mischievously, and continued, "It's a pity about Sister Su'er. She endured so much hardship to give birth to him, yet he bears no resemblance to her whatsoever."

Jun Ying stared at the Empress's profile in shock for a long time, his eyes overflowing with tenderness and love. Following the Empress's gaze, he carefully examined the infant in the swaddling clothes, and the coldness in his eyes faded considerably.

The Empress, playing with the baby, observed Jun Ying's expression out of the corner of her eye. She affectionately pinched the baby's pink cheek: "Jun Lin, meaning to rule the world. One day in the future, my Lin'er will be able to stand above everyone and look down on the world... Jun Xiaosan, I entrust Lin'er and Sister Su'er to your care. You must not disgrace my trust in you."

"Your subject dares not." Jun Ying instantly concealed the love in his eyes, a trace of pain flashing across his face.

"He smiled! He smiled! Lin'er smiled at me again! Look, my Lin'er is much cuter than that boy from the Dugu family when he was little!" Empress Yanzai tugged at Jun Ying's sleeve and exclaimed childishly.

Jun Ying lowered his eyes, looking at the slender hand of the Empress that was clutching the hem of his clothes. Then he looked up at the Empress playing with the baby. The coldness in his eyes gradually melted away, and his sweet expression resembled that of a husband watching his wife play with the child.

In moments of happiness, time always seems too short, and before you know it, it's late at night. The infant in her swaddling clothes is already asleep, and Empress Yanzai reluctantly pulls back Jun Ying, who is about to leave.

"Jun Xiaosan, you must bring him here all the time. He is my Lin'er. You and Sister Su'er should not even think about competing with me for him." Empress Yanzai persisted, holding onto Jun Ying's sleeve and refusing to let go, her phoenix eyes filled with reluctance.

In the darkness, Jun Ying's eyes sparkled, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. The look in his eyes as he looked at the infant in the swaddling clothes was no longer as cold as before.

"If you do not obey me, then... uh... I will not let you leave!" Empress Yanzai saw that Jun Ying did not answer, so she tugged at Jun Ying's sleeve, her eyes full of grievance, almost crying.

"Your Majesty, please don't make a fuss. I will bring him here often when I have time. It's already late today. If he wakes up and we're not outside the palace by then, he'll cry and make a fuss, which will disturb the palace servants." Jun Ying looked at Empress Yanzai and coaxed her gently.

Empress Yanzai quickly released Jun Ying's sleeve: "Take him back quickly, he'll be hungry if he wakes up."

Seeing that the Empress had truly let go, Jun Ying felt a slight sense of loss: "Your subject obeys the decree." After saying this, he leaped and disappeared into the darkness.

Empress Yanzai stood there, wearily lowering her eyes: Sister Su'er, this is all I can do for you now...

Emperor Xuanlong's eyes showed pain, and he couldn't help but feel sad: "Lin'er... Lin'er... In her past life, she smiled at you, which created the karmic entanglement between you and her in this life. If you continue to sleep like this, she will eventually leave you... If you really want her, then wake up quickly, stand at the highest place, and look down on the world... At that time, even if you keep her by your side, it will be better than enduring this heart-wrenching longing and torment... Isn't that right?"

A lifetime of love and hate, hard to understand, reincarnation begins again. The bamboo grower is heartless, searching for him a thousand times across the crowd. (Part 1)

Searching for him across a thousand rivers (Part 1) Xi Le and Zi Jin traveled day and night for three days and nights. After meeting up with the twenty-four secret guards led by Jin Yu at the border of Yue Kingdom, four of the secret guards went back to Chen Kingdom to report the news ahead of the others, while the rest of the group hurried on their way. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, Zi Jin and Xi Le disguised themselves as men all the way. Without disturbing the local officials and people, they finally arrived at Shili Pavilion outside the capital of Chen Kingdom on the thirteenth day.

west Le slowly slowed down his horse, waiting for Zi Jin to catch up. The two horses rode side by side in front of the crowd, with Jin Yu three steps away from them.

west Le was dressed in white brocade, her fiery red cloak fluttering in the wind, exuding a blend of gentleness and a touch of heroism. Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she smiled alluringly: "Little mute, you've become a bit fairer these past few days with me."

Zi Jin, dressed in a blue brocade robe, was indeed much fairer, and the handsome features and vigor of a young man could be seen in his brows. Compared to his childish appearance three months ago, he had improved so much. She glanced at him and smiled, "That's not what you wanted to say, is it?"

west Le turned her head back and stared ahead for a long time: "Along this journey, you had many opportunities to fly far away, so why... did you still choose to return to Chen Kingdom with me?" Her voice was unusually serious.

Zi Jin stared at the Shili Pavilion ahead and asked with great curiosity, "You are the Grand Princess of Chen Kingdom, so why haven't I seen any officials to greet you? Why haven't your two elder brothers, who are said to dote on you, sent anyone to welcome you?"

west Le turned around angrily: "Speak! Why?!"

Zi Jin glanced at Xi Le and pondered for a moment: "I'm very curious... very curious, why would a mere Zi Jin make the esteemed Grand Princess of Chen Kingdom spend three years of her youth and countless schemes to trick me into returning to Chen Kingdom with her?"

west Le raised an eyebrow, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her beautiful eyes: "So you knew all along. If that's the case, why did you come back with me? Aren't you afraid I'll harm you?"

"Don't you understand? Actually, I don't understand either... I know you and they are just as ill-intentioned, yet I still stubbornly want to go to Chen Kingdom with you... That inexplicable obsession keeps me following you... I want to disobey, I want to rebel, but I can't break free from that voice in my heart... that voice in my dreams... That voice is sad and distant, overflowing with despair, mixed with longing, hope, and also expectation and fear. That voice is so sorrowful that it makes one's heart ache to despair... I really want to know what kind of emotion can contain so much... so much emotion..." Zi Jin looked at the imperial city getting closer and closer in the distance, her voice low and almost like a murmur.

Following Zi Jin's gaze, west Le looked towards the imperial city so close at hand, her eyes flashing with a mix of emotions, revealing a look of utter confusion.

"Now that we're here, what are we waiting for? Let's see what Tiandu looks like! Let's go!" Zi Jin laughed loudly, turned around, spurred her horse, and galloped away.

A smile played on west Le's lips, her delight reaching her eyes. She flicked her whip, quickening her pace: "Let's see who reaches Tiandu first! I have a surprise for you!"

Zi Jin burst into laughter and spurred her horse into a gallop: "You're doomed!"

One in blue and one in red, one in front and one behind, they galloped toward the city gate of Tiandu, with the twenty-four secret guards following behind on horseback.

As expected, Zi Jin arrived at the gates of the Chen Kingdom's capital city ahead of the others. She glanced triumphantly behind her, then turned around and was dumbfounded. In broad daylight, under a cloudless sky, the Chen Kingdom's capital city—Tiandu—the largest of the three kingdoms, was locked up tight? Why?

west Le stopped on Zi Jin's body, looked up at the strong characters "Tian Du" on the city wall, and revealed a smile that could launch a thousand ships.

Just then, a crack slowly appeared in the city gate. The crack gradually widened, and the scene inside the city slowly came into view.

Inside the city, a vast sea of people stretched out. At the very front row stood those dressed in purple robes, wearing scholar's caps and high boots. The remaining three rows were arranged in scarlet, green, and blue in that order. What a magnificent scene of civil and military officials paying homage!

Zi Jin was stunned by the scene before her and stood there dumbfounded.