Repeatedly broken branches

Yu Yanjing and Rou Rou traveled day and night for three days and finally arrived in Chaoyang the day before the Lantern Festival.

Upon arriving in Chaoyang, Rou Rou and Cheng Feng were captivated by its prosperity. Unlike the desolation of the Southern Territory, the streets here were bustling with people, and even the vendors hawking their wares could attract their attention.

Yu Yanjing scoffed inwardly, thinking, "These two are so naive."

"Young Master Han, will we stay at an inn? I've never stayed at an inn before."

Yu Yanjing said calmly, "No, we're going to the palace."

"Enter the palace?" Rou Rou and Cheng Feng both exclaimed in surprise, their eyes wide. They had never imagined that someone like them could enter the palace.

Yu Yanjing said casually, "Just follow me and go in."

Rou Rou and Cheng Feng obediently followed behind him.

Yu Yanjing swaggered into the palace gate as if he were entering his own home. The guards at the gate not only did not stop him, but also bowed to him respectfully.

Rou Rou stared in disbelief at Cheng Feng and said, "Brother Cheng Feng, I suddenly feel that Young Master Han is not an ordinary person. Could he be... the legendary... chief eunuch?"

Cheng Feng made a shushing gesture and whispered, "Don't talk. If he really is the chief eunuch, we really shouldn't mess with him. I heard even the emperor listens to him."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you've returned?"

Wei Lan couldn't believe her eyes. The Emperor, who had been missing for many days, had actually returned? Everyone thought... thought... The senior officials in the court had been vehemently requesting that his funeral arrangements be made, but Shen Ruoxuan had always opposed it, saying that he would definitely come back. As long as he didn't return, it was as if he was still alive.

"Okay, go and make arrangements for the two of them, give them some tasks."

Yu Yanjing's gaze swept over Rou Rou and Cheng Feng, who were frozen in place, almost petrified.

emperor?

The Emperor? He went up the mountain to gather herbs and ended up saving the Emperor of Chaoyang Kingdom?

That emperor who kills without blinking an eye, and who also eats human flesh and drinks human blood?

She felt a chill run down her spine, thankful that she hadn't been devoured despite saying so many offensive things to him.

Yu Yanjing was lucky that Rou Rou and the others were spreading rumors that he was a flesh-eating, blood-drinking monster, otherwise he would have killed them all without leaving a single one alive!

The rumors among the people had reached a terrifying level; when they reached the southern border, Yu Yanjing was portrayed as a monster who could eat human flesh and drink human blood.

If it's any further away, just say he's a reincarnated demon.

"That's enough! How many times have you checked me over from head to toe, inside and out?"

Yu Yanjing looked impatiently at Shen Ruoxuan, who was examining him from head to toe. He couldn't believe that he had survived an avalanche without losing an arm or a leg. He didn't believe that he could come back completely unharmed.

"Why did you go all the way to the Southern Border instead of Jiuguang? Did you manage to win over that woman you mentioned?"

"A woman?" Yu Yanjing asked blankly.

Why would he go to Hisamitsu to look for any woman?

"Don't tell me you forgot. Didn't you go to Jiuguang to look for some woman? I even went to look for you, but I didn't see that woman..." Shen Ruoxuan said calmly.

"What's her name?"

"How was I supposed to know you didn't tell me either!" Shen Ruoxuan said incredulously. "Don't joke with me. It was that woman who told me you were caught in an avalanche, but it wasn't her, it was her maid. She didn't reveal her identity, but she seems to come from an extraordinary family!"

Yu Yanjing was even more puzzled. A woman? Was she the one he often dreamed about and thought about? But he couldn't remember anything about that woman. Rou Rou had said on the way that he had injured his head and might temporarily lose his memory, but why were the memories related to that woman? Why?

Yu Yanjing grabbed Shen Ruoxuan's collar and said urgently, "You must tell me every single thing I've told you about that woman!" His eyes were slightly red, and he was extremely agitated.

Shen Ruoxuan said "good" three times in a row, and calmly said to him, "Don't get excited. You only told me that you were going to Jiuguang Country to find her, but you didn't tell me who she is!"

Yu Yanjing loosened his collar and asked suspiciously, "No? Then why did I go to Jiuguang Kingdom to find her? And where did my Silver Snake Dance go?"

"I don't know either. Tell me how you got caught in the avalanche!"

Yu Yanjing lowered his eyes and said lazily, "I've even forgotten about that woman. How would I know how I was caught in the avalanche? If I knew, would I be asking you? Don't mention this matter again!" He returned to his palace, looking lost and dejected.

Shen Ruoxuan stood there, stunned. Could it be? The Emperor had lost his memory? But as long as he came back, that was good. He was just too willful, always doing things his own way. Although he didn't act like an emperor, he was kind by nature. Deep down, he was full of good intentions.

He himself didn't realize that he was kind.

……

Shen Shanshan heard from her cousin that Yu Yanjing had returned, so she specially put on some makeup to attend the Lantern Festival banquet. Her mother said that she was the future empress of Chaoyang Kingdom. In the entire Chaoyang Kingdom, which woman could compare to her in terms of status, position, talent, and character?

Today she wore a cloud-patterned butterfly dress, her hair styled in a snake bun, adorned with a pair of amethyst magnolia hairpins, a gold and jade necklace, a pair of sapphire gold earrings, and a pair of bright, lively, and charming eyes. When she smiled, a pair of dimples appeared on the corners of her mouth.

She looks playful and cute.

"Cousin, where is the Emperor? Please take me to find him!" As soon as they entered the palace, Shen Shanshan grabbed Shen Ruoxuan and insisted on going to find Yu Yanjing.

Shen Ruoxuan frowned slightly. "Shanshan, don't forget your aunt's advice: girls should be reserved and dignified when they go out. Don't be too proactive, or people will look down on you. Besides, can you see the Emperor whenever you want?"

Shen Shanshan said impatiently, "Brother, take me to see the Emperor. I'm sick of hearing those words. I just want to see what's wrong with him. He just escaped death."

Shen Ruoxuan said calmly, "The Emperor will naturally attend the palace banquet later, so there's no use in rushing."

Shen Shanshan grew increasingly impatient, grabbing Shen Ruoxuan's sleeve and saying urgently, "Brother! Aren't you on good terms with the Emperor? Can't you use a back door?"

“No,” Shen Ruoxuan said immediately. “The Emperor doesn’t like noisy people. You’re too noisy. Besides, you’re a woman. What would it look like if he met with you in private?”

"But Mother said I'll be the Empress sooner or later, and Mother also said... umm."

Before Shen Shanshan could finish speaking, Shen Ruoxuan flew into a rage, covered her mouth, and gritted her teeth, saying, "It's one thing to say such things at home, but how can you speak so recklessly under the emperor's nose? If others hear this and it reaches the emperor's ears, I wonder how many heads you have to lose. Don't let your death implicate our Shen family!"

He knew Yu Yanjing best; if he heard Shen Shanshan's words, he would surely be furious.

……

At the Lantern Festival banquet, apart from Yu Yanjing, who was a member of the royal family, everyone else was of his generation of imperial uncles. He only had two imperial uncles, Prince Xu and Prince Wen. Only the two princes and their wives attended. They did not like to talk, nor did they like to talk to Yu Yanjing.

Yu Yanjing didn't want to invite them either, but he had no choice. If they didn't come, he could only invite those talkative old men. He preferred quiet people to noisy ones.

Today, he also called Rou Rou and Cheng Feng.

Unlike their usual carefree and unrestrained selves, they sat properly at their tables, not daring to eat anything in front of them until Yu Yanjing touched his chopsticks.

They still couldn't accept it—Yu Yanjing was actually the emperor! He was actually the emperor!

These barbarians living in the southern borderlands were actually allowed into the palace? And even dined with the emperor?

No one in the village would believe it if they told them.

Shen Shanshan's gaze remained fixed on Yu Yanjing. After not seeing the Emperor for several months, he had become even more handsome. As she looked at him, she couldn't help but smile foolishly.

Yu Yanjing sat high in the hall, leaning back in a golden chair, his expression languid and relaxed. His black hair was casually draped behind him, with only a single strand held back by a golden crown. His brow bone was exceptionally well-defined, exuding arrogance, and his beautiful peach blossom eyes were slightly narrowed. The most striking feature was the cinnabar mole beneath his eye. He casually played with the beads in his hand, his temperament refined and noble, radiating an aura of unapproachable royalty.

Your Majesty is just as captivating as when we first met.

"Shanshan, tone it down a bit," Shen Ruoxuan whispered to Shen Shanshan beside her. "Your drool is practically pouring down!"

Shen Shanshan withdrew her gaze and looked at Rou Rou, saying, "Who is that? I've never seen her before. How could the Emperor allow a country girl I've never met to attend a palace banquet?"

Shen Ruoxuan raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "That's the Emperor's savior. Don't try to trip him up." Tian knew his sister all too well.

Shen Shanshan scoffed, "I wouldn't stoop to having anything to do with her. She's just a wild mountain woman, how could she be worthy of attending a palace banquet? I'm really curious."

Shen Ruoxuan glared at her, and she obediently shut her mouth. A seventeen-year-old girl is ignorant and has been pampered by her family since childhood. If she displeases the emperor, he will not care whether she is sincere or not.

Yu Yanjing was bored. He watched as everyone in the hall went about their business, and he felt inexplicably lonely. Even with so many people around, he still felt a void in his heart, which made him feel alone.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"

Wei Lan, who was serving nearby, seemed to have noticed something.

Yu Yanjing frowned. "No." He looked coldly at everyone present, feeling inexplicably irritated. An unnamed fire was burning inside him, making him restless.

Wei Lan indulged her worries, but she dared not ask too many questions. Serving a master like Yu Yanjing required her to be on high alert every day. Her master disliked others touching him, talking to him casually, or showing excessive concern for him. In short, he was an extremely cold person.

Yu Yanjing suddenly looked up and sighed.

He didn't know what he was grieving over, but he felt that the blank sliver of memory in his mind was very important to him.

"Your Majesty, you haven't eaten much."

Wei Lan couldn't help but say something.

Yu Yanjing gave her a cold glance, remaining silent.

"Your Majesty, you...you haven't eaten much since you came back, and you've lost a lot of weight. You can't go without eating. Please, I beg you, have something to eat!"

"Enough." Yu Yanjing, though not angry, exuded an imposing aura. He stood up and left with a flick of his sleeve. As he passed by Wei Lan, the air seemed to freeze instantly. Wei Lan couldn't help but gasp, fearing that her master would be angered.

However, it does not.

Yu Yanjing abandoned everyone and left this suffocating, unsettling place.

He didn't know why, but he desperately wanted to know what memories he had lost, who the woman he longed to see, the woman who haunted his dreams, was. How could a woman have taken up residence in his heart, which had been frozen for twenty years? He couldn't help but tremble. What kind of woman was she? She must be a fairy descended from heaven, a woman as gentle as water, full of tenderness...

"The moonlight is beautiful tonight, but it's a pity you can't see it, Xiaozhi. The moonlight is shining in, can you feel it? Today is the Lantern Festival, and you've been asleep for so long. Can you please stop sleeping?"

Zhou Tingxi helped Xiao Mu up and held her in his arms, looking at her thin face with pity. Her fingers were as thin as branches, almost skin and bones. Although Ruan Cifeng's medicine could maintain her life for the time being, how long could she hold on without food and water?

She couldn't hear anything.

She felt her mind go blank, everything was empty. She tried to catch a ray of light in the darkness, but she was too slow to catch up.

"Yu Yanjing is back."

"Would you please wake up?"

"To be honest, I can't live without you... If you continue like this, I won't be able to survive either."

A crystal tear rolled down Xiao Mu's face, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She blinked, then closed her eyes, then opened them again, trying to see everything clearly, her long, curled eyelashes trembling slightly.

Zhou Tingxi lowered his eyes and was excited to find that she had opened her eyes, but her eyes were empty, like a puppet, staring blankly in one direction.

"Twig..."

Xiao Mu did not react at all.

"Can you speak? If you can hear me, blink."

Xiao Mu blinked hard.

Zhou Tingxi was overjoyed and hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face, while she remained expressionless, staring into the distance.

The doctor said that she had suffered a severe head injury and may have temporarily lost the ability to move, but she had already woken up and would gradually get better; it was just a matter of time. She could hear people talking and see people, but she couldn't make a sound or move. However, as long as she was conscious, it was a good thing, and she would get better slowly.

Zhou Tingxi was already very pleased.

They both survived by the skin of their teeth, and they will never be separated again.

……

"Madam, you're finally awake. Little Spoon really wants to talk to you."

Xiao Shao squatted in front of the small bathing couch, looking out the window and said, "The sun is shining brightly today. Would you like to go out and bask in the sun, Madam? If you agree, please blink, okay?"

"You can go out now," Xiao Mu blinked hard.

Unfortunately, she can't move or speak yet. She has so much to say. She knows she can't go back. She knows she is Xia Yunzhi. She knows Yu Yanjing is the person she couldn't let go of in her past life. She knows so much.

She's so thin now that a small spoon can easily carry her out of the house.

Xiaoshao placed her on a chair, cushioned her with an extremely soft pillow, and covered her with a thick fox fur cloak.

For the first time in so long, Xiao Mu basked in the sunlight. Comfortably, she closed her eyes, lay quietly on the chair, and felt the warmth of the sun. In her heart, she thought, "If only I could get better soon, then I could go find Yu Yanjing."

Good thing he's still alive.