AROUND THE SA TI
LIANWEI POINT OF VIEW:
The rhythmic clatter of carriage wheels over uneven stones filled the silence, a lullaby of sorts as the countryside blurred past. I barely heard it. My attention was fixed on her.
i Shen lay across the seat opposite , Huan curled against her side like a tiny, protective shadow. Her hair spilled over her shoulder in a dark curtain, her face pale but peaceful in slumber. She still looked too fragile. Every rise and fall of her chest was counted, each one easing that tight coil of fear inside , just slightly. She’d fought so hard for others. Now it was my turn to fight for her.
"Still watching her?"Mother asked.
My mother’s voice broke my thoughts. She sat beside , her posture perfect even in the swaying carriage. I didn’t answer imdiately. I couldn’t drag my eyes away from i Shen.
"She nearly died." I said finally, my voice lower than I intended. "If I had been a day later..."
"But you weren’t." Mother’s tone was softer than usual. Almost gentle. "You found her. You brought her back."
I shook my head.
"It isn’t enough. Not yet. She still needs treatnt. Ti. Safety." My jaw tightened. "I couldn’t protect her five years ago. I won’t fail her again."
"You’re determined."She said.
"Always."I said.
Silence stretched between us, broken only by Huan’s soft snuffling as he shifted in his sleep.
"She’s changed you." Mother said after a mont. "I see it now. In your eyes. The way you look at her."
"She saved ." I admitted. "Not with swords or politics. With kindness. With patience. She didn’t ask for my crown. She didn’t want anything but her freedom. And still... I couldn’t let her go."
Mother’s sharp gaze softened as it lingered on i Shen’s sleeping form.
"You’ve chosen her, then. Completely."She said.
"I chose her the mont she ran from ." I said bitterly. "I spent five years searching. I won’t let her run again. Not now, not when she’s carrying my heart... and raising my son."
Huan murmured sothing in his sleep, his little hand twitching. I watched him with an ache I couldn’t na.
"He’s yours through and through." Mother said softly. "The eyes, the spirit... even the stubbornness."
I gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
"That’s i’s influence too."I said.
"She’ll face difficulties." Mother warned. "There are nobles who won’t accept her. Court snakes who’ll whisper about her being common born."
"I don’t care. She’s the only empress I’ll ever have. Let them whisper. Let them choke on it."I said.
For once, my mother didn’t argue. She looked between us, her son, her grandson, and the woman I loved and sothing unreadable flickered across her face.
"She is strong." She said quietly. "Stronger than I gave her credit for. And perhaps... she’s what this empire needs."
I looked at her in surprise, but she only gave a small, wry smile.
"Don’t look so shocked. I’m not completely heartless."She said.
I smirked faintly, but my eyes drifted back to i Shen.
"Rest, i." I murmured under my breath. "I’ll get you ho. I’ll make it safe this ti."
The carriage jolted slightly, but she didn’t stir. I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face with the gentlest touch I could manage.
"She is beautiful." Mother said softly.
"She’s everything." I whispered.
And for the first ti in years, I felt like I wasn’t walking toward a battlefield. I was walking ho. The palace gates lood ahead like the maw of so ancient beast, silent and waiting. As our carriage rolled to a stop, I caught sight of rows of servants, ministers, and guards lining the courtyard. Word had already spread like wildfire. The missing Emperor had returned.
And I had not returned alone.
The dowager empress descended next with all the grace of a queen returning from war. She spared the crowd only a glance before her sharp eyes cut toward .
"You know." She murmured low enough for only to hear. "This will be the talk of every noble house by nightfall."
"Let them talk." My voice was calm. I wasn’t here to explain myself to them.
When I turned back to the carriage, my heart tightened at the sight of i Shen. She was pale but awake now, her hands resting protectively on Huan’s small shoulders as he peeked nervously out.
"Stay close to ." I said softly.
Huan scrambled out first, his little legs wobbly but determined. i Shen followed slowly, aided by the healer’s hand. She hesitated at the top step, her eyes darting to the sea of strangers staring back at her.
"I can walk." She whispered hoarsely, but her fingers trembled where they clutched her skirts.
"I know." I offered my arm anyway. "But I’ll carry you if I must."
When her knees buckled slightly on the last step, I didn’t wait for permission. I swept her up in my arms as if she weighed nothing. Gasps rippled through the courtyard like a stone thrown into still water.
"The emperor..." Soone whispered. "He’s carrying a woman..."
"And a child?" Another voice muttered.
I ignored them all.
"This is i Shen." I said, my voice ringing across the courtyard like a clarion call. "She will reside here as my intended. You will address her with the respect due to the future empress."
A murmur went up. So ministers looked scandalized. Others turned pale.
"And this-" I nodded to Huan, who now stood gripping my mother’s hand tightly "-is my son. My heir. Treat him as such."
"Your majesty-" One particularly bold minister dared step forward. "But the succession, this woman-"
I turned my eyes on him, cold and sharp enough to slice flesh. He froze mid-sentence, his mouth snapping shut.
"There will be no discussion." My words were quiet but heavy with steel. "i Shen and my son are under my protection. Anyone who dares question it will answer to personally."
Huan pressed closer to my mother, confused but trying to be brave. i Shen’s face was flushed, her eyes downcast. I could feel her heartbeat through her thin fra, quick and unsteady. The dowager empress straightened her spine and spoke, her voice cutting through the tension.
"You heard your emperor. i Shen is to be treated as the future empress. Any who defy this will face the weight of the throne’s wrath."Mother said.
The courtyard fell utterly silent. Even the wind seed to hold its breath. I felt i Shen’s fingers tighten slightly in my robes. She didn’t look up. She didn’t need to. I could sense her fear, her uncertainty.
"It’s all right." I murmured, just for her. "You’re safe now. No one will hurt you again."
As I carried her up the palace steps, the staff fell into hurried bows, their heads dropping so low their foreheads nearly kissed the marble. Huan trailed behind us, clutching my mother’s hand. This was no longer just my ho. It was theirs now.
The great double doors of my private wing creaked open, and I stepped inside, i Shen still cradled gently in my arms. The air slled faintly of sandalwood and parchnt, familiar and oddly foreign after five years away.
"This is where you’ll stay." I murmured, my eyes scanning the wide chamber. Sunlight stread through the tall windows, catching on the rich silks of the bed hangings and the carved screens that offered privacy. "You and Huan will both be here. Safe. No one enters these halls without my leave."
Huan peeked around my shoulder, wide eyed.
"It’s... big, mommy, look! It’s bigger than our whole house."Huan said.
i Shen let out a weak sound that might have been a laugh, or a sigh. She hadn’t spoken much since we left the carriage. She seed too overwheld, clinging faintly to my sleeve like a woman half afraid she’d wake and find this all a dream. I set her down on the bed with care. She swayed slightly, but the healer hovered close, already fussing with blankets and tonics.
"You’ll rest here until your strength returns." I said softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Don’t worry about anything else. Not the palace, not the whispers. Just recover."
Huan crawled onto the bed beside her, laying his small head on her lap.
"Mommy’s tired. I’ll protect her."Huan said.
I let out a quiet breath, my chest tightening. That boy our boy, is already so fiercely protective. The sound of footsteps behind drew my attention. Mother had followed us in, her eyes scanning the chamber and lingering on i Shen and Huan. For a mont, her face was unreadable. Then, to my surprise, she smiled faintly.
"You chose well, Lianwei." Her voice was softer than I expected. "She has a quiet strength about her. I see now why you..." She didn’t finish.
"I’ll return shortly." I said, standing straighter. "There are matters that cannot wait."
Mother nodded.
"Do what you must. I will see that they are not disturbed."She said.
I left the room then, the doors closing quietly behind . The mont I stepped back into the hall, my face hardened. No softness now. No hesitation. Only the emperor.
Reviews
All reviews (0)