The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

Is there anything else?

Haheye stammered.

"explain!"

Haheye pressed his forehead even lower.

The palace maid spoke of the Empress at length, and with each sentence she heard, her heart sank a little lower.

"The Empress's father is the Minister of Personnel, and her mother is Princess Hualan. I heard that her elder brother, Shen Chengbo, is one of the most talented young men in the Great Zhao Dynasty. At a young age, he served as a third-rank official in the capital. Her younger brother, Shen Chengzhou, is a military officer in Xingzhou..."

"Two months ago, in that small battle at the border, the one who cut off General Baqike's arm... that was him."

General Baqike, her brother's sworn brother.

Geriletu lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a shadow.

That bitch.

She had only been in Dazhao for three days when it felt as if she had been thoroughly trampled on by his family from head to toe, from before her death to after her passing.

With the arrival of the menstrual cycle these past few days, Shen Tinghe almost forgot what Chen Ziye had said outside the palace that day.

Having some free time today, she decided to go to the Star Gazing Tower.

She put down her teacup, instructed Qingxu and Qingdai to change their clothes, and then said to Qingyu, who was guarding the palace, "If His Majesty returns, tell him that I went to the Star Gazing Tower."

Qingyu responded and lowered her eyes to see her out of the hall.

The Star-Gazing Tower stands in the southeast corner of the palace city and is the tallest building in the Zhao Kingdom.

Shen Tinghe climbed to the top floor and looked down. The layers of palace roofs were like scales, and she stood by the railing. The wind brushed her temples, and she felt her heart expand.

Chen Ziye was brought up by Qingdai.

He had only been proofreading the calendar and deducing star charts on the lower floors, and today was the first time he had ever set foot on this highest point.

He looked up and saw the figure. Composing himself, he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty be well."

Shen Tinghe turned around and gestured slightly with her hand: "Lord Chen, please rise."

Chen Ziye straightened up and saw that the two head palace maids were still standing by her side. She moved her lips, but hesitated to speak.

Shen Tinghe understood and slightly turned her head: "You may all leave now."

Chen Ziye finally breathed a sigh of relief, her previous composure largely dissipated, revealing a hint of the eagerness that a young person should have.

"I almost thought Her Majesty wasn't coming."

These past few days, he has been watching the star charts every night, hoping for news from the palace every day, until his heart has grown half-dead.

Shen Tinghe: "I've been held up by some matters these past few days. What exactly was that important matter you mentioned outside the palace that day?"

Chen Ziye stepped forward and pointed to the western horizon.

The sky was not completely dark yet, but a few stars could still be faintly seen.

"Your Majesty, look over there. The four stars to the west are in the shape of a rhombus, which are called the Four Stars of Tianyu in ancient books. The three stars to the east have sharp angles and are a variation of the constellation Orion. Normally, these seven stars each have their own orbits and would never appear at the same time."

He slightly moved his fingertip, pointing to a pale white moon on the eastern horizon.

"When it gets completely dark, a very bright star will appear next to the moon, its color close to copper."

He withdrew his hand, a glint of light shining in his eyes.

"These are all celestial phenomena unlike any other year. I've calculated for a month, and I can almost be certain that these stars will disappear one by one in three days. And the last night will be when we go back."

Shen Tinghe was stunned.

"go back?"

She had never thought about it.

Chen Ziye nodded, her voice filled with excitement: "Yes. When I first came here, I encountered the same celestial phenomenon. It was May 11th. I was staring blankly at the unusual celestial phenomenon when I saw the stars dim one by one. When the last one disappeared, everything went white before my eyes. When I opened my eyes again, I was in Dazhao."

He stared intently at Shen Tinghe: "Was the day you traveled through time also May 11th?"

Shen Tinghe lowered her eyes and thought for a moment.

She didn't remember the exact date, only that it was in May.

"...It seems so," she murmured.

"That's it. With your confirmation, I'm even more certain. Three nights from now, as long as we find a place near water—whether it's a well, a pond, or a stream—we can return to our original world, and then we'll..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

The lattice door was suddenly pushed open, slamming against the wall with a loud thud.

Xie Yanzhao stood outside the door.

Dusk enveloped half of his face, while the other half was illuminated by the flickering light of the palace lanterns under the eaves.

He stood there for an unknown amount of time, his entire body radiating a chilling aura of malevolence, as if he were a demon who had walked out of the depths of hell.

Xie Yanzhao stared intently at the beautiful figure before him.

"Yuan Yuan, you lied to me."

Shen Tinghe's heart skipped a beat, and almost instinctively she walked towards him: "No, I didn't mean to..."

Xie Yanzhao pulled Shen Tinghe, who was approaching, into his arms.

He held her so tightly that she didn't even notice the pain.

She felt her arms trembling as they wrapped around her, and his breath fell on the top of her head, hot and oppressive.

"You want to go back."

It's not a question, it's a statement.

He picked her up, turned around, strode out of the observatory, and hurried toward the palace.

Chen Ziye remained frozen in place, still in the pose of raising her hand to signal the stars.

He thought blankly: What should I do?

The next moment, two guards strode forward, grabbed him from the left and right, and dragged him out.

Chen Ziye: "...No way, not again!"

Xie Yanzhao carried Shen Tinghe all the way, his steps heavy as he strode up the long steps.

As dusk settled, the palace lanterns were lit.

All the palace servants and eunuchs they encountered along the way knelt down in unison, none daring to raise their eyes.

Shen Tinghe buried her face in the crook of his neck, her nose touching the warm pulse.

Her voice was muffled inside his clothes, tinged with a soft sob:

"Brother, I didn't want to leave."

She paused, her fingertips tightening around the fabric of his shirt.

I just want to stay by your side forever.

Xie Yanzhao's Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed all his words.

He could only pull his arms even tighter, so tight that he could clearly feel her heart still beating in her chest.

One moment, one moment, still alive, still here.

He believed in Yuan Yuan.

He believed every single word from beginning to end.

But he dared not believe in God.

After all, God has never been kind to him.

His father was unkind, and his mother died early. His grandfather said, "This son is capable of great things," and he began to take charge of political affairs.

The art of rulership, strategies for managing subordinates, court politics, and the maneuvering of factional struggles. Things that others might not learn in half a lifetime, he mastered and absorbed in just a few years.

Yuan Yuan was the only light in his bleak life.

He used to think that God had been kind to him.

Sending Yuan Yuan to his side is already the greatest blessing of my life.

But now, even this last ray of light is being taken away by God.

A flash of crimson light appeared in Xie Yanzhao's eyes; he wouldn't allow it.

Even if it means fighting against the heavens.

Upon returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xie Yanzhao did not place Shen Tinghe on the couch, but instead went straight to the multi-treasure pavilion on the east wall.

When the celadon base on the third floor was pressed down, a thin crack appeared in the wall, slowly sliding to both sides.

Shen Tinghe lifted her face in his arms, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, staring blankly at the slowly opening hidden door.

She had practically grown up in the palace, yet she had no idea there was a secret room here.

The secret room was not dark. On the contrary, it was brightly lit, as bright as day.

The ground is paved with warm white jade, inlaid with lapis lazuli in the shape of a ruyi (a traditional Chinese symbol of good fortune).

The bed at the deepest part of the room takes up almost half of the entire secret chamber.

It was more than twice as wide as the dragon bed they were used to.