Murong Jing He looked down at the woman who seemed almost stunned, his dark eyes filled with amusement. He tightened his grip around her waist, lowering his head to bury his face in the curve of her neck, whispering softly, "You slept for too long." Long enough that he started to fear he might spend the rest of his life just watching her sleep. He was truly afraid that by the time she finally woke up, he would be old and gray, unable to take care of her anymore.
"Hmm?" Mei Lin shifted uncomfortably. This tender, sorrowful version of him was something she wasn’t used to.
"General Muye didn’t like that I became emperor, so she resigned from her position and went to travel the world," Murong Jing He continued, holding her tightly to stop her from moving. As he expected, she stilled upon hearing this.
In truth, when he deployed the Cangdao army to drive out the foreign invaders, Muye Luo Mei had already seen through his ambitions. Loyal to the court and not wanting him to bear the infamy of usurping the throne, she had followed him quietly during the battle against the Nanyue's human Gu array, initially intending to use the array to ensure his death on the battlefield, thus preserving his reputation. But after they defeated the Gu people, she suddenly regretted it, leading her to sacrifice herself to save him. Only he and his seventeen riders knew the truth; to others, it was simply said that she had risked her life to protect him.
It was probably around that time, or maybe even earlier, that she realized they could never be together. When he returned to the capital and didn’t marry her before heading to the battlefield, as he had said he would, she must have known their relationship was over.
She was decisive and ruthless by nature, so she couldn’t stand the idea of losing to a woman of low status. That’s why she gambled everything to try to kill Mei Lin, to eliminate future threats and slowly win back his heart. After all, they had been entangled for over a decade; rekindling old feelings wasn’t out of the question.
Murong Jing He had pieced all of this together when he first heard the news that Mei Lin, out of jealousy, had attempted to assassinate Muye Luo Mei and was killed in the process. But sometimes, knowing too much means bearing a heavier burden of pain.
Since it was all because of him, and since Mei Lin was still alive, Murong Jing He didn’t pursue the matter further after seizing the throne, even though his feelings for Muye Luo Mei had long faded. Marriage was out of the question, and he couldn’t allow her to continue serving in the court. Fortunately, her pride and stubbornness prevented her from lowering herself before him, and she resigned on her own. Her father and brothers, however, continued to serve in the court with dedication.
"You bullied her again, didn’t you?" Mei Lin said slowly. She thought that Muye Luo Mei’s departure might have had something to do with her own supposed death. This man… why couldn’t he be kinder to the woman he liked?
Murong Jing He chuckled and nibbled lightly on her ear. "If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t bother bullying anyone else."
The ticklish sensation made Mei Lin shiver. She realized she couldn’t think of such a terrible person as an emperor, so she took a deep breath, raised her hand, and pushed him away forcefully.
"My legs are sore; I need to walk," she said, annoyed.
Murong Jing He knew she did need to move around a bit, so he didn’t stop her, but he still carefully supported her waist, afraid she might stumble.
Mei Lin sighed, feeling that she really wasn’t the type to be pampered like this. She was about to say something sarcastic to him when she suddenly noticed the apricot-colored sachet hanging from his waist.
"This looks familiar," she said, reaching out to touch it. She noticed the clumsily tied lovers’ knot on it and wondered aloud how he came to have such a poorly made item.
Murong Jing He stiffened, turning his face away to look at the flowers in the garden, but his ears couldn’t hide their redness. Despite this, he didn’t push her hand away or remove the sachet. Of course, he wasn’t about to tell her that he had demanded it back when he asked Qing Yan to write the divorce letter.
Mei Lin looked up, about to ask where he got it, but when she saw his increasingly red profile, she suddenly smiled and didn’t push away his tenderness anymore.
＊＊＊
A few days later, Mei Lin was able to move around freely. She discovered that Mianchun Garden was actually located on Mount Fu, where the former Jingbei prince's residence had been. Due to the geothermal activity, the flowers bloomed year-round.
Murong Jing He came to visit her every day. Seeing how he had to get up in the middle of the night to go to the palace, she felt a little guilty. But she didn’t feel she had the right to tell him otherwise, so she kept quiet. He hadn’t forbidden her from leaving Mianchun Garden, but whenever she went out, there were always guards accompanying her, making it impossible for her to leave. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Fortunately, she was always one to go with the flow, and since the place was beautiful and familiar people were around, she didn’t mind too much.
When she had nothing else to do, she liked to keep busy. One day, while she was sitting inside sewing the sole of a shoe, Murong Jing He burst in, kicking the door open with excitement, holding a fluffy white puppy in his arms, and presented it to her as if offering a great treasure.
"Look what I brought you."
Mei Lin glanced up, unimpressed, and said flatly, "A dog. Why would I want a dog?"
It was as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him. Murong Jing He froze for a moment, then his face darkened. "You don’t want it?" He had thought all women liked small animals. After all, Ah Dai had been reluctant to part with that little red fox. So he had gone to the trouble of having this supposedly high-born creature delivered to her, hoping it would make her happy, but she didn’t want it.
Mei Lin shook her head and returned to her sewing.
Disappointed, Murong Jing He became frustrated and shoved the puppy into Mei Lin’s arms. "I’m giving it to you, so you have to take good care of it." The puppy, sleepy, curled up and dozed off, indifferent to whether it was wanted or not.
Mei Lin was startled and quickly put away her needle and thread to avoid pricking anyone. She looked up at the stubborn man in exasperation. "I’m still relying on others to take care of me; how can I take care of it?"
"Then I’ll take care of it with you," Murong Jing He declared, lifting his chin arrogantly as if bestowing a favor upon her.
Mei Lin couldn’t help but laugh. "If you like it so much, why don’t you take care of it yourself? Why drag me into it? I’m not fond of these soft, pampered little creatures." She didn’t mention that dealing with his temperamental self every day was already enough for her.
Murong Jing He’s face darkened, feeling that she was being ungrateful. But now, when it came to her, he couldn’t bring himself to get angry, so he just swallowed his frustration. Then, noticing what she was working on, he grabbed it and asked, "What are you doing?"
Mei Lin sighed, wondering why someone who was now an emperor had so much free time to bother her all day. Couldn’t he let her sit in peace for a while?
"I saw that the soles of Wu’s shoes were almost worn out, so I thought I’d make him a new pair." She wasn’t very confident in her needlework, but she knew Wu wasn’t picky, so she dared to make them.
Hearing this, Murong Jing He’s blood rushed to his head, and he blurted out, "Why haven’t you ever made anything for me?" The only sachet he had was one he had taken from someone else.
Mei Lin fell silent, remembering the first sachet she had made for him and what he had said back then. He might have forgotten, but she could never forget.
"I’m asking you, why haven’t you made anything for me?" Murong Jing He continued, tugging at the thread of the shoe sole until it snapped, still dissatisfied. After all, he was her man; there was no reason she should make things for others and not him.
Mei Lin sighed, pointing to the finely crafted, high-quality shoes he was wearing. "My needlework is crude; I can’t make shoes like those. Besides, you have so many pairs already, you probably won’t even get around to wearing them all. Why should I waste my time making more?" Anything she made for him, he wouldn’t wear outside anyway, so why bother?
"That’s not the same," Murong Jing He grumbled, dissatisfied. "You’re only allowed to make things for me. I’ll have someone else take care of Wu." He looked at the now-ruined shoe he held, feeling somewhat satisfied, and decided against throwing it back to her. He left with the shoe in hand.
Mei Lin held the little white puppy he had shoved into her arms, staring blankly at his triumphant retreating figure, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
The immediate result of this incident was that Wu, who had never cared about his attire, suddenly found himself with enough high-quality shoes and clothes to last a lifetime.
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