⋆﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏⋆
The morning sun shone brightly over the Great Empire of Tianzhou.
A gentle spring breeze wandered through the vast imperial grounds, carrying the fragrance of blooming flowers and newly trimmed grass. The skies above were clear and blue, while countless white clouds drifted lazily across the horizon.
Near the imperial gardens, stone pathways wound through elegant landscapes filled with flowering peach trees, lotus ponds, and carefully arranged rock formations.
It was peaceful.
Quiet.
Almost too peaceful.
Walking along one of those stone pathways was General Liang Fengxiao.
The young general wore his usual dark military robes embroidered with silver threads. His long black hair was tied neatly behind him while his sword hung securely by his waist.
To any servant who passed by, he appeared calm and composed.
However-
His thoughts were nowhere near peaceful.
"..."
Liang Fengxiao rubbed his temple.
For some reason-
A certain face refused to leave his mind.
That night.
That intruder.
That assassin.
The moonlight.
The cherry blossoms.
And-
That face.
The general immediately groaned internally.
"What am I even thinking about?"
His ears turned slightly red.
He quickly looked around to make sure nobody had heard him mutter those words aloud.
Thankfully nobody had.
Liang Fengxiao continued walking.
Yet the memory returned anyway.
The moment when he finally removed the assassin's mask.
The proud words he had prepared.
The triumphant feeling of finally catching the intruder.
Then-
Everything stopped.
The assassin's face appeared beneath the moonlight.
Beautiful.
That was the only word Liang Fengxiao could think of.
Sharp eyes.
Smooth pale skin.
Dark hair.
And those eyes...
Those unforgettable eyes.
The general nearly walked into a decorative stone lantern.
He stopped himself just in time.
"...Get yourself together."
He sighed heavily.
"That man is an enemy."
An enemy.
Someone who infiltrated the palace.
Someone who threatened the princess.
Someone he should arrest.
Not someone he should be remembering every night before sleeping.
Liang Fengxiao pinched the bridge of his nose.
His ears became even redder.
He immediately looked around again.
Fortunately-
Nobody noticed.
Or so he thought.
Not far away.
A young maid carried a basket full of fresh fruits.
Apples.
Pears.
Peaches.
A few sweet oranges.
The basket looked slightly heavy.
The maid carrying it was none other than Mei Lian.
She hummed cheerfully while walking.
"Young Master Shen needs to eat more fruits."
"Especially apples."
"The royal physician said fruits are healthy."
She nodded proudly to herself.
Then suddenly-
Her eyes widened.
Ahead of her-
She spotted General Liang Fengxiao.
The maid immediately straightened.
"Oh!"
The handsome general.
The famous general.
The respected general.
The very tall general.
The extremely handsome general.
Mei Lian quickly shook her head.
Why was she thinking about his appearance?
She politely bowed.
"General Liang."
Liang Fengxiao finally noticed her.
His thoughts immediately left the assassin.
"Mei Lian."
The general nodded politely.
"Good morning."
The maid smiled.
"Good morning, General."
However-
Just as she took another step-
Her shoe caught the uneven edge of a stone.
"Ah-!"
Everything happened quickly.
The basket tilted.
The fruits began falling.
Mei Lian stumbled forward.
Her eyes widened.
The ground rushed toward her.
She braced herself for impact.
Then-
A strong arm wrapped around her waist.
The world suddenly spun.
The basket tilted harmlessly away.
The fruits rolled across the pathway.
And instead of crashing face-first into the stone pavement-
Mei Lian found herself safely supported within someone's arms.
"..."
"..."
For several seconds-
Everything froze.
The breeze.
The birds.
The entire world.
Mei Lian slowly blinked.
Then looked up.
Straight into Liang Fengxiao's face.
The general looked genuinely concerned.
"Are you alright?"
Mei Lian's heart stopped.
Then immediately started beating twice as fast.
"Oh no."
The maid thought.
"Oh no."
"Oh no."
"Oh no."
The general was too handsome.
Up close he was even worse.
Mei Lian felt her soul leaving her body.
Meanwhile-
Liang Fengxiao remained completely unaware.
His only concern was making sure she wasn't injured.
"Mei Lian?"
The maid blinked.
"...Huh?"
"Are you hurt?"
She immediately shook her head.
"N-No!"
Her voice cracked.
The general blinked.
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Crack.
Her voice cracked again.
The general looked confused.
Mei Lian wanted to disappear.
Immediately.
Several moments later.
The two crouched together gathering the fallen fruits.
Liang Fengxiao picked up an apple.
Then another.
Then a pear.
"You should be more careful."
His voice remained calm.
"The stone pathways become slippery during spring."
Mei Lian nodded repeatedly.
"Yes."
"Very careful."
"Extremely careful."
The general handed her another apple.
"..."
"..."
The maid accidentally touched his fingers.
Her heart exploded again.
Liang Fengxiao noticed absolutely nothing.
After helping her gather everything, he stood.
"There."
"The fruits are fine."
Mei Lian held the basket tightly.
"T-Thank you, General."
He nodded.
"Take care."
Then-
Without realizing the chaos he had caused-
Liang Fengxiao simply walked away.
Mei Lian remained frozen.
Watching his retreating figure.
Watching his broad shoulders.
His long hair.
His elegant posture.
Then-
The moment he disappeared around the pathway corner-
Her face exploded red.
She covered her cheeks.
"Oh heavens."
"He caught me."
"He actually caught me."
Her heart pounded violently.
Then she immediately shook her head.
"No."
"No."
"No."
"I am definitely not falling in love."
A pause.
"..."
"...I think I'm falling in love."
And with that realization-
The maid hurried away carrying the basket.
Nearly tripping again.
Meanwhile.
Inside Shen Yunxi's personal chambers.
Sunlight streamed through the open windows.
The room smelled faintly of sandalwood incense.
Shen Yunxi sat quietly near the balcony.
A book rested in his lap.
His silver locket hung around his neck while the soft breeze gently moved several strands of his dark hair.
The room was peaceful.
Until-
The doors suddenly burst open.
"Young Master Shen!"
Shen nearly jumped.
His gaze immediately landed on Mei Lian.
The maid looked...
Strange.
She was breathing faster than usual.
Her cheeks were red.
And she looked like she had just run across half the palace.
Shen blinked.
Then tilted his head.
Mei froze.
The male concubine pointed toward her face.
Then made a questioning gesture.
What happened?
Mei immediately sighed dramatically.
"You won't believe what happened."
Shen patiently closed his book.
The maid sat down heavily.
Then began talking.
And talking.
And talking.
And talking.
For nearly twenty minutes.
She explained everything.
The basket.
The fall.
The catch.
The handsome face.
The heroic rescue.
The handsome face again.
And perhaps-
The handsome face another six times.
Shen quietly listened.
By the end-
The corners of his lips had lifted slightly.
A rare smile.
Mei immediately pointed accusingly.
"You're smiling!"
Shen looked away.
The maid groaned.
"You think I'm ridiculous."
Shen quickly shook his head.
Then gestured.
No.
Mei narrowed her eyes.
"You do."
Shen laughed silently.
The maid buried her face into her hands.
Then dramatically peeled an apple.
"Here."
She shoved a slice toward him.
Shen obediently accepted it.
The maid sighed.
"...He's really handsome."
Shen nearly laughed again.
And unfortunately-
That only confirmed his suspicion.
Mei Lian had absolutely developed a crush.
Elsewhere.
Inside the Emperor's study.
Stacks of documents covered the large desk.
Scrolls.
Reports.
Military records.
Tax summaries.
The responsibilities of ruling an empire never truly ended.
Seated behind the desk was Emperor Xiao Zhenyu.
He was reviewing a border report when the doors opened.
The servants announced softly.
"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."
Zhenyu looked up.
The Empress entered gracefully.
Su Wanyin wore elegant robes of pale gold silk.
The slight curve of her pregnancy remained visible beneath the expensive fabric.
Several maids followed behind her.
The Emperor nodded.
"Leave us."
The servants immediately obeyed.
Soon-
Only the Emperor and Empress remained.
"What brings you here?"
Zhenyu asked calmly.
Wanyin smiled softly.
"I simply wished to see Your Majesty."
Her voice sounded gentle.
Affectionate.
The Emperor nodded.
Then she continued.
"You did not visit this morning."
Her hand gently rested upon her stomach.
"The child missed his father."
Zhenyu sighed.
"My apologies."
"I have been busy."
His answer was truthful.
Yet somehow-
The Empress disliked hearing it.
A flicker of frustration crossed her heart.
But her smile remained perfect.
Always perfect.
"I understand."
She slowly approached the desk.
"I merely worried about you."
Zhenyu softened slightly.
"Thank you."
Silence followed.
The Empress looked at him.
Still working.
Still focused on the empire.
Always the empire.
Never her.
Her fingers subtly tightened beneath her sleeves.
Yet her smile never disappeared.
Then-
Knock.
Knock.
The sound immediately interrupted the moment.
Both turned toward the door.
"Your Majesty."
A familiar voice called.
"It is Liang Fengxiao."
"I have reports regarding palace security."
The Emperor immediately straightened.
"Enter."
The Empress internally frowned.
Again.
Work.
Always work.
Zhenyu looked toward her.
"You should rest."
His gaze briefly moved toward her stomach.
"For the child's sake."
The Empress forced another smile.
"...Of course."
She bowed gracefully.
But as she turned away-
A cold shadow briefly crossed her eyes.
One that nobody saw.
Not even the Emperor.
And certainly not General Liang Fengxiao.
Outside the room, the palace remained peaceful.
Yet beneath that peace-
The first cracks were slowly beginning to form.
⋆﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏⋆
(End of Chapter 26)