Volume One, Chapter Three: Wind and Snow

Outside, the cold was indeed biting. The moment he stepped out of the palace gate, the icy wind struck his face like a blade.

The guards on duty dared not even breathe, kneeling in a long line on either side.

Sanbao scrambled out after him, stumbling as he hurried along. “Your Majesty, it’s freezing—please be careful not to catch a cold!”

Shen Ran seemed oblivious.

His gaze settled on the woman kneeling in the center, and it felt as if lifetimes had passed.

No—it was truly a reunion across worlds.

A sudden nervousness upon nearing home crept over him, and his previously eager steps involuntarily slowed.

Shen Ran quietly lowered his eyes to scrutinize his current empress.

He had always felt that the name Xue Wu was somewhat ill-suited.

Unlike the delicate and enchanting Liu Ruyi, she bore a strikingly heroic and spirited appearance.

Not gentle, and naturally lacking in charm.

Xue Wu exuded a cold, austere aura; even her tenderness bore a sharp edge.

For them to coexist, one had to willingly restrain themselves.

As a resolute and autocratic tyrant, Shen Ran naturally disliked such blatant sharpness without any softness—let alone to temper himself for her.

Yet now...

Though she had come to seek an audience with Shen Ran, Xue Wu’s face showed a flicker of surprise upon seeing him appear.

She offered no flattering words or idle pleasantries, merely bowing her head to the cold, hard ground and knocking her forehead upon it.

“Your Majesty, I beg you to show mercy and spare the young son of General Zhao—”

Before she could finish, a pale, slender hand reached out and blocked her attempt to prostrate herself.

Xue Wu was momentarily startled.

She instinctively looked up and met a pair of eyes deep and still as a dark pool.

Their owner seemed to be carefully studying her; long, thick lashes fluttered, eyes filled with indescribable, tangled emotions—like the promise of upheaval, or the lure into an endless abyss.

Xue Wu suddenly found her breath caught in her throat. She quickly glanced up once more, then hurriedly lowered her gaze.

At that moment, strong hands gripped her arms, pulling her up with an undeniable force.

The man’s voice sounded softly by her ear—

“The ground is cold; Empress, do not hurt your knees.”

Having been married for nearly five years, she had never heard such a gentle, caring tone from him. Xue Wu clenched her chilled fingers tightly, momentarily thinking she must be dreaming.

Even Sanbao, trailing behind Shen Ran, gasped in disbelief, staring blankly upward as if expecting the sun to rise from the west, before belatedly realizing it was still night.

Shock and confusion filled Xue Wu’s face as she instinctively tried to pull away from Shen Ran’s hand. They had only once been close—on their wedding day—a memory far from pleasant. She had always resisted his closeness, and Shen Ran likewise had never been willing to approach her. Why, then, did he suddenly change today?

Sensing her resistance, and recalling her words, “May we never meet again in another life,” Shen Ran’s eyes darkened, and a heavy sorrow welled up in his chest.

He was the emperor, and she was his empress.

Could she simply refuse to see him?

Could she sever their bond with mere words?

Impossible.

With that thought, Shen Ran suddenly let out a low chuckle.

He spoke slowly: “Empress, if you resist me so, do you still wish to plead for General Zhao’s young son?”

Upon hearing this, Xue Wu froze.

Even Shen Ran frowned slightly.

The emperor’s authority brooked no defiance.

Especially one as tyrannical as he.

By habit, a threatening tone slipped from his lips before he realized it.

Words once spoken could not be retracted.

The tense exchange between emperor and empress alarmed the surrounding guards, who trembled with fear. They watched warily, kneeling silently, afraid even to draw breath.

An oppressive silence fell.

Shen Ran moved his throat and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, a cloak was draped over Xue Wu’s shoulders.

Having come out in haste, his clothing was already thin, and now by giving her the cloak, he was left in just a single garment.

Sanbao gasped in alarm, clutching his chest. “Your Majesty! What are you doing?”

He dared not leave and hurriedly ordered the guards to fetch another cloak.

Xue Wu was equally taken aback. “Your Majesty, please do not!”

She reached to remove the cloak and return it to Shen Ran.

But he held her hand firmly.

“The night wind is chill.”

“If the Empress has words to say, must she stand outside to speak them?”