Chapter 113: "You Dreamed I Died Again?
In the end, Rong Yin still couldn’t figure out the relationship between Meng Xuechen and the Emperor. However, he didn’t return to his own residence tonight. Instead, he was led back by the Emperor to stay in a side hall on the other side.
Of course, if he could, he would have much preferred to stay in the central palace. Unfortunately, the Little Emperor gave him no such opportunity, so he could only resentfully sleep in the hall next door.
’I have to figure out what’s going on with Meng Xuechen and deal with it.’
Xiao Yang was in no mood to care what he was thinking. She was so exhausted her eyelids felt heavy. After washing up, she collapsed into bed and fell straight to sleep.
She fell asleep quickly, but after everything that had happened that day, her sleep was fitful. In the dead of night, she began to have bizarre and disjointed dreams.
One moment, she dreamt of the late Emperor holding her as he read, with a young Rong Yin standing to the side. The next, she was back to her days working at an office. Then, she dreamt she was lying on the ground, covered in blood, her life slowly ebbing away.
Finally, she seemed to return to the moment of Meng Xuechen’s death. His body was pressed over hers, shielding her tightly as his blood drained away, his warmth fading until he was ice-cold.
And at the very moment Meng Xuechen died, she realized that he seemed to have kissed her forehead.
’It must have been an accident... After all, he had thrown himself on top of me, and his head just happened to fall as he lost his strength.’
At some point, she realized she was dreaming and subconsciously tried to struggle awake, but she couldn’t break free. The dream shifted, and she was standing in Jinluan Palace, watching as Meng Xuechen was stabbed and collapsed, powerless.
In the real Jinluan Palace, Xiao Yang had failed to reach him in time. In the dream, she desperately tried to go to him but found she could never touch him.
"Meng Xuechen!"
She let out a hoarse scream and finally broke through the immense resistance, lunging forward to hold him tightly in her arms.
"Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician..."
She saw a gaping hole in his chest, blood gushing out without end.
She kept calling for the Imperial Physician, wanting someone to come save him, but no one came.
She tried to apply pressure to the wound, but blood seeped through her fingers, impossible to stop. Once again, he drew his last breath in her arms, his body growing colder and colder until it was just a corpse.
Xiao Yang shot upright, her eyes wide with terror from the nightmare.
’I just saw Meng Xuechen die in my arms all over again.’
A chill ran through her. As she came to her senses, she realized she was drenched in a cold sweat.
She had thought herself unbothered, but it was clear the incident had become a lingering trauma.
Xiao Yang threw back the covers and got out of bed. The palace maid on night watch awoke at once to help her dress, but Xiao Yang simply threw on a cloak and walked out, heading straight for the side hall where Meng Xuechen was staying.
The sky was pitch-black. Aside from the guards on night duty, everyone was asleep.
Xiao Yang stood at the door of the side hall, hesitating.
’I want to see Meng Xuechen, to make sure he’s still alive. But he’s injured and resting. It would be rude to wake him up at this hour.’
’Barging in on someone in the middle of the night just because of a nightmare, checking to see if they’re dead or alive... I feel like I’m going crazy.’
But in the end, her inner demons won out over her reason. She raised her hand and knocked on the door.
A Palace Attendant keeping watch inside hurried to open the door. He froze when he saw Xiao Yang and, startled, immediately bowed.
"Your Majesty..."
Xiao Yang stopped him with a gesture, motioning for him to be quiet. She took a lamp and went inside, walking straight toward the bed.
Even though Xiao Yang was being very quiet, the sound still woke Meng Xuechen. He opened his eyes and saw her approaching with the lamp, looking somewhat surprised. "Your Majesty?"
Realizing it was truly her, he immediately tried to sit up. Xiao Yang gently pressed his shoulder. "Don’t move. You’ll aggravate your wound."
She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at him without blinking.
Meng Xuechen was puzzled, but his gaze was gentle. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
At this moment, they were not ruler and subject, but friends.
Xiao Yang said, "I had a dream..."
She trailed off, suddenly reaching out to touch his face. It was warm.
She said nothing more, but the tension in her expression visibly eased.
Meng Xuechen was perceptive enough to understand. He reached out and took her hand. "Did you dream that I died again?"
Meng Xuechen spoke of his death in their past life with complete composure. He guided Xiao Yang’s hand to his face, then placed it over his heart so she could feel it beat.
"I’m still alive. My heart is beating healthily. Today was just a minor injury."
Compared to life and death, it was indeed a minor injury.
Xiao Yang pressed her lips together. "I’m being irrational."
Xiao Yang tried to pull her hand away, but Meng Xuechen held it fast. In the dim glow of the lamp, he looked at her with determination. "I’ve caused you pain. I’m sorry."
A complex emotion flickered in Xiao Yang’s eyes. "You shouldn’t be the one apologizing. I’m the one who owes you a life. I don’t even know how to begin to thank you."
Before, Meng Xuechen had been dead, so he couldn’t have heard her. But now he was alive. ’How could I possibly say, "Thank you for giving your life to save me in our past life"? It would sound utterly bizarre.’
Meng Xuechen shook his head. "I’m not apologizing for your pain, but for the fact that I actually feel a sense of joy in this moment."
He said sincerely, "You remember me, which proves I’ve held a place in your heart. I’m very happy."
"If it were possible, I would almost rather have stayed dead. That way, you would always remember me at my best, and you would think of me for your entire life. But I also treasure meeting you again, and I don’t want to die so soon."
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but smile. "This world is a wretched place. I went through many terrible things when I was young. I used to hate this world, hate that I had to come to this godforsaken place after I died. But if my being stuck here was all so I could meet you again years later, then I feel it was all worth it."
Xiao Yang was a little surprised. Those were not the words of a friend.
And as she looked into Meng Xuechen’s eyes, the emotion shimmering within was so deeply affectionate it threatened to drown her.
’I don’t understand.’ She was only fifteen when she met Meng Xuechen, and he was seventeen.
’It’s natural for there to be some ambiguous sparks between a teenage boy and girl, but back then, we were at most a little closer than friends. We were still too young for romance, our feelings not yet blossomed. Where did this deep affection come from?’
Meng Xuechen was clearly taking the opportunity to hint at his feelings, but Xiao Yang didn’t reciprocate. Her concern was still solely for his life; she truly had no other intentions.
’Besides, with Meng Xuechen’s looks, it was hard to have any improper thoughts about him.’
"Did I startle you?"
A smile touched Meng Xuechen’s eyes. He lifted her hand and placed a light kiss on her fingertips.
"You are the Empress now. You shouldn’t be the one with troubles. The one who should be troubled is this humble servant."
’Pursuing an Empress is much harder than pursuing a younger schoolmate.’
Meng Xuechen’s current life had not been an easy one. Carrying the memories of his past, he hadn’t given much thought to romance.
He had thought he would simply live out this life as it was, but then, unexpectedly, Xiao Yang had come to this world too.
The dream of his past was once again within reach. When he realized his heart still beat for her, he knew he couldn’t possibly remain indifferent.
He might have had an ethereal air about him, but at his core, he was a merchant.
And a merchant, above all, knows how to seize an opportunity to secure the greatest possible profit.