After resting for a while at the camp, Shui Xinyuan and Lu Fusu returned to the capital with the group the next evening.
Qing'er, her maid, and Zhongshu Ling Zhuge Ciyun were waiting at Chunying Palace after leaving for a few days.
"Shui Xinyuan! Great, are you okay? I'm worried to death."
"Qing'er, I'm sorry, I'm fine..."
Qing'er was the first to rush out, hugging Shui Xinyuan tightly, while Xiangquan also held hands with the other maids, feeling the joy of being reunited.
The two grown men showed complicated expressions behind them.
"My wife really values friends over sex..."
"Zhuge Qing, don't worry. When Shui Xinyuan hugged me, he never hugged me so tightly."
"...Oh, Zhuge Qing, it turns out you are back too!"
Qing'er greeted Zhuge Qing easily, and Zhuge Qing helplessly raised a hand in response.
"Monkey, I heard that you are causing trouble again."
"Don't say it so harshly, Father, are you right?"
"It's all thanks to her that we got it done before the imperial army came back. Without this ability, she wouldn't be able to be my wife."
"When did my family become so scary..."
On the way back to the capital, Shui Xinyuan also learned that Qing'er and Gong Ji planned to arrest Zhao Jisheng and his gang.
"Qing'er, are you and everyone else in danger?"
"I'm completely fine. Well... Speaking of danger, it's easy to poison them, but because I don't know what I gave them, it took a lot of effort to detoxify them afterwards."
"..."
In the end, Zhao Jisheng's group was more dangerous.
"We are currently interrogating Zhao Jisheng and others in the Yushi Prison. Your Majesty, please rest today and report to you tomorrow."
"Zhongshu Ling, thank you for your hard work."
The officials waiting in Chunying Palace all left after paying their respects. Shui Xinyuan greeted each of the maids, and they went back to their daily work.
"There's no need to look after your house anymore, I'm going home."
"I'm so tired, I'd better go home and rest."
"Why, don't you still have a lot of work to report?"
"Why are you not considerate at all when I come back from a long trip for work..."
"Okay, okay, thank you for your hard work."
"..."
Lu Fusu covered his mouth and tried his best to hold back his laughter. Zhuge Qing glared at him angrily.
"Qing'er... I have something to ask you."
"What's up?"
"What would you do if I wasn't a prince, aristocrat, or an official?"
"ah?"
Shui Xinyuan and Lu Fusu looked at each other. Qing'er tilted her head and wondered, looking at her husband Zhuge Qing who suddenly asked such an inexplicable question.
"...It's not an official or a noble. What is it?"
"For example, a farmer or a businessman."
"What?"
Qing'er was even more puzzled.
"What are you talking about! How can you be a farmer or a businessman with a cheerful personality like yours?"
"Ah, that's not what I meant..."
Qing'er turned her head to the other side again and patted Zhuge Qing on the shoulder.
"Although I don't know what you are talking about, if you are not an official or a noble, I will take care of you, don't worry."
"..."
"Why are you saying some incomprehensible words? You are really too tired? There is really nothing you can do... Your Majesty, can I take him home first?"
"Okay, let him have a good rest."
When Lu Fusu spoke, his cheeks trembled slightly, and Shui Xinyuan also showed a strange smile.
"Shui Xinyuan, see you another day."
"Okay, Qing'er, thank you."
Zhuge Qing sighed heavily and whispered to Lu Fusu: "I shouldn't expect her to say something like a queen..."
"But she also loves you very much?"
"Have it……?"
"...Zhuge Qing? What are you doing? Go home!"
Shui Xinyuan waved his hand to send Qing'er and Zhuge Qing away, and couldn't help but laugh softly.
"They are so in love..."
"...Yes! It's really loving."
When I didn't speak, the surroundings suddenly became very quiet.
There were only two of them left in the room.
Although I was only away for a few days, it felt like I had been away from home for many days.
"Before……"
"Um?"
"I'm not quite used to this place yet."
This is not the hometown where I have been crowded with my family for ten years, nor is it the small room in the church where I have lived independently for the first time, but the spacious and magnificent palace of the emperor and empress.
"...But after I came back this time...I suddenly felt very friendly."
Although the years spent here are still short, every day is precious time.
I believe it will be the same every day from now on.
Lu Fusu smiled quietly and hugged Shui Xinyuan tightly.
"The place with you is my home."
"emperor……"
"You have to remember, without you, I lose the meaning of coming back here."
Shui Xinyuan gently hugged Lu Fusu's back.
"Your Majesty, you are back..."
"Shui Xinyuan, I'm back..."
...We are back...We are finally back, back here.
Lu Fusu breathed a sigh of relief and gently stroked Shui Xinyuan's hair.
"...However, this room is not quiet enough. Although there is another room for entertaining guests, almost all the guests come here."
"When friends come, it's more convenient to talk here..."
"That's right! No one will come in except the bedroom."
Shui Xinyuan suddenly pulled away.
"Shui Xinyuan?"
"……I forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"Yes, I'm sorry, wait a minute..."
Shui Xinyuan rushed into the palace in a hurry, leaving Lu Fusu where he was.
The cleaning and tidying of the dormitory are all done by the maid, Shui Xinyuan personally tidied them up, so when she is not around, it remains as it is.
"……I knew it."
Shui Xinyuan picked up the plum branch on the dragon bed and heard the crisp sound of the bell.
She took it out before and forgot to put it back.
She originally planned to put it back before Lu Fusu came back, but an accident happened, which disrupted her original plan.
Shui Xinyuan hurriedly hid the plum branches in the box under the dragon bed, but the light at hand suddenly dimmed.
"...What's wrong? I was just thinking, why haven't I seen it? It turned out to be hidden by you."
"ah……"
Lu Fusu picked up the branch from Shui Xinyuan's hand and played the bell with his fingertips.
"I didn't...hide..."
"You just said you forgot...so, when I'm not around, you just leave it outside?"
"Because I can't sleep..."
"Um?"
Shui Xinyuan took the branch from Lu Fusu's hand, put it into the small box, and hid it under the dragon bed again.
"Because I couldn't sleep, I looked at it to make my mood... calm."
"Replace me?"
"There is no way to replace His Majesty."
Shui Xinyuan lowered his head and clenched his sleeves.
"Although she is my treasure...but I cannot replace Your Majesty..."
Although the plum branches are very important to Shui Xinyuan, they are too thin and fragile to fill the huge empty couch on the dragon bed.
Lu Fusu suddenly hugged Shui Xinyuan's waist and rolled on the dragon bed with her.
"His Majesty……"
"Go to sleep."
"ah?"
"I have been unable to sleep, but there is nothing to comfort me. I have hardly slept at all this month."
"this……"
Lu Fusu took off his shoes, hugged Shui Xinyuan and yawned loudly.
"emperor……?"
Even breathing replaced Lu Fusu's answer.
"Your Majesty, we haven't had dinner yet..."
"..."
"At least change your clothes first..."
"..."
"..."
...What to do? Shui Xinyuan thought, but there was nothing he could do.
Lu Fusu hugged her tightly and breathed out regularly, and Shui Xinyuan couldn't help but yawn.
"..."
After confirming that Lu Fusu was asleep, Shui Xinyuan hesitated for a moment...then quietly pressed his cheek against Lu Fusu's and closed his eyes.
…
"Doctor Tobe..."
In the corridor of the Rising Sun Palace, a young official stopped Zhuge Qing.
"Excuse me, His Majesty is not in the imperial study. Do you know where His Majesty is?"
"Oh, have you returned to the bedroom?"
"Ah? So early?"
The official couldn't help but express his thoughts, and then covered his mouth.
Zhuge Qing smiled bitterly and patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry, I feel the same way."
"Oh...it turns out that His Majesty has returned to Chunying Palace..."
"Is there an emergency?"
"No, it doesn't matter if we wait until tomorrow."
"His Majesty has been back to the capital for five days. He returns to the palace after noon every day. Now he should lie on the queen's lap and take a nap, right? You might as well say it's urgent and rush into the palace to find his majesty."
"I, how dare I?"
The official's face turned pale, he shook his head desperately, looked around, and then lowered his voice and said: "...If Your Majesty is really lying on the Queen's lap and taking a nap, I will not break in. I still want to save my head...
"
"Oh, you really understand the situation." Zhuge Qing nodded sympathetically, patted his shoulder again and said, "Don't worry, the Queen will probably find a way. In short, while His Majesty is taking a nap, you should go home! I
I’m going home too.”
"Oh...that's right."
When the young official sighed while looking at the memorial in his hand, Lu Fusu was sitting on a bench in Chunying Palace, lying on Shui Xinyuan's lap and taking a nap.
Under the increasingly warm spring sun, Shui Xinyuan carefully prevented Lu Fusu's head from slipping from her lap, thinking about how to solve the problem.
This morning, after Lu Fusu came to court, Zhuge Ciyun came to the palace to ask her. The emperor's recent chores have been piling up. From the official duties delayed during the inspection to the follow-up of the rebellion, they all need to be dealt with. Is it possible for the queen to make suggestions to the emperor? Your Majesty.
Handle government affairs until evening and then return to the palace.
...As expected, the emperor came back without finishing the government affairs.
Lu Fusu also returned to the palace early today, but he said that everything had been dealt with... In fact, seeing Lu Fusu's expression, Shui Xinyuan guessed that it was not done yet.
...What should I do? How should I speak?
Although she knew very well... Lu Fusu hadn't slept well for a whole month. She was worried about his health. Moreover, Shui Xinyuan was secretly happy to see Lu Fusu come back early, so she turned a blind eye and closed one eye.
.
...But, we can't continue like this...right?
Shui Xinyuan fell into deep thought, while Lu Fusu slept soundly on her lap.
Seeing his sleeping face, I couldn't help but feel that I wouldn't talk about it today.
...No, no, I must say it.
It's all my fault that I couldn't help but be filled with joy when I saw Lu Fusu returning early...
Shui Xinyuan didn't realize that it was actually Lu Fusu's fault that he had to come back early.
Lu Fusu moved a little, frowned slightly...then yawned and opened his eyes.
"……are you awake?"
"Um……"
Although Lu Fusu woke up, he did not sit up and continued to lie there, reaching out to touch Shui Xinyuan's cheek.
Shui Xinyuan tilted her head shyly.
"Just now...didn't you say that someone sent a letter?"
"Oh, my mother, and my sister..."
"Didn't Shui Qiancheng write to you?"
"..."
...He should be speechless.
Shui Xinyuan didn't know how to deal with his younger brother's problem.
"You can take the initiative to write to him."
"but……"
"He is your brother."
"..."
Shui Xinyuan lowered his head and nodded gently.
Lu Fusu entangled Shui Xinyuan's hair with his fingers and smiled.
The calm silence returned.
The warm sun was still soft, and only the chirping of birds could be heard.
I really want to doze off.
...Ah, I need to tell him...
This matter cannot be put off any longer.
Shui Xinyuan took a breath, straightened her body, and wanted to tell the answer to the difficult question she had thought about hard.
"Uh...emperor?"
"Um?"
"I want to go to dance practice tomorrow..."
"Okay, go ahead!"
"Uh... I think... I might practice until evening..."
"..."
Lu Fusu frowned slightly and pursed his lips.
Shui Xinyuan thought that as long as he came back in the evening, Lu Fusu would also stay in the imperial study until the evening.
"Ah, it should be...not until the evening...maybe, a little earlier...I think it should be..."
"..."
"Uh...I guess maybe after noon...?"
...This is no different from yesterday or today.
What, what should I do...?
She couldn't help but close her eyes hard... Lu Fusu couldn't help but laugh.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty."
"Shui Xinyuan... In this case, wouldn't other people's requests completely lose their meaning?"
"ah?"
Lu Fusu laughed loudly and sat up.
"Uh, that..."
"I guess someone should ask you not to spoil me rotten."
"..."
...guessed it right.
No, I didn't say that I spoiled His Majesty.
"I'm sorry, that..."
"You don't have to apologize. I guess it's time for someone to cry to you."
This means that he knew this and deliberately returned to the palace early.
Shui Xinyuan couldn't help pouting, Lu Fusu smiled bitterly and put his arm around Shui Xinyuan's shoulders.
"I also want to take a rest occasionally. You are not angry and always accompany me, so I just want to be lazy. Forget it, starting from tomorrow, I will be as usual."
"good……"
...Of course I won't be angry...How could I be angry with you.
"Well……"
"What's wrong?"
"...I hope your majesty won't tell others that I said this."
"Um?"
Shui Xinyuan put his hand next to Lu Fusu's ear and spoke softly.
...Actually, I prefer His Majesty to return to the palace early...
Lu Fusu opened his eyes wide in surprise.
"Can I come back early?"
"Uh...ah...um..."
...it's over.
By saying this, I really failed to live up to the minister's request.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty, please assume that I didn't say..."
"How is this possible? I have already heard it."
Lu Fusu smiled happily and kissed Shui Xinyuan on the cheek.
"I'm going to work and will be back in the evening. Shui Xinyuan, you go practice dancing before evening!"
"I...will return to the palace earlier than Your Majesty."
Shui Xinyuan gently put his hand on Lu Fusu's hand and smiled.
"I will wait for Your Majesty...wait here for His Majesty to return to the palace."
After the sun went down, he boiled water and when he saw Lu Fusu appearing on the corridor opposite the garden, he poured tea for him.
...This is proof of a calm but important day.
I hope this life can last forever...
Lu Fusu gently held Shui Xinyuan in his arms.
Shui Xinyuan snuggled next to Lu Fusu and closed his eyes quietly.