Chapter 435: Have I burdened you, my love?
When Lin Beifan walked in, he was bewildered, “Your Majesty, why are you lying on the bed like this?”
He saw the Empress at this moment, with disheveled hair, wearing a golden sleeping robe, lying on a comfortable couch, covered with a not-so-thin blanket, resembling an ailing beauty. You should know that the Empress was perfectly fine just a while ago. It was incomprehensible how she had turned into this in such a short time, leaving Lin Beifan puzzled.
Upon seeing Lin Beifan enter, she coughed a couple of times, “My dear, you’ve come!”
Lin Beifan blinked, “Your Majesty, what’s happening to you?”
The Empress weakly shook her head and spoke softly, “The imperial physician said it’s nothing serious, just that I overexerted myself today, so my head is throbbing, and I decided to rest early. My love, you can see it’s not that I didn’t want to meet you; I’m just helpless!”
Lin Beifan blinked again, “Your Majesty, which physician said that? How can you look like this and say it’s nothing serious?” “It was Wang, the physician from the Royal Medical Bureau who saw me. He’s skilled; he shouldn’t have misdiagnosed me!”
The Empress replied weakly, making up an excuse. Lin Beifan said without expression, “Your Majesty, Wang, the physician, has retired due to his age!”
“Cough”… The Empress coughed again, “I’m sorry, my dear. I may have remembered it wrong. It should be Liu, the physician!”
Lin Beifan remained emotionless, “Your Majesty, Liu, the physician, took the day off today and isn’t on duty!”
“Cough”… The Empress coughed again, “I might have remembered wrong again. It should be Zhao, the physician… Yes, it’s Zhao, the physician!”
Just then, an elderly man in official attire walked in.
The Empress was puzzled, “Why are you here?”
The person before her was none other than Zhao, the physician, she had mentioned earlier.
Physician Zhao bowed and said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lin expressed concern that Your Majesty might be unwell, possibly suffering from an urgent ailment. So, he specially sent me to examine Your Majesty!”
The Empress gave Physician Zhao an annoyed look.
After going through all the trouble of acting, it was exposed by this guy. She couldn’t help but look at Lin Beifan with a somewhat guilty expression and said, “Oh my! Perhaps I’m just too tired today, so I got everything mixed up! Look at my scatterbrained self…”
Lin Beifan didn’t expose the truth either. After all, as the ruler of the land, he had to give some face. Revealing the truth wouldn’t benefit him in any way. Moreover, they had gone to such lengths in this act, and it wasn’t easy. So, Lin Beifan allowed Physician Zhao to go through the examination process, and in the end, it was confirmed that there was nothing serious, possibly just exhaustion. After prescribing a remedy, Physician Zhao took his leave.
The Empress’s gaze flickered, “My love, since there’s nothing urgent, you should leave. I need to rest!”
“Your Majesty, I came here with a few questions. Once I ask them, we can leave and not delay anything,” Lin Beifan said with a bow.
The Empress felt extremely anxious. The matter she had been avoiding had finally come to the surface. She wished she could escape, but where could she go now? She had never been in such a situation before. What should she do next?
“Your Majesty, I wanted to ask…”
“Wait!”
The Empress called out, “Eunuch Liu, please withdraw for now.”
The old eunuch glanced at Lin Beifan and bowed, “Yes, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave.” With the serving maids and eunuchs, they all exited the room. In the room, only Lin Beifan and the Empress remained.
The Empress was extremely nervous and embarrassed. She tightly gripped the blanket, ready to cover her face at any moment if she couldn’t handle it, hiding her embarrassment.
“Your Majesty, I want to ask, is your chosen husband, me?” Lin Beifan asked with a heavy tone, his gaze fixed on the Empress on the dragon couch, awaiting her answer.
The Empress became even more flustered, too shy to look at Lin Beifan directly. Her voice was barely audible, “Yes…” Although her voice was quiet, Lin Beifan heard it.
Receiving such a definite answer, Lin Beifan didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. He was happy that the Empress had truly chosen him. After all, she was the most powerful woman in the land, exceptionally beautiful, and the dream of countless men. Yet, he had captured her heart.
However, he was also sad because even though she was beautiful and powerful, she was known to be quite domineering. Would he lose a lot of his freedom after becoming her husband? Would he be unable to continue his carefree lifestyle?
“Your Majesty, when did this start?” Lin Beifan asked.
“When did it start?” The Empress’s gaze became distant as she recalled the various moments she had spent with Lin Beifan, their secret struggles for the greater good, working for the welfare of the people, with moments of laughter and tears. They were not just ruler and subject, not just friends, but also comrades who had fought side by side.
Unable to pinpoint exactly when it began, Lin Beifan had quietly entered her heart and occupied an important place.
The Empress thought seriously and said, “It should have been about a year ago.” A year ago, the matter involving the little princess and Lin Beifan had caused a commotion in the palace, and she had resolved it.
On that day, after the reminder from Bai Guanyin, she seriously considered the relationship between her and Lin Beifan, feeling that it was time to take it further. Because she couldn’t be without Lin Beifan, and Great Wu couldn’t be without him either.
Lin Beifan couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. A woman’s words, tricky as a ghost!
A year ago?
Clearly, she had set her sights on me from the moment I entered the palace!
“Your Majesty, can I decline this marriage?” Lin Beifan asked.
“You dare!!!” The Empress jumped up in anger.
In Lin Beifan’s astonished gaze, she weakly lay back down. But her eyes still stared fiercely at Lin Beifan. “My love, you’ve already made me so angry that my dragon body is in turmoil! My love, marriage is not child’s play! You and I are the supreme rulers of today. Only by joining together can we benefit Great Wu! Otherwise, there will be disputes in the future, turmoil in the court, and the country will be in turmoil! Besides, I am committing myself to you. Am I causing you inconvenience?”
“Your Majesty, it’s an honor for me that you’ve chosen me! However, marriage is not a trivial matter, and it’s equally important to me! So, we need to establish some ground rules; otherwise, I’m afraid I cannot comply!” Lin Beifan said loudly.
The Empress was almost amused!
I am the mighty Empress, the ruler of today’s world, and I’m going to marry you. It’s a blessing you’ve cultivated for generations!
Yet, you want to establish ground rules and negotiate conditions with me? “Fine! My love, go ahead and state your conditions!” The Empress gritted her teeth.
Pretending not to see her reaction, Lin Beifan continued, “Your Majesty, although you are the ruler of the world and immensely wealthy, if we are to be together, you can have only me as your husband. No other man is allowed to appear!”
The Empress laughed. She hadn’t expected this young man to be so domineering. She readily agreed, “Fine, my love, I promise you! In fact, besides you, I have no interest in anyone else!”
Lin Beifan added, “Secondly, I have several beloveds in the common people, and our bonds are very deep. I promised to give them a status. So, even if we marry, I will never abandon them. I hope Your Majesty can understand and forgive me.” The Empress laughed again. This young man was both passionate and loyal.
He was a person worth entrusting a lifetime to. “Very well, I agree! If you were the kind of person who changes their mind easily, I wouldn’t be interested in you!” The Empress said with a smile.
“Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan bowed. “Third…”
Lin Beifan looked at the Empress with some trepidation. “This third condition, Your Majesty, as they say, no one is perfect, and even gold can’t be completely pure. People are bound to make mistakes. So, no matter what I’ve done in the past, I hope you can forgive me!” The Empress chuckled inwardly. This was clearly a safeguard for things he might do behind her back. What a clever move!
He’s even thinking about a way out in secret. Haha!
“Very well, I promise!” the Empress exclaimed loudly. Lin Beifan was surprised. She actually agreed? It seems the Empress’s infatuation has clouded her judgment, and she’s not distinguishing right from wrong anymore! But I like it! Hehehe!
After three consecutive conditions that the Empress readily agreed to, Lin Beifan’s mind started racing.
The Empress’s infatuated mind seemed beyond salvation. Could I… propose a few more conditions? Seize the opportunity; it might not come again!
So, Lin Beifan said, “Your Majesty, I have another condition.”
The Empress asked, “Go on.”
“I hope that from now on, Your Majesty, you will treat me well, cherish me, and never deceive me. Promise to fulfill everything I ask and speak sincerely in every word to me.”
The Empress thought for a moment. Isn’t this how couples should be? So she replied, “Alright, I promise.”
Lin Beifan secretly chuckled, then took advantage of the situation and continued, “Furthermore, Your Majesty, when others bully me, you must stand up for me immediately! When I’m happy, you should share my joy. When I’m upset, you should comfort me.”
The Empress thought about it and found it quite reasonable for a married couple. She agreed once again.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Lin Beifan persisted, “Also, Your Majesty, you must forever think that I am the most handsome and charming, dream about me, and have me in your heart…”
“Alright, I promise!” the Empress said.
In this manner, Lin Beifan continued to propose several more conditions. At first, the Empress agreed wholeheartedly, but as she listened, she realized these conditions were becoming increasingly excessive! This guy was clearly taking advantage of the situation! He’s too cunning! So, the Empress shouted angrily, “That’s enough, my love! You’ve gone too far! Do you really think I’m that easily fooled?”
Lin Beifan, with a satisfied expression on his face, said, “Since Your Majesty finds it excessive, then I won’t say more!”
The Empress, looking at Lin Beifan’s triumphant face, wanted to punch him. “Since we have established three conditions and you proposed conditions, I will also propose a few conditions!” The Empress sneered.
