Reborn to marry, she no longer wants to be the young master's mother

Inside the bedroom, the flickering candlelight illuminated Xie Chaochao's cold and beautiful face. She sat in front of a bronze mirror, holding a carved jade comb in her hand, slowly combing her long hair that cascaded like a waterfall. Her eyes seemed to hold a myriad of thoughts, and she did not notice the emperor's arrival.

As soon as Chu Heng entered the room, he saw this scene, and his heart tightened for no reason, mistakenly thinking that the queen was jealous because of the rumors about a new concubine that had been circulating in the palace recently. He quickly stepped forward and gently picked up Xie Chaochao from the chair without giving her any explanation, as if he was protecting the most precious treasure in the world, his deep eyes full of tenderness and doting.

"Chao Chao, you know that in this whole world, my heart belongs to you alone." Chu Heng's voice was low and gentle, as if it could melt the ice in people's hearts. "Those beautiful women are just passing clouds. To me, they are nothing compared to you. If someone dares to commit a crime and makes you unhappy, you can do whatever you want. Whether it's banishing them to the cold palace or demoting them to a commoner, I will never interfere."

Xie Chaochao was a little stunned by this sudden action. She looked up at Chu Heng, and a hint of surprise flashed in her clear eyes, which then turned into an imperceptible gentle smile. She gently broke free from Chu Heng's arms, stood still, and looked at him with an almost scrutinizing gaze, as if to confirm whether these words were sincere or not.

"Your Majesty is wrong. I am not upset because of such a small matter." Xie Chaochao's voice was cold but firm. "What I am worried about is the national affairs and the suffering of the people. If Your Majesty can show such deep affection, implement benevolent policies, and love the people like your own children, then that would be a true sign of prosperity, and my heart would be at peace."

Chu Heng heard this, and a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by deep admiration and love. He held Xie Chaochao's hand again. Although the hands were slender, they seemed to be able to hold the peace of the whole world. "Chaochao, I am ashamed of your broad mind. From now on, I will work harder, live up to your expectations, and build this prosperous world together."

The figures of the two overlapped in the candlelight, like a moving painting, and the misunderstanding about jealousy, at this moment, had turned into a deeper emotional bond between the two, making the entire Forbidden City seem to be bathed in unprecedented warmth and hope.

Xie Chaochao stood quietly in the magnificent hall, as if she was wrapped in an invisible layer of ice. Her eyes were cold and deep, like the harshest wind in winter, piercing directly at the high and mighty Emperor Chu Heng. The sunlight shone through the delicate window lattices, sprinkling on her face, but it failed to warm her heart, which was already as dead as ashes.

"Your Majesty," her voice was cold and without a trace of emotion, as if it came from the distant sky, "We probably can't go back." This sentence was short but heavy, like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up waves.

Chu Heng frowned upon hearing this. His eyes, which were once full of tenderness and dominance, were now filled with a complex mixture of disbelief and anger. He slapped the armrest of the dragon throne, and the sound of the gold paint peeling echoed in the hall, shaking everyone in the hall. "Impossible!" His voice was deep and powerful, with an unquestionable determination, "I am the master of the world. All under heaven belongs to the king. All the people in the world are his subjects. You, Xie Chaochao, are just a woman in my harem. If I want you to come back, you have to come back!"

However, Xie Chaochao just shook her head slightly, and there seemed to be a trace of barely perceptible sadness in that indifference. "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? The vows we made to each other have long been worn away in the struggle for power. What separates us is not only this high step, but also an insurmountable wall of our hearts. We can't go back, we really can't go back." Her tone revealed a kind of determination and relief, as if she was drawing a period to her lost love.

In the hall, the air seemed to freeze, and everyone's eyes were focused on this once loving couple, witnessing the complete breakup of this relationship. Chu Heng's face was uncertain, and finally, he took a deep breath, as if making a final struggle: "Chao Chao, are you really so heartless? Don't you have the slightest bit of nostalgia?"

Xie Chaochao's eyes finally softened for a moment, but were soon replaced by firmness. "Nostalgia? Of course. But I am nostalgic for the innocent me who was willing to believe in love. Not the me now, who is bruised and battered by the palace struggle and is disheartened." After saying that, she slowly turned around, and every step seemed so resolute and heavy, and finally disappeared in the depths of the hall, leaving behind only a lonely and stubborn back, and Chu Heng's anger and unwillingness that could not be calmed for a long time.

At this moment, there seemed to be an indescribable sadness inside and outside the hall, as if even time had stopped, witnessing a love story that was once beautiful but ultimately broken.

In the magnificent Weiyang Palace with carved beams and painted buildings, the night was as dark as ink and the moonlight was as bright as a thread, gently falling on the white marble floor, covering this solemn palace with a soft and mysterious veil. Emperor Chu Heng, wearing a dragon robe, with a bit of tenderness in his majesty, walked slowly to the bedroom of Empress Xie Chaochao and gently pushed open the carved wooden door, as if he was afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the room.

Xie Chaochao, the most beautiful queen in the country, was sitting in front of a bronze mirror, with her long black hair falling like a waterfall. She was holding an exquisite ivory comb in her hand, slowly combing her silky hair. She was reflected in the mirror with a beautiful face, and a hint of sadness and coldness between her eyebrows, as if all the prosperity in the world had nothing to do with her, and only the persistence and purity in her heart, like a plum blossom blooming alone in the snow.

Chu Heng approached silently, his eyes gentle enough to melt the ice in people's hearts. He gently stretched out his hand, his fingertips touched Xie Chaochao's soft hair, then slowly slid down, finally stopping on her delicate face, as if to confirm the truth of all this, and as if to covet this rare warmth. He whispered in a low voice, his voice full of affection and determination: "Chao Chao, I only love you in this life, the heaven and earth are my witnesses, the sun and the moon can bear witness."

However, Xie Chaochao's reaction was beyond Chu Heng's expectations. She raised her head suddenly, and her bright eyes flashed with complex emotions - surprise, unwillingness, and deep helplessness and sadness. She slapped Chu Heng's hand away with force, which not only slapped away his touch, but also slapped away the invisible but insurmountable gap between them.