It was a normal day for Wan'er and Jun Xiang. They laughed and teased each other like any other couple who had found their rhythm. But that fragile peace was shattered when Jun Xiang suddenly asked her to return to the palace.
The air turned heavy.
"No! I'm staying!" Wan'er's voice trembled with fury. "I've found peace here—why can't you understand that?!"
"You're not staying!" Jun Xiang's tone was sharp, his eyes burning with both anger and desperation. "You're my Empress. You belong beside me!"
Wan'er's chest ached as she turned away, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. "I'm not going back."
"Come, or we're done," he said coldly.
Her body froze. The words sliced deeper than any blade. She trembled, clutching her sleeves to keep herself from falling apart.
"D-do you even love me?" she whispered.
Jun Xiang hesitated—but pride and anger won. "Who cares about love? I just want you near me."
Wan'er's heart cracked. The world seemed to tilt beneath her feet. "You know what… I was planning to go back after I finished my work here. But now? Forget it. Do you think I'm some object—a doll you can toss away when it's broken?"
"Wifey, it's not like—"
"GET OUT!" Her voice broke, tears finally spilling over. "I HATE YOU! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU ANYMORE!"
Jun Xiang's face fell, regret dawning too late. He lingered outside her room, hearing her muffled sobs through the wooden door. Each cry felt like a needle piercing his chest."I'm… sorry," he whispered before turning away.
He rode back to the palace alone, leaving behind the woman who once filled his life with laughter.
Inside, Wan'er curled up on her bed, clutching her stomach."I'm sorry too…" she murmured softly. Her fingers brushed over her still-flat belly. "I failed as a mother, right?"But then, she smiled weakly. "No… we'll be fine. I promise."
Days turned into weeks. Weeks became months.
The Gu Village flourished, just as Wan'er did. Trees grew tall and strong, crops bloomed overnight, and the children's laughter filled the air. Though her stomach had grown large—far too large, suggesting twins—her spirit remained radiant.
"Sister Wan'er! Can I be their big sister when they're born?" asked little Yue, tugging on her sleeve.
"Of course," Wan'er said, smiling. "All of you will be their big brothers and sisters."
The villagers adored her. Even when she could barely walk, they forbade her from working in the fields. So she taught instead—cultivation basics, herbal care, and the quiet art of patience.
By the time her wooden house beside the blossom tree was finished, Wan'er felt a strange calm. "Grandma Gu, thank you," she said.
"Child, I'll stay with you until it's time. It'll make the labor easier," the old woman replied. "And remember—every soul who joins our village takes the surname Gu. You're family now."
Wan'er nodded. "Then I'll be Gu Wan'er."
That evening, Grandma Gu said something that pierced her heart."Your husband isn't coming back."
Wan'er paused, staring at the glowing peppers hanging from her garden. "Maybe not. Maybe yes… who knows?" She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Don't worry," Grandma Gu said softly. "Even if he doesn't, we're here for you."
Wan'er picked a red pepper and laughed lightly. "Then I'll be strong—for all of us. Baby, grow up to be as fiery as this pepper, alright?"
But before she could finish her harvest, a man came running into the village—covered in blood."Run! The army from Yuan Kingdom is here!"
Panic spread instantly. Soldiers surrounded the village, their armor glinting coldly in the sun.
"We're here for one person," said the man in black. "Lian Wan'er—no, the former Empress of Jun Xiang."
Wan'er stepped forward, heart hammering. "Please don't hurt them. I'll go with you. Just… don't harm my people."
The man smirked. "So Jun Xiang truly abandoned you… and you're still loyal?"
Before Wan'er could respond, pain struck her belly like lightning. Her legs buckled."M-my lady, you're in labor!" Grandma Gu cried.
The man's expression shifted from smug to alarmed. "What?!"
"Don't just stand there! Carry her inside!" Grandma Gu barked.
Flustered but obedient, the soldier lifted Wan'er into her house. The birth was long and grueling. Sweat soaked through her robes, her cries echoing through the village.
Yuan Zhen—the so-called cold Emperor of Yuan—ended up holding her hand the entire time. "You… you can do this," he muttered, panic lacing his voice.
When it was finally over, the cries of two newborns filled the air.
"Congratulations, my lady. Two healthy boys!" Grandma Gu announced.
Wan'er smiled weakly before darkness claimed her. "I'm… too tired…"
"Don't you dare sleep!" Yuan Zhen snapped. "Call Yuxi!"
A female physician rushed in. "She's lost too much blood! We have to stabilize her Qi immediately—Master, help us!"
Yuan Zhen didn't hesitate. He placed his palm over her chest, transferring his Qi. "Take mine!"
"Enough!" Yuxi ordered. "Now, we wait. Her survival depends on her willpower. If she's trapped in her dream… she may never wake."
Grandma Gu fell to her knees. "Please save her! We'll do anything!"
Yuxi's eyes gleamed. "Then she must come with us to Yuan Kingdom. I lack the proper tools here."
The villagers exchanged fearful glances—but agreed. To save Wan'er, they pledged loyalty to the Yuan Kingdom.
Yuan Zhen carried her in his arms. "Let's move. And take everything—her seeds, her herbs, her vegetables."
Ren Wang raised an eyebrow. "Everything? Even the cucumbers?"
Yuan Zhen glared. "Just do it!"
Their march was slow—slowed by Yuxi's constant scolding about "the babies' safety.""I'm the Emperor! How did I end up afraid of women?" Yuan Zhen grumbled.
"Did you say something?" Yuxi asked with a sweet, deadly smile.
"…Nothing," he muttered, defeated.
Ren Wang's laugh earned him a swift kick off his horse.
Two weeks later, they arrived in Yuan Kingdom. Wan'er still hadn't awakened. The twins slept beside her, and Yuan Zhen found himself watching her more often than he liked.
'What is this feeling?' he wondered, pressing a hand over his chest. 'Why does she make my heart ache like this?'
Meanwhile, Wan'er dreamed she had returned home—to her parents, her old world. "Mom, Dad… I missed you so much," she wept.
But a soft voice echoed in the dream.Mommy… please wake up…
Then her parents smiled at her one last time. "Daughter… someone needs you more than we do. Go back to them."
Light engulfed her.
"Yuxi! She's waking!" Yuan Zhen exclaimed.
Wan'er's eyes fluttered open. "M-my child…" she whispered, her voice frail. The twins beside her stopped crying, reaching out tiny hands.
Yuan Zhen froze as one of them grabbed his finger. "C-cute…" he muttered, face red.
"Don't move," Yuxi scolded. "Your body's still weak. You're in Yuan Kingdom, but safe."
"Two weeks…" Wan'er murmured. "What about Gu Village?"
Yuan Zhen told her everything—their pledge, their protection. Tears welled in her eyes.
"I'll help your kingdom," she said quietly. "Just… don't hurt them. Or my children."
"You have my word," Yuan Zhen replied solemnly. "Even if you are a captive, you'll be treated as a guest."
Wan'er nodded. But her eyes dimmed when he added softly, "Though we fear Jun Xiang may declare war for you—and his sons."
She laughed bitterly. "If he does, it won't be for me. He doesn't love me. He never did."
Her gaze softened as she looked at her twins."I'll bury the past," she whispered. "From now on, I live for them."