After Rebirth, My Wife Turned Out to Be Myself - Chapter 22

Xie Wan slowly made her way to Wanyi Palace, but Qingcui reported that Her Ladyship had entered her bedchamber and was already resting.

Xie Wan raised an eyebrow. “I will dine at Wanyi Palace today.”

“This servant will go and instruct the Imperial Kitchen immediately.”

Xie Wan said, “Have them prepare dishes Consort Wan likes.”

“Yes.”

Just then, the window of the bedchamber suddenly opened from the inside. Xiao Anyu leaned against the window, her head poking out, her eyes still evasive. “…Your Majesty will be eating at Wanyi Palace?”

“Yes.”

“Oh…”

Xie Wan smiled. “What’s wrong? Is Consort Wan unhappy that I am staying for dinner at Wanyi Palace? Or do I eat people? You didn’t come for an audience, and you ran away when you saw me ? Now that I have leisure, I will listen to Consort Wan’s explanation. If there isn’t a proper reason, then I will confiscate all your rare books.”

Xie Anyu: !

“You always threaten me with my rare books,” Anyu frowned.

Xie Wan came to the window sill and met Xie Anyu’s gaze from inside. “If you don’t want them confiscated, talk to me . What exactly happened?”

They were separated only by the window frame. Xie Wan’s face always carried a calm smile that made people involuntarily trust her and listen to her words.

Especially her eyes. Every time Anyu met her gaze, those eyes would ripple with a certain tenderness.

It was a warmth that was absolutely absent from her eyes when she faced others.

Like an elder, her gaze was always gentle and caring.

Facing such eyes, Anyu’s chaotic emotions gradually calmed down.

“Your Majesty, why is it only me? Is Your Majesty good to me because I am a daughter of the Xie family?” she blurted out.

Everyone in the palace said she was favored.

Anyu herself had actually sensed it.

Although she didn’t want to admit it, the sickly Emperor was truly very good to her.

It even exceeded the favor she should receive based on her identity as a daughter of the Xie family.

When Anyu asked this question, it was Xie Wan who couldn’t answer.

“Did you hear what people in the palace were saying?” Xie Wan asked her.

Anyu shook her head.

“I like Anyu; she is genuine and interesting,” Xie Wan said sincerely.

Anyu was surprised. “I am Your Majesty’s consort. Describing me as genuine sounds like describing a child.”

Xie Wan stroked her head. “Why does Anyu think she is not a child?”

Xie Anyu glared at her fiercely and took her hand off her head. “Then Your Majesty is an adult. Your Majesty, what do you think love is?”

Xie Wan: ?

“Who has been saying such things to you?” Love? Xie Wan frowned unhappily. Who was saying such things in front of her little Anyu?

“No one said anything! It’s just that Your Majesty treats me like a child and claims to be an adult, so Your Majesty should understand what adults should understand, right?”

Xie Wan coughed lightly. “I naturally understand.”

“Then what does Your Majesty think love is?”

Xie Wan: “…Knowing each other, promising each other, loving each other, accompanying each other.”

Anyu scoffed lightly. “Perfunctory.”

How could Xie Wan tolerate being looked down upon by ‘herself’? “Seeing them makes the heart happy, not seeing them makes the heart worried. To be fond of someone is nothing more than this.”

Anyu stared straight at her. “Then does Your Majesty have someone you are fond of?”

Xie Wan: “…No.”

“Talking theory, nothing more,” Anyu laughed.

Xie Wan: “…”

Although it was just theory, the education for her younger self still needed to be thorough.

“The road of life is long. One might meet many people who make their heart flutter, but not every one is worth giving your true feelings to. Character is crucial. You can’t live a lifetime based solely on a burst of liking,” Xie Wan said earnestly.

“So complicated. If I like someone at first, I’ll definitely keep liking them,” Anyu tilted her head.

Xie Wan: …

That wasn’t wrong, but it was a pity that she had lived so many years and hadn’t met anyone she liked. It was quite tragic, come to think of it.

There were quite a few people who liked her.

For example, Chu Tang in her previous life.

After Chu Tang ascended the throne, he intended to make her Empress, but she refused.

Perhaps, as little Anyu said, only if you like someone at first will you keep liking them.

She had once single-handedly rescued the teenage Chu Tang from Minister Xu, earning the name of a loyal minister. But after she rescued him, she discovered that Chu Tang practiced martial arts, and not only that, but he was also deeply cunning.

His Highness the Prince was merely pretending to be naive.

As for being captured by Minister Xu and forced into a coup, it was actually just him, as the last remaining member of the Chu imperial family, wanting to test whether the Xu family or her Xie family was the one truly worthy of trust.

Perhaps from Chu Tang’s perspective, none of this was a problem.

But Xie Wan still had a barrier in her heart.

From the beginning, Chu Tang could not be considered a ‘good match’ in her heart.

If she didn’t like him from the start, how could she like him until the end?

Yes, how could she and herself be different?

It was precisely because of this that she was afraid little Anyu would fall for someone in the future. And that person might not necessarily be someone she approved of. And little Anyu, unfortunately, liked…

Thinking of that situation, Xie Wan felt a headache coming on.

Xie Wan shook her head. “Regardless, matters of love are still too early for you.”

Wait—

Suddenly, Xie Wan thought of something and narrowed her eyes. “So, Consort Wan is avoiding me because of this?”

Anyu: !

“I…” Anyu panicked.

Just as she didn’t know how to explain her unusual behavior, Xie Wan’s hand landed on her head again.

“It’s not strange for a sixteen-year-old girl to have things she’s curious or confused about. Your mother passed away early, and your father… In short, you can ask me about things that are difficult to discuss with others,” Xie Wan said with a smile. “I will tell you everything I know.”

Her words were earnest, displaying the demeanor of an adult.

Anyu: “…”

Her Majesty, although an adult, truly didn’t understand love.

Not one bit.

But… perhaps this was a good thing? Anyu looked at Xie Wan, who was earnestly lecturing her, and curved her lips into a smile.