After Rebirth, My Wife Turned Out to Be Myself - Chapter 56

Turning off the light, the two of them huddled together under the covers.

After all, a military camp wasn’t the palace.

It wasn’t that there weren’t extra blankets; in fact, in this weather, sharing one blanket was warmer. Xie Wan wasn’t a delicate person; she had endured far more hardship than Anyu.

They slept in their inner garments.

Anyu’s body was very warm.

Young and healthy, even through the inner garments, she could feel the hot body beside her.

Of course, it was also very stiff.

But despite the stiffness, Anyu didn’t say anything. Perhaps she was afraid of disturbing her rest, so she just lay quietly beside her, not saying a word.

She cared about me so much, Xie Wan thought softly to herself.

“Anyu, my hands are a bit cold.”

Soon, the person lying beside her shifted closer and tentatively held her hand with a calloused one. The instant warmth made Xie Wan pause.

Holding Anyu’s hand, Xie Wan chuckled, “Anyu is really warm.”

Anyu: !

“Your Majesty, please sleep quickly. Don’t you have to get up tomorrow to issue the decree…?”

“Alright. Then come closer. I’m still a bit cold.”

Her tone didn’t sound fake.

Just as Anyu slowly moved closer, she suddenly felt a hand wrap around her waist. She was about to struggle but then remembered who this person was. In that moment of panic, she was pulled into someone’s embrace!

They went from shoulder-to-shoulder to being just a fist’s distance apart, face-to-face.

Anyu was in her arms, her forehead resting against Xie Wan’s jaw, feeling the breath that stirred the hair on her head.

“Anyu is so warm, like a little hot water bottle.” Xie Wan held her little hot water bottle with a clear conscience. She had only intended to tease Anyu, but who knew, it really was very warm.

Xie Anyu’s face instantly turned completely red.

“…Your Majesty is so annoying.”

After hugging Anyu, she really felt much warmer. That kind of winter warmth made her feel a bit sleepy. Xie Wan smiled and replied, “Annoying how?”

“Your Majesty only cares about her own happiness and doesn’t care about me… It’s really mean, especially since you know I like you.”

Sleepy and hazy, Xie Wan just wanted to follow her heart and simply admitted, “Adults are just very selfish.”

Anyu angrily looked up and glared at her.

Xie Wan took the opportunity to lower her head and planted a kiss on her forehead. “This is payment for the little hot water bottle.”

Anyu’s anger instantly—

Completely dissipated.

The touch on her forehead was too gentle, and her lips were cool.

For a moment, she thought, if she was truly just being used as something to keep warm, then when would this person let her warm those lips?

She always said she was a child.

But Anyu knew herself, she was already seventeen.

Many girls of seventeen were already married and had experienced intimacy.

And she liked Her Majesty so much, yet she hadn’t even gotten a kiss on the lips… Anyu wondered, was seventeen not enough? Did she need to grow up more?

Unlike Anyu, whose mind was filled with wild thoughts, Xie Wan quickly fell asleep.

She slept especially soundly.

Xie Wan thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Her sleep was never as good as when she was young. In her previous life, she could barely sleep soundly. After being reborn as Emperor Ruiming, she still slept lightly. Later, the pillow Anyu gave her allowed her to rest a little longer.

Sometimes, Xie Wan would think idly, what use was being a military genius, what use was strategizing? Others spent seven hours thinking, but she was different; she used the time she couldn’t sleep for planning.

Of course, she was joking.

At least, Xie Wan thought, she wouldn’t sleep very soundly.

But the truth was, Anyu had already gone out for half an hour of training in the morning and brought her breakfast back before she slowly woke up.

“Your Majesty is awake?”

“Mm.” Xie Wan glanced out the window. It was already Sishi (9-11 AM), and the sky was bright.

She no longer remembered how she had fallen asleep last night.

But all in all, she had slept very well.

“Let’s issue the decree after breakfast. The Northern Army should also prepare to return to the capital,” Xie Wan said with a smile.

“Alright.”

“Now that the three states are at peace and the northern lands are safe, the Northern Army is the greatest contributor. I permit the Northern Army to return to the capital and choose a date to enter the city…” The imperial decree slowly came from Xie Wan’s mouth.

The soldiers of the Northern Army listened carefully. When she mentioned returning to the capital, joy appeared on everyone’s faces.

They could go back to the capital.

“Great General Xie…”

“This subject accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for the grace.”

The news that the Northern Army was returning to the capital quickly spread.

The people of the northern lands were also happy for them. The New Year was approaching, and the soldiers who protected them could also go home for the New Year. It was truly wonderful.

On the night before their departure from the capital, many people from Jinghe city spontaneously organized themselves and sent some items to the Northern Army camp as a token of gratitude.

They weren’t valuable things, perhaps just a small piece of sugar cake, but it was the heartfelt sentiment of the people of Jinghe.

So, Anyu, who received a sugar cake, shared it with Her Majesty beside her. “The sugar cake from the north is so sweet.”

She took a bite first to make sure it was okay before handing it to Xie Wan.

Xie Wan shook her head and didn’t eat it, instead asking, “Are you happy?”

Anyu thought for a moment, then nodded. “Happy. When I fought as a general, defending the country and protecting the people, this little sugar cake is probably what I was hoping for.”

Xie Wan knew what she meant.

It wasn’t that Anyu was greedy for that little bit of sugar cake; she liked the Da Yue Empire to be peaceful, and she liked the common people to live in peace and prosperity.

The weight represented by this bite of sugar cake was not light.

“Have you eaten it too?” Anyu tilted her head to look at her.

Xie Wan: “No.”

Anyu: ?

Xie Wan raised her head slightly. There was no snow today, and the sky was unusually clear. Clouds drifted lazily, and the breeze was gentle. It was a good day.

Perhaps this kind of weather calmed her heart. With no one else around, she didn’t hesitate to share some of her past with Anyu.

“I didn’t participate in this northern conflict,” Xie Wan smiled. “At that time, I was still a consort in the palace.”

When talking about the past, she no longer referred to herself as ‘We’.

That she was willing to speak was something Anyu hadn’t expected. She felt a little excited. “Then who came to the north…?”

“It was Dad,” Xie Wan smiled. “But Dad probably didn’t get to eat sugar cake either.”

Anyu thought of something, and her expression was no longer as excited as before. “At that time, the northern lands suffered a disaster and hadn’t recovered, right?”

Xie Wan’s tone was slightly mocking. “Not only hadn’t recovered, but it was no exaggeration to say the land was devastated. The court’s disaster relief grain was embezzled. By the time it was discovered, it was too late. The famine had already arrived. No matter how much silver the court allocated, it couldn’t save the people who had starved to death.”

When the refugees flooded south, Xie Wan heard about it.

She sat in the palace and didn’t witness those scenes firsthand. But later, when she went to the battlefield, she saw what it meant for corpses to lie everywhere. More cruel than war was a powerless country that couldn’t save its people, and that incompetent ruler could only watch that scene, raging in frustration.

Anyu opened her mouth.

Just hearing Xie Wan’s description made her heart tremble.

She knew that what Her Majesty had experienced must have been many times more difficult than what she was going through now. But hearing this, she still felt…

“The corruption case eventually implicated many people, but Minister Qian is still alive, and the Xu family is still in its prime.”

“Corrupt officials aren’t executed? Are they being kept for the New Year?” Anyu found it hard to believe.

Xie Wan twitched the corner of her mouth. Talking about these things with Anyu, she found it interesting. “Not only that, the Xu family’s second son, Xu Shengwen, also entered the palace. He was very favored, and the position of Empress was almost promised to him.”

Anyu found it absurd, but Xie Wan’s words didn’t sound like a joke at all.

“What happened after that?”

Xie Wan chuckled. “The Xu family was greedy and wanted more. They attempted a coup. It failed, and they died.”

Anyu: ?

“So, we’ve reached the part where Your Majesty doesn’t want to say more, right?” Anyu pouted. Her words were too brief.

Xie Wan laughed out loud. “Yes.”

“I’ll wait slowly. Sooner or later, you’ll tell me,” Anyu said stubbornly.

“Alright.” Xie Wan’s eyes held a smile. “But I thought you had a question for me.”

Anyu: Hmm?

“For example, I was Chu Long’s Consort Wan. Aren’t you curious if I ever liked Chu Long?”

Anyu thought to herself, this person is teasing me again.

Like Chu Long?

The Emperor Ruiming in Her Majesty’s past wasn’t the one in front of her now.

“Incompetent and foolish, and an emperor who didn’t even like my Xie family, would Your Majesty like her?” Anyu retorted.

Xie Wan sighed. “Xiao Anyu is so smart.”

Anyu pouted. “You could figure that out with your toes.”

“I thought I might see little Anyu get jealous,” Xie Wan said regretfully.

Anyu: !

“What kind of jealousy is this…” Anyu mumbled.

Just as they were talking, a soldier ran over from a distance.

“Deputy General, someone is looking for you!”

Anyu immediately became serious, no longer the adorable person she was in front of Xie Wan. She asked, “Who is looking for me?”

“The messenger said it’s a girl from the cloth shop in Jinghe city. She said her surname is Li and that the Deputy General saved her on the day of the Winter Flower Fest, so she came specifically to thank you. She’s waiting at the camp entrance now.”

Recently, many people came to thank the Northern Army knowing they were returning to the capital. But someone specifically asking for their Deputy General was the first.

Xie Anyu: “Oh… it’s Miss Li. I understand, I’ll go over right away.”

Since she wasn’t busy at the moment, she might as well go and see.

“Official, shall I go take a look?” Anyu turned back and blinked at Xie Wan, waiting for me here?

Xie Wan smiled. “I’ll go too.”

Anyu: ?

“Let’s go together,” Xie Wan smiled. “This official hasn’t really taken a close look at the entrance of this Northern Army camp.”

Anyu heard it. Although Her Majesty was smiling, her tone was unquestionable, clearly indicating she was going.

But Anyu was puzzled. Look at the camp entrance? Was there anything interesting to see?