After Rebirth, My Wife Turned Out to Be Myself - Chapter 65

Perhaps Chu Tang’s trip out of the palace to see Anyu this time served as a catalyst, successfully allowing Anyu to voice her curiosity.

What was the previous life like, how did Xie Wan become the Regent King, what would happen in the future, and so on.

She looked at Xie Wan with eager eyes, like a child wanting a bedtime story.

Perhaps that look softened Xie Wan’s heart. Xie Wan rubbed the back of her neck, slightly tired from reading, and led Anyu to sit on the bed.

Winter had already arrived in the capital.

“In exchange, you’ll warm the bed for me, and I’ll tell you a story.”

Anyu readily agreed, “I’m already Your Majesty’s little hot water bottle!”

Her body was burning hot, perfect for warming!

Xie Wan chuckled.

The two of them lay down on the bed together.

Warming the bed like this… had happened in Jinghe and on the way back to the capital. Neither of them thought much of it. Anyu skillfully burrowed into Xie Wan’s embrace, her large eyes wide, ready to listen to her story.

As the night deepened, Xie Wan raised a hand to pull up the covers, tucked in the corners, and looked at the bundle in her arms, smiling faintly.

Then, she began to speak slowly.

It went without saying that Xie Wan before the age of sixteen had the same experiences as Anyu. Everything started from entering the palace…

Xie Wan stayed in the palace for quite a long time.

She couldn’t leave the palace, much less return to the Xie family whenever she wanted like Anyu could now. Although she wasn’t favored by Emperor Ruiming, Chu Long ultimately didn’t dare to do anything to her.

Apart from some minor friction in the palace on a daily basis, Xie Wan, the Xie family, and the Emperor maintained a delicate balance.

The lonely and peaceful days wore away her sharp edges. The lively and outgoing legitimate daughter of General Xie gradually took on the appearance of Lady Consort Wan. Her eyes became calm. In those years, she didn’t neglect her martial arts training and sought many opportunities to read more books and learn more knowledge.

Occasionally meeting members of the Xie family at palace banquets, they hardly dared to recognize her, feeling both heartache and helplessness.

Listening to her speak of these things, Anyu felt a sense of daze.

It seemed as if the things Xie Wan spoke of were vividly presented in her mind like a series of images.

Anyu thought to herself, if she were in Her Majesty’s position back then, she would very likely have made the same choices.

If the Emperor Ruiming she met when she entered the palace last year had been Chu Long, she probably would have indeed walked this path. Because of a moment of impulse, she had cracked Chu Long’s head open, making her avoid her like the plague, yet having to treat her with respect because of the Xie family behind her.

Xie Wan continued speaking.

Although her Wanyi Palace was quiet, the inner palace was full of turmoil.

Xu Shengwen, who had also entered the palace, didn’t bother with her, a consort who held a title but wasn’t favored. Instead, he targeted Song Nanfeng, who had a prominent background and good looks.

The two fought fiercely. In the end, Song Nanfeng lost, and Xu Shengwen was almost made Empress. Perhaps it was just a matter of having a child. If Chu Long had become pregnant then, Xu Shengwen would definitely have been made Empress.

“As I recall, the Xu family originally didn’t plan to force their way into the palace and rebel,” Xie Wan reminisced. “At that time, the Xu family was at its peak, and Xu Shengwen was the most favored. Once Chu Long became pregnant and Xu Shengwen was made male Empress, the legitimate son Chu Long gave birth to would be the Crown Prince. This Crown Prince would also have the Xu family’s bloodline, so why would they bother forcing their way into the palace?”

Before, she had only thought the Xu family was greedy, but now, thinking back, there were many suspicious points.

“Could it be because Emperor Ruiming was too weak to get pregnant? That’s what pushed the Xu family?” Anyu guessed.

“Exactly,” Xie Wan smiled faintly. “That was the problem. Why was Emperor Ruiming, who had been pampered in the palace for so many years, still so weak? There were the best physicians here, and she lacked nothing in terms of food and clothing. Why did her health get worse and worse? Chu Long didn’t have any fatal old illnesses. And precisely… her condition suddenly worsened in the few years when Xu Shengwen was most favored.”

Anyu tilted her head, “Does Your Majesty mean that Emperor Ruiming’s sudden decline wasn’t due to weakness, but external factors?”

“Someone didn’t want Emperor Ruiming to have a child. Because if Emperor Ruiming had an heir, the throne wouldn’t fall to another family.”

Anyu understood the meaning behind her words and suddenly thought of something, her heart tightening, “It was Chu Tang…”

If Emperor Ruiming died without leaving any bloodline, the throne could only be inherited by Chu Tang.

Xie Wan chuckled softly.

It wasn’t impossible. Although Chu Tang was young at the time, he had Grand Consort Qin as his mother. Emperor Ruiming had lost her parents early, so Grand Consort Qin had taken good care of her. As the only remaining Grand Consort in the palace, she was even respected by the Emperor as half a mother, her status no different from that of an Empress Dowager.

If she wanted to pull some strings, it would indeed be hard to guard against.

“If my guess is correct, the existence of Xu Shengwen and the issue of an heir undoubtedly pushed Grand Consort Qin and her son to the brink. So Emperor Ruiming fell seriously ill, and this serious illness also pushed the Xu family to the brink.”

If Emperor Ruiming died just like that, the Xu family’s efforts would be in vain. So the Xu family also made their move.

Subsequently, the Xu family attempted to seize the palace.

But they miscalculated the Xie family, who, despite being forced to marry their daughter to the Emperor, remained loyal to the Da Yue imperial family.

The Xu family’s attempt to seize the palace failed.

Xie Wan led the Xie family army to purge the emperor’s side and personally helped Chu Tang ascend the throne.

“If my guess is correct, then I inadvertently became an aid to Grand Consort Qin and her son back then.”

“Your Majesty and the Xie family did nothing wrong,” Anyu said at this point. “Chu Long… wasn’t a good emperor. This action, while benefiting Chu Tang, also saved Da Yue.”

Xie Wan looked at the little Anyu who was trying hard to comfort her and couldn’t help but stroke the back of her head, “I don’t regret it.”

Calling her an accomplice to evil wasn’t entirely accurate either. Chu Tang did prove to be a capable ruler after ascending the throne.

“In the previous life, I could have been the Emperor. I just didn’t want to be.”

She had executed the treacherous officials and quelled the rebellions in neighboring countries. Even in terms of popular support, she believed she was no less than someone with the Chu family bloodline.

Anyu cast a puzzled look.

Why didn’t she want to be? She was clearly a wise ruler.

“When the neighboring countries invaded, the bandits in Lingbei hadn’t been suppressed yet. Da Yue was engulfed in war everywhere. By the end… only my eldest cousin was left from my uncle’s family, and only Yuntao was left from my younger aunt’s family.” Anyu heard a slight tremor in her voice, an emotion that shouldn’t have been present in Xie Wan. “Father was also gone.”

After hearing this, Anyu’s breath hitched.

Her uncle’s family had originally followed her father into battle. Her second cousin also joined the army. Dying on the battlefield was considered a fitting end for soldiers. But her younger aunt and uncle were considered outside the military system.

Her gentle and dignified younger aunt had not escaped the disaster either.

Father… was also gone.

“I was too tired. That position was too far from everyone, and too lonely,” Xie Wan sighed deeply. “If I became Emperor, I would truly be alone.”

When she was reborn and found herself in Chu Long’s body, Xie Wan also felt that fate was playing tricks on her.

It was as if heaven insisted she become Emperor.

After some hesitation, she ultimately took on the task.

She only hoped to achieve success and retire early.

Who knew… she would meet little Anyu.

That was probably the feeling of a sudden light shining on you after getting used to the darkness. Xie Wan thought about it carefully and felt it was exactly like that.

Just like now, in this cold winter day, the little warm stove nestled in her arms instantly warmed her heart and dispelled that deep weariness.

“Your Majesty… I will stay with you,” Anyu hugged her waist, her voice firm. “If Your Majesty doesn’t want to be Emperor anymore, Anyu will accompany Your Majesty to see the world outside. Living like a free cloud and wild crane is also very good.”

“No,” Xie Wan shook her head.

Anyu looked up, puzzled.

“This time, the throne cannot be given away,” Xie Wan kissed her hair. “If Chu Tang wasn’t the Chu Tang of the previous life, it wouldn’t matter if I gave him this position. But if Chu Tang knows something, I cannot give it to him.”

She knew Chu Tang somewhat.

He would stop at nothing for what he wanted. If Chu Tang truly liked Anyu, he wouldn’t give up willingly.

And the reborn Xie Wan had no other desires, only this one in her arms, whom she would never yield.

Anyu clearly hadn’t thought of so much. She nodded and said, “That’s true. If Chu Tang knew all that, he would try to harm Your Majesty again. Then… we can’t tolerate him.”

Anyu frowned.

She didn’t care who wanted to harm Emperor Ruiming, but the person currently in Emperor Ruiming’s body was her Majesty.

“It’s fine. Grand Consort Qin is ultimately just a woman in the palace. She has no military power. Even if she secretly keeps some people, they pose no threat to me.”

She wasn’t that Chu Long.

“Does Your Majesty have a lead?”

“Mm.”

Xie Wan then proceeded to tell Anyu the information she had gathered in the past few days.

The secret guards reported that yesterday, the Grand Consort had also summoned Imperial Physician Su from the Imperial Academy of Medicine on the pretext of a headache and fever.

And this Imperial Physician Su was a figure who had to be mentioned.

There weren’t too many or too few imperial physicians in the Imperial Academy of Medicine. But among those with seniority who were also female, there was only this Imperial Physician Su.

Imperial Physician Su was now over forty. She had been working in the Imperial Academy of Medicine since the late Emperor’s time, specifically responsible for treating the consorts in the inner palace. Any lady who had a headache or fever would seek her out.

Later, when Chu Long ascended the throne, since she herself was a woman, it was convenient to use Imperial Physician Su. Gradually, this Imperial Physician Su no longer attended to the consorts in the inner palace but became the chief imperial physician attending the Emperor.

She was still investigating the relationship between Grand Consort Qin and this Imperial Physician Su, but she figured it was inseparable from this person.

“I remember her,” Anyu had often gone to the Imperial Academy of Medicine to inquire about Her Majesty’s health for a period of time. After thinking carefully, she frowned, “This Imperial Physician Su also seemed to appear before me often. She seemed to want to befriend me, but at that time, I only cared about Her Majesty’s health, so I didn’t say much else.”

Thinking about it now, could it have been at Grand Consort Qin’s instruction?

“They couldn’t have been trying to use me to harm Your Majesty…” Anyu’s eyes widened after realizing this, then she patted her chest, “Good thing I didn’t fall for it.”

Seeing her like this made Xie Wan laugh, “Perhaps they thought about winning you over. You are a woman, and it wouldn’t matter if I favored you, since we couldn’t have children anyway. However, she probably wouldn’t dare to let others handle the matter of poisoning me. There are many incompatible medicinal properties in this world. By simply controlling the dosage slightly, my body could be made weaker day by day.”

Thinking about it now, when she first arrived, the calming incense burning everywhere in the bedroom and study, and the medicinal soups for conditioning her body day after day…

Individually, they indeed seemed fine.

But what effect they had when combined was hard to say.

“It’s late. The story ends here. It’s time to rest,” Xie Wan held her tighter. “Stay in the palace tonight and go back tomorrow morning.”

Anyu was still eager to hear more. She wanted to know about Her Majesty’s experiences in the previous life and liked the way she was now, strategizing and trapping those people step by step like turtles in a jar.

But she saw the fatigue on her face, and Anyu’s heart ached, “Okay, let’s sleep.”

Xie Wan smiled and kissed her forehead, “Sweet dreams.”

“You too, Your Majesty.”