Chapter 55.2 – Loving and Protecting

They weren’t as pleasing as that cruel woman to look at, and they weren’t as sincere to him as she was.

He felt that even her barefaced appearance was much more pleasing to the eye than these women with their makeup on.

The selection continued on until late afternoon yet Mu Huai had eliminated over a hundred names. Dowager Consort De secretly sighed. This current emperor’s taste seems to be a little too picky. She had a good impress of a couple of girls that were all outstanding.

Still, she spoke warmly to Mu Huai, “If Emperor does not like the girls from today, then have the Palace Department hold another selection in a few days. Bengong will also help Emperor choose a few outstanding and suitable candidates.”

Mu Huai frowned and answered, “En, then I’ll trouble Dowager Consort De.”

That night, dragging his exhausted body back to his resting quarters, he dreamed of Rong Xi again. His dream was very realistic, not like the ones before where it was blurry.

In the dream, Rong Xi had concealed her looks and there was a mole on her face that he found cute. Rong Xi was wearing her palace maid uniform as she looked at him with a forlorn expression, calling him.

Mu Huai wanted to walk towards her but when he tried to, he discovered that he couldn’t move no matter how much he tried.

He was a little angry so he ordered the woman in the dream, “Come here.”

Rong Xi’s eyes were red and she didn’t answer him. Mu Huai lowered his voice and called out her name, “Xi’er, come here please, I want to hold you.

In the dream, he didn’t call himself zhen because during the time he was with Rong Xi, he was still just an imperial prince.

Rong Xi didn’t move, just looking at him with her reddened eyes. Her voice was as soft and sweet as before, but her tone was desolate.

She asked him, “Didn’t Your Highness want to forget about this slave, didn’t you want to take in another woman? You’ve already held a selection, so why are you looking for this slave?”

Mu Huai slowly clenched his fist. How could he not know that the woman in this dream was fake, but it was a rare opportunity to see her in his dreams, how could he let her walk away like this?

He walked towards Rong Xi a few steps. However, this strange dream had Rong Xi moving like a ghost as she widened the distance between them. Mu Huai stopped walking and finally admitted that no matter how he moved, he would be unable to get closer to her.

His deep voice was solemn as he promised her, “I won’t have any other woman…today’s selection was originally so that I could forget you but I can’t…I don’t want anyone else, just you. Rong Xi, can you come back? After you come back, I definitely won’t treat you like before, I will definitely treat you very well. Whatever you want, I can give it all to you, as long as you can come back…”

The dream Rong Xi just let out a cold laugh as she used her sweet voice to speak cruel words to him, “…Your Highness, this slave had followed the child this slave had with you down to the afterlife long ago. I’m already part of the afterworld, how could I return to your side? The present me is all your hallucination. This slave advises Your Highness to forget about this slave sooner. Pick an outstanding noble young lady as your concubine and forget about this slave.”

When she finished, Rong Xi’s silhouette began to slowly disappear.

Mu Huai panicked. He was finally able to walk towards her but when he drew near, she had already become a wisp of smoke. A ball of smoke that he couldn’t even hold onto.

Mu Huai let out a self-mocking laugh, one that was a little wretched. What a cruel woman, do you really think that zhen can’t forget you?

The next morning, after he woke up, he summoned Cheng Song with a darkened face.

Cheng Song asked, “Your Highness…is there something you summoned this subject for?”

Mu Huai closed his eyes and massaged his brows. After a beat, he finally spoke to Cheng Song in a calm voice, “Cancel the selection. Zhen currently is not in the mood to choose a concubine.”

Cheng Song was stunned but in the end, he respectfully obeyed.

For the next decade or so, he had never held a selection.

His thoughts ended here.

The woman beside him was still living peacefully, but she was crying as he watched her. Mu Huai didn’t want for this fragile and delicate woman to undergo the same type of bitterness that he went through in his past life. He wiped away her tears and rubbed her back, then solemnly promised her, “I promise you, I will never leave you alone in this world. I will definitely safely accompany you and our child.”

Hearing him say such words, Rong Xi felt that the stone in her heart had finally dropped. She also gave him a promise in return, “This concubine will definitely take good care of Husband, will definitely nurture Husband to live to a hundred yars.”

Hearing her boastful words, Mu Huai felt a little helpless but went along with her, “Alright, I believe you. My Xi’er has worked hard for today, let’s go to sleep earlier.”

His tone was just as if he was coaxing a small child but it was very effective on Rong Xi. She hooked her arms around his neck and nodded furiously. Mu Huai knew that she had been exhausted after the day’s events. Although today was their wedding night, he didn’t have the urge to have sex as usual.

After covering her with the blanket, Mu Huai was about to close his eyes and go to sleep when he suddenly heard her say, “Husband…this concubine wants you to hug me to sleep.”

Mu Huai still had his eyes closed as he said, “So fussy.”

Even so, he wrapped his arm around her and hugged her from the back. After he pulled her into his embrace, he kissed the top of her head, “Satisfied now? Close your eyes and hurry up and sleep.”

Rong Xi happily closed her eyes. However, a moment later she opened them again. She was still a little worried over what happened during the day and asked, “About that golden eagle, did Husband find out anything about it? This concubine keeps feeling that there’s someone whose trying to harm Husband on purpose.”

Mu Huai didn’t open his eyes. Naturally, he had already found out who did it.

It was their wedding night and he didn’t want her to be unhappy because of this. He was also afraid that she would overthink it because of her younger brother. Thus, he said indifferently, “Still investigating.”

Rong Xi nodded and replied, “Then after Husband finds out, you must definitely tell this concubine.”

Mu Huai answered, “Alright.”

What happened today had reignited his desire to kill Tuoba Yu.

There were still about 2-3 months before Rong Xi was due to give birth. It was a crucial time period for her and she could not handle anything shocking. He had to think of a way to make that wolf cub’s death seem like an accident.

That way, it’d be easier to break it to Rong Xi, and he could also give an explanation to Kingdom Gu’s Khan. Before Rong Xi gives birth to the child, he could tell the two parties that Tuoba Yu had mysteriously disappeared and pretend to send people to search for him.

After Rong Xi gives birth, he would tell her that an accident had befallen Tuoba Yu and he had died.

For those that wanted to kill him, he would definitely exact his revenge. He would never show mercy.

–“Husband~”

The woman’s soft voice cut through his thoughts. Mu Huai asked, “En?”

Rong Xi let out a light laugh then she played cute, “Nothing, I just felt that since I married Husband today, this concubine wanted to say ‘husband’ a few more times.”

That’s right, this woman finally became his legitimate wife today.

Mu Huai pressed her roving head down as he gently called out, “Good Xi’er, let’s go to sleep.”

Rong Xi closed her eyes again when she heard him. Under her husband’s love and protection, she slowly entered her sweet dreams.”

This author has something to say: Um, about that, Dog Mu and the wolf cub are both cruel people, super evil. Both want to kill the other, but neither are able to. They originally didn’t see eye to eye, but because the two countries seem to be friendly to each other on the surface while hiding other intentions underneath, both of these are certainly enemies.