The Emperor's Phoenix

Chapter 42 | His Comfort

"...I woke up to the commotion earlier and was looking for you," she justified with a hesitant expression, "...but what I didn't expect was to see Ji Li..Clearly, I wasn't able to control myself."

Although, it may have been better that she was at the scene first instead of me...

With her hands slightly trembling in nervousness, she gingerly lifted the sleeping bundle into her arms.

...A boy. Although he's early, his body still appears to be quite strong...

"He looks a lot like you," Ying Yue pointed out, her eyes narrowing in an expression of warmth and slight yearning.

That motherly expression...It suits her.

"...It's a shame that Ji Li is his mother," he muttered to himself.

"You won't...do the same to him as you did to Ji Li, correct?" Ying Yue questioned, already sure of his reasonable answer.

"Of course not." Zhang Wei gently wiped the blood away from the cut on his son's face as the child turned his face away. "...He has only been brought into the world."

The two slightly flinched as he suddenly let out a wail to fill the room, his scream powerful enough to move the seas, to lead men into the heat of battle--to rule over the nations as heir to the throne. Zhang Wei glanced at his wife once again in such fondness, her eyes widening as the young boy latched onto her finger with a tiny hand.

At the sight of this endearing scene before him, Zhang Wei was certain that Ying Yue would be the mother his son deserved.

"Ju Long...What do you think about that name?" she questioned, glancing up at her husband with such warmth.

········༻ ♚ ༺········

"Call me if you need anything," Ming Yu reassured his friend upon leaving Ying Yue's room. "I...told her everything, so for now, just...Stay with her."

"...Of course." Zhang Wei gave a grim nod in response as he entered the room, staring at his wife pointedly as she raised an eyebrow.

"Is this necessary?" She attempted to put on an annoyed expression yet failed, Zhang Wei sensing the underlying despair under her mask.

"I have to make sure you're fully recovered, wife." Zhang Wei sat on the bed next to her with a stern look.

"I'm sure you have seen that I already am," she countered with a scoff, "Anyway, I'm rather surprised that you easily agreed to let Feng Mian look after Ju Long for the time-being."

"I need some private time with you, after all." Zhang Wei let out a nervous cough, wincing at the seriousness of the topic of conversation. "Ying Yue...You heard from Ming Yu...?"

We need to address it. I can tell that she's trying to hide her emotions...

She looked away from him darkly. "...Yes."

He grew even more nervous at her long period of silence, cursing himself out for immediately bringing the topic of her condition up.

Zhang Wei cleared his throat. "I...suppose I'll go get you more medicine--"

Rising to his feet, he suddenly stiffened in shock as her arms wrapped around his waist. She leaned her head against his back, her words coming out in low mutters. "...Don't leave yet, husband."

He placed his hands over hers in comfort, encouraging her to release the pent-up negative emotions. Rather than words, however, her body suddenly trembled with the sudden onslaught of tears.

"What matters is that we're alive..." Her voice shook. "...but is it wrong of me to be so selfish...?"

Zhang Wei turned around, bringing her head to his chest as he continued listening. "Ying Yue--"

"No. Don't look at me--at least when I'm like this..." Her tears continued to wet the front of his robes as she let out a self-deprecating laugh. "...My time is limited now. My body is not as strong as it was before that I...can no longer bear your child no matter how much I want to. The Blood Realm will die with me as it was supposed to long ago."

He slowly stroked her hair in a reassuring manner as his eyebrows furrowed in pain.

"Perhaps...This is my punishment."

His eyes widened. "No, don't say that--!"

"...But it partially holds the truth, does it not?...Perhaps it's time that my actions catch up to me--that I face the consequences for fighting fire with fire."

"Ying Yue," his voice shuddered with the weight of his pain, "Look at me. Please--"

"...I'm sorry. My emotions are getting out of hand that I..." Her grip on his robes tightened. "It's just that...Life is always uncertain, but the only certain event will always be death--except that we don't know exactly when. Time passes by so quickly that we don't appreciate something at its fullest value until it's gone."

"Then why...? Why should we just stand by and let that happen...?"

He could only embrace her even more at these words. Before he knew it, Zhang Wei found that he was also crying from the overwhelming emotions of their situation.

"...I know what you mean, husband. It's best to focus on the present, yet with the reminder of the future--"

"Then don't think about it at all," he growled, having enough of these painful words.

He pressed his lips to hers, giving her no chance for further protests.

"Zhang-Zhang Wei--" Pushing her back to the bed, he passionately kissed her once again. "...What are you doing--?"

"Showing you..." Zhang Wei pressed her down with a pleading look. "...How we should stop wallowing in our regrets of the past and stop worrying about the future."

"You..."

"Do you not even have a sliver of hope?" he questioned with a growl, "We can't change what has happened or what will happen. So why bother having regrets even now? It's up to us to appreciate the present now--so that we won't have regrets later on."

Ying Yue's tears gradually ceased at his words, her eyes widening in understanding as she suddenly covered her face with a hand.

"...Everyone will stand by you, wife..." his tone was much softer now, "I will stand by you just as you have done for me before."

"Zhang Wei..." She pulled him down as her lips twitched into a slight smile. Wiping her tears away, more only came. However, he was more at ease knowing that these tears were different compared to the ones from before. "Truly...Thank you..."

"You are my only empress, Ying Yue..." He tenderly held her to his chest as she calmed down within his arms. "...You are the woman I love."

········༻ ✦ ༺········

Last chapter is next (I actually somewhat cried writing the original draft so I toned down the feels :') )

-Y.P.