Beloved Empress

Jun Qian Che looks at the crowd before solemnly saying, "She is my wife."

Mo Qi Qi laughs awkwardly before promptly giving Jun Qian Che a glare.

Everyone laughs. "We know. You two don’t look like siblings at all. You two look really good together. Very compatible," says a middle-aged lady.

Another person pipes in, "You two must have eloped. That’s why you didn’t tell the truth."

Seeing the villagers completely trusting Jun Qian Che, Mo Qi Qi can only, though reluctantly, admits that they are married. She points at her own face, feigning ignorance, "Is there the word ’elope’ written on our foreheads? How did all of you know?"

Jun Qian Che glares at her unhappily upon seeing that acting skill.

Mo Qi Qi raises her eyebrows at him provokingly, secretly praising herself for being so good at acting.

The villagers are amused by Mo Qi Qi’s words, "No. You two simply look like a pair of husband and wife."

Jun Qian Che is really happy to hear that while Mo Qi Qi secretly curses under her breath: Impossible! How could they possibly look like a pair of husband and wife?

"What are your surnames?" one of the villagers asks.

Mo Qi Qi smiles, "My surname is Mo and his is Jun."

"Mr. Jun, Miss Mo," the villagers respectfully greets them.

"How come your surnames are similar to the two most honourable surnames in our kingdom? Jun is the surname of our Emperor and Mo is the surname of our Empress," says one of the young men.

Mo Qi Qi laughs guiltily, "That is just a coincidence. How can we compare to the noble Emperor and Empress. Who would have thought that you would know what their surnames are."

That young man laughs, "Do not think that we are not updated to the outside world just because we live under a cliff. There is a passage that leads out of this place so we frequently goes to town to buy things. We are pretty updated with what is going on outside."

Mo Qi Qi and Jun Qian Che exchange a look.

"There is a way out?" asks Mo Qi Qi exuberantly.

"Yes! Don’t worry about getting out!"

"This is too good!" smiles Mo Qi Qi brightly.

The middle-aged man in the beginning steps forward again, "Mr. Jun, Miss Mo, I am this village’s head. Welcome to our village. The day is dark, both of you can rest at my home. We have an empty room over there."

"We will have to bother you, then," says Jun Qian Che.

"You are too courteous, Mr. Jun. Please," invites the village’s head friendlily.

They both follow the head to his home. The crowd begins to disperse, returning to their own respective houses.

Upon reaching the village head’s house, they are greeted with a sumptuous meal prepared by the village head’s wife.

The people in this village are really friendly and kind. They are not hostile towards strangers like some villagers ought to be. The views are great too. Although the village is located at the bottom of a cliff, the scenery is heavenly. There are trees and flowers everywhere.

After dinner, they chat with the village head and his wife in the courtyard for a while, before resting early for the night.

The wife leads them to an empty room, "This room belongs to my son and my daughter-in-law. They live in the city and rarely come home, so this room has been empty. I’ve already changed the beddings and the quilts. Rest early."

"Thank you," says Jun Qian Che politely.

The village head’s wife shakes her head, "As long as you don’t mind staying in this room."

"This place is really pretty, we like it very much, how could we possibly mind staying here? Thank you, Auntie!" says Mo Qi Qi happily.

"You are too polite, Miss Mo. Rest early," says the head’s wife before leaving.

Mo Qi Qi looks around happily, "This place is really good. The scenery is beautiful, the air is refreshing, the villagers are friendly, everything is peaceful, I never knew such a place existed!"

Jun Qian Che sits in front of a table calmly, "You like this place?"

Mo Qi Qi nods, "Yes! This place is like a celestial’s dwelling! So surreal! The people are so nice!"

"The villagers here are indeed nice, but you are not suited to this place," says Jun Qian Che, not bothering to be courteous.

Mo Qi Qi looks at him curiously, "Why?"

"The villagers here are honest and kind. You, on the other hand, speaks lies after lies," says him heartlessly.

Mo Qi Qi glares at him angrily, "When did I speak lies after lies? I was only telling a white lie! I didn’t want to risk exposing our identities."

"You lied to them and told them we were siblings. Was it really done to protect our identities? You did not even look guilty when they found out that you were lying," Jun Qian Che is very dissatisfied with that part.

Mo Qi Qi purses her lips, "They wouldn’t have known had you not told them! I told them we were siblings in hope that when they arrange the accomodations, they would consider the restriction between men and women and puts us separately! Now look what happened! We have to share a room and there is only one bed! How are we supposed to sleep?" Her entire stomach is full of grievance and dissatisfaction.

Jun Qian Che gets up and walks towards her.

Mo Qi Qi retreats backwards upon seeing that.

He walks past her and sits at the edge of the bed.

"Your Majesty, where am I going to sleep if you sleep on the bed?" asks Mo Qi Qi.

Jun Qian Che looks at the two mattresses on top of the bed and picks one up, tossing it towards Mo Qi Qi. Then, he points at the floor.

"Why should I be the one to sleep on the floor? How could you bully a woman like this, Your Majesty? You are too ungentlemanly!" she snaps at him angrily.

"Mo Qi Qi, you actually dare to speak to zhen in that manner?" Jun Qian Che’s voice is very icy.

Intimidated, Mo Qi Qi can only relent, albeit unwillingly, "Fine, I will sleep on the floor! You are the honourable and precious His Majesty the Emperor, how could you possibly sleep on the floor?" Mo Qi Qi puts the mattress and the quilt on the floor before lying there.

Jun Qian Che looks at her before lying on the bed, his back against her. His face is pale and his forehead is covered with sweat. He touches his chest; the poison is acting up again.

Mo Qi Qi also turns her back against Jun Qian Che, scolding him with whatever energy she has left, in her heart. Since she is really tired, she falls asleep really quickly, completely oblivious to Jun Qian Che’s suffering.

Jun Qian Che does his best to endure the pain. He does not want Mo Qi Qi to know.

By now, the moon has quietly crept across the sky, sitting prettily above the treetops.

After a while, Jun Qian Che finally manages to restrain the poison. He is left completely tired and weak.

The windows are not closed and cold wind slowly creeps into the room. Jun Qian Che gets up and closes the windows. When he turns back around, his eyes fall on the sleeping Mo Qi Qi.

She is smiling in her sleep, probably dreaming about something really good.

Jun Qian Che stares at her, completely stunned. To tell the truth, she is very beautiful when she is quiet. Her features are exquisite, her skin is smooth. As for her personality, although there are a lot of drawbacks over there, it is also very rare.

She is optimistic, strong, eccentric. So many things have happened today and she is still able to fall asleep like this, that means that her mental strength is really strong. Although her mouth said that she was giving up, she actually managed to persevere. Who would have thought that a rich young miss like her would be able to walk for so many hours with him? That alone is very impressive.

What Jun Qian Che does not know is that this Mo Qi Qi was actually an archaeologist in her past life. Although she was also rich, she was not spoiled. She had to travel very far with her team to search for archeological remains. She had climbed mountains and waded through waters and never once had she been left behind from her team. Sleepless nights were not uncommon and hard work was required to preserve the artifacts.

Jun Qian Che walks towards her and swoops down. He carries her up towards the bed before gently placing her there. He wraps her body with a blanket. Then, he returns to her previous sleeping spot and lies there, facing her. His lips curl up as he quietly stares at her. He slowly falls asleep.

The sun filters through the windows and a well-slept Mo Qi Qi sits up, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She looks around, her head slowly catching up with her current situation, "Right, we are at this village and are sleeping in the village head’s house. Where is Jun Qian Che?" She opens the quilt and sits on the edge of the bed. It is then that she suddenly realizes something. She scratches her head, "Weren’t I sleeping on the floor? Why am I on the bed?"

She tries to remember what happened last night and has no recollection of getting on the bed. "Did Jun Qian Che carry me here?" She quickly checks her clothes and finds nothing off. Lucky the jerk didn’t take advantage of her.

When she imagines the sight of Jun Qian Che carrying her to the bed, her cheeks turn red. She smiles sweetly.

She puts on her shoes and fixes her hair. Since she is not familiar with the way women do their hair in this era, she ties her hair in a simple ponytail.

She hears some voices outside, so she walks to the window only to find Jun Qian Che crouching in front of a four year old boy outside.

The boy is holding a small ball and is currently chatting with Jun Qian Che.

That child is the village head’s grandson. They saw him yesterday during dinner.

This is the first time Mo Qi Qi sees Jun Qian Che with a child. His face is a lot warmer than usual and he is particularly patient as he teaches the boy how to kick the ball. Who would have thought that he would have this side of him?

A peculiar thought suddenly flits through her head: if she really cannot return to her own world, living with him in this world as a pair of normal husband and wife is not too bad. Living idly and watching the days go by, that kind of life ought to be idyllic.

She fervently shakes her head, "What on earth are you thinking about, Mo Qi Qi? You actually wanted that thousand-year old iceberg to be your husband? Have you gone mad? Eww...." She shudders in distaste.

Jun Qian Che walks into the room and finds her talking to herself, "What are you muttering about?"

Mo Qi Qi turns around in shock. Only then does she realized that he has already entered the room. She rolls her eyes in irritation, "People can actually die out of shock, you know."

Jun Qian Che ignores that sentence and simply sits in front of the table, "Come and eat breakfast."

Mo Qi Qi finally realizes that there are actually some dishes on the table. "Why are they here? Did you carry them over?"

"You won’t wake up, I could hardly let the family starve the entire morning away just to wait for you," Jun Qian Che heartlessly admonishes her.

She purses her lips. But still, the thought of him being so considerate makes her a little happy. She eats a bun, "Come and eat with me, Your Majesty."

"I’ve already eaten."

"Oh. I will not be courteous then. You were playing so happily with that child just now. Do you like children, Your Majesty?" asks Mo Qi Qi as she eats.