Side Story 1: Thousands of Possibilties – Crazy Couple (Part 1)
The matter of Shen Miao waking up almost shocked the entire court.
A person who slept on every day and no matter how another saw her, there was no way one would wake up. When no one any any hope, who knew that it was at this time when Xie Jing Xing brought the two babies out, Shen Miao would wake up by herself. When both of them returned to the Palace, they almost shocked everyone till their teeth fall off.
Shen Xin and wife came out with Shen Qiu and when they saw that Shen Miao was standing perfectly fine in front of them, Luo Xue Yan immediately started bawling. Shen Xin and Shen Qiu stood there blankly for a long time. Even though they did not express themselves like Luo Xue Yan, their eyes could not help but become red.
Luo Tan reached out to touch Shen Miao’s hair, “Is this real? Is my eyes alright?” Gao Yang, pinch me and see if this real or not?”
Gao Yang was not there as he was rushing to invite Gao Zhan over.
After Gao Zhan arrived, he took Shen Miao pulsed and clicked his tongue in wonder, “Her Ladyship the Empress’s pulse is stable. Everything is alright.”
Everyone released a long sigh of relief.
The Shen family arrived at Great Liang shortly after Xie Jing Xing was enthroned and was unable to accept after they came to know that Shen Miao was in a coma. They insisted on bringing Shen Miao around the lands to look for reknown doctors and thinking that it was not possible for Xie Jing Xing to let a sleeping person become an Empress and even though if one was the Empress, in the future, one’s heart would change easily and retained an entire Inner Palace of women, Shen Xin was firm in bringing Shen Miao away.
However Xie Jing Xing was not willing and even knelt down to beg Shen Xin. At the end, he even used Mo Yun Army to threathen and almost went to battle with Shen Xin’s troops.
It was Luo Tan and Luo Xue Yan that came to persuade and even mentioned Chu Yi and Shi Wu. Shen Xie had no other choice but he was afraid that others would create trouble for Shen Miao and made Shen Miao suffer greviences. Thus he handed over the Shen family army and the Luo family army to Luo Ling and stationed his family in the Palace permanently. It was so that it was easier to watch over Shen Miao to avoid any accidents.
This was actually a violation of the rules and regulation but Xie Jing Xing was happy about it as it was good that there were people chatting and accompanying Shen Miao. For this half a year, the Shen family also personally witnessed Xie Jing Xing treating Shen Miao wholeheartedly, just like in the past, and their hearts gradually settled down.
Speaking of these things, Shen Miao had mixed feelings. She had not thought that upon waking up, she was able to see her loved ones. Seeing everyone well and peaceful was a blessing that she dared not wished for.
“SaoSao.” Ji Yu Shu said, “Now that you are awake, those officials would not dared to talk nonsense. You do not know that for the past half a year, the officials of Long Ye had been played by Imperial Older Biao Brother badly.”
Xie Jing Xing took a glance at him, “Talk too much.”
Ji Yu Zhu quickly coughed. After Shen Miao fell into deep sleep, Xie Jing Xing had no patience with anyone other than the Shen family, Chu Yi and Shi Wu, much less verbally sparing with others. His sinister approach to matters, however, was a higher level thus one dared not provoke him.
“Return after finishing your questions.” Xie Jing Xing looked coldly at the talking crowd. “The skies are dark so don’t disturb Zhen’s Empress’s rest.”
He emphasized the words ‘Zhen’s Empress’ heavily.”
When Shen QIu saw it, he wanted to roll up his sleeves and fight with Xie Jing Xing. In the past six months, both of them would exchange pointers behind the scenes. It was said to be exchanging of pointers but it was in actually showing their dissatisfaction with one another. Shen Qiu’s heart was filled with unhappiness that Shen Miao fell into a coma because of Xie Jing Xing and moreoever he was not in good terms with Xie Jing Xing in the beginning. Xie Jing Xing did not like Shen Qiu being nosy. There was no need for outsiders to manage his wife. Even her Eldest Brother could not do it.
Now seeing that Xie Jing Xing using his sovereignty upon Shen Miao’s return, Shen Qiu’s heart did not feel good.
However Luo Xue Yan spoke, “It is correct. Qiao Qiao just woke up but we asked so many questions, thus she would be inevitably dizzy. It is better to let her rest for a while. Anyways there is still a lot of time in the future and we can speak slowly.”
Shen Miao actually wanted to listen to the matters of the past six months that everyone spoke about but after thinking about it, she also agreed. It would not be clear for everything to be said at once and it was better to speak slowly since there was time.
After everyone dispersed, Shen Miao returned to the sleeping chambers.
She went to wash up first. Jing Zhe and the few of them were waiting on her as she bathed and as they were serving, their tears rolled down, “Fu… Your Ladyship is finally awake. These servants had previously thought that it would be great is one was able to wait upon Your Ladyship for one more bath. One did not know if Heavens would be willing to give this one more chance. One had not thought that Heavens is virtuous enough and gave these servants a chance… Your Ladyship, in the future these servants would serve you like this everyday…”
She had not knowd that just bathing once, these maids would be weaping and making her esperated. She then had to coax these maids with soft words instead. She knew deep in her heart that her half year of sleep had most likely scared these maids badly.
After wiping her body and wrining her hair dry, Shen Miao put on the clothes and walked out and also instructed the nanny to carry Chu Yi and Shi Wu in. Both children were carried onto the bed and because they were often carried by Xie Jing Xing to Shen Miao previously, both children were no stranger to her scent even though Shen Miao had not woken up before. They smiled as they looked at her and curiously extended their small hands to play with her hair.
Shen Miao’s entire heart was almost filled up with the two children. She reached her fingers out to tease the children. As they were twins and they were equally lively, the nannies would not be able to tell them apart normally, thus they put on different clothes for them. Chu Yi wore blue clothes while Shi Wu wore red clothes.
Chu Yi grapped onto Shen Miao’s finger and laughed.
Shen Miao also started laughing.
When Xie Jing Xing came back in, he saw Shen Miao lying on the bed with the two little fellows with all smiles.
He walked over and poke fun, “Have become silly after sleeping for half a year? Smile so silly.”
“I am looking at my sons.” Shen Miao rolled her eyes at him, “What does it got to do with you?”
“That is also my sons.” Xie Jing Xing raised his brows, “Without me, how would you give birth?”
Shen Miao could not be bothered with him and played with Chu Yi and Shi Wu happily. Xie Jing Xing took off his outer robes before walking over and reached his hands out to embrace her, “There are nothing good to look at these two silly little fools.”
“You have not given them names? The names, Chu Yi and Shi Wu, are just too casual.” Shen Miao complained, “You just named them randomly?”
“Who said that I named them randomly?” Xie Jing Xing said, “One wait for you to wake up and name them.”
“You are not afraid that I would not wake up?”
Xie Jing Xing said lazily, “Then they would be called Xie Chu Yi and Xie Shi Wu.”
Shen Miao, “…”
One did not know if the two little fellows on the bed understood Xie Jing Xing’s words as they started calling out ‘Ya Ya’ sounds.
Shen Miao quickly reached out to coax them but Xie Jing Xing pulled her arms back to his embrace, “After not seeing for half a year, you don’t miss me at all? This is so cold.”
After a moment of silence, Shen Miao suddenly turned around and shook herself out from Xie Jing Xing’s embrace. She crossed her arms around her chest and stared at Xie Jing Xing with a smile but not a smile.
Xie Jing Xing suddenly felt his back going a little numb.
She said, “Little Xie Marquis, do you know what you did?”
Xie Jing Xing was unable to make heads or tails of it, “What did one do?”
Shen Miao smiled coldly.
*****
Summer was good as butterflies were playing and bees were flying around. There were birds chirping everywhere and the pedestrians filled the streets as gorses gallop by. The stalls owner were shouting out their wares from the East to the West of the city, making the entire atmosphere bustling.
Shen Miao was wearing a yellow long-sleeved robes and her hair was up in a hundred knots. The robes were brightly coloured and with the addition of a complicated hairstyle, it looked disorderly. Including her gold and silver jewelry and heavy makeup, it looked was exceptionally… Stupid.
The people around took a glance and also put on a look of one watching a joke.
Shen Miao’s gaze was somewhat bleak.
She was clearly in the Imperial Palace of Great Liang a moment ago and was in th brink of death, thus she thought that she had died. However at the next moment, she was at this lively street.
She was not a stranger to this street. This was in Ming Qi’s Ding capital.
What was going on? From Long Ye to Ding capital, one would not be able to arrive at a blink of an eye. Could it be that she was dreaming?
But Shen Miao did not think it was. Jing Zhe and Gu Yu was following behind and both of them as usual, had looks of being careful. Shen Miao looked at her clothes… It seemed that she had return back to a long time ago. Long enough that… She had just started to fall in love with Fu Xiu Yi?
Could it be that because of the rebirth, this was a dream? Which was then reality? Which was the dream?
Shen Miao felt her head hurt and she reached her hand out to hold her forehead. Gu Yu jumped in shock when she saw it, “Is Young Lady not feeling well anywhere?”
Shen Miao shook her head and was about to speak when she saw a familiar person on the corder of the streets. That person was dressed in rags and there was a horsetail whisk in his hand as he shook his head and one did not know what he was mumbling about. However Shen Miao’s eyes brighten up and ran over to that person without caring to speak more.
Jing Zhe and Gu Yu was unable to stop her and could only follow as Shen Miao walked to that person.
“Chi Yan Taoist Priest!” Shen Miao shouted.
That strange Taoist priest turned over and was in all smiles. It was indeed Chi Yan Taoist Priest.
When Chi Yan Taoist Priest saw her, he had a look of surprise, “Furen, why are you here?”
Shen Miao noticed that he called her ‘Furen’ and not ‘Young Lady’.
Jing Zhe said angrily, “Who are you calling Furen? Don’t anyhow call. Our Young Lady is not married yet!”
Shen Miao stopped Jing Zhe’s words and said to Chi Yan Taoist Priest, “Taoist Priest, let’s step aside to talk.”
“Young Lady!” Jing Zhe and Gu Yu became so anxious.
Shen Miao’s brows became firm, “Listen to me!”
She was so fierce that both maids were startled and dared not speak..
Shen Miao and Chi Yan walked to another part of the temple ruins while Jing Zhe and Gu Yu guarded outside. Shen Miao looked at Chi Yan Taoist Priest and hesitated for a little before finally asking, “Taoist Priest knows me?”
“One has three encounters with Furen.” The Taoist Priest showed three with his fingers.
Once in the past lifetime, twice during the rebirth. It was three times. Shen Miao hurriedly asked, “Taoist Priest, do you know what is going on? Why am I here?”
She was clearly losing her life so without any rhyme and reason, why would she return to Ming Qi’s Ding capital, to the very beginning? Could it be everything with Xie Jing Xing and everything that happened in Great Liang, like giving birth, were just like a illusion of wealth? If it was a dream, then it felt too real.
“Furen’s lifeline is very strange.” The Taoist Priest said, “Even though there is an opportunity of rebirth, one’s fate is disturbed and one’s life is robbed. Now this is the last hurdle to cross. This has nothing to do with other and Furen can only depend on oneself.”
Shen Miao frowned, “What is the meaning of Taoist Priest’s words?”
“In the previous lifetime, someone request an opportunity of rebirth for you but in the ten of thousands of possibilities, you might be able able to know and fall in love with the people you do in the rebirth lifetime and might also know and fall in love with others. Furen, you have two choices.”
Shen Miao clenched her fist, “What choices?”
“Currently Furen’s ‘body’ is most likely in coma. You can choose to stay in this dream and search for another possibility, thus from now onwards, everything would be redone and one could chose another life. However that ‘body’ would forever sleep and not wake.”
“And the other possibility is?” Shen Miao asked.
“You can look for that male in your life and let that male in this dream believe in you and bring him back to Great Liang and to the Imperial Palace of Great Liang. From the moment one step into Great Liang’s Imperial Palace, your ‘body’ would wake up.”
Shen Miao was startled.
“But this is very difficult.” The Taoist Priest stroked his beard, “Now to this male, you are a stranger. It is very difficult for you to convince him to go with you to Great Liang.”
Shen Miao’s head hurt, “This is just not possible.”
With Xie Jing Xing’s personality, his acuteness and suspicions, he would not believe others easily. Even the Shen Miao after rebirth was in a stalemate with Xie Jing Xing for a long time. Currently… Shen Miao looked at her current appearance. It would be strange if Xie Jing Xing believed her.
“Furen, speaking of that.” The Taoist Priest spoke, “Furen naturally can remain in this dream. There is no different in this dream and reality. Furen can live one’s life here and restart, making things easier. If one were to choose the second choice, it would be very difficult.”
Shen Miao lowered her head and asked after a moment, “Does Taoist Priest still have red strings? How about giving me two?”
Chi Yan paused and sized Shen Miao up like he did not know her before suddenly smiling, “Furen still want to choose that route?”
“I can live like this. It is also good like this.” Shen Miao smiled gently, “But even if there were ten of thousands of possibilities, I am not willing to let him feel sad in even one due to me. I will go and get acquainted with him first.”
“If the mountain doesn’t come to me then I will go to the mountain. The predestined fate that Taoist Priest bestow to me, when it disappears, I will look for it myself.” She said.
Chi Yan said, “What a emotional fool! In this case, this poor priest would bestow you a way out!” He found two red strings from his clthes, “Furen, one wish you all the best.”
Shen Miao bowed and turned around to leave.
Translator unrelated comment: I am playing this game “Call Me Emperor” during my journey to work and noticed that there is one player with the nickname of XieJingXing playing in another server!!! A shoutout to him/her!!!