The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 436
Chapter 436: Supreme Fortune
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The carriage came to a halt outside the palace gates.
The Emperor had renamed his sleeping chambers to Ten-Thousand Longevity Palace, symbolizing great blessings and long life.
A eunuch led the visitors inside.
Not long ago, the old emperor had been hanging onto life by a thread. Now, death loomed ever closer. His sunken eyes and emaciated figure had become grotesquely unrecognizable. The imperial wedding robes draped over him looked absurdly empty.
Anyone who laid eyes upon him could only think of four words:
His end is near.
“Your Majesty, Old Madam Ning and the Princess have arrived.” The eunuch, head bowed, withdrew from the chamber.
Even the act of changing clothes had left the old emperor exhausted, and now he slumped weakly on the dragon throne.
He waved a feeble hand. “Dispense with the formalities.”
“Ning’er, I heard you returned to Peach Source Village?” After a moment’s silence, the old emperor looked at Madam Ning seated below him.
Under the dim light, for a fleeting second, he thought he saw the woman from decades ago—radiant, smiling, breathtaking.
But when he glanced down at the withered skin of his own hands, a bitter smile curled his lips.
“Time spares no one. In the blink of an eye, forty years have passed.”
“Ning’er, is the jujube tree we planted still standing?” He suddenly recalled that moment—it had been just before their wedding.
With his own hands, he had planted a jujube tree before her door.
He had hoped that its branches would one day be heavy with fruit, that they would have children together, that he would grow old with Madam Ning, surrounded by their grandchildren.
Lu Chao Chao fished a handful of red dates from her pocket.
Standing on tiptoes, she placed them on the old emperor’s desk.
“It’s full of red dates now.”
The old emperor stared at the dates in a daze. His cloudy eyes flickered, his fingers trembling as he picked up a few.
There were no words to describe his emotions.
Madam Ning had brought a bundle with her.
“I was an orphan, with no parents to rely on, raised by the kindness of Peach Source Village.”
“When I married, I thought I had found a home. I was filled with hope for the future…”
“I even treasured my wedding gown, keeping it safe.”
She had even hidden it from the great fire that had separated them.
She unwrapped the bundle, revealing a faded, brittle wedding gown. It was wrinkled, worn, and cheap-looking now.
But back then, the old emperor had copied scriptures for three months to exchange for it.
Now, a single meal could buy a hundred wedding gowns.
Yet that one gown—he remembered it vividly.
He recalled the day it was completed, how he had held it and fallen asleep with a smile on his face.
“You never truly acknowledged this marriage. Keeping these things means nothing.”
Before the emperor could react, Madam Ning tore the faded wedding gown in two right before his eyes.
Forty years had passed. The fabric had long lost its strength—it ripped easily, just like the love they once thought unbreakable.
The old emperor’s eyes turned red. Instinctively, he lurched from the dragon throne, reaching out in desperation.
“No!”
He tried to stop her, but Madam Ning had made up her mind. She tore the fabric to the very last thread.
“The marriage contract is destroyed, the wedding gown is gone. From now on, we are severed. No ties remain!”
“And tell me, who is this act for?” Madam Ning mocked him.
“You are already one foot in the grave, yet you still can’t resist ruining young women’s lives.”
The emperor’s face darkened, his hands gripping the desk, gathering the torn pieces of the wedding gown, his eyes bleak and obscure.
His fists clenched tightly.
“Ning’er, marrying the Elf Race was out of necessity. I had no choice.”
“I am not just your husband. I am the ruler of the Southern Kingdom.”
Madam Ning let out a low, mirthless laugh. “I would rather you had been nothing more than a simple farmer.”
“Forget it. Let’s pretend we were never in love.”
“There is no need to ever meet again.”
Xu Shi Yun supported her mother as they walked out of the palace.
Lu Chao Chao trailed behind slowly. Tilting her head, she asked, “Grandpa Emperor, has anyone ever told you that you have an extraordinary fate?”
The old emperor was still holding the torn wedding gown in a daze.
Seeing his youngest granddaughter remain behind, he nodded hoarsely. “When I was born, the Old Priest foretold that my fate was one of a kind, a rarity in a thousand years.”
“So, from the moment of my birth, I was made Crown Prince.”
“He said that throughout my life, noble people would aid me. As long as I followed my heart, repaid my debts, and did not betray others, I would lead the Southern Kingdom to its peak.”
As he spoke, his voice faltered.
He had never wronged anyone.
Except Madam Ning.
Lu Chao Chao nodded. “Then he wasn’t wrong.”
It was frightening how accurate the prophecy had been.
If he had not wronged Madam Ning, if he had remained true to his word after regaining his memories and taken her back to the palace, treating her with the dignity she deserved…
Then he truly would have been unstoppable, rising to absolute power without hindrance.
But alas, one misstep led to another.
As Lu Chao Chao reached the palace doors, she suddenly heard the clear, melodious sound of silver bells.
She looked up.
Bathed in moonlight stood a figure—
Her skin was fair as jade, glowing faintly beneath the silver rays. She moved gracefully, light as drifting willow catkins. Her dark hair cascaded down her back, and her eyes sparkled like the stars, pure and clear, revealing the depths of her soul in a single glance.
Two delicate, pointed elf ears crowned her head.
And behind her…
A pair of wings, thin as cicada wings, shimmered with intricate, mystical patterns outlined in fine specks of light.
“Waaah, so pretty…” Lu Chao Chao gawked, drooling slightly.
A string of silver bells was fastened around the elf’s slender waist, jingling with every step.
She did not bow or salute before the emperor. Instead, she looked upon him with a regal, detached air. “You still haven’t told me—why do you carry the aura of my kin?”
The emperor smiled gently, his voice soothing. “Once we are married tomorrow, I will tell you everything.”
The elf tilted her head. “Our people do not marry mortals.”
“But I am no ordinary mortal. I am the Emperor of the Southern Kingdom, ruler over all.”
“Besides, if you become Empress, wouldn’t it be easier to find the one you seek?”
“I command an army of a hundred thousand, spread across the land. Whoever you are looking for, I will find them—even if I must dig up every inch of the kingdom!”
The emperor spoke with boundless confidence. He sensed the elf’s inexplicable trust in him.
She had mentioned that he carried the aura of her kin.
Yet the emperor had only two days left to live. He had no time to dwell on it—only after their marriage, when their lifespans were linked, could he investigate further.
“Who is it you seek?” The emperor reached to guide her to a seat, but the elf gracefully stepped aside.
“Our King.”
“The Elf King must undergo trials in the mortal world. Once she returns, she will ascend as ruler, and all elves shall welcome her home.”
The emperor’s brow arched. “Elf King? What distinguishes her?”
The elf lifted her chin. “Our King is unmatched in beauty. Hm…”
“She carries great fortune.”
“Oh, and she bears a scepter. When she awakens, she will reclaim her identity… and lead our people.”
The emperor frowned slightly.
Unmatched beauty? A scepter?
There were countless beauties in the world, making it difficult to pinpoint.
Yet he could not help but hope—
Finding the Elf King would be the greatest fortune of all!