A few hours later, Wang Chang opened his eyes. He saw his father carrying him in the same position as he dozed off. There was only peace on his face.
He must be tired after rushing to get home.
Wang Chang stared at his father with a complex emotion. He didn't know this man, but he could sense his sincerity.
There was a maid-servant standing not far away, and she noticed that Wang Chang noticed her. The two stared at each other in silence.
She was a young girl around seventeen years old. Her innocent expression and indecisive look gave it away. She wore a frilly maid uniform of black and white in color.
This is my first time seeing this maid.
Wang Chang watched her without showing any emotion on his face. He was curious about her and at her expression which rapidly changed in a matter of a few seconds.
At first, she was nervous, then she became determined, then she became deflated, and then she looked serious. Then she bit her lower lip, unsure of herself.
The way her expressions cycled made Wang Chang think that she was cute.
Perhaps sensing the confusing emotions from the maid-servant, Jin Yang woke up. His eyes simply opened, and it was as if he had been awake the whole time.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"A-ah! Commander Jin Yang, Her Imperial Majesty, has called for you in the dining hall. She is waiting alone."
"AH!"
Jin Yang looked up at the sky and saw the sun starting to set. He realized that the Empress had been waiting for him for their family date.
He shakingly stood up as his legs were a little cramped from sitting for so long.
"Sir, are you okay?" the maid-servant asked as she ran over.
"I am!"
Jin Yang got a hold of himself and ran out of the garden. The maid-servant watched him leave, speechless.
I was also like him when I went on dates with my wife.
Wang Chang sunk into memory lane once more. He stared in a daze and before he realized it, they had arrived at the dining hall.
The ceiling reached to the roof and several massive silver chandeliers hung and radiated white light onto the dining hall.
On the long table, the Empress sat on one end. She played with a quill in her hand while staring at the table in thought. She still wore her imperial dress, giving her an intimidating presence.
"Empress, I'm late."
Jin Yang smiled a little awkwardly and walked over to her side with Jin Jiayi in his arms.
"You are, indeed. Let us eat then we can tour the main road later."
The Empress winked at Jin Jiayi. Her dual personality caused Wang Chang to blink in amazement.
She hid the quill in her hand and flicked her finger.
A row of servants walked out from the kitchen, carrying a lot of food. These were more than enough for the two of them. (Jin Jiayi still couldn't eat solid food.)
A servant placed a large, roasted duck in front of Jin Yang as he sat to the right of the Empress.
"Anatolia, take Jiayi from Yang so he can eat."
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty."
Anatolia walked into the dining hall from outside. She arrived beside Jin Yang and took Jin Jiayi from him. She then sat right beside him.
This is so much food… They look and smell so delicious, but I can't eat them.
Wang Chang lamented at his one-month-old body.
The early dinner proceeded silently. The Empress never spoke again and Jin Yang silently finished his meal with her. Wang Chang was unused to the weird atmosphere.
Are they really married?
Wang Chang recalled his life with Luo Nuying. She always spoke to him during dinner. When they had nothing to talk about, she would speak about the randomest of things.
That was Wang Chang's idea and image of a married couple.
"Wait here, Yang. I will change out of my dress."
"Yes, Empress."
The Empress walked out of the dinner hall. Anatolia returned Jin Jiayi back to Jin Yang and the father and son were left alone together.
"Jiayi, do you want to try a little bit of fruit?" Jin Yang suddenly asked.
Wang Chang's eyes dilated, conveying his excitement to his father.
"Hahahaha. You can't eat it though."
Jin Yang picked a cubed watermelon and stuck it in front of Jin Jiayi.
Wang Chang poked his tongue out and licked the sweet juices of the fruit. A smile couldn't help but show on his face. He finally tasted something else besides breastmilk.
His good impression of his father increased further.
After a while, the same maid-servant from before arrived. She bowed and stopped in front of them at the opposite side of the table.
"Commander Jin Yang, the Empress has called for you to the garden."
"Oh?"
Jin Yang stood up, blinking. He made a guess in his heart as to why she picked that place.
Tch. They really are married.
Wang Chang knew what Jin Yang was thinking without hearing him say it this time. Since that was where they first met, then the date would start there.
It didn't take long before Wang Chang's guess was proven correct. They arrived in the garden, and it was vastly different compared to earlier when they left. There were more flowers planted, and they were tall and emitted faint scents that soothed the nose.
The Empress wore a short gown and stood under the bodhi tree. She smiled at the sight of them.
"Yang, I heard you told Jiayi about us when we first met."
The Empress smiled. The intimidating aura surrounding her earlier was gone. She was back to the mother Wang Chang was familiar with.
"I did. Is this why you had us eat an early dinner?"
"Was it obvious?"
The Empress' face slightly turned pinkish as she bashfully looked away.
Wang Chang stared at her with a blank expression. Her current expression reminded him of Luo Nuying. She also made the same expression once but for a different reason.
My heart yearns for only Nuying. I need to stop thinking about her or…
Wang Chang sensed his heart and felt that he would soon fall into depression at this rate. He had been separated from his wife for more than a month, and it was only because of the Empress' motherly love that he was able to last this long.
When he came back to his senses, he was picked up by the Empress. She stared at his face and then pecked him on the forehead.
"There's a kiss for my Jiayi, too."
With her words, Wang Chang realized that the two had kissed when he blanked out.
"Jiayi, at this spot, Mama was practicing the Jin Imperial Cultivation Manual. Your father disturbed me, so I was annoyed at that time. Who would have thought I would marry him?"
The Empress smiled playfully, side glancing at Jin Yang.
"I didn't think I would leave that place alive either."
Jin Yang coughed.
"Hmph. My spiritual energy almost caused a backlash when I saw a man stalking me."
"I told you, I'm sorry about that–"
Wang Chang blinked his eyes at the new words being uttered around him. This was his first time hearing about spiritual energy and the Jin Imperial Cultivation Manual.
So they must be cultivators, too.
Wang Chang was surprised. He never saw his mother use any form of supernatural magic. Hearing it from her was quite a revelation.
As he listened on, Wang Chang realized he was the third wheel in this situation.
"..."
It was like a form of torture to be in the center of a couple as they openly flirted with each other.
After a while, the Empress seemed to get the hint.
"Enough about our past. We need to show Jiayi the city."
"Have you deployed a squad to accompany us?"
"Yes."
Squad?
Wang Chang didn't understand that they were talking about the Empress deploying a military squad to act as their escort. He lived far away from destruction and his point of view was isolated, to say the least.
The two soon walked out of the imperial palace and down the stairs leading to the main road. Straight from here, the road extended far down the horizon.
Wang Chang looked around at the tall buildings around him which were made of stone. He had seen them many times when he and the Empress gazed outside the window.
A squad of fifteen soldiers walked over from the left and all simultaneously bowed to the duo.
"Greetings to Your Imperial Majesty and to the Commander."
The soldier who led the squad spoke.
"Qian Gang, thank you," Jin Yang replied, smiling.
From their interaction, Wang Chang understood what kind of Commander Jin Yang was. Although he was still unsure what kind of position a Commander had in the military, he guessed it must be high.
The Empress didn't say anything and stared ahead.
After exchanging a glance with Qian Gang, Jin Yang walked beside the Empress. He stared at the bustling city and smiled.
"This is what I was protecting and fighting for."
His words contained endless emotions that he kept for himself.
Wang Chang couldn't see his eyes, but he could feel the murderous intent coming from it.
He must have killed a lot.
Killing was still a new thing for Wang Chang. In his village, everyone supported and protected each other. The only times he heard of killings were when his friends came back from the city.
The wide main road had a lot of stalls on the side and people walking to and fro. When they saw the trio, their eyes widened, and immediately prostrated on the ground.
Wang Chang felt the intense gazes coming in his direction. They were all filled with curiosity and admiration.
"After the Wen Kingdom, what are your plans?" the Empress asked, keeping her gaze forward.
"The Wen Kingdom is almost finished. We can expand further, but we still need to recoup our losses and train more soldiers."
"A great idea. Delay it further. I want to visit the conquered Wen Kingdom."
"I already knew you were going to say that, Empress. I have prepared–"
Wang Chang zoned out from their conversation. He looked around at the unfamiliar city in awe and curiosity.
He saw how the citizens respected the Empress, and he gained an idea as to what kind of ruler she was. From her desire to visit the conquered Wen Kingdom, and to her kindness and strictness when it came to official business.
Wang Chang reached a certain understanding of his mother.
She loves her people, is calculating, is a loving wife, and a loving mother.
Wang Chang watched her with uncertainty about his future at the hands of such an outstanding woman.