Chapter 101: Character Portrayal

◎ Being cast out of the chamber by the wife who professed to love him deeply. ◎

This sleep was deep and tranquil.

Upon awakening after what seemed like a day and a night, Yu Lian opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. She found herself lying in her own bed, alone in the room with the door securely shut. Faint sounds from the front courtyard filtered through, as if those outside were mindful of not letting in too much chill. The windows in the room were slightly ajar to allow for ventilation, but not daring to be fully opened for fear of her catching a cold.

Recalling the scene before her fainting, Yu Lian's heart clenched tightly before plummeting with a heavy sigh. A clatter echoed outside the courtyard, and she exhaled deeply.

With a profound sense of relief, her shoulders slumped, and she lay on the bed almost in a state of total muscular surrender. Now, upon waking, the memory still sent shivers down her spine.

What a close call!

Almost had the ruse exposed!

What if, after feigning deep affection, the involved party suddenly turns out to be an imposter, revealing their true colors?

Upon encountering that man yesterday, she had not only fully immersed herself in her performance to make it convincing, but also, at the most opportune moment after her act, deliberately relaxed her body, feigning unconsciousness by completely collapsing.

After being caught by Hua Ji, she relaxed her mind, erasing all distracting thoughts. She repeatedly told herself to sleep, assuring herself that she was now in the safest place and exhausted, needing rest. Through self-hypnosis, she soon fell into a deep slumber.

She knew that with Hua Ji's martial arts expertise, pretending to be unconscious would be challenging. Any slightest hint of pretense could expose her, ruining her plan and making her motives suspicious. Disguising one's identity wasn't hard, but maintaining the facade without slipping up was the true challenge. One single doubt could unravel her entire past like unraveling a silk thread, causing everything to collapse like a row of dominoes.

Fortunately, in her previous life, to cope with work pressure, she had learned meditation, which included mindfulness as an essential relaxation technique. After transmigrating, she had maintained a regular meditation practice, allowing her to quickly lull herself to sleep.

From the current situation, it seemed her ruse had been effective. Her villainous "late husband" didn't seem to suspect anything, or someone would be watching her closely by now.

Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that the defeated villain, who should have died once the protagonist became the emperor, would suddenly reappear. Relying on the assumption that the villain was dead, she had acted out her emotions and antics to the fullest.

She never expected the villain to resurrect.

More importantly... it seemed the villain had pulled off something significant... She hadn't forgotten how the golden-armored soldiers knelt before her, loudly proclaiming her as the Empress.

Then, the man calmly entered from outside.

This display indicated that the golden-armored soldiers were loyal to Hua Ji, and she, as his nominal wife, was their Empress. This suggested that not only had Hua Ji come back to life, but he had also seemingly staged a comeback, becoming the emperor?

He had defeated the protagonist, the Third Prince, and taken the throne for himself?!

Yu Lian suddenly recalled Zhu Ying's earlier mention that among the many rebel armies in the land, the one under the flag of "Hua" was the strongest and had the best reputation. Other rebel groups left nothing but barren lands in their wake, with some behaving no better than bandits, plundering, burning, and killing without mercy. But the Hua Flag Army was different; they maintained strict discipline, with their soldiers following orders to the letter, surpassing even regular troops. Upon capturing cities, they resettled the local people and never took anything from the civilians, which is why some inhabitants even welcomed them with open arms.

In the past, Yu Lian had felt a strong affinity for this rebel army, believing that even if they didn't succeed in the end, they could still establish a stronghold, with the support of the people as their most potent weapon. However, she never imagined such a coincidence – that this army belonged to her supposed "late husband," and the "Hua" in their flag referred to their family name.

Now, things were clear. Hua Ji had succeeded, hence his return. Concealing his survival from his family earlier might have been to protect himself from the emperor, and also to avoid disappointment if he failed. If he succeeded, he would come back; if not, he would be considered long dead, sparing them the pain of acknowledging his failure.

Understanding this, Yu Lian drew in a sharp breath. Hua Ji's character...

He truly lived up to his role as the antagonist. With his refined demeanor, he appeared like an elegant gentleman, radiating clarity and charm. Yet, his actions were extreme, leaving no room for anything but victory or death.

What about her? If Hua Ji discovered that her devoted lover persona was a pretense, would he sentence her to a cruel death, casting her remains into the city moat to feed the fish?

The only thing she was grateful for now was her quick reflexes!

The instant that despicable man entered, the memories of the original owner regarding her fiancé flooded her mind. Her only formal encounter with Hua Ji was the awkward moment when she humiliated him in prison. But in the original owner's recollections, she had seen Hua Ji countless times.

He had always been an object of admiration, outshining many talented youths in the capital. The original owner was immensely proud and pleased to have such a fiancé. Whenever he appeared in public for official duties or banquets, she would sneak out with her maid to catch a glimpse of him. Even though her interest stemmed from his exceptional talent and stunning looks rather than love, she did give her fiancé ample attention. As a result, Hua Ji was deeply ingrained in her memory.

Upon seeing him, Yu Lian's mind was instantly flooded with the original owner's recollections. She barely had time to ponder how he had come back from the dead or why the soldiers addressed her as Empress. She didn't dwell on any of it. Her sole focus was on concealing the truth – she couldn't reveal the false lover she pretended to be in front of the real Hua Ji!

This single conviction fueled her acting to unprecedented heights, far exceeding the effort she had put into her plan to leave the Duke's residence and marry into the East Yuan Marquis's household.

She fully embraced the role of a heartbroken woman who had lost her love, immersing herself in the character with genuine emotion. As a devoted flag-bearer, who had willingly married into the family to care for her late fiancé's affairs, how should she react to "her deceased husband," Hua Ji?

Without hesitation, Yu Lian chose to dream!

Rather than portraying an overly joyous reaction to seeing her dead husband return to life through tears, she opted for a more heartbreaking response—believing it was all just a dream where she encountered Hua Ji. Her affectionate yet unforced madness struck a chord and seemed more convincing.

Hua Ji, her beloved who had been gone for years, had long been mourned and accepted as lost in her heart. She had spent countless nights "longing" for him; how could she instantly believe that he had suddenly reappeared before her?

She yearned to follow him, yet despised him for never appearing in her dreams or taking her away with him.

Upon his sudden appearance this time, she believed it was within the realm of her own dream and prayed that he would take her along. This reasoning aligned perfectly with the persona Yu Lian had crafted for herself, intensifying her devoted love... and dealt a massive emotional blow to the antagonist, Hua Ji.

In the future, if he ever doubted her again, the memory of their initial encounter might lead him to question his own suspicions.

Yet, Yu Lian couldn't help but smile bitterly. If her true identity were exposed, the consequences would be graver than if Hua Ji had discovered her disguise from the beginning. Therefore, she must cling steadfastly to her role as the loving and devoted wife, ensuring that her cover remained intact!

Now that he was the emperor, even if she was addressed as the Empress, he could still manipulate her effortlessly!

Realizing this, Yu Lian sighed inwardly. The days ahead were long, and her journey was arduous.

But recalling how she transitioned from a rural life scenario to becoming a queen, a small thrill of excitement stirred within her.

Just as she was about to turn over, the door suddenly opened from outside.

The unhurried and almost silent footsteps immediately set off an alarm in Yu Lian's mind. She knew every sound of her family members' steps by heart. While her father-in-law and Zhu Ying were both martial artists, one was a military man, and the other had a lively disposition. Their strides were brisk, lacking the composed elegance of the person now standing before her.

The man sat down at the foot of her bed and, after a moment, spoke, "Awake?"

Yu Lian: "..."

The woman on the bed fluttered her eyelashes slightly. Despite his words revealing that she was no longer asleep, she kept her eyes closed. When Hua Ji gazed at her with a smile, awaiting her response, she suddenly pulled the cotton blanket over her head, completely hiding herself from view.

The man chuckled softly, "Be careful not to suffocate yourself."

Still, the occupant of the bed gave no indication of acknowledging him. The little hill formed by the bed covers held a certain charm.

His fingertips itched with the urge to touch, so he gently patted the blanket, "If you're awake, you should get up and eat something. You don't want to go hungry." This was his grandmother's advice. She had originally asked him to serve his wife the warm meat porridge prepared earlier in the kitchen. After being unconscious for a day and night, how could she not eat? Even though the doctor said there was nothing to worry about – that her sudden deep sleep was merely a result of overwhelming emotional upheaval – the old lady still felt concerned.

The sight of Hua'er's reaction genuinely tugged at one's heartstrings.

The man refrained from any excessive actions, gently patting her twice to coax her into lifting the covers. He then patiently waited without making any further moves.

On the bed, Hua'er waited for a while but received no response. With an exasperated huff, she threw off the covers, pressing her hands beneath her back, revealing her fair and delicate arms.

Her beautiful eyes widened slightly, and with reddened eyes, she glared at him.

"You're not dead?"

"Is playing with me amusing to you?"

"I told you, people like you should die sooner rather than later, so as not to burden others!"

As she spoke, tears began to roll down her flushed cheeks, slipping swiftly from the corners of her eyes.

Realizing this, she quickly turned over, facing away from him to wipe her tears. Feeling that she couldn't clean them all, and fearing that he might discover her secret weeping, she angrily pulled the covers over her head again.

The man watched, transfixed.

He had envisaged countless reactions and was prepared to console her if she cried in his embrace, but he never expected this response from Yu Lian upon waking up. She didn't rush to hug him, didn't pour out her grievances, didn't weep tears of joy for his rebirth, nor was she amazed by the sudden change in his identity.

Recalling their only encounter, when she had brazenly humiliated him in the prison, this reaction seemed more understandable. Zhu Ying often mentioned that Madam was an assertive woman, so why would she act vulnerable like ordinary women?

But if not for the redness in her eyes and the tears that had fallen, her words of defiance might have been more believable.

A tender feeling, bittersweet, arose in his heart. His voice softened even further as he coaxed, "Are you unwell? If so, call the military physician. If not, get up and have something to eat."

Yu Lian, however, ignored him entirely, eventually snarling at him with a hint of a sniffle, demanding that he leave.

The man rubbed his nose, having been ejected from the room by the wife who was supposed to love him deeply. As the matriarch and Mrs. Chen arrived with their three grandchildren to visit their granddaughter-in-law, they happened to see their grandson leaving her room. They hurriedly asked if he had woken up and if everything was alright.

Unfazed, the man averted his gaze and simply replied, "She's awake." He made no mention of being chased out.

But the matriarch was astute; she could tell her grandson hadn't succeeded in comforting her. She glanced at him helplessly and scolded, "How did you try to soothe her? You can't even take care of your own wife. Is this how you behave?"

Shooing him away, she continued, "In every other aspect, you're excellent, but since childhood, you've been preoccupied with learning from your father, dealing with state affairs. You haven't had much interaction with women beyond your grandmother and mother. You're lacking in that area."

Pushing open the door, the group entered the room, while the man remained outside without leaving.

The moment the matriarch entered, she affectionately addressed her granddaughter-in-law as her treasure.

After two calls, the person in the bed only reluctantly responded under the covers, "Grandmother..."

These past two days were spent busily moving and planning the renovation of her humble abode. Ahh, it was exhausting...

As for updates, she would try her best to finish them promptly.