Chapter 37: Chapter 37 Extra: Shen Qi’s Lifetime
Before he met Su Zhiruan, Shen Qi had always felt that he would walk alone in the darkness, and eventually return to it, return to tranquility.
His birth was not greeted with blessings, nor did it receive much care from his father.
The former Emperor had many sons, yet he exclusively doted on the youngest Prince.
Even though Shen Qi’s mother was esteemed as the Empress and he was the legitimate son, he could still not withstand the bias of the man he called father.
His father, the Emperor, favored the Noble Consort of that time, along with their children, even more.
Among the numerous offspring of the former Emperor, his name was even entrusted to the Internal Affairs Office, and then chosen by his mother.
During the childhood ceremony where he “grasped for his future,” he grabbed a seal, which should have been a joyful occasion, yet the man only scoffed coldly, with little joy on his face.
Throughout his younger years, he never received fatherly love, and as for the Empress, his mother, she was solely focused on palace intrigue, intent on eliminating everyone else.
As for siblings, without equitable love from their parents, they naturally were not close to one another, feigning politeness, showing one face in public and another behind closed doors, endlessly scheming.
Shen Qi grew up in the imperial family, yet he longed deeply for an ordinary, warm life; he wished to live freely without incessant plotting and struggle.
But his birth had already determined that this wish was impossible.
Lacking adequate care, the ostracism and plotting against him behind his back were nonetheless innumerable.
He even felt that everyone in the world was the same.
Selfish, hypocritical, pretentious, ugly.
The Empress Dowager, then still the Empress, wanted him to become the Emperor, and for herself to ascend to the position of Empress Dowager, so she busied herself daily, flattering the former Emperor and engaging in palace intrigue with those concubines, making them and their sons fall out of favor.
During that time, when the former Emperor was gravely ill, he knew what his mother wanted, and he too wished to know, with so many people fighting tooth and nail for it, just what enchantment the throne possessed.
Thinking this, he acted accordingly.
With means, ambition, ability, and also being the legitimate successor from the main palace.
Acquiring the throne was as easy as reaching into a bag.
Afterwards, Shen Qi dealt with all his brothers who wanted to eliminate him, one hand wielding a Longsword, the other holding the Jade Seal.
He became the new Emperor.
Upon ascending the throne, he did not disappoint expectations, governing the Wang Dynasty with such order that not a soul in the country did not call him a sage and enlightened ruler, heralding a golden age.
Yet only he knew in his midnight reveries, he thought back to the question of his youth—is the throne really that great?
Seemingly of high rank and power, above tens of thousands, clad in silk and jade, surrounded by servants.
However, in reality, he had to toil in thought all day, and even at night, he was pressured by the Empress Dowager to find someone to serve him in his chambers.
All day long, he was like a marionette, a puppet on strings, subject to others.
Not a moment was there for him to truly let down his guard, to take a real breath; not a person existed with whom he could truly confide in, to pour out all his worries and frustrations.
Originally, he thought that his life would just go on , unremarkable, dealing with state affairs every day, making the lives of the people better.
The Empress Dowager was still constantly pressing for heirs, and the harem was abuzz with beauties, none of whom he wanted to see.
However, it was as if the heavens suddenly heard his innermost thoughts.
On an ordinary afternoon, as if in a trance, he saw a limping, yet silently persevering palace maid continue cleaning the Imperial Study Room.
Maybe it was the work of spirits, or maybe it was just boredom, but he asked Little Fuzi, what was wrong with her?
He quietly memorized this name in his heart.
In the following days, whenever he reviewed the petitions in the Imperial Study Room, he would always see her diligently cleaning the study, silent yet possessing an extraordinary demeanor, serene and gentle.
Like a quietly blooming magnolia.
Perhaps it was his long-undisturbed heart seeking to break the monotony, or simply a desire to look closer, his gaze began to linger on her more and more.
He watched her secretly many times.
She was always quiet and unobtrusive, but she took her work seriously. Even the usually critical Little Fuzi praised her for being hardworking—a person who took their work seriously was indeed likely to be liked by many.
But his attention to her was not simply because she was diligent.
One drunken night, he suddenly had a crazy thought—he wanted to possess her.
Afterward, she obediently said that she wanted to stay by his side.
From then on, Shen Qi fell step by step, finding his vulnerability, someone he wanted to protect, the life he wanted, his desired future, and a warm and fulfilling family. All this was given to him by Su Zhiruan.
Since ancient times, Emperors were known to be lonely, with the harem and countless concubines, yet he only wished to be with one person, to protect this hard-won, modest happiness.
There were times she saw other women approaching him or even tried to push him towards someone else, causing Shen Qi’s heart to pound like a drum, his panic immense, fearful of her growing tired of him.
He wanted to wake up, reach out his hand in bed to hold her close, and with the same gesture, embrace his own moon.
In this lifetime, he loved only her and their children.
After Shen Qi passed his position to Shen Xingzhi, he and Su Zhiruan spent their days traveling and enjoying nature.
Su Zhiruan jokingly said that while others might mooch off their parents, the two of them were quite novel, mooching off their child.
Although he didn’t quite understand the concept of mooching from parents or children, he roughly knew it implied depending on one’s child.
The Third Prince ventured into Jianghu. By the time Shen Qi and Su Zhiruan saw him again, he had become the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch, buying them the best villa where he would cheerfully greet them every day.
Every now and then, Shen Xingzhi would secretly visit them at the villa, pleading for them to visit home more often, fearing they might forget about their children while having fun outside.
Shen Xingyue also roamed everywhere, joining them in their travels and explorations.
The second son, Shen Xingshu, often wrote poems and verses praising parental love, so remarkable that they were lauded by scholars and would be remembered for ages to come.
The fifth son, Shen Xingshang, seemed to have a natural head for business. With the salary of a Prince, he anonymously went into business for eight years, becoming vastly successful. He eventually amassed such wealth that he was considered the world’s richest man, giving his parents thick stacks of silver notes and instructing all his businesses, including teahouses and taverns, to treat them with utmost respect.
Su Zhiruan and Shen Qi had no intentions of gaining anything from their children, but in the latter half of their lives, they were constantly accompanied by them.
Su Zhiruan remained in this world, but the system didn’t give her much time. As her hair gradually turned white, she felt her soul ascending one warm afternoon, peacefully passing away in her chair.
Shen Qi, entering from outside with an osmanthus sugar bowl, saw this scene, his eyes losing all their light.
Before Shen Qi’s demise, all seven children stood by his bedside, their eyes filled with sorrow.
In the last moments as his consciousness faded, Shen Qi saw a branch of magnolia that had somehow reached in through the window.
He closed his eyes peacefully.