Chapter 2 Return to the Twenty-Fifth Year of Changle
When I regained consciousness, I was sprawled on the carved pearwood table, the familiar sandalwood scent drifting around my nose.
A hand gently shook my wrist. "Wen Yan, wake up. The Grand Tutor's class is about to start."
I bolted upright, colliding with a pair of smiling peach-blossom eyes.
Xiao Huai An had his hair bound with a jade crown, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, clearly just running in from outside.
Seeing me dazed, he reached out and pinched my cheek. "Why are you so sleepy? Did you copy the Analects again for me last night?"
It was not the emperor with that icy look, discarding me like worthless trash.
This Xiao Huai An was the Crown Prince who would still throw tantrums at me and secretly stuff snacks into my hands.
I unconsciously touched my cheek, feeling the warmth and softness, no roughness from the cold palace years.
Looking at the desk, an unfinished policy essay lay spread out, the strokes elegant and my youthful handwriting.
Sunlight streamed through the carved wooden windows onto the floor, picking out floating dust.
It was not a dream.
I had really returned to the twenty-fifth year of Changle, back to before I had married into the Eastern Palace.
The Wen Clan was still prosperous, and all the tragedies had not yet begun.