How To Hide The Tyrant's Child In The Apocalypse
Chapter 26. Back to the village

Chapter 26: 26. Back to the village

A FEW HOURS LATER

EMPEROR LIANWEI’S POINT OF VIEW:

The sound of the horse’s hooves still echoed faintly in the courtyard as I strode through the great doors, boots hitting the marble floor like war drums. Servants froze mid-step, mouths agape at the ghost of their Emperor suddenly walking in, alive and grim-eyed after five long years of absence. I didn’t slow. I didn’t care. Mei Shen’s face, pale, sweat soaked, lips murmuring fevered words burned behind my eyelids with every step.

"Summon the royal healers. Now." My voice cracked like a blade drawn across stone.

"Your Majesty-!" A chamberlain stumbled forward, tears in his eyes. "You’re... y-you’re alive!"

"Spare me the tears. I need medicine and healers prepared this instant."I said.

And then her voice, sharp, incredulous, and shaking just beneath the surface.

"Lianwei?"I heard a familar female voice.

I turned sharply. There she was my mother, the Dowager Empress.

"My son." She whispered. "Five years. You, you dare show your face here like this?"

I didn’t flinch. I didn’t bow. There was no time for formalities or apologies.

"Where are the royal healers?" I demanded instead, my voice low, sharp as tempered steel.

"Do not deflect me, Lianwei!" My mother’s eyes burned like coals beneath her imperial headdress. "You vanished. Without a word. Without an heir. Without-"

"Enough." My tone cut through her tirade. "This isn’t about my absence. This is about her."

Her brows furrowed.

"Her?"She asked.

"Mei Shen." The name spilled from my lips with reverence and desperation. "She’s the reason I left. The reason I’m here. She collapsed. Fever. She’s barely holding on. I need medicine, tonics, herbs, everything the palace has. Now."I said.

My mother’s face tightened, lips pressing into a line.

"You’re speaking of a woman? You left your throne, your duty, for-"My mother started. "The one you left Mei Feng for?"

"I left to save her." I growled, stepping closer until we stood nearly chest to chest. "And I found her. Four years of searching, and I found her. Do you understand what that means?" _{fr\eewe.bn(o)v\el.c(o)m}

"She-" Mother’s breath caught. "She is nothing but a village girl who got here since we made a deal before. You mean to tell me-"

"She’s everything." My voice cracked, raw with emotion I had buried for years. "She’s the woman I fell in love with before my coronation. The one who escaped from her village all those years ago because she feared the empire would consume her. I couldn’t let her go. Not then. Not now. I made mistake for not marrying her before, but now I not letting her go."

"Lianwei-"She started.

"And Huan-" I forced the words out, my throat tight. "She has my son."

The dowager empress went still. Her eyes widened slightly, her perfectly poised mask slipping as my words sank in.

"A child?" She whispered. "Your... child?"

"Yes. My heir." My fists clenched at my sides. "He has my eyes, my blood. He’s only four. He doesn’t even know the world beyond their little village. And if Mei Shen dies..." My voice broke fully now. "I will not lose them. Not again."

Mother’s mouth opened, closed, but no sound came out.

"Do not waste my time with politics or lectures." I snapped. "If you stand in my way, I will ride back to her without a single vial of medicine, but it will be on your conscience when the woman who carries your grandchild breathes her last because you hesitated."

Her hands trembled faintly.

"Lianwei..."She whispered.

I stepped back, my jaw set.

"You want to lecture me later? Fine. But right now, summon every healer, every apothecary. Stock the carriages. I leave before the hour ends, with or without your blessing."I said coldly.

A long silence stretched between us. Finally, mother drew in a sharp breath, her eyes hard but wet at the corners.

"Very well." She said stiffly. "You’ll have your healers. And your medicines."

"Good." I turned on my heel without another word.

But her voice followed me, softer now.

"I will go with you."She said.

I stopped but didn’t turn around.

"This isn’t a journey for an empress."I said.

"It is when my son and grandchild’s lives are tied to it."She said coldly.

For the first time in five years, my chest felt something unfamiliar, not anger, not grief. But maybe... the faintest flicker of relief.

"Fine." I said, striding away. "But stay out of my way. Mei Shen doesn’t need more pressure. She needs life."

The wheels of the royal carriage thundered over the cobblestones as the palace gates slammed shut behind us. Lanterns swung wildly on their hooks, casting flickering golden light over the velvet interior, but I barely registered it. My hands were clenched on my knees, knuckles bone white. Every bump, every jolt of the carriage made my jaw tighten. Mei Shen’s face wouldn’t leave my mind. Pale. Lips cracked and dry.

"I’m fine..." She muttered even as her fever got out of control.

"Liar." I thought bitterly. She’s never been fine. She’s too stubborn, too selfless, too willing to throw herself into the fire for others.

Across from me, my mother sat stiff, backed, her silks rustling faintly as the carriage swayed. She hadn’t spoken since we left the palace gates, but I could feel her eyes on me studying, questioning, judging. Finally, her voice cut through the rattle of wheels.

"Lianwei."She said.

I didn’t answer. My eyes stayed locked on the dark window, watching trees whip past in a blur.

"You’ve been gone five years." She said quietly. "And yet you look... older than your father ever did."

I let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"I’ve been older since the moment she left."I said.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

"You’re talking about Mei Shen."She said.

"Yes." My voice was sharp, final. "Don’t say her name like it’s a mistake."

"I never said-"She started.

"You thought it." I turned to her then, my eyes hard. "Even now, you’re trying to understand why I would give up an empire’s throne to chase a woman into obscurity."

She flinched slightly but didn’t look away.

"You are emperor. Your life is not your own. You owed the people an heir, stability-"She started.

"She is my stability." The words burst out like a blade drawn too fast. "Do you think I didn’t know my duty? I was raised to bleed for this empire. But when she fled, it was like the air was ripped from my lungs. I couldn’t breathe in that palace without her."

Mother’s eyes softened almost imperceptibly.

"...You searched for her all this time?"She asked.

"Four years and eight months." I said hoarsely. "Every day. I scoured villages, burned through spies and gold alike. And when I found her." My throat tightened. "She was with our son."

The dowager empress straightened at that, her lips parting.

"The boy, Huan."She said and I nodded.

"Yes. And if Mei Shen dies before I can save her..." My fists tightened in my lap until my nails bit into skin. "I don’t care what the empire thinks. I’ll burn it to the ground if I have to."

Mother went silent. The weight of my words seemed to fill the carriage, heavy as stone. The healers seated in the corner kept their heads down, clutching their leather satchels. I could hear the clink of vials inside, each one carrying the hope that one of them might pull Mei Shen back from the brink.

"She’s very ill, then?" My mother asked softly after a long pause.

"She worked herself to exhaustion caring for others." I said bitterly. "She always did that. Even when I first met her, she never put herself first. That’s why I..." My voice faltered, barely above a whisper. "That’s why I love her."

For once, my mother didn’t have a sharp reply. She only looked at me, really looked as though seeing her son for the first time in years.

"She must be extraordinary to hold you so fiercely."Mother confirmed.

"She is." I said simply.

And then I looked back to the window, willing the horses to run faster. Mei Shen’s faint smile lingered in my mind, twisting into fevered whispers.

"Stay awake. Wait for me. Don’t you dare let go."I muttered.

As soon as we have reached the village, I jumped out of the carriage. I saw Huan, who seemed to be pretty happy for some reason.

"Daddy! Daddy!"Huan shouted.

Huan’s little hands tugged hard at my sleeve as I stepped out of the carriage, nearly dragging me off my feet. His wide green eyes shimmered with tears, but his voice cracked with a mixture of relief and urgency.

"She’s awake! Mommy woke up! She’s calling you, please hurry!"He shouted.

My heart nearly stopped. I didn’t wait for anyone else, I bent low, scooping Huan into my arms as I strode quickly toward the house. Behind me, I could hear the empress’s sharp inhale, her steps following as her silks rustled against the floorboards.

"She’s still weak, Huan?" I asked tightly, my chest aching as my grip tightened around my son.

Huan nodded frantically, clutching my collar.

"She’s talking funny... sleepy... but she said your name! Mommy wants daddy."He explained.

The words sent a shiver down my spine. Mei Shen’s voice calling me, barely clinging to consciousness, burned through every thought. I didn’t even register the healer scurrying in behind us. As soon as I crossed the threshold into the bedroom, my eyes locked on her. Mei Shen lay propped slightly on a pile of pillows, her skin pale, hair plastered damply against her temples. Her half-lidded eyes fluttered open, dazed and glassy as they struggled to focus on me.

"Lian... wei...?" She whispered, her lips barely moving.

The sound nearly undid me. I fell to my knees at her bedside, my hands gently cupping hers, careful not to startle her fragile body.

"I’m here. I’m right here, Mei Shen." I said hoarsely. "Don’t speak. Just rest now."

Behind me, the empress stood frozen in the doorway, her sharp eyes darting between us, then to Huan, who had run to Mei’s other side and was clutching her arm.

"Mommy, daddy’s here." Huan said softly, tears clinging to his lashes. "See? He came back for you. Like I told you he would."

"Save your strength, Mei Shen." I whispered, smoothing her damp hair back from her forehead. "We’ll talk when you’re stronger. Just stay with me."

She gave the faintest nod, her lashes fluttering shut again as if even that much effort drained her. The healer knelt beside me then, murmuring instructions as they checked my pulse and began preparing the tonic. But I didn’t let go of her hand. Not for a second.