Chapter Twenty-two

Together

Wu Yifan had ordered every scholar in the land of China to scan every piece of writing available to find a way to save his Empress. He had books imported from all over the world in case the numerous writings in his own land were inadequate. He himself had poured over these writings, searching for answers day and night. He would wake up before dawn and retire to bed long after the moon has risen in the night sky.

Nothing else mattered. To Yifan, nothing else mattered except Yeonhwa, her life, the life inside of her and her happiness. After all he had put her through, Yifan was ready to give her everything she wanted. He at least owed her that. He was ready to put every drop of blood, sweat and tears into his efforts if it meant saving his wife and child.

All of it was taking a toll on him, and Yeonhwa had noticed. At first, she knew better than to interrupt him when he was this determined, not wanting to risk an argument erupting. But the more she watched him, the more he began to neglect his own well-being. He began to eat less and sleep less.

To Yeonhwa, the worst part of it all was that she could not help. She desperately wanted to, since this is her child’s and her own life after all, but Yifan had strictly asked (or ordered) her to ‘relax and be rest assured that he had everything under control.’ Clearly, he was not doing a very good job if he was close to collapsing. While she appreciated everything that her husband was doing, Yeonhwa knew she had to interrupt before he dropped to floor in an unconscious heap of exhaustion.

It was way past midnight when Yeonhwa sat up on their shared bed, tenderly rubbing her stomach that grew bigger with each day. She smiled fondly at the life growing inside of her, excited at the days to come, despite knowing the reality of the situation. She remained optimistic about the pregnancy; she just wished Yifan shared the same viewpoint. He was still burying his head in the writings at his work chamber, where he had been all day except for his official duties as Emperor. Yeonhwa had not seen him at all save for this morning when she woke up. He was spending lesser time with her and she missed him terribly even though they slept in each other's arms every night. She exhaled loudly and got off the bed, putting a robe on and made her way to Yifan’s office.

“I guess an argument is inevitable,” she said to herself.

On her way there, she bumped into Luhan, who looked just as exhausted, if not more, than Yifan did.

“Your Highness,” he greeted, slightly startled to see the Empress still awake at this hour.

“Luhan, is Yifan still in there?” she asked. Luhan nodded in reply.

“Shouldn't you rest, Your Highness? It's not good for the baby if you don't get enough rest,” said Luhan, concerned. Yeonhwa rolled her eyes fondly.

“I’ve been resting all day. I believe if there is someone who actually needs to rest, it's you, and that hard-headed man in there,” she joked.

“We’re fine, Your Highness. You shouldn't be worrying over us,” replied Luhan with a chuckle.

“Of course I worry. You look like you haven't slept in days. Listen, why don't you go ahead and retire for the night? I’ll handle the rest with Yifan.”

“Forgive me for saying this, Your Highness, but I don't think His Majesty would be happy with that.”

“I told you, I’ll handle him. As of now, I order you to retire for the night,” said Yeonhwa, grinning. Luhan stared at her blankly before sighing.

“Who am I to disobey the Empress’ order? Goodnight, Your Highness, good luck with His Majesty,” he grinned, looking relieved to finally get some rest.

“Goodnight, Luhan. Rest well,” she smiled.

She watched as Luhan disappeared along the hallway before turning to face the doors of Yifan’s study chambers. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and was greeted by a sight of Yifan who looked like a mess. Books and papers covered every inch of the surface of the desk, and there were even some on the floor. Yifan’s clothes were disheveled and his hair was falling over his eyes. Yifan looked pale and sickly, his eyebrows furrowed as he scanned word per word, but his eyes were as alive as ever, even if they were bloodshot with dark circles under them. Even so, Yeonhwa thought that he was the most stunning man in the world, and she might have fallen a little bit more in love with the man she married.

Upon noticing a presence in the room, Yifan looked up from his paper and his eyes landed on his wife, smiling softly at him. His eyes widened and he automatically g