Lin Anran followed the sound and looked over, only to see a tall, imposing man walking inside.
He wore a luxurious yet dignified dark teal robe embroidered with golden dragon patterns. Upon his head sat a majestic glazed golden dragon crown that bound his hair high, making him appear even more heroic and striking.
His deep eyes resembled tranquil lakes. His slightly trembling lashes were long and thick, his nose straight and refined, while the faint upward curve of his lips revealed an effortless smile, suggesting he was in a pleasant mood.
With looks like these, even in the modern entertainment industry, he would easily rank among the top visuals.
Lin Anran evaluated sincerely in her heart.
Seeing the Emperor arrive, Chunhua and Nurse Jian could not hide their delight. Understanding the situation well, they tactfully withdrew to the outer room, leaving space for the family of three.
When Luo Li saw Guo Yichen enter, she struggled to rise and greet him.
“Little A’Li, don’t move. Your fever only just broke, and your body is still weak. There’s no need to fuss over formalities while you’re ill. Your father certainly won’t blame you,” Lin Anran said as she gently pressed Luo Li back down.
Everything about Luo Li was good—
except that she cared too much about rules.
She was only a three-year-old girl, yet the palace’s endless restrictions had already bound her tightly, leaving none of the innocence or carefree spirit a child should have.
Luo Li hesitated awkwardly.
It wasn’t that she feared Father Emperor would be angry at her. She was afraid Mother Empress might say the wrong thing again and provoke Father Emperor, causing the two of them to fall into another fierce argument.
“Your mother is right. Since you’re ill, there’s no need for such formalities,” Guo Yichen said as he walked to the bedside.
He reached out and touched Luo Li’s forehead. Only after feeling that her temperature had finally gone down did he relax slightly.
“Does Luo Li still feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Not only had Guo Yichen not argued with Lin Anran, he had even agreed with her.
Luo Li could hardly conceal her shock.
This was the first time in all her memories that Father Emperor and Mother Empress had interacted so peacefully.
How she wished time could stop at this very moment.
Feeling overwhelmed by such favor, Luo Li shook her head. “Father Emperor, this child is already much better. I caused Father Emperor and Mother Empress to worry. This child has been unfilial.”
Her calm and sensible response pleased Guo Yichen greatly.
But it made Lin Anran’s heart ache.
She truly wanted Luo Li to bravely be herself, without being so cautious, so rule-bound, so prematurely mature and steady.
Yet she also understood clearly that Luo Li had been born into the imperial family. Since she enjoyed wealth, power, and status beyond what ordinary people could ever experience in a lifetime, she also had to shoulder the responsibilities expected of a princess.
Lin Anran would not force too many modern ideals upon her.
Doing so would only make Luo Li unable to fit into this world.
At that point, Luo Li would neither be able to break free from the restraints of ancient society nor properly follow its survival rules, eventually ending in misery and depression.
What Lin Anran could give her was enough love—
and teach her to love herself as well.
Only those who love themselves can become fearless against any harm the outside world may bring.
“Little A’Li has already done wonderfully. In Mother’s heart, you are the best child of all.”
Lin Anran did not hesitate to praise her. Scooping another spoonful of porridge, she fed it to Luo Li again.
Having been praised, Luo Li smiled brightly, her eyes curving like crescents as she drank the porridge. She looked so delighted that one would think she was tasting the greatest delicacy in existence rather than plain porridge.
Lin Anran focused entirely on feeding Luo Li, completely ignoring Guo Yichen standing beside her.
Guo Yichen watched Lin Anran’s gentle profile with a faint smile on his lips. Though his expression remained calm, enormous waves had already risen in his heart.
The Empress truly seemed like an entirely different person now.
And perhaps that was a good thing.
As long as the Empress behaved properly and stopped relying on the Lin family’s power to disgrace the imperial household, then for the Lin family’s sake, he was willing to continue letting Lin Anran remain Empress.
After Lin Anran finished feeding Luo Li an entire bowl of porridge, Guo Yichen still showed no intention of leaving.
He simply stood there silently watching without saying a word.
Wasn’t it said that ancient emperors were buried in endless affairs of state every day?
Why did this emperor look so free?
Lin Anran complained inwardly. Seeing it was almost noon, she politely asked, “Will Your Majesty remain in Fengyi Palace for lunch today?”
Guo Yichen nodded. “Yes.”
Lin Anran: “……”
…
Since the Emperor was dining at Fengyi Palace today, the Imperial Kitchen also delivered the meal specially prepared for him.
Looking at the table overflowing with dishes, Lin Anran began questioning life itself.
Originally, she had thought her own daily meals were already excessive.
Yet the Emperor’s meal portions were literally twice hers.
But that wasn’t what depressed her.
What truly upset her was that the Emperor’s table actually had spicy dishes.
There was even her favorite—
stir-fried pork with green peppers.
Then she looked back at her own dishes.
All uniformly boiled, bland, light, and “easy to digest.”
Wasn’t this difference in treatment far too outrageous?
What frustrated her the most was that when she had sent Xia Mo to request some chili peppers from the Imperial Kitchen earlier, they had claimed chilies were precious and only served during palace banquets.
So what now?
Was today suddenly a palace banquet?
Guo Yichen sharply sensed the resentment radiating from Lin Anran. Turning his head in confusion, he saw her glaring furiously at the plate of stir-fried pork with green peppers, as though the pork being stir-fried was her own flesh.
“Wang Fugui,” Guo Yichen called meaningfully, giving a glance.
Wang Fugui was extremely perceptive. Though he did not understand why the Emperor wanted this, he still obeyed and moved the dish of stir-fried pork with green peppers directly before the Empress.
Lin Anran was so touched she nearly burst into tears. Looking up, she gave Guo Yichen a grateful smile before immediately grabbing her chopsticks and stuffing a piece of green pepper into her mouth.
She hadn’t eaten chili peppers for over ten days.
She had missed them terribly.
Watching Lin Anran’s utterly satisfied expression, Guo Yichen raised a brow with interest. He called out another “Wang Fugui” and pointed toward several other spicy dishes.
Understanding immediately, Wang Fugui hurried to move all the spicy dishes in front of the Empress.
Happiness had arrived too suddenly.
Lin Anran became so excited that her smile nearly split her face apart. Without noticing, she ended up eating three full bowls of rice, her stomach bulging afterward like she was three months pregnant.
Even Chunhua, who attended her during meals, did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Normally, Her Majesty never ate this much.
Why had she suddenly changed so drastically today?
Could it be that dining together with the Emperor improved the Empress’s appetite?
Wang Fugui, meanwhile, was stunned by the Empress’s appetite and seriously suspected she had been possessed by a starving ghost.
Guo Yichen, however, found himself thoroughly entertained watching Lin Anran eat.
As Emperor, he could never let others know his preferences. So regardless of whether he liked a dish or not, he always ate only a single bite of each.
Even the women of the harem, when dining with him, were constrained by etiquette and obsessed with appearing perfect before him, so they too ate very little.
Even the former Empress had once behaved the same way.
Over time, he lost all interest in eating and merely treated meals as another obligation.
But today, watching the Empress eat with such wholehearted enjoyment, he unexpectedly found himself taking several extra bites as well.
And for the first time, an absurd thought emerged in his mind—
He suddenly wanted to dine together with the Empress every meal from now on.