Reborn to marry, she no longer wants to be the young master's mother

Deep in the magnificent but somewhat deserted imperial palace, the afterglow of the setting sun lazily sprinkled on the bluestone slabs, lengthening the lonely and resolute figure of Empress Xie Chaochao. She was dressed in a complicated and exquisite palace dress, but it seemed that the heavy clothes bound her free mind, and her eyebrows revealed a wildness and unruliness that did not belong to this golden cage.

Emperor Chu Heng, the most powerful monarch in the world, approached her slowly with a bit of helplessness and tenderness, his eyes flashing with complex light, as if trying to melt the frost in her heart with his deep affection. "Chao Chao, come back to the palace with me, there is your place and our memories there." His voice was low and magnetic, and every word seemed to be carefully crafted, trying to impress the stubborn woman in front of him.

However, Xie Chaochao just shook her head gently, her black hair fluttering with the movement, just like her resolute mind at the moment, unmoved by any power or tenderness. "Chu Heng," she said, her voice as cold as a spring, every word clear and powerful, "I, Xie Chaochao, do not want to go back to that cage made of gold. The position of queen is nothing more than a heavy shackle for me, which fetters my dreams and buries my freedom."

At this point, her tone became more severe, and her eyes, which were usually gentle as water, now flashed with unprecedented firmness and determination, "I am no longer interested in being this queen. What I want is the vast sky, the free air, the days when I can dance with the wind and be accompanied by the clouds, rather than repeating those boring rituals and calculations day after day in this deep palace."

Chu Heng's face changed slightly when he heard this. He had never seen Xie Chaochao so determined. It seemed that overnight, she was no longer the gentle and compliant queen, but a phoenix eager to fly, ready to break free and soar above the sky. The air around seemed to become heavy because of this sudden change. Even the wind stopped breathing, quietly listening to this contest about love and freedom.

"Chao Chao, do you know that within these palace walls, I also have feelings that I can't give up. But if you insist on doing so, I..." There was a hint of bitterness in Chu Heng's words, but it also revealed an indescribable respect and understanding. He knew that he could not use power to retain a heart that longed for freedom.

The sunset gradually sank, and the night fell quietly, covering this conversation with a mysterious veil. Xie Chaochao turned around, with her back to Chu Heng. Her frail figure seemed particularly strong and lonely in the night. All she left for Chu Heng was a resolute and beautiful back, and a sentence that floated gently in the wind: "May we all find our own sky."

Emperor Chu Heng sat on the magnificent dragon throne, his eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of confusion and astonishment. Inside the hall, the candlelight flickered, making the surrounding carved beams and painted buildings even more magnificent. The air was filled with a faint scent of ambergris, and everything seemed so solemn and sacred. However, at the pinnacle of power, an unusual voice sounded.

Xie Chaochao, the woman regarded as a lucky person by the world, was dressed in gorgeous clothes and wearing pearls and jade on her head, but her face was cold and her eyes flashed with a light different from that of ordinary people. She opened her lips gently, and her voice was soft but firm: "Your Majesty, what Chaochao wants in her heart is not the position of queen."

Chu Heng's brows knitted together as if a heavy burden was weighing on his heart. He stared at the woman who seemed both strange and familiar to him, and an indescribable emotion surged in his heart. "Why? In this palace, you enjoy all the splendor and wealth, have no worries about food and clothing, and have the status and power that countless people dream of. What else are you not satisfied with?" His tone was a little puzzled, a little reproachful, and a little bit of pain that was barely noticeable.

Xie Chaochao lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyelids. She took a deep breath, as if she was organizing her thoughts. "Your Majesty, Chaochao has known since childhood that life is not just about material wealth. What I long for is freedom, to be able to live according to my own wishes, to experience the vastness and beauty of this world. Although I have no material worries in this palace, my heart is like a canary in captivity, having lost the sky to fly."

There was a hint of sadness and a yearning for freedom in her voice, like a breeze blowing into Chu Heng's weathered heart, stirring up ripples. He was stunned. No one had ever dared to express their dissatisfaction and desire so frankly in front of him, and no one had ever dared to question whether everything he gave was really happiness.

The hall fell into a brief silence, with only the sound of the candlelight flickering and the heavy and complicated breathing of the two people intertwined. Chu Heng's eyes became deep, and he began to re-examine the woman in front of him and the beliefs he had held for a long time. At this moment, he seemed to see a brand new world, a world full of challenges and unknowns, a world that he and Xie Chaochao could explore together.

"Do you... really think so?" Chu Heng's voice was low and hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his heart, with a barely perceptible tremor.

Xie Chaochao raised his head and met Chu Heng's gaze firmly. There was both determination and a hint of tenderness in his eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty. Chaochao only wishes to follow his heart and live up to his youth."

Empress Xie Chaochao gently stroked the sleeves of her dress embroidered with intricate dragon and phoenix patterns, her brows furrowed, as if the delicate silk thread could not bear the doubts and unwillingness in her heart. She looked at herself reflected in the bronze mirror, and her stunning face was now filled with indescribable complex emotions. The figure in the mirror was vague, and the empress asked herself: "Am I, Xie Chaochao, the kind of person who lets others manipulate me and easily gives up my own persistence?"

Her eyes passed through the carved window lattice and looked beyond the palace wall shrouded in clouds and mist. Her heart was filled with a desire for freedom and helplessness about the current situation. Under the splendor of the Forbidden City, there were endless constraints and calculations. Every word and every action seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, sliding towards a predetermined trajectory.

"Forget it," the queen sighed softly, with a barely perceptible resoluteness in her voice, "If we don't agree, what can we say to those who only care about power and profit and don't care about other people's feelings? I, Xie Chaochao, have been well-educated since I was young, and I am proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. I also have a heart that doesn't want to go with the crowd. But now, I have to be trapped in this golden cage, dealing with a group of people who have different ideals and beliefs. It's really ironic."