Yuan Zhen woke up earlier than usual that day, hoping to enjoy the sunrise in peace. But instead of golden light painting the sky, something green greeted his eyes.
"...What the—?"
He leaned out of his window, blinked twice, and then—
"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY GREAT YUAN PALACE?! WHY ARE THERE VEGETABLES GROWING EVERYWHERE?!"
The palace erupted into chaos. Servants screamed. Guards dropped their spears. Birds fled from the trees.
Yuan Zhen, still in his sleepwear, stormed out into the courtyard—his robe slightly undone, hair disheveled, and his sharp jawline gleaming under the morning sun.
The maids froze. Some turned bright red. One fainted.
After all, the man known throughout the lands as the cold, ruthless Emperor of Yuan was currently standing shirtless among a field of cabbages.
Meanwhile, Wan'er and Yuxi peeked out from a nearby corridor.
Yuxi whispered, "...Is it just me, or does His Majesty look even more dangerous when he's not wearing his armor?"
Wan'er's nose twitched. Then—drip.
"W-Wan'er! Your nose!"
Blood trickled down her face as she whispered hoarsely, "He's… way too hot. His existence is a sin."
The two women exchanged the look—the universal language of womanly suffering in the presence of absurd male beauty.
Then, chaos struck again.
"Yosh! Let's start plow—" a servant shouted before Wan'er startled and accidentally tripped, bumping Yuxi straight into Ren Wang, who had just walked in.
"Ah! Sorry, are you okay?" Yuxi squeaked, cheeks burning.
Wan'er snickered behind her hand. "Hehehe~ My bad~"
Just then, Yuan Zhen entered the hall—and froze at the sight of Yuxi tangled awkwardly in Ren Wang's arms.
His expression darkened. "...What are you doing?"
Wan'er turned around, saw him, and instantly fainted internally. "Oh no."
She stared for a beat too long at his half-buttoned robe, then—drip drip—another nosebleed.
"W-what are you looking at?" Yuan Zhen demanded, quickly hiding behind Ren Wang.
"N-nothing! It's just—you're too—uh, I mean, it's morning and you're—uh—!"
"Pervert."
Wan'er froze, eyes wide. "E-excuse me?! P-pervert?! It's not my fault you're built like a sculpture! And you—you totally have morning wood—"
Her voice died mid-sentence as her brain caught up with her mouth.
Silence.
Then Wan'er turned bright red, spun around, and sprinted away faster than a frightened rabbit.
"Excuse me!" Yuxi followed suit, nearly tripping over her own robes.
Yuan Zhen blinked twice, face redder than fire, then fled in the opposite direction. "I—I'm going back to my chamber."
Ren Wang stood there alone for a moment, expression blank. "...Did I just witness the fall of imperial dignity?"
Later that day, Wan'er buried herself under a blanket, muttering to her twins."Your mommy is doomed… completely doomed… 'Morning wood man'? What was I thinking?"
The twins giggled, thinking their mother's misery was the funniest thing ever.
From that day forward, Yuan Zhen and Wan'er avoided each other at all costs. Unfortunately, that didn't stop their daily verbal wars.
"Good morning, Pervert Woman.""Morning, Morning-Wood Man."
Servants began calling it the "Cold War of Embarrassment."
Still, the palace slowly adapted to its new… agricultural identity. The once-barren courtyards now overflowed with vibrant vegetables. The most miraculous patch lay near the long-abandoned Empress Chambers — a land so fertile that crops grew regardless of season.
"Your Majesty," Ren Wang reported one day, "the Jun Kingdom has begun to move. They've discovered the Gu Village now belongs to Yuan."
Yuan Zhen frowned, plucking a ripe tomato. "Let them talk. I'd rather not go to war again, not after what happened last time."
Ren Wang nodded. "Understood. But—there's something else. Our soldiers' cultivation levels have all improved recently. Even the shadow guard, Quan, broke through. The cause seems to be… her."
Yuan Zhen paused, looking at the tomato in his hand, then toward Wan'er in the distant field. "So even my vegetables aren't normal anymore…"
Ren Wang smirked. "At least they taste good."
Meanwhile, at the Jun Kingdom, the court was in turmoil.
"Your Highness," an old general slammed the table, "you promised to protect my daughter, and now she's vanished! Until I receive proof of her safety, I will oppose any war against Yuan!"
Fang Lian, Wan'er's father, glared at Jun Xiang with deep disappointment. "You let her go. You abandoned her. If she ever returns, I'll make sure you never see her again."
He turned and left, his old soldier's back still straight, but his eyes clouded with pain.
Jun Xiang sat in silence, guilt gnawing at his heart.
Ji Feng spoke carefully. "There are rumors, Your Majesty… that Yuan Kingdom has become a land of abundance. They say vegetables now grow year-round, and people eat spiritual food daily. If it's true… if Wan'er is there…"
Jun Xiang clenched his fists. "Then I've doomed us all. Because of my pride… I turned the woman who could've saved us into our greatest threat."
Back in Yuan, Wan'er stretched, brushing soil off her hands."I want to explore the outer forest tomorrow," she said cheerfully. "It might have herbs or wild veggies worth cultivating."
Yuxi frowned. "You can't stay out too long. The twins are already clinging to you—and to the emperor."
Wan'er sighed dramatically. "I can't help it if my babies love him more. He feeds them better snacks."
She gently rocked one twin in her arms, smiling softly.
The first brother was called Xian, and the second, Xun. Oddly enough, Wan'er hadn't named them herself.
It was Yuan Zhen who'd done it.
Why, no one really knew.
The next morning, Wan'er was already up before sunrise — energetic, bright-eyed, and humming like she wasn't the least bit aware she was technically a captive.
"I'll just take a quick walk, plant a few things, maybe domesticate a spirit beast or two. No big deal~"
Yuxi rubbed her temples. "Wan'er, last time you said 'no big deal', the entire east courtyard turned into a pumpkin field overnight."
Wan'er grinned, pulling her hair up into a short ponytail and slinging a small basket over her shoulder. "That was a strategic pumpkin operation. You're welcome for the free harvest festival."
"Strategic—? You nearly buried the royal fountain under vines!"
Wan'er waved dismissively. "Details~ details~ Anyway, I'll be back before lunch!"
Before Yuxi could stop her, she leapt lightly over the courtyard wall, her movement arts smooth and graceful.
Meanwhile, behind a large rock not too far away—
"...She's gone."
A deep voice muttered under a hood.
Ren Wang sighed loudly. "Your Majesty, why are you wearing a black cloak and fake mustache?"
Yuan Zhen glared. "Because I am incognito, obviously. If she sees me, she'll call me 'Morning Wood Man' again."
"...Your Majesty, that fake beard looks like you glued a squirrel to your face."
Yuan Zhen crossed his arms. "Silence. This is a stealth operation. Operation 'Protect the Vegetable Maniac.'"
Ren Wang facepalmed so hard it echoed through the forest.
In the forest...
Wan'er hummed happily as she inspected the wild terrain. "Oh~ this place has good energy flow. Perfect humidity. Nice earth. Maybe I can plant something rare here—"
She suddenly paused.
The wind carried a faint, pulsing hum — the sound of spiritual energy gathering around something deep within the forest.
Her eyes lit up. "Treasure alert!"
She tiptoed toward the source, moving carefully through tall grass and vines, until she found a small glowing plant sprouting from a mossy stone.
"Whoa... Is this... a Spirit Ginseng?!"
Wan'er's farming instincts kicked in instantly. Without hesitation, she pulled out her hoe and began digging the soil around it with surgical precision.
"This baby's coming home with me~"
From the shadows, Yuan Zhen was watching the entire time, crouched awkwardly behind a bush.
"She's… harvesting a rare spiritual herb like she's picking radishes."
Ren Wang nodded solemnly. "Classic Wan'er."
Yuan Zhen leaned forward, accidentally stepping on a twig.
CRACK!
Wan'er froze. Slowly, she turned around.
"Huh? Who's there?"
Thinking quickly, Yuan Zhen tried to disguise his voice. "Uh… just a passing hunter! Definitely not your handsome captor, I mean emperor— I MEAN— stranger!"
Wan'er squinted suspiciously at the bush. "...You sound weirdly familiar."
Ren Wang groaned from behind a tree. "Your Majesty, stealth failed."
Within seconds, Wan'er approached the bush, arms crossed. "Out. Now."
Yuan Zhen reluctantly stood up, the fake mustache hanging off crookedly.
Wan'er stared at him in silence for three whole seconds.
Then she burst out laughing.
"Pffttt—HAHAHA! Oh heavens—Your Majesty, what are you even wearing?! You look like a bandit who lost a costume contest!"
Yuan Zhen's ears turned red. "I was protecting you! What if wild beasts appeared?"
"From what? The squirrels?!" Wan'er gasped between laughs. "I think the only beast here is you—hiding behind bushes at dawn."
Yuxi, who had just arrived with the twins strapped in a basket, sighed so deeply it could be heard across kingdoms. "This… this is my daily reality now."
Wan'er knelt and brushed the soil from her hands. "Anyway, I found this spiritual herb. It might help improve crop quality."
Yuan Zhen's irritation melted slightly as he watched her excitement. Her eyes sparkled when she spoke about farming — the same way soldiers talked about battle glory.
"You're really something," he said quietly.
Wan'er tilted her head. "Hmm?"
He looked away quickly. "N-nothing. Just… don't go wandering off alone again."
"Fine~" she teased, "as long as you stop sneaking around with that squirrel on your face."
"...It's a mustache."
"Sure, Your Majesty. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Ren Wang snorted from behind the tree and nearly choked holding back laughter.
They headed back together, Wan'er humming and twirling the newly discovered herb in her hand.
When they reached the palace gates, something strange happened — a faint golden light shimmered across the ground behind her footsteps, and tiny sprouts burst from the earth wherever she walked.
The guards stared, speechless.
"Is… is the Empress planting crops just by walking now?"
Yuan Zhen rubbed his temples. "By tomorrow, my palace will turn into a forest."
Wan'er only smiled innocently. "Well, Your Majesty, you wanted prosperity… I'm just delivering it faster."
That night, as Wan'er tucked her twins to sleep, she gazed out at the glowing palace gardens — once stone and dust, now full of life.
She whispered softly, "At least here… things grow."
And somewhere across the corridor, Yuan Zhen stood by the window, watching the same scene with quiet wonder.
"Things grow," he murmured, "and so does she."