The Weary Empress’s Plea

Weili was instantly assailed by a premonition of unease. Yunji was treating her with an unfamiliar distance, speaking as if to an inconsequential stranger.

“Since the Emperor has arrived, let us speak today of the words left unsaid that day.”

“Yunji?!” Weili’s expression shifted drastically. She tried to interject, speaking in a rush. “I know you haven’t been in good spirits lately. If you wish to stay with the Merfolk, then stay. My only purpose in coming today was to see you and our daughter.”

Xilin had just reached the entrance when she overheard such grating words, causing the hairs on her body to stand on end. Beside her, Jingling stared with wide, uncomprehending eyes.

Xilin quickly reached out to cover Jingling’s ears. “Children shouldn’t listen to nonsense.” Her sudden proximity made Jingling’s ears, which had just recovered from the sea breeze, flush crimson once more.

“I’m not a child…” Jingling weakly retorted. Yet, she neither pulled away nor removed Xilin’s hand, her face now red as a cooked shrimp.

“I know you’re not a child. All right, Jingling, please wait here and don’t go inside yet.”

“Okay, Sister Xilin…”

Since Xilin had asked her to wait patiently outside, Jingling naturally obeyed.

The moment Xilin stepped inside, intending to speak on Yunji’s behalf, she heard her mother—usually so gentle and reserved—shake her head at Weili, her demeanor now cold and distant, a stark contrast to her usual compliance.

“Today, the Matriarch of my Merfolk clan is also present. I have thought about these words for too long.”

Yunji disregarded Weili’s attempt to change the subject, continuing to speak her mind. “I am weary of being this Empress. Anything I could help you with, I already did thousands of years ago. The Merfolk clan is the same; we can no longer assist you.”

“Yunji.” Weili’s voice was low and her face grim, as if she were suppressing her anger as she addressed her. “I have already stated that I only came today to see you and our daughter. If you wish to stay with the Merfolk for a longer period, I will not object. Simply enjoy yourself, and once your mood improves, I will return to escort you home.”

Weili’s expression remained dark, and she spoke to Yunji with a hint of suppressed fury. “Do not let me hear you utter such petulant words about not wanting to be the Empress.”

“I am not speaking in anger,” Yunji’s voice remained firm, utterly unfazed by the Emperor’s imposing aura. She met Weili’s gaze with calm composure.

“I have no other requests. However, there is a saying among mortals: ‘A single day as husband and wife creates a hundred days of kindness.’ I hope the Emperor will grant my wish, for the sake of our thousands of years together.”

“YUNJI!!!” Weili rarely displayed any emotion before outsiders. As the exalted Emperor, she was expected to be steady, dependable, and always in control, revealing nothing and leaving no trace, making her inscrutable and unfathomable.

Her current visit to the Merfolk clan was a result of their prior dispute outside the Ghost Clan, which had lasted several days. Before that, Yunji had been in a state of prolonged melancholy in Shanghua Heaven.

Yunji had desired to return to the Merfolk clan, but Weili had instinctively forbidden it, her tone far from pleasant.

This had fueled Yunji’s rebellious spirit, almost leading to a confrontation between them.

The moment Yunji merely raised her blade, Weili’s temper instantly vanished. She realized she might have truly pushed Yunji too far. For thousands of years, Yunji had remained in Shanghua Heaven without leaving; she was homesick, and now, by coincidence, another young mermaid was to be sent back.

Weili was deeply reluctant, but ultimately, she couldn’t bring herself to fight Yunji. She could only agree with a sigh, yet Yunji had remained silent for months, failing to return.

With the Immortal-Demon War on the verge of erupting, not only were the Immortal Clan in turmoil, but even other allied races felt a profound unease.

At such a critical juncture, if it were discovered that the Empress was absent from Shanghua Heaven, or worse, that the Emperor’s consort had become estranged, the consequences would be dire.

Yunji rarely appeared in the outside world, so Weili had always concealed her whereabouts. These past few days, no clues had surfaced.

However, Weili could not maintain this deception indefinitely.

Furthermore, after Yunji’s departure, Weili realized that her palace felt eerily empty. Each day, without Yunji’s presence, it seemed as though something vital was missing.

She never ignored the longing in her heart.

Throughout their thousands of years together, it was natural for her to love Yunji.

Weili knew Yunji was homesick. Suppressing her possessiveness, she had allowed Yunji to stay with the Merfolk for so long, yet Yunji still hadn’t returned.

With her mother’s support, Xilin had abandoned her cultivation and neglected her studies, staying with Yunji among the Merfolk for months.

After so much time had passed, Yunji still refused to return. Worried that she was still upset and throwing a tantrum, Weili prepared gifts and personally traveled to the South Sea, hoping to bring Yunji home.

It was one thing for the Merfolk clan to treat her coldly, but after months apart, Yunji’s profound detachment—and her declaration that she no longer wished to be the Empress—was unbearable.

Weili could no longer contain her anger. “Yunji, come back with me!” she demanded, her voice sharp.

“Who are you shouting at?”

“Why are you being so fierce with my mother?”

These two voices erupted almost simultaneously. One belonged to Yunji, agitated to the point of imminent action, while the other was like a cub baring its claws, growling fiercely at Weili.

Yunji remained motionless. However, after Xilin entered, her heartstrings were suddenly plucked. She swallowed dryly, then continued, “Xilin has grown up now. If she ever wishes to return to the South Sea to see me, I hope the Emperor will not stand in her way.”

She cast a deep gaze at Weili, her eyes filled with desolation and disappointment. It was as if she were silently conveying that Xilin was grown, and she would no longer be forced to yield to Weili for the sake of their child, as she had in the past.

Bringing Yunji back and gently appeasing her was not about avoiding unpleasantness.

Weili made an effort to soften her voice. “Let’s talk.”

Too many people were present. Some things Weili found inconvenient to say, especially as the Emperor. She was always strict in Xilin’s presence; it wouldn’t do to humble herself and coax Yunji in front of so many.

She wanted to speak with Yunji alone, but Yunji shook her head, her face etched with weariness. She slowly uttered a single sentence: “I am too tired.”

Weili frowned, opening her mouth to speak further. Yet, Yunji lowered her gaze and let out a deep sigh. “Weili, since returning to the Merfolk clan, I haven’t even swum once…”

That single sentence froze Weili in place, her throat seizing up as if sealed, rendering her utterly speechless.

Suddenly, a flood of memories rushed over her.

During the last Immortal-Demon War, Yunji had suffered countless grievous injuries because of Weili. Her tail, as vital to a mermaid as life itself, had sustained many irreversible wounds.

In the most severe instance, Yunji had nearly lost her tail. During that battle, Weili, knowing Yunji would be in danger, had even considered abandoning her—all to avoid marrying another and to secure the Emperor’s throne, to defeat the Demon Clan and ascend to that supreme seat.

She had only desired to become the most esteemed person in the realm, believing it would allow her to control her own destiny.

That battle had exacted a heavy toll. Yunji had clung to life, severely wounded, and remained in a coma for a full half-month, requiring another two months of recovery before she could even leave her bed.

The scars prevented Yunji, who once possessed the most beautiful and powerful tail among the Merfolk, from even growing scales. Horrific lacerations crisscrossed half of her tail.

The victory of that war had crowned Weili as the new Emperor, but it had also severely crippled Yunji’s cultivation, ensuring she could never return to her former strength.