The Emperor couldn't understand why the Empress no longer loved him. #drama #cdrama #love #shorts

The emperor could not understand why the empress no longer loved him. She encouraged him to take many concubines, but refused to get close to him herself, leaving him deeply dejected. He even consulted his ministers during court gatherings. Unbeknownst to him, the empress had fallen seriously ill and had only six months left to live. When she learned that the emperor had brought a beauty back to the palace, she felt truly relieved. She hoped he wouldn't be too sad when she was gone. The emperor had missed the empress deeply after a month apart, but when they met, she walked past him and warmly greeted the beauty instead. The beauty wondered why the empress felt no jealousy and asked if she had fallen out of love. Yet the empress said it was precisely because she loved him too much. Hearing that, the beauty admitted she had traveled from the modern world. She planned to win the emperor's heart within a year and take the empress's place. The empress immediately took her hand and said she would help her. They headed to a school outside the palace where the emperor and empress had first met and grown close. At the age of five, they climbed up the rooftop and dreamed of the future. When they turned 10, the boy was made to kneel in punishment for neglecting his studies, and the young girl would secretly bring him food. He once invited her to roam the wide world by his side. She refused, for she feared a life of hardship. From that day on, the emperor devoted himself to his studies, vowing to make her the most noble woman in the world. On their wedding day, they argued over planting a tree. The emperor refused to grow a loquat tree, for it carried an inauspicious meaning mourning for a deceased wife. The empress angrily said she would ask someone else to plant it. Yet the next morning, she found a young tree already planted in their courtyard. The emperor told her it was a pomegranate tree instead, a symbol of abundant blessings. Five years later, the pomegranate tree actually bore loquat fruit. Later, the empress took the beauty to the kitchen. She would teach her how to make the emperor's favorite pastries. The beauty was surprised that such a stern emperor could enjoy such sweet treats. The empress couldn't help recalling the first time she made them, and she had accidentally mixed up salt and sugar. The emperor ate the whole treat before gently telling her it tasted salty. She felt discouraged, as the spouses of other royal princes were all skilled cooks, while she had no such talent at all. The emperor cupped her face and told her she never needed to compare herself to others. She just needed to be herself. With his warm support, she finally baked a perfect batch of pastries one day. They tasted so sweet, yet the emperor praised them endlessly and wished to enjoy them every day. The beauty couldn't help but ask when he had stopped loving her so much. Just as the empress was about to answer, the emperor appeared at the doorway.