Chapter 352 My favorite meme is "Lying Down Like a Salted Fish"!

The unconventional conversation in the Imperial Study ended with His Majesty the Emperor finishing a bowl of ice-cold almond milk with a dark expression and a sullen face.

He spent the entire afternoon with a stern face, writing furiously and processing most of the piled-up memorials. His diligent demeanor made it seem as if the emperor who had refused to get out of bed yesterday was just an illusion of his ministers.

But Lin Wanwan knew that this matter was not over.

Once the little flame in this man's heart is ignited, he will not stop until it spreads like wildfire.

As expected, Xiao Che held back all night, and early the next morning, he dragged Lin Wanwan, who had just finished breakfast, to the Imperial Garden for a "stroll" under the pretext that "it is necessary to exercise in winter".

In winter, the Imperial Garden is desolate, with everything withered and the cold wind howling; there's really nothing to see there.

Xiao Che, however, was in high spirits. He wore a thick dragon robe with a black cloak over it, his hands behind his back, and strode with measured steps, leading Lin Wanwan to the most secluded corner of the Imperial Garden.

Here, right next to the towering palace walls.

On the red palace walls, a layer of unmelted snow lay piled up. Outside the walls lay the mundane world, while inside was a brocade cage.

Xiao Che stopped in his tracks. He looked up at the palace wall that separated the two worlds at a 45-degree angle, his handsome profile revealing a profound sense of compassion.

"Wanwan..." he began, his voice carrying a hint of desolation in the cold wind, yet full of a story, "You're standing here, looking at this wall, aren't you curious?"

Lin Wanwan blinked and asked cooperatively, "What does Your Majesty wish me to be curious about?"

Xiao Che's gaze grew increasingly profound, as if it could pierce through the thick palace walls and see the joys and sorrows of countless ordinary people outside. He said softly, "I am curious, what kind of lives do the ordinary people outside these high walls... truly lead?"

His tone was filled with the responsibility and commitment of a ruler, and his concern for his people was almost overflowing.

Lin Wanwan almost couldn't hold back again when she saw him acting like a movie star.

She raised her head, pretended to think seriously for a moment, and then replied solemnly, "Your Majesty, I am not curious."

Xiao Che's deep expression froze on the spot.

Lin Wanwan seemed not to notice and continued to add logically, "The daily reports from the Prefect of the Capital are very clear, stating that in the capital region of our Great Liang, no one picks up lost items on the road, doors are left unlocked at night, the people live in peace and prosperity, and merchants come and go in an endless stream. I think the reports are very detailed, and there is nothing to be curious about."

"..."

Xiao Che was speechless for a long time after hearing the phrase "living and working in peace and contentment".

He had prepared a whole host of lines about the "sufferings of the common people" and the "worries of the emperor," but they were stuck in his throat, neither coming out nor coming down, causing him great discomfort.

Seeing that the atmosphere was about to become awkward, His Majesty the Emperor immediately demonstrated his extraordinary ability to adapt. He forcefully steered the topic from "whether you're curious or not" to another level.

He turned around, looked directly into Lin Wanwan's eyes, and his expression changed from "deep" to "heartbroken".

"Wanwan, you're right, the memorials do indeed say 'peace and prosperity.'" He paused, then his tone shifted, becoming somewhat sorrowful. "But what I'm saying is, those memorials are ultimately just words!"

"Words are cold, devoid of warmth!" He raised his voice slightly, waving his arm with an air of commanding authority. "What I want to see are the most genuine smiles on the faces of my people! What I want to hear are their heartfelt cheers! I want to see with my own eyes whether the land under my rule is truly as beautiful as described in the reports! I want to hear with my own ears if my people still have any complaints about me, their emperor!"

These words were spoken with heartfelt sincerity and were deeply moving.

The image of a wise ruler who cares deeply for the people, is not satisfied with superficial achievements, and yearns to delve into the lives of ordinary people and understand their sentiments leaps out before our eyes.

If Lin Wanwan hadn't been able to see the colorful inner monologue above his head, she probably would have been moved to tears and knelt down to shout "Your Majesty is wise!"

However, at this moment, as she looked up at the emperor who was desperately "pretending," her gaze was completely drawn to the enormous emoji above his head.

It was an animated GIF depicting a cartoon character carrying a backpack, excitedly heading towards the distant Earth against a backdrop of blue sky and white clouds, accompanied by a line of large, artsy text: "The world is so big, I want to go see it.gif".

Next to this meme, there's another still image that's even more soul-searching.

It was a salted fish, lying sprawled on the beach, its eyes vacant, a satisfied smile on its lips, its body bearing only four big characters—【Salted Fish Lying Flat.jpg】.

One is "concerned about the world," while the other is "a lazy bum."

One says, "See it with my own eyes and hear it with my own ears," while the other says, "The world is so big, I want to go and see it."

The contrast is simply... stark.

Lin Wanwan finally understood completely.

This man isn't experiencing "professional burnout"; he's just really in the mood for fun, tired of being confined in the palace, and wants to go out and "have some fun"!

All that talk about understanding the people's plight and their hardships was just a high-sounding excuse he made to go out and have fun!

Looking into Xiao Che's eyes, which were filled with "sincerity" and "expectation," and then at the two incredibly honest emojis above his head, Lin Wanwan felt that if she didn't laugh soon, she might suffer internal injuries from holding it in.

Seeing that Lin Wanwan remained silent for a long time, staring at him intently, Xiao Che assumed that his impassioned speech had moved her.

He was overjoyed and added fuel to the fire: "Wanwan, as the Empress, you are one with me. Don't you want to witness this glorious era with me and hear the voices of the people?"

He extended his hand to her, offering his sincerest invitation.

The atmosphere has been perfectly created.

However, just when Xiao Che thought he was about to successfully persuade the Empress and embark on a wonderful future of "publicly funded travel", Lin Wanwan suddenly burst out laughing.

Her laughter, clear and melodious, was like a needle, instantly piercing through all the "profound" atmosphere that Xiao Che had carefully created.

Xiao Che's expression froze again.

Lin Wanwan smiled, her eyes crinkling, she simply couldn't keep up the act any longer. She looked up at the emperor before her, who was still trying to maintain his "patriotic and compassionate" persona, her eyes full of mischievous amusement.

“Your Majesty,” she began, her voice laced with barely suppressed laughter, “please just say it.”

Xiao Che's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over him: "What are you talking about?"

Lin Wanwan took a step forward, leaned closer to him, lowered her voice, and asked, word by word, "Are you... tired of staying in this palace?"

boom--!

It was like a bolt of lightning striking Xiao Che squarely on the top of his head.

His profound, compassionate, and heartbroken mask shattered completely in that instant, leaving not a trace.

He froze on the spot, his mind blank. He never expected that his perfect excuse for leaving the palace, which he had prepared for two whole days, would be so blatantly exposed by Lin Wanwan with just a single, plain sentence!

Lin Wanwan saw that the two emojis above his head, "The world is so big" and "Lying down like a salted fish," flashed wildly a few times as if they had been infected by a virus, and then "bang," they exploded into countless fragments.

Instead, a brand new emoji pack with an extremely simple design was introduced.

It was a cartoon character on the verge of tears, with a huge, cracked line of text above its head: "[You've been seen through! .gif]".