Phoenix Rests in Chang’an

Chapter 5: A Love Realized Too Late

Five years later, the Cold Palace was buried beneath a blanket of white snow. The icy winds howled through the narrow corridors, but inside, it was eerily silent. Jiang Ruoli, frail and ghostly pale, lay motionless on her bed, her once-beautiful face now etched with the marks of time and suffering. The pain in her chest had long ago turned into a numbness that even tears could no longer ease.

Her life had been reduced to this—loneliness and solitude. The vibrant woman who had once stood beneath the peach blossoms, full of hope and dreams, now barely resembled that girl. Time had stolen her youth and her spirit, leaving behind nothing but the cold remnants of a broken heart. Her thoughts often wandered to the days when she had believed she would be by Xiao Changyan’s side forever, serving him, loving him, even if he never reciprocated. But now, those dreams felt like distant echoes from another life.

For the first time in years, Xiao Changyan stepped into the Cold Palace. He had not visited her since that day, when he had cast her aside with a cold heart. But now, seeing her fragile form lying in the dim light, something in him seemed to break. The guilt and regret that had festered inside him for so long surged to the surface.

“Ruoli… come back to the palace with me,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Jiang Ruoli opened her eyes slowly, her lips curling into a faint, bitter smile. There was no joy in her gaze, only the sorrow of years wasted. “Back? For what, Your Majesty? So that I may lose my child again?”

The words hit him like a hammer. He had always believed that her pain stemmed only from his coldness, but he now understood the depth of her suffering. His neglect had caused more than just emotional damage—it had stolen everything from her. He clenched his fists, his voice breaking as he whispered, “I was wrong… I regret everything.”

Jiang Ruoli’s eyes fluttered closed again, a single tear slipping down her cheek. She had waited too long for him to realize what she had already known: that his love, if it ever existed, came too late.

With her final words, “Your Majesty… you always realize things too late,” her hand fell lifelessly to her side.

Xiao Changyan fell to his knees beside her, his body shaking with grief. He cradled her cold face in his hands, but she would never answer again. All his regrets, all his realizations, could never bring her back.