A drowsy, confused feeling struck her, and Bai Qingyan squinted her eyes. Chun Tao stepped forward and said in a low voice to Bai Qingyan, “Miss, are you unable to handle the wine? Perhaps… this servant should help you go rest?”

Although Chun Tao herself felt it would be extremely rude to advise Bai Qingyan to leave the banquet early at this time, her heartache for Bai Qingyan outweighed everything else, so she boldly stepped forward to speak such improper words to Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan glanced at the worried-looking Chun Tao and waved her hand with a smile: “No harm, no need to worry so much…”

“Your Majesty seems to be in excellent spirits due to the alliance between Great Zhou and Yan.” Sa’er Khan smiled as he looked at Bai Qingyan, lifting the wine cup before him. “Allow me to toast the Empress once more.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty, but I am already unwell and cannot handle wine well, so I shall substitute tea for wine…” Bai Qingyan lifted her teacup. “I hope Your Majesty will be understanding.”

Bai Qingyan was naturally fair-skinned, and now with her cheeks slightly flushed, her appearance of being unable to handle wine didn’t seem fake. Sa’er Khan didn’t mind either, raising his cup from afar and draining his wine.

On the very night the palace banquet ended, Tianfeng Nation’s envoys personally visited Liu Rushi, presenting him with valuable gifts and delivering the formal request for Great Zhou to open mutual trade. They also made an unreasonable request, saying that the jade cicada originally in Great Zhou’s Imperial Consort Xiao Rongyan’s possession was Tianfeng Nation’s national treasure, and asking Great Zhou to help find the jade cicada so that Tianfeng Nation could welcome it back to be offered before their heavenly gods.

Liu Rushi’s response was identical to Bai Qingyan’s, saying that His Majesty was also currently searching for the jade cicada, and if it were found… this jade cicada would likely be a relic of His Majesty’s deceased husband and could not be easily relinquished.

·

“A’Bao… A’Bao!” Dong Shi sat beside the bed, raising her hand to touch Bai Qingyan’s burning fair cheek, anxiously turning to ask the imperial physician: “What exactly is wrong?”

“Please do not worry, Empress Dowager!” Imperial Physician Huang stepped forward and bowed to Dong Shi. “His Majesty is intoxicated. Chun Tao just fed His Majesty sobering soup. Once the alcohol disperses, all will be well—it’s nothing serious.”

Dong Shi had originally been worried that Bai Qingyan was only focused on reviewing memorials without caring for her health, so she had Nanny Qin bring soup to check on Bai Qingyan. She hadn’t expected to find the usually diligent Bai Qingyan asleep at her desk.

She had wanted to drape clothing over Bai Qingyan, but noticed her cheeks were flushed red, and when she touched them, they were burning hot. When she called Bai Qingyan’s name, she just smiled foolishly and called her “Mother.”

Hearing the imperial physician’s explanation, Dong Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good, good… as long as she’s not ill!” Dong Shi felt a weight on her legs and turned to see Bai Qingyan, just like when she was small, resting her head on Dong Shi’s legs, wrapping her arms around Dong Shi’s waist, and softly calling “Mother.”

Dong Shi lovingly stroked Bai Qingyan’s head, feeling both angry and unable to bear scolding her, only saying in a low voice: “Knowing full well that your alcohol tolerance is so poor you can’t even outdrink your sister, and with foreign guests present today, why didn’t you have the wine replaced with water? How dare you drink?”

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhong quickly stepped forward to ask for punishment: “This old servant was thoughtless. Please punish me, Empress Dowager!”

“Get up. Why should I punish you? It’s A’Bao’s mischief!” Dong Shi adjusted the blanket for Bai Qingyan, wrapping her daughter well, gently patting her daughter’s back. After a while, she said in a gentle voice: “Alright, lie down properly… sleep well. Consider today a rest day, and don’t get up to look at memorials again!”

After Dong Shi finished speaking, she felt Bai Qingyan hug her waist even tighter, and couldn’t hide the gentle smile in her eyes: “You’re already a mother yourself—how can you still act spoiled in your mother’s arms?”

“Mother…” Bai Qingyan nuzzled her face against Dong Shi’s embrace, looking up at Dong Shi, who was gazing down at her.

“Yes, Mother is here!” Dong Shi raised her hand to tuck the scattered strands of hair behind Bai Qingyan’s temples behind her ears, then removed the jade hairpin from Bai Qingyan’s head, letting down her ink-black long hair and gently combing through it with her fingers.

“I remember Grandfather asked me three times what makes a wise ruler. The first time… I said that one who can ensure the people have enough to eat and wear is a wise ruler. The second time, I said that ruling with benevolence and not allowing the common people to suffer injustice makes a wise ruler. The third time, after returning from the battlefield and seeing enough of the devastation left by war, I felt that one who can bring peace to all under heaven is a wise ruler.” Bai Qingyan’s eyes sparkled with a smile. “But only when I truly became emperor did I discover that being a wise ruler is very difficult.”

Dong Shi continued combing Bai Qingyan’s long hair, saying gently: “Is my A’Bao tired?”

“A little bit…” Bai Qingyan smiled at Dong Shi. “But Mother’s embrace will make it better!”

Dong Shi smiled as she looked at Bai Qingyan and responded: “Good, Mother will hold our A’Bao!”

Bai Qingyan closed her eyes, holding Dong Shi’s waist and closing her eyes in Dong Shi’s embrace. Tears suddenly welled up in Dong Shi’s eyes. She quickly wiped them away with her hand, gently patting Bai Qingyan’s back while softly humming the lullaby she used to sing when putting Bai Qingyan to sleep as a child.

Her daughter never complained of hardship or fatigue, so if she said she was “a little bit” tired, she must be extremely exhausted.

Dong Shi felt heartbroken but couldn’t help, feeling very uncomfortable inside.

However, since the alliance agreement between Yan and Great Zhou had been established, and the two nations would merge into one after three years, with Xiao Rongyan by her side to help them, Bai Qingyan should be somewhat less burdened.

“Wei Zhong…” Dong Shi saw that Bai Qingyan had fallen asleep and quietly called Wei Zhong, saying, “Send someone to quietly summon the Ninth Prince of Yan into the palace.”

“Yes!” Wei Zhong responded and turned to go to instruct the hidden guards.

Dong Shi carefully placed Bai Qingyan on the pillow, covered her with a thin blanket, and sat beside the bed, using a round fan to gently create a breeze for Bai Qingyan, hoping her daughter could sleep more peacefully.

Bai Qingyan slept for who knows how long. Perhaps because she was still thinking about the memorials she hadn’t finished reviewing due to today’s drunken laziness, she suddenly woke with a start. Upon opening her eyes, she immediately met a pair of deep, well-like eyes.

Seeing Xiao Rongyan lying on his side next to her, propping his head up with one hand as he watched her, she was startled and quickly sat up. Looking past Xiao Rongyan toward the outside, she saw that the curtains in the hall had been lowered and no one was present. She asked in surprise: “How did you come to be here?”

Xiao Rongyan sat up and draped the thin blanket that had slipped from Bai Qingyan’s body over her shoulders, saying: “Mother sent someone to summon me into the palace. She probably thought that since I’ll be returning to Yan tomorrow, she wanted to give us, husband and wife, more time together.”

From entering the palace until now, Xiao Rongyan hadn’t had the heart to wake Bai Qingyan, just watching her sleep peacefully beside him—for Xiao Rongyan, this was already immense happiness.

Bai Qingyan watched Xiao Rongyan carefully adjusting the thin blanket on her body, noticing the pouch embroidered with paired wild geese and the character “Yan” hanging at his waist. She reached out to grasp the pouch and feel it, then looked up at Xiao Rongyan: “Wearing this pouch so openly—aren’t you afraid someone will tell the Yan Empress Dowager?”