The crowd surged, the confrontation between officials and commoners continued like opposing armies across a river.

Jing Hengbo was protected in the innermost layer of the crowd, not rushing to speak. She suddenly understood something.

Some things weren’t that simple—one had to give people time to choose and decide.

The old Grand Commandant of the Floating Water Tribe looked thoughtful.

He wasn’t unaware that Jing Hengbo had desperately saved him, nor was he ungrateful to the Queen. However, his position made things difficult for him.

Having witnessed firsthand the officials’ rejection of the Queen, and at this moment representing the Floating Water Tribe, once he spoke out, the Floating Water Tribe would be equivalent to standing on the Queen’s side. He felt he lacked the qualification and position to make such a far-reaching decision for the Floating Water Tribe.

“Minister Cheng,” Qu Ti suddenly said leisurely beside him, “Back in the day, Minister Cheng not only had the battlefield legend of single-handedly holding the pass, but also the court anecdote of striking powerful ministers with the golden mace in the palace hall. I believe that while the former was certainly impressive, it was merely a general’s duty to protect home and country; the latter was Minister Cheng’s true backbone and integrity as a pillar minister of the Floating Water Tribe—fearless of power, holding only to one’s true heart.”

“Thirty years of wind and frost have passed, thirty years of starlight have faded.” He sighed deeply. “Could it be that the gentle comfort of Dige and boundless wealth could truly wear away a person’s rainbow-like aspirations?”

Minister Cheng’s old face flushed red.

“Everyone!” he suddenly called out loudly. “Quiet! Quiet!”

The old fellow had commanded battlefields in his day and had an impressive voice. Jing Hengbo was startled by the volume, and the surrounding clamor was instantly suppressed into silence.

“You’ve all misunderstood.” Minister Cheng got straight to the point. “Just now there was an assassin who intended to take advantage of the crowd to assassinate us elders. Fortunately, Her Majesty the Queen arrived in time and saved this old man.” He pointed to Jing Hengbo’s still-bleeding arm. “Her Majesty blocked the assassin’s strike for this subject, and I haven’t even properly thanked Her Majesty for saving my life.” He finished with a deep bow.

Jing Hengbo immediately laughed loudly, “Grand Commandant, no need for such courtesy. You are an important minister of the state—saving you is my duty.”

The turbulent crowd immediately quieted. The officials and nobles looked at each other with embarrassed expressions, while the commoners’ excitement calmed. After a brief silence, they erupted in cheers.

“Long live Her Majesty!”

“Her Majesty is benevolent!”

Some even loudly mocked and lectured the officials across from them, “Open your dog eyes and see clearly—stop being confused and unable to distinguish right from wrong!”

“What do they know about right and wrong? The only thing they can distinguish in this lifetime is gold and silver!”

The officials retreated sheepishly. Jing Hengbo watched with a cold laugh, then waved loudly to the commoners outside, “Thank you, fellow villagers. There’s nothing more to see here—disperse, disperse.”

“Your Majesty, if these bastard officials give you trouble again, just call out and we won’t be far!”

“Your Majesty, come eat fried dumplings at my stall when you have time!”

“Your Majesty, Ling Street has the best snacks. When you’re tired of palace food, come try our folk flavors!”

“Alright, alright!” Jing Hengbo went with the flow, beaming with smiles.

The commoners gradually dispersed. Jing Hengbo glanced sideways at those officials. “What, do you want me to invite you to dinner?”

The officials flushed red and silently bowed before leaving. The portrait studio entrance, which had been packed tight just moments ago, finally quieted down. Jing Hengbo frowned as she watched the crowd disperse, thinking that the assassin was lost again.

She remembered the last time at the Zhao residence—it was the same situation. But last time at the Zhao residence there was a limited scope and fixed number of people, so Gong Yin eventually caught the culprit. In today’s situation, there was no way to find the person.

Was it coincidence, or was someone constantly opposing her?

Behind her, both Yu Chun and Tie Xingze exhaled in relief, saying, “Your Majesty, you can finally have some peace.”

Yu Chun’s expression was particularly grim. He had discovered that this Queen was practically an accident magnet—every time she went out, something big happened, each time more sensational than the last. Today had nearly resulted in Dige’s first large-scale conflict between officials and commoners in history.

Yu Chun felt he needed to discuss switching duties with Meng Hu—someone else should guard the Queen. If this continued, even if his life wasn’t lost, his nerves would be shattered.

But Tie Xingze said, “Your Majesty’s wound needs to be bandaged quickly.”

Yu Chun repeatedly called for a physician, but Jing Hengbo said, “When I came over earlier, I saw a medical clinic with quite a few people—the physician’s medical skills must be good. Why don’t we go there for bandaging?”

“We can just summon one here,” Yu Chun said carelessly. “Why trouble yourself to go there personally?”

“If the physician is dragged away, what about the people waiting for treatment?” Jing Hengbo gave him a look. “We need to be close to the people.”

Tie Xingze smiled, “After bandaging, we could also eat some snacks and stroll around.”

“Tie Xingze truly understands me!” Jing Hengbo praised highly.

Yu Chun had no choice but to glumly prepare the carriage to take her to the clinic, driving while firmly resolving to resign from this damned position.

The carriage didn’t go far before stopping at a medical clinic on a side street. Jing Hengbo put on her veiled hat and obediently went in to queue up and sit down.

Before her bottom was settled, someone pointed at her in surprise, “Her Majesty the Queen! I saw Her Majesty wearing exactly these clothes just now!”

“Her Majesty has come for treatment!”

This caused an explosion. The people waiting for treatment all stood up, wanting to let her go first.

The physician inside kept peering out, and the elderly man who was having his pulse taken simply stood up, “This old man’s chronic ailment is nothing serious—treating Her Majesty’s wound is more important.”

The crowd parted to make way. The physician stood behind his desk and bowed deeply to Jing Hengbo, “Greetings to Your Majesty. Your Majesty’s presence brings glory to this humble establishment. Please take the front seat.” He ordered people to hang curtains and arrange stools while commanding them to find the best external wound medicine. A group of young apprentices beamed as they hurried about the medicine cabinets.

Jing Hengbo removed her veiled hat. She had no intention of showing off—originally wanting to observe people’s lives and find a sense of living, but she hadn’t expected to encounter such enthusiasm.

Before her were sincere smiling faces, opening to her like sunflowers. The crowd automatically parted to both sides, clearing a path for her to walk forward. The physician waited attentively behind his desk, constantly offering to bring out the best century-old ginseng.

She felt somewhat dazed, suddenly remembering the welcoming ceremony—there too the crowd had parted into two lines, there too was a path for her alone to walk. But then, around her had been scrutinizing, cold, vigilant gazes, and ahead had been countless officials ready to make things difficult. On that path she had been drenched in sweat, then scolded by a low-ranking minor official.

Human hearts were the hardest thing to buy in this world.

Commoners were the most simple and kind-hearted people in the world. Having struggled bitterly for survival their whole lives, being pressed by harsh winds and sharp swords made them particularly sensitive to kindness. The slightest favor from those in power could earn their genuine gratitude and willingness to defend to the death.

But those officials and nobles who had already gained much, in the process of constantly accumulating wealth and desires, had gradually lost their sense of satisfaction and conscience. Private interest was supreme, their greed insatiable.

She suddenly seemed to understand something, breaking into a heartfelt smile, her eyes sparkling with moisture.

The noisy hall suddenly fell silent, everyone staring in shock at that smile—beautiful yet pure—feeling their hearts cleansed, as vast as the sea and sky.

Even those who had been suspicious and cold felt as if illuminated by spiritual radiance before such a clear, bright smile, seeing the selfishness deep in their hearts.

Yu Chun stood at the entrance with arms crossed, originally very vigilant but now relaxed, thinking this job was actually quite good—very prestigious. Maybe he shouldn’t quit after all?

Tie Xingze gazed up at Jing Hengbo, light seeming to flicker in his eyes too.

Jing Hengbo smiled and nodded, stopping Yu Chun who wanted to come protect her, and walked calmly through the crowd.

She wouldn’t hypocritically refuse others’ goodwill.

This short path, she felt, was far more glorious than the welcoming ceremony.

The physician was so attentive he was nearly nervous, his hands trembling as he held the medicine powder. He applied layer after layer of the best wound medicine, wrapping her small wound into the size of a radish, and insisted on giving her the shop’s treasure—century-old ginseng—saying it would nourish her body.

Jing Hengbo suppressed her laughter and declined, saying if she took any more supplements she’d get nosebleeds. Turning around, she saw many hands reaching toward her, countless sparkling eyes flashing before her.

Some offered homemade pastries, some brought local specialties from the countryside, some presented medicinal herbs dug from the mountains, and one woman even brought her a chicken from home that was “the best in all of Dige.”

Jing Hengbo accepted everything without disdain, all with smiles. Yu Chun and his subordinates soon had their hands full of things, and Yu Chun, carrying a clucking old hen, began once again contemplating the necessity of resignation.

After chatting with the enthusiastic commoners for a while, Jing Hengbo walked out to find a neat row of silk-robed people standing at the entrance.

Clearly shopkeepers from nearby stores.

The shopkeepers had heard of the Queen’s visit and come upon hearing the news, all expressing their admiration for the Queen and warmly inviting Her Majesty to visit their shops.

In a good mood, Jing Hengbo visited each shop and even offered some suggestions to stores that sold women’s goods.

The shopkeepers followed behind her devoutly, personally taking notes, serving tea and water attentively. By the time she left their shops, silks and satins “for Her Majesty’s enjoyment” had already filled the carriage. The shopkeepers enthusiastically followed the carriage, requesting that Her Majesty visit often to share joy with the people.

Jing Hengbo just smiled, guessing that tomorrow these shopkeepers would probably all put up advertisements like “Queen’s Choice, Royal Appreciation” to attract business.

Zirui was somewhat dissatisfied, thinking she had been too generous to these wealthy merchants, but Jing Hengbo didn’t mind. It was just a small favor—why be so serious?

“Being able to be used by others is also a blessing,” she said.

The carriage was packed full. At the next intersection, she had the carriage stop and had Yu Chun distribute the goods to the commoners.

“Ill-gotten gains should be shared by all,” she said.

Zirui burst out laughing and said sincerely, “Following Your Majesty, I feel today was most glorious.”

“We sisters truly think alike as heroines,” Jing Hengbo patted her shoulder in praise. Her gaze unconsciously swept past the carriage window and suddenly focused sharply. “Stop the carriage!” she called urgently.

The carriage stopped. She jumped down and looked up admiringly at a three-story connected commercial building before her.

“Whose property is this?” she asked Zirui eagerly as she followed down. “Located in the very center of Liuli District’s busiest area, with roads leading in all directions, upper and lower shops connected—perfect for my women’s mall!”

“This building is empty,” Zirui said. “Let me ask for you.”

A passerby walked by and casually added, “Don’t bother asking. Even if you ask, it’s useless. This building originally belonged to the Sang family. Back then the Sang family bought it intending to make a restaurant, but something happened before it opened. The building became cursed, and because it was too big and expensive, no one was interested anymore. I heard a few days ago that some fool with too much money bought it. They started construction right after buying it—must be for something important. You’re too late.”

Zirui was quite disappointed, but Jing Hengbo became interested.

“Someone else has as good an eye as mine? But this building isn’t really suitable for a restaurant—the street-facing shops have no windows, so they’d need to open a whole row of windows, which would be a lot of extra work. Where is this buyer? I want to talk to him.”

“This owner is very mysterious—never seen him. But there are people supervising the work inside. You can go see for yourself.”

“Your Majesty, be careful of traps,” Tie Xingze disapproved.

Jing Hengbo shook her head. She didn’t think this could lead to trouble either. Her interest in this shop was completely spontaneous, and she hadn’t told anyone about the women’s mall idea beforehand. There was no way someone could have anticipated waiting for her here.

The more she looked at this building, the more her heart itched, as if she could already see the embryonic form of her women’s mall: first floor jewelry and accessories, second floor clothing and design center, third floor beauty salon… An ugly woman would walk in and emerge as a radiant beauty…

The building had craftsmen doing painting. Seeing people enter, no one paid attention. Jing Hengbo looked up at the particularly high ceiling and said delightedly, “This ceiling is perfect! We could install a crystal light-gathering chandelier in the future! Selling jewelry needs good lighting most! Flowing light and overflowing colors!”

Seeing the empty wall opposite, she rushed over and said, “This space must be reserved. Find the most beautiful cloud stone and design a LOGO that will blind people when they enter!”

The craftsmen looked at her, and some walked away.

Jing Hengbo enthusiastically climbed the stairs, patting the old-style jujube wood carved handrail. “This staircase isn’t good—thick and clumsy, doesn’t match the overall style. Ah, stainless steel or wrought iron stairs would be best, but that can’t be done here. But the staircase could be designed more elegantly, made spiral-shaped.”

Climbing to the second floor, the layout was different from the first—the first floor was already completely opened up, but the second floor still had half that wasn’t opened up. Jing Hengbo said happily, “This layout really suits my heart! Isn’t this a ready-made design hall and fitting rooms? A row of big mirrors there, a row of seats, styling would be done right there…”

Thump thump thump, she ran up to the third floor and immediately exclaimed “Wow!”

Zirui and the others couldn’t keep up with her pace. Thinking she was in danger, they rushed up anxiously, only to see her facing a corridor with arms spread wide, tears of joy in her eyes, saying with infinite emotion, “This is simply designed by heaven for my beauty center…”

Zirui rolled her eyes. Yu Chun held his chin and asked Tie Xingze, “Young Master, do you think Her Majesty has developed mania?”

Tie Xingze said kindly but worriedly, “I’m more concerned about whether Her Majesty will cry when she returns to reality.”

“Look,” Jing Hengbo’s eyes sparkled as she excitedly pulled Zirui along. “This third floor is simply wonderful. It was probably intended for private dining rooms originally—they’re all partitioned into individual rooms. It’s a perfect match! Now I just need to make slight modifications and it becomes individual beauty treatment rooms. These carved partitions are beautifully made—we don’t need to change them, but the color is too old-fashioned. We could change them to light beige or off-white, clean and bright, with green plants. Where would be good for the green plants… here, and here, visible as soon as you come upstairs, and here, we’ll arrange a counter here with two of the most slender and beautiful service staff, greeting customers with ‘hello’ and ‘please’ as soon as they enter… And in these small rooms,” she pushed open doors one by one, chattering rapidly, “a person-width white bed goes here, also need some green plants. There’s lots of swamp mud that’s good for beauty treatments—I’ll dig out the books later to research. Oh right…” She struck her fist into her palm. “Must not forget to make unified work uniforms and name tags…”

Zirui wiped away the spittle that had nearly sprayed on her face, looking quite worried.

Yu Chun held his chin and said ominously, “Dawn is breaking…”

“Yes, yes, all your plans are excellent,” Tie Xingze stepped forward to support the manic Queen. “You’ve finished inspecting everything, haven’t you? Shall we go downstairs to rest? Besides, it’s time to return to the palace.”

“No rush, no rush. Let me see how the lighting is on this third floor…” Jing Hengbo brushed him off and enthusiastically walked inside, pushing open a room door.

Suddenly a large broom flew out, heading straight for her face!

“Are you done yelling? If you’re done, get lost! You’re disturbing my afternoon nap!” A harsh voice was deafening. From the room at the end, a disheveled head poked out, eyebrows bristling with anger. “Get lost!”

“Move aside!” Tie Xingze rushed over, pulling Jing Hengbo away and batting away the broom. Fluffy dust fell all over both of them, causing a fit of coughing.

The broom clattered to the ground at Jing Hengbo’s feet, finally pulling her back from her manic fantasy. She stared blankly for a moment, still unwilling to give up, and asked, “Where is your boss? I want to talk to him…”

“Talk about what! This is my master’s property! Can you afford it? Even if you could afford it, my master wouldn’t sell to you! You’re not qualified!” The old man whose hair and eyebrows were tangled and unclear rushed out from the room, grabbing the broom and waving it about. “Who gave you permission to come in? This is private property, understand? Making such a racket and disturbing my afternoon nap—if you don’t leave I’ll report you to the authorities! Go go go go go go go!”

The broom waved chaotically, clearly showing he knew no martial arts, yet forced several masters to retreat repeatedly. Yu Chun grabbed Jing Hengbo. “Let’s go, Your Majesty!”

Please stop embarrassing yourself!

“Hey, wait, let’s talk, let’s talk more—” Jing Hengbo struggled and reached out her hand, but Yu Chun swept her away like a gust of wind. Her shrill shouts could still be heard echoing in the building: “Call—your—master—to—talk—ah—”

“Whoosh!” Yu Chun had already swept her out of the building in embarrassment. Just as he wiped his sweat and breathed a sigh of relief, “Bang!” A huge broom fell from the third floor, landing squarely in the sand pile beside them.

From the rooftop, the old watchman’s roar echoed throughout Liuli District.

“GET LOST!”

…

“Woo woo woo, why treat me like this?”

“Woo woo woo, I just became everyone’s darling and now I’m thrown into the abyss.”

“Woo woo woo, I loved that building so much—why make my dreams shatter?”

“Woo woo woo, didn’t you all love me…”

Mournful wailing filled the carriage. The several people inside and outside the carriage had expressionless faces and strange looks.

Her Majesty the Queen had been crying all the way since getting in the carriage. The blow seemed quite severe.

Jing Hengbo was indeed very frustrated. She had traveled to quite a few places in Dige, and Liuli District was exactly where she had set her sights for future business. She had good connections here, so doing business would certainly go smoothly. Liuli District was expensive, mostly small scattered buildings with distances between them, making it impossible to realize her integrated women’s mall concept. This was the only three-story connected building she had found in Liuli District, and even the internal layout matched her imagination so well that it would need hardly any modification. For that instant, she almost thought this was a dream sent by heaven—location, layout, facilities, connections—where could she find such complete conditions?

Then at the peak of joy, a dirty broom smacked her dream to pieces.

She rolled back and forth in the carriage, mourning her entrepreneurial dream that had shattered before it even began.

“Your Majesty,” Yu Chun couldn’t stand her humming anymore and knocked on the carriage door. “Is it really worth this? It’s just a building. I’ll report to the State Preceptor later—whoever owns it, we’ll just take it for you…”

“Mind your own business!” came a vicious rejection from inside.

Yu Chun shrugged—not appreciating good intentions. When a woman’s temper was up, best not to provoke her.

But he was a bit worried. The Queen had gone out happy and was returning in tears. If the State Preceptor found out, would he still keep his head?

However, his worry didn’t become reality, because as soon as Jing Hengbo approached Yuzhao Palace, she stopped humming.

Once through the palace gates, she fell silent.

When they reached Jing Ting and she got out of the carriage, Yu Chun looked up and winced like he had a toothache.

The Queen before him had a smooth, radiant face with a relaxed expression, a three-part smile at the corners of her mouth, and eyes full of joy. Where was even half the frustration and dejection from moments ago?

Yu Chun blinked and blinked again, unsure if he had been dreaming earlier or was dreaming now.

Even stranger, he noticed Jing Hengbo had rolled up her sleeves, and the arm that had been wrapped like a radish was now hidden.

“This…” he stared foolishly at Jing Hengbo’s instantly noble and serene face, feeling the world was becoming increasingly incomprehensible.

“Not a word about what happened earlier—only mention how the people welcomed me on the streets, understand?” Jing Hengbo sternly warned him, then hurried off to change clothes. She planned to report to Gong Yin after changing.

Yu Chun stood dazed for a while, scratching his head. He asked Zirui, “Lady Official, why isn’t Her Majesty crying anymore?”

Zirui’s smile drifted lightly in the early winter palace courtyard.

“Because she doesn’t want the one she loves to worry about her.”

…

“The Queen made new moves today.”

“Oh?”

“She seems to be courting favor with the Floating Water Tribe, the Censorate, and the Sages. Grand Commandant Cheng of Floating Water publicly thanked her for her protection in front of commoners and officials.”

“Her ambitions haven’t died!”

“We thought she could be content in her position as an obedient puppet queen. But now it seems expecting her to be obedient is like expecting Gong Yin to commit suicide.”

“Obedient? When has she ever understood those two words? In so short a time—killing the Governor of Chengdu’s son, destroying the Sang family, defeating the Zhao household. Now she’s trying to befriend neutral ministers, clearly targeting Dahuang’s century-old rules, targeting the court ministers, targeting us!”

“More importantly, Gong Yin seems to truly intend to elevate her position.”

“If that’s true, you, I, and all the ministers will have nowhere to be buried!”

“The State Preceptor wouldn’t go that far! He has his own great ambitions—how could he allow the Queen to be above him!”

“You’re being blindly loyal! What he’s done recently, what his purpose is—you’ve commanded troops for years, can’t you really see it? Don’t you know that your so-called dreams of following the dragon are already shattered!”

“The Kang Long Army’s rotation, the Zhao household’s decline—isn’t that enough to show Gong Yin’s attitude?”

“Gong Yin treats the Queen unusually. I also believe he might change his original position.”

“If he insists on protecting her, he too will lose everything. We don’t need an indecisive master who values beauty over all!”

“Dahuang can do without a queen, can do without a State Preceptor who prioritizes feminine beauty, but cannot do without us—the century-old tribes, the noble families, the pillars of the court!”

“But if you truly oppose the State Preceptor, I fear you won’t fare well either! Have you forgotten the Dige Rebellion five years ago!”

“The Dige Rebellion won’t repeat. Because we’re not like Queen Ming Cheng who acted rashly back then. We have people, hearts, soldiers, important ministers, the Six Kingdoms, the Eight Tribes, nearly all of Dahuang’s power groups. Even if Gong Yin were a god, he couldn’t withstand our united strike!”

“Because even if he wins when he acts, it would be a pyrrhic victory. When all of Dahuang’s forces oppose him, even if he could overturn everything, what would remain? He would lose popular support, lose prestige, lose control of the court, lose all of Dahuang!”

“Without control of government affairs, how could he still protect her?”

“He could protect her for a time, but could he protect her for life? As long as she’s in Dige, as long as we haven’t all died out, the Queen—”

“Must perish!”

…

“I’m back!” Jing Hengbo’s lazy yet bright voice always lifted spirits and brought smiles whenever it rang out in Jing Ting.

Almost immediately, the guards and palace servants moving about outside withdrew, leaving someone a freer space.

Jing Hengbo habitually called out, then prepared to return to her palace to change clothes first and unwrap that radish hand to avoid someone making a big fuss.

But she was intercepted by Meng Hu halfway.

“Your Majesty,” Meng Hu said, “the State Preceptor happens to be free now. Would you like to visit? Later he needs to receive the leader of the Zhan Yu Tribe…”

“I’ll go, I’ll go.” Such opportunities were rare, so Jing Hengbo immediately followed him. As she walked, she arranged her hair and smoothed her temples, even checking her reflection when passing the water pool.

When she stepped through the door, Gong Yin was just setting down a memorial, looking over with calm eyes.

The study had been cleaned up, everything returned to its place, even the desk replaced with an identical one. No sign remained of the earlier fierce battle.

As soon as Jing Hengbo entered, she raised her voice and eyebrows, her smile flying up.

“Hi! Little Yin-yin!” she said excitedly and cheerfully, “I went out today and didn’t cause trouble!”

“Mm.” Gong Yin beckoned her over, indicating she should sit.

Jing Hengbo sat in the chair beside him, one foot propped on the crossbar beneath his chair—the chair originally had no crossbar, but she insisted chairs without crossbars left her feet nowhere to go, saying she was used to propping her feet on Little Perspective and Little Cake’s chair crossbars to talk. After Gong Yin criticized her for being troublesome, he immediately ordered crossbars added to all chairs in Jing Ting and her palace.

Since then, she liked sitting across from Gong Yin with her foot propped on his chair’s crossbar, curling herself into a ball, tilting her head to watch him speak or work.

He showed no reaction to this, but she felt that whenever she did this, his movements and expressions seemed particularly gentle.

After officials discovered this strange crossbar, they naturally found it disagreeable, but Gong Yin never cared what others thought. Jing Ting’s chairs became special, and reportedly this style was now being imitated outside.

Jing Hengbo habitually propped up her foot, curled up in the chair, rested her chin on her knees, and lazily exhaled.

Her squinting posture resembled a well-fed fox.

“I opened a portrait studio—very successful!” she boasted to him. “So many people queued overnight for the opening. Wow, they really loved my portrait studio and waited in line so obediently! Though there were many people, order was good—all maintained by me!”

“Mm.” Gong Yin nodded and took her hand.

“The people welcomed me warmly,” she boasted to him. “I strolled around Ling Street area, and oh my, they adored me so much, giving me so many things. I didn’t take the valuable ones, but I accepted all the worthless ones. Oh right, I brought back a pair of reed flower hens for you—home-raised chickens are very nutritious. I’ll make chicken soup for you later.”

“We’ll drink it together.” His fingers smoothed up along her sleeve.

“And those merchants too—so attentive and fawning,” she boasted even more. “They gave me a whole carriage full of rouge, powder, silks, and jewelry, saying they’d supply me anytime I visit. Why not take what’s free? I accepted it all graciously, then gave it all to the people later. Pretty noble, right?”

“One visit to their shops was worth more than what they gave you.” Gong Yin’s fingers moved deftly and lightly.

“Right, right! Oh, and I saw a beautiful building. I plan to buy it later—I’ve already negotiated with the owner and they’re willing to transfer it to me. In no time I can do what I want to do… eh, Gong Yin, what are you doing… ah, why are you unwrapping my bandage…”

A circle of white cloth fell from Gong Yin’s fingertips. Jing Hengbo stared in shock, discovering that somehow her well-hidden radish hand was now caught in his grasp as he unwrapped the bandaging.

“Hey hey, what are you doing? They wrapped it so nicely for me… you can’t be displeased even by someone bandaging me…”

Gong Yin ignored her, quickly removing the bandages until they littered the floor. His gaze fell on Jing Hengbo’s wound—not too deep a knife cut, but contrasted against her snow-white, delicate skin, the blood traces looked shockingly fierce. Such damage to such beautiful skin would likely leave a scar.

Gong Yin still showed no expression, not even a furrowed brow, but Jing Hengbo suddenly felt the surrounding temperature dropping rapidly, making her shiver involuntarily.

So cold…

There was killing intent…

Wait, if she went out once, came back injured, and hid it from him, would this guy get angry and never let her leave the palace again?

“Oh my, how could I forget this wound?” she immediately began wailing dramatically. “Oh dear, it’s all your fault—I had forgotten all about it, but you had to treat me like this. Oh my, it hurts so much, be gentle, be gentle! This is my first time…”

If she couldn’t hide it, she wouldn’t try—crying and wailing would annoy him to death! Leave him no time to be angry!

Gong Yin glanced up—all thunder, no rain, swaying dramatically but not looking like she was in pain, more like dancing.

A helpless smile touched his lips—this delicate yet strong, fierce yet shameless woman! She wouldn’t cry when she should but screamed as if being molested when she shouldn’t.

How many people outside Jing Ting were listening at the walls?

“Keep fake crying and you really will never leave the palace again.”

Jing Hengbo’s crying stopped immediately. She wiped her face and asked, “Didn’t look convincing?” She nodded thoughtfully. “My acting skills need improvement.”

He looked at her quietly, holding her warm palm.

This was Jing Hengbo’s unique thoughtfulness and consideration—even her clowning was just to keep him from worrying.

He became calmer, reining in his anger, taking her hand and looking disdainfully at the powder on her wound. “Bring warm water!” he called outside.

“Hey, this medicine is quite good,” Jing Hengbo immediately protested. “They said it’s the best medicine at three taels of silver per bottle! It stopped hurting when applied! Really! If you wash it off I’ll hurt again—no, no.”

“You want a scar?” His single sentence was devastatingly effective, immediately silencing Jing Hengbo.

Warm water and cloth were brought. He dismissed the guards and had Jing Hengbo sit by the soft couch for resting while he tended to her personally.

The cloth dipped in water gently washed away the powder from her wound. Only the soft sound of water remained in the study—light and gentle.

Neither spoke anymore, their breathing softened in this moment. She looked down at his slender fingers in the water basin, fingertips slightly reddened by the hot water. He looked down at the line of wound on her skin and her drooping, slightly curved lashes trembling gently—each flutter like startling a dream.

“Learn to protect yourself,” he said after a long while.

“Mm.”

“Saving others doesn’t require you to personally charge forward. Others’ lives will never be more important than your own.”

“Mm.”

“No matter how big a mess you make, there will always be ways to remedy it—at worst, start over. Only life cannot be.”

“Mm.”

“Grand Commandant of Floating Water is steady in character. Since he took a stand today, Floating Water won’t openly oppose you anymore. Add Xingze’s Chentie Tribe, and the Zhan Yu Tribe can also be utilized later. Among the Eight Tribes, you can basically relax about these three.”

She looked up.

“Gong Yin.”

“Mm.”

“I’m a bit hesitant, always feeling that what I’m doing is stealing your power. Are you angry? If you’re angry, or if you have difficulties, tell me plainly—I can choose not to do it.”

“And then obediently become a puppet queen?”

“…No. I wouldn’t be queen anymore.” She said, “I won’t hide it from you—I very much want to be a queen with real power, because I like Dahuang’s common people and dislike Dahuang’s ministers. I want to control those ministers and truly do things for the people. I also want to possess freedom and power, to be above others. Originally, today’s experience on the streets made this desire even stronger, but suddenly I thought from a different angle and felt that since Dahuang’s people are so lovely, being an ordinary person among them would be fine too. Also, Gong Yin, I want to fight for power, but I never want to be your enemy or make things difficult for you. When power conflicts with you, I’d rather yield. After all, power was never a necessity for me.”

She blinked. “I don’t want what you give me.”

“I won’t give it to you, and I can’t give it to you.” Gong Yin finished cleaning her wound and applied ointment from a tube. “Hengbo, since you’ve raised this issue, I’ll tell you—do what you want to do. Everything must be won through your own efforts.”

“What about you?” she asked with wide eyes.

“You should consider Dahuang’s many more complex and unpredictable forces.” Gong Yin’s fingers deftly bandaged her wound, neat and smooth, much more efficient than her previous radish hand.

Jing Hengbo withdrew her hand, feeling complex emotions—partly puzzled, partly warm, partly melancholy, partly uneasy.

She looked up at Gong Yin. His features were slightly blurred in the dim light, and she vaguely felt he seemed thinner.

The curtains in Jing Ting’s study had been half-drawn lately. In the hazy light, his gentle footsteps always made her feel as if in the next moment, he would walk from before her into deeper unknowns.

This made her a bit panicked. She suddenly spread her arms and threw herself onto Gong Yin’s lap.

Sure enough, she immediately felt Gong Yin’s body tense.

She simply climbed up and sat on his legs, hugging his neck, face to face.

Gong Yin’s fingers stiffened, forgetting to dry his wet hands, frozen in place.

He looked up at her while she looked down at him. Their eyes reflected each other’s images, each focused, each flustered.

“Look into my eyes,” she said softly. “Don’t avoid me because of my past rejections.”

“I’m right in front of you,” he answered softly.

“Forever?”

“Hengbo,” he said after a long moment, “even you don’t dare believe in forever.”

“No, I believe.” She leaned against his shoulder. “Precisely because I believe, I’m cautious.”

“I also believe,” he said. “I believe that with utmost effort, there’s no shore in this world that can’t be reached.”

His clear yet melancholy fragrance drifted over, but her heart didn’t settle. Instead, restless agitation surfaced. Her lips were near the skin of his neck—cool as moonlight, resilient and smooth. His unique cold fragrance and masculine scent seeped into her bones. She couldn’t help burying her face deeper, breathing deeply.

Her fingers slid down the curve of his spine to rest at his narrow waist. She felt his jade-like frame, but her heart floated in mid-air. Suddenly she wanted more—deeper investment, and with this man she truly loved, further mutual possession.

To further settle him, and also settle her own heart.

Years of romantic experience were surface—her heart remained pure, not from rigid dogma but unwilling to casually throw away a woman’s most precious gifts.

Reserved for love, not necessarily for marriage.

Her mind was hazy, unsure if right or wrong, but she only wanted to follow her momentary desire—life had many constraints, and indulgence was most difficult.

She lifted her head and lightly licked his earlobe, satisfied to see it immediately redden like coral.

At this moment her murmur was dreamlike yet clear: “…Do you want me?”