The young man raised his chin, his phoenix eyes tilted upward, looking arrogant and coldly mocking, but his unconsciously furrowed brow diluted his disdain.

Chu Zhao rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, feeling that he appeared unchanged from their time on the road before, but on closer inspection, he was different. Perhaps it was because he was wearing the official robes of an Imperial Guard officer, giving him a sharper presence than before.

“A-Jiu, you’re so formidable,” she said with a smile. “I’ve become the Empress, yet you still see through me.”

Look at her smirking face. Xie Yanlai laughed coldly: “So you think that now you’re the Empress, you can do anything, dare anything?”

Chu Zhao smiled: “Even when I wasn’t the Empress, I dared anything.”

That’s true enough, Xie Yanlai sneered, his phoenix eyes slightly lowering: “It’s one thing for you to provoke me, but now you’re also provoking him and Deng Yi. Are these two easy to deal with?”

Chu Zhao sat up straight: “When did I ever provoke you? Do you and the Xie family need my provocation to have a strained relationship?”

Xie Yanlai couldn’t refute this.

“When I’m nice to you, you think I have ulterior motives. Would you be happier if I sided with the Xie family people, like that Seventh Master or whatever, whipping you and bullying you together?” Chu Zhao said indignantly.

What nonsense. Xie Yanlai slapped the table: “Stop saying useless things. What are you trying to achieve by telling them you don’t trust each other?”

Chu Zhao said: “To allow myself to attend court sessions and participate in government affairs.”

Xie Yanlai said, “Then just say it directly. Tell Xie Yanfang you don’t trust Deng Yi and ask for his assistance; tell Deng Yi you don’t trust Xie Yanfang and ask for his help. Do you think they’ll believe you? They’re not three-year-old children.”

Chu Zhao replied: “I didn’t want them to believe me. I know they don’t trust me.”

Xie Yanlai looked at her and drawled: “I see, this servant was foolish. Your Majesty, the Empress, is wise and has everything under control.”

Chu Zhao laughed: “Don’t be so sarcastic.”

Before Xie Yanlai could speak again, she continued in a measured tone.

“It’s very simple, as I just said, your relationship with the Xie family is not good, and it’s not because of my provocation. Similarly, Imperial Tutor Deng and Third Young Master Xie already don’t trust each other.”

“And my actions aren’t meant to make them believe I trust one of them.”

Xie Yanlai had already understood, and he laughed self-mockingly. He’d always known this girl was extremely bold.

“So Your Highness’s purpose is to make them not trust you,” he said.

Chu Zhao didn’t mind his constantly changing forms of address and nodded.

“Yes, I’m letting them know that I don’t trust them either. This way—” she said with a smile, “they will want to gain my trust.”

Xie Yanlai was slightly startled, looking at the girl whose face was smiling, but whose eyes were full of stillness.

She had once easily given her trust, dedicating her heart and soul to that person, but in the end, her trust and her entire being were worthless.

“A-Jiu, I am now the Empress. I saved the Emperor’s life. I am the person the Emperor trusts most, and I also have military power.”

She looked at Xie Yanlai.

“Why should I trust them? Shouldn’t they be the ones to win and gain my trust?”

…

…

Xie Yanlai looked at the girl sitting properly before him. Her eyes were clear, her makeup and attire simple, not imposing or magnificent, but—

Even when she was A-Fu, desperately seeking help at the post station, there had been a gleam in her eyes—a gleam of unwillingness to be inferior, a light that demanded attention and caused one to be vigilant.

Then, her reputation rose rapidly in the capital.

Now, she was the Empress.

And he had presumed to remind her, to teach her how to act.

With just a flick of her finger now, she could ruin him.

Xie Yanlai smiled slightly. He stood up and gave a salute to Chu Zhao: “This minister—”

But at that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door, and the eunuchs’ soft voices could be heard saying, “Your Majesty—”

Xie Yanlai stopped speaking and turned to look, seeing Xiao Yu standing at the doorway, slightly peering inside, but not stepping in.

“A-Yu,” Chu Zhao said with a smile, beckoning.

Only then did Xiao Yu step in, quickly walking to Chu Zhao’s side, then looking at Xie Yanlai and calling out: “Uncle.”

Xie Yanlai gave him a salute: “Greetings to Your Majesty.”

Xiao Yu nodded: “Uncle, there’s no need for such formality. Please sit.”

Xie Yanlai said: “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

But he didn’t sit down.

Chu Zhao held Xiao Yu’s hand and asked: “Have you finished your lessons?”

Eunuch Qi followed in and said with a smile: “One lesson has just ended. Soon the teacher will come to instruct His Majesty in calligraphy.”

Xiao Yu held out one hand: “I’ll write five sheets more and then I’ll be done.”

Chu Zhao smiled and said: “Then I’ll also write five sheets, and let the teacher see who writes better, how about that?”

Xiao Yu nodded: “Good.”

Eunuch Qi joined in from the side: “This old servant has seen the literary collection of Chu Garden. Your Majesty, the Empress, should not compete with His Majesty.”

Chu Zhao laughed heartily and looked at Eunuch Qi: “Eunuch Qi, have you seen me concede defeat many times? Are you afraid I can’t match A-Yu?”

As she spoke, she made a gesture of rolling up her sleeves.

“After the literary gathering, I’ve improved a lot. I’m not afraid of being outdone by A-Yu.”

Xiao Yu smiled and clenched his small fist: “I’m not afraid of being outdone by Sister either.”

After saying this, he turned to look at Xie Yanlai.

“Uncle, why don’t you compete with A-Yu too?”

Xie Yanlai replied straightforwardly: “I can’t write.”

Xiao Yu’s little face showed a surprised expression. In his understanding, no one in the world could write, especially someone from the Xie family, his uncle—

His other uncle, the one his mother often mentioned, that young master of the Xie family, famous throughout the land, learned and talented, capable of anything.

“He can’t match us,” Chu Zhao said with a smile, patting Xiao Yu’s arm. “When A-Yu learns horseback riding and archery, we’ll compete with your uncle in that.”

She finished by raising an eyebrow at Xie Yanlai.

Let’s see how he responds to that. Would he say he can’t ride or shoot either?

Xiao Yu also realized that Chu Zhao was teasing his uncle.

The uncle often mentioned by his mother was also excellent at horseback riding and archery. His mother said he was even better than his father.

But so what?

The child also smiled along with Chu Zhao.

Xie Yanlai looked at the tall and small figures smiling at him, mentally rolling his eyes, and raised his hand: “Your Majesty, I’ll take my leave to attend to my duties.”

Having said this, without waiting for Xiao Yu or Chu Zhao to respond, he turned and walked out.

Low laughter drifted from behind. How childish! he thought coldly. He glanced back to see the tall and small figures inside the hall, already sitting close together, saying something he couldn’t hear, their heads huddled together, laughing.

This girl was truly innocent yet worldly, heartless yet passionate.

Why should he care what she was like? It had nothing to do with him. Xie Yanlai looked away and strode off, but after going a short distance, he stopped again, seemingly weighing something, hesitating, standing motionless.

The Imperial Guards around him pretended not to notice, allowing him to stand there like a wooden post.

…

…

Chu Zhao accompanied Xiao Yu in jest for a moment. Then Eunuch Qi came to summon them for lessons. Chu Zhao indeed went along and wrote five sheets of characters for Teacher Qi to evaluate.

She didn’t deliberately lose to Xiao Yu but gave her best effort, earning the teacher’s praise.

After the next lesson began, Chu Zhao left Xiao Yu’s study. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Xie Yanlai.

Chu Zhao was startled and quickly went up to him: “You didn’t leave? Have you been waiting for me here? What’s the matter?” Then, looking at the eunuchs around, “Why didn’t you inform me?”

The eunuchs bowed their heads, about to say they were at fault, but Xie Yanlai impatiently stopped them.

“Of course I told them not to,” he said. “I don’t have anything important.”

What did he mean by “nothing important”? Chu Zhao looked at him and said, “Oh,” then waved her hand at the eunuchs. The eunuchs immediately withdrew like receding water, leaving only the two of them outside the great hall.

Chu Zhao said softly: “Go ahead and speak.”

Why chase everyone away, as if he had something shameful to say? Xie Yanlai frowned.

He stepped forward: “Chu Zhao, you should go and see your father.”

Chu Zhao was slightly startled, looking at this young man.

Besides herself, there was someone else who cared about her father.