The tenth day of the fifth month was the day Li Mu returned to court in triumph.

The Grand Astrologer proclaimed the tenth to be a most auspicious day.

The civilians who had fled the war had returned to Jiankang, and life had settled into peace once more. Emperor Taikang’s hundred-day memorial had also passed, and the capital had removed mourning attire.

War, displacement, national mourning – those suffocating days filled with panic and depression had finally ended, and the city quickly recovered its original liveliness. Markets north and south displayed goods in abundance. The imperial avenue leading to Tai City stretched straight and spacious. In the tall buildings along both banks of the Huai River south of the city, amid the endless sounds of boats traveling the waterway, music and laughter drifted out, circling the shores throughout the day.

News of Li Mu’s triumphant return to the capital was eagerly passed among the people. Though the army was still on the road, for many days now it had been known to virtually everyone, with civilians discussing excitedly and eagerly anticipating this day’s arrival.

Many still remembered that year when Emperor Xingping was still alive – after the court achieved the great Jiangbei victory in the war against Beixia, when the army entered Jiankang and the emperor personally left the city to receive the meritorious officers led by Gao Qiao at the Sovereign’s Platform and reward the troops.

That day’s supreme glory belonging to the aristocratic families led by the Gao clan left an unforgettable impression on the civilians who were fortunate enough to witness that grand ceremony.

Today, such a magnificent spectacle would be recreated.

The Empress Dowager and the young emperor would personally leave the palace, come outside the city, and receive and reward the officers and soldiers who had made outstanding contributions to rescuing the nation from crisis.

Different from last time, the protagonist of this grand ceremony would no longer be the Gao clan and aristocratic families like them, but would instead be Li Mu, who had previously only been ranked after the aristocratic families.

Grand Marshal Li Mu was the protagonist of this upcoming grand military reward ceremony.

Without his timely return with reinforcements from the south, no one dared imagine what state Nanchao would be in now. He deserved any glory and praise.

But from the imperial family’s perspective, correspondingly, this was also the first public appearance of Gao Yongrong and the young emperor before the people in their capacities as Empress Dowager and the supreme sovereign of the empire.

Therefore, the court took it extremely seriously. Three days ago, Ministry of Rites officials had begun bustling about in the eastern suburbs, arranging seating, rehearsing the welcoming ceremonies, and other complete sets of elaborate rituals. Not even the placement of a single banner was allowed to have the slightest error.

On this day, Luoshen sat alone in an ornate carriage, closely following the imperial carriage carrying the Empress Dowager and young emperor ahead. Under escort by ceremonial guards and protective troops, followed by civil and military officials, amid the prostrations of civilians on both sides of the road, they passed through the imperial city, exited the south gate, and arrived outside the city walls at the southern suburbs beside the circular altar the imperial family used for heaven worship – today’s venue for rewarding the troops.

This vast and level wilderness, having hosted successive emperors’ heaven worship ceremonies, carried the hopes for favorable weather and national peace and prosperity, maintaining an atmosphere that was always solemn and reverent.

Today was especially so, with banners fluttering in the wind filling the boundless plain as far as the eye could see.

When the Empress Dowager brought the young emperor to take their seats on the Sovereign’s Platform amid the kneeling reception of civil and military officials, the central guard armies and capital guard units had already arranged themselves neatly in their respective positions, separating the civilians permitted to observe the ceremony from the Sovereign’s Platform.

Luoshen’s seat was arranged in a place of honor just behind Gao Yongrong, with an excellent view and nothing obstructing the scene before her.

Dressed in splendid robes, sitting upright beneath a canopy, from the moment she was seated she focused single-mindedly ahead, gazing at the plain at the limit of her vision, hoping to soon see Li Mu’s figure. She paid no attention to the fact that just over ten zhang below the Sovereign’s Platform, in a corner among a group of accompanying officials, two gazes had been intermittently falling upon her ever since she took her seat.

Gao Yongrong sat beside the young emperor, her expression solemn, her gaze sweeping across the scene ahead and to both sides.

Today’s grand military ceremony, which she had first proposed, was indeed meant to follow popular sentiment and rally morale, and represented unprecedented honors for Li Mu.

But even Li Mu, who had turned the tide and made outstanding contributions to Nanchao, still had to observe the proper etiquette of a minister before the young emperor.

Therefore, wasn’t this also an excellent opportunity to let the soldiers and people of the realm personally witness the supreme status of the imperial family?

Gao Yongrong’s gaze slowly swept across the distant banners that blotted out the sky, the rows of central army warriors guarding the Sovereign’s Platform, and behind the warriors, the dense sea of black heads belonging to the masses…

She and her son beside her were the supreme rulers of all this.

Drawing her gaze back from the distance and sweeping it toward the civil and military ministers standing to the left and right before the platform, Gao Yongrong immediately spotted Badong Governor Rong Kang, who had recently arrived in Jiankang.

As reward for his merit in presenting Xu Mi’s head, today he had been specially permitted to observe this grand ceremony.

He stood behind a group of officials in a corner position, originally not conspicuous.

But Gao Yongrong noticed Rong Kang at first glance.

She discovered that this man’s gaze seemed to be spying on something beside her.

Following his line of sight, she turned her face slightly and saw Luoshen sitting upright beneath her canopy, gazing ahead.

Gao Yongrong narrowed her eyes slightly. When Rong Kang again cast a spying glance toward Luoshen, she stared at him with warning in her eyes.

Rong Kang soon met her gaze and was startled, seeming somewhat guilty as he quickly lowered his eyes and looked away.

Gao Yongrong maintained her composure while sizing up this Badong regional governor who had only recently arrived in the capital. Suddenly hearing in the distance the ceremonial officials loudly announcing the army’s arrival, she turned to look ahead with focused attention.

Amid the thunderous sound of hoofbeats like ten thousand horses charging, Luoshen saw a long black line appear on the distant horizon.

That black line moved, vast and mighty, approaching in this direction. Soon it became clear – countless soldiers formed into battle formations, led by an armored cavalry unit at the front, marching in orderly steps toward this location.

The ground beneath their feet seemed to begin trembling slightly with this army’s approach.

The air around the circular altar suddenly became still.

Everyone turned their heads, watching with unconsciously awed gazes as this invincible military force that had won battle after battle without a single defeat drew nearer and nearer, arriving close by and finally stopping in the wilderness.

Only then did the earth’s trembling cease.

Li Mu, wearing a military helmet and armor, led three hundred imposing and majestic officers behind him as they dismounted and walked toward the Sovereign’s Platform.

As he drew closer, the sun’s rays made the armor worn by him and the officers behind him reflect brilliant flashes of light.

In Luoshen’s eyes, he was like a deity approaching her.

She widened her eyes, suppressing the heartbeat that almost seemed ready to burst from her chest, gazing at him without blinking.

Li Mu stopped on the field several zhang from the Sovereign’s Platform, raised his eyes, and met Luoshen’s gaze.

This momentary eye contact, lasting no more than an instant, still made Luoshen feel completely satisfied, as a slightly bittersweet feeling of sweetness surged in her chest.

Though they were often apart, just one glance – such a glance – was enough.

She knew he was also missing her.

Li Mu withdrew his brief gaze from his wife. Under the watch of countless eyes around him, leading the officers behind him, he addressed in a deep voice that child on the platform who had clearly been frightened pale by the military display: “Your subject Li Mu, ordered to pacify the southeastern sect rebellion, relying on the court’s majesty and with the life-risking assistance of the officers and soldiers in my army, was fortunate not to disgrace the mission. The southeast has been restored, the rebel leader Wu Cang has been executed. I now present the spoils of war for Your Majesty’s inspection!”

As his words ended, the officers behind him separated to both sides, revealing over a hundred soldiers pushing forward dozens of supply carts. Opening the cart covers exposed chest after chest of treasures, with ceremonial officials loudly announcing the tally – over a hundred chests of gold and silver in total.

The surrounding civilians, seeing such dazzling wealth from afar, let out gasps of amazement.

The reason the upstream rebellion of Xu Mi could be smoothly pacified was also due to his timely persuasion of Yang Xuan to surrender, but at this moment he made no mention of this matter, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Sitting close by, Luoshen saw her sister secretly pinch the young emperor’s hand, seemingly urging him to maintain imperial dignity before his ministers, then called for them to rise.

“Minister Li has labored hard and achieved great merit. This gold and silver was presumably gathered by the sect rebels from among the people over these years. As they say, ‘taken from the people, used for the people’ – it would be perfect to add to the national treasury to compensate for the previous war expenses. What does the Grand Marshal think?”

Li Mu replied: “I defer to Your Majesty’s wishes.”

Gao Yongrong smiled and slowly stood, sweeping her gaze in a circle before declaring loudly: “Officers and soldiers, you stepped forward in the nation’s hour of crisis and achieved great merit. Now that you return in triumph, His Majesty welcomes the army here, and the court will reward you according to your achievements.”

“Your loyal hearts and courage bring supreme glory, worthy of being a model for ten thousand generations. We hope that from now on you will continue your loyal service to our great Dayu. This is His Majesty’s wish and our great Dayu’s fortune!”

Her sister’s voice still echoed in Luoshen’s ears before being drowned out by the earth-shaking cheers from the surrounding people.

This military ceremony was grand in scale, with harmony between ruler and ministers – on the surface it appeared so inspiring.

Grand Marshal Li Mu, who had turned the tide at a crucial moment and single-handedly stabilized half of Dayu’s tottering realm, could not be said to have achieved insignificant merit, yet he carefully observed his proper role as a minister, showing not the slightest trace of pride in his accomplishments.

And the Xiao imperial family – though the emperor was young, fortunately the Empress Dowager was wise and benevolent. Having such an Empress Dowager assist the young emperor was truly the nation’s good fortune.

Many civilians fortunate enough to personally experience this day’s grand military ceremony would, for a long time to come, speak with relish and unfading memory of today’s magnificent spectacle.

…

That day, Li Mu never appeared before Luoshen again.

Luoshen knew he had duties to attend to. After the military ceremony ended, she returned home first.

As night fell, she bathed early, specially adding fragrant oils to her bath water. After bathing, she rose from the scented water, dried her skin and hair, and put on the smoke-purple soft silk gown she had chosen days earlier for best complementing her snow-white skin. She sat before her dressing table to arrange her beautiful, lustrous long hair.

Once her hair was dry and arranged, she rose and moved to her beauty couch, reclining there with a book in hand. Reading absently while listening for sounds from outside, she gradually became lost in thought, then suddenly worried she wasn’t beautiful enough or captivating enough. She cast aside the book and returned to her dressing table, kneeling down with a bronze mirror in one hand reflecting her face, while with a delicate finger of the other hand she took a small amount of lip rouge made with rose juice and fine spices from a jade box. Just as she was about to apply it to her lips to make her face appear more fresh and alluring, suddenly her hand stopped at her lips.

Through the mirror, she saw an additional figure behind her.

A man had somehow silently entered this inner chamber and stopped beside the folding screen, gazing at her back.

She slowly turned her head, her eyes shimmering with moisture, her glances flowing with light as she gazed at the person behind her.

“Langjun…”

She called to him.

Li Mu’s gaze was dark and intense, his throat working slightly. He immediately strode toward her, moving behind her to kneel down, extending his arms from behind to encircle her waist and draw her body into his embrace.

Luoshen’s soft back pressed against his armored chest.

The hard, cold iron armor made her body tremble slightly.

Li Mu held her tightly from behind, burying his face deep in her fragrant hair, motionless.

Luoshen seemed to catch the intense masculine scent emanating from the man behind her – that mixture of iron and blood acquired on battlefields.

Her eyelashes trembled as she slowly closed her eyes. Her slender jade neck, as if no longer able to support her head, softly leaned against the broad shoulder of the man behind her. Her hands also grew weak and dropped limply, the mirror sliding along her cloud-soft skirts to the floor.

Li Mu held her thus, saying nothing, making no other movements, as if time had frozen. After a very long while, he finally slowly released her, turning her entire body around so that petite she sat on his lap facing him, gazing at her intently with undisguised, hungry desire in his eyes.

He had done nothing yet, merely held her like this, but now under his gaze, Luoshen’s face gradually flushed with a light blush, her breathing became rapid, and her chest rose and fell slightly.

She suddenly remembered that her lips still bore only a small amount of rouge that she hadn’t had time to spread evenly before he arrived, probably making her look somewhat unseemly. She hurriedly raised her hand to cover her mouth so he couldn’t see, lowering her head to look for the mirror that had slipped from her grasp, but her hand was caught by his.

Li Mu’s gaze fixed on her lips as he lowered his head, his face slowly pressing down toward hers. In a husky voice, he said quietly, “Let me eat it for you…” Before the words finished, he captured her lips.