The great hall was silent as death.

Zhao San and Mu Si both kept their eyes lowered, looking at the ground, even lightening their breathing.

Murong Yi remained completely motionless, like a statue, seemingly having no reaction whatsoever to those words.

Only the sleeves of his plain silk robe rippled slightly.

After a long while, he gently waved his hand.

Zhao San hurriedly escorted Xi Yun away.

People who were too honest could also be quite troublesome.

As Xi Yun stepped over the threshold, she suddenly turned back and looked at Murong Yi with sincere eyes: “This subject has never wished to be pretentious in her life, but for Your Majesty, for this love that this subject admires yet cannot obtain, this subject is willing to try once.”

Murong Yi sat at the far end of the great hall, his eyes downcast.

Only after Mu Si had also left and the great hall was empty did he softly say: “…Cannot be erased, cannot be torn away, cannot be driven out…”

…

“…This subject has long admired Your Majesty. Today, humbly prostrating before Your Majesty’s steps, I wish to offer this worthless body, seeking to become Your Majesty’s phoenix companion. With solemn vows of growing old together, we shall compose a covenant of red leaves. Until seas dry and stones crumble, in life and death, never betraying.”

In the golden hall, Rong Pu’s brief words were like a boulder thrown into a river, causing everyone’s expressions to change dramatically.

On the throne, Tie Ci, who had been reading memorials, paused her hand for a moment. After a long while, she slowly raised her head to look at the person below the steps.

Rong Pu bowed slightly. Though he stood below, as a subject discussing such private matters, his demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant.

After the initial commotion among the ministers, most of them looked with bright, burning eyes fixed intently on Tie Ci.

Those with impatient temperaments wanted to strike while the iron was hot, but were stopped by He Zi’s meaningful glance.

Tie Ci’s bewilderment lasted only an instant, then she smiled and said: “How can such private matters be discussed here in this golden hall?”

He Zi immediately said: “Your Majesty, the imperial family has no private affairs.”

Duan Yande said: “Your Majesty, the imperial dynasty has no heir. The selection of a national father should have been arranged long ago.”

Tie Ci’s fingers gripping the memorial suddenly tightened at that moment.

Then she said calmly: “I am still in the mourning period.”

“The imperial family is different from commoners. Since the founding emperor, it has been established that there’s no need to observe three years of mourning – the continuation of the dynasty is of greater importance.”

“I am only twenty-nine this year.”

“Your Majesty, among commoners, a twenty-nine-year-old woman would likely have two children already.”

Tie Ci said: “A twenty-nine-year-old commoner woman doesn’t have governmental affairs piled high as mountains.”

Duan Yande immediately knelt down: “We subjects are willing to work diligently day and night to share Your Majesty’s burdens.”

All the ministers knelt down together, very sincerely expressing their willingness to work overtime every night so that Your Majesty could set aside the mountain of governmental affairs and focus wholeheartedly on marriage and producing children.

He Zi spoke even more earnestly: “Your Majesty, currently among the people regarding the Chongming Palace incident, there are still criticisms. To prevent gossip from damaging our imperial family’s dignity, Your Majesty should establish a national father as soon as possible.”

After the Chongming Palace incident, rumors about Murong Yi’s regicide were rampant, and with Da Feng declaring independence, it further incited the people’s hatred. Tie Ci’s attitude toward this matter had always been ambiguous and unclear. Although the people extremely loved and respected her, when this matter was mentioned, there were inevitably some criticisms. They believed that Tie Ci had initially been infatuated with beauty, inviting the wolf into the house, and afterward hadn’t completely severed ties, seemingly still harboring some lingering feelings. This was not only unfilial but also worrying, fearing that the empress might truly be blinded by love and eventually destroy Da Qian.

He Zi and others were very anxious about this and didn’t want these extremely serious criticisms to damage Tie Ci’s prestige and rule.

The only solution now was to establish a national father promptly to silence the wagging tongues.

Therefore, a group of important officials had visited Rong Pu several times, and after explaining the stakes repeatedly, finally had today’s marriage proposal in the great hall.

In the golden hall, Tie Ci looked at the mass of black heads below, her expression calm.

She said: “I know all you dear ministers mean well, and it’s especially difficult for Minister Rong, who is willing to sacrifice his entire life to quell gossip and preserve my reputation.”

Rong Pu immediately raised his head, about to say something, but saw Tie Ci look over indifferently.

In her eyes there was neither joy nor sorrow. When she stared at someone like this, it made one feel as if they had run into a transparent yet ice-cold wall.

That wall that made one hit a dead end silently told him: Stop here. One more step forward and our friendship cannot be preserved.

He closed his eyes and smiled silently.

He had known it would be like this all along.

But still couldn’t help it, couldn’t let go, couldn’t accept it.

Before the ministers could say anything more, Tie Ci waved her hand: “I know what you’re worried about. But there’s not just one way to solve many problems, and certainly not by using one person’s lifelong happiness as compensation.”

“Your Majesty…”

Tie Ci had already stood up and said: “Regarding the Chongming matter, since the people think I am unfilial, then I shall issue an edict of self-reproach.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, absolutely not!”

“Your Majesty, it was that Murong Yi who deceived the sovereign first, harboring wolfish ambitions. How can you bear this sin!”

“Your Majesty, an edict of self-reproach cannot be issued lightly, otherwise it will be forever recorded in the annals of history as a shameful mark!”

“Your Majesty, if you issue an edict of self-reproach, the people will only think more that you… are protecting the Feng rebels…”

The hall fell quiet for a moment.

Tie Ci stopped and said indifferently: “The Ministry of Rites shall prepare. In three days, I shall lead the ministers to worship at Jingshan Zhaoyuan Hall, issue an edict of self-reproach, and announce it to the world.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Court is dismissed.”

Tie Ci’s figure disappeared behind the screen, leaving the ministers dejected and dispirited.

Rong Pu stood in the hall, watching that figure disappear behind the hall without any reluctance, and exhaled very, very softly.

…

On the third day of the eighth month in the first year of Zhiming, the emperor led the ministers to worship the late emperor at Jingshan and issued an edict of self-reproach.

In the edict, she confessed to being unfilial, admitting that during the last two years of the late emperor’s life, she had not served at his knees, attending to him morning and evening, and had been negligent in caring for the late emperor. Later, during the great examination at Yueli Academy, she was guilty of failing to detect spies who infiltrated the late emperor’s side, leading to the late emperor’s death at Chongming Palace. The edict was written with sincere words, stating: “Heaven’s punishment above, yet I knew not; people’s resentment below, yet I understood not.” “Burdening the late emperor above, failing the common people below,” “All these tragic circumstances are truly my fault.”

Every word was written in blood, every word cursing herself thoroughly.

So much so that the ministers who had pressed the emperor to marry in the great hall that day knelt below listening with cold sweat on their foreheads, faces full of shame, never daring to force marriage again.

It also left the people of the realm dumbfounded, calling out “not necessary, not necessary.”

Some did try to muddy the waters with inflammatory words, but just before the edict of self-reproach was issued, teahouses, wine shops, brothels, and pleasure quarters throughout the capital coincidentally began telling stories of the various incidents that occurred inside and outside the imperial palace in the capital on the night of the Chongming incident.

Among them were Emperor Wu approaching the city, masters besieging Chongming, Di Yiwei killing the Rong clan atop the city walls, Western Rong’s thousand-li rescue mission, He Zi scaling walls, the palace master carrying two ministers on a pole, the Gu residence hiding the minister, riding snakes through snowy nights, Old Madam Qi opening the central gates and raising banners to face the enemy, Li Yuncheng kneeling in snow to present a letter, Tong Rushi drawing frames in the snow, Gu Xiaoxiao angrily berating Tong Rushi, Xiao Wenliu righteously destroying relatives by tying up her grandmother and taking her to the city walls, three thousand students from the Imperial Academy surrounding Changming Street, Rong Pu breaking through wind and snow at night, leading three thousand students to block Xiao Liheng, Xiao Liheng threatening Chief Minister Rong, and Chief Minister Rong boldly blowing up the street.

There was also His Majesty single-handedly confronting the Night Emperor, bloodshed at Chongming, and despite being severely injured, along with the equally wounded Princess Pingzong, two women facing a large group of top experts, stubbornly preventing the rebellious subjects who came with threats from entering Chongming Palace even one step.

There was His Majesty holding firm at Chongming, allying with Western Rong, deploying troops in Yannan, resolving the capital’s crisis, and driving the southward Dayan cavalry back to their homeland.

There was His Majesty dispatching guards from the palace to rescue civilians at the crucial moment.

There was His Majesty opening the palace gates to the villains immediately after resolving the internal palace crisis.

There was His Majesty, after the Chongming crisis was resolved and the capital’s troops withdrew, finally spitting up the blood she had held in for two days, staining the curtains red.

During the Chongming incident, many events had been sealed, and many details only became known to the people today.

Only now did everyone understand that during those brief few days and nights, the capital had been far more crisis-ridden than imagined, and in every corner of the crisis-filled capital, so many heart-stopping events had occurred, so many brilliant figures had appeared – loyal ministers and good generals, heroic and righteous women, wise and brave young men who shouldered great responsibilities.

It stirred the blood and was deeply moving.

And all these brilliant figures had been discovered by Tie Ci. All their glory could not overshadow the empress’s initial brilliance. Without her composure, strength, courage, and persistence, without her steadfast presence in the capital’s wind and snow, no matter how many brilliant moments and outstanding figures there were, there would have been no stage for them to perform, and the capital would have truly been destroyed in a single night.

Countless people smashed teacups in teahouses, countless people wept with joy and cheered, countless scholars hurriedly pushed back their stools and rushed home to write passionately, wanting to immediately sing praises to these few days of splendor with their burning blood and passionate feelings.

The edict of self-reproach was drowned in such surging group emotions. If anyone was tactless enough to mention a word against the emperor, it would certainly provoke arguments, with bloodied heads not being uncommon.

This allowed the ministers, who had been anxious about the edict of self-reproach, to breathe a sigh of relief while also being amazed.

His Majesty had truly grasped the perfect timing and truly understood people’s hearts and knew how to use public opinion.

Under such a powerful atmosphere of public opinion, the so-called crimes she mentioned in her edict of self-reproach all became evidence of her bearing humiliation and shouldering blame alone, showing pure filial piety.

Who didn’t know that she wasn’t in the imperial palace during the late emperor’s last two years because she had been exiled and targeted?

Who didn’t know that during those two years, to gain power and defend the imperial family and protect the late emperor, she had struggled through difficulties and suffered countless injuries?

Who didn’t know that the Chongming incident was when all her enemies, unable to defeat her in single combat, had no choice but to shamefully unite and use every means to create that earth-shaking scheme?

An eighteen-year-old girl had withstood all this, withstood that heaven-toppling disaster and heart-rending pain.

She had turned around and beaten all her enemies into dust.

Not failing the late emperor, not failing the capital, not failing the people, not failing Da Qian.

The people had scales in their hearts.

The same events, had they occurred in previous dynasties, they would probably already be slaves of a conquered nation.

The edict of self-reproach not only didn’t affect the emperor’s reputation but actually seemed to elevate it even higher.

Shortly after this incident, Rong Pu memorialized requesting to return to Haiyou to handle academy affairs.

Originally it had been agreed that he would serve part-time, able to spend half the year at the academy and half in the capital. Tie Ci immediately approved.

Dan Ye had been driven away by Tie Ci a month earlier – what was a great king doing staying here instead of managing his national affairs?

Dan Ye refused to leave, but Mo Ye was overjoyed. Tie Ci directly tied Dan Ye’s luggage around Mo Ye’s neck, drugged Dan Ye unconscious, threw him onto Mo Ye’s back, and told the brothers to quickly roll away.

When Mo Ye was leaving, he rummaged through Dan Ye’s room and pulled out a bundle, throwing it at Tie Ci’s feet. When Tie Ci opened it, she found it was a gift that Qi Yuansi had entrusted Dan Ye to deliver. That scoundrel Dan Ye had actually been hiding it all along, refusing to deliver it.

The gift was an irregularly shaped gold nugget, which meant Qi Yuansi had discovered a gold mine – truly an excellent gift.

The other was a small colorful jade landscape, with jade of multiple colors carved into the shape of a bouquet of wildflowers, bright in color and brilliantly lustrous. In his letter, Qi Yuansi said this was also a product of the Hanli Khan Desert, an extremely fine colorful jade of limited quantity. He had led people to dig for a long time before finding these pieces, selected the best ones, and personally polished and carved them. Currently, they could only find small pieces suitable for carving wildflowers, not worthy of His Majesty’s majestic elegance. When they found larger and better pieces in the future, he would definitely carve a garden full of peonies for His Majesty. He asked His Majesty to take care of her health and wait until the Hanli Khan Desert’s water diversion project succeeded, turning the desert into ten thousand qing of fertile farmland producing black oil and gold, at which time His Majesty should personally come to see it.

Tie Ci looked at it for a long time, thinking that her friends were all comforting and accompanying her in their own ways.

Qi Ling had merit in suppressing rebellion and now controlled all defense and military forces in the capital, being enfeoffed as Marquis Anguo. Qi Ling had requested to transfer Qi Yuansi back, and Tie Ci had agreed, but Qi Yuansi himself was unwilling to return.

He wrote to his father saying that His Majesty had lost too much, and he could do nothing else except do more things for His Majesty.

Qi Ling couldn’t help but show her this letter.

Facing Qi Ling’s expectant gaze, Tie Ci could only give the Qi residence additional rewards.

Anything else, she couldn’t give.

Just like today in the great hall, facing Rong Pu’s clear and earnest eyes, she could only tell him with her gaze: stop here.

In this lifetime, even if she could never be with Murong Yi again, she would absolutely never be with anyone else either.

Wind came across the hall pavilions, slightly cool.

She instinctively raised her head, breathing in the light coolness in the wind, thinking that it must be blowing from the snowy plains of Liaodong.

…