Hurrying along behind them, Yang Yuanchen racked his brain the whole way for any possible remedy.

Just as they were about to board their carriages, the emperor suddenly extended a hand toward Ling Niang. “Ride with me.”

Everyone was startled. Ling Niang was overjoyed beyond words, thanking him profusely before taking his hand and climbing into the carriage.

Hua Chun’s mouth twitched slightly as she watched the light in Yuwen Jie’s eyes, feeling inexplicably stifled.

She’d rather die than ever sleep with this man again!

Well, that phrasing was a bit ambiguous, but that was more or less the gist of it. She didn’t know why such a thought had suddenly surfaced, but it was quite firm. Perhaps she was a little angry—about what exactly, she wasn’t sure.

Climbing into her own palanquin, Hua Chun followed behind the carriage into the palace.

The emperor and Ling Niang were probably chatting and laughing merrily in the carriage, because by the time they got off, Ling Niang had grown bold enough to stand right beside the emperor, her eyes brimming with tenderness as if she might fall right into them. Pink bubbles seemed to float everywhere around them like cheap special effects.

“Watch your step,” the emperor said, even gently reminding her.

Hua Chun rolled her eyes behind them. The palace grounds were paved with smooth, even bricks—was she really going to trip on flat ground?

“Prime Minister.”

“This subject is here.”

Yuwen Jie turned back and looked at her. “Take Ling Niang to the rear palace. I still have things to discuss with the Western Xia envoys.”

“This subject obeys.”

Really, relying on the fact that the Empress Dowager had granted her access to the rear palace, he assigned her such a task without a moment’s hesitation! Even Eunuch Qin beside them looked like he couldn’t bear to watch, opening his mouth several times as if to say something before deciding against it, only able to shoot her a sympathetic glance.

Sighing, Hua Chun resigned herself to leading Ling Niang toward the rear palace. A young eunuch tagged along and told her, “Wanbao Hall is currently vacant.”

“Mm,” Hua Chun nodded. “Then we’ll go there.”

Ling Niang was thrilled the whole way, asking her quietly, “Prime Minister, does His Majesty like watching dancing?”

“Yes.”

“What else does he like?”

Pausing in her steps, Hua Chun turned to look at her, asking curiously, “Weren’t you supposed to have admired me for a long time? Changed your mind so quickly?”

Her smile faltering, Ling Niang said somewhat embarrassedly, “Compared to the Prime Minister, this servant still prefers a man like His Majesty—so heroic and imposing.”

What was that supposed to mean? Displeased, Hua Chun frowned. “Are you saying this official lacks heroic bearing?”

Ling Niang lowered her head, murmuring, “The Prime Minister is too refined—more suited to a delicate young lady’s tastes.”

How blunt could she get! Hua Chun snorted coldly and, playing along with feigned anger, said to the eunuch beside them, “Would you kindly escort this young lady onward, Public Qin? I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

“…Yes,” the young eunuch replied.

Ling Niang watched Hua Chun’s retreating figure with some alarm, frowning as she asked, “Did I anger the Prime Minister?”

Did she really need to ask something so obvious? The young eunuch sighed and continued leading her onward.

Hua Chun turned and was about to hurry out of the palace when, as if he had wings, Eunuch Qin dropped down in front of her from seemingly nowhere, smiling brightly. “This way, Prime Minister.”

Pursing her lips, she resigned herself and went to Zichen Hall.

The emperor and the envoys were speaking in the front hall. Eunuch Qin led her in through the back door, where she waited behind a tall screen.

“Regarding the matter of the gold mines, this subject still asks Your Majesty to reconsider,” Yang Yuanchen said, his voice trembling. “We do not have the authority to decide on offering the gold mines. Please wait for the Western Xia king’s reply.”

“Western Xia and Great Liang have always been friendly nations. This small request—I don’t believe the Western Xia king would refuse.”

Where exactly did you get the idea they wouldn’t refuse?! Yang Yuanchen wanted to roar, but the emperor’s overwhelming presence left him unable to say another word, only carefully replying, “This subject and the others can only give Your Majesty an answer regarding the gold mines once the king has responded. In the meantime, let Ling Niang serve you well.”

The emperor said nothing.

Hua Chun rolled her eyes. She’d never seen an emperor with such a wavering position! When he’d ordered her to demand the gold mines earlier, he’d been so righteous and firm about it—now that they’d given him one beauty, he was already loosening his stance.

Hua Jinghua was a beauty too! Was he blind?

That wasn’t the point, though. The point was, if the gold mines really were lost, whose fault would it be—hers, or the emperor’s own?

“If Ling Niang can serve me well, many things will indeed be easier to discuss,” the emperor resumed, his tone steady, though the content was shameless enough.

Yang Yuanchen immediately smiled. “Rest assured, Your Majesty, Ling Niang is a pure and virtuous girl, well-educated in many arts. She will surely satisfy Your Majesty.”

The emperor nodded. “I am not as strict as the Prime Minister. I’ll go have a word with him later and loosen things a bit regarding the tribute matter.”

From behind the screen behind the dragon throne came a sound like a cat scratching.

Yuwen Jie’s mouth curved slightly. “The envoy should go rest for now.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you!” Yang Yuanchen finally breathed a sigh of relief and backed out, his face breaking into a smile the moment he saw the people waiting to greet him.

“My lord, how did it go?” several people crowded around to ask.

“This emperor looks stern and ruthless, but he’s actually quite fond of women—easy to handle,” Yang Yuanchen said. “It’s just that Prime Minister Hua is upright and incorruptible, immune to bribery. Even the emperor holds him in some awe. But it’s fine now—with Ling Niang as our bargaining chip, getting through this unscathed shouldn’t be too hard.”

Everyone sighed in relief, saying how fortunate this was. Then someone quietly asked, “Since when did paying tribute become this difficult?”

Wasn’t it all because of that Hua Jinghua! Yang Yuanchen pressed his lips together.

If this matter could end peacefully, that would be for the best. But if not, even a cornered rabbit would bite!

“Come out,” the emperor called flatly.

Hua Chun emerged from behind the screen with a stern face and knelt before him without a word.

“What does the Prime Minister think of my decision just now?” Yuwen Jie asked.

Without lifting her head, Hua Chun said, “Whatever makes Your Majesty happy is fine with this subject.”

That… somehow sounded off. Yuwen Jie pressed his lips together, looking down at her. “What are you unhappy about?”

“This subject has no complaints about Your Majesty’s decision,” Hua Chun said. “It’s just that if a single woman in the rear palace can be worth as much as eight gold mines, then this subject thinks Your Majesty’s harem must be the most valuable thing under heaven.”

Might as well donate it to disaster relief!

Light shifting in his eyes, the emperor rose from the throne and walked down. “Come play a game of chess with me in the rear hall.”

“Your Majesty, how about Five in a Row instead?”

“Gomoku?” Yuwen Jie paused, turning back to look at her. “Since when did Prime Minister Hua take an interest in something so simple?”

“Simpler is better for people,” Hua Chun said, sighing as if lost in thought. In truth, though—she barely knew a thing about Go, and playing it would surely expose her! Even if the emperor’s nerves could handle accepting she was a woman, could he really also accept that she wasn’t even Hua Jinghua at all, but a wandering soul from the modern era?

She really would get dragged out and burned at the stake for that.

The emperor nodded in agreement and led her to sit on the couch in the rear hall, holding a few white stones in his hand, his eyes fixed on her face.

Hua Chun pretended not to notice, placing her stones and setting up her formation.

Clearly, she was upset—though she said nothing about it, the emperor thought this face looked far more striking than her usual smiling one.

“What does the Prime Minister think of Ling Niang?” he asked idly, moving a stone.

Hua Chun said, “Excellent looks, fine dancing.”

Such a fair, measured assessment? The emperor was surprised. “That’s all?”

“That’s all. I don’t know much else about her.”

Yuwen Jie looked at her. “I thought you disliked her and expected you to say something unflattering. Didn’t expect praise instead.”

“This isn’t praise, just fact,” Hua Chun said, pursing her lips. “There are plenty of things in this world I dislike. If Your Majesty wants my opinion, naturally I should give a fair one—letting personal feelings color my words would only lower the credibility of what I say.”

Quite rational. Yuwen Jie nodded. “Having a Prime Minister like you truly is my good fortune.”

Hua Chun glanced at him and smiled. “Your Majesty needn’t rush to praise me. There’s nothing wrong with Ling Niang herself, but Your Majesty gave up so much for her sake—this subject still thinks Your Majesty acted rashly, and doesn’t support it.”

After a pause, Yuwen Jie asked, his tone somewhat odd, “In the Prime Minister’s heart, what kind of person am I?”

Hua Chun glanced at Eunuch Qin nearby, then asked with a smile, “Does Your Majesty want the truth?”

The emperor said nothing, only waved for the attendants nearby to withdraw. Once the doors closed, he said, “Speak.”

“Cold on the outside, warm on the inside. Your Majesty appears stern and formidable, but underneath, you must be very passionate,” Hua Chun said earnestly.

Something stirred in his heart. Yuwen Jie looked up, light shifting in his eyes, about to say something, when he heard her continue:

“Especially toward women.”

Yuwen Jie: “…”

“Your Majesty’s rear palace is a riot of colors, a hundred flowers in full bloom. This subject would very much like to know—does Your Majesty even remember the name of every consort?”

The emperor shook his head without the slightest hesitation.

Those of high rank were few, but the Zhaoyi and concubines numbered a great many. Every time he chose a consort’s token, it was by whichever number he happened to fancy—how could he be expected to remember all their names?

“If this subject may speak bluntly,” Hua Chun said, “every woman who enters the palace hopes for a happy life. There are so many of them, all competing for a single man’s favor—it’s truly rather pitiable. If Your Majesty doesn’t genuinely care for them, why bring them into the palace at all?”

Slightly displeased, Yuwen Jie said, “I have my own reasons. Matters of the rear palace are not something the Prime Minister should meddle in.”

Fair enough, Hua Chun thought, nodding. Why should she bother? The rear palace was his, the empire was his—she was at most a salaried employee. She’d said her piece; if he wouldn’t listen, that was no longer her responsibility.

So she chose to say nothing more.

The atmosphere turned somewhat strange. The emperor frowned, glanced at her twice, and placed four stones in a row, locking in victory.

Hua Chun clapped her hands. “This subject would like to leave the palace now.”

“A couple more rounds,” the emperor said. “Not much business today, a rare bit of free time.”

Hua Chun pursed her lips. “It’s precisely because there’s free time that I should go boating with Second Brother. I’ve put off something I promised him ages ago, and it’s dragged on far too long.”

Hearing this, the emperor grew displeased. “How did you promise me last time?”

“What?”

“Not to conspire with anyone else.”

“…” Hua Chun looked at him, dumbfounded, for a good while before finally managing, “Your Majesty was present at the sworn brotherhood ceremony too—does that count as conspiring?”

“Being with anyone besides me counts as conspiring,” the emperor said. “Even a sworn brother is no exception.”

Was he even being reasonable anymore? Somewhat irritated, Hua Chun looked at him. “Your Majesty may be the ruler of all people, the sovereign of Great Liang, but you can’t expect this official to revolve around you alone, can you? This official has family and friends too. I said I would serve Your Majesty loyally, and I will—why does Your Majesty distrust me so?”

Yuwen Jie fell silent.

Was his stern face simply unsuited for jokes? He’d thought himself rather witty, only for her to actually get angry.

It was too late to explain now, and he couldn’t bring himself to back down, so he simply kept quiet, looking down at the board.

Rising to her feet, Hua Chun bowed to him. “This subject takes her leave.”

“You haven’t won yet,” the emperor said.

“Oh.” She nodded, stood, and placed five stones in a straight line right on the board. “There, now I have.”

Yuwen Jie: “…”

The figure before him turned and walked off with considerable temper, not sparing him, the emperor, so much as a glance. Yuwen Jie propped his chin in his hand, unable to help reflecting.

Had he been too gentle with her, so that she no longer feared him? Or was she truly angry today, angry enough not to hold back even with him?

Somehow, the latter possibility made him a little happier.

“Zichong.”

Someone outside answered and entered. “What are Your Majesty’s orders?”

“Protect the Prime Minister well.”

“This servant understands.”

Withdrawing from Zichen Hall, Huo Zichong reflected that Prime Minister Hua really had it rough—everything she did was watched over by the emperor, reported on schedule, not even her trips to the washroom kept private.

Sigh. If only the emperor cared this much about one of the consorts in the rear palace.

The sky was overcast, sunlight dim, and Hua Chun, scowling, boarded the pleasure boat as invited.

He Chang’an, dressed in a white robe with blue trim over brocade, smiled as he looked at her. “Still worrying over His Majesty’s affairs?”

How could she not worry? Hua Chun pursed her lips. “I’m very worried that one day His Majesty will choose beauty over the empire.”

Startled for a moment, He Chang’an laughed. “That won’t happen.”

As for Yuwen Jie—he only seemed to be infatuated with beauty.

“Second Brother doesn’t know what just happened, that’s why you’re so confident,” Hua Chun said, leaning against the railing, helpless. “For that Western Xia dancer, he even gave up the gold mines. Give it a little more time, and someday a prettier one comes along, and who knows, he might just want to run off and live as a hermit with her.”

“His Majesty isn’t as foolish as you think,” He Chang’an said quietly. “He always has his own purposes in what he does.”

What purpose could there possibly be? Between a man and a woman, what special purpose could there be?

The irritation in her heart surged like waves crashing on the shore, and for a moment, classmate Hua Chun failed entirely to notice her own reasoning had gone offline—she was simply, genuinely bothered by one thing.

And that was: he’d held her while she slept and made her feel safe, only to treat everyone the same way. It was like receiving a flower and thinking it beautiful, only to step outside and find them growing in clusters all along the roadside.

How stifling!

“Let’s not talk about this. Let’s just enjoy the scenery,” Hua Chun said, exhaling a long breath. “It really is beautiful here.”

“Mm,” He Chang’an said. “I’ve wanted to bring you here for a while. This is called Shuiyue Lake. It’s even more beautiful at night, and it’s easy to relax here. Whenever the pressure gets too much, you can come look at it.”

Gazing at the distant mountains, she genuinely felt a great deal more relaxed, and couldn’t help smiling at He Chang’an.

That smile, framed against the lake and mountains, left He Chang’an momentarily dazed, the strange feeling in his heart growing stronger.

“If you wore women’s clothes, worthy brother, I wonder what unrivaled beauty you’d be,” he said. “Even the emperor’s three thousand consorts might not compare to you alone.”

Hua Chun startled, lowering her eyes. “Unfortunately, I’m not a woman.”

“Don’t be upset, I didn’t mean anything by it,” He Chang’an said hastily. “Just a passing thought.”

“I know,” Hua Chun said, shrugging. “Some things really can be regretted for a lifetime.”

These words struck He Chang’an’s heart hard, the strange feeling growing even stronger. As his gaze fell on Hua Jinghua’s face, he seemed to suddenly understand what he’d been thinking.

He might, possibly, have fallen for a man.

This feeling had been there for a long time—perhaps from the moment he’d caught this person falling from the rafters, or perhaps from when they’d sworn brotherhood. Wherever it had started, it had now grown thick and unmistakable without a sound, so thick that he could no longer even convince himself it was mere brotherly affection.

Hua Jinghua was a man—that fact truly might be something to regret for a lifetime.

Forcing a smile, He Chang’an pretended nothing had happened and continued keeping the person beside him company as they relaxed.

Over the following two days, He Chang’an seemed somewhat distracted.

Yuwen Jie quickly noticed something was off and had him brought to Zichen Hall to ask, “What’s wrong?”

He Chang’an looked up, his eyes filled with complicated emotion, leaving the emperor momentarily stunned.

Having grown up together since childhood, the two of them had long shared an unspoken understanding. Without him even opening his mouth, Yuwen Jie could already guess what the matter was. And yet, he didn’t want to say it aloud.

“This subject may be about to go astray,” He Chang’an said, the corner of his mouth curling. “Does Your Majesty have any good advice?”

The emperor looked away, saying flatly, “Before you go fully astray, find someone and get married.”

“Who would you suggest?”

“The Hua family still has a younger sister,” the emperor said. “It depends on whether you’re fond of her or not.”

He Chang’an laughed bitterly, his eyes full of bitterness. “This subject isn’t quite that shameless.”

How could he substitute one person for another? And besides, even a blood sister couldn’t give him the feeling Hua Jinghua gave him. Since she couldn’t, he’d rather stay far from the Hua residence.

The emperor closed his eyes and sat before him without another word.

Those in love are all selfish, aren’t they? Even knowing that Hua Jinghua had feelings for He Chang’an, even knowing that Hua Jinghua was in truth a woman, watching his own sworn brother suffer like this in front of him, he still chose, shamelessly, to stay silent.

The string of the kite was in his hand, and he had no intention of letting go.

Hua Chun knew nothing of this, only noticing she hadn’t seen He Chang’an in two days, assuming he was simply busy.

The emperor’s favor toward Ling Niang, though he still hadn’t granted her a rank, was already enough to delight the Western Xia envoys greatly—and to leave her thoroughly displeased.

“A carrier pigeon message from the Western Xia king to Yanjing was intercepted by this subject,” she said, expressionless, presenting it to the emperor. “Please have a look, Your Majesty.”

As for the gold mines, the Western Xia king’s intention was apparently to offer two as a token gesture. Given the current situation, the emperor would surely just casually agree, and then it would be none of her concern anymore, would it?