When shock reaches its extreme, one no longer feels surprised.

Shen Zhishu steadily took the memorial, opened it, and scanned it, his gaze stiffening.

Though he had already guessed seventy or eighty percent of it, he hadn’t expected the imperial edict to be so straightforward.

The so-called reform simply meant abolishing the outer court’s right to deliberate on establishing an empress, while the matter of selecting an empress and consorts in the inner court would be decided solely by the Emperor.

Though initially hesitant, after thinking it over, Shen Zhishu realized that such a reform should indeed be this straightforward.

Regardless of whether an empress would be established, who would be chosen, or what ceremonies would be performed, from now on, no one in the entire court could advise on such matters, let alone allow the officials of the Bureau of Personnel to submit proposals.

For Meng Tinghui?

Shen Zhishu’s eyes grew heavy with color.

Surely not merely for Meng Tinghui.

This time, the Emperor truly intended to issue an edict to establish his authority, clearly telling all the veteran officials at court that regardless of their past seniority, achievements, or how ancestral and court systems had functioned, henceforth, no matter who they were, none should presume to sway the Emperor’s decisions!

In the past, such a matter would have been impossible. Why did the entire court focus on the Emperor’s harem affairs? Simply because they wanted the Emperor to have an heir to continue the great lineage of the state. If the position of the heir was established, the realm would not easily fall into chaos. Wasn’t Prince Ping a living example of this? If matters of establishing an empress and taking consorts were left entirely to the Emperor’s discretion, which of those so-called loyal and devoted officials would comply?

But now the situation was vastly different.

Since Xu Ting had been dismissed as Prime Minister, the position of Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs had remained vacant. Among the two ministers of the Council of State, various participating officials, the ministers of the Six Ministries, the Censorate, and the Remonstrance Bureau, who didn’t covet this position? Minister Gu had been impeached by the Censorate to such an extent, yet the Emperor had given no clear indication, leaving court officials uncertain about the outcome. If Minister Gu were also dismissed, the Council of State would be considered leaderless! How could such a great opportunity not stir the ambitions of high officials at court?

At this juncture, betting on the Emperor’s preferences was better than betting on anything else, and backing the Emperor’s will was better than backing anything else.

Once this imperial edict reforming the system of establishing an empress was issued, though no one at court would immediately support the imperial will, at least those aspiring to the position of Prime Minister would not go against the Emperor’s wishes and remonstrate at this time.

What the Emperor needed now was someone who could take the lead in submitting a memorial supporting his will.

And the memorial tossed down from the imperial desk was precisely one already drafted for him, requiring only his name before submission.

As Shen Zhishu contemplated this, his expression grew more serious.

Shen Zhili had committed such a grave error, yet the Emperor had ceased pursuing the matter based solely on Di Nian’s memorial and even granted him the position of Transport Commissioner of Chao’an. How could he not repay the imperial favor?

The Emperor’s calculations were crystal clear. Shen Zhishu would be far away in the border region, beyond the reach of the political storms in the capital’s Council of State. As long as he took the lead in submitting a memorial supporting the reform edict, those officials eager to flatter the Emperor and seek positions, yet hesitant, would surely follow suit and support the imperial will—compared to the readily attainable position, what did the system of establishing an empress matter? As long as they could capture the Emperor’s favor now, once they attained high positions and great power in the future, wouldn’t they still have ways to advise the Emperor on establishing an empress?

Thinking of this, he laughed bitterly to himself.

He understood these court games all too well. If no one took the lead, probably no one would dare to be the first to submit a memorial supporting the imperial edict, fearing accusations of flattering the Emperor to seek the position of Prime Minister. Worse still, it could trigger another round of factional strife, with everyone attacking each other.

But this matter did not affect him. He was young and had just been appointed as Transport Commissioner of Chao’an. How could he have ambitions for the position of Prime Minister? Who could impeach him for this single memorial? Court officials had sharp eyes and would certainly understand that the Emperor intended to pave the way for someone below, waiting to see who dared to step forward.

After a long silence, the sky outside the hall had darkened.

Shen Zhishu moved his stiff hand and respectfully put away the memorial, bowing his head and saying, “Your subject understands.”

Regardless, with the Emperor’s move, it was likely that no one at court would actively propose matters of establishing an empress for the next three to five years.

But did the Emperor truly intend to establish Meng Tinghui as Empress? That seemed somewhat absurd.

Thinking of this, he furrowed his brow again.

Suddenly, he couldn’t understand why the Emperor specifically wanted him to submit this memorial. Given Meng Tinghui’s loyalty and affection for the Emperor, forget taking the lead in supporting the imperial edict—if asked to directly propose the reform, she would surely do so without fear or refusal. Why didn’t the Emperor simply use her hand?

Could it be that he feared the entire court would again criticize her, so he wanted to protect her?

After much thought, Shen Zhishu finally raised his eyebrows and looked toward the throne.

Ying Gua’s gaze had not moved from him. Hearing his assent, the Emperor only briefly instructed, “If there’s any difficulty with Leyan and Di Nian’s matter, just report it to me. It’s getting late, you should return to your residence soon.”

Shen Zhishu expressed his gratitude again and withdrew from the hall with his hands in his sleeves.

The hall doors closed slowly. Overhead, the deep blue sky was coated with a layer of gray-blue, with sparse stars faintly twinkling.

The distant Chao’an and Qingzhou, the Shen residence in the capital below his feet, and the memorial in his sleeve—none of these matters allowed for ease or relaxation.

Before leaving, he turned to look once more at the high plaque of Ruisi Hall, its blue eyebrows also tinged with gray by the evening sky.

He felt somewhat uncomfortable, but considering the numerous decisions the Emperor faced day and night, his troubles were a thousand times more complex.

A palace eunuch carrying a palace lantern went up to the hall to inquire about the evening meal, knocking several times but hearing no sound from within. Lowering his head with a slight sigh, he withdrew.

Ying Gua still sat at his desk, his fingers lightly skimming over several memorials, his expression solemn.

Most were from Minister Gu requesting punishment, plus two consecutive memorials from Meng Tinghui seeking to exonerate him, along with recent memorials from the court impeaching Censor Qiao Bo.

After pondering for a long time, he finally closed his eyes, and as he was about to rise, his sleeve knocked off another memorial from the corner of the desk. Glancing sideways, he saw it was the memorial submitted by Di Nian, and his movements slowed.

His mind recalled those four words of common folk saying: beauty and hero.

The corners of his mouth curved into a slight smile, but this smile was tinged with a faint, desolate sense of loss.

It wasn’t that he didn’t envy them.

He, too, wished to stand tall with unwavering spirit, to embrace his beloved in his arms, letting the world see clearly that as long as he existed, no one could mistreat his woman.

But he could not be that hero, and his woman was no ordinary beauty.

This upheaval over establishing an empress had caused her much worry and caused her many night terrors. He couldn’t bear to see her push herself to such extremes for his sake. After all, it was just the position of Empress. Couldn’t he make his own decision? This time, the Council of State had been thrown into chaos. If there were a next time, what would she do?

It was better to cut off all such possibilities in one stroke, severing her complex and chaotic thoughts.

The reason he had Shen Zhishu take the lead in supporting the imperial will was simply because he feared she would be the first to oppose this edict. She had been avoiding him so carefully this time, refusing to see him. If she heard that he had issued an edict changing the system of establishing an empress, wouldn’t she blame herself? How could she allow him to ruin his reputation for no reason?

Shen Zhishu understood her feelings for him but did not comprehend her heart.

And her heart, perhaps only he in the entire world could understand.

Though they might not be “beauty and hero,” they complemented each other in such a way that even a beauty and hero could not match their compatibility.

He picked up the memorial from the ground and, thinking of Shen Zhili and Di Nian’s upcoming wedding day, his expression gradually brightened.

Since the new Emperor’s ascension, there had not been a grand celebration of marriage between civil and military officials at court. Such an important event involving two noble families could not be treated lightly.

Even if he, as Emperor, personally attended to offer congratulations, it would not be excessive.