She was naturally startled and turned to look, finding his deep eyes just inches away, seemingly reflecting the clear light under the vines, his expression seven parts solemn and three parts gentle.

“Your Maj—”

Before she could finish the word, his arm moved down across her waist. With a light force, he led her toward the back door of the Di residence. They walked faster and faster, into growing darkness.

Flowers, grass, and gravel became obstacles underfoot. The light from the twelve glass and gold-threaded lanterns outside the hall gradually diffused like mist rising into the sky, leaving only faint moonlight on their shoulders.

She let him hold her, following him forward without a word.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of struggling or resisting, but she knew his temperament well. Even if she resisted, it would be useless. Since he had found her so precisely, it was evident that he had intentionally come looking for her tonight.

This kind of exceptional behavior wasn’t his first or second time. Imperial dignity and decorum hardly counted as rules in his eyes. The fact that he hadn’t directly visited the Meng residence to find her already showed enough consideration for her reputation.

Once out of the back door of the Di residence, the magnificent carriage drawn by six imperial horses startled her.

Although she knew he didn’t follow old customs, he usually traveled lightly and simply when leaving the palace. She had never seen him travel so ostentatiously before.

The late autumn night wind was bitterly cold. As she inhaled the cold air, her head began to feel dizzy.

Meanwhile, two yellow-robed guards swiftly placed a mounting stool before her, bowing with their arms at their sides, waiting for her without a word.

Well then, nowadays these close imperial attendants in the capital had their own view of her, treating her not as an outer court official but as someone from the inner palace. What was this about?

Her gaze involuntarily cooled as she stood straight and said, “This subject’s carriage is still waiting outside the Di residence.”

He gave a slight signal with his eyes, and immediately someone turned and jogged away.

The grand wedding at the Di residence had caused carriages to crowd the narrow street outside the main gate, connected from head to tail. Even if they found the Meng residence’s carriage and ordered it to come here, it probably wouldn’t arrive before the banquet ended.

She sighed helplessly and had to look up to meet his gaze, lowering her voice: “Would Your Majesty just stand here without moving?”

Tonight, having fallen into his hands, she would have to go along with him either way.

He raised his chin slightly, and someone lowered the carriage curtain. He glanced at her sideways, the solemnity on his face silently diminishing a fraction, and he boarded the carriage first.

She had no choice but to follow.

Inside, a thick carpet was spread loosely with a low table placed on it. A six-petaled lotus lamp sat quietly at the edge of the carriage floor, it’s light dim and warm, with the unique palace fragrance detectable in the lamp oil.

He sat down with his robe spread out and, contrary to his usual manner, did not ask her to come to his side, but simply said to her: “Sit for a while, and then I’ll let you go.”

Her thoughts were somewhat confused by the warm, dim atmosphere. She sat down across from him and nodded lightly.

She finally understood. He had considered everything thoroughly for her, not summoning her to the inner palace for an audience, nor personally visiting the Meng residence to find her. He was only seeking her out tonight to talk, knowing what she was trying to avoid.

Having this carriage prepared and coming to the Di residence, he likely had planned to get her into the carriage all along.

The carriage was quite dark, the darkness accentuating the sharp angles of his face, causing her heart to skip a beat anxiously, not knowing what he wanted to say to her.

He seemed not to notice her expression and simply pushed a plate of fruits toward her, casually saying: “You’ve been drinking without eating much, haven’t you?”

She immediately lowered her eyes, responding softly, and reached for a piece of plum cake. Without paying attention to what she had taken, she brought it to her lips and took a bite, instantly frowning at the sourness. Feeling she had lost her composure, she looked up at him.

The corners of his mouth curved into a slight smile, softening his sharp brows and eyes. After looking at her for a while, he took several memorials from the low table but didn’t open them to read, merely saying: “As per your request, Minister Gu will retain his position. Tomorrow, the Hanlin Academy will prepare the edict.”

Her heart thumped heavily, thinking this was indeed the matter at hand.

Hearing that he was willing to suppress the tide of impeachment from the Censorate and Remonstrance Bureau to protect Minister Gu’s position, she felt somewhat relieved, as if regaining a bit of conscience.

“As for Qiao Bo,” he continued, “even if his earlier impeachment of Minister Gu contained errors, he cannot be imprisoned for it. If that were to happen, no one in the Censorate would dare to report on high officials in the future, and its function as the voice of criticism would be neglected.”

She said softly: “Your Majesty is benevolent and wise.”

She had long known that he wouldn’t imprison a remonstrating official, and her memorial requesting the Emperor to severely investigate Censor Qiao Bo’s false impeachment was merely intended to distance herself from an overly close relationship with the Remonstrance Bureau and the Censorate, preventing those senior officials who viewed her as a thorn in their side from openly attacking her.

He certainly understood this bit of official cunning, yet he was now patiently telling her his decisions on these matters, leaving her increasingly uncertain.

She had persuaded Shen Zhili and Di Nian to marry, and he surely knew this. But should she admit that this entire chaotic affair was also thanks to her?

He suddenly reached out his hand, his fingertips lightly brushing away the cake crumbs at the corner of her lips, saying calmly: “If it were me, I would have been even more ruthless than you.”

Her breath tightened as she raised her head to stare at him.

His gaze was clear yet profound, his expression composed as if that sentence had been said casually, yet it precisely hit the tightly folded corner of her heart.

A bitter smile appeared on her face, suddenly making her feel awkward and embarrassed. Since he had spoken so directly, she would no longer keep it bottled up inside, but his deliberate words of comfort made her eyes moisten.

He didn’t speak again, just silently watching her.

It wasn’t an intentional consolation, just a statement of truth.

With the Right Chancellor position in the Council of State still vacant, and Minister Gu, as a high official of the Bureau of Personnel, having submitted a memorial on this matter, regardless of whether it concerned establishing an empress, he could not possibly fulfill Minister Gu’s wish at this juncture. Otherwise, court officials would assume that the Council of State should be controlled by a single Chancellor, and future appointees to the Right Chancellor position would be subordinate to his power.

If he had rejected the Bureau of Personnel’s proposal, the Shen family would have been disgraced. Not only would the Grand Tutor, a senior official of three reigns, lose all face, but even Shen Zhishu, originally in a border province, would have his reputation damaged.

Therefore, no matter what, the Bureau of Personnel’s proposal could not be accepted, and the Shen family’s reputation also needed to be preserved. If she hadn’t secretly intervened to stir up this court storm, he would have also used Di Nian by any means necessary to resolve this conflict.

With the bigger picture at stake, personal feelings couldn’t be prioritized. Besides, Shen Zhili’s feelings for Minister Gu would likely never be reciprocated throughout her life, so why not marry Di Nian, who deeply loved her?

Without Di Nian’s profound love, she probably wouldn’t have thought of such a strategy; and if Di Nian weren’t such an upright and principled man, she wouldn’t have been willing to marry Shen Zhili to anyone else.

She might not fully understand all his considerations, and he didn’t need to make her fully comprehend. But he saw through her clearly, knowing that she did these things only for him, though her considerations were always somewhat lacking.

In her heart, the court wasn’t the bigger picture—he was.

And this was the source of her deep guilt.

“Your Majesty.” She choked slightly, lowering her eyelashes as tears fell.

Through all these days and nights, who knew how deeply conflicted her heart had been, who knew how much regret filled her dreams?

Yet he held her face and told her that if it were him, he would have been even more ruthless.

Whether he spoke from the heart or not, she was overcome with gratitude.

In this world, he was the only person she cared about. If she could receive his understanding and sympathy, she would truly be able to set down the heavy burden in her heart.