She lowered her eyes. “Your subject naturally wishes it.”

He pushed her head down, his fingers threading through her sweat-dampened hair to cup the back of her head, whispering: “Deceiving your sovereign.”

She suddenly became anxious, throwing her head back to escape his palm without regard, staring at him as she quickly said: “Does Your Majesty think I also aspire to the position of Empress?”

What a joke.

She was well aware of her status and reputation! Being able to occupy a position under his imperial throne was already enough—when had she ever expected to stand beside him one day? Since it was impossible to obtain, she would never harbor such ambitions!

To say she didn’t care at all about the imperial harem would be a lie, but she was self-aware enough to know that his love for her was certainly not due to her feminine charms. If she wanted to help him more, standing beside him would never match bending beneath him. This being the case, how could she not calculate how to climb higher more quickly?

She wasn’t so unaware of propriety, nor was she so aloof. From a Council member to a position in the Department of State Affairs—this was what every civil official in the world dreamed of, and she was no exception. Now that she held the title of Drafter of Proclamations and controlled personnel appointments in the Ministry of Personnel, she naturally knew that while the distance from Drafter to Vice Minister of the Department of State Affairs seemed but a few steps, beyond the Council, each step up was exceedingly difficult!

How tempting was Minister Gu’s proposal that day? If the Empress candidate hadn’t been Shen Zhili, and if the matter hadn’t involved Di Nian’s request for an imperial marriage decree, she might have agreed to Gu Qin’s proposal.

Every calculation she made was for his sake, yet he thought the reason she had caused such a disturbance was merely to prevent someone else from becoming Empress.

At this thought, anger flared up in her heart.

Though angry, she couldn’t possibly vent this anger at him. He hadn’t even answered her one question, let alone anything else.

He also withdrew his smile, examining her expression for a long while before understanding that she was angry with him. His lips curved again as he grasped her face and said: “Meng Tinghui, your boldness as a subject grows ever greater. Even if you are angry with me, you should control your expression.”

His words rang like a bell, waking her up.

She was inwardly startled, only now realizing how she had forgotten the proper etiquette between sovereign and subject. She had claimed not to have extravagant desires, but what was she angry about now?

He had already indulged her enough—so much that it made her somewhat fearful.

She immediately composed herself, forcing a faint smile, and said softly: “How could your subject be angry with Your Majesty? It’s just that there is one matter I have never informed Your Majesty about. I thought it was insignificant, but tonight I realized its importance.” She paused slightly, seeing him listening with furrowed brows, then continued: “When Minister Gu had a private meeting with me, he said that if I did not interfere with the Council’s deliberation on the Empress selection, he and the other ministers would nominate me for the position of Supervising Censor and Associate Commissioner of the Military Council.”

She deliberately withheld half of what Gu Qin had said and changed it slightly, not wanting to further implicate him. These few phrases should be enough to make the Emperor understand how difficult her position had been.

She had expected him to be somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but he merely raised an eyebrow slightly and said softly: “Why do you need to tell me this?”

Now she was surprised. Did this mean… he had understood her thoughts all along?

Then why did he still abolish the Council’s right to deliberate on the Empress selection?

Before she could think deeply, he embraced her tightly again and asked casually: “Do you wish to enter the Military Council?”

While she hesitated, the expression on her face had already betrayed her completely. Without waiting for her answer, he could see that she desired this position.

But she obviously wasn’t particularly interested in military affairs—she was merely attracted by the opportunity to enter the Military Council and the prestige of the position of Associate Commissioner.

Though he understood her thoughts, it didn’t affect his decision.

The relationship between the elderly officials of the Military Council and the Department of State Affairs remained strained. Whenever major national affairs required joint consultation between the two departments, their opinions often diverged, eventually leading to a situation where the Department of State Affairs didn’t involve itself in military matters, and the Military Council didn’t participate in court politics. While this arrangement somewhat eased relations between the two departments, if military rebellion or national disaster suddenly occurred, the two offices would certainly be unable to quickly reach consensus, thus delaying the opportunity to address the crisis. The recent rebellion of the Liu Banner Imperial Guards was a good example.

The desire to have civil officials participate in the Military Council’s affairs was an attempt to change the current situation between the two departments. The person who entered the Military Council would eventually also be positioned in the Department of State Affairs, thus gradually easing the relationship between the two departments and enabling them to openly discuss major military and state affairs together.

But this change was a significant matter, affecting not only the court system but also involving the most senior and prominent civil and military officials in court. Who should be selected to enter the Military Council, someone who would neither raise objections from the ministers of the Department of State Affairs nor cause concern among the veteran generals of the Military Council about military affairs?

Although Meng Tinghui’s reputation was somewhat lacking, her political achievements at court were evident to all. After the Xu Ting incident, no civil official above the Council level dared to criticize her openly. Whenever she was promoted, the young talents and newly qualified jinshi scholars felt honored, which the elder officials could not ignore.

Most importantly, when she had traveled far to Chao’an’s northern route to quell the Imperial Guard rebellion, she had already won the favor of many military officers. When he had intentionally taken her to the training grounds to practice horseback archery, it was clear that the veteran generals of the Military Council had no aversion to her.

Moreover, he had shown favor to Di Nian and Shen Zhili this time. The status of the late Martial Duke Qiufeng and Madam Shen (née Ceng) in the eyes of the Military Council’s veteran generals needed no explanation—after this, they would certainly consider her one of their own.

He understood these principles, and presumably so did Gu Qin.

Otherwise, given Gu Qin’s decades of adherence to court protocol and stubbornness, how could he possibly have promised her such a thing so casually?

Although Gu Qin intended to nominate her for the Military Council, the other ministers of the Department of State Affairs would not easily agree.

She thought Gu Qin’s intention was to use a high position to make her back down, not realizing it was merely his method to ensure the other ministers had no objections.

Gu Qin had been loyal to his sovereign all his life. After decades at court, what couldn’t he see through? It was just that while Gu Qin always considered his interests, he was too stubborn, not realizing that regarding the Empress’s selection, he would not allow others to influence him.

This matter had nothing to do with wisdom or lack thereof.

The court officials would sooner or later know that she, Meng Tinghui, was born to be matched with him, and only she could sit in the Empress position beside him.

She thought he didn’t dismiss Gu Qin from his ministerial position because of her plea, not knowing that for such a loyal minister, how could he not protect him? It was just that her move had been well-played, at least causing Gu Qin to temper his obstinacy somewhat so that in future affairs, he would not be so rigid and uncompromising.

It also saved him trouble.

His gaze traced her eyebrows and eyes, lost in his thoughts.

After a long while, she childishly pouted, looking up at him and saying quietly: “To be honest, your subject does want to enter the Military Council. Will Your Majesty think your subject is too eager for success?”

He gazed at her intently, holding back a smile, and asked seriously: “Tell me, why do you want to enter the Military Council?”

Her face reddened slightly, her voice dropping even lower: “Your Majesty has placed considerable importance on military affairs in recent years. If your subject could hold a high position in the Military Council, I wouldn’t need to enter the palace for audiences, yet could still see Your Majesty from time to time…”

His heart stirred, though his expression remained unchanged. He reached out to help her roll up her sleeves and dress, saying calmly: “Very well, I will let you enter the Military Council.”

She was somewhat disbelieving. “If Your Majesty says your subject should enter the Military Council, the ministers of the Department of State Affairs will not agree.”

He continued to help her dress, saying casually: “I will say Gu Qin nominated you for the Military Council.”

She was speechless. This… this… Looking at him again, though she could not detect any hint of jest on his face, his tone was too casual, not at all like someone “implicating” another person behind their back.

But on second thought, his idea was brilliant.

If it was said to be Gu Qin’s request, given Gu Qin’s current situation, he could not possibly deny it publicly. And those ministers who aspired to the position of Right Chancellor would not go against the imperial will at this time.

Only after he had gathered all her scattered garments and helped her dress did she seem to come to her senses, nodding slightly.