Afterward, she had no choice but to invite Liu Dezhong back to the tent to redress and bandage his wound. Liu Dezhong sighed slightly, saying that His Majesty should not exert himself too much in the coming days, which made her increasingly embarrassed.

By nightfall, someone from Chai Shao’s command came to report that the former dynasty’s loyalists in Shuzhou city were willing to surrender their weapons. The fighting at the city walls had ceased, and the eleven leading loyalists had all been brought to the camp.

At that time, she and he were dining in the tent. After hearing the report, he simply instructed: “Keep them all with Yue Linxi, and we’ll address this after dawn tomorrow.”

The messenger received the order and withdrew, and the tent inside and out returned to silence.

Because his injury was on his right arm, Liu Dezhong had specifically instructed him not to wield swords or spears, not to hold a brush for too long, not to carry heavy objects… ideally to do nothing at all, so that it would heal quickly.

For this northern military campaign, although officials like Gu Qin managed state affairs in the capital, major matters still required his decisions from the front. She was very familiar with his unyielding, meticulous nature. In recent days, he had been exhausted day and night, barely having time to handle so many military and political matters. If he now couldn’t use his right hand, that would be practically unbearable for him.

During the meal, he seemed quite distracted, perhaps thinking about state affairs in the capital or pondering the northern border situation. Several memorials were spread out on the side table, and his gaze remained fixed on them.

She didn’t dare disturb him on important matters, but she was also concerned that if he didn’t eat more, his wound would be even harder to heal. So she scooped up some rice and brought it to his mouth, saying, “Your Majesty.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Hearing ‘Your Majesty’ over and over makes me uncomfortable. Earlier, when you were prepared never to see me again, your unrestrained manner was much more agreeable than now.”

Her expression changed immediately as she feigned anger and said: “Everything must be to your liking.”

The corner of his mouth curved into a slight smile, knowing she was referring to their earlier intimacy. He pulled her into his embrace and said: “This is precisely how husband and wife should address each other, without constraints. When did you ever see the Emperor Emeritus and King Ping addressing each other as ‘We’ and ‘Your Majesty’?”

Being held by him this way, her resolve immediately softened, and she was stunned by the words “husband and wife.”

Was she truly his Empress, his legitimate wife?

It was his arbitrary and unrestrained imperial edict, but if the world learned of this matter, how would the court officials and common people react?

In a moment of distraction, she recalled his saying that she need not worry about this matter, his tone resolute and confident, as if it truly wasn’t something she should concern herself with.

His left hand reached up to touch her face. “What are you pondering now?”

“Nothing,” she pressed her lips together and picked up the rice she had scooped earlier. “If you don’t eat more, your wound will heal slowly. Then when you’re eager to move the troops northward, how will you hold a spear or ride a horse?”

He stared at her bright, dark eyes and smiled as he swallowed the rice. “There are many benefits to having this right arm injured.”

He raised his eyebrows with a smile, using his one hand to hold her even tighter.

Since she had met him outside the valley this time, his smiles had gradually increased. It seemed that her every small gesture could bring him great joy. Compared to his usually taciturn and cold demeanor in the past, she found herself momentarily at a loss.

But she also particularly enjoyed seeing him smile.

Whenever he slightly raised the corners of his mouth, it felt as if a flower had bloomed in her heart, its sweet fragrance filling her entire chest.

In the past, she had devoted herself to him without regret, and now he was equally wholehearted in his treatment of her. The embrace behind her had become increasingly solid and warm compared to before, giving her peace of mind.

After finishing the meal, she knew he needed to respond to the urgent memorials sent from the capital. So she tidied up the command desk, prepared the brush and ink, and was planning to leave the tent to check on Qing Yun to avoid disturbing him.

But he pulled her over and sat her on his lap. “Am I less important to you than your horse?” His tone was slightly heavy as he said forcefully: “That horse was a gift from me in the first place!”

She found it somewhat amusing but obediently let him hold her. “I won’t go then.” She wondered how he would hold her while reviewing these memorials.

He whispered in her ear: “Liu Dezhong doesn’t want me to hold a brush, so I’ll have to trouble you to respond to these memorials for me.”

She was startled and looked at him sideways. “How can this be proper?”

“Why not?” Without further discussion, he unfolded a memorial about taxation from the Three Departments. “I’ll dictate, you write.”

Forced to take up the brush dipped in vermilion ink, her thoughts were still in a daze.

Having been his official for so many years, although she had helped him with state and military affairs in all matters, when had she ever done something that overstepped her bounds like this? Now that she had become his Empress, though she could stand and sit with him as equals, would he truly allow her to participate in internal politics?

He seemed to know what she was thinking, his lips grazing her delicate earlobe as he said softly: “Such a large territory in the north has been enfeoffed to you, how could you not be allowed to participate in court and military affairs?”

This favor came so quickly and so abundantly that for a moment she had the strange feeling that all this had been planned by him long ago. But this feeling vanished in an instant as a drop of vermilion ink fell, splattering several red dots.

He had her read the memorials while he dictated his imperial responses for her to transcribe, one after another, until they finished around midnight.

She set down the brush and picked out the most important memorials for him to review. Seeing that he had no objections after reading them, she sealed and stored them all away, her movements careful and her expression serious.

He couldn’t help but lower his head to kiss her again. She smiled gently and leaned in to return his kiss, but this made him even more passionate as he lifted her clothes and buried his head.

She gasped and hurriedly pushed him, saying, “No, not here…” She feared that the wound on his right arm would open again, and she would be the culprit.

He rose and held her waist, leading her to the inner tent.

With the candles extinguished, darkness fell inside and out. The contours of his eyebrows and eyes appeared even more profound, staring at her like a wild beast in a night forest.

She sighed helplessly, supporting herself on his body, her long hair falling over his shoulder as she whispered in his ear: “Don’t… strain yourself.” In the darkness, one couldn’t see how red her face was, only hear her sweet moans and his unrestrained heavy breathing.

After a long while, she lay on his chest, covered in fragrant sweat, her breathing slightly heavy, seemingly exhausted.

He held her waist with his left hand, gently stroking the skin of her slender waist, and suddenly said: “I didn’t learn about your background from Yue Linxi’s confession.”

She shifted her body slightly without responding.

He continued: “Appointing you as Empress was also not a desperate expedient measure.”

How could she not understand his meaning? For him to track her down among thousands of cities and mountains in the northern territory, someone in the capital must have told him her whereabouts, and who could that be but Yin Qing? But Yin Qing would not have voluntarily spoken to him. The fact that he knew how to extract this information from Yin Qing meant he must have known about her identity and Yin Qing’s background long before these events unfolded. It seemed that when Yin Qing told him her whereabouts, she must have also told him that she had already known her own identity before leaving the capital.

And since he had resolutely led his army thousands of miles to find her, how could he not know that she had never actually betrayed him from beginning to end?

Just as she later learned, he had never hated her from beginning to end either.

“I understand,” she said softly.

Hearing her calm response, he spoke no more, only tenderly caressing every inch of her skin, as if this was the most intimate way of communication between them.

They understood each other so well and cared for each other so deeply, willing to sacrifice themselves to fulfill the other’s concern for the world and its people. Yet in the end, it was this concern for the world and its people that fulfilled them both.

The night was quiet, her breathing gradually becoming softer, her body growing increasingly relaxed.

He let her sleep on his shoulder like this, feeling his heart swelling with satisfaction. After a long while, he said: “I’ve wronged you this time. When we return to the capital in the future, I will give you a proper imperial wedding ceremony.”

Her face nuzzled gently against the crook of his neck as she mumbled something indistinct, then quietly fell back asleep.