As soon as Cao Jing left the Censorate, he submitted a memorial against Gu Qin. This must have been done under his instruction. At that time, the Wang Qi case was about to begin its investigation, and Gu Qin’s reported illness at his residence conveniently allowed him to avoid the disputes at court. Otherwise, those arrogant ministers of the Eastern faction would have certainly seized the opportunity to use Gu Qin as their supporter.

He held her, remaining silent for a long time before saying: “Fang Huai, Zhang Ren, and Wang Yiwen have been close to Gu Qin for many years. Today, after being consecutively demoted by me, the court officials will certainly think that Gu Qin has fallen in my favor. Many petty people at court follow the prevailing wind and kick a person when they’re down—these things happen frequently. If I had not publicly honored Gu Qin today, I fear trouble would arise tomorrow. Gu Qin has devoted his life to the country and the court; he cannot be left without a good outcome.”

She thought for a moment and said: “Your Majesty has considered so thoroughly. I wonder if Minister Gu feels grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness in his heart.”

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and he turned his head to kiss her lightly.

She loved his smile deeply; every time she saw it, she would stare in a daze for a long while. Now, being kissed by him, her thoughts suddenly drifted, and the hand embracing him trembled involuntarily.

He allowed her to keep staring so foolishly at him, his gaze traveling over her eyes, eyebrows, nose, and lips. Seeing her flushed face, he couldn’t help but lower his head to her ear and whisper, “If you keep looking like this, I might not be able to consider your illness anymore.”

She suddenly came back to her senses, feeling somewhat embarrassed. She closed her eyes for a long time before saying softly: “Every time Your Majesty smiles, it’s as if my soul is being drawn away.”

He leaned lazily against her pillow, stroking her long hair, his eyes half-closed, his expression relaxed. “Back when you were at the small examination in Baohe Hall, you weren’t so thin-skinned.”

She said in a small voice: “At that time, I thought Your Majesty was deliberately mocking me. I felt resentful.”

He lowered his head again with a slight smile but didn’t speak.

She nestled in his arms for a while, then suddenly looked up at him: “When the two scholars Fang Huai and Zhang Ren initially recommended me to the Chancellery, but now they’ve been demoted because of me, they must hate me to death.”

He opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed.

She continued: “Back then, I went to ask Master Liao to have Master Xue assist me in the Wang Qi case. Now Master Xue has lost his position as Chief Censor. Even Master Liao might resent me.” She paused, burying her head in the crook of his neck. “Your Majesty’s thunderous methods, in just half a day, pushing away senior ministers and demoting minor officials, have made it even more impossible for me to redeem myself in the eyes of everyone at court.”

His expression stiffened somewhat, and he asked: “…Do you regret it?”

She moved closer into his embrace and said softly: “Regret doing these things that earned people’s contempt, or regret falling in love with Your Majesty, whose mind is so difficult to fathom?”

He felt her warm, shallow breath blowing on the side of his neck, and his heart suddenly stirred.

Without waiting for his answer, she suddenly said: “Your Majesty… can you hold me tighter?”

He slowly embraced her more tightly, tighter and tighter, so tight as if he wanted to press her into his blood and bones, the pressure making his ribs ache faintly.

She sighed contentedly: “I have no regrets.” After a pause, she added: “No matter what happens, I won’t regret it. No matter how long it takes, I won’t regret it.”

He suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

This woman in his arms, how deeply and heavily did she love him, to be able to say these things to him again and again, over and over.

In this world besides her, how could he ever find another woman who disregarded honor and shame, expected no return and devoted herself wholeheartedly to him?

Ten years ago, that child was just one of the thousands whose lives he had spared. But ten years later, this woman had become an indelible red mark in his heart.

He closed his eyes briefly. The body under his palm was soft and warm. Only he could understand her beauty, and how fortunate he was to be loved so singlemindedly by her for so long.

After a long while, he finally said softly, word by word: “…I will not let you regret it either.”

She didn’t make a sound, nor did she move, as if she had already fallen asleep.

He waited a moment before calling her: “Meng Tinghui.”

She responded with a murmur, bending her knee to hook his leg, looking comfortable.

He raised his hand to stroke her face, trying to wake her, his voice somewhat hesitant: “Before leaving the palace, I ordered the imperial physician to question you. Liu Degang said you had eaten something wrong.”

Her eyelids moved slightly. After a while, she looked up at him and said softly: “…Yesterday, that commoner from Pi County who had previously submitted a petition at the Court of Appeals came to the residence seeking an audience. He brought some homemade food along the way to thank me. The common people are simple and sincere, and their hospitality was hard to decline, so I ate some.”

His expression turned unpleasant, and his voice grew cool: “How did you know there was nothing wrong with his food? How could you casually eat things brought by people you don’t know!”

She frowned. “I think it was probably spoiled due to the long journey in the summer heat. I’m not like Your Majesty with your noble dragon body; why can’t I eat things casually?”

He gripped her chin, staring at her: “At last year’s riding and archery ceremony, wasn’t your fall from the horse painful enough? How do you know there’s no one at court now who wants to harm you again?”

She choked, and after a long while, frowned and said: “So Your Majesty already knew about that incident.”

He gave her a cold look, his expression growing more displeased. “What? Did you expect to keep hiding it from me forever? Wei Mingxian was truly a treasonous minister. Previously, he was only demoted and sent back to his hometown to observe mourning, which was too lenient. You knew about this but didn’t report it to me. Don’t you understand the implications?”

She lowered her eyes silently, then moved closer to kiss the corner of his mouth, then buried her head against his chest, gently nuzzling him, and said softly: “Your Majesty, I’m still ill…”

His body stiffened. He hadn’t expected her to act shamelessly again, but her manner made it impossible for him to express his anger. He pressed her head against his chest, preventing her from moving anymore.

The summer night was humid and hot, and the bed was even warmer.

She obediently nestled against him without moving further, closing her eyes and breathing shallowly. Half-asleep, she murmured: “…Now that Your Majesty has visited me, shouldn’t you return to the palace soon?”

He remained silent, only reaching out to pull the light gauze curtain.

The curtain fell gently, separating the inside from the outside of the bed, filtering the light, with tiny flower patterns swaying upon it.

Soon she fell sound asleep, her face as pure as a child unaware of the world, her body softly fitting into his embrace, pressed against his heart, inseparable.

He gazed at her sleeping face, taking the hand that lightly rested on his shoulder and placing it in his palm, holding it for a long time without letting go.

Outside the courtyard, the candles were still burning brightly, but no one dared to knock on the door to disturb them.

Summer grass grew thin, small insects chirped noisily, the moon hung in the sky, and faint stars hid from view…

The room was quiet and peaceful.

The first night after the new emperor’s ascension to the throne was spent in the Meng residence.

This matter was known only to a few of the Emperor’s close attendants and Meng’s household servants, but no one dared to speak of it. Although people in the palace knew the Emperor had left and not returned, they didn’t know exactly where he had spent the night. Though court officials heard rumors and had suspicions, they dared not openly question it in court because they feared the new emperor’s remaining prestige on the day of his ascension. So the matter was left unresolved, with no one mentioning it again.

A month later, the Emperor Emeritus and the Prince of Ping set out from the capital, returning to the old capital of Suiyang in the western region.

The new emperor issued an edict, dispatching two thousand imperial guards from the capital to escort them, and also ordered capable officials from the inner palace to accompany the Emperor Emeritus and the Prince of Ping to their old palace to await them.

Half a month later, another edict granted a general amnesty throughout the realm. Taxes in all regions were reduced by half, and a special examination was announced to recruit filial and righteous individuals from various regions to come to the capital for study, with the capable ones eligible to become officials at court.

With the new emperor’s new policies, the entire country celebrated. Amidst this prosperity and splendor, a piece of news suddenly came from the north that shocked the court in the capital.

Shortly after nightfall, the lights and candles in the History Academy were still lit.

Meng Tinghui was just putting away her ink and books when she suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps outside. She frowned, not understanding how anyone could be running around freely at night in the restricted palace, so she put down what she was holding and quickly walked out the door.

As soon as she went out, she ran into a eunuch who had long served the Emperor, rushing quickly toward the northern palace gate. Seeing her, he only gave a hasty bow, not even addressing her as “Master Meng,” before continuing to run hurriedly along the corridor.

Meng Tinghui’s frown deepened, and she called after him: “Eunuch Yue, please wait!” When he turned back, she stepped forward and asked: “Why such a hurry? Has something happened to the Emperor?”

The eunuch surnamed Yue wiped his sweat and shook his head: “The Emperor is well! I am following orders to summon the ministers of the two departments and the Military Commissioner to the palace!”

When she heard “the Emperor is well,” she initially felt relieved, but upon hearing the rest, her heart tensed again. She quickly asked: “It’s already nightfall. What matter is so urgent that all the senior ministers of both departments must enter the palace simultaneously?”

The eunuch looked around to ensure no one else was present, then leaned in and said: “This shouldn’t be spoken of casually, but I dare not conceal anything from Master Meng. The Liuqi Garrison in the northern route of Chao’an has mutinied!”

Meng Tinghui was greatly shocked upon hearing this. After being startled for a moment, she said with a trembling voice: “How could this happen so suddenly?” After a thought, she added: “Even so, it should be publicly discussed at court tomorrow morning. Summoning the senior ministers of both departments to the palace at this hour, wouldn’t that only cause unnecessary panic!”

The eunuch closed his lips for a moment, his eyes darting toward the distance, then said in a barely audible voice: “The Liuqi Garrison has mutinied. The Governor of Qingzhou, Master Shen, followed the orders of Dong Yicheng, the Pacification Commissioner of the northern route of Chao’an, to go and placate them, but was detained by the rebellious troops and has not been heard from since, alive or dead!”

Hearing this, her legs suddenly went weak, and she almost couldn’t stand.

A garrison of imperial troops mutinying was already an earth-shattering event, but who would have thought the rebellious troops would be so bold as to detain a provincial governor and not release him, and that governor was the Emperor’s closest minister?

Her lips trembled. After composing herself for a moment, she asked again: “Where is the Emperor now?”