When she finally regained consciousness, darkness had fallen. Inside the chamber, the dark blue bed curtains cascaded like a waterfall, completely separating her from the sparse candlelight in the outer hall.

In the hazy darkness, she reached out her hand to feel beside her—no one was there.

Through the layers of curtains, she could faintly discern a silhouette at the golden desk in the outer chamber. The figure bent over papers with a brush in hand presented a lonely, melancholic sight. The palace candles cast flickering shadows across his face, making his features indiscernible.

She rose from the bed, casually wrapping a piece of clothing around her bare body, and stepped barefoot onto the floor, moving quietly toward him.

The outer chamber doors were tightly closed. Along the path to the inner chamber lay her scattered garments and ornaments. In the warm candlelight of the night, they appeared all the more intimate, causing her face to flush at the sight.

From the doorway to the imperial desk, from the outer chamber to the inner chamber, against the cold, hard walls, nestled in the warm, soft bedding—standing, sitting, lying, kneeling, bodies tilted… These vivid yet sensual images flashed through her mind, causing her to tremble involuntarily as she walked.

She couldn’t remember how many times they had made love, or for how long. She only remembered how his drops of sweat, mixed with his forceful vigor, had thoroughly quenched her body that had been parched for months. Her hoarse, exhausted moans had been more bewitching and enticing than the strongest aphrodisiac fragrance, causing him to become increasingly fierce and unrestrained, until she was completely exhausted and limp, falling asleep to the sound of his deep, heavy breathing.

Just remembering made her ears burn. She recalled how she had wrapped her legs around him, not letting him leave, and how in the heat of passion, she had uttered words so wanton they were too embarrassing to recall.

He was the Emperor of all people under heaven, and also the only man in her life. His iron will and wisdom satisfied all her expectations of an enlightened ruler, while his deep affection fulfilled the love she had harbored for ten years. His passionate yet considerate intimacy was both dominating and gentle, satisfying her soft body full of yearning.

This man was so perfect in her heart that she could not find a single thing about him to dislike—how could she not love him?

He was leaning over the desk, concentrating on the memorial in his hand. The ink on his brush tip had nearly dried, and he hadn’t even noticed her approach.

She tiptoed behind him, gently covered his eyes with her hands, and trying to suppress her laughter, whispered: “An entire day spent either galloping on the training grounds or thrusting in the imperial chamber—is Your Majesty not tired? You still have the energy to review memorials?”

Before she finished speaking, he turned around and reached out, pulling her onto his lap. He lowered his head to bite her earlobe and said in a husky voice: “I see you’re not tired. Disrespecting your superior—what punishment do you deserve?”

Her clothing barely covered her body. After struggling a few times without breaking free from his grip, her garments fell open even more. She had no choice but to remain naked in his embrace. Blinking with a smiling expression, she moved closer and began to act coquettishly. Counting on her fingers, she said to him: “Half a month later is the Ministry of Rites examination for the imperial scholars. I will be co-examining with Minister Xu and must be sequestered for over ten days, unable to see Your Majesty. And after the Ministry exam results are posted, there’s still the palace examination… By the time the imperial scholar selection, the Qionglin Banquet, and the archery ceremony are all completed, several more months will have passed. When will I have another opportunity to be alone with Your Majesty as I am today?”

He knew that she usually maintained strict propriety in front of others, and even when they were alone together, she rarely showed such clingy behavior. He couldn’t help but find it amusing, though he maintained an expressionless face as he said: “Meng Tinghui, you now know how to become arrogant with favor?”

She silently lowered her eyes, took his large hand, and traced a character on his palm, saying: “Your subject is not being arrogant (jiao) with favor, but rather coquettish (jiao) with favor.”

He couldn’t help but laugh softly. He grasped her delicate fingers and nodded: “As expected of someone from the Hanlin Academy. Now holding the position of a high-ranking official, yet your habit of quibbling over words remains unchanged. But, this ‘coquettishness’ pleases me greatly. Henceforth, I permit you to be coquettish with my favor.”

Her face was flushed, her eyes bright, staring at him with pursed lips and a smile.

He withdrew his hand to smooth her disheveled long hair that cascaded over her shoulders, his fingers lightly tracing her cheeks before embracing her more tightly.

She was now worlds apart from the child in that dilapidated temple years ago, and even quite different from how she had appeared when she entered the court two years ago. He had witnessed her gradual transformation from a girl uninvolved in court affairs to the current female official who was quite feared by the elder statesmen of both factions. He understood the hardships she had endured, but fortunately, her heart remained steadfast, strong, and unwavering. And she too had witnessed his increasing maturity day by day. Among all the women in the world, apart from her, he truly found it difficult to let anyone glimpse the depths of his heart.

Holding her like this, he could hardly resist the temptation of her delicate body. Desire stirred within him again, flames kindling in his eyes as he slowly bent down to kiss her breasts.

Her body trembled as she sensed his intentions. Biting her lip, she guided his hand downward, whispering: “Please feel, Your Majesty… it’s swollen…”

He immediately raised his head, his expression changing slightly, his eyebrows furrowing. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?” During their previous passionate encounters, both had been completely immersed and in the height of physical and emotional pleasure, he hadn’t noticed any discomfort from her. Seeing now that he had caused her such a condition, he became somewhat annoyed and added: “Summon the imperial physician to examine you.”

She was startled and hurriedly said: “Has Your Majesty lost his mind?” How could she let the imperial physician know about such matters? She sighed softly and whispered: “Your subject has no serious ailment. It will heal in a few days, but for now… for now, I cannot receive Your Majesty’s passion…”

He wrapped her in clothing once more. Recalling her earlier eagerness, desire, urgency, and excitement, he chuckled softly: “Since you know you cannot withstand it, in the future you should refrain from clinging to me so persistently.”

Her face reddened slightly as she muttered quietly: “If Your Majesty forbids your subject from clinging to Your Majesty, perhaps you want your subject to cling to someone else?”

Unmoved by her teasing, his gaze returned to the memorials on the desk. His expression unchanged, he said: “Should you ever change your heart, I will not stand in your way.”

She never expected him to say such a thing. She choked slightly, then considered what others said about the fickleness of emperors. If he could say this to her now, then if he were to change his heart in the future… With this thought, she couldn’t help feeling downcast and said quietly: “If there were a woman of exceptional beauty and talent among this year’s imperial scholars, with the ability to serve as an official, would Your Majesty also favor and trust her?”

His gaze remained fixed, his expression unchanged. “In this world, there is only one Meng Tinghui.”

She was momentarily stunned.

Her nose suddenly felt sour, and her eyes reddened.

…Yes, even if he were to establish an empress and consorts in the future, with three thousand women in his harem, there would only be one Meng Tinghui in this world.

What more could she ask for? What else could she possibly demand?

He naturally didn’t know what she was thinking. Seeing her silent and motionless for so long, he glanced down and noticed her expression. He couldn’t help but curve his lips slightly and sigh: “I’ve said before, if you could think less, I would be much more at ease. Don’t you see how many of the court’s promising young men admire the great official Meng? Even for this upcoming Ministry examination, many talented scholars wish to glimpse the renowned Official Meng’s demeanor—I have yet to suspect you might be attracted to those young talents, yet here you are, troubling yourself unnecessarily?”

His words made her laugh softly. She silently chided herself for being too greedy—to receive such treatment from him was already enough. She reached out to embrace his neck, murmuring: “Throughout the world, who else possesses Your Majesty’s handsome and upright appearance, your wise and resolute character, your iron will and formidable presence? Your subject’s lifelong devotion is for Your Majesty alone.”

He held her with one arm while continuing to write with his brush in the other hand, laughing as he said: “Hearing you speak this way, others calling you a flattering and presumptuous official would not be unwarranted. Am I as good as you say?”

Yes, you are.

She gazed at his handsome profile, watching him quietly as he reviewed one memorial after another, silently affirming in her heart.

The night enveloped them like thick ink in a warm current, extinguishing all light and shadow in the room, leaving only the two of them with their deep affection flowing gently, spreading across the desk and throughout the chamber, drifting endlessly.

The day after she left the Western Flower Palace, she thought nothing of it. Who would have thought that after just a few days, his words would prove prophetic?

Before the Ministry of Rites examination, the Meng household received visiting cards from scholars who had come to the capital.

Meng Tinghui had assumed that the people sending cards to the Meng residence would be female scholars. Who would have expected that a large portion of them were outstanding talents from various regional examinations, including many young and talented men?

Although she had also tried her luck before the Ministry examination in her day, she had never directly gone to the chief or deputy examiners’ residences to present her card and ask for guidance. Now that she was in charge of the examination, she naturally could not accept these visiting cards, so she strictly ordered the household servants to refuse all cards at the gate.

But after just two days, Cao Jing personally visited her residence to recommend a scholar named Yin Qing. According to Cao Jing, this Yin Qing also came from the Northern Chao’an Circuit. In the past two years, his literary reputation had spread throughout the Chao’an region. After arriving in the capital, he paid a visit to Cao Jing, expressing his intention to align himself with the Meng faction.

Meng Tinghui understood Cao Jing’s meaning.

The more scholars in the world who aligned with the Meng faction, the better. And since Yin Qing was very likely to pass the examination and enter the court as an official in the future, Cao Jing must have wanted to win over scholars like Yin Qing early on, to gain an advantage in this imperial examination.

She knew well what this imperial examination meant. At the moment, she neither agreed nor refused, simply accepting the card and giving Cao Jing a perfunctory response. By the next day, she had already forgotten about this person.