In the third month of spring in the eleventh year of Jingxuan, fragrant flowers lined the paths outside the old palace in Suiyang, the western capital. The lotus pond between the palace halls was clear, with broad, emerald leaves reflecting specks of golden light in the sunshine.

Ruoyun was playing incessantly with his younger brother Ruoren by the pond. Not far from the two boys stood a man in splendid attire. Though his temples were streaked with gray, his back remained perfectly straight, and traces of his handsome, slender features from his youth were still visible on his wrinkled profile.

He stood with his hands behind his back, watching the two boys. His razor-thin lips curved slightly upward, and though he did not speak, his imposing presence was undeniable.

“Imperial Grandfather!” Ruoren suddenly turned and rushed over, his two damp little hands clutching the hem of the man’s brocade robe. “Royal Brother is bullying me!”

Ruoyun followed with a tense little face, indignantly protesting, “I am not!”

He Yi bent down to pick up Ruoren, also pulling Ruoyun closer. A hint of warmth gradually rose in his deep, solemn eyes. “You’ve been in the western capital for many days now. Do you miss your Father Emperor?”

“No!” Ruoren exclaimed with wide eyes, speaking with childish frankness, “With Father Emperor gone, no one forces us to practice swordsmanship!”

Ruoyun couldn’t help but tap his brother’s chubby cheek in annoyance, “If these words reach Mother Empress’s ears, I’ll be punished along with you!”

He Yi’s lips curved slightly, but his voice cooled, “A prince of the imperial family, afraid of sword practice?” With that, he set Ruoren down and instructed both children, “Go to the training field!”

Ruoren instantly wilted, his small body squirming as he pouted, refusing to move.

Without a word, Ruoyun turned and jogged toward the northern training field.

He Yi lowered his eyes to look at Ruoren, who was not yet four years old, and ultimately smiled helplessly. He lifted the boy by his collar and raised him, “When your father was your age, he was already brave enough to draw a bow on horseback.”

Seizing the opportunity, Ruoren clung to his chest, refusing to move, smiling shamelessly as he repeatedly called, “Imperial Grandfather, Imperial Grandfather, Imperial Grandfather…”

When Meng Tinghui emerged from the hall, she immediately spotted her son’s near-tantrum behavior in the distance. Both annoyed and amused, she pressed her lips together and stood on the steps for a moment before turning her head to look toward the bridge by the pond.

The small arched bridge curved over the connected pond. Ruotao, dressed in a thin gauze skirt, stood quietly on it, accompanying Ying Huan beside her as they fed the brocade carp in the pond.

Ying Huan stood at the head of the bridge in vermilion attire, her high bun like clouds reaching the sky. Though her appearance was no longer youthful, her eyes and brows remained as delicate as smoke and silk. Every gesture was beautiful and noble.

Occasionally, Ruotao would look up with a smile, offering her the small cup of fish food in her hands. Her serene, unperturbed manner somehow resembled the older woman.

The brocade carp in the pond occasionally flicked their tails and leaped, splashing tiny water droplets.

After watching for a while, Meng Tinghui suddenly felt reluctant to disturb the children’s time with the elderly couple. She turned and found a stone bench to sit on, quietly enjoying the warm spring sunshine.

This year, peace reigned throughout the country. Since the New Year’s grand court assembly earlier in the year, she had taken care of various matters concerning her northern fiefs in court, then brought the three children to the western capital to pay respects to the Emperor Emeritus and the Prince of Ping as previously agreed. Five days had already passed.

Before coming, she had felt apprehensive, fearing she would not be able to face them with true equanimity, and even more concerned that they might feel uncomfortable seeing her. Yet after arriving, she discovered all these worries were unnecessary.

This elderly couple had weathered so many storms in their youth, experienced so much love and hate, and witnessed so much of the world’s affairs. Those national and family enmities had long faded like clouds and mist in their eyes—how could they harbor any resentment toward her?

In their eyes now, she was simply the woman their beloved son cherished.

And as she observed the elderly couple’s interactions these past few days, how could she not feel extreme admiration?

Ten years of hatred, one glance of recognition, then a lifetime of entanglement… People always said the imperial family was the most ruthless, yet beneath this ruthlessness paradoxically existed the most unwavering love.

Faded to the extreme, yet intense in emotion.

She only wished that when she grew old, she too could gaze at him with white hair, hold his hand with a smile, and share the same grave.

“Empress.”

A female voice suddenly called from behind, recalling her to the present. She turned, “What is it?”

The palace maid presented a letter with yellowed corners, smiling as she said, “The Emperor Emeritus just instructed this servant to bring this for Your Majesty to see.”

She accepted it with some confusion, dismissed the palace maid, and quickly opened it.

Her eyes slowly scanned the contents. The handwriting was so familiar, yet so piercing, causing the corners of her eyes to sting.

After a long while, she finally closed the letter, holding it in her palm as her lips gently curved.

So many years had passed, and she had never known that his feelings for her ran so deep.

The date at the end of the letter was the twelfth month of winter in the first year of Jingxuan.

What was she doing at that time?

She had just entered the Privy Council not long before and was diligently learning military affairs day and night, overwhelmed with tasks.

Yet he had already been planning their future together.

Including that vast northern territory.

When he initially decreed to allocate several northern circuits as her fief, she thought it was a decision made under pressure. Who would have imagined that as early as the first year of Jingxuan, he had already resolved to use this land to heal her wounds from the loss of her country and family, to silence the mouths of people throughout the realm… and then to install her as his empress.

But before he could speak, troubles emerged in the north.

What truly moved her, however, was not merely his long-concealed intentions, but that the elderly couple had consented to his wish.

Setting aside national and family enmities, this realm had been soaked with their blood and sweat, yet they could so openly redistribute territory to the descendants of a former enemy state. If they did not deeply understand his love for her, how could they be so magnanimous and accepting?

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but look up toward the willow-lined bridge in the distance, just in time to see Ying Huan’s red lips slightly raised, smiling as she watched her every move.

Suddenly, her eyes grew moist.

Though she had grown up without parents, in this life she had gained his love and the sincere treatment of his parents—this was enough.

From the distance came the sound of hurried footsteps. A palace servant ran over, and seeing her sitting nearby, immediately stopped, sweating profusely as he said, “Report to Empress: The military office at the city gate just sent word that they have spotted imperial banners in the distance. It appears the Emperor is coming.”

Meng Tinghui was extremely surprised and immediately stood up.

The reason she had brought the three children to the western capital alone was that he was too busy to leave the capital, and it would have been inappropriate to arrange an imperial procession west, unnecessarily burdening the treasury.

How was it that he had now followed her footsteps to the western capital?

As she pondered this, Ruotao had somehow appeared at her side, gently tugging at the hem of her robe, “Mother Empress, Mother Empress…”

She turned to see Ruotao, her expression instantly softening as she asked gently, “What is it?”

Ruotao’s eyes curved with happiness as she whispered, “Imperial Grandmother just told me that today is Mother Empress’s birthday.”

She froze.

The seventh day of the third month…

She had forgotten that thirty years ago on this day, she was born, and it was also when his mother empress, had playfully proposed to make her his crown princess’s consort.

After all these twists and turns over the years, she had finally returned to the starting point.

She had once thought that winning his whole-hearted devotion was due to her unremitting efforts, not knowing that the fate between them had long been ordained by heaven.

She smiled, bending down to stroke her daughter’s long hair, saying softly, “Would you like to accompany Mother Empress to welcome Father Emperor outside the palace?”