Near evening, the north wind carried snow. Outside, the sky was darkening but not yet dark, vaguely tinged with an obscure rose color that pressed against the vermilion palace walls and golden glazed tiles. This actually concealed some of the deep heaviness from this palace that had recently been stained with blood, adding a bit of peaceful tranquility in the gradually brightening glow of dim palace lanterns.

In the Cabinet duty rooms, the finest silver charcoal burned.

The little eunuch who came to report was frightened into trembling, not daring to raise his head.

The court officials had already been quarreling incessantly.

Xie Wei acted as if he hadn’t heard or seen anything. He simply sat by the window, holding a cup of tea, gazing at the white snow flying down from the deep, silent heights of the sky, thinking irrelevantly: Shen Zhiyi was deliberately opposing him. With his and Second Miss Ning’s wedding date approaching, she was rushing to add to his troubles.

“Absurd, simply absurd! What kind of place is Kunning Palace? Never mind that Jiang Xuening is an outsider, but the Emperor position still hasn’t been settled yet! Empress Zheng just moved out from there, and the very next day she moves in—what does this mean? What does this mean?”

“But isn’t this Grand Princess’s intention…”

“No matter whose intention it is, right now the realm has no ruler. We haven’t said that just because there’s no Emperor we should move the place for deliberations to Qianqing Palace, have we? Isn’t it still empty? Now we’re merely asking her to handle some trivial matters for the imperial clan—isn’t the Imperial Household Department spacious enough? Originally thought she knew her place—just yesterday she said she declined the Grand Princess’s kind offer. How did she change her mind today?”

“Ahem, Lord Yao, watch your words…”

“Moving into Kunning Palace—does she want to be Empress?!”

…

Originally these past days had been calm and peaceful, but a few days ago, somehow getting the idea, Grand Princess Leyang Shen Zhiyi suddenly said she wanted to give Kunning Palace to Jiang Xuening.

An outsider who wasn’t even marrying into the imperial clan—how could she move into Kunning?

The officials naturally all opposed it without exception.

That Jiang Xuening had been sensible enough to gracefully decline the Princess’s kind offer the first day. But unexpectedly, not even a few days had passed when she suddenly changed her mind. Today, without a word, she had people pack up and move in. Not only that, she even had nearby places like Fengchen Hall and Yangzhi Studio cleaned and tidied—making people completely unable to understand what she and Shen Zhiyi were trying to accomplish together.

As they argued, their words became increasingly excessive.

No one knew who first realized, coughing rather forcefully and winking to signal everyone to be careful—

Although Xie Ju’an hadn’t said a word, he was sitting right there.

Who in the world nowadays didn’t know about his relationship with Jiang Xuening?

They were getting married in a few days.

Did they dare criticize Jiang Xuening and express dissatisfaction in front of Xie Wei? Did they think their lives were too long?

Sure enough, after everyone gradually noticed, the arguing voices quickly diminished.

Xie Wei gently set down his teacup.

The hearts of several ministers suddenly skipped a beat and hung suspended.

Times were different from the past.

Years ago, who upon seeing Xie Ju’an didn’t praise him as “ancient sage and worthy” or “like bathing in a spring breeze”? He truly had a good temper, good cultivation, and good character that couldn’t be found even among ten thousand people.

But recently…

The court officials seemed to have gotten to know this person all over again, almost unable to believe how enormously a person could change.

In the past during deliberations, Xie Wei always had a smile at his lips. An occasional word could achieve the effect of using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds. He would mediate neutrally with reason and evidence, and with just a few words could ease originally tense atmospheres and make everyone converse happily.

Even when he wanted to persuade someone, he made them feel completely comfortable.

But now, although he still sat here for deliberations, his style had become vastly different from before. Whether others were quarreling or debating, he was too lazy to even lift an eyelid to look. Even last time when they grabbed inkstones and cups to fight in the Cabinet, he didn’t pay much attention—he just took the Buddhist sutra in his hand and walked out, seemingly finding them too noisy.

If they tremblingly formulated national policies and civilian plans and presented them before him, requesting his review or asking for his brilliant insights—

Xie Wei’s response was usually a bland: Whatever.

The rise and fall of the realm, the life and death of common people—he truly didn’t care at all, didn’t even keep them in his mind, and wasn’t even willing to pretend.

However, among all this, the three words “Jiang Xuening” were an absolute exception.

Everyone still remembered three days ago when Grand Princess Leyang had a sudden inspiration and said she wanted to broadly establish women’s academies throughout Great Qian, just as she had studied at Fengchen Hall back then. She wanted to extend this throughout the realm, enabling women to attend school and study just like men.

Since ancient times, men and women were separate, men were superior to women.

Back then, Shen Zhiyi could study at Fengchen Hall because she was a princess, of noble status, exceptionally different. Also because she was going to the marriage alliance the following year, and at the time Shen Lang had agreed to coax this younger sister into happiness and obedience.

Even then it had caused quite a bit of criticism in court and society.

How could this bunch of old ministers in the Cabinet possibly agree now?

At the time, Grand Tutor Yao had frowned and spoken: “The Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues state that husband is guide to wife. Now in this chaotic world, if the positions of yin and yang are reversed again, who knows what chaos the realm will fall into. Women should at most read women’s rules, understand filial piety and fraternal duty, be proficient in household affairs, and be able to manage the inner quarters—that’s sufficient. How can they read the books of sages?”

Everyone was about to agree.

But unexpectedly, a flat voice came from the side, actually saying: “Why can’t they read them?”

When everyone first heard this voice, they didn’t react immediately.

After all, Xie Wei had hardly spoken these past days.

He didn’t participate in Cabinet proposal formulation or voting.

So when they followed the sound and saw Xie Wei put down the Daoist scripture in his hand and lift his head to gaze at them, cold sweat almost instantly appeared on everyone’s heads.

Although Grand Tutor Yao’s official position was equivalent to Xie Wei’s, after what happened two months ago, who didn’t know Xie Wei’s pivotal position in the court now?

He was also somewhat nervous.

But since it involved ethical principles and fundamental social order, he truly couldn’t approve of establishing women’s academies in his heart. He straightened his expression and said coldly: “The sages said, women and petty people are difficult to nurture. Determining the realm’s plans should be done by men. If yin and yang reverse then heaven and earth invert—the rules passed down by ancestors absolutely cannot be broken! If women’s academies are opened, young ladies inevitably showing themselves in public—what kind of propriety is that!”

Xie Wei’s eyes were like a deep sea, silent and waveless. His gaze turned toward him as he simply said: “According to Grand Tutor Yao’s words, there are distinctions of status. If books that men read cannot be read by women, then books the monarch reads cannot be read by subjects; books sages read cannot be read by foolish men. Books I read, Grand Tutor Yao, you cannot read?”

Everyone listened with alarm.

Grand Tutor Yao’s face alternated between red and white, because Xie Ju’an’s words were almost pointing at his nose and scolding him, saying he wasn’t worthy to read the books he read!

However, Xie Wei didn’t feel he had said anything excessive. He added blandly: “People are born into this world originally the same. If you’re willing to kneel, no one stops you, but if others want to stand, yet you obstinately block them—what kind of thing are you?”

Grand Tutor Yao’s nose twisted with anger.

The court officials were nearly scared to death.

However, Xie Wei had already lowered his head again, picked up the Daoist scripture he had just put down and continued reading, only leaving behind one neither cold nor hot sentence: “Recently coffin prices in the capital have been gradually dropping. Grand Tutor Yao is advanced in years—why not take advantage of this opportunity to buy yourself one early and keep it ready.”

Wasn’t this openly cursing someone to death!

In recent days, Xie Wei’s response to everything had been “whatever.” He was indifferent to all matters under heaven, almost making the court officials forget what terrifyingly bloody things this person had done with just a few words at Taiji Hall that day.

Hearing this now, they all remembered.

Immediately everyone’s faces turned deathly pale. Where did anyone still dare say anything like “establishing women’s academies is wrong”? Even Grand Tutor Yao, who had just been arguing with Xie Wei, had cold sweat seeping from his forehead. In the following half-day of deliberations, he stubbornly didn’t dare say another word.

Not until noon when Xie Wei left did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Grand Tutor Yao still didn’t understand exactly how he had offended Xie Wei.

In the end, it was Minister Chen from the Ministry of Personnel who awakened him with one sentence: “Grand Tutor, you missed the point. Think about it—back when Grand Princess studied at Fengchen Hall, who went to teach, and who were those female students?”

Hearing this, Grand Tutor Yao immediately understood.

Back when they studied at Fengchen Hall, wasn’t it Xie Wei who went to teach?

At that time, his reputation among scholars was at its peak—he was even called a “great Confucian scholar.”

And among those students…

Wasn’t one of them Second Miss from the Jiang Boyou family, that Jiang Xuening who left all the civil and military officials dumbstruck before Taiji Hall?

He couldn’t help but feel afraid afterward, grateful he hadn’t said anything more excessive in front of Xie Wei.

The matter of establishing women’s academies became a Cabinet taboo.

Never mind other court affairs where officials would roll up their sleeves and argue—on this matter, without exception, everyone maintained silence. So bizarrely, the decree was announced to the realm, and after the new year it would be piloted in the capital.

And just now…

The matter of Shen Zhiyi giving Kunning Palace to Jiang Xuening, with Jiang Xuening also having the audacity to move in—for these Cabinet ministers, it was truly very difficult to accept.

So earlier in the noisy argument it was inadvertently mentioned, with words already somewhat offensive.

The Cabinet, which moments ago had been so noisy people couldn’t hear each other face-to-face, suddenly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone’s gazes fell upon Xie Wei, whether consciously or not.

However, Xie Wei only looked at the gently swaying tea in his cup, and the tea leaves floating and undulating within, thinking of some time ago, on that morning of first snow.

Jiang Xuening had embraced him and said: Liking someone means wanting the other person to be happy and being happy yourself, not mutual torment. Xie Ju’an, if you have any unhappiness in your heart, you must tell me. I’m foolish—if you don’t tell me, I won’t know. When you’re good to me, you must also let me know. Otherwise, if something happens and you keep it all bottled up alone while the other person is carefree and oblivious, you’ll just get angrier as you look at them, constantly making things hard for yourself.

He still didn’t understand.

For many years, his heart had been filled with secrets—from his background, to the Celestial Teachings, to all kinds of endlessly emerging schemes. If one couldn’t keep things hidden in their heart, sooner or later they would harm themselves.

So he was accustomed to doing, not accustomed to speaking.

Xie Wei asked: Do I often make you unhappy?

A very difficult-to-describe expression appeared on Jiang Xuening’s face—seemingly compassionate, seemingly sad, yet also seeming to carry a gentle tolerance. Then she leaned in and kissed the corner of his eye.

She said: I just want you to let yourself go.

Her lips were moist. Falling at the corner of his eye, they were like overturning petals carrying a bit of fresh dew.

Xie Wei held her in his arms.

But sitting by the window, he only watched the smoke from the incense burner on the desk rising in wisps, silent for a long time.

Jiang Xuening had said he didn’t know how to like people.

Jiang Xuening had also said that if he had any unhappiness, he must tell her.

Jiang Xuening had also said she wanted him to let himself go.

But dropping his defenses and laying himself bare before others was a dangerous thing for Xie Ju’an.

He still found it very difficult to imagine.

Only these past days, when Second Miss Ning gazed at him, that look in her eyes as if covered with a thin layer of mist always surfaced in his mind, making the heart beating in his chest feel as if it were soaking in strong liquor—scorchingly hot, even carrying a full, stagnant pain.

Xie Wei suddenly stood up and strode outside.

Many umbrellas hung outside the Cabinet duty rooms.

He picked one up and reached out to open it.

The several ministers in the Cabinet couldn’t help but startle, almost instinctively calling out: “Xie Shaoshi—”

Xie Wei didn’t turn back. He only said: “An outsider moving into Kunning Palace for official business—isn’t that just perfect?”

After speaking, he was already holding the umbrella, directly stepping into the falling evening snow, heading toward Kunning Palace.

Before long, he was far away.

The officials in the Cabinet, upon hearing these words, all froze and couldn’t help but look at each other in confusion.

Kunning Palace having an occupant—this was a good thing?

But just as they were about to express their puzzlement, a flash of inspiration struck their minds, and they finally reacted.

They felt that if Qianqing Palace was empty, Kunning Palace should also be empty. But now that Kunning Palace had been given by the Grand Princess to Jiang Xuening, didn’t this show that Shen Zhiyi had absolutely no intention of establishing a new emperor?

Otherwise, if they established a new emperor in the future and the new emperor married, making people move in and out—how troublesome, how awkward would that be?

They had already realized the benefits of having no emperor.

Outwardly they didn’t say it, but secretly they were all quite unified in not wanting to produce another emperor.

Jiang Xuening moving into Kunning almost immediately weakened Kunning Palace’s special status as the palace’s imperial bedchamber, and along with it diminished the entire palace’s special nature—wasn’t this a good thing?

They truly hadn’t thought it through thoroughly.

However, did Xie Ju’an also think this was a good thing?