“Close your eyes, no peeking…”

Wei Shao held Xiao Qiao’s hand, repeatedly reminding her to keep her eyes shut. With a group of palace attendants watching from afar, he slowly led her around the Ganquan Pool in the Imperial Garden before finally coming to a stop.

“We’re here. Open your eyes!”

Hearing his seemingly proud voice next to her ear, Xiao Qiao opened her eyes. As soon as she looked up, her gaze froze.

It was the Yunzhong cliff inscription!

She stared at the massive cliff carving before her: nearly 30 feet tall and 40-50 feet long, it stood like a small mountain peak…

To be precise, this was originally part of a mountain wall that had been forcibly cut out from its original location. Though carefully restored, traces of moss remained in the crevices of the weathered rock surface.

She slowly turned her head to meet the Emperor’s eyes, which were seeking approval.

“Is this the surprise you said you had for me?”

“Yes!”

Wei Shao had been watching her reaction closely.

She didn’t jump for joy?!

Could it be she didn’t recognize what this was?

Wei Shao pointed at the enormous object standing beside the Ganquan Pool, emphasizing: “The real Yunzhong cliff inscription!”

Aren’t you happy? Aren’t you moved?

It’s nothing, just a small token of affection.

The Emperor managed to hold back these last two sentences that had almost burst from his throat, watching his Empress expectantly for more reaction.

Xiao Qiao walked up to the cliff carving and slowly touched the characters that seemed to bear the marks of centuries of wind and rain.

“I feared I wouldn’t have time to take you out of Luoyang shortly. Knowing you’ve been thinking about it, I simply had it brought here. Now you can see it whenever you want, however you want…”

No matter how good Gao Heng’s rubbings were, how could they compare to the actual carved cliff? This blew him out of the water!

“Well, do you like it?”

After a long while, seeing her still silent with her back to him, Wei Shao couldn’t help but walk up beside her and ask.

Xiao Qiao finally turned around.

“Your Majesty has been so thoughtful, I am…”

“Taken by surprise!” she said with a smile after some consideration.

Xiao Qiao’s reaction left Wei Shao feeling somewhat disappointed. Out of a need to compensate, he reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Xiao Qiao looked back, seeing a group of palace attendants by the Ganquan Pool, their gazes seeming to turn this way. She struggled slightly, pushing at his arm, “There are people around, in broad daylight…”

“What does it matter?”

Wei Shao paid no heed, but seeing her evasion, he waved his hand at the group of attendants behind him without turning his head. The attendants hurriedly left. He then lowered his head, gently nibbling on her delicate ear, using a rich, seductive, husky tone to whisper sweet nothings: “As long as Manman likes it, just tell your husband, and I’ll bring you anything in this world…”

Her ear tickled from his blowing and nibbling, Xiao Qiao shrank her neck and pushed his face away, smiling radiantly: “My husband treats me so well, but…”

She paused, “This cliff inscription has been in Yunmen for hundreds of years. Your Majesty said to cut it down and it was cut down, then transported to Luoyang. Fortunately, it wasn’t damaged. If it had been damaged, wouldn’t I have become a sinner?”

Wei Shao hesitated: “You’re not happy?”

Xiao Qiao shook her head: “I know Your Majesty did this for me, how could I not be happy? I’m just a bit worried for Your Majesty…”

“Worried about what?” Wei Shao was startled.

“If Wei Quan and the others find out that Your Majesty moved the Yunzhong cliff inscription into the palace just to please my eyes, they will surely impeach you. You know Wei Quan’s temperament…”

Wei Shao’s heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

No one knew Wei Quan better than he did. The scene of being chased by him to the latrine years ago was still vivid in his mind.

“Don’t mind him!” He frowned, his tone very firm, “I just had someone bring you a piece of rock, does he have to interfere with even that?”

Xiao Qiao sighed: “Never mind Wei Quan and the others. When the Empress Dowager returns to the palace, she’ll surely find out. If she asks me, what should I say then?”

Madam Xu, now the Empress Dowager, resided in Jiade Palace. When she was in the palace, Fei Fei would go to her great-grandmother’s side every day to please her, and the two were very close. A few days ago, Madam Xu took Fei Fei out of the palace to the Imperial Daming Temple, and they hadn’t returned yet.

According to the original plan, they would be back in a couple of days.

Xiao Qiao held onto the sleeves of Wei Shao’s dragon robe, gently swaying them: “If the Empress Dowager asks how the cliff inscription got from Yunzhong to the Imperial Garden, how should I respond to her, Your Majesty?”

Wei Shao was momentarily speechless.

He had completely forgotten about this! Initially, in a moment of impulse, he had called for Jia Si and given the order, just waiting for the cliff inscription to arrive in Luoyang, without thinking too much about it.

Now that it had arrived, Wei Shao suddenly realized he might have brought a hot potato into the palace.

Putting aside Xiao Qiao’s reaction, which was far from the ecstatic joy he had initially expected, moving such a famous ancient relic as the Yunmen cliff inscription into the palace couldn’t possibly be kept secret. As Xiao Qiao said, it would eventually reach Wei Quan’s ears. He was the Chief Censor appointed by Wei Shao himself, and now, with the new dynasty just established and the official system clean, there weren’t many faults for him to find with the officials. If he found out about this, he would surely make a fuss.

Wei Shao himself didn’t care much, it would go in one ear and out the other, and if he got annoyed, he could just send Wei Quan away.

But this way, Xiao Qiao would suffer the consequences. People might even misunderstand and think it was the Empress who asked the Emperor to do this.

Moreover, there was still his grandmother to deal with. If she asked about it, it would indeed be difficult to explain.

“How about… when Grandmother returns, I’ll tell her myself that I wanted to appreciate the cliff inscription! That’s why I ordered it to be brought here!”

Xiao Qiao shook her head: “If you say it yourself, will Grandmother believe it? She will surely know you did it for me. She won’t verbally blame me, but in her heart, she’ll think, ‘Manman is thoughtless, making the Emperor do such things, and not even trying to dissuade him…'”

It must have been the hot weather, with the sun too strong overhead. After standing there for a while, Wei Shao began to feel his back getting hot.

“Then what should we do?”

Wei Shao looked at the big rock, “I’ve already brought it here, surely we can’t send it back?”

His tone was full of frustration.

Being Emperor still came with many constraints!

Incompetent ruler… Wei Shao suddenly felt a bit envious of those incompetent rulers from previous dynasties who could act as they pleased. He wanted to be an incompetent ruler who doted on his Empress, but why was it so difficult?

Xiao Qiao shook her head: “Such a large cliff inscription is difficult to transport over long distances. It was already challenging to bring it down the mountain, and it would be even harder to send it back up. Even if we could send it back, it has already been cut down, and it would probably be impossible to restore it to its original state…”

She smiled and said: “How about this? Your Majesty can have it sent to the Daming Temple to be placed there. A famous temple with ancient inscriptions will complement each other, not only enhancing its grandeur but also allowing people from all over the world to continue appreciating the calligraphy of the ancients. Moreover…” she pointed at the weathered surface of the cliff inscription, “It has been on the mountain for hundreds of years, and some of the inscriptions already show signs of erosion. Now that it’s been brought to Luoyang and properly placed, it can be seen as a way of protecting the ancients’ calligraphy. The palace is not far from Daming Temple, so if I want to see it, I can go anytime. What do you think of my suggestion, Your Majesty?”

Wei Shao let out a long sigh, gazed at Xiao Qiao, suddenly hugged her tightly, and kissed her hard. His lips pressed against her ear as he whispered: “No matter how much I love you, it’s never enough…”

……

Jia Si had been on an official trip for two months, expending tremendous effort to cut half a mountaintop and bring the large rock the Emperor wanted into the palace. Before he could catch his breath, that very day he received orders to move it to Daming Temple overnight, which left him utterly bewildered. However, as the order came from the highest authority, how could he dare to question it? He hurriedly gathered people to pack the cliff inscription back into its crate and sent it to the Daming Temple overnight.

……

Early the next morning, before daybreak, the Emperor ascended to his throne for the morning court session. His bottom had barely warmed the seat when Chief Censor Wei Quan eagerly stepped out, holding a tablet full of speaking points. He knelt and paid his respects, and after being allowed to rise, he indeed began to admonish the Emperor with a stern face. The gist was that he had learned of some news late last night – that His Majesty had sent people to Yunzhong to seize the cliff inscription and bring it to the palace.

This was very inappropriate behavior. Although everything in the world belongs to the Emperor, it doesn’t mean the Emperor can bring everything he fancies into the palace. The local people in Yunzhong were also very dissatisfied with this, and such actions would tarnish the glorious image of the Emperor and Empress. He was speaking up to protect the Emperor’s reputation and asked the Emperor to correct this mistake immediately, and so on…

After Chief Wei finished speaking in one breath, his mouth was dry.

The Emperor cast a cold gaze at him, haughtily raising his face, and responded, saying that he did indeed do this, but not in the way Wei Quan described, as if he was snatching things from the people! He was distressed that the local people in Yunzhong didn’t know how to protect the ancient calligraphy, leaving it to weather and deteriorate on the cliff. For protection, he had the cliff inscription cut down and transported to Luoyang. It was sent to the Daming Temple last night for proper protection, and after restoration, it would be open to the public. Wei Quan didn’t know the details and jumped to conclusions, thus slandering the Emperor’s integrity. What were his intentions?

Wei Quan was stunned and hurriedly prostrated himself, begging for the Emperor’s forgiveness.

Then Gongson Yang and others also pleaded for leniency on his behalf.

The Emperor naturally knew when to stop, magnanimously stating that it was fine, saying this was Chief Wei’s duty, and although he had wronged the Emperor, the Emperor would not hold it against him.

So the morning court session ended with a chorus of praise from all the civil and military officials.

After the court session, the Emperor, recalling Wei Quan’s dumbfounded and convinced face in the golden hall, was in an extremely good mood. Upon returning to the inner palace, he didn’t go to the study but went straight to the bedchamber to find the Empress, planning to indulge in some daytime pleasures.

People say the Emperor has it good, free to roam the three palaces and six courts as he pleases. Wei Shao didn’t want the three palaces and six courts; he deeply felt that since becoming Emperor, he had been as tired as a donkey, going to court before dawn every day and returning to the bedchamber at midnight, even more exhausting than when he was at war.

Every day, the only time he could completely relax and have private moments with Xiao Qiao was just those few short hours at midnight. After subtracting “normal” sleeping time, and further subtracting the time when the little princess often woke up in the middle of the night wanting to steal Xiao Qiao from him, the time he could hold his beautiful Empress and sleep that kind of “sleep” never seemed enough.

If he didn’t seize these last few moments, once the Empress Dowager returned to the palace with Fei Fei in a couple of days, it wouldn’t be convenient to act freely anytime, anywhere.