By the time Zhan Qingcheng emerged from the room, the night had grown deep.

“Your Highness.” Yu Jingfeng bowed his head in greeting.

Zhan Qingcheng said nothing and walked toward the courtyard.

Yu Jingfeng understood that the prince didn’t want to speak by the doorway, for fear of disturbing Miss Jiu’er’s sleep inside.

This was the first time Yu Jingfeng had ever seen the prince show such careful consideration toward anyone.

He followed along, and only once they were far enough from the room did Yu Jingfeng speak. “Your Highness, a few days ago the Empress came to the Dragon Martial Academy and privately met with Miss Jiu’er.”

“Invite the Empress to a banquet, immediately.” Zhan Qingcheng flicked his sleeve and strode quickly toward the front courtyard.

Yu Jingfeng bowed his head. “Understood.”

…

The Empress could never have dreamed that A’Jiu would actually take the initiative to invite her over for a gathering.

Seeing the cool, handsome Ninth Prince seated on the jade chair, her heart filled with joy—him inviting her to meet at night was something that had absolutely never happened before!

Though her heart brimmed with delight, tonight did feel a bit strange after all—it was already the small hours of the morning.

Moreover, the Empress was well aware that a major incident had occurred at the Dragon Martial Academy that very night.

She herself hadn’t been present; when the Ninth Prince had interrogated Officer Zheng, only a handful of people had been in the main hall of the Martial Arts Tower.

Her own people had had no way of getting in to listen, so no one knew exactly what had happened or what had been said.

All she knew was that Officer Zheng had afterward received one hundred strokes of the military rod and would likely be exiled to the border, while Zeng Lanyue had been temporarily detained, her situation still unclear for now.

What was strangest of all was that, on the side of Officer Zheng’s family, his household had remained entirely undisturbed, perfectly at peace.

Historically, whenever a high official committed a serious crime—whether a court minister or a senior military officer—the calamity would always extend to his wife and children as well.

She had no idea what decision A’Jiu had actually made—why was there absolutely no movement at all in Officer Zheng’s household?

The Empress looked at the Ninth Prince seated in his chair, and without waiting for an invitation, seated herself as well.

No matter what A’Jiu might be thinking, the mere sight of his face, his figure, was enough to put her in an especially good mood, her eyes filling entirely with delight.

“A’Jiu, I heard something happened at your Dragon Martial Academy tonight. Has it all been resolved?”

“The Empress’s ears and eyes truly reach far and wide, to know the affairs of my Dragon Martial Academy so clearly. Could it be that the Empress has spies planted within my academy?”

“A’Jiu, how could I do such a thing?” In front of him, she even dropped the formal “this palace” in referring to herself, which showed just how much care and importance she placed on him.

“A’Jiu, I only heard about it in passing. The Regular Army Academy has so many people and so much chatter—it’s nothing unusual for word to reach my ears, is it?”

Zhan Qingcheng paid this no mind, and with a wave of his hand, his attendants immediately served tea to the two of them.

Being with him, the Empress had no intention of ever staying silent—of course, it would be best of all if the two of them could lean close together and exchange whispered intimacies.

She truly wished she could go to him, embrace him, and pour out in detail the years of admiration she had harbored for him.

But she still held herself back, even though several times she had nearly failed to.

A’Jiu was simply too tempting—just looking at him alone was enough to nearly make one drool.

The Empress considered herself elegant and dignified enough, and yet, she truly wanted to throw herself at him…

“A’Jiu, I heard you left the city a few days ago. How did the official business go? Did it tire you out?”

Zhan Qingcheng merely glanced at her indifferently, not answering her question at all, his gaze instead falling on the tea set on the table before her. “This is a fine batch of Sunset Spring tea I specially brought back. Won’t the Empress try some?”