Song Tingke is the top expert in the palace; even Wang Dan, the former commander of the Imperial Guards, is no match for him.

Zhang Bingzhi is a civil official, and he is already quite old. What can he use to fight against him?

And why would he fight with Song Ting over something like this?

Zhang Bingzhi never expected that this despicable person could be so shameless.

The fact that Song Ting could take a liking to such a thing shows that a dog is still a dog at heart. Even if it dresses up in fine silk and satin to pretend to be a human, it still can't change its nature of eating shit.

"You flatterer! How dare you be so insolent before the Empress Dowager!"

Zhang Bingzhi realized that he could not continue to entangle with the other party.

"Men, remove his mask! I want to see if a human or a ghost is hidden behind it!"

At his command, several guards made a move to approach Huaiyue, but Song Ting quickly stepped in front of him to block them.

His murderous aura was fully revealed at this moment.

The guards trembled, their hands and feet shaking, and dared not approach easily.

The atmosphere in the hall froze once again.

"Forget it, they are the Commander's people anyway. The Commander cherishes them and doesn't want others to see them. Why do you have to get involved, Grand Secretary?"

"Everyone has their youthful impetuosity, don't you think?" At the crucial moment, it was the Empress Dowager who stepped in to smooth things over.

The women in the deep palace were indeed short-sighted. Hearing the Empress Dowager's words, Zhang Bingzhi became even more furious: "But this person—"

"Your Excellency, there's no need to worry anymore. I guarantee that the Commander has taken a liking to someone, so let's not make things difficult for him."

Before he could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager cut him off again, the woman seemingly determined to side with Song Ting.

"It's getting late, gentlemen. You should both go back to your rooms to rest. We still have to travel tomorrow."

Since the Empress Dowager had already said this much, Zhang Bingzhi couldn't possibly refuse her any longer. He glared at Huaiyue, flicked his sleeves, and stormed off.

The Empress Dowager also returned to her palace with the help of Aunt Ruyi.

For a moment, only Song Ting and Chu Huaixu remained in the main hall.

The latter braced himself against the ground, trying to stand up, but his legs were sore and numb from kneeling for so long.

As he stood up, he swayed and actually fell forward—

The next second, she landed steadily in a cold and desolate embrace.

—Song Ting's muscles were still tense, clearly not yet fully recovered from the tense atmosphere just now.

Huaiyue didn't rush to pull away from his embrace, but instead wrapped her arms around his waist.

Her cold fingertips lingered almost imperceptibly over his waist and abdomen, and her deep, slow voice seemed to possess an innate, bewitching power in the empty hall:

"Is the adult nervous?"

Song Ting's Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't speak.

Chu Huaixu chuckled softly, half-raising his head to look into his eyes, feigning ignorance:

"Why are you so nervous, sir? Are you afraid I'll die?"

"Don't say that word again." Song Ting's eyes were dark and gleaming with a chilling light.

He always yielded to the person in front of him, but in this matter he showed a rare domineering and stubborn side.

She opened Chu Huaixu's already slightly parted lips, and began to conquer, relentlessly pressing forward, so forceful that he couldn't refuse at all...

When the kiss ended, Chu Huaixu leaned against him, cupping his face in one hand, his breath slightly heavy:

"Your Excellency is too fierce; my legs are weak."

Song Ting frowned, then leaned down and bit his lip again: "I don't like it when you talk like that."

Chu Huaixu chuckled and stepped out of his embrace, his watery peach blossom eyes gazing at Song Ting with a half-smile.

The malice in his eyes was almost overflowing: "Since when has it become an adult's place to like or dislike something?"

“…” Song Ting pursed her lips.

"I'm leaving, I'm sleepy, let's go back—" Before she could finish the last word, her figure swayed again, only to be picked up horizontally by the man.

Chu Huaixu was stunned for a moment, then wrapped one arm around Song Ting's neck and flung the other arm outward forcefully, bursting into laughter for no reason.

Such loud noises were not permitted in the imperial palace, especially since the Empress Dowager and the concubines had already retired for the night; this was a great disrespect.

But Song Ting let him do as he pleased, and no one dared to step forward to stop him. All the palace servants who passed by lowered their heads and dared not look at Chu Huaixu for more than a second.

Those were the commander's men; nobody wanted their eyes gouged out.

"Song Ting, you're a bastard!"

"You deserve to die! You're going to hell!"

"Song Ting, come to hell with me! Hahahaha..."

The man in red and silver mask left behind the most vicious curse in the palace in the dead of night, but the man holding him didn't even flinch.

A faint smile even lingered in his eyes, and he would occasionally lower his head to kiss the person in his arms.

Zhang Bingzhi hadn't gone far when he saw this absurd scene. He narrowed his eyes and gave an order to the person beside him:

"Go investigate. I want to see what kind of alluring ghost could have bewitched Commander Song."

Chu Mingshu's fall into the water dealt a significant blow to the Empress Dowager. She dared not make the matter public, which caused unrest among the people.

Fearing that things might get complicated if they stayed too long, he urged Song Ting to hurry on his way early the next morning, even skipping rest stops along the way.

After braving wind and rain, the Empress Dowager's carriage finally arrived at Baima Temple on the seventh day.

There were still three days until the prayer ceremony.

This was not Chu Huaixu's first visit to Baima Temple. When he was young, he often came to the temple with the late emperor and empress.

Perhaps it was the familiar place that stirred up memories, because Chu Huaixu dreamed all night, dreaming of many past events and seeing many old friends in his dreams.

It was the sound of the monks striking the bell in the temple that woke him from his deepest dreams.

I woke up to find my pillow soaked, and when I touched my face, my hands were also wet.

Chu Huaixu slowly sat up in bed, staring blankly at the closed window amidst the distant and ethereal tolling of ancient bells.

Their gaze, however, lacked focus, appearing empty and unable to settle on anything substantial.

Soon, with a creak, the window was gently pushed open, and a pair of dark eyes met Chu Huaixu's.

The latter was clearly not expecting him to be awake. He remained motionless, still holding the window open with one hand, staring blankly at him.

Chu Huaixu's consciousness returned with the sound, and a familiar smile bloomed on his lips:

"The commander really can't change his ways; he likes to do these sneaky things wherever he goes."

Song Ting's face remained expressionless, but the tips of her ears turned red.

Under Chu Huaixu's teasing gaze, he was in a dilemma, unable to continue climbing out the window or lower it, and awkwardly stood there.

Chu Huaixu lay on the bed and laughed for a while, then pointed forward with his finger:

"The door is right there, please make a move, Commander."

"..." A crack finally appeared on Song Ting's expressionless face.

The blush on her ears spread to her neck in an instant, turning a large area red.

Who could believe that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a ruthless killer, would blush at a single sentence?