After several rain showers, the long, harsh winter quietly receded.

Spring arrives quietly, and all things revive.

The rain in early spring always falls incessantly, sometimes as a gentle drizzle, and sometimes as a downpour with strong winds whipping up the rain.

Fortunately, the spring breeze was cool, but not biting.

*

After a night of revelry, the emperor woke up alone on his couch in the Hall of Longevity, still hungover.

"What time is it?" He was shirtless and staggered off the bed.

The young eunuch serving at the Hall of Longevity replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, it's just past Chen Shi (7-9 AM)."

The emperor responded with an "Oh," and then asked, "Isn't it time for the morning court session? Why didn't anyone wake me?"

The young eunuch brought him a bright yellow dragon robe and carefully helped him dress. "Your Majesty, Minister Xiao came earlier and, seeing that you were still unconscious, instructed me to tell Your Majesty to rest well."

"Hmph... Minister Xiao is quite considerate of me."

As he spoke, the emperor turned around and poured all the wine he hadn't finished the night before into his cup, one cup after another, until the half-empty pot was gone.

He mumbled, "Minister Xiao has helped me solve my problems, attended court on my behalf, and even... even took care of my beloved concubine..."

"Truly, what a fine eunuch in charge of the seal..."

"..."

The emperor, rambling incoherently in his drunken state, fell off his chair while clutching a wine jug.

The young eunuch quickly stepped forward to support him and carefully inquired, "Your Majesty, you're still a bit tipsy from last night. This servant will have someone prepare a hangover soup. Would you like Consort Ji or Consort Wan to serve you? This servant will send someone to invite them right away..."

"Consort Wan? No..." The emperor shook his head drunkenly.

"Even Consort Ji doesn't want it... I want it..."

The emperor, disheveled and with his hair in disarray, muttered softly, his eyes half-closed and still sleepy, "I want... Consort Shu..."

The young eunuch frowned, looking at the emperor who couldn't even stand up, and said, "Your Majesty, you're drunk. This servant will first serve you some hangover soup..."

"What... even you are ignoring my words... is that it?"

As the emperor spoke, he slammed the wine jug in his hand heavily onto the head of the little eunuch, hitting it again and again.

He kept asking himself, "Is it! Is it!...?"

The young eunuch, his head bleeding from the blow, quickly knelt on the ground and shrank back, saying, "This servant knows his mistake, this servant knows his mistake, please calm down, Your Majesty."

Finally, the emperor threw the wine pot at the eunuch, angrily saying, "You won't let me touch Consort Shu, is that it?"

"I refuse to believe this nonsense. I'm going to Tingyu Tower right now..."

They say alcohol emboldens the timid.

Ever since Xiao Heye took Su Tiyue away, the emperor had verbally agreed, but in his heart he had been holding back a lot of anger.

He was the emperor, and Xiao Heye was his subject, a eunuch who had lost his manhood.

If it were an ordinary woman, it wouldn't be a problem, but...

The emperor has never even tasted a bite of this Consort Shu.

The emperor was unwilling to simply hand it over to someone else.

Taking advantage of his drunken state, the emperor actually rode in his imperial carriage towards the Listening to Rain Pavilion.

*

Qingwu was wandering around outside when a few palace maids told her the news, and she ran back without a second thought.

He took a shortcut and scrambled back to Tingyu Tower to report the news.

Su Tiyue had just gotten up, and Liu Wan was having breakfast with her in the main hall on the first floor, while Xiao Anzi was pruning dead branches in the courtyard.

Before Qingwu could even run inside, she stood panting at the doorway, one hand on her back and the other on the doorframe, shouting loudly:

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened... The Emperor... The Emperor is coming this way."

Upon hearing the word "Your Majesty," Su Tiyue nearly dropped the bowl of red date porridge she was holding. Her face filled with shock, she exclaimed, "What? The Emperor is coming here?"

Upon hearing what Qingwu said, Xiao Anzi immediately put down his work and ran into the house.

Liu Wan walked quickly to Qing Wu, raised her hand and patted her back to help her breathe more easily.

"Qingwu, what exactly is going on? Why would the Emperor come here out of the blue? And no one informed us beforehand..."

Qingwu said anxiously, "It's true, Your Majesty! Please think of something! I heard the Emperor is drunk and keeps saying he wants to see you..."

"I reckon we've reached Taiye Pool by now," Qingwu said, her eyes red.

The emperor was already terrifying in their eyes, let alone now that he was drunk...

Who knows what inhuman and despicable things he might do to the Empress...

Su Tiyue panicked for a moment, but after calming down and thinking for a while, she stood up and said calmly, "Qingwu, go next door and see if Eunuch Li is there. If he is, ask him to think of a solution. If no one is there... just wait there, don't run around, and don't come back."

After saying that, Su Tiyue instructed Liu Wan, "Go to the Bright Hall immediately and find Master Xiao. He should be finishing his morning court session soon. Do you know what to do?"

Liu Wan frowned and nodded repeatedly, ignoring the light rain outside, and hurriedly went out the door.

Between Qingwu and Liuwan, it was obvious that Qingwu was more agile, but Su Tiyue considered that she had just run around outside and was probably exhausted.

That's why Liu Wan was sent to the Bright Hall.

Now, the only person who can save Su Tiyue is probably Xiao Heye.

But today, he went to the morning court session, while the emperor did not.

Seeing Liu Wan run out, Xiao Anzi felt something was amiss and volunteered, "Your Majesty, let me go find Master Xiao. The Hall of Brightness is quite far from here, and I can run faster than Liu Wan..."

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