Having successfully sabotaged herself, Yun Qing chose to keep quiet.

She originally wanted to correct Xie Rang's personality, but four years have passed in the blink of an eye, and he has long since gone astray. Now, with his unpredictable moods, she doesn't know where to begin.

Yun Qing ignored Xie Rang and found a comfortable position to read the case file. She wouldn't make herself suffer, and as for Xie Rang, it was his own fault for being uncomfortable!

In Xie Rang's eyes, Yun Qing was usually calm and composed, so his current display of temper was particularly surprising. He leisurely rested his chin on his hand, thinking that he could just look at her like this for a long time.

Finally, Yun Qing couldn't bear it any longer. She endured his scorching gaze, finished reading a file, and then casually slammed the file onto his face.

Xie Rang caught the falling file and smiled.

What's so funny?

Yun Qing muttered to herself, deciding to find him something to do: "If there's nothing else, go write a piece of calligraphy. I'll also see if His Majesty has been working hard."

Yun Qing remembered that before she left, this person was already able to write beautifully, but she didn't know how he was now. Everything about Xie Rang was unfamiliar to her, so she decided to familiarize herself with him from the beginning.

Moreover, if Xie Rang were to practice calligraphy, he would inevitably have to break the chains, thus killing two birds with one stone.

But Yun Qing underestimated Xie Rang's shamelessness.

"OK."

He agreed, but Xie Rang's first action was to put his arm around Yun Qing and walk with her. His actions were not frivolous; his hand was only lightly on Yun Qing's shoulder, but because of their height difference, it inexplicably carried a bit of dominance.

Yun Qing's eyes widened slightly: "Go write your calligraphy, why are you dragging me away?"

Xie Rang casually shook the chains on his hands, his voice indifferent: "There's no way to separate them for now."

There was no key to the chain either. Xie Rang would put it on and take it off after fiddling with it a few times each time, so it must be some kind of mechanism. Therefore, when she heard what he said, Yun Qing sneered: "Is it that you can't unlock it or you don't want to unlock it?"

Xie Rang laughed: "Of course I don't want to untie them. Grand Tutor, you don't need to bother studying them. The mechanisms on each chain are different, and I have many more."

Yunqing felt that his words were a bit sinister.

No wonder he's a tyrant; he's so twisted.

Having tricked himself once, Yun Qing stopped asking him why he had prepared so much.

Seeing this, Xie Rang clicked his tongue in regret.

The Grand Tutor was very good at seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages.

Unfortunately, he is now in this predicament.

The study was next door, just a few steps away. Yun Qing watched numbly as Xie Rang laid out the paper and then began grinding ink on his own. Because he had promised Yun Qing not to let outsiders see, most of the palace servants here had been dismissed, so he had to do it himself.

Xie Rang picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote only one sentence.

"I never knew what longing was until I did, and now I am consumed by it." [Note: From "Zhe Guiling: Spring Feelings"]

As it turns out, His Majesty the Emperor did indeed have excellent handwriting.

His handwriting is similar to Yun Qing's, but it also has a touch of the arrogant and haughty air of a young emperor. One can tell a lot about a person just by looking at their handwriting; their styles are completely different.

Yun Qing initially remained indifferent, but now she fell silent once again.

Her eyelashes trembled, and she could tell that this was what Xie Rang wanted to say to her.

She didn't know how Xie Rang's feelings for her had changed over those four years, but she could vaguely glimpse how many unspoken words he had hidden within.

She chuckled and lowered her eyes: "Your Majesty, you really haven't changed at all."

She noticed this not long after they started dating. Xie Rang seemed indifferent to everything, but whenever she spent a lot of time with other people and showed that she cared, Xie Rang would try to shift her attention to him.

At first, she only thought Xie Rang's personality was a bit eccentric and stubborn. Now it seems that he had already laid the groundwork for the changes that would follow.

The four years Yunqing was away can be seen as a catalyst.

Xie Rang was slightly taken aback. He explained in a low voice, "It's not because the Grand Tutor left that I... Even if the Grand Tutor hadn't left, I would still have fallen in love with you."

Xie Rang has thought about this question.

He felt that no one was more important to him than Yunqing. If Yunqing hadn't left, it was just a matter of how long they had spent together. If things continued this way, he would fall in love with Yunqing sooner or later.

No one dislikes the light shining in the darkness.

"I really didn't see this attribute in Your Majesty."

Yun Qing said frankly, "I just thought you were a little clingy."

Growing up in the cold palace, enduring endless neglect and bullying, the little tyrant's lack of security is truly palpable.

Xie Rang replied with a smile, "But I only stick with the Grand Tutor."

From the very beginning, this treatment has been unique, and anything can change later.

That's perfectly normal.

"..."

Yun Qing remained silent.

The key point is that I'm probably the only person you're really familiar with.

Discussing this matter further would only bring up more old stories, so Xie Rang didn't want to bring it up at this time. After explaining his meaning, he stopped the topic and carefully put away the dried paper, planning to frame it later when he had time.

Yun Qing chose to ignore it.

...

They stayed in the palace for a while.

As the weather began to warm up, perhaps gradually confirming that Yun Qing would not leave again, Xie Rang finally stopped keeping such a close eye on her. Those gold chains were carefully put away and placed in the inner hall. Every time Yun Qing saw them, she wanted to throw them away, but in the end, due to various considerations, she refrained from doing so.

His Majesty the Emperor is capable of doing something as simple as putting people in chains. It's better if she doesn't interfere now; if she does, who knows what even more extreme things he might do.

Finally, one day, Yun Qing found an opportunity to return to Li Mansion.

She gave her ivory tag to the guard who brought back the brocade pouch, and Xie Rang later gave her a new waist tag. She knew that the meaning behind it was definitely different, but in order to leave the palace, she had no choice but to use it.

The guards at the palace gate looked unfamiliar, but they recognized the waist tag. They bowed respectfully to Yun Qing, and the leader prepared a carriage for her.

Unable to get anything out of Xie Rang, Yun Qing casually probed, "Does this waist tag have any special significance?"

The woman before him was dressed in a striking red dress. It looked simple, but the details revealed her nobility. Although she was stunningly beautiful, her aura was calm and aloof, making her someone not to be underestimated.

Over the course of four years, the people in the palace changed one after another, and apart from a few high-ranking officials, very few people had ever seen the legendary imperial tutor who was supposedly traveling abroad.

The emperor did not have a harem, and there had never been any women in the palace. Even so, when faced with a woman who suddenly appeared at the palace gate, the leader did not dare to guess whether she was His Majesty's person. He bowed his head respectfully and said, "The Imperial Guards are the emperor's private guards. Their waist tokens are like command tokens. There are only two. One is with His Majesty, and the other, according to the law, should be given to... Her Majesty the Empress."