Later, Qingchen lay in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

Her mind was blank, her lips were numb, and she seemed to have completely lost her memory of what had happened after those three kisses and how she got back to the house.

Outside, snowflakes still fluttered and danced on the eaves.

She couldn't help but touch her lips; they were smooth yet slightly rough, like her own, yet not quite. Three kisses followed, each more sudden and longer than the last.

The last kiss was especially long. Song Yue held her with one arm and supported the back of her neck with the other. He closed his eyes and kissed her intently and persistently, over and over again.

In the end, she couldn't breathe and her lips were swollen before he finally let her go.

Whether in modern times or the Ming Dynasty, she had never kissed before, and she had no idea that kissing could be so intoxicating, leaving her breathless and her heart pounding wildly. She also never imagined that her first kiss would be so passionate and… inextricably intertwined.

As she was thinking, she suddenly felt shy again and abruptly covered her head with the blanket.

The teacher said he likes her... but when did he start liking her?

He had always been a somewhat aloof person. As a Grand Secretary, he was mature, composed, refined, and dignified, his every word and action meticulously controlled, solemn, and courteous. When he was with her, he always maintained the role of a teacher, instructing her, guiding her, helping her, and taking on her responsibilities. Beyond that, he showed no other emotional expression.

At the inn in Huairou, he was gentle and courteous, refusing to share a bed with her. At Gu Shaoheng's residence, he was equally reserved and restrained, refusing to loosen her clothes, instead wrapping her in a cloak.

But yesterday, he suddenly kissed her... It was like a dream.

Qingchen tossed and turned in bed, but still couldn't fall asleep.

It won't be long before she has to get up.

Every year on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, a grand court assembly is held in the palace. All the civil and military officials in the capital must enter the palace to present New Year's greetings to the emperor and pay their respects to the Son of Heaven.

Song Yue, the Minister of Rites, entered the palace before dawn and only ordered another carriage to take Qingchen away.

After putting on his formal court attire and black gauze hat, Qingchen hurriedly boarded a carriage at the gate and headed to the palace.

It snowed all night, then it stopped.

Along the way, the carriage broke through the thin morning light, as if chasing after someone's past.

When Qingchen arrived outside Fengtian Gate, he saw several flags fluttering in the wind. Horses, rhinoceroses, and elephants were arranged beside the Wenlou and Wulou buildings. On the rhinoceros horn from Fengtian Gate to Fengtian Hall, guards in armor and Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) with their hands on embroidered spring knives were lined up.

As dawn broke, with the sound of drums, civil and military officials were already respectfully lined up outside the Fengtian Hall. Soon after, grand music played on the steps, and Emperor Zhu Rui of the Ming Dynasty, dressed in his imperial robes, ascended the gilded dragon throne.

Qingchen held four positions, the highest being a sixth-rank official, placing her in the ranks of sixth-rank officials. As the official reading the list of congratulatory memorials from the officials read out, she glanced up and her eyes met those of a man who had arrived at the last minute, still panting heavily. It was none other than her acquaintance, Han Yuanshu.

Han Yuanshu's court robes were still a bit wrinkled, and his chin still had a stubble that he couldn't shave cleanly. He glanced at her with a very indifferent expression.

After what happened last night, Qingchen felt inexplicably guilty and quickly lowered her head after being glanced at by him.

Later, selected officials sang congratulatory messages to the emperor, saying, "On this New Year's Day, all things are renewed... We admire Your Majesty the Emperor, who receives divine blessings and is destined for eternal prosperity..."

Qingchen couldn't help but look up slightly. She saw that the officials in front of her were clearly divided into two colors: scarlet and blue. Officials of the fourth rank and above wore scarlet, while those below the fourth rank wore blue. At the very front of all the civil and military officials was Song Yue, the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, who was wearing a second-rank scarlet robe with a pheasant design.

He was so far away from her that she couldn't even make out his back in a quick glance.

Life is quite strange. Just a few hours ago they were so close, face to face without a gap between them, but a few hours later, there is such a great distance between them, an insurmountable distance, and she can only see his back.

Qingchen couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. Had he, like her, tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night? Her thoughts drifted back to the pavilion last night, those soft lips that had stolen her heart…

Coming to her senses, she shook her head and glanced guiltily at Han Yuanshu again, only to find that he was also looking at her. He frowned slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes, twitched his ears a couple of times, and then secretly pointed to the crimson robe of the person in front of him with his fingers under his sleeve.

Qingchen instantly realized that he was implying that she was probably overthinking things, and her ears turned red.

She felt a little embarrassed. Luckily, Han Yuanshu didn't know what she was thinking, otherwise...

After the court assembly, Emperor Zhu Rui returned to the inner palace, while his ministers gathered in small groups to exchange New Year's greetings.

Qingchen looked ahead and saw that Song Yue had turned around and was facing her, seemingly about to walk downstairs. However, like Xu Yan, he was surrounded by a group of officials offering New Year's greetings, making it difficult for him to move even a single step. She still couldn't see his face or expression clearly.

Most of the officials around Qingchen were rushing forward, vying to offer New Year's greetings and congratulations to the second and third-rank officials, their ears filled with blessings. Having just been promoted and not knowing anyone, she didn't go.

However, she did recognize Han Yuanshu, who was with her.

Qingchen walked towards Han Yuanshu, but before he could even finish calling out "Lord Han," Han waved his hand and said, "No need. I'm busy; I have many other things to attend to."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and walked away, but after taking two steps, he turned back and asked, "What were you thinking about just now? Your ears are all red."

She paused for a moment, her heart suddenly racing. "...It's nothing."

"It's just attending a court assembly, what's there to think about?" Han Yuanshu pursed her lips and turned away.

Qingchen stood there, unsure of what to do. She didn't know anyone, and no one knew her. Although it was a social occasion, there was no one to talk to, making her feel rather lonely.

I was just talking to Song Yue about loneliness last night, and now I'm making her experience it right away. What a coincidence.

She couldn't help but glance in Song Yue's direction again, only to find that he was much closer to her now. Because of his height, his figure stood out in the crowd at a glance.

Qingchen wasn't sure if he was walking towards her. His expression was calm and indifferent, showing no difference from usual. He was still surrounded by a large group of people, and he was busy dealing with them.

Should she wait for him? Qingchen stood there blankly, hesitant.

However, she didn't hesitate for long before someone patted her on the shoulder from behind. It was a grinning Gu Shaoheng. "Qingchen, oh no, in formal occasions, you should call me Lord Shen. There were so many people, I was looking for you everywhere. It took me ages to finally find you standing here."

Qingchen smiled back at him, "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year." Gu Shaoheng's face was a little red from the cold, revealing two dimples on his cheeks. "How was your day yesterday? Was it fun? You didn't stay up all night studying again, did you?"

"I didn't watch it...it's fine."

"That's good. We've decided to go visit Teacher Song together on the third day of the Lunar New Year. You can come too."

"I... okay." Qingchen hadn't told them yet that she was staying at her teacher's house; she'd tell them on the day of her final year of junior high.

He suddenly remembered something and frowned. "However, Xu Silin will be going too. Do you mind?"

Qingchen shook her head. "Have you two made up?"

"No. I can't be bothered with him. There's nothing to say."

"It's a misunderstanding caused by me, not some huge grudge, so maybe we should..."

Before he could finish speaking, a eunuch hurriedly came to them and said to Qingchen, "Lord Shen, His Highness the Crown Prince summons you. Please come with me to Cining Palace."

"Now?" Qingchen paused for a moment, then looked in Song Yue's direction. He was almost in front of her, looking at her through the crowd.

The eunuch replied, "My lord, now is the time. His Highness the Crown Prince said the sooner the better."

Qingchen nodded, straightened his robe, and followed the eunuch to Ciqing Palace in the east.

Outside the Fengtian Hall, all the officials gathered. Among the courtiers, besides Song Yue, there were others whose eyes were fixed on Lord Shen, who had been summoned by the Crown Prince.

One was Xu Silin, standing at a distance, and the other was Lu Shenyun, standing even further away.