Inside Cixi Palace, there was complete silence.

Song Jingxi knelt on the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably, and said timidly, "Aunt, I didn't expect this either. I only beg you not to upset yourself. I will repent..."

From Empress to Empress Dowager, she had always had a smooth journey. Now, her obedient son had finally shown some weakness. However, it wouldn't be so easy to strip the Duke of Wei's family of their power.

A few muffled chuckles rose from his chest. Yin Rong took a couple of sips of tea, then turned his gaze to the woman kneeling in the hall. His eyes softened. "Come here."

“Aunt… Xi’er didn’t expect His Majesty to suddenly launch an attack. His Majesty has never done anything like this before…”

Following the Empress Dowager's signal, Song Jingxi sat down at the lower end of the table, clutching her handkerchief and weeping softly.

Yin Rong glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. "Stop crying. Instead of wasting your time, think about how to win the emperor's favor. You're always here crying like a pitiful woman. I feel sorry for you, but the emperor may not!"

Song Jingxi nodded, replying with a reluctant "okay." Then, remembering what had happened in the study, her tone changed, and she began to massage the Empress Dowager's legs affectionately, saying with a puzzled expression, "Aunt, I think that newly arrived female official in charge of ink is acting strangely. Aunt, should we…?"

“Those who aspire to great things must never be jealous over such trivial matters. The Dowager Consort Jin was favored back then, but what has become of her now? You come from the Duke of Wen's mansion, so don't act pettily and become a laughing stock.”

Song Jingxi's heart clenched, and she obediently agreed, but the gloom in her eyes did not dissipate in the slightest.

"Behave yourself these days. The emperor probably won't summon you for some time. Stay in the palace and don't wander around."

Clearly still resentful about how she had implicated the Yin family, Song Jingxi pursed her lips, gave a soft "yes," and then left Cining Palace.

The Imperial Study.

Inside the cloisonné dragon and phoenix carved incense burner, the faint scent of osmanthus mixed with ambergris lingered around Shen Mingzhuang's nose. She had already tidied her clothes and was now standing beside the dragon table, helping Jiang Wang grind ink.

Jiang Wang seemed to be testing her just now. After saying that, he returned to normal, but she couldn't calm down for a long time.

Does Jiang Wang like her color, or does he truly have feelings for her? Or perhaps both?

The thought arose, but then she felt it was absurd. Why was she bothered with all this? Did it matter what kind of feelings he had for her? She was going to leave sooner or later, and even if she knew that Jiang Wang was deeply in love with her, it had nothing to do with her.

"The ink is a bit too light."

The cold voice that suddenly rang in her ears made her hand tremble, and the ink spilled out. Shen Mingzhuang belatedly realized what a stupid thing she had done.

On the memorials piled to the side, a smear of ink the size of a palm looked rather... appalling.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Shen Mingzhuang, quick to understand the situation, knelt down immediately, not daring to utter a sound.

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow at the illegible memorial, then suddenly called Tan Yonglin in. Tan Yonglin bowed and jogged in, asking, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

Jiang Wang threw the memorial, which was mostly stained with ink, on the ground and ordered, "Send this to Consort Song and have her copy it a thousand times. Bring it over tomorrow morning."

This… Tan Yonglin knelt down to pick up the memorial, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the figure kneeling beside the Emperor. Wasn’t that Shen Fengmo, who had just entered the palace and taken office? What was he doing in that posture?

Through the space under the table, all that could be seen were Shen Mingzhuang's trembling legs; nothing else was visible, which inevitably stirred up all sorts of thoughts. But before he could figure it out, Jiang Wang said coldly, "Aren't you going?"

Tan Yonglin dared not look at the Emperor's gloomy face, so he readily agreed and turned to leave.

Shen Mingzhuang was filled with trepidation, but after hearing Jiang Wang's instructions, she was stunned. Suddenly, a large hand supported her waist and helped her up.

"From now on, you are not allowed to kneel without my order."

Jiang Wang's expression remained indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

“…Yes.” Shen Mingzhuang nodded hesitantly, somewhat unsure of what this meant.

Looking at the memorials stacked beside the dragon's desk, Shen Mingzhuang asked curiously, "Do all of these need to be reviewed today?"

Jiang Wang glanced casually at the memorials beside the desk and nodded slightly. "Indeed, these memorials placed beside the emperor's desk are all important. If we don't read them all and miss something, it could turn the whole world upside down."

But... Shen Mingzhuang looked at Jiang Wang. Didn't the book say that he was incompetent and tyrannical? But at this time, Jiang Wang was diligent in his duties and did not indulge in beautiful women. Why would there be rumors of him being an incompetent tyrant?

"Are your hands tired?"

Jiang Wang's dark eyes swept over her, his gaze lingering on her slender, jade-like wrist. His voice held a concern he himself hadn't even noticed.

Shen Mingzhuang pursed her lips, smiled slightly and shook her head, "Since I am His Majesty's female official in charge of ink, I dare not complain about being tired from such a small matter."

Jiang Wang's gaze gradually softened. She used to be like this too, but back then, she was just a pawn in Grand Tutor Shen's hands, and he himself was just a pawn in Empress Dowager Yin's power struggle. Everyone said he was cold-hearted, that a teacher for a day is a father for life, yet he was the first to kill the Grand Tutor after ascending the throne.

That was the hatred in his heart that the world did not know.

Seeing that he had turned his gaze back to the memorials on the desk, Shen Mingzhuang said nothing more. She watched the setting sun outside the palace, the fleeting light casting dappled shadows on the endless latticework of the glass window in the study. The wind rustled softly; it was a rare moment of tranquility. She contentedly half-closed her eyes, her breathing gradually becoming steady…

"Mo..." Jiang Wang turned to the side, and the little girl beside him had fallen asleep at some point, propping her chin up with her elbow and a pair of memorials.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!