Jiang Wang paused, his white jade brush with purple ink fading, and the memorial he was writing was stained with a red blush. Song Jingxi lowered her eyes, immediately stood up with a cry of "Ah!", and took two steps back.
"Your Majesty, I didn't mean it..."
Jiang Wang glanced at the ink-stained memorial with a half-smile, the smile on his lips growing fainter until only the mockery in his eyes was visible. "Since my beloved consort likes to make decisions for me, I will grant your wish this time."
Song Jingxi knelt down with a thud, her heart trembling. She was afraid she had gotten herself into big trouble.
"It just so happens that General Yin wanted to return. The Empress Dowager will surely be delighted. My beloved concubine has already given her permission. If I were to refuse, wouldn't I be being unreasonable?"
As he spoke, he wrote the character "准" (zhun) in a flowing, dynamic style on the area where the ink had been blurred.
"What did my beloved consort just say?" Jiang Wang asked, a slight smile playing on his lips as he quietly looked at Song Jingxi.
Song Jingxi suddenly raised her head, her face covered in water stains. With the help of a palace maid, she slowly rose to her feet. Her rose-red dress looked somewhat disheveled. She took a long breath and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am foolish and hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Tan Yonglin, who was standing behind the pillar, couldn't help but sigh. Consort Song had always seemed intelligent, so how dare she offend His Majesty today? Did she really think His Majesty favored her and that's why she dared to be so presumptuous?
Song Jingxi's makeup was smudged from crying. She turned and left, but when she saw Shen Mingzhuang by the pillar, she paused for a moment, gave her a deep look, and then returned to normal before leaving the study.
After Song Jingxi's figure disappeared at the door, Tan Yonglin led Shen Mingzhuang forward.
"Your Majesty, Shen Fengmo has arrived."
Shen Mingzhuang knelt down and bowed, shouting "Long live Your Majesty!"
Tan Yonglin glanced at the Emperor's expression and quietly waited for the servants in the Imperial Study to leave.
Hou Linghai asked, puzzled, "Godfather, is it really okay to leave this person behind?"
Tan Yonglin glanced at him, already annoyed by the sweltering heat, and then glanced sideways at Hou Linghai: "Do more and talk less. With a beautiful woman by your side, why would we need to stand here? Do you think you're more charming than Shen Fengmo, or is your head really secure?"
Hou Linghai remained silent.
"Aren't you curious why it's me?" Jiang Wang leaned back on the dragon throne, his deep, dark eyes seemingly capable of drowning people in an instant.
Shen Mingzhuang stood respectfully with his head bowed, and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty's actions need no explanation to others. Your Majesty can be anyone, and the whole world belongs to Your Majesty."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wang laughed heartily twice, then waved his hand and said, "Lately, I've been having trouble seeing you clearly."
Shen Mingzhuang agreed and took two steps forward obediently, but Jiang Wang was not satisfied. "Go again."
She did as she was told, stopping only when she reached the dragon table. Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow, "Why did you stop there?"
Shen Mingzhuang's hands, which were tucked into his sleeves, tightened involuntarily, not understanding what Jiang Wang was up to.
Just as she was confused, a strong hand suddenly reached out and gripped her waist tightly with an irresistible gesture. With a flick of the wrist, she fell into Jiang Wang's arms like a fairy scattering flowers.
The moment their eyes met, Shen Mingzhuang forgot to even gasp in surprise.
It was as if this was her destiny, and she had no right to resist it, nor the power to resist it.
“Pin’er…you weren’t like this before. You would sit beside me, urging me to finish my homework quickly while peeling fruit for me to eat. You would help me skip class and speak up for me in front of the Grand Tutor. You were always…always on my side.”
The last note suddenly turned somewhat melancholic, and Shen Mingzhuang felt a pang of sadness, suddenly feeling a little lost.
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