"Father Emperor, you once asked me at a palace banquet if I had someone I favored to become my mother."

Emperor Wu Su said, "That did happen."

The little fellow’s eyes were dark and pure as he said in a crisp voice, "I was wrong."

Emperor Wu Su understood what he meant. He raised an eyebrow and was just about to speak.

The sound of two voices came from the doorway.

The Emperor’s gaze shifted to the entrance of the hall, and Yuan Heng couldn’t help but turn to look as well.

At the entrance, Ji Qingwu saw Yuan Heng’s small form kneeling on the cold flagstones, while Emperor Wu Su sat high above on the Dragon Chair.

She asked anxiously, "Eunuch Li, did Yuan Heng do something wrong?"

Li Yuzong knew the Emperor was in a good mood and probably wouldn’t punish the little prince, but he couldn’t be certain.

He replied vaguely, "Miss Ji, this old servant is not sure. Perhaps you should go in and ask for yourself?"

Ji Qingwu was already determined to protect Yuan Heng. She said quickly, "Then I’ll trouble you to announce me, Eunuch Li."

Li Yuzong smiled and agreed, but before he could even move, a man’s crisp voice echoed from within the hall.

"Come in. What are you doing, dawdling at the entrance?"

Ji Qingwu handed Jiu Jiu over to Li Yuzong and hurried into the hall.

The little girl was already well-acquainted with Eunuch Li and wasn’t afraid of him at all. With her big eyes sparkling in anticipation, she sidled up to him. The two of them squatted down together, as if secretly plotting something.

Little Shunzi, who had just been fiercely berated by Li Yuzong and was now cowering timidly to the side, stared in disbelief at the sight of them.

Ji Qingwu walked straight to Yuan Heng’s side. The more she looked, the more she pitied the small figure kneeling on the ground.

Her bright eyes, simmering with anger, stared directly at Emperor Wu Su.

But this was the Diligent Governance Hall. The moment she saw the imposing, dragon-coiled golden pillars and the Emperor seated high above them—clad in a bright yellow Dragon Robe, his entire being radiating immense majesty.

He was a world away from the man who had whispered gentle words in her ear the night before.

Ji Qingwu quickly averted her eyes and shrank back.

The courage that had filled her moments ago instantly dissipated like smoke.

Seeing the little fellow kneeling so straight and proper on the ground, she also gathered her skirts.

’Even if she, his mother, didn’t have the guts to confront the Emperor head-on, she could at least kneel with Yuan Heng and share his punishment.’

Her fair hands clutched the hem of her dress, having lifted it just a fraction.

Emperor Wu Su’s brows furrowed. "Both of you, get up," he said impatiently.

The two of them, one big and one small, settled onto the zitan-wood chairs carved with dragons and clouds.

Emperor Wu Su glanced at Ji Qingwu. His gaze was almost tangible as it swept down from her face, over her bodice and wide sleeves, to her cinched waist, making her entire body tense.

After their recent "encounters," Ji Qingwu had become all too familiar with that dark look in his eyes.

With Yuan Heng present, she dared not show the slightest discomfort. She grit her teeth, the tips of her ears growing warm.

Once Emperor Wu Su’s gaze had lingered to his satisfaction, he finally spoke slowly. "Now then, where were We in our discussion with Our son, Yuan Heng?"

Being called "Our son" in such a sudden shift from a cold to an amiable tone made the boy uneasy. His fingers curled into a tight fist.

Yuan Heng looked at Ji Qingwu beside him. Seeing her looking at him with a gentle gaze, he calmed down again.

"To answer Father Emperor, your son has realized he was mistaken before. I have been reflecting on it recently."

Emperor Wu Su said, "And what have you reflected on? What are your new thoughts?"

Yuan Heng replied fluently, "When you truly love someone, you should keep them by your side at all times, sharing in their joys and sorrows. You shouldn’t be afraid and push them away."

After speaking, he watched the Emperor’s expression.

Emperor Wu Su nodded pensively. "Continue," he said, his tone flat.

Yuan Heng continued, "You also have to ask what she wants—if she’s willing to share the good times and the bad."

’Love? Sharing the good times and the bad?’

Ji Qingwu was bewildered. She didn’t know what they had been discussing, but something about Yuan Heng’s words felt off.

’This child began his studies early and understands a great deal. Could it be that he developed a crush at such a young age, got caught by the Emperor, and was forced to kneel as punishment?’

’He’s just a little tyke and already chasing after girls?’

Ji Qingwu quietly reached out and squeezed his small hand, signaling for him to stop talking.

Yuan Heng looked at her again, his tone growing even more resolute as a light sparked in his dark eyes.

"I want her."

Seeing Yuan Heng pointing at her, Ji Qingwu’s heart leaped into her throat.

Then she heard him declare, his voice ringing with conviction, "...to be my mother, the Empress!"

Once he finished his sentence, Ji Qingwu’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled—only to be instantly filled with a complex, bittersweet feeling.

Emperor Wu Su pretended to ponder this deeply for a moment before saying, "What Our son says is very reasonable."

Yuan Heng, ever the pragmatist, thoughtfully elaborated for the Emperor’s benefit, "Father Emperor, I am merely expressing my own thoughts. If you are considering the matter of choosing an empress, you could prioritize her."

After speaking, his eyes twinkled as he looked at Ji Qingwu’s face.

She was the candidate for empress that Yuan Heng was so enthusiastically promoting.

’Yuan Heng likes me. He wants me to be his mother, the Empress.’

A wave of sweetness washed over Ji Qingwu’s heart. ’Nothing could make me happier than earning the little fellow’s approval.’

’It’s just...’

Yuan Heng asked, both nervous and hopeful, "So, Father Emperor, does that mean...?"

Emperor Wu Su cleared his throat. "I wonder what Miss Ji’s thoughts are on the matter?"

’Ji Qingwu’s biggest thought was that she didn’t dare have any thoughts at all.’

’Being led into a trap by this father-son duo felt like being roasted over an open flame.’

’But she truly couldn’t bear to refuse the little fellow’s plea.’

Yuan Heng did his best to bewitch her. "Life in the palace will never be like a stagnant pond," he said. "There are new challenges every day when you wake up. It’s very interesting."

’Interesting, indeed. If you don’t have the right schemes, you won’t even know what killed you.’

Ji Qingwu clearly remembered Yuan Heng telling her with a completely straight face that the palace was no place for her, that he didn’t want to see her marry in only to suffer.

In just a few short months, his mind had changed.

Yuan Heng felt a pang of shame, but when he thought about how that little girl from the Ji Family could see Qingwu every day and hold her hand, he was driven mad with jealousy.

After so many days apart, he dreamed of her coming to hug him every single night.

Yuan Heng was young, but he already possessed a domineering nature.

Whatever he wanted, he had to get, no matter the method.

Yuan Heng looked at her expectantly. "You could see me every day. Wouldn’t that be nice?" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Anyone who didn’t know the context would have thought Yuan Heng was choosing a concubine for himself, so full of deep affection were his words.

Emperor Wu Su, who had been content to sit back and reap the rewards, listened for a moment before raising a hand to stop him, his expression turning sour.

"Allow Us to consider this," he said in a low voice. "You may leave."

Yuan Heng rose reluctantly. "Your son takes his leave." Before he left, he gave Ji Qingwu another long, lingering look.

’She desperately wanted to stand up and leave with him.’

But Emperor Wu Su’s gaze felt like it was pinning her in place; if she dared take a single step, he would nail her to the spot.

Seeing Yuan Heng look back with every step, completely devoid of his usual princely decorum and acting like a clingy child...

The Emperor’s face darkened as he urged, "Hurry back to Qianyuan Hall and get to your studies!"

Only after Yuan Heng’s figure disappeared outside the hall did Ji Qingwu reluctantly turn her head back.

The tip of her nose brushed against soft, bright yellow silk.