Emperor Jingxi looked at his little Empress beside him, exhausted to the point of being like soft mud.
He let out a low chuckle, then stretched out his long arms and pulled her into his embrace.
His strong knuckles gently kneaded her slender waist as he sighed, “Is that all you’ve got?”
A wu, feeling unbearably wronged, pounded on him, “It’s all your fault for being disobedient and not letting me ride properly! You bad Emperor, you’re so bad, completely bad!”
Emperor Jingxi bent down and tenderly kissed her lips.
“Alright, don’t cry anymore. Next time, I’ll let you ride however you want.”
A wu pouted, “No way!”
She wasn’t stupid; the person on top was the one who was tired.
She didn’t want to ride a horse—she just wanted to enjoy herself!
Emperor Jingxi pressed his thin lips against her ear, his voice laced with amusement, “Now you understand, don’t you? The poor Emperor has to serve you every day, and it’s really hard work. Ten taels of silver is too little.”
A wu: !!!
She had only been joking back then, but he actually remembered and brought it up again.
How could he have the nerve?
She twisted her waist in protest and said, “Don’t mention it, don’t mention it! Or I’ll get mad at you!”
Emperor Jingxi coaxed her, “Alright, I won’t mention it. Good baby, be obedient.”
Upon hearing the word “baby,” A wu made a little grunt.
Actually, she liked hearing it deep down…
Emperor Jingxi’s smile faded as he grew serious and said, “By the way, recently, several countries in Nanyang have sent envoys, bringing gifts representing their territories. Today, another batch of spices arrived. Take a look and keep some in the palace, and the rest you can distribute as you see fit among the Inner and Outer Noblewomen.”
When he married A wu from the Eastern Sea, the ceremony was grand.
The Eastern Sea warships were all displayed offshore to show their might, and the envoys from various countries naturally paid their respects.
Coupled with previous events, Dahui and several maritime nations had now signed trade agreements that were quite favorable to Dahui.
Thinking of all this, Emperor Jingxi was in a good mood.
A wu clearly understood Emperor Jingxi’s intent.
Hearing this, she curiously asked about the spices and learned they included rare ones like frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, rosewater, and ambergris — and in considerable quantities.
She thought for a moment and said, “Leave this matter to Concubine Hui. She can draft the documents and present them to me later.”
She had somewhat guessed this.
Since she had just ascended to the position of Empress, she needed to establish authority among the Inner and Outer Noblewomen while showing favor.
These spices would be a good start.
She could freely give gifts, giving more to some and less to others.
Naturally, the Noblewomen would compare and calculate their closeness to this new Empress.
Emperor Jingxi nodded, “Good.”
Then he added, “Actually, there’s something else I want to discuss with you.”
A wu responded, “Hm?”
Emperor Jingxi went on to mention that he had previously suggested that palace ladies serve as female attendants to save expenses, but the Empress Dowager disapproved, thinking it too shabby and unfair to the ladies.
Now, after recent events, the Empress Dowager had grown disheartened and devoted herself solely to Buddhist prayers, paying little attention to state affairs.
Emperor Jingxi decided to bring up the matter again.
Holding A wu close, he said, “This matter will be handled between me and the Empress Dowager. You don’t need to worry about her. With me blocking, you only need to think about how to arrange the ladies.”
A wu perked up, “That’s easy. Those with families get generous rewards and are sent home; those without families or who don’t want to leave can stay in the palace as female attendants!”
Emperor Jingxi laughed, “You’ve thought this through quite clearly, haven’t you?”
A wu was a bit proud.
“Of course! From now on, you can only have me. No one else is allowed! Even if you don’t favor them, just in name alone, I won’t be happy.”
“What’s mine is mine. I won’t tolerate anything messy or hanging around behind me.”
Emperor Jingxi smiled and sighed, “You little jealous pot.”
Though he said it teasingly, his tone was genuinely happy and at ease.
His little Empress had finally learned to be jealous—and did so generously and rightly, with the proper flavor.
A wu said, “I know the ladies in the palace well, but there’s one I really don’t know how to handle.”
“That must be Consort Kang, Dening’s birth mother. She gave birth to the princess and is afraid of Dening. I don’t know how to deal with her.”
Emperor Jingxi listened and said, “That’s easy. I already made arrangements.”
He then mentioned that Dening’s marriage was in preparation and would soon be officially announced.
Afterward, Consort Kang would attach herself to Princess Dening and live in the princess’s mansion, cared for by Dening in her old age.
A wu smiled, “That’s wonderful!”
Once Consort Kang was gone, the palace would be filled only with those she favored.
She was already planning the arrangements for the other ladies.
Most had good temperaments and could be transitioned from concubines to female attendants with generous salaries without issue.
There were a few she could rely on and trust, among whom Concubine Hui was her most trusted.
She would be given the highest official position!
As she thought about this, A wu tasted the flavor of power faintly—it was the ability to decide others’ fates and futures.
Emperor Jingxi picked up A wu, and the two lay side by side on the couch as he detailed the upcoming plans.
Suddenly, A wu remembered, “By the way, what happened to that Fang Guard by your side?”
He had been Emperor Jingxi’s most trusted aide during the Eastern Sea campaign but disappeared both there and upon return to the palace as if vanished into thin air.
Just after she asked, Emperor Jingxi gave her a meaningful glance.
A wu was confused, “What’s wrong? What happened to him?”
Emperor Jingxi quietly withdrew his gaze and said, “Nothing. He’s been reassigned and promoted.”
A wu muttered, “Reassigned or promoted, just say it.”
Then she suddenly realized, “I know now, you don’t like me meddling in court affairs?”
She remembered that the harem was not to interfere with politics.
She scoffed, “Just asking, and you’re so petty!”
Emperor Jingxi gave no explanation.
He didn’t want to mention Fang Yue, not at all.
Especially recalling that back at Nanqiongzi, Fang Yue, investigating A wu’s identity, had probably been secretly observing her for a long time.
He wanted nothing more than to gouge Fang Yue’s eyes out.
His reassignment was an emperor’s rational attempt to suppress the dark parts of his heart.
A wu grumbled a few more words and then fell silent, unable to stop thinking of Nie San.
Actually, she wanted to ask about Fang Yue, and how Nie San was doing afterward.
No matter what, Nie San had helped her on that cold riverbank day.
But she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
So she guessed quietly in her heart: maybe he had fled far away, maybe living his own carefree life.
In her heart, she thought, ‘sorry, Nie San. I shouldn’t have said you lacked backbone. Maybe you weren’t like that.’
But from that day on, when Nie San left the Taizi Mansion with her, some things had already been decided.
***
Princess Dening was married off.
As the Emperor’s daughter, she received generous gifts—annual income equal to that of a prince, more than a hundred hectares of fertile land, with yearly stipends of ten thousand dan of grain.
In addition, her yearly allowance of silk, yarn, gauze, and cotton far surpassed those given to other princesses.
Such lavishness was unprecedented since the founding of the dynasty, causing all the royal family and nobles to be astonished.
Princess Huaian, the Emperor’s aunt, even entered the palace to raise objections, her expression rather sour—clearly displeased.
But no matter the gossip, the Grand Secretariat had already approved these rewards, making them immutable, so people could only grumble in secret.
A wu was naturally happy for her but also worried about Dening’s husband, who was stationed away from the Imperial Capital.
She feared Dening might not be able to endure the distance.
Dening, however, was excited.
“I already asked him. There’s a huge training ground there, and not far from the residence is a hunting ground where I can ride horses and shoot arrows. I can even watch him train the troops!”
A wu thought about it.
It seemed Princess Dening had always liked horseback riding and archery but lacked chances deep in the palace.
This was a perfect opportunity for her.
From this perspective, the husband Emperor Jingxi chose for Dening was just right!
But what surprised A wu was that just a few days before Dening’s official marriage announcement, for some unknown reason, Consort Kang had a huge quarrel with Dening.
When A wu rushed over, Dening was crying so hard she could barely breathe, and there seemed to be handprints on her face.
A wu couldn’t believe it so she asked,”She hit you?”
Dening gritted her teeth, suppressing her sobs.
“Forget it. I don’t want to mention it. It’s better to marry off early.”
A wu was furious, “That’s outrageous! Even if she’s your birth mother, she can’t hit you as a princess! Especially since your wedding is tomorrow!”
She rolled up her sleeves, ready to confront Consort Kang, but Dening stopped her.
“I don’t want to cause more trouble.”
A wu said, “Then tell your father. Let him settle it for you.”
But Dening shook her head and said, “No. I’ve come to understand things clearly. If it were anything else, begging might work, but in this case, Father won’t help.”
She had thought long and hard.
If anyone else bullied her, as a princess of Dahui, she could ask the Emperor to uphold justice—her dignity was the royal family’s honor.
But there was one exception: her own birth mother.
When the Emperor had insisted she bring Consort Kang along, his meaning was clear—he promoted and tolerated Consort Kang out of face, but he had to restrain her.
If Dening pleaded with the Emperor to deal with Consort Kang, he wouldn’t show any mercy to Consort Kang, and she couldn’t expect any sympathy.
So she was trapped by filial piety, stuck between a rock and a hard place, forced to endure silently.
A wu was incredulous.
“But you’re a princess. Even if she’s your birth mother, she can’t hit you!”
Dening replied, “I don’t want to get involved with her anymore. I just hope to be far away. There’s one thing I still have to ask the Empress Dowager to decide.”
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