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Night had fully descended upon the Great Empire of Tianzhou.
Under the deep navy skies, the imperial palace glowed like a sea of gold.
Rows of lanterns illuminated the long palace corridors, their warm light reflecting against polished marble floors and crimson pillars carved with ancient dragons. Gentle winds drifted through the open halls, carrying the scent of lotus flowers from distant ponds hidden within the inner gardens.
The palace at night possessed a different kind of beauty.
Elegant.
Quiet.
Almost dreamlike.
Yet beneath that beauty lingered something colder-
Tension.
The guards stationed throughout the palace stood more alert than usual, their hands resting near their weapons while sharp eyes observed every shadow passing through the halls.
Ever since the incident involving the princess-
No one dared relax.
Through one of the long imperial corridors walked Emperor Xiao Zhenyu.
Several attendants and guards followed behind him from a respectful distance, their footsteps carefully muted against the smooth palace floors.
The emperor walked calmly, hands resting behind his back, his dark robes flowing elegantly with each step.
Yet despite his composed appearance-
His thoughts remained heavy.
The corridor lanterns cast shifting gold across his sharp features while distant music from another part of the palace faintly echoed through the night.
But Zhenyu barely noticed any of it.
His mind remained occupied by too many things.
The assassination attempt.
Lihua's departure.
The growing possibility that Kingdom of Liangyu had finally begun making its move openly.
And now-
The Empress.
The emperor exhaled quietly.
He already knew why Empress Su Wanyin wished to see him.
Wanyin had always been observant.
Even the smallest disturbance within the palace rarely escaped her notice.
Especially when it involved him.
As Zhenyu continued walking, several servants immediately knelt along the corridor.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
The emperor acknowledged them only with a slight nod before continuing forward.
Eventually-
The towering golden doors of the Empress's palace residence came into view.
Unlike other residences within the palace, Wanyin's chambers radiated a softer elegance.
Golden lanterns hung beneath the curved rooftops while blooming white peonies surrounded the courtyard pathways. The soft sound of flowing water echoed from a nearby jade fountain illuminated beneath moonlight.
The palace guards stationed outside immediately straightened.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
The announcement echoed through the courtyard.
Moments later-
The doors slowly opened.
Zhenyu stepped inside.
Warm light filled the Empress's chambers.
The room smelled faintly of sandalwood incense and fresh flowers while silk curtains drifted gently beside open windows overlooking the moonlit garden outside.
Several maids stood quietly near the edges of the room.
And at the center-
Sat Empress Su Wanyin.
The empress looked beautiful beneath the lantern glow.
Her long black hair was elegantly pinned with golden phoenix ornaments while pale jade robes draped gracefully around her figure.
Though still early into her pregnancy, a softness already lingered around her appearance.
But the moment she saw Zhenyu-
Her eyes immediately brightened.
"Your Majesty."
Wanyin rose gracefully from her seat and bowed properly.
Zhenyu approached calmly.
"There is no need to stand for too long."
His tone remained composed, though not unkind.
Wanyin smiled softly.
"You still worry too much."
The emperor said nothing to that.
A maid quietly prepared tea nearby while the empress gestured gently toward the seat beside her.
"Please sit."
Zhenyu sat across from her instead.
A small detail.
Yet one Wanyin immediately noticed.
Still-
Her smile remained gentle.
"I heard about what happened last night," she said quietly.
Concern finally surfaced visibly in her eyes.
"How is Princess Lihua?"
Zhenyu's expression dimmed slightly.
"She is safe."
Wanyin visibly relaxed.
"Thank heavens..."
She lowered her gaze briefly.
"When I heard an assassin entered the palace..."
Her fingers tightened slightly atop her sleeve.
"I could hardly believe it."
The emperor remained silent while a maid poured tea carefully between them.
Wanyin looked toward him again.
"You must have been worried."
A brief pause followed.
Then Zhenyu answered quietly-
"She is my sister."
Simple words.
But enough.
Wanyin understood the meaning behind them.
The emperor rarely showed emotion openly.
Yet when it came to Lihua-
His protectiveness became impossible to hide.
The empress softened slightly.
"She has always depended on you."
Zhenyu lowered his gaze toward the tea.
"And I failed to protect her inside my own palace."
Wanyin blinked slightly.
The emperor rarely admitted fault.
But before she could reassure him-
Zhenyu continued quietly.
"I already arranged for her to remain temporarily within the Guo'an Empire."
Wanyin nodded slowly.
"That may truly be safer for now."
Her expression then turned thoughtful.
"The alliance with the Guo family will also become stronger after the marriage."
The emperor hummed faintly in agreement.
Silence settled briefly between them.
Outside the open windows, moonlight illuminated the peony gardens beautifully while faint night insects chirped softly in the distance.
Then-
Wanyin suddenly spoke again.
"...I also heard something else."
Zhenyu looked toward her.
The empress tilted her head slightly.
"About your new concubine."
The emperor's expression barely changed.
But Wanyin noticed the subtle pause.
"Shen Yunxi," she continued softly.
"I've heard quite a lot about him recently."
Zhenyu remained quiet.
Truthfully-
He barely knew anything about the male concubine himself.
Only that the Head Shen had practically offered his own son to the palace in exchange for political favor and wealth.
And that the concubine was mute.
Nothing more.
Wanyin observed his silence carefully.
"You haven't visited him yet, have you?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
The empress lowered her gaze thoughtfully.
"The Royal Consort mentioned him several times during tea gatherings."
At the mention of Royal Consort Ning Xue, a faint unreadable look crossed Zhenyu's eyes.
Wanyin continued calmly.
"They said he's... unusually beautiful."
Her voice carried curiosity.
"And delicate."
Zhenyu simply lifted his tea calmly.
"He is merely another palace concubine."
Those words caused something subtle to flicker within Wanyin's eyes.
Relief.
Because despite hearing countless rumors about Shen Yunxi's appearance-
The emperor himself sounded completely uninterested.
Still-
Curiosity remained.
"A mute male concubine..." she murmured softly.
"It's rather unusual."
Zhenyu gave no response.
The empress studied him quietly for a moment before smiling faintly.
"You truly haven't even met him properly?"
"No."
Wanyin found that slightly amusing.
"The poor concubine entered the palace weeks ago, yet His Majesty hasn't even looked at him once."
Her tone carried gentle teasing.
But Zhenyu remained unmoved.
"The inner palace is your responsibility, Empress."
Meaning-
Concubines were not his priority.
Wanyin lowered her gaze again.
Though she smiled softly outwardly-
Inside, satisfaction quietly bloomed.
Good.
As long as the emperor remained indifferent toward Shen Yunxi-
There was nothing to fear.
Still...
A faint curiosity lingered deep within her thoughts.
What kind of person could stir so much discussion within the palace without even speaking?
The empress lightly rested a hand against her lower abdomen.
A subtle gesture.
Yet Zhenyu noticed immediately.
"Have the physicians checked you recently?"
Wanyin blinked before smiling warmly.
"They did."
"And?"
"The child is healthy."
For the first time that evening, Zhenyu's expression softened slightly.
"That is good."
Wanyin's gaze lingered on him quietly afterward.
Even now-
Even after years beside him-
She still longed for more warmth from this man.
More affection.
More love.
Because despite becoming his empress...
Despite carrying his child...
A distance still remained between them.
And she hated that distance.
The empress lowered her gaze briefly.
Then softly asked-
"Your Majesty..."
Zhenyu looked toward her.
"...Will you stay here tonight?"
Silence.
The lantern light flickered gently between them.
Then finally-
The emperor answered quietly.
"I still have unfinished matters in the study hall."
The softness in Wanyin's eyes dimmed almost invisibly.
But she still smiled gracefully.
"Of course."
Because she was empress.
And empresses learned long ago how to hide disappointment beautifully.
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(End of Chapter 19)