Duan Changchuan woke up in the middle of the night.

He had dreamt of his own death again. In his dream, he wrote his farewell letter with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

“It’s all my fault … If only I had never been born …”

“Imperial Father, why did you leave me … Father, Xi’er misses you so much …”

[How many more citizens will die in this power struggle?]

[Would this world be better if I died??]

The despair in his dream engulfed him, making it hard to breathe.

“Your Majesty … Your Majesty?”

“Duan Zhangchuan, baby?”

Bai Su’s voice came from beside him, and he groggily opened his eyes.

The room was very dark, the canopy obscured his view. Instinctively, he snuggled into the Alpha’s embrace, inhaling the soothing pheromones, his body still trembling slightly.

“Nightmare?” Bai Su asked.

The young man nodded sullenly.

“What did Your Majesty dream of? Tell me.”

The boy lowered his head, nestling into her shoulder, and whispered, “I remembered… The afternoon before our wedding, I snuck out of the palace to see you. I happened to see you talking to Lin Qing…”

Bai Su also remembered this, but since she had always believed she had time-traveled, she saw these memories as someone else’s story and didn’t empathize deeply.

But Duan Changchuan had always lived as a person of this era. To him, the emperor who committed suicide was himself.

So she gently patted him, holding him close, and asked softly, “And then?”

“I felt very sad … During that time, Mother treated me coldly and always urged me to yield to my uncle. Though she never said it, I knew she thought I was unfit to be emperor. And it happened that Prime Minister Bai changed sides, openly defying Father’s edict, and colluded with the Regent …”

“You felt hopeless, didn’t you?”

“Mmm … I thought living was … very unnecessary. Dying would be easier. After all, no one cared.”

Bai Su hugged him tighter, her hand resting gently on his slightly swollen belly, “I care … I care a lot about my Omega. The baby also cares about his father.”

Duan Changchuan’s gaze followed hers to his belly, he smiled slightly and placed his hand over hers. “I know…”

Bai Su nodded. She held his hand and kissed his fingertips.

Her long and narrow eyes looked at him, “Duan Changchuan, I can’t lose you.”

The young man sniffed and kissed her lips, “I can’t lose you either, sister.”

–

The next day, Duan Changchuan and Bai Su stayed in the study all day.

Although the two of them were doing their own things, the smell of peony and gardenia lingered in the air, comforting each other and never leaving each other’s side for a moment.

Chang Le carried two bowls of osmanthus rice balls and knocked before entering, “Yesterday, Your Majesty wanted to eat these. Things happened after the royal chef finished cooking them so you didn’t get to try them. Today, this servant took the liberty to ask the royal chef to cook some more according to Your Majesty’s instructions yesterday. Would you like to have a taste?”

Before entering, the scent of sweet osmanthus wafted in. The plump rice balls, cooked with lotus root starch, contained small pieces of watermelon, red beans, and chestnuts, topped with a layer of osmanthus flowers, both fragrant and beautiful.

The young man immediately put down his book and sat properly, “I wanted to eat these yesterday.”

Saying this, he scooped a spoonful and put it in his mouth, smiling in delight, “Well done, Chang Le. Give the chefs some reward money.”

“Yes, this servant will ask Yi Man to do it.”

Seeing the child happy, Bai Su couldn’t help but smile too.

This morning, she asked Elder Huang to check on him for his nightmares, so a few more herbs were added to Duan Changchuan’s medicine, making it a lot more bitter. The little guy had been pouting all morning. Now he was finally happy.

As they chatted, they heard Yi Man announce from outside, “Your Majesty, Zhang Dehai and Miss Jin have arrived.”

Now that Bai Su had been summoned back to the emperor’s palace, it was only natural for Zhang Dehai and Nangong Jin’er, her maid and servant, to come over.

Duan Changchuan directly called the two in.

“This servant Zhang Dehai greets Your Majesty.”

“Nangong Jin’er greets Your Majesty and Your Highness.”

Duan Changchuan waved at the two, “Rise. How did the letter to the princess go?”

Zhang Dehai hurriedly stepped forward and presented a letter. “Your Majesty, the princess wrote a reply to you overnight. The Regent has already discovered the missing letters and has tightened security at the palace. The princess only sent this letter out this morning.”

The young man took the letter and asked, “Did you have someone reveal the secret detention of Muge at Liuxia Pavilion?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The Regent’s spies have seen it. This servant estimates that the information will reach the Regent’s mansion tonight.”

“Good.”

With that, he began to read the letter.

While Duan Changchuan acted spoiled and dependent when alone with Bai Su, he was very serious in front of others. At this time, the child was half-leaning on the couch, wearing a luxurious and intricate dragon robe, exuding the majesty of the imperial family with every move.

Bai Su propped her chin on her hand, quietly watching him. Seeing him sigh, she asked, “What does it say?”

Duan Changchuan handed the letter to her, “Yesterday, I said that the credit for exposing the Regent’s crimes could be attributed to her maid, Muge, and she could find an excuse for her father. She agreed to this but also wanted to serve the people. She said she would appease Imperial Uncle and that let me tell her if I have any orders…”

Bai Su couldn’t help but frown. The letter was full of righteous passion:

[Qinxue couldn’t sleep at night after learning what my father did. My father has made a big mistake. Qinxue only wishes to atone by following your orders. It is not too late. Whatever Your Majesty commands, Qinxue will obey unto death.

Qinxue respectfully.

Thank Your Majesty.]

There were tear stains at the end of the letter.

Bai Su folded the letter and burned it in the candle flame, asking, “What do you think, Your Majesty?”

The young man turned his head to look at her and said, “She has the merit to send the letter, and I will treat her as a meritorious person to show kindness. But I do not think she is trustworthy.”

This was a power struggle, not a game.

Duan Qinxue’s complicated identity and unknown character meant she could not be trusted based on a few righteous words. Moreover, Duan Qinxue’s first thought after receiving all the letters that Mu Ge presented was not to present them to the emperor immediately. This alone disqualified her from being trusted.

Therefore, when Bai Su heard Duan Changchuan’s words, Bai Su’s heart surged with a feeling of “as expected”. She couldn’t help but smile, “Your Majesty is very thoughtful.”

The young boy bashfully picked at his fingers and lowered his eyes.

Seeing this, Chang Le signaled to Zhang Dehai and Nangong Jiner to leave.

Zhang Dehai immediately understood and bowed to the two, “Does Your Majesty have any other orders?”

“Keep an eye on the Regent’s mansion and report any movements.”

“Yes.”

The two withdrew.

–

Once alone, Bai Su set up a chessboard and raised an eyebrow, “Shall we play?”

Although Duan Changchuan didn’t know what she meant, he still set up his pieces, “Why do you suddenly want to play chess?”

Bai Su, “I’m curious.”

Duan Changchuan, “… Hmm?”

“I’m curious about how good ancient emperors are at chess.”

The young man’s hand movements paused before realizing, “… You’re using me to satisfy your curiosity?”

The woman picked up a piece with a smile, “It’s said that ancient people were good at chess, and I want to see for myself. Your Majesty, please indulge this concubine?”

It was obviously a coquettish request, but it carried a natural hint of doting when it was said by an Alpha. She didn’t stop until he responded, she leaned half her body over and asked, “Your Majesty?”

The young man avoided her gaze and randomly moved a pawn, “… If you want to play chess, play seriously. Be careful or I’ll defeat you completely.”

He heard a drawn-out response, “I un-der-stand.”

Very perfunctory.

They played a thrilling game. Duan Changchuan won, but it wasn’t an easy victory. It couldn’t be helped. Alpha was born to be the best, and his Alpha was the most powerful level. He already felt tired after just one game.

“This game took two hours, didn’t it?? It’s getting dark.” Duan Changchuan looked at the sky outside and said.

Bai Su smiled and put away the chessboard, “As expected, you’re very skilled. I’ll have to drag you to play chess often in the future.”

The young man rubbed his belly and pouted, “It’s too tiring, my body is heavy, and I still have to think about state affairs. I might get silly after getting pregnant, so I’d better use my brain less.”

It was supposed to be a joke, but the child said it seriously … showing his genuine concern.

For a moment, it was hard to tell whether to laugh or comfort him.

In the end, she held back her laughter and pulled him into her arms, “Why would you become silly? You’re very clever, handling everything without needing my help.”

“I … I also get very tired thinking…”

“Your Majesty, if there’s anything you need to think about next time, can you tell me? I’ll help Your Majesty decide.”

Duan Changchuan rolled his eyes. “You’ve been testing my intelligence today. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

[Pfft.]

Alright, intelligence it is.

She quickly hugged him and coaxed him, “I was just a bit curious today, so I tested you a little. I won’t do it again, I promise.”

Duan Changchuan, “Hmph …”

After a while, he tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “So … what’s the result?”

“Extremely smart, IQ of 290.”

“… Perfunctory!”

Bai Su couldn’t hold it in anymore and laughed.

She then received a playful punch.

She quickly stopped laughing and said, “Okay, okay, I won’t laugh. My Omega is the best. You’re the most brilliant emperor I’ve ever seen.”

Laughing would make him angry.

The two of them laughed for a while. The young man pulled away from her arms and looked at her with his chin up.

“Bai Su.”

“Yes?”

“I think I can win this time.”

He spoke to her earnestly, his beautiful eyes shining brightly.

Bai Su lowered her eyes and looked back at him quietly, her eyebrows and lips curling into a smile, saying, “You will.”

Not only will we win, but we’ll win beautifully.