The next day, at Mao hours. Duan Changchuan slowly woke up under his biological clock.

Unlike sleeping in Ming Sheng Hall, he felt that the bed was exceptionally warm today … The bed was soft, and he felt as if he had sunk into a ball of cotton.

So comfortable …

He slept well too.

The young man, who had just woken up and was still in a daze, rubbed against the blanket slightly without opening his eyes.

As he was rubbing, his shoulder was suddenly wrapped around by an arm …

The next second, a warm sensation was attached to his lips.

A familiar voice sounded beside his ear, saying, “Be good, don’t move … I didn’t sleep well the whole night because of the tossing. Let me sleep a little more.”

Duan Changchuan: ???

!!!

He immediately jumped out of the bed.

What happened just now? Where did Bai Su touch him? Mo.. mou.. my … Mouth?

Moreover, why was he on Bai Su’s bed again?!

The young man, who had just woken up, sat on the bed in a daze and did not react for a long time.

Bai Su felt a chill under the blanket and opened her eyes in a daze. This was the scene she saw.

Realize belatedly … she … seemed to have pecked the child’s lips just now?

Judging from his reaction, he should have been quite shocked.

Pfft.

Didn’t they say that ancient emperors were all precocious and were arranged to sleep with bed servants at the age of twelve or thirteen? Why was it that when it came to her little guy, he was so pure?

Bai Su held back her laughter in her heart and apologized with a serious expression, “Sorry, this concubine wasn’t awake just now and accidentally offended Your Majesty. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Then she took the initiative and asked him directly, “Why is Your Majesty on this concubine’s bed? This concubine remembers that before went to bed, you and I slept in separate beds.”

Sure enough, the youth sitting by the window froze as soon as she finished speaking.

Bai Su saw that he did not answer and pretended to be puzzled, “Your Majesty can’t be sleepwalking again, right? Speaking of which, the last time you also came to find this concubine in the middle of the night. This concubine thought there was an assassin in Qing Lu Palace.”

The young man froze even more. His face was red, but he could not answer a word

After being stunned for a long time, he said, “Night … night walking is an illness, it’s not something I can control!”

Then he hurriedly stepped on his wooden clogs and walked out of the door, “Empress you can sleep more, I have to prepare to go to court.”

The moment the door closed, Bai Su poked her head out and asked, “Will Your Majesty still come to Qing Lu Palace tonight?”

He heard a resolute and decisive voice, “No!” Leaving behind a faint scent of gardenia.

Alpha leaned on the bed with one arm, stroked his lips with his fingers, and sniffed the aftertaste. She couldn’t help but let out a low laugh.

–

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of March. On a day when the grass was long and the orioles were flying, the willow catkins in the palace fluttered like snow.

The Imperial Garden was filled with hundreds of flowers and butterflies. The air was filled with the fragrance of grass and flowers.

The most beautiful thing in the world was the sky in Shengjing.

The students who had made it out of the Spring Examinations finally entered the palace. They went to the Jing He Hall to participate in the final examination and compete for the top three places in the hall.

The hall was so quiet that only the sound of paper flipping and pen landing could be heard.

The young emperor in a dragon robe sat on the highest dragon throne. The Regent and the Prime Minister sat on both sides. The two examiners in charge of this year’s Spring Quarter Examination shuttled among the students, occasionally lowering their heads to take a look.

A single essay would determine the life of every student here.

It was over in the morning. The students left one after another and followed by two days of marking.

On the last day of March, the results were released.

The golden silk cloth was stamped with the emperor’s seal. The first place of the top three was written in ink:

First Rank of the candidates

First Rank: Lin Qing

In the Spring Quarter Examination in March, he was the Zhuang Yuan.

This was the promise Lin Qing had made to Bai Su … Now, he really did it.

A young man in a bright yellow uniform stood at the entrance of the palace with red bricks and blue tiles, stunned for a long time.

Outside, it was a curtain of rain that covered the sky and earth. The fine water droplets smashed into the puddles in front of the hall, creating a white mist.

“Your Majesty, you have been here for two hours. The rain is humid and the wind is cold … Be careful of the cold air that will harm your body.” Chang Le came over to remind him.

The young man came back to his senses and asked, “What time is it?”

“Your Majesty, it’s almost past Shen hours (3-5pm). We should prepare to go to the Jing He Hall.”

At a quarter before You hours (5-7pm), the top scholars will gather at the Jing He Hall to participate in the banquet hosted by the palace.

At that time, the Regent Duan Jing’an, Prime Minister Bai Yanyuan, the nobles, and all the ministers in the court will participate.

As for Duan Changchuan and Bai Su, as the emperor and empress of Da Tong, they will also participate.

Tonight will be the first time Bai Su and Lin Qing will meet after she entered the palace.

Zhuang Yuan Lin Qing originally wanted to use such an occasion to ask for the emperor’s grace to marry the girl he had in his heart for many years.

But fate made fools of him ….

The former lover suddenly sat in a high position and became the emperor’s wife.

And he himself was still running on the original road. Even if everyone told him there was no road ahead, he would still walk in silence.

Now, he was only one step away from the finish line … The road ahead has collapsed, and it’s difficult to cross the chasm.

Today, tonight, what will Lin Qing do?

How will Bai Su face it?

What about Duan Changchuan himself …

“Your Majesty ….” Seeing him not moving, Chang Le urged again.

Only then did Duan Changchuan gather his thoughts and return to his room, “Help me change my clothes.”

“Yes.”

–

The banquet began with the sound of musical instruments.

No one expected Lin Qing to be the Zhuang Yuan. After all, four years ago, he couldn’t even pass the exam. Now, in just four years, he’s winning twice in a row. Looking at the entire history of Da Tong, it’s unprecedented.

Under the struggle for the imperial power, it was a tragedy with blood and tears.

The Regent and Prime Minister, who contributed to the tragedy, kept their mouths shut. Duan Changchuan, as the person at the center of the scandal, also chose to silently avoid it. As for the two protagonists of this tragedy, it’s even more impossible for them to take the initiative to mention it.

Thus, this dark and turbulent banquet went on peacefully without any ripples.

Except …

This handsome Zhuang Yuan’s eyes couldn’t help but glance at the bright red figure sitting at the head of the table.

Wine, cup after cup, was poured into his mouth.

As the banquet progressed, his intense gaze became more and more obvious.

Bai Su couldn’t ignore it even if she wanted to.

Before going to the banquet, Bai Su was prepared to completely ignore this former lover of hers. After all, their identities had already become like this, so it was understandable for her to be indifferent.

Who would’ve thought that when Lin Qing glanced at her …. the young man next to her lowered the corners of his lips.

It was obvious that he was getting more and more unhappy.

She couldn’t pick up food for him …

She couldn’t even when secretly hold his hand under the table either.

She couldn’t coax him anymore.

Helpless, she could only whisper in the youth’s ear, “I’m going to say a few words to Lin Qing. I promise this is the last time. I won’t see him again in the future. Don’t think too much.”

As expected, the young man’s mood became even more downcast. The pair of hands on his lap clawed at his robes, causing them to wrinkle.

But he still calmly said, “Go.”

Bai Su helplessly held the youth’s hands in her palms, “This matter has to be clarified. Don’t you still have to work with him in the future? If there’s an estrangement, how can you work together? The more knots are in your heart, the more you’ll die.”

“I don’t think there’ll be no estrangement even if you explain it to him … I took his wife, this isn’t a misunderstanding that can be resolved with a simple explanation.”

“Do you still remember what you said to me that day at the pavilion?” Bai Su asked, “You said you didn’t want to do it either, right? Duan Changchuan, you’re a victim, not the perpetrator. Don’t belittle yourself as the perpetrator. Look at Bai Yanyuan, then look at Duan Jing’an, that’s the main culprit. Don’t shoulder anything for someone unrelated to you.”

The young man tightened his grip on her hand …

He didn’t speak for a long time. A faint, unripe pheromone seeped out from the back of his neck.

A clear message was transmitted to his mind in an instant.

[But, can you not go …?]

Bai Su’s heart felt like it was being stabbed by something ….

Her Omega was unconsciously relying on her.

This dependence, even he himself didn’t realize it.

“I’m just going out for a little while. I’ll be back as soon as I finish. I promise it won’t be long. If you don’t believe me, you can count in your heart. I’ll definitely be back when you count to one hundred. If I don’t come back when you count to one hundred, you can punish me by sweeping the floor in front of the Ming Sheng Hall every day, okay?”

Using all his strength, the young man finally let go of her.

Sitting back down, he pretended not to care about the wrinkled robe, “Who wants you to sweep the floor? It’s not like you will swept it clean.”

Still as cute as ever.

Bai Su’s lips curved into a smile, “Then this concubine will be going now?”

“Come back early, the banquet is about to end.”

“Okay.”

–

Outside the Jing He Hall.

A woman in red walked under the illumination of the lanterns, holding an oil paper umbrella in one hand. The rain hit the candlelight in the lanterns, casting shadows on the ground.

It wasn’t until she turned into a secluded path that she stopped and turned around.

A scholar in a plain robe walked on the palace road paved with bluestone steps, walking over with difficulty.

“Lin Qing.” When the scholar came closer, Bai Su said faintly.

That person was startled and looked her up and down from head to toe.

Bai Su wanted to make him give up, so she just let him do as he pleased.

After a long time, the person in front of her finally said with certainty, “You are not Susu.”

Then, light gradually shone in his lifeless eyes. It was like a person who was about to die of thirst in the desert and saw a huge lake in front of him.

It was like a person who was waiting for death with a terminal disease and found out that everything was just a misunderstanding.

The eyes of the person in front of her were filled with wild joy.

“Susu didn’t marry into the palace, right? Where is she? Please tell this student, Your Highness …”

As he spoke, he clasped his hands in front of his chest and bowed deeply to her, “This student is not talented, but in the future, I will work hard and wholeheartedly serve Your Majesty and Your Highness. Susu is this student’s beloved person. I beg Your Highness and Your Majesty to fulfill my wish.”

The rain suddenly became heavier. It hit the oil-paper umbrella and made a crackling sound. The air was terrifyingly quiet.

Lin Qing bent down for a long time but didn’t hear a response. He stood up doubtfully.

“… Your Highness?” He asked.

A low sigh came from the luxuriously dressed woman’s mouth.

Then, that person slowly rolled up her sleeves, revealing a pair of white wrists. On her wrists, there were two long and incomparably hideous scars.

“Sorry … You’re right. I’m not her. But I’m also her …”

She was Bai Su, the body was Bai Su’s.

She wasn’t Bai Su. The soul of this body had changed to another person.

So, she was Bai Su, but also not her.

Lin Qing looked at this pair of familiar hands. On the pad of her right index finger was the biggest callus on her hand.

Because she said that no one cleaned her courtyard, she could only clean it herself every day. She especially liked to use force on that spot. After a long time, a very big callus grew on it.

On the inside of her left wrist, there was a small black mole. She said that once when she was walking on the street, an old fortune-teller said that this mole was bad luck and had to be removed. Otherwise, her life would be miserable for the rest of her life.

But she did not have any money on hand … She smiled and said, “But it can be seen that Master’s divination is not accurate, otherwise how could I have met Young Master Lin?”

She said, “Meeting Young Master Lin is already very good, my life is definitely not bad.”

She said, “Muzhi, everything will get better. Everything will get better. You have to believe me. Look at me, I used to have a bad life, but now I’m getting better.”

At that time, the smile on her face was deeply imprinted in his mind.

But now, when Lin Qing looked at the two finger-long scars on his wrist, he felt as if thunder had struck down from the sky, accompanied by a downpour of rain.

In an instant, his world shook and the mountains shook.

“Sorry, I’m really not her.” The familiar yet unfamiliar person in front of him stated indifferently.

She pulled back her sleeves. Lin Qing watched as the two scars gradually disappeared from his sight …

The brilliant scholar who had spoken with assurance and composure at the gathering, who was the top of the Golden Roll of Honor, who was a brilliant scholar, seemed to have gone mad at this moment. He cried out in despair, “Don’t …”

Then he pulled Bai Su’s arm and held it tightly, “Let me take one more look … one more look … just one more look …”

“I beg you …”

“Your Highness … this student is begging you …”

Bai Su closed her eyes deeply. Then she calmly pulled her hand back.

“Master Zhuang Yuan, please conduct yourself with dignity. I’m no longer your Bai Su, I’m …”

Halfway through her words, her gaze swept past a section of bright yellow clothes at the end of the alley.

Suddenly, all her words were stuck in her throat.

Duan Changchuan …

When did he come? How long had he been here? And how long had he been listening?

And the other party seemed to have just noticed her gaze. The corner of his bright yellow clothes flashed and disappeared.

At the end of the alley, Changle’s cry of alarm could be heard from afar, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Don’t run! The imperial physician said you can’t run now!”

“Your Majesty, please slow down, this servant’s umbrella can’t keep up with you … Your Majesty!”

Duan Changchuan was running …

Duan Changchuan didn’t even open his umbrella!

When she thought of her pregnant Omega outside in the rain, Bai Su no longer cared about her dignity. She picked up her long clothes and chased after the young emperor.

–

Turning around the end of the alley and entering the main road, she saw a person running away in a hurry. A young eunuch holding an umbrella followed behind.

Bai Su threw the umbrella in her hand to the ground and ran towards that person.

“Your Majesty!”

“Stop!”

“Duan Changchuan, don’t run!”

She shouted as she chased after him.

Fortunately, the young man’s physical strength was not as good as before after being pregnant. She quickly pulled him back.

“Duan Changchuan, why are you running? What if your body gets sick from running?”

The young man’s entire body was drenched in the rain. The rainwater flowed down his cheeks.

His face was pale from the cold … Only his eyes were red.

“You said that you would come back when I counted to one hundred … but I counted to two hundred …”

“I counted to two hundred, but you still didn’t come back …”

The youth looked at her, his lips trembling.

He asked her with a trembling voice, “Bai Su, why didn’t you come back …”