The emperor stared blankly at his imperial aunt.

Xuan Mingzhu sat upright, her posture graceful and unwavering, with eyes full of spirit, showing no trace of illness.

The cinnabar mark between her brows was more radiant than the spring colors of Luoyang.

She was neither heartbroken nor joking.

The Princess of Jin, raised in luxury, knew nothing of mediocrity.

Her love and pride demanded nothing short of the absolute.

When she loved someone, she was willing to sacrifice everything, even her life.

But when she reached the end of the road, she could also turn her back decisively and embrace death with grace.

If she were to be buried, she, Zhaole, would be buried in the royal mausoleum, not in the ancestral tombs of the Mei family.

“Your Majesty, remember this: my relationship with the prince consort is over. In life, we will not share the same bed, and in death, we will not share the same grave.”

Xuan Mingzhu looked directly at the emperor and said, word by word, “After I divorce him, Mei Heting can enter the Grand Secretariat. Since he is so determined to serve the nation, let him contend with the old foxes in the cabinet. If he wishes to be a good minister, he will have to endure the endless struggles and criticisms. As for the humiliation of being divorced, whether he can bear it or not, he will have to.”

The young emperor was left utterly dumbfounded.

He wasn’t so self-deluded as to think that his aunt was sacrificing her love just to give Mei Heting the freedom to enter the cabinet and assist him in governing.

Judging by her demeanor, it was clear she was kicking him out while also squeezing every last bit of value from him.

…Ah, that’s truly Auntie for you.

It seems I’ve been pitying the wrong person all along.

After visiting her aunt(Empress Dowager) in the main hall, Xuan Mingzhu left and moved east to Cuiwei Palace.

Cuiwei Palace had been the residence of the late Empress Dowager Roujia, and after her passing, the furnishings inside remained untouched.

Every time Xuan Mingzhu entered the palace, she would rest here.

Meanwhile, the emperor, on his way back to Liangyi Hall, was still in a daze.

He thought, it seems Mei Heting has truly broken Auntie’s heart. Poor Bao Ya, she’s still so young…

“Your Majesty, Deputy Minister Mei of the Court of Judicial Review requests an audience,” the attendant suddenly reported.

Speak of the devil.

The emperor’s spirits lifted.

At this exact time, with no court session or major case to attend to, why else would Mei Heting be here but to chase after Auntie?

Has this cold jade finally learned to open up?

The emperor quickly summoned him in, hoping there was still a chance to reconcile.

But as soon as Mei Heting spoke, the emperor was left speechless.

Dressed in formal robes, Mei Heting stood with an air of clarity and detachment. “I am here to humbly request that Your Majesty allocate funds for the renovation of the halls and walls of the Court of Judicial Review. Upon these walls, we would inscribe legal maxims, so that all officials can see them at all times, discouraging laziness and improving their diligence.”

In simpler terms, he was asking the emperor for some money to paint the office walls and write a few maxims on them as a reminder for everyone to work harder.

The emperor was silent for a long moment. “Are you serious, Deputy Minister?”

He had rushed all the way here, with sweat still on his forehead, only to discuss repainting office walls?

Who would believe that?

Was it that he had ridden too fast and hadn’t thought of a better excuse?

Mei Heting, with utmost seriousness, replied, “The legal code is the foundation of governance. Just like a ruler’s compass, it cannot be disregarded. This is a matter of great importance, and I would not dare to be anything but earnest.”

Seeing his sincerity, the emperor couldn’t quite tell if he was being disingenuous.

He gave a vague response, then cautiously probed, “There’s nothing else?”

Mei Heting, knowing the true relationship between the emperor and Grand Princess Xuan Mingzhu, observed the emperor’s calm demeanor and surmised that no significant upheaval had occurred since Xuan Mingzhu’s arrival at the palace.

He bowed his head and said, “There is nothing else.”

Yet, for some reason, Mei Heting sensed a peculiar sadness and pity in the emperor’s gaze.

The emperor felt far more than pity for this clueless former tutor.

He nearly snapped the jade brush in his hand in frustration.

His aunt had forbidden him from speaking out, saying she would personally handle the divorce with the prince consort, and the emperor dared not disobey.

But he couldn’t bear the thought of his aunt suffering silently.

Why was it that both his grandmother and his aunt had to bear the cruel whims of fate, unable to smile even in their final days?

He knew Mei Heting’s character was beyond reproach—he was neither lustful nor corrupt, just somewhat emotionally distant.

But wasn’t everyone’s heart made of flesh?

Couldn’t he show a bit of tenderness, a bit of affection?

Was it that hard?

Out of his long-standing respect for their past mentor-student relationship, the emperor hinted earnestly, “Prince Consort Mei, the princess just entered the palace. She’s currently at Cuiwei Palace.”

He was called “Prince Consort,” not “Your Excellency.”

Mei Heting paused for a moment, suppressing the swirling emotions in his dark eyes, and replied respectfully, “I understand. However, as an official, I cannot enter the palace without permission, and there are still matters to attend to, so I will take my leave.”

He referred to himself as an official rather than a royal relative.

For many years, Mei Heting had never considered himself the long princess’s prince consort in public, as if being called “prince consort” tarnished his true abilities, implying that his current position was due to a woman.

“Good, very good.” The emperor repeated these words several times, his expression growing colder. “You’re not wrong.”

“Your Majesty!” The usually prudent Huang Fuquan suddenly rushed into the hall with a panicked expression.

His brush swayed as he entered.

Seeing that Prince Consort Mei was present, he hurriedly said, “Princess Xuan encountered Princess Chengyu outside Cuimei Palace, and the two had a quarrel—one princess struck the other!”

“Fool!” The emperor’s pent-up anger erupted as he stood up abruptly. “Clarify who struck whom!”

Cuimei Palace was the residence of the late emperor and Princess Xuan’s mother, and outsiders were strictly prohibited from entering.

Thus, when Xuan Mingzhu encountered Chengyu, she quickly surmised that it was the bored Sixth Prince who had heard about her reprimand from the emperor and gleefully came to take advantage of her misfortune.

Understanding Chengyu’s usual tactics, Xuan Mingzhu remained unfazed, regardless of whether Chengyu used the emperor’s punishment as a topic or provoked her with “Prince Consort Mei is devoted to the public and has no time to accompany his elder sister.”

Against a fool, she didn’t even need to waste a single retort.

It wasn’t until Chengyu failed to provoke her that she turned and mockingly asked, “Where is my good niece, Bao Ya? I’ve heard that girl is quite attached to her two brothers. Does she know they are not her biological brothers, and they spend every day together, one year younger than the other…?”

This remark earned Chengyu two hard slaps across the face.

“You… you slapped me again?”

Chengyu covered her cheek, looking incredulously at Xuan Mingzhu’s maid, trembling with indignation, “How dare you lay hands on me!”

Cheng’er smirked and retorted, “Has Sixth Princess forgotten? Last time you misspoke, it was I who ‘reminded’ you on the grand princess’s orders. Such a clever princess, yet you don’t remember being hit?”

“What a cunning maid…” Chengyu fumed, unable to endure Xuan Mingzhu’s graceful demeanor standing before the vermilion palace gate, looking at her as if she were a clown.

Turning to see her male companion supporting her, she slapped him across the face.

“I’m being bullied, and you’re acting like a dead man! Aren’t you going to deal with this maid?”

The pretty male companion, who enjoyed the privilege of accompanying the princess into the inner courtyard, dared not act against anyone and immediately knelt down, kowtowing.

Chengyu was furious and called for help.

Xuan Mingzhu raised her phoenix eyes, smiling as she took a step forward.

“Oh? Are you summoning the guards of the Northern Yamen, or my own Yulin Army? I can call them for you.”

The two military authorities left to Xuan Mingzhu by the late emperor were truly formidable troops.

Chengyu didn’t know if she would still have the same authority after falling out with the new emperor, but she felt her heart sink under Xuan Mingzhu’s overwhelming presence.

“Don’t be smug!” Chengyu, both aggrieved and furious, gritted her teeth, “Just wait, your good prince consort will…”

“What will he do?”

A clear voice interrupted unexpectedly.

Mei Heting strode in, directly passing by everyone and standing before Xuan Mingzhu.

His deep gaze swept over her, confirming she was unharmed before he relaxed his brow.

Xuan Mingzhu was momentarily surprised to see him, then averted her gaze indifferently.

Chengyu, seeing her desired man, felt a mix of envy and irritation at Mei Heting’s obvious favoritism towards Xuan Mingzhu.

Heaven help her!

Her face was still swollen, and she was holding her cheek.

If he came any later, she would have been bullied to the point of no return, yet he seemed to think the one at a loss would be the “tiger lady.”

Clearly, she was the one who had been struck!

“Prince Consort, you’ve come,” Chengyu called out in a voice full of feigned sorrow, purposely omitting the surname to show off how fierce her cousin was.

Xuan Mingzhu raised an eyebrow; her sister really didn’t seem to learn from a couple of slaps.

She didn’t care about Mei Heting, but that didn’t mean she would tolerate others treating her so contemptibly.

Hearing Mei Heting coldly say, “What Sixth Princess just said was slanderous regarding the royal family and is worthy of punishment. I will report this to His Majesty and the Clan Affairs Office.”

“What?” Chengyu remembered her slip of the tongue about Mei Bao Ya and looked at him with tearful eyes, “I-I was just saying one sentence. Prince Consort, look, she made my face—”

Mei Heting nodded, “You were indeed too lenient.”

He didn’t mince words or let Chengyu pretend, his face stern as he continued, “The late emperor was most averse to infighting among family members and issued strict orders: those harboring grievances against siblings shall be punished with fifty strikes, and those speaking malicious words shall receive twenty.”

His deep, inscrutable gaze fell upon Princess Chengyu.

“I wonder if Sixth Princess just spoke without thinking, or if she harbors ill will towards the long princess?”