One day, the couple unexpectedly met on a bridge called Yunqiao. At first, they dared not recognize each other, but when they finally did, they colpsed into each other’s arms, weeping.

  In the final verses, the husband sang:

  "Ten years apart, we let the best years slip away.""A decade of war, yet I never forgot.""Now, face to face, I see a stranger—""Only to realize it was you, my beloved wife."

  The wife responded:

  "Ten years apart, I thought I would never hope again.""But today, I see my husband, now a hardened general in armor.""Husband, oh husband, do you still remember the beautiful days of ten years past?"

  Wumian simply marveled at the fact that even in this era, people could still write such a pure and devoted love story.

  Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager had already begun dabbing at her tears.

  As the performance concluded, she praised it enthusiastically: "Reward them! Such a moving performance!"

  Wumian instantly regretted her choice—this was going to cost her. But she had no choice but to follow suit and grant a reward as well.

  The Empress Dowager, deeply moved, sighed, "Empress, you made a fine selection. Such a rare and touching love story!"

  "It was a new py, Mother. I had no way of knowing if it would be good or not. The performers sang well, and the lyricist wrote beautifully. It is even better that you appreciate it." Wumian replied with a warm smile.

  "Hahaha, well said!" The Empress Dowager ughed through her lingering tears, her emotions fluctuating between sorrow and joy.

  Ying Qionglou cast a meaningful gnce at Wumian, but she simply returned a carefree smile, lifted her teacup, and took a sip.

  Compared to Li Fei, who sat behind the Empress Dowager, struggling to stay awake without even daring to sip her tea, Wumian was much more at ease.

  Had she known of Li Fei’s predicament, she might have sighed and remarked—after all, being the Empress still came with certain freedoms.

  After the opera ended, the Empress Dowager dismissed everyone for the night.

  For some reason—whether it was because he had sat with the Empress or because her choice of py had pleased the Empress Dowager—Ying Qionglou seemed inclined to accompany Wumian back to Fengyi Pace.

  Unfortunately, this pn was not realized.

  To return to Fengyi Pace, they had two choices—take a longer route or cut through the Imperial Garden.

  For the sake of convenience, they opted for the garden path, which was well-maintained and easy to traverse.

  However, with only nterns providing dim light, and shadows of trees dancing eerily in the dark, the atmosphere was somewhat unsettling.

  Wumian wasn’t easily frightened, but surrounded by darkness, with only small patches of light illuminating the path, she instinctively reached out and grabbed Ying Qionglou’s sleeve.

  The emperor said nothing, allowing her to hold onto him as they walked.

  As they approached Youmeng Pavilion, Lu Zhong suddenly barked out a warning:

  "Who goes there?"

  Wumian flinched. "What is it?" she asked.

  A delicate voice answered hesitantly: "This concubine, Sun Yunu, greets Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress."

  Hearing the response, Wumian let out a breath of relief. I thought it was some kind of animal…

  Ying Qionglou’s expression darkened instantly. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, his tone filled with anger.

  He turned toward Wumian, his gaze accusatory, though he did not speak.

  Wumian was puzzled. What’s going on?

  Ying Qionglou let out a cold scoff. "Since the Empress seems to have leisure to enjoy the cool night air, stay and enjoy it to your heart’s content. I shall take my leave."

  With that, he turned on his heel and left without another word.

  He had assumed this was yet another one of Wumian’s schemes—after all, in the past, she loved setting up such encounters. And Sun Yunu was one of "her people."

  Wumian extended a helpless hand, inwardly cursing: At least escort me back! I’m a little afraid of the dark!

  Then she sighed. Forget it.

  She turned her attention to Sun Yunu, still kneeling before her.

  "Sun Yunu, stand up. Tell me—why are you here at this hour?" Wumian asked in exasperation.

  This was beyond her understanding. As far as she knew, Sun Yunu was not "her person" at all—she was simply one of the pace maidens chosen during the selection because she was beautiful.

  So why did the emperor assume she had arranged this?

  "Y-Your Majesty… I…" Sun Yunu stammered.

  "Enough. At least stand up before you speak," Wumian said, waving her hand.

  She continued in a calm but firm tone, "There are plenty of ways to meet His Majesty. But lurking in the dark like this? What if one of his guards mistook you for an assassin and struck you down? What if they merely frightened you, and you panicked? If the Emperor were startled by the commotion, you’d be held responsible. Not only you—your entire family could be implicated. Do you understand?"

  "Your Majesty, this concubine wouldn’t dare! I swear, I will never do this again!" Sun Yunu cried, trembling as she prostrated herself once more.

  She was only fifteen—of course, she was terrified.

  "Enough, get up," Wumian sighed.

  She studied the girl for a moment before asking, "Tell me—how did you know to wait here? You’ve only been in the pace a few days. Were you truly bold enough to think of this on your own?"

  “It was Rong Fei who…” Sun Yunu started, but quickly stopped herself. “This concubine was at fault…”

  “Enough, stand up. How old are you?” Wumian raised her hand, and Lin Shui stepped forward to help the girl up.

  “This concubine is fifteen.” Sun Yunu lowered her head, not daring to meet Wumian’s gaze.

  "Foolish girl," Wumian sighed. "His Majesty is a reasonable man. He won’t be overly harsh on the women in his harem without cause. But this is still the imperial pace—one misstep can cost you your life. Every woman here belongs to His Majesty. Who doesn’t want to share his favor? In the future, before you act, think carefully. Don't just listen to others blindly. If something seems too easy, ask yourself—why aren’t they doing it themselves? Why are they pushing it onto you?"

  She walked up and patted Sun Yunu on the shoulder. "Go back. Remember—be cautious, and stay sharp."

  “Yes… this concubine is deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s guidance.” Tears had already welled up in Sun Yunu’s eyes.

  Wumian waved her hand. “Go.”

  Sun Yunu quickly bowed deeply, far lower than before, as she respectfully saw the empress off.

  As they walked back, Lin Shui hesitated, then spoke up. "Your Majesty, Zheng Baolin and Sun Yunu were both the ones you personally selected on the day of the selection."

  Wumian paused for a moment—Oh. So that’s how it was.

  That expined why Ying Qionglou had stormed off—he must have assumed she had staged this encounter on purpose.

  As she slowly made her way back, Wumian mulled things over. A quick sift through her memories confirmed what she already suspected—Rong Fei and Guifei were working together.

  Wumian’s sudden rise as the step-empress had been resented by them all.

  Guifei, Xian Fei, and Rong Fei were all veterans of the Eastern Pace. They had either status, favor, or children—yet she, an outsider, had taken the position of principal wife. How could they possibly accept that?

  For the past three years, Wumian’s self-destructive behavior had been partly her own stupidity, but it had also been fueled by their maniputions.

  Of course, their scheming was one thing—but her own ck of intelligence and greed had only made it worse.

  Now that Sun Yunu had been branded as one of her people, and was even living in Rong Fei’s pace, it was only natural that Rong Fei would take advantage of her.

  “Zheng Baolin was assigned to Xuanwei Pace, correct?” Wumian asked.

  Xuanwei Pace belonged to Xian Fei.

  “Yes.” Lin Shui confirmed.

  Wumian let out a small ugh. “How thoughtful of them.”

  She herself hadn’t cared about these two, but others certainly did.

  "A high rank doesn’t always mean power," she mused. "But someone in a high position really shouldn’t act recklessly."

  “Would you like to relocate them?” Lin Shui asked cautiously.

  “No need,” Wumian waved her off. “The more I interfere, the more attention they’ll attract. It won’t do them any good. I never pnned to use them anyway—let things py out naturally.”

  She quickened her pace. “Let’s go home. I really am a little spooked.”