It was unknown whether Mingde was reading or being confined at home. Even the Qianwan Emperor endured not summoning him. It wasn't until the beginning of spring, when the spring imperial examination was approaching, that the chief examiner Ding Huang reported the list of examinees to the Imperial Study. The Qianwan Emperor immediately noticed the four characters "Shangguan Mingde" on it.

The Qianwan Emperor's fingers brushed over those four characters, his face expressionless. After a while, he said, "You've worked hard, my dear official. After grading the papers, send the essays of the scholars to me for review."

There had been precedents of emperors personally reviewing papers, but reviewing so many at once was unheard of. Ding Huang hastily asked, "Does Your Majesty want to see all of them, or should this official select the exceptionally well-written ones for Your Majesty to peruse?"

The Qianwan Emperor retorted, "Should I not personally examine the future pillars of our dynasty?"

Ding Huang quickly knelt on the ground, "This official obeys the decree!"

Zhang Kuo stood silently on the side, waiting upon the Emperor. Seeing Ding Huang leave after a while, he signaled to the palace maids with his eyes. A maid promptly brought over a bowl of ginseng soup. Zhang Kuo took it and carefully handed it to the desk, saying, "Your Majesty."

The Qianwan Emperor suddenly came back to his senses, "Hm?"

As Zhang Kuo poured the ginseng soup, he asked, "Which consort's tablet will Your Majesty turn over tonight?"

The Qianwan Emperor looked at the jade tablets before him. This emperor, in his prime, did not have a large harem. At most, there were just over twenty consorts.

Later, Empress Mingrui died, Noble Consort died, Consort Xia Zhaoyi died; the four consorts were not fully appointed to begin with. With those who left for various reasons, now there were only a dozen or so left.

Among this dozen, there were those with low ranks, those out of favor, those neglected. In actuality, only one or two consorts regularly attended to the Emperor.

"Zhang Kuo," the Qianwan Emperor pondered for a while and actually started laughing, "What do you think, if I were to hold a grand selection of ladies in waiting in front of Mingde, how would that child react?"

Zhang Kuo respectfully bowed, "In response to Your Majesty, Young Master Mingde's martial arts are improving day by day. It's best if Your Majesty doesn't take the risk."

The Qianwan Emperor burst out laughing, "Zhang Kuo, you understand that little thing quite well... Indeed, he is such a filial son, rare since ancient times, for defending the Empress like this."

The Emperor stood up, "Forget it, let's go see what the Empress is doing!"

Ever since being confined last time, the Empress had set up the Jing'an Hall in the Winter Warmth Chamber, chanting scriptures and praying to Buddha every day, saying she was praying for peace in the imperial dynasty.

It was an open secret in the entire court that the Emperor and Empress were not on good terms. The Empress had no children, no powerful maternal family to support her, and was no longer young and beautiful. Having been confined several times, everyone thought her position as Empress was no longer secure. But strangely, no matter how lonely her days as Empress were, she continued to sit in this position without any sign of being removed.

Those who didn't know thought the Emperor and Empress had deep affection for each other. Those who knew thought it was because the Emperor's harem was not abundant and he hadn't found a satisfactory beauty, so noble families were eagerly sending their daughters into the palace.

Some time ago, it happened to be when Mingde was in seclusion studying. The family of the deceased Noble Consort Ding sent a charming illegitimate young daughter who was soon conferred the title of Consort Zhaorong.

When the Qianwan Emperor arrived at the entrance of the Empress' Jing'an Hall, he heard the young and lively laughter of Consort Ding Zhaorong coming from inside, "What gift has Empress prepared for the Emperor's birthday? What is this, a hand-copied Prajnaparamita Sutra? This is my first time seeing a hand-copied sutra. Empress, may you bestow it upon me to read?"

The little eunuch at the door was about to loudly announce the Emperor's arrival, but the Qianwan Emperor waved his hand and stood at the door, listening with great interest.

From behind the exquisite phoenix glass moon door, the Empress' voice was heard, steady and even, "It's rare for a young girl to be interested in this. If you want to read it, sister, take it then."

Consort Ding Zhaorong happily took it and flipped through it, praising as she read, "Empress' handwriting is truly beautiful. I also write slender gold style, but it's far inferior to Empress' well-practiced writing. The Emperor will surely like such a thoughtful, lavish gift."

The Empress smiled faintly, "There's nothing to pass the time in this deep palace besides some writing and painting to while away the days. If sister has free time, you can also practice writing. Slowly, you'll get better at it."

Consort Ding Zhaorong covered her mouth and laughed, "Ah, don't laugh at me, Empress. Where do I have the time for such pure pursuits? The Emperor comes every day, I don't even have a moment of ease. Yesterday, when envoys from various countries had an audience, I originally thought I could rest for a day. Who knew the Emperor would summon me to attend the banquet again..."

The Empress frowned, wanting to say something. But seeing her innocent and lively appearance, she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Consort Ding Zhaorong had sharp eyes. Seeing the Empress frown, she immediately became flustered and stood up, "What's wrong, Empress? Are you unwell? Should I summon the imperial physician?"

The Qianwan Emperor signaled to Zhang Kuo with his eyes. Zhang Kuo immediately announced loudly, "The Emperor has arrived--"

The bright yellow imperial insignia stood erect on both sides of the phoenix door. The Qianwan Emperor strode into the palace. The Empress and Consort Ding Zhaorong were both stunned, not expecting him to suddenly descend from the sky.

Consort Ding Zhaorong immediately knelt down, throwing herself forward with tears like a pear blossom in the rain, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, it's terrible! This concubine doesn't know where she misspoke, but it made the Empress so angry she fell ill!"

The Empress solemnly stood up, "This concubine greets Your Majesty."

The Qianwan Emperor casually waved his hand, indicating for the Empress to sit down. He then personally helped up the tearful Consort Ding Zhaorong and said gently, "The Empress is the mother of the nation with great magnanimity. How could she get angry over a few unintentional slips of the tongue?"

He raised his eyes to look at the Empress, "Right?"

The Empress clenched her teeth, forcing out a "yes" through the gaps.

"That's good then," the Qianwan Emperor helped Consort Ding Zhaorong sit in a chair and asked with great interest, "What did Consort Zhao come to discuss with the Empress?"

Consort Ding Zhaorong smiled shyly, "This concubine saw Empress' hand-copied sutra and truly admired her excellent penmanship, feeling ashamed of my own inadequacy."

"Is that so?" the Qianwan Emperor took the scripture, casually flipped through a couple of pages, and put it down. "The Empress would be better off managing the inner palace and personnel matters instead of wasting time believing in gods and ghosts. Only the superstitious and outdated believe in such things. As the mother of the nation, how can you also believe in this nonsense?"

The Empress was so embarrassed that she could barely maintain her composure and could only say in a low voice, "I will remember that, Your Majesty."

The Qianwan Emperor carelessly tossed the scripture aside, unexpectedly hitting a long-necked glass water bottle on the table. With a crack, the bottle toppled over, and the water quickly soaked the pages, blurring the text.

Seeing this, Consort Ding Zhaorong was about to stand up in a panic. "Empress, this..."

The Empress took the scripture and placed it aside, calmly saying, "If it's ruined, then so be it. Sister, there's no need to be alarmed. It's not something valuable."

Consort Ding Zhaorong was still too timid to speak. Instead, the Qianwan Emperor turned to her, seemingly unaffected, and asked with great interest, "What did my beloved consort eat today?"

Consort Ding Zhaorong carefully glanced at the Empress and then meticulously counted on her fingers, listing crystal buns, shrimp dumplings, sweet rice balls, and so on, one by one, commenting on the chef's skills, the appearance, and the taste of each dish.

She went on for quite a while, and the Empress's expression grew increasingly grim. However, the Qianwan Emperor seemed oblivious, embracing his consort and flirting in the Empress's Buddhist hall, becoming more and more delighted.

He simply disliked this Empress. They were a truly resentful couple.

In fact, there was nothing wrong with the Empress. She was naturally virtuous and tolerant, never oppressing the other consorts in the palace, and never gossiping. She even sent Shangguan Mingde to the Qianwan Emperor's bed.

But the Qianwan Emperor just couldn't stand the sight of her. The more Mingde went out of his way to defend her, the more the Emperor despised her.

Consort Ding Zhaorong spoke happily, her rosy face blushing as she coquettishly said, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Why don't we..."

The Qianwan Emperor suddenly came to his senses and abruptly stood up, coldly saying, "The Empress may retire for the night."

The Empress stood up without a word and bowed, her expression unpleasant, but of course, no one would pay attention to her. Just as the Qianwan Emperor was about to leave with Consort Ding Zhaorong, a hand suddenly stretched out beside him, properly holding a gold-rimmed porcelain plate with two cups of West Lake Longjing tea.

The Qianwan Emperor glanced at it, only seeing a guard with his head lowered, and impatiently asked, "What is this for?"

The guard looked up with a slight smile, politely and even gently replying, "Your Majesty, this humble one is serving tea to see off the guest on behalf of the Empress!"

The Qianwan Emperor abruptly froze in place.

The guard was none other than Shangguan Mingde, whom he hadn't seen for more than half a month.

Consort Ding Zhaorong looked at the Qianwan Emperor in confusion and then turned to look at Mingde. Her first impression was that this guard was very beautiful. Not only were his features exquisite for someone in his early teens, but there was also a unique charm in his eyes that was hard to describe. It seemed a bit cold, a bit solemn, and there was a sense of fierceness that came from his overly lush features.

He was different from everyone else she had seen in this palace. It was hard to say how he was different, but he was just distinct. Everyone in the palace was docile and respectful, but this person was fierce, sharp, aloof, and as piercing as a needle.

The Qianwan Emperor suddenly took half a step back and asked in a low voice, "Serving tea to see off the guest? Who is the guest?"

If Mingde dared to say, "The guest is you," at this moment, the Qianwan Emperor couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't do something excessive.

Mingde smiled, and with that smile, his eyes took on a bright and even clear look. "Well, the whole world belongs to the Emperor, so Your Majesty is naturally the host. Forget it. Since I can't serve the Emperor, I'll drink this tea myself."

He picked up the cup and had just taken a sip when the Qianwan Emperor snatched the cup away and drained the remaining tea from where Mingde's lips had touched.

With a crash, the Qianwan Emperor threw the priceless ancient jade cup to the ground, shattering it. He stepped forward, grabbed Mingde's arm, and dragged him in front of the Empress, pointing at her nose and asking, "You, as the esteemed Empress, need to rely on him to vent your anger over trivial matters? If that's the case, you don't need to occupy this position anymore! Have him be the Empress instead!"

In fact, the Empress didn't expect Mingde to disguise himself as a guard and stand outside the palace, but she still knelt down without a word.

"Kneeling, kneeling, kneeling! That's all you know! What else can you do besides kneeling? You're completely useless!"

Before the Qianwan Emperor could finish speaking, Mingde suddenly knelt down. "Your Majesty, please quell your anger."

Consort Ding Zhaorong hid behind a gold-carved, red-lacquered pillar in a panic and couldn't help but glance at Mingde. Although this young man was kneeling and pleading for the Emperor to calm down, for some reason, she always felt that he was actually smiling, a mocking, contemptuous, and ruthless smile.

The Qianwan Emperor reached out to hold his chin. "What are you begging me for?"

"This humble one is begging Your Majesty to quell your anger," Mingde said. "Your Majesty, as the esteemed Emperor, do you need to rely on scolding the Empress to vent your anger over trivial matters? If that's the case, the Empress doesn't need to waste your time anymore. It's a pity to delay your time with Consort Ding Zhaorong. I'm really sorry about that."

These words were spoken with utmost gentleness, even to the point of being as graceful as a fair lady.

Consort Ding Zhaorong's mind buzzed. No one dared to speak to the Emperor like this unless they wanted to be executed and have their entire family exterminated.

Sure enough, the Qianwan Emperor's expression twisted. At that moment, everyone had the illusion that he would move his fingers from Mingde's chin to his neck and strangle him.

"Shangguan Mingde," the Qianwan Emperor Li Ji forced out a few words through gritted teeth, "do you think the imperial examination is tomorrow and you already have one foot out of the capital city's gate?"

"This humble one wouldn't dare," Mingde replied.

"I can immediately revoke your qualification to take the exam, do you believe me?"

Mingde replied, "How could your subject not believe you."

The Qianwan Emperor stared at him motionlessly for a long time, his eyes as gloomy as bones, like a beast's gaze focused on its prey before hunting. Shangguan Mingde knelt obediently, allowing his chin to be tightly gripped, his long eyelashes lowered, as if he had no feeling of being torn apart at any moment.

The Qianwan Emperor half-knelt down, grabbing his chin and pulling his entire upper body over with such force that he almost fell into his arms.

"Mingde," he asked, "are you threatening me?"

Shangguan Mingde laughed, "How would your subject dare."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Your subject knows his mistake."

"What mistake do you know?"

"As your subject said," Mingde gently smiled and slowly said, "Your subject saw the cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest, the harem in chaos, and couldn't help but educate Ding Zhaorong on behalf of Your Majesty and the Empress on who is the master of this harem and the mother of the world. Who knew it would delay Your Majesty's favor to Ding Zhaorong, it's truly a sin."

In other words, this person has a small heart and holds grudges. Being provoked by a trivial matter, he can't forget to settle the score.

Perhaps there have been many concubines openly or secretly demonstrating against the Empress over the years, and perhaps there are more foolish and naive people than Ding Zhaorong, but unfortunately, Ding Zhaorong's one innocent and ignorant act of showing off happened to catch Shangguan Mingde's attention.

The Qianwan Emperor laughed instead of getting angry, "Good, good! My dear official is so diligent, how can I not reward you?"

The Qianwan Emperor suddenly grabbed Mingde and dragged him up. A large iron-like hand grabbed his arm, regardless of whether he could keep up or not, and dragged Mingde to the entrance of the great hall.

Ding Zhaorong stood there at a loss, suddenly hearing a bang from the chair behind her. She turned her head and saw that the Empress had stood up from her body, and then fell weakly into the huge, luxurious jade chair.

Ding Zhaorong tremblingly opened her mouth, "Empress... His Majesty, he..."

The Empress said sternly, "What are you doing standing there!"

Her voice had completely lost its usual calmness and dignity, even giving people a feeling of being hideous.

Ding Zhaorong's legs softened, and she ran out of the great hall, desperately chasing after them.