At that time, no one knew that these two names would later shake the world. At that time, they were just little children, practicing martial arts, studying calligraphy, and playing wildly until they returned home for dinner at dusk. At dusk, a wisp of cooking smoke rose slowly.

The master sat at the table, waiting for his still-wild second disciple to finish playing and come back on his own. Every time, when everyone was starving, only the steady and reliable first disciple would go out, stand on the hillside, and shout towards the deep mountains, "Junior Brother! It's time to come home for dinner!"

Again and again, month after month, year after year.

In an instant, time reversed. In a flash, a decade of prosperity turned to ashes. Looking back suddenly, that moment in memory was actually the so-called eternity.

In the winter of that year, the great army marched north and ambushed the rebel forces on the southern bank of the Huai River. The subordinates of Prince Dongyang Jinyuan attempted to establish their own regime, but during the coronation ceremony, a young general charged in alone on horseback, clad in fine silver armor. With just a single arrow shot from afar, he pierced right through the chest of the rebel leader.

The light from that single arrow, shot from the ancient Majia bow, illuminated the entire sky.

That little lord from a famous family in the capital, previously unknown, with his cold and handsome appearance and sharp skills, rose to prominence in the chaotic world as swiftly as a silver meteor streaking across the sky. In just three months, he defeated the rebels, killed their leader, and pursued the remnants of Prince Jinyuan's forces who had fled to the snowy mountains. Beneath the majestic Tianshan Mountains, he beheaded the enemy with his sword, his white robes fluttering without a single stain of blood.

In times of chaos, heroes emerge, and the situation creates talents. More than a decade ago, the border wars gave rise to Zhuo Yu. Now, the internal strife spanning a thousand miles had produced Shangguan Mingde.

In early spring, Lin Bing returned to the capital injured. The imperial edict commanded Shangguan Mingde to lead the army back to the court. By then, Shangguan Mingde had already accumulated numerous military achievements. The entire army, with their carved phoenix banners, marched a thousand miles without falling, their might and prestige even more impressive than Zhuo Yu's meteoric rise years ago.

The great army from Hanbei rushed three thousand miles to reach the outskirts of the capital by dusk. The city gates would open early the next morning to allow the army to enter and pay respects to the Qianwan Emperor.

During dinner, a fire was lit. Mingde tossed aside his armor and sat in the tent, bored, roasting food over the fire. He had dismissed all the deputy generals and guards, leaving him alone to sprinkle salt on the meat and take a satisfying bite before contentedly rolling onto the bed.

Outside the tent, someone deliberately made a loud inhaling sound, "What is this smell? It's so fragrant! So fragrant!"

Immediately, other guards stopped him, "The food is over there. If you disturb the general, be careful not to lose your head with just one bite!"

Mingde raised his eyebrows and continued eating. When he wasn't wearing armor or armed, he generally didn't keep anyone by his side. Once, while he was casually roasting food in the tent, the door curtain was rolled up and a few deputy generals entered to report military affairs while joining him in roasting.

As he absentmindedly sprinkled salt and tended the fire, nodding along, he suddenly looked up and noticed the strange expressions on their faces.

At that time, he casually asked, "What's wrong with you? Do I have something on my face?"

The men looked at each other awkwardly and pushed forward one who was usually more straightforward. Scratching his head, he chuckled and said, "We didn't realize it before, but General, haha, when you're out of uniform, you look quite young..."

Mingde was already young in age and had a slender build. Without his armor, his face was fair and delicate like jade. In the firelight, he seemed to resemble the young and pampered little beauty from a palace. The ill-tempered and spoiled little noble had been deeply hidden during the arduous journey of his thousand-mile campaign. Who would associate the imposing and solemn young general with the endearing little lord roasting food by the fire?

At that time, Mingde had only smiled without responding. From then on, whenever he was resting out of uniform, he never allowed anyone to stay and accompany him.

He knew he hadn't fully matured yet. Sometimes he would still feel afraid, timid, wanting to be pampered, and wanting to throw tantrums. But such a Shangguan Mingde couldn't command respect. He had to be a qualified and awe-inspiring commander. He had to bury deep in his heart the little noble who once spent entire days and nights curled up crying in the palace.

Suddenly, someone outside whispered, "General, someone from the palace is seeking an audience."

Mingde tossed aside the bamboo skewer and wiped his mouth, "Let them in!"

The door curtain was lifted, and a purple-robed chief eunuch entered with a few palace attendants, each carrying a small golden tray without any cover, openly piled with exquisite items. Mingde had already seen all kinds of wealth and extravagance in the Qingqiang Palace, so a few delicate treasures were nothing in his eyes. He leisurely shifted to a comfortable position and asked in a drawling voice, "Eunuch Zhang, long time no see. How have you been?"

Zhang Kuo raised his head, smiling with utmost humility, "Even if this servant is unwell, just seeing the little noble, everything becomes fine. The little noble has been camping outside the city for the past two days, and His Majesty has been worried sick. That's why he sent us servants to carefully welcome the little noble back for a visit."

Mingde glanced at him from the corner of his eye and lazily reclined on the couch, casually calling out, "Someone, come—"

Two sword-bearing guards immediately entered from outside the tent, "Yes, General."

Mingde pointed at Zhang Kuo and ordered, "Give these people a beating and throw them out."

The guards glanced at the palace attendants' attire and hesitated for a moment, but then Mingde's voice rang out, calmly asking, "What are you waiting for?"

The guards immediately drew their swords and grabbed the palace attendants, pushing them out. Those palace attendants were probably all stunned, never expecting soldiers to disregard imperial authority. They represented the face of His Majesty! Daring to lay hands on imperial envoys, wasn't that rebellion?

Zhang Kuo, long accustomed to this little noble's fickle temper, immediately knelt down and took out a scroll of imperial edict from his bosom, holding it high above his head, and loudly proclaimed, "General Mingde, receive the edict—!"

The situation was completely reversed. The one announcing the edict was kneeling, while the one receiving the edict was lounging on the couch, looking lazy and indifferent, as if even if the Qianwan Emperor himself came, he wouldn't be able to pull him up from the couch.

In fact, it was indeed so. Even if the Qianwan Emperor personally arrived, he might only be able to stand there and gauge the little one's mood.

Those palace attendants had never experienced Mingde's temper and were instantly stunned.

Zhang Kuo, however, was long accustomed to it and calmly unfolded the bright yellow imperial edict, loudly reciting, "We have long heard that Mingde leads his soldiers from the front, living in humble quarters and eating coarse food. Our heart is quite distressed. Thinking back to the days when you were pampered and spoiled, Our heart often feels sorrowful. We have already ordered the Crown Prince to hold a banquet in the Eastern Palace. Mingde and the Crown Prince were close in the past, so today you should reunite and drink together, enjoying the prosperity and splendor of the heavenly dynasty's Chang'an once again. Respect this!"

A banquet hosted by the Crown Prince?

In the Eastern Palace? As soon as he finished speaking, Mingde jumped off the bed with a whoosh and strode out. Zhang Kuo hurriedly got up and followed, repeatedly calling out, "Quickly attend to him! Where's his cloak and overcoat? Hurry and put on the thick fur clothes!"

Outside the tent, a nine-cornered, dragon-carved carriage with a fragrant canopy had long been waiting. From the moment Mingde stepped out of the door curtain, the softest and thickest carpet was laid out step by step, extending all the way to the carriage door. Two eunuchs of the highest rank were kneeling on either side of the footstool, allowing Mingde to step on them to enter the carriage.

These two were influential figures in the palace, and if sent out, they would be imperial envoys that everyone sought to curry favor with. Originally, others thought they were unwilling to take on this task, but in fact, those who had served in Qingzhen Palace in the past knew that not everyone was qualified to serve this extremely pampered little noble.

The tea he drank, the food he ate, the discarded calligraphy paper, the unwanted items... Even the fragments of things he broke could not be casually cleaned up by just any palace servant. If the Emperor allowed you to serve him, it meant he trusted you, intended to cultivate you, and had great confidence in you. Although this little noble had a bad temper, if you truly served him well, the day of your meteoric rise would not be far off.

Mingde entered the carriage without even a glance, sitting upright and commanding with his chin raised, "Let's go."

Zhang Kuo immediately bowed and responded, then turned his head and ordered in a sharp voice, "Go!"

After a year, nothing had changed in the imperial palace. It was still the same layout and style. Passing through the imperial garden, the fragrant scent of the luxurious lotus permeated most of the area.

When getting off the carriage, Mingde lifted the crystal curtain and immediately paused, asking with a sullen face, "Isn't this Qingzhen Palace?"

Zhang Kuo nodded and bowed, saying, "Little noble, please get off the carriage first, have some hot food, change clothes. It's already so late..."

Mingde sat back in the carriage, closed his eyes, raised his pointed little chin, and threw out a harsh sentence, "It's even more inappropriate to run around to places one shouldn't go when it's late. This shabby appearance is already unpleasant to look at during the day, wouldn't it be even more miserable at night?"

Let alone whether the Emperor's bedchamber was truly not luxurious enough, even if it did not meet Mingde's standard of being "pleasing to the eye," it would not reach the point of being "miserable."

Zhang Kuo smiled apologetically and wiped his sweat, "What you said is really... This servant specially ordered people to decorate it well. If it's not to your liking, just give an order tomorrow and this servant will have people redo it. Why bother at this moment..."

Why bother at this moment to deliberately defy the Emperor?

If it were someone else, seeing Qingzhen Palace appear before their eyes, they should understand that Zhang Kuo was falsely transmitting the imperial decree under orders. With the Emperor's favor before them, regardless of whether you wanted it or not, you had to put on a pleasantly surprised appearance to accept it.

However, after a year of tempering outside, Mingde's temperament had become even more willful. Upon hearing those words, he immediately snorted and lifted his foot, saying, "Very well, I find it unpleasant to look at, so you redo it. I'm going back to train the troops."

The moment he lifted the curtain and came out, the world suddenly turned upside down before his eyes. A rush of blood surged to his head. By the time he reacted, he had already collided into a warm, solid embrace, then was picked up by someone and directly carried into the palace gate of Qingzhen Palace.

The Qianwan Emperor's voice rang out beside his ear, carrying a hint of laughter, "What? Training troops outside the capital? Do you not want to live anymore?"

Mingde took a deep breath and struggled fiercely to break free. But those few steps were not enough to break free. The attendants and palace maids hurriedly opened the door to the inner chamber and hastily retreated. In the blink of an eye, he was thrown onto the huge dragon bed.

"Li Ji! Let go of me! You..."

Before he could finish, the Qianwan Emperor covered his mouth with one hand, "Don't make a sound."

The light and sweet fragrance of jade lingered in the luxurious and exquisite palace chamber, and everything was so familiar in his memory. The palace gates that others would break their heads trying to enter, he was struggling desperately inside to get out, but the man before him tightly closed the door and would not let him leave.

After finally taking a trip out, in the end, he was still dragged back, forcibly pulled, just like a kidnapped criminal.

"What's wrong with you?" the Qianwan Emperor leaned close to Mingde, his slightly rough hands heavily caressing his cheeks. "Such an aggrieved little look, as if I bullied you... Didn't you just return after establishing military merits? I let you run amok for an entire year, still not done playing? You little thing, truly disobedient."

Mingde fiercely flung off his hand. The Qianwan Emperor was not angry and hugged him, chuckling. That laughter seemed to vibrate from his chest, dull and heavy with each sound.

"Mingde, it's good that you're back. It's not easy to see you. I'm very happy now. Don't ruin my good mood."

Mingde spat fiercely, the sound loud, but the Qianwan Emperor paid no heed at all. When he was in the army before, he was not particular. Even after becoming Emperor, he did not have many luxurious and strange habits. Whether Mingde was refined or crude, it made no difference to him and was not an issue worth noting.

He half-knelt down to remove Mingde's boots and socks, poured a basin of hot water to wash his feet, and gently massaged them.

The Qianwan Emperor was very skilled at massage. Mingde was quite furious at first, but with his feet being pressed comfortably in the hot water, he gradually calmed down and no longer minded the fact that he had been tricked into returning without seeing the Crown Prince.

Lowering his head, he said, "What are you doing? I dare not order you around. If you get angry, you'll accuse me of a crime of disrespecting the imperial authority."

The Qianwan Emperor laughed, "Haven't you disrespected me enough?"

Mingde flicked his foot, splashing water everywhere, "Your Majesty, by saying that, you're killing me. You are the Emperor of a thousand autumns, leaving a fragrant legacy for a thousand generations. This subject must have eaten a leopard's gall to dare disrespect you?"

His voice was gentle yet sarcastic, as if he was still the sharp-tongued little beauty curled up in the depths of the dragon bed, sparing no mercy.

Emperor Li Ji looked up at him, feeling a sudden surge of tenderness in his heart. Such a pampered little thing, whom he wished to hold in his arms every day like a treasure, shielding him from any harm even if the sky were to fall, had been left to wander and suffer the elements for so long. Those feet, which he had once carefully protected from even a speck of dust, now had thin calluses. When had he developed them from riding horses and drawing bows?

He stood up and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

Mingde shook his head, unable to resist a jab, "I'm waiting for the Crown Prince to invite me."

Emperor Li Ji laughed, kissing his face as he chuckled, "Just be good..."

What was going on? Mingde felt dizzy from the kisses, his mind hazy. In the past, he always felt that he lacked confidence and assertiveness when speaking. He only had the courage to do so when Emperor Li Ji was willing to indulge him.

If one day this man stopped indulging him, he would be waiting to be sliced and eaten alive, piece by piece. At that time, he thought, if only I had military achievements or political capital to back me up, then I could stand confidently in the court like Ding Huang and Prime Minister Xia...

But what about now? He indeed had military achievements and some political capital, so why did he still lack confidence when facing this man?

He was still a little afraid, a little itchy in his heart, feeling like he wanted to reach out and scratch but not daring to.

Emperor Li Ji understood this little one in his arms better than even his own parents. With just a glance at Mingde's expression, he casually chuckled, "No matter what high-ranking official or court minister you are, even if you're from a family of generational fame like the Xia clan, it only takes a word from me to have you investigated or executed. Do you think everyone is as bold as you?"

Mingde frowned, his heart sinking heavily. Having just returned, he was bound to feel psychologically unfamiliar, and his spirit was a bit low, the tightly strung string never relaxing. Even if Emperor Li Ji's words were unintentional, he would interpret them in a different, threatening way.

If he were a powerful minister like Zhuo Yu, he would surely handle such sudden situations with ease when facing the emperor. But Mingde was much younger and more inexperienced. Although he had military achievements and capital, he still did not know how to use them.

Having just returned, hearing Emperor Li Ji's words felt like a threat and warning no matter how he listened to them.

Emperor Li Ji, seeing no reaction after one kiss, kissed him again, still with no response. Mingde was frowning, considering something unknown. Because he had just been in hot water, a hint of color slowly surfaced on his cheeks, making one feel heated just looking at him.

He smiled silently, his hand reaching under the clothes, wantonly caressing the youth's supple and sexy lower back.

This is mine, he thought with satisfaction. So beautiful, so proud, no one can catch his eye... Such a person belongs to me.

The next morning, the palace maids coming to serve were stopped at the door. The morning dew was heavy, and the Eunuch Zhang, who held the official seal of the Department of Ceremonies, personally waited at the door with his men, each holding a thick fur coat. They all stood solemnly with stern faces, without even a cough or a word.

The palace maids exchanged glances and silently pushed forward a more respectable senior maid, who stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Greetings, Eunuch Zhang?"

Zhang Kuo raised his eyelids to look, shook his head, and said nothing.

The senior maid glanced at the door and whispered, "What exactly is going on with the Emperor..."

She thought to herself that the Emperor had not summoned anyone last night, and there were no flirtatious palace maids deliberately going to serve at that time in Qingzhen Palace. The Emperor should have been alone last night, so why was he still not up at this hour? Usually, he would have long risen and gone to court by now.

Zhang Kuo softly called out, "Miss Wan'er."

The senior maid quickly responded, "What are your instructions, Eunuch Zhang?"

Zhang Kuo said, "Keep your voice down, miss. That little master has always been a light sleeper. If he's woken up in a bit, it'll be a matter of life and death."

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a soft voice called for them to enter from inside. Zhang Kuo coughed lightly and gently pushed open the door, slipping inside with one or two eunuchs and maids before tightly closing the door again.

A brazier was burning at the door, completely dispelling the cold air brought in by the gust of wind. The room was dark and sweet, and the Emperor was about to rise from behind the bed curtains. A low, hoarse, and petulant voice could be vaguely heard, sounding dissatisfied and very unhappy, probably from being woken up.

The few attendants exchanged glances, somewhat puzzled. Zhang Kuo instructed in an almost soundless voice, "What are you standing there for? Hurry and attend to the Emperor in dressing for court!"

Usually, if there was a concubine attending to the Emperor at night, the intimate tasks of dressing in the morning would be done by the one who had served him. However, let alone Li Ji, Mingde might not even be able to handle his own clothes properly.

It would be quite generous of him not to complain about Emperor Li Ji serving him poorly. If he were to serve Emperor Li Ji, he might angrily pull the pants over the Emperor's head.

The senior maid Wan'er had been promoted later and had not previously served such a difficult little master as Shangguan Mingde. At this moment, she was also unsure of what was going on and could only step forward to gently lift the bed curtain. In that brief moment, she seemed to catch a glimpse of a small, curled-up figure on the bed in the hazy light. It appeared to be a person, but one of such exquisite and indescribable beauty.

She was not without tact and immediately bowed slightly, "This servant greets the master."

She did not know how to address the person on the bed, whether as a concubine, consort, or something else, so she simply called him "master." The other palace attendants behind her, who lacked such perceptiveness, also reacted and greeted him one after another.

Mingde was sleeping in a daze and was awakened by the commotion. Feeling thirsty in his haze, he mumbled, "Water..."

Behind Wan'er, a palace maid was holding the dew tea that the Qianwan Emperor had to drink every morning after waking up. It was a cup of dew collected in the early morning, said to be very refreshing for the mind.

The Qianwan Emperor had to drink this to refresh himself every morning before the morning court session, a habit that hadn't changed for many years. Wan'er was flustered for a moment, not knowing what to do, so she directly took the bowl of tea over.

"Your Majesty..."

Mingde raised his head without any courtesy and drank a few mouthfuls from her hand. Probably feeling that the taste was not good, he mumbled a few words and then flopped back onto the pillow.

Only then did the senior palace maid realize that something was wrong. She hurriedly put down the tea and knelt down on the ground, "This servant knows her mistake, may the Emperor spare my life!"

The Qianwan Emperor looked at the half bowl of tea and said after a while, "...There should have been something to aid sleep added."

Several palace servants knelt down trembling.

"Can't the Imperial Kitchen even make a bowl of sleep-aiding yogurt anymore?"

The palace servants were all trembling and didn't dare to speak. Zhang Kuo, who was more tactful, immediately bowed and said, "The Emperor has taught us a lesson. This servant will go and instruct the Imperial Kitchen right away to separately prepare it for the young noble consort every morning from now on and send it up!"

Only then did the Qianwan Emperor nod. He picked up the remaining half cup of tea, drank it all, and then surprisingly didn't make an issue of anything and turned around to stride out.

The senior palace maid Wan'er knelt on the ground, covered in cold sweat.

She had seen clearly just now that this was a boy, still young in age, just with a somewhat cunning appearance. Listening to Eunuch Zhang's words, it seemed that the servants all referred to him as a noble consort, but she didn't know if this was a general term or if he had already been granted the title of noble consort.

Noble consort was not a very high position. If he was merely a noble consort, the Emperor wouldn't be so...so doting, right?

Full of doubts, she stood up. Suddenly, the person kneeling beside her tugged at the corner of her clothes. Turning her head, she saw it was a palace maid who had previously served in Consort Xia Zhaoyi's palace. Later, when Consort Xia Zhaoyi suddenly fell ill and died, she had been transferred to Qingzhen Palace. It was said she was tight-lipped and good at serving others.

Wan'er asked softly, "What is it?"

"Sister, you'd better kneel down," the palace maid said softly. "It's this young master's old habit to ask for tea and water when he wakes up. If there's no one around, he will keep looking until he goes to the Imperial Study to make a fuss with the Emperor..."