Mingde became very sleepy and couldn't wake up once he fell asleep. The Qianwan Emperor didn't dare to disturb him, so he maintained the same posture and slowly fell asleep too. After an unknown amount of time, he was suddenly startled awake. Outside the window, the sky had already darkened. Mingde, who had long woken up, was squirming around beside him.

He only felt a slight stinging pain on his fingers. Turning his head to look, he saw Mingde grasping one of his fingers, gently biting it, covering his hand in saliva.

The quilt had long been pushed down by his squirming, and his thin sleepwear slid down his body to his waist, exposing a large expanse of tender skin. As the Qianwan Emperor watched, he couldn't help but feel a rush of desire. The slight stinging pain on his hand seemed to seep deep into his heart, as if a little claw was constantly scratching at it.

Mingde sensitively raised his eyes and saw that the Qianwan Emperor was awake. He immediately scrambled to the foot of the bed to hide. Before he could conceal himself, a hand reached out to grab him around the waist and pull him back. The Qianwan Emperor's strong body then pressed down on him, his pure masculine aura of invasion completely enveloping him.

"Don't... Mmm..."

That voice was really too unclear. The Qianwan Emperor gently kissed him while reaching a hand under his clothes to caress his skin. The youth's smooth skin seemed like it would melt upon touch, exuding a fatal allure amidst the messy bed.

The Qianwan Emperor panted heavily. He almost instantly felt himself harden, his desire hitting like a fierce flood, impossible to restrain.

"Be good, be good... Good boy, come, relax a little..."

Mingde wasn't buying it at all, squirming around trying to escape. The Qianwan Emperor held him tightly with one arm while his other hand enveloped the youth's docile organ, stroking it up and down in an attempt to make him hard as well.

But Mingde was just too nervous. He feared the bright yellow dragon robe. Although this man had changed into different clothes and switched the incense, he was still the same person, still making him feel afraid.

The Qianwan Emperor tried to get him to relax for a long time, but the little thing remained soft without any inclination of rising. Not only that, Mingde seemed to grow even more frightened. When the Qianwan Emperor lowered his head to kiss that little forehead, he heard faint, timid sobs.

"Don't, don't cry, good boy, listen, don't cry..." The Qianwan Emperor gently kissed away the tears at the corners of his eyes, instantly feeling the body beneath his hands tremble even more violently.

Such a soft and beautiful body, weakly pinned under him, aroused an irrepressible desire to ravish him. The soul-consuming, bone-melting pleasure in his memories still stimulated his nerves, making Li Ji want to immediately enter this little thing's body, doing it until he cried out softly, moaned, and begged pitifully.

The violent thoughts only lasted a short while before Li Ji sat up and took a deep breath. As soon as he loosened his grip, Mingde immediately struggled free and curled up in the corner of the bed, exposing most of his body. It seemed that in his mind, as long as he hid in this corner, he would be safe and no one could do anything to him.

Li Ji looked at him and smiled bitterly. In the end, he decided to take care of it himself. He didn't dare summon any concubines and was unwilling to see other women. This emperor, who shouldn't lack women, could only relieve his desire with his own hands before hastily cleaning up and rushing back.

Mingde seemed to feel that this man hadn't harmed him, so he became a bit bolder. Seeing Li Ji return, he didn't hide, but peeked out curiously to look at him.

Li Ji grabbed him with one hand and held him tightly in his arms. "What are you looking at, you little rascal... So disobedient, be careful or I'll throw you to the wolves..."

Mingde didn't understand what "throw to the wolves" meant. What he disliked was being caught in Li Ji's embrace. As soon as he was grabbed, he started squirming and muttering complaints.

The Qianwan Emperor instinctively felt the flames of desire that had just been extinguished start to burn again. He quickly held him still to stop his movements. "What do you want? Speak up, what do you want?"

"Want to eat..."

The little thing looked pitiful, seeing the Qianwan Emperor's fingers and biting down on them again, covering his hand in saliva. "Want to eat... Want to eat..."

"Want to eat what?"

Mingde didn't understand and just mumbled, "Want to eat..."

The Qianwan Emperor himself was not an emperor of extravagance and debauchery. The expenses of the rear palace had always been modest. The only one who could be described as being clothed in brocades and fed with jade was this ungrateful little one in his arms.

When he couldn't clearly express what he wanted to eat, the small kitchen in Qingxiu Palace would usually prepare all the dishes and bring them out. These dishes were often only taken a couple bites of, some not even touched before being taken away. In the end, only about one percent of those most precious and rare ingredients actually entered his mouth.

The imperial kitchen chefs had once advised that if this continued, it could diminish his fortune and also attract criticism. But the Qianwan Emperor dismissed them with a single sentence: "I have only this one person, cherishing him like a pearl and treasure. The whole world can be offered up, let alone some food, clothing and daily necessities!"

The small kitchen was well-prepared. Before long, palace servants set up tables, chairs, bowls and chopsticks. A stream of various delicacies from the north and south, sweet and savory snacks, drinks, soups and noodles were sent in. Because they couldn't figure out what the little noble liked to eat now, and the emperor was vague in his words, the chefs could only send as much variety as possible, basically covering all the possible dishes.

Mingde was actually much easier to serve now compared to before. He found everything interesting and wanted to eat everything, taking a taste of every dish. If he liked it, he swallowed it. If he didn't, he chewed a couple times and spit it out.

In this state, he couldn't feed himself, so the Qianwan Emperor held him tightly in his arms and patiently fed him. The little thing was so excited that he forgot to struggle and obediently leaned into the embrace.

"You used to refuse to eat anything and never wanted to lean against me..."

As he spoke, his breath, hot and moist, brushed over the tip of Mingde's ear. Mingde shrank his head and looked up at him with a face full of confusion.

His eyes were very beautiful, a sheet of clear transparency, carrying the brightness and innocence from when they first met. The Qianwan Emperor suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if an iron wire was tightly constricting him, making it almost impossible to breathe. He released Mingde, clutched his chest, and bent over.

In the past, he always asked Mingde: Why are you crying? What's there to cry about?

Now he understood why tears would flow, but it was already too late, and everything was beyond remedy.

The rebel army was suppressed, and the great hall was splashed with water, glistening in the sunlight. Despite this, the wails of the wronged souls and the smell of blood still lingered in the majestic and solemn hall, struggling in every crevice and corner, crying out day and night.

Regarding Shangguan Mingde leading the rebellion, the court officials were abuzz with discussions. Eventually, led by the regent minister Ding Huang, they collectively submitted a memorial to the Qianwan Emperor, demanding severe punishment for Shangguan Mingde. This even included a petition from Minister Shangguan and his entire clan.

He even sought a private audience with the Qianwan Emperor, weeping and demanding his unfilial son be executed by a thousand cuts. Ding Huang had already assured him that if he did this, the entire clan would be spared. Thus, Minister Shangguan cried with genuine sincerity, eager to immediately sever ties with his unfilial son.

The Qianwan Emperor did not directly deal with Ding Huang. Instead, during the morning court session the next day, he suddenly lashed out, having Xia Zheng publicly impeach Minister Shangguan on eighteen charges, including embezzlement and dereliction of duty. He ordered the male members of the Shangguan family to be thrown into prison and the Zhang family to be exiled to the border.

Seeing that the Qianwan Emperor did not mention a word about the rebellion that day, Ding Huang couldn't help but exclaim loudly: "Your Majesty, wait! Shangguan Mingde led troops to break into Zhengtai Palace in broad daylight, not only offending Your Majesty's authority but also being unruly in front of the ancestral temple! Your Majesty, if you don't punish him, it won't be enough to appease the people's anger!"

The Qianwan Emperor sneered: "I think it's not enough to appease your beloved daughter's anger!"

Among the civil and military officials, few knew the secrets of Qingzhen Palace, and they didn't know how Ding Zhaorong was involved again. Ding Huang's face alternated between green and white. After a while, he said, "If Your Majesty truly sees this old minister in this light, how can this old minister face the ancestors..."

"Beloved minister, don't waste your efforts. Shangguan Mingde is already dead. Are you satisfied?"

Before Ding Huang could utter a word, the Qianwan Emperor had already slammed the table, stood up, and left, leaving the dumbfounded court officials, none of whom dared to move an inch.

Zhang Kuo hurriedly stepped forward and called out in a prolonged voice: "Those with matters, present your memorials! Those without, adjourn the court!"