Prefect Liao rushed to Luojing City, arriving on a snowy day.

As the high walls of Luojing came into view, Prefect Liao showed no intention of stopping to avoid the wind and snow. He continued riding his horse at full speed with his servants, intending to reach the city before the day's end. The dozen or so horses galloped like a whirlwind, leaving the accumulated snow on the official road a muddy mess.

As they approached the city wall, Prefect Liao was the first to rein in his horse and dismount. Just as he was about to take out his documents to prove his identity, a blue-robed eunuch came to greet him with a smile, asking, "Are you Prefect Liao?"

Prefect Liao was surprised but nodded calmly, "Yes, I am. And you are...?"

Confirming his identity, the eunuch's smile grew even more amiable, and he bowed respectfully, "I am a servant attending to His Majesty. Knowing that Prefect Liao would be arriving in the capital soon, I have been waiting here for several days and have finally met you. Hexia is far from Luojing, and Prefect Liao must be exhausted from the long journey. Please come this way to the carriage to have a cup of hot tea and rest your feet. We will enter the palace shortly."

Prefect Liao was led into Luojing City, and the guards at the gate let them pass without even checking their entry documents. Although the eunuch before him had a friendly smile and a gentle demeanor, Prefect Liao was still filled with doubts.

He still did not know why His Majesty had summoned him to Luojing. He had planned to inquire with old acquaintances in the capital upon his arrival, but he had unexpectedly encountered this eunuch who immediately wanted to take him into the palace.

Why such urgency?

The more Prefect Liao thought about it, the more worried he became. He couldn't help but discreetly ask the eunuch, who only smiled and said, "How could I know His Majesty's thoughts? But Prefect Liao can rest assured. In my opinion, it can't be a bad thing. Now that the Noble Consort is the only one who has gained the Emperor's favor, perhaps His Majesty simply misses you and has summoned you here."

Prefect Liao thought: It's unlikely to be just for such a trivial matter. There must be other more important reasons!

He knew his own daughter well. She was actually quite lazy at heart. When it came to the skills that young ladies from aristocratic families needed to learn, she would put them all aside once she had reached a passable level, not wanting to put in the effort to improve further. Apart from her good looks, she truly had no other noteworthy qualities.

He had heard that the beauties in the palace were not only lovely in appearance but also deeply scheming. With a cruel and murderous emperor, no matter how he thought about it, his daughter must be in a dire situation. He half-disbelieved and half-worried about the rumors of Consort Liao gaining the Emperor's favor.

He didn't know how much his daughter had suffered during this time. To live well in that palace, she would likely have to change beyond recognition.

The more he thought about it, the more unbearable the heartache became for Prefect Liao. He didn't know what kind of haggard daughter he would see on this visit.

On the way to the palace, they passed by the Duan residence. Prefect Liao was surprised to find white lanterns hanging in front of the Duan residence. If an ordinary person had passed away, they wouldn't even be qualified to hang white lanterns in such a large family. The deceased must be a person of status in the Duan family.

"I wonder who has passed away in the residence of Elder Duan?"

The eunuch timely put on an expression of grief and regret, "It was Elder Duan's second son who fell ill and passed away a few days ago. Elder Duan, at his age, had to witness the younger generation pass before him. Heartbroken, he fell ill and is now recuperating at home, unable to attend to even the affairs of the court."

Prefect Liao did not know this Elder Duan. The Duan family was a large clan that had resided in Luojing for generations, unlike the Liao family, which was only a family from Hexia. There was basically no interaction between them—mainly because the Duan family looked down on them.

So Prefect Liao only sighed along with the eunuch and did not pay much attention.

Upon entering the palace, a purple-robed eunuch came to receive them. He appeared to be of higher status but had an even more enthusiastic attitude.

"Prefect Liao has arrived! The Noble Consort has been waiting for you and has asked about you several times! Let us go and meet the Noble Consort now."

Prefect Liao hesitated, "Do I need to pay respects to His Majesty first?"

The eunuch smiled, "No need. His Majesty has instructed that if you arrive, you should go and meet the Noble Consort first."

Although this was somewhat against etiquette, since the Emperor had said so, Prefect Liao could only follow the instructions and go see his daughter first. He was indeed very concerned about her and followed the eunuch with an uneasy heart, not paying much attention to where the eunuch was leading him.

It was only when the eunuch stopped and stood in front of a palace gate, bowing to him with cupped hands, that Prefect Liao reacted and looked at the gate.

"This... this seems to be His Majesty's inner palace?"

Prefect Liao was puzzled. Wasn't his daughter supposed to meet him? Why didn't they take him to the Noble Consort's residence but instead brought him to the inner palace where His Majesty rested?

The eunuch continued to explain with a smile, "Prefect Liao, there is no need for suspicion. The Noble Consort is waiting for you inside the palace."

Asking more questions was futile. Prefect Liao stepped into the palace and saw the palace maids and eunuchs bowing in succession, leading him to the front of the couch.

Prefect Liao: "..."

Liao Tingyan was half-sprawled on the couch, almost buried in the fox fur cushion, with her feet stepping on a strange-looking foot warmer. She was also covered with a soft brocade quilt, her posture very casual and unrestrained, extremely improper.

If not for the various snacks and candied fruits on the small table beside her, and her daughter's complexion looking too good, Prefect Liao would have thought she was paralyzed in that position and unable to get up.

However, he also recalled a certain rumor and glanced at his daughter's abdomen, asking her with mixed feelings, "Is the Noble Consort pregnant?"

Hence the appearance of nurturing the fetus.

Liao Tingyan had been lying there, almost dozing off, but upon hearing that her father had arrived, she became more alert. She had just sat up from the couch and had not yet had the chance to properly inquire about his well-being when her father dropped this question on her.

She fell silent.

How did this rumor keep spreading wider and wider? Was there no one to control it?

"Ahem, Father, don't listen to the rumors outside. Your daughter is not pregnant." Liao Tingyan solemnly refuted the rumor, then had someone bring over a small table with a soft cushion. "Father, please sit down and talk."

"Has Father been well recently? The long journey must have been tiring. You look thinner." Liao Tingyan was still very concerned about Prefect Liao, who had been her father for several years, and kept asking about him with care.

Prefect Liao answered one by one, and also wanted to greet her with a few words, but looking at her obviously fattened face, he felt he couldn't open his mouth. Generally speaking, he should say something like "You've lost weight too."

This was the heartbreaking scene he had been imagining during his journey, where the father and daughter would say these words to each other when they met. But now that he really saw her, he couldn't say those words against his conscience.

He had to admit that his daughter might really be doing well, because his daughter, whom he hadn't been able to fatten up for so many years, had visibly gained weight within less than a year of entering the palace.

"Father, would you like to try some of this candied fruit? It's quite delicious. It was presented from the south a while ago and made into candied fruit."

Liao Tingyan spoke, and the maid who was arranging a vase on the side came forward with the candied fruit and presented it to Prefect Liao. Looking at the array of food beside him, Prefect Liao was really at a loss.

"Noble Consort, is this how you treat guests on a daily basis?"

Liao Tingyan heard the disapproval in her father's tone and asked him in puzzlement, "Father, you don't like candied fruit?" In previous winters, he loved eating these candied fruits the most.

Prefect Liao: It's not about the candied fruit at all!

He looked at his daughter with concern, "When you were at home, you at least knew some rules. How come now that you've entered the palace, you've lost all sense of propriety? Although I am your father, our identities are different now. You shouldn't be lounging on the couch like this when talking. Wouldn't it be detrimental to your dignity?"

Yes, although his daughter was lazy when she was at home before, she at least knew to sit up when eating and sit properly when receiving guests. Now, in the middle of winter, she was lying on the couch eating.

This was the emperor's inner chamber! The emperor could come in at any time. If he saw her in this unruly state, what if he became displeased with her?

The old father was worried sick.

Liao Tingyan didn't realize at first that there was anything wrong with her behavior. It took her a while to react before she cursed silently. She really hadn't noticed.

Recently, she spent most of her time comfortably lounging here. Sima Jiao often lounged with her too. No one dared to say a word against her. She had gotten used to it.

Besides, she didn't need to receive guests. One should know that she basically lived in Sima Jiao's inner chamber now. Who would dare to come here to visit her? This place had completely become her territory, so of course she could do as she pleased.

Sima Jiao was really the type of person who could easily lead others astray. Liao Tingyan blamed Sima Jiao without any psychological burden, but she still remained lying on the couch without moving a muscle. "Father, don't worry. His Majesty personally allowed me to be like this."

With these words, no matter how much Prefect Liao disapproved, he could only swallow it back. What else could he do? He certainly couldn't reprimand the emperor. His daughter was now the Noble Consort, and he couldn't say much about such matters anymore.

The old father inexplicably felt a sadness that his daughter had found a backer and he could no longer control her, only able to watch her act recklessly.

Liao Tingyan rubbed her nose, feeling that her father must be mumbling something in his heart again. She saw his worry and racked her brains to comfort him, "Father, you don't need to worry about me. You see, I'm doing quite well now. His Majesty is very fond of me."

After the big secret incident last time, both Liao Tingyan and Sima Jiao were more relaxed when interacting with each other. For example, Liao Tingyan's current lazy appearance - before, she at least wouldn't eat on Sima Jiao's bed. It was all because Sima Jiao indulged her endlessly without any bottom line, almost spoiling her rotten.

Hearing his daughter's words, Prefect Liao didn't feel reassured. On the contrary, he became even more worried. He thought of those beauties who brought disaster to the country in the previous dynasty. They were called femme fatales, but in fact, they were all pitiful women who were fortunate enough to gain the emperor's favor.

But once something happened, they became the source of all tragedies, subjected to people's curses, as if the downfall of the country was solely due to that one small woman.

He really didn't want his daughter to end up with such a fate. If possible, he would rather his daughter be just an ordinary beauty in this rear palace, living a plain and stable life.

Emperor Sima Jiao's temperament was fickle. Today's favor was just a momentary novelty. How long could it last? In the future, if His Majesty no longer favored his daughter, how would his daughter handle herself?

Liao Tingyan: Dad is overthinking again, his eyebrows are furrowed so tightly they're about to squeeze together.

"Dad, you really don't need to worry too much. Live your own life well... In these years, you've been busy with political affairs and haven't taken many concubines. Now that your daughter has found a place to settle down and you don't need to worry about her, why don't you remarry, Father? It would be good to have another younger brother or sister to dote on. Or is it that Father hasn't met a satisfactory woman?" Liao Tingyan asked tentatively.

As soon as she finished speaking, Sima Jiao's voice came from outside the curtain. He came from the front hall with two eunuchs, seeming to have heard Liao Tingyan's words.

He casually chimed in, "If there are no satisfactory women in Hexia, why not select a few beauties from Luojing to bring back? There are a few in my harem who are quite good-looking. I don't know if Prefect Liao would find them pleasing to the eye."

Liao Tingyan: "..." Are you serious?! You really want your concubines to become my stepmothers?

Prefect Liao: "..." This emperor is indeed as unconventional in his actions as the rumors say.

The emperor could go crazy, but the ministers couldn't go crazy with him. Prefect Liao stood up with a solemn face and bowed. "This minister Liao Jin pays respects to Your Majesty. This minister does not dare."

Liao Tingyan also called out "Your Majesty". She was originally going to remain lying down as usual, but upon receiving her old father's gaze, she slowly prepared to get up and pay her respects. Before she could even straighten her waist, Sima Jiao had already strode to the side of the couch and pressed her back down with one hand.

"It's so cold outside. What are you getting up for? Lie down."

Liao Tingyan lay back down and conveniently took out a hand warmer from under the blanket for Sima Jiao. She also lifted a corner of the blanket and casually draped it over his legs.

Sima Jiao held the hand warmer and looked at Prefect Liao, somewhat displeased. "You can't bully my Noble Consort."

Prefect Liao: ???

That was definitely his daughter, right? He didn't do anything disrespectful, did he?

Seeing Prefect Liao's shocked expression, not knowing where he went wrong, Sima Jiao raised his eyebrows and stared at him.

"Didn't you just force her to get up? Who allowed you to coerce her?"

Just now, from the exchange of glances between Liao Tingyan and Prefect Liao, and Liao Tingyan's movement to get up and pay her respects, Sima Jiao guessed that Prefect Liao must have said something before he arrived, probably about rules and such. Sima Jiao didn't need to use his brain to figure it out. These people were really all the same, meddling in other people's business.

Liao Tingyan poked Sima Jiao's back with her finger from behind.

Ancestor! That's my father! Do you think everyone is a scumbag like you who pits their own father!

Author's Note:

What's it like to have an emperor as a son-in-law?

- Thanks for asking. It's the feeling of wanting to slap that bastard to death but not daring to, because he's the supreme ruler, hehe.