Having a Delightful Conversation

The black and gold-gilded carriage rolled over the lapis lazuli paved grounds unique to the Crown Palace, finally coming to a steady halt before the sleeping quarters.

The faint friction of the wheels ceasing their rotation broke the deep silence of the palace courtyard and sliced through the subtle atmosphere inside the carriage.

The attending female officials stepped forward silently, respectfully lifting the carriage curtain.

Gu Chengyin alighted first, his movements crisp and decisive.

The fierce afternoon sun instantly enveloped his official robes, casting a long, slender shadow upon the ground.

He stood firm, turned, and bowed according to etiquette toward Luo Zhao, who sat upright within the carriage. "Your Highness, this subject takes his leave."

There were no superfluous words, nor any deliberate intimacy or alienation; everything perfectly aligned with the proper bounds of a subject.

Luo Zhao merely gave a slight nod. Immediately after, the female official lowered the curtain, completely cutting off the line of sight between the inside and outside.

Gu Chengyin lingered no longer, walking toward the temporary side hall assigned to him on the west side.

His steps were steady, and his figure soon disappeared around the corner of the palace walls and corridors.

The heavy doors of the sleeping quarters slowly closed, shutting everyone out until only Luo Zhao remained.

Only then did she seem drained of all her strength, stumbling backward a step to lean against the cold, hard, coiled-dragon pillar.

Her spine slightly hunched, and her body beneath the black palace robes began to tremble uncontrollably.

It was not from the cold, but from the fury, hatred, and immense sense of humiliation that threatened to burn her very soul to ashes!

"Master..."

These two words were like a poisoned whip laced with barbs, lashing out in her mind over and over again. Each strike brought a bloody, mangled agony and a shame that made her soul shudder!

She, the Crown Princess of Great Luo, the future Empress.

Had actually spoken those two words from her own lips in front of that man!

All for the so-called greater good, to buy time, and to use him to tide over this crisis!

"Gu Chengyin..."

Luo Zhao squeezed the name through her gritted teeth. Her voice was low and hoarse, brimming with deep-seated hatred. "You... damned... insolent madman!"

She walked over to the bronze mirror inside the sleeping quarters.

The woman reflected in the mirror possessed a breathtakingly beautiful countenance, but within her phoenix eyes burned a cold, murderous intent akin to the karmic hellfire.

Luo Zhao stared fixedly at her own reflection, as if to brand the humiliation and rage of this moment deep into the core of her soul.

"Just wait... you just wait..."

She murmured softly, every word reeking of blood.

"Everything you have inflicted upon me today... one day, I will make you repay it a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times over!"

"I will let you know what a miserable fate awaits those who offend the heavenly majesty! I will make you beg for life and pray for death! You will regret ever being born into this world!"

It took a long time before Luo Zhao could barely calm her turbulent emotions.

She took several deep breaths, gradually reining in her out-of-control expression until it was once again covered by a layer of icy indifference.

Now was not the time to wallow in hatred; she still had too many things to do.

The most pressing matter at hand was the Ministry of Revenue's accounts.

Summoning her personal maid, she changed into a lighter, more comfortable set of brocade casual wear, replacing her black jade hairpin with a simpler silver one.

Once properly dressed, she took two female officials and left her sleeping quarters, heading toward Mingli Hall, which was dedicated to handling government affairs.

The sheer volume of the Ministry of Revenue's accounts was far beyond ordinary imagination.

Just sorting and transporting them was not something that could be completed in a short amount of time.

In fact, even with Shangguan Yunying bringing the capable personnel of the Internal Affairs Department and personally overseeing the process at the Ministry of Revenue's office with the Crown Princess's edict in hand, it would still take at least a day and a night to transport all the account books, files, and documents to the Crown Palace.

When Luo Zhao stepped through the evening afterglow and arrived outside Mingli Hall, she saw countless chests being continuously carried into the hall.

Inside the hall, dozens of low-ranking female officials and eunuchs were frantically taking inventory under the guidance of several veteran clerks. The scene was quite chaotic.

Luo Zhao furrowed her brows slightly; it seemed that just categorizing them would take quite a while.

Just as she was about to step into the hall, her gaze was involuntarily drawn to a scene in a quiet corner.

There, behind a wide red sandalwood desk, Gu Chengyin sat peacefully.

Having changed out of his official robes, he wore only a simple azure straight-cut robe. His hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin. He had lost some of his sharpness and gained a bit of a scholarly air.

Spread out before him were several thick account books, along with a few unrolled documents.

At this moment, his head was slightly lowered, his expression focused as he read an account book in his hands. From time to time, he would pick up the writing brush beside him and quickly jot down something on a stack of letter paper.

Luo Zhao's footsteps quietly came to a halt outside the hall doors.

Through the busy, shuttling figures of the palace servants, she gazed at the man in the corner from afar.

The last rays of the setting sun slanted in through the high window lattices, blending with the candlelight inside the hall to plate his entire body in a hazy halo of light.

An indescribable feeling suddenly welled up from the deepest parts of Luo Zhao's heart without any warning.

Did she hate him?

She hated him to the bone.

Did she feel humiliated?

It was etched into her heart and engraved in her bones.

Did she want to kill him?

She thought about it day and night.

However, upon seeing this man buried in tedious accounts with her own eyes, the ice-hard hatred in Luo Zhao's heart was pried open by a tiny sliver by this tranquil scene.

It was this very man who, in the royal court, facing the accusations that had forced her into a corner, had overturned the chessboard in an almost maddened posture, forcibly turning around a situation of certain death.

It was also this man who, when she was panicked and at a loss, had used commands to remind her, guiding her in the right direction.

Now, he was so naturally throwing himself into the affairs of solving her problems, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

All these various things were like a tangled mess of hemp, twisting around Luo Zhao's heart.

"Your Highness?"

Seeing Luo Zhao pause for a long time, staring blankly into the hall, the female official standing beside her could not help but softly remind her.

Luo Zhao jolted awake, as if snapping out of a confusing dream.

She quickly reined in her emotions, restoring her indifferent demeanor, and was just about to step into the great hall.

Right at that moment, a light scarlet figure appeared, fluttering over like a graceful butterfly, heading straight for the corner where Gu Chengyin was.

It was Shangguan Yunying.

In her hands, she seemed to be carrying a small purple clay teapot and a delicate teacup.

Luo Zhao's footsteps paused once again.

She even subconsciously took a half-step back, allowing herself to be concealed in the shadows outside the hall doors.

She saw Shangguan Yunying walk up to Gu Chengyin's desk. She did not immediately speak up to interrupt him, but first set down the teapot and cup in her hands before leaning over slightly, seemingly whispering something.

She wore a relaxed, or perhaps even... playful smile on her face?

It was completely different from her usual image as the strict and capable chief female official.

Gu Chengyin seemed startled by her sudden appearance and proximity. He lifted his head from the account books and looked at Shangguan Yunying.

When he saw clearly who it was, a look of obvious helplessness appeared on Gu Chengyin's face.

Faced with such a reaction, not only did Shangguan Yunying not back down, but the smile on her face actually deepened.

She blinked, said something else, and even reached out to take the brush from Gu Chengyin's hand.

But he raised his hand and gently blocked her, his movements natural and casual. The familiarity and intimacy revealed in this interaction, however, pierced into Luo Zhao's eyes like the tip of a needle.

An inexplicable sense of unease coiled quietly around the heart like slender vines.

Within the hall, candlelight flickered over mountains of ledgers.

Outside, the twilight deepened, and dark shadows stirred.