Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

The moon-white embroidered magnolia flower dress overlapped with the bright yellow dragon robe.

Liu Yunshu leaned lazily against the dragon throne, her black hair flowing like a waterfall, her smoky-colored undergarment peeking out from under her moon-white nightgown.

But Kangxi's gaze was focused on that wrist, "The woman by the wine shop is like the moon, her fair wrist is like frost and snow."

Liu Yunshu rested her chin on her hand, her eyes filled with alluring charm, as she looked at Kangxi, who was kneeling on the dragon throne, and gently lifted his chin with her delicate hand.

"Is Sanlang stunned?"

Kangxi's gaze moved upwards along the hand, his eyes darkening. "Yes, the scenery is picturesque, making one reluctant to leave."

Kangxi grasped her hand that was hooking his chin, and gently caressed the delicate skin on her wrist with his fingertips. The touch was even softer than the finest mutton fat jade.

"Is Your Majesty satisfied with my answer?"

Liu Yunshu chuckled at his use of "little one," gently scratching his chin with her fingertips, her eyes filled with a sweet smile.

"You know how to talk. But—"

She changed the subject, gently placing her other hand on his shoulder, her fingertips slowly tracing the patterns on his dragon robe, "Talking isn't enough..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly satisfy you." Kangxi leaned down slightly, following her lead.

***

Xiao Ba and Li Dequan both sighed inwardly.

One was clinging to the gap between the pillars of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, while the other huddled at the corner outside the hall's door, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The little octopus covered its eyes, but the gaps between its fingers were wide enough to fit a lychee.

Host, your aura is absolutely amazing!

She can completely control the emperor just by leaning back on the dragon throne. This is not "Empress and Emperor", but clearly "Master and her loyal dog"!

But as it looked further down, it quickly drooped its ears and silently chanted: "Don't look at what you shouldn't see, don't listen to what you shouldn't hear. I'm just a system that only watches the plot, I didn't see anything!"

Li Dequan was even worse; he was so gripping the whisk in his hand that it almost left marks.

The Emperor was behaving erratically in the main hall today. He even kissed the Empress while having tea earlier, and now he's even more...

He glanced furtively into the hall and quickly lowered his head even further.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony is a very important place in the imperial court, but the Emperor and Empress have been treating it like a warm pavilion in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility!

If any minister were to return and stumble upon this, he would be in serious trouble!

At this moment, Liang Jiugong walked over from not far away. Seeing Li Dequan huddled around the corner with sweat dripping from his forehead, he patted him on the shoulder in surprise.

"Old Li, why aren't you going in to serve the Emperor? What are you doing sneaking around here?"

Li Dequan was startled and quickly turned around to cover his mouth.

"Shh! Are you crazy? Can't you see they're... they're busy inside?"

He lowered his voice, pointed to the tightly closed palace doors, and his tone was full of anxiety.

Liang Jiugong was taken aback and looked towards the palace gate in the direction of his gesture.

He vaguely heard a woman's soft laughter and a man's whispers coming from inside. He instantly understood what was happening, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly took two steps back, even holding his breath.

He knew how much the Emperor favored the Empress lately, but he never expected the Emperor to do so in such a solemn place as the Hall of Supreme Harmony…

"What if someone sees us like this?" Liang Jiugong whispered in Li Dequan's ear, his voice low and his eyes full of worry.

"What else can we do? We can only stay here and guard the place, making sure no one gets close."

Li Dequan sighed, draped his whisk over his arm, and said with a bitter face, "The Crown Prince's affair just happened at the morning court session, and the Emperor was already upset. Now that he's finally relaxed a bit, anyone who dares to barge in and spoil the mood is truly courting death."

Seeing the two eunuchs looking worried, Xiao Ba secretly scratched at the pillar in the corridor with his paw.

What's there to worry about?

The host and Emperor Kangxi are happy with it, so why should anyone else care?

Besides, with it here keeping an eye on things, it can give us a heads-up if someone comes!

As the sun moved from the east window to the west window, the shadow of the bronze crane in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was stretched very long.

Li Dequan and Liang Jiugong waited outside the hall, listening to the faint sounds coming from inside.

Seeing that the sun was slowly sinking behind the western mountains, he ultimately did not dare to go in.

Inside the hall, a light pink robe hung on the dragon head of the dragon throne.

The lotus scroll pattern embroidered with gold thread, touched by the dappled sunlight drifting in from outside the palace, appeared even more vibrant than the bright yellow silk on the imperial desk.

A delicate hand scooped up the small garment that had fallen onto the dragon throne. The moment the fingertips touched the fabric, it was grasped by another warm, large hand.

"What's the rush?"

Liu Yunshu turned around and stepped out of Kangxi's arms.

He casually grabbed the undergarments and nightgown from the dragon throne, then quickly put them on, the whole sequence of movements flowing smoothly like water.

Liu Yunshu adjusted the collar of her moon-white casual robe, her fingertips brushing against the slightly wrinkled embroidery on her shoulder, her eyes still carrying a lingering tenderness.

"There's no rush, it's just that this dragon throne is too hard, it hurts my bones."

Emperor Kangxi pointed at her in the air, saying with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence, "Others would rather die than even get close to the throne, but you're complaining about how hard it is."

Kangxi stood up and reached out to straighten her disheveled clothes. His fingertips brushed against her waist, causing her to flinch slightly.

"Others? Who are the others?" Liu Yunshu raised her foot and pressed it against his broad chest.

Kangxi took her delicate white foot in his hand, his eyes filled with an irrepressible smile. "Others are just strangers."

Liu Yunshu snorted softly and gave him a light kick. Then she picked up her clothes from the ground and put them on.

Kangxi looked at her slender waist wrapped in her moon-white robe and chuckled softly, "Li Dequan!"

Upon hearing the summons, Li Dequan, who was waiting outside the hall, quickly straightened his clothes, exchanged a glance with Liang Jiugong, and quietly pushed open the door to enter.

As soon as I stepped into the palace, a rich fragrance wafted towards me. The scent was a blend of ambergris and the elegant orchid fragrance emanating from the woman, along with a lingering warmth.

Li Dequan didn't dare to lift his eyelids, only staring at the tips of his shoes as he bowed and replied, "This servant is here."

Emperor Kangxi had already straightened his dragon robe and was helping Liu Yunshu tuck her loose black hair behind her ear.

"Go and tidy up the main hall. Tell Liang Jiugong to go to Kunning Palace and bring over a set of clothes. Also, bring Biyu over to help the Empress with her makeup."

"Yes, sir!" Li Dequan replied respectfully, his gaze quickly sweeping over the dragon throne and the ground. He then lowered his head and retreated quietly.

As soon as Li Dequan stepped out of the palace, he saw Liang Jiugong standing on tiptoe, peering into the palace. He quickly pulled him aside and whispered the Emperor's instructions to him in detail.

The two then got to work.

When Liang Jiugong entered with Biyu and clothes, the main hall had already been tidied up.

Biyu, carrying a dressing case, quickly stepped forward, curtsied to Liu Yunshu, and said softly, "Your Highness, this servant will do your hair and makeup."

As he spoke, he placed the box on a small table to the side, and when he opened it, it revealed a dazzling array of hairpins, ornaments, and precious stones.

Liu Yunshu sat on the soft cushion, letting Biyu comb her hair.

Biyu quickly combed Liu Yunshu's hair into two small buns, adorned with a phoenix hairpin inlaid with kingfisher feathers and pearls.

I chose matching pearl earrings and finally added a silver-red palace flower to my temple.

Then they changed her into a silver-red palace dress embroidered with crabapple blossoms.

A light green silk sash was tied around her waist, from which hung a round white jade pendant. The jade pendant jingled softly as she walked, making her figure appear even more slender.

Kangxi sat on a chair to the side, his gaze fixed on her.

Seeing that Biyu had finished getting ready, he said, "It's getting late, let's go back to Kunning Palace for dinner."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The joint trial by the three judicial authorities was extremely efficient, and preliminary results were obtained in just three days.

The Minister of Justice, carrying the case file, entered the Imperial Study with a solemn expression.

Emperor Kangxi was playing chess with Liu Yunshu when he saw Li Dequan enter and gestured for him to take the dossier.

The Minister of Justice bowed and said, "Your Majesty, after investigation by the Three Departments, it is confirmed that the Crown Prince purchased the brocade for sacrificial purposes, but there was indeed a surplus in quantity, which may be due to improper handling by his subordinates; as for the rare and exotic animals, they were indeed presented by local officials and were registered in the Crown Prince's residence, and were not used for private purposes, but they were not delivered to the Imperial Garden in a timely manner, which was indeed an oversight."

He paused, his tone growing increasingly grave: "As for the merchant's case, it has indeed been verified. Zhang Cheng, the Crown Prince's steward, used the Crown Prince's name to lend money, and the exorbitant interest drove the merchant's wife and children to their deaths. Although the Crown Prince claims to have no knowledge of this matter, Zhang Cheng has served in the Crown Prince's residence for many years, and the Crown Prince cannot shirk his responsibility for failing to properly discipline him."

Kangxi lightly tapped the chessboard with his fingertip, placing a black piece on it. His voice was unreadable: "Where is Zhang Cheng?"

"He has been apprehended and brought to justice; he is now imprisoned in the imperial jail, awaiting the Emperor's judgment."

Liu Yunshu put down the chess piece and said softly, "His Highness the Crown Prince may truly be unaware of the situation. After all, there are many people and eyes in the Eastern Palace, and it's inevitable that some unscrupulous individuals will take the opportunity to cause trouble. However, he cannot escape the blame for his inadequate discipline."

Kangxi looked at her, a hint of warmth flashing in his eyes, then said to the Minister of Justice, "Zhang Cheng disregarded human life and should be severely punished according to the law. His property should be confiscated to appease the souls of the deceased merchants. As for the Crown Prince..."

He paused for a moment, then said, “Extend the confinement period by one month, and order him to stay in the Eastern Palace to reflect on his mistakes, copy the Zizhi Tongjian a hundred times, and examine himself.”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Minister of Justice bowed in response, then added, "Furthermore, during our investigation, we discovered that the two censors seemed to be acting under orders, and may have some connection to the First Prince's residence..."

Yinzhi? Kangxi raised an eyebrow, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He waved his hand: "I know about this matter. You may leave now."

After the Minister of Justice left, Liu Yunshu said, "Your Highness, this move was a bit too hasty."

Kangxi snorted coldly: "He has coveted the throne for a long time, but seeing that the Crown Prince is in trouble, he wants to take the opportunity to kick him while he's down. However, this eagerness for quick success has backfired and made him look foolish."

He grasped Liu Yunshu's hand, his fingertips calloused: "You see things so clearly. In this court, everyone has their own schemes, but you never get involved in these sordid matters."

Liu Yunshu chuckled: "I am the Empress. My only responsibility is to protect Sanlang and this harem. As for matters of the court, I am at ease with Sanlang here."

Kangxi felt a warmth in his heart and bent down to kiss the top of her head: "With you here, I feel at ease."