The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Weaving."

"Tell me the truth."

"You insist on annulling your engagement with the Shen family... Is it because you want me to bestow another marriage upon you and He Lichen?"

Tang Xiye raised her hand, her well-defined fingers gently brushing against the slightly disheveled strands of hair at her temples.

His earnest words reflected the older brother's concern that his younger sister might go astray.

"No, Your Majesty, I didn't..."

Tang Xixue gently shook her head on his shoulder.

Tang Xiye wasn't completely at ease. He leaned back slightly, creating some distance so he could better observe her expression.

"Zhizhi, listen to me. He Lichen... he is different from Shen Sinian. He is not someone you can manipulate at will."

"He is a man of unfathomable mind and profound knowledge of the Dao. If you truly anger him and cross his bottom line... then even I might not be able to fully protect you."

He paused briefly, as if weighing his words, before finally letting out a barely audible sigh, a sigh that carried the coldness of an emperor and the helplessness of an elder brother:

"It's fine if we just toy with Shen Sinian. The Shen family are ultimately subjects, and I am the sovereign. Even if they have grievances, they can't cause any real trouble."

At least, Shen Xian's and even the entire Shen family's joys and sorrows were still within the control and checks and balances of this emperor.

Tang Xixue straightened up, moved away from his shoulder, and looked at him face to face.

"Brother, I truly... do not want to have anything to do with him anymore."

"I don't like him anymore."

As she spoke, she opened her palm again.

The lustrous jade pendant, carved with six-sided snowflakes, lay there quietly, its icy blue tassels cascading gracefully.

"Look, I've already brought back the engagement tokens."

She held the jade pendant up to Tang Xiye's eyes.

"Now, all we await is an imperial edict from my brother, announcing to the world the annulment of my engagement with Shen Sinian. From then on, we will have nothing to do with each other."

Tang Xiye's gaze fell on the jade pendant.

He truly hadn't expected that she would even reclaim this token.

It seems this time it wasn't out of spite; she was genuinely... fed up, disgusted, and determined to cut ties completely.

Also.

Last night, inside the Hall of Eternal Life, she and the untainted Imperial Preceptor were deeply in love.

Having tasted the clear light of the bright moon in the heavens, one finds the white jade of the mortal world utterly tasteless, which seems... not so hard to understand.

"That's enough."

Tangxi finally relented, but the emperor's thoughts were always thorough.

He pondered for a moment and then gave a deadline.

"If your mind is made up and you truly want to annul this engagement... then let's wait until after the New Year."

He raised his hand to stop Tang Xixue from asking any more questions, and explained:

"Shen Sinian must have heard about your affair with the Imperial Advisor last night. If we issue an edict to annul the engagement now, the Shen family will lose face, which would be extremely undignified. Let's wait until after the New Year to leave some room for maneuver for both of us."

"good……"

Tang Xixue gently agreed without arguing.

Yeah.

After the New Year, Shen Yan had already been recognized and returned to her ancestral home.

At that time, she will likely not need to go through any more trouble; the Shen family will be eager to petition His Majesty to annul the marriage.

"Today is the grand examination at Lintai. Can you answer those questions?"

As Tang Xiye spoke, she reached out and unlocked the wax seal on the box containing the separately presented exam papers.

The bright yellow scroll slowly unfurled between his fingers, and right there in front of her, he picked up the vermilion imperial brush, intending to personally review the documents on the spot.

"Yes, it's all...written."

Tang Xixue obediently responded, her gaze barely glancing at the writing on the table.

That was her exam paper, now laid out in the palm of the most powerful man in the empire.

She pondered the deeper meaning behind her brother's actions—was he trying to assess her studies, or... had other plans?

After five years of separation, she could no longer be sure how much she still held in her brother's heart.

Five years ago, she would have been certain that her brother's actions were nothing more than an attempt to personally cover up her shortcomings and transform her failing grade into a masterpiece.

"It's all filled up... so at least the attitude towards answering the questions is correct."

Tang Xiye's deep voice interrupted her thoughts, and his tone even carried a hint of tolerance.

Hearing these words, Tang Xixue almost burst out laughing, but a bittersweet warmth welled up in her heart.

The Emperor's demands on her have now become so low as to be considered as humble as she is willing to pick up a pen.

"Brother, I'm hungry."

She raised her bright eyes to look at him, her tone carrying just the right amount of dependence and softness.

Tang Xiye paused, her hand holding the pen still, without raising her head, and said in a deep voice to the outside, "Serve the meal."

His gaze never left the exam paper.

Familiar handwriting suddenly came into view.

Each and every word exudes a powerful and elegant style, full of the spirit of Tangxi Night.

These are characters that the emperor personally guided her to write when she was young.

Even the calligraphy she copied was written by him personally.

His gaze softened unconsciously by a third.

"Your handwriting is quite good."

The paper was exceptionally neat, with clear handwriting and a well-defined layout.

He originally thought that even if she wrote it all, it would probably just be a random pile of words to fill in the blank spaces and that would be enough.

But as he continued to review the text line by line with his vermilion pen, the solemnity between his brows was gradually replaced by surprise.

This is not nonsense, nor is it far-fetched.

The policy discussion section is well-organized and uses appropriate citations.

The arithmetic deduction steps are clear and the results are accurate.

Even in those extremely difficult and obscure interpretations of the scriptures, her insights were remarkably incisive.

After reviewing the last question, he put down his vermilion pen, raised his eyes, and looked at the girl who was sipping the warm soup served by the palace servant with a complicated expression.

"Did He Lichen give you an answer privately?"

He spoke slowly, his tone filled with inquiry and disbelief.

As soon as he said it, he immediately denied it:

"No, he's not that kind of person."

Tang Xixue put down her soup bowl, picked up a silk handkerchief, and gently touched the corner of her lips. Upon hearing this, a hint of helplessness flashed in her clear eyes:

"What are you saying, Your Majesty? If the Imperial Preceptor were the kind of person who would favor me and cheat on my behalf, why would you have gone to the trouble of bringing my exam paper to the Emperor's presence?"

"He...is extremely self-disciplined and respectful of propriety, valuing rules above all else."

Even in bed, that person could still spout all sorts of jarring rules and precepts.

"You...really know all of these?"

Tangxi asked in the night.

"Brother, have you forgotten that back in Lintai, in every annual examination and competition, I was always the undisputed champion on the Ascending Cloud Ranking?"

Tang Xixue met his gaze, and the corners of her lips slowly curved into a proud arc.

Tangxi Xue in her youth was indeed the most dazzling presence in Lintai.

She wasn't chosen because of her princess status, but because of her genuine talent.

Both Xuanke and Mingzhang far surpassed their peers, truly being chosen ones by heaven.