These fairies want me to deal with them every day.

It seems like we were prepared, but the standards were still somewhat beyond our expectations.

Youth is wonderful... Empress is wonderful.

Wei Tu only sensed it slightly. He had always maintained good self-control and would never do anything out of line unless the other party consented.

So he was prepared to eliminate this temptation and act as a virtuous gentleman, sending the young empress back to her palace to rest.

Unexpectedly, his hand only paused for a moment outside the dragon robe before a soft hand grasped it.

As if afraid of being lost, it found a rare gap in the dragon robe and gently touched it.

The hand felt warm, not cold, and it had a large, soft palm.

A melodious note emanated from the woman's throat.

"Um……"

She was probably very comfortable, Wei Tu thought. He hesitated for a moment, then parted his lips.

Then, like survivors on the edge of a cliff, they used their rough hands to cling tightly to the protruding rocks, so as not to fall to the bottom of the valley and be smashed to pieces.

Her eyes seemed to have been washed clean, yet a slight mist remained after the heavy rain, making them appear shrouded in fog, so hazy and dreamlike.

It seems they don't understand.

Wei Tu said softly, "That's enough. Everything should be done within its proper time."

Ye Bingluan could see his hand, which had slipped inside her collar, with his index finger still lingering there...

In short, his posture and the scene made his words seem like utter nonsense.

It just goes to show that men's words are often deceitful.

So she smiled shyly, but instead of smiling, she smiled charmingly, with a hint of royal disdain, creating a unique look.

High above, yet with a tendency to flatter and please; no matter which direction it takes, it seems irresistible.

"Is it just touching on the point... or is it hitting the nail on the head?"

Wei Tu coughed and withdrew his hand, which seemed to carry a warmth and a faint fragrance.

He stood right in front of Ye Bingluan, put his finger to his nose, and took a gentle sniff.

You seem to be sweating.

"Nonsense!! Wei Tu! You deserve to die!"

Ye Bingluan was flailing her arms and legs, completely at a loss as to how to deal with her current embarrassment and anger.

No woman opens her chest to a man so he can see if she's sweating. This bastard must be doing it on purpose! How could he not understand? This scoundrel knows a lot!

Wei Tu smiled and reached out to embrace Ye Bingluan's delicate body, then picked her up and carried her to the palace, a place she was not entirely familiar with but still remembered.

He patted her on the back with a smile.

"I deserve to die, but what a pity, everyone's gone. How come no one saw how I so rebelliously blasphemed their emperor?"

Ye Bingluan blushed deeply at what was said; just thinking about those scenes was enough to make her blush.

She still raised her head, somewhat dissatisfied and defiant.

"I want to tie you to the Qinglong Gate tower and whip you severely."

However, it had no effect whatsoever, because the other party simply didn't believe it and was certain that she couldn't do it at all.

Wei Tu, however, played along.

"Your Majesty is mighty, I am afraid. Please, Your Majesty, refrain from lashing me."

Ye Bingluan chuckled, and then Wei Tu, in front of the palace maids and under their astonished gazes, pushed open the door to the bedchamber.

They had considered saying something, but when they saw the empress in the young man's arms, they could only kneel down and look at the ground.

"Now that they've all seen it, you deserve to die even more..."

Ye Bingluan muttered to herself, seemingly still harboring resentment.

Wei Tu placed Ye Bingluan on the dragon bed, then looked at her tired eyes and smiled.

"How does Your Majesty want me to die?"

I'll beat you to death.

"It's so boring to keep smoking."

"Then I won't hit your back, I'll hit your front."

"hiss……"

32 Are you a little...?

He must have slept very well that night.

At least Ye Bingluan herself slept soundly, as if in a deep sleep on a rainy autumn night. Despite the loud wind and the heavy rain, her heart was filled with warmth and peace.

It seemed like she hadn't felt this kind of atmosphere in a long time, making her willing to linger in this dream a little longer, even though she knew she had started to dream.

In her dream, she dreamed of her childhood.

My childhood was unremarkable, but if I had to say what was special about it, it was the extraordinary loneliness.

My peers never dared to joke or play around with me when I was a child; I must have been lively and active.

But when I met the friend I met today, after laughing and playing around for a while, the next day when I saw them again, they were already avoiding me and being very respectful. They only dared to call me "princess" but dared not get any closer.

Even older uncles and elders would bend down awkwardly when talking to him.

From that time on, it seems that Ye Bingluan realized that she was a special being.

But this particular situation is not pleasant.

She often remembered her favorite courtyard, where she would watch the magpies on the wall fly into the sky, or at dusk, crows would land on the branches.

She found everything novel and interesting.

Later on... some people gave me lessons, some taught me etiquette, and told me what rules are.

She would innocently ask, "Why do I need to learn something so complicated?"

At that time, he was taught by an old woman from the palace, who told him with a smile, "Because rules are what bind people."

Why tie people up?

She didn't understand. It was like seeing a bird and thinking that even the most beautiful bird should fly in the sky and not chirp in a cage.

The palace maid will tell her.

"The obedient will tie themselves down, while the disobedient will be tied down by others."

She didn't understand; she just didn't like it.

As I grew older, I understood more and more things and met more and more people, but I found fewer and fewer people who seemed like real people.

They may look different, or they may speak differently, but in Ye Bingluan's still young perspective...

They were all just birds in cages, chirping... just to get someone to buy them.

They're just waiting for the right price to go.

She was unwilling to wait for the so-called light to arrive in the most chaotic dream, because she had already fully understood, standing in the chaotic darkness, that this was all a complete dream, and reality was still waiting for her.

She desperately wanted to wake up, because light only existed in reality, while what she dreamed of was merely an even more illusory and unattainable mirage.

So she sat up.

It seemed exactly the same as the last time in my memory, nothing special. He was still not here; this was my own palace.

She had even forgotten the circumstances under which he had soothed her to sleep the previous day.

Looking down at her clothes, it was clear from the way they were changed that a palace maid had helped her.

She sighed, feeling very regretful.

"There's a reason why there are few people in Xianzhou."

Feeling somewhat bored and lost, I put on my clothes.

Wearing the well-fitting dragon robe, which had been slightly altered for her, she strolled out. As expected, she had many court affairs to attend to today.

So getting up very early seems to have become a habit.

Sure enough, the boy was nowhere to be seen outside, and no one knew where he had gone.

But we'll still meet today, right?

After all, he had promised himself.

Thinking of this, the young empress's steps as she ascended the court became steady and powerful, drawing all eyes to this young empress who already exuded an imposing aura.

The thought of the bloodshed and carnage of that day, and how much mess still needed to be cleaned up, sent chills down their spines.

Not only did they dare to kill their own brother, but they dared to do it in front of everyone. They could no longer tell whether this was madness, a sense of impunity in the face of the situation, or a warning to certain restless forces.

Therefore, in this court, whatever she said was law, and no one dared to contradict her.

Surprisingly, the way she handled all those involved, and the sense of responsibility for rewarding those who had helped protect her, seemed to have been ingrained in her mind, and she dealt with everything in an orderly manner.

Just as Ye Bingluan was about to issue the order to adjourn the court.

Suddenly, Prime Minister Cui Hao stepped forward and said loudly.

"Your Majesty, I... have a matter I would like to ask Your Majesty to decide."

Ye Bingluan felt that this old man was always very good at judging the situation and wouldn't do anything strange at this time, but she didn't understand his meaning.

"Please speak, Prime Minister."

Cui Hao bowed and said.

"Your Majesty previously stripped Wei Tu of his title as Imperial Preceptor. Now that it has been proven that the Dugu clan deserved to die, should Your Majesty grant Wei Tu a more suitable title?"

Ye Bingluan frowned slightly.

The people below were talking amongst themselves, seemingly thinking that Cui Hao was making trouble out of nothing. At this time, it seemed that not letting Wei Tu, the cultivator, interfere was the best choice, thus ensuring the integrity of the imperial power.