"Your Majesty possesses all under heaven. You ought to love every season," Wumian said with a faint smile when she noticed Ying Qionglou seemed lost in thought.

  "And what sort of reasoning is that?" Ying Qionglou was in a rare curious mood today, questioning everything.

  "If Your Majesty were to favor one season over the others, wouldn’t people rush to ftter you accordingly? The Emperor’s preferences influence the entire realm—do I even need to expin this? What the ruler loves, the people will embrace tenfold. That’s no good," Wumian replied casually, turning her gaze toward the ke.

  The ke shimmered under the sunlight, ripples reflecting light like silver threads. The lotus flowers swayed gently, their outlines slightly blurred.

  A faint breeze carried the fragrance of flowers. It wasn’t the scent of the lotus—more likely jasmine blooming somewhere beyond sight, sweet and light, curling through the air.

  A bee flew toward the pavilion, nding on the bright red railing not far from Wumian.

  She remained perfectly still, leaning zily against the railing and watching it without a trace of fear. Ying Qionglou almost wanted to wave the bee away, but stopped when he realized Wumian had no intention of moving or avoiding it. Instead, she seemed to be observing the bee deliberately, with quiet amusement.

  After a moment of facing off with the little insect, the bee flew away.

  There were too many flowers in the garden—beautiful ones weren’t necessarily real. The bee had to seek out the genuine blooms.

  "You’re not afraid?" Ying Qionglou asked.

  Wumian chuckled. "It’s just a little bee—what’s there to fear? Isn’t it rather cute?"

  Ying Qionglou’s lips twitched. He vaguely recalled a concubine, sometime in the past, shrieking and throwing herself into his arms after spotting a bee in the Imperial Garden…

  But was a bee really cute? He suspected Wumian was teasing him.

  Yet somehow, this sort of teasing from his empress felt almost… endearing.

  Soon, the meal was brought over. Pace maids lined up neatly, setting out an array of dishes and refreshments.

  For some reason, Ying Qionglou found this midday meal unusually pleasant, especially the dishes themselves, all light and fresh, each one stimuting the appetite.

  "I specifically instructed them to prepare the vegetables with soybean oil today," Wumian expined as she lifted her chopsticks. "It may not be as fragrant as animal fat, but in summer it’s far more patable. And there’s loofah and lotus leaf soup as well—would Your Majesty care to try it?"

  "Loofah and lotus leaf? Can lotus leaves even be eaten?" Ying Qionglou was skeptical.

  "Not the leaves themselves. Just a few pieces for fvor and presentation. Lotus leaves clear heat and dispel summer humidity—they’re refreshing and light on the pate. They have a cooling effect, so women should use them sparingly. However, for someone like Your Majesty, who tends to have internal heat, it's not an issue."

  "Since the Empress recommends it, how could I refuse?" Ying Qionglou smiled and took a bowl.

  The soup wasn’t entirely vegetarian—a few threads of shredded meat floated within. The broth was clear, light, and fragrant, with only the faintest hint of lotus leaf.

  He took a sip and nodded. "You truly know how to eat. This soup is excellent."

  Wumian smiled back and drank her own bowl. It really was quite good.

  The meal was quiet and comfortable. A gentle breeze stirred from all directions, carrying the cool scent of the ke. Now and then, the cries of unseen birds reached their ears, mingling with the occasional rustle of wings from nameless insects.

  The cicadas had not yet begun their deafening chorus—only a few here and there, their cries thin and scattered.

  Ying Qionglou found the entire day unexpectedly novel and restful. Even many years ter, he would still remember this afternoon—not the conversation, perhaps, but the way Wumian had stared at the bee, the quiet chirring of cicadas, and the soft hum of summer insects beneath the noon sun.

  After they finished eating, they lingered for a while longer until Wumian could barely keep her eyes open, nearly dozing off at the table. Only then did they return to Fengyi Pace.

  The Emperor even stayed for a midday nap in her quarters. But when Wumian woke, he had already left.

  "His Majesty said he’ll return tonight," Linshui reported. "He won’t be dining here, so Your Majesty needn’t wait."

  Wumian was still groggy from sleep, nodding absently.

  It took her a moment to fully wake up. "Right. Tomorrow morning, send someone to the Zhao household. Tell them I’ll be returning home the day after tomorrow."

  "Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll have Dukang deliver the message and tell them to prepare properly," Zhaohua replied.

  Wumian shook her head after drinking a few sips of tea. "No—tell them not to prepare anything."

  "Huh?" Zhaohua was momentarily stunned.

  "What Her Majesty means," Linshui expined patiently, "is to instruct the family not to make a fuss. We’ll be traveling lightly, discreetly. Even if outsiders learn of it, it won’t be anything grand. If the family starts preparing extravagantly, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?"

  "Oh! I understand now." Zhaohua quickly went off to pass on the instructions.

  "Don’t rush," Wumian added. "Tell the family there’s no need to prepare anything at all. I’m only going back for a meal. As long as everyone’s home, that’s enough."

  Zhaohua acknowledged the order and went to rey it to Dukang.

  That evening, the Emperor indeed came again.

  This visit immediately drew attention throughout the harem. After all, His Majesty had never shown such attentiveness toward the Empress before—accompanying her on a walk through the Imperial Garden, allowing her to rename a pavilion, and even dining with her there. It was the first time the Emperor had ever dined in the garden.

  And now, he was visiting Fengyi Pace again.

  With Li Fei currently under house confinement, many began to wonder—did His Majesty have nowhere else to go?

  There were so many new pace dies. Why had His Majesty suddenly taken an interest in the Empress?

  Most in the harem could not understand it. Many were displeased. But there were a few who felt reassured.

  Jiang Zhaorong and Xu Liangyi, in particur, were quietly pleased.

  With the Empress’s position secure, there was hope for them as well.

  Recently, Jiang Zhaorong had also started visiting Li Liangyi regurly. And sure enough, with a third-rank consort like her watching over things, Li Liangyi’s situation had improved considerably.

  Before this, she had clearly fallen from favor. The Emperor showed no special concern for her; even Guifei seemed to have given up on her.

  Jiang Zhaorong’s arrival had been a timely relief, a helping hand when Li Liangyi was at her lowest.

  Even if she knew Jiang Zhaorong must have had her own reasons, she couldn’t afford to care—survival came first.

  After that incident, Li Liangyi’s spirits had been low, and her pregnancy unstable. Fortunately, the imperial physicians were skilled and prescribed her proper medicine to safeguard her child.

  On the second day of the sixth month, Wumian boarded the carriage to return to her natal home.

  She brought along Linshui, Zhaohua, Yanming, Chuixu, as well as Dukang and Baiduo.

  In addition, there was a guard escort of twenty-four men.

  For the Empress, this was already an extremely modest procession. Normally, it would have been nothing to bring along dozens of pace attendants and maids.

  The Zhao family, upon receiving word, dared not disobey. Since they were instructed not to prepare anything extravagant, they could only ensure plenty of food was ready. The entire family waited eagerly—after all, this was Wumian’s first time leaving the pace in three years.

  When her carriage entered through the Zhao family’s main gate, the entire household knelt in welcome.

  Wumian immediately asked them to rise. Soon, everyone gathered in the Old Madam’s chambers.

  There was Old Master Zhao and his wife, Old Madam Ma; Wumian’s own parents, along with her second uncle and second aunt, Madam Jiao; her third and fifth uncles and their wives, who were both concubine-born.

  Among her siblings and cousins, her two older sisters were already married and thus absent. The fourth girl from the second branch was also married and not present.

  Altogether, the Zhao family was rge. Between her legitimate and cousin brothers alone, there were nearly twenty. Add the sisters and cousins, and the number swelled to over thirty, almost forty in total.