The fireworks faded, the palace banquet concluded, and the civil and military officials filed out through the palace gates in succession.
Outside the imperial palace, the households from the inner city who had come to watch the festivities also gradually returned home.
Inside and outside the palace walls, the lights dimmed one after another.
High atop the city wall, Jiang Yunshu caught a glimpse of Xie Lin’s jade-white hand parting her cloak under the faint glow of the stars.
The biting cold wind and his scorching palm both slipped inside…
Jiang Yunshu didn’t know how she managed to descend the wall. The steps were steep and towering, her legs weak and trembling.
Xie Lin wanted to carry her, but she refused, insisting on taking each step slowly herself.
After all, she had just been mistaken for the Empress Dowager. Though the crowd had dispersed, what if someone spotted them again?
Wouldn’t it be scandalous for the Nine Thousand-Year-Old Eunuch to be seen cradling the Empress Dowager in his arms?
Even though no one crossed their path, Jiang Yunshu kept herself tightly wrapped in her cloak, walking with deliberate grace.
The moment they stepped through the gates of Weiyang Palace, Xie Lin chuckled softly in her ear, “No need to pretend anymore.”
In the next instant, the world spun—Jiang Yunshu was swept off her feet into Xie Lin’s arms, the surrounding palace servants quickly averting their eyes.
Xie Lin carried her all the way to the bedchamber and tossed her onto the soft center of the grand bed.
Jiang Yunshu’s arms wound around his neck as his breath brushed against her ear, “Your Majesty seemed… quite different tonight.”
Closing her eyes, Jiang Yunshu replayed the scene of her standing above the masses, watching them kneel in reverence.
Power, it seemed, was more intoxicating than the strongest liquor.
She had only tasted a mere drop, yet she was already drunk beyond reason.
Her fingers clutched Xie Lin’s robes, her gaze fixed on his indifferent expression…
Her breathing was ragged, her body drenched in sweat, while Xie Lin remained composed, utterly unruffled.
Had he looked like this during the coronation ceremony earlier?
He had asked if she wanted to experience what it felt like to be the Empress Dowager… but what about him?
What had he been thinking when he held the empty swaddling cloth in his arms, accepting the bows of the officials?
The first night of the new year passed, and Jiang Yunshu only fell asleep in the early hours of the morning.
At dawn, she assumed Xie Lin would rise early as usual, leaving her undisturbed.
Yet, just past mid-morning, he roused her.
Exhausted from the night before, Jiang Yunshu could barely open her eyes. Mumbling, she asked, “Does the Grand Steward need something?”
Xie Lin replied, “Nothing urgent. I merely thought to accompany Your Majesty back to Yun Residence. But if you’d rather sleep, we can forget it.”
Jiang Yunshu bolted upright, eyes wide and alert. “I’m awake! Completely awake!”
“When are we leaving for Yun Residence? Now?”
Afraid Xie Lin might grow impatient, she added, “I can freshen up in the carriage!”
Seeing her bare feet about to touch the floor, Xie Lin caught her ankle. “Your Majesty should be careful not to catch cold.”
“You have half an hour to prepare.”
Her eyes lit up—half an hour was more than enough. In her past life as a student, she had mastered the art of rushing through mornings.
In less than the allotted time, Jiang Yunshu stood before Xie Lin, impeccably dressed. “Grand Steward, I’m ready.”
Xie Lin’s gaze swept over her. Despite the New Year’s occasion, her attire remained strikingly simple.
She owned countless lavish ornaments, yet even for this rare trip to Yun Residence—if only to reassure Concubine Qiao—she hadn’t adorned herself more splendidly?
Xie Lin asked, "Why don’t you wear any of those hair ornaments?"
Jiang Yunshu replied, "They're too heavy—they pull on my scalp and hurt."
Most importantly, she was afraid of going bald!
Jiang Yunshu couldn’t understand it. The noblewomen of the Great Qi Dynasty styled their hair sleek and tight, then adorned it with heavy ornaments that tugged relentlessly at their scalps… How could they not go bald over time?
The Great Qi Dynasty didn’t have minoxidil or anti-hair loss shampoos!
Strangely, though, every noblewoman Jiang Yunshu had seen had thick, lush hair… Was it because they didn’t stay up late?
Well, she’d have to be extra careful then.
Whether or not she stayed up late wasn’t entirely up to her.
The Yun Residence had recently rebuilt its main gate, flanked by two imposing stone lions. The carriage rolled straight through the entrance and continued forward.
Jiang Yunshu realized this wasn’t the way to Concubine Qiao’s Autumn Breeze Pavilion.
"Where are you taking me, Lord Xie?" She had been too excited earlier, only now snapping out of it. If it were just a visit to Concubine Qiao, she could have returned to the Yun Residence alone—Xie Lin didn’t need to accompany her.
So why had Xie Lin come to the Yun Residence today?
Was it to show her the newly constructed pavilions and towers?
In no time at all, the empty land—once occupied by demolished houses before being incorporated into the Yun Residence—had transformed.
The pavilions and towers were taking shape, with a large empty space in the middle reserved for a future lake. The ground was too hard in winter, so the digging would wait until spring.
Xie Lin didn’t answer, and the carriage pressed on. Suddenly, Jiang Yunshu heard the cry of an infant.
She froze.
Had she misheard?
Why would there be a baby crying in the Yun Residence?
Yet as the carriage advanced, the cries grew clearer, and soon Jiang Yunshu could also hear Concubine Qiao humming a folk tune from her hometown…
Had Concubine Qiao picked up a child somewhere and decided to raise it?
Jiang Yunshu’s heart pounded wildly. She stole a nervous glance at Xie Lin’s expression.
He must have heard the infant’s cries too, but his face remained unreadable—at least, Jiang Yunshu couldn’t decipher it.
Taking a deep breath, she braced herself to improvise.
The carriage stopped. Xie Lin stepped out, and Jiang Yunshu hurried after him. Walking single-file toward the sound of the crying, they crossed the threshold—and Jiang Yunshu nearly jumped in shock.
There weren’t one but two babies on the bed!
One wailed loudly while the other slept soundly beside it.
Jiang Yunshu was stunned. Had Concubine Qiao found a pair of twins?
The wet nurses attending to the infants immediately bowed upon seeing Xie Lin. Concubine Qiao, unable to hide her panic, also scrambled to greet him.
Seeing the wet nurses’ reactions, Jiang Yunshu exhaled in relief.
They clearly knew Xie Lin already.
Thank heavens! These babies weren’t some reckless decision by Concubine Qiao!
Still, Concubine Qiao must have been sneaking in to see them—only to be caught off guard by Xie Lin’s sudden arrival. Now she trembled in fear.
Jiang Yunshu glanced at Xie Lin, then mustered her courage. "Concubine Qiao, you may leave for now."
Xie Lin didn’t object. Taking the hint, Concubine Qiao quietly retreated.
With a wave of his hand, Xie Lin dismissed the wet nurses as well.
Jiang Yunshu asked, "Did you bring me back to the Yun Residence today just to see these two children?"
"Where did they come from?"
Xie Lin saw right through her—she was desperate to divert his attention, afraid he might punish Concubine Qiao.
He was in a good mood today and didn’t want to dwell on trivial matters. He asked, "What does Her Ladyship think of these two children? Do you like them?"
Jiang Yunshu’s eyes flickered with confusion, unsure why Xie Lin would ask such a question.
She couldn’t help but recall Concubine Qiao’s earlier words—about her and Xie Lin adopting a child…
Could Xie Lin be thinking the same?
With a complicated expression, Jiang Yunshu looked at him. "Are these children boys or girls?"
Xie Lin replied, "Both are boys."
Her mind was a tangled mess. "Truthfully, I don’t particularly like children… If we must raise one, I’d prefer a girl…"
Xie Lin let out a soft chuckle. "Where has Her Ladyship’s thoughts wandered to?"
Jiang Yunshu’s face flushed crimson. She knew she’d misunderstood, but could she really be blamed?
"Why exactly does the Imperial Seal Holder want to raise these two children?" It couldn’t possibly be out of sheer kindness, could it?
Xie Lin explained, "These two boys were abandoned at the doorstep of the orphanage…"
Jiang Yunshu’s eyes widened in shock. Was Xie Lin actually performing a selfless good deed?
"I had previously instructed the orphanage that if they found healthy boys around the same age as the young emperor, they were to be sent to Yun Residence…"
Jiang Yunshu exhaled in relief. So Xie Lin wasn’t being charitable after all. This was the ruthless Nine Thousand Sui she knew.
"Around the same age as the young emperor…" She seized the key detail in his words.
"Is the Imperial Seal Holder training shadow guards for the young prince?"
Suddenly, it all made sense. Orphaned, similar in age, and ideally bearing some resemblance in appearance—these were the perfect candidates for shadow guards.
Xie Lin merely smiled in response, offering no answer.
