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The Empress reflected on her own entry into the palace at the age of fifteen, securing the position of Crown Princess thanks to her powerful family background.

At fifteen, she was considered the most beautiful woman in Daxia.

She had thought she could join her father in battle, but the Crown Prince snatched her up before that could happen.

At the age of nineteen, the Crown Prince ascended the throne, and she naturally became the Empress.

That was a role she held for twenty years.

Over those two decades, even her fiery temper had been mostly worn away.

She now understood clearly, like looking into a mirror, that the dog of an Emperor had married her because her family had been military commanders for generations, with illustrious martial achievements, making her a powerful support for him.

If she had been the daughter of an ordinary official, he wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to marry her.

Now, at forty, she had taken great care of herself. Where could there be any crow’s feet?

Looking back, it’s natural to see a difference when one spends every day staring at women in their teens and then looks at a forty-year-old.

The Emperor sat at the head of the bed, watching the Empress for a good while, then climbed into bed with his slippers on and pulled the Empress into his embrace.

"Lingling, why are you sleeping so heavily?"

After all these years as man and wife, the Empress still lay motionless as Mount Tai, not bothering to respond to the Emperor.

The Emperor wasn’t sleepy at this moment; he propped his head with one hand and with the other hand on the Empress’s waist, groping around for a while, then pinched her waist.

The Empress: "..." Can you just hold me without groping?

Just as the Empress was trying to suppress her anger, the Emperor said something infuriating, "Lingling, have you gained weight recently?"

The Empress clenched her fists. The two topics women hate to be reminded of most are aging and weight.

Both raised by the dog Emperor—how could she not be angry?

Seeing no sign of the Empress’s arousal, the Emperor still could not sleep. He stared at her stunningly beautiful face for a while, then his gaze drifted to her lips.

His slender finger followed, caressing her lips, and he made another infuriating comment, "Lingling, your lips are no longer as pink and tender as before."

"..." The Empress clenched her fists again, unable to hold back!

She suddenly opened her eyes, and as a shadow loomed over her, without a chance to react, the Emperor planted a firm kiss on her lips.

The kiss was very long...

The Empress seriously suspected the Emperor had come to murder her.

Just when she thought she was running out of breath, the dog Emperor finally released her.

The Emperor pinched the Empress’s face, "Lingling, you’re finally awake."

The Empress looked at the Emperor gloomily, "Your Majesty, have you finished your duties so quickly?"

The light inside the bedchamber was dim.

The Emperor couldn’t see the Empress’s eyes clearly.

"There’s still a pile of petitions. I’ve had them sent to the Crown Prince to review."

No wonder the dog Emperor had retired to bed so early tonight—he was slacking off.

Weren’t you complaining about my lips not being as pink as before?

And you still kiss them?

The Emperor kissed the Empress again, "Lingling, be more proactive this time."

The Empress couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Weren’t you complaining about my crow’s feet? About me getting old? About me being fat?

The Emperor took the Empress’s hand, "Lingling, undress me."

Through gritted teeth, the Empress managed to say, "Your concubine wishes to rest."

The Emperor pulled the Empress towards him, "It’s still early."

The Empress: "..." I despise you too!

*East Palace

Hehuan Hall

Xiao Jinyan, fresh from his bath, came to sit by the bed.

"The investigation results are in: a young eunuch was responsible for the poisoning."

Shen Chuwei couldn’t understand, "Why would a little eunuch poison chickens and ducks? They hadn’t done anything to him."

The young eunuch was originally serving in Lanyue Hall, but after Lady Shen was punished and sent to Jinleng Palace, he was assigned heavier duties. Bearing a grudge, he thought of poisoning.

Xiao Jinyan explained briefly and to the point.

Only then did Shen Chuwei learn it was because of this that her chickens and ducks had been poisoned.

Xiao Jinyan had just gone to bed when the sharp voice of Liu Xi came from outside.

"Your Highness, Eunuch Li has arrived."

Eunuch Li was one of the attendants to the Emperor, and his visit to Hehuan Hall meant there was important business.

"You rest first," Xiao Jinyan said to Shen Chuwei and then began to put on clothing, opening the door to step outside.

Outside the door, Eunuch Li was holding a stack of petitions waiting.

"Eunuch Li, what brings you here?"

Eunuch Li stepped forward with a smile, advancing two steps, "Your Highness, the Emperor has sent me to deliver these petitions for Your Highness to review."

Surprise flashed across Xiao Jinyan’s eyes, "Father Emperor wants me to review the petitions?"

It had been over a year since he became Crown Prince, and Father Emperor had never mentioned reviewing petitions before.

Now suddenly asking him to do so, could it mean that Father Emperor was beginning to gradually delegate power?

Eunuch Li nodded smilingly, "Indeed, Your Highness, that is what the Emperor means."

Liu Xi stepped forward, taking the petitions from Eunuch Li’s arms.

Xiao Jinyan: "Eunuch Li, you have my thanks."

After Eunuch Li departed, Xiao Jinyan turned and went back into the inner room.

Shen Chuwei sat at the head of the bed, the unawareness of the situation prompting her curious question, "Your Highness, what happened?"

Xiao Jinyan said, emphasizing each word, "Father Emperor has started to let me, review the petitions."

Underneath the calm voice, excitement was hard to contain.

Shen Chuwei’s concern was, "Does that mean Your Highness has to work overtime?"

Xiao Jinyan nodded, "Hmm, you rest first, I’ll come back after I finish dealing with those petitions."

After Xiao Jinyan left, Shen Chuwei lay down and closed her eyes to sleep.

In the Study Room, the lights were on brightly.

Xiao Jinyan sat in front of the desk, looking at a pile of petitions to be reviewed, he picked them up one by one from the top, unfolding them to review.

This was his first time reviewing petitions, and it was inevitably exciting.

The next morning, Xiao Jinyan brought the reviewed petitions to the Imperial Study Room.

The Emperor had slacked off the night before, staying with the Empress for a long time, which could also count as overtime.

He looked over the petitions that the Crown Prince had reviewed.

The Crown Prince had fine penmanship and clear reasoning, not disappointing the Emperor.

"The Crown Prince is becoming ever more capable. From now on, you should also review the petitions with me," the Emperor spoke with dignified grace, yet in reality, he was beginning to slack off.

Xiao Jinyan bowed his head in assent, "This son obeys the order."

On the way back to the East Palace, Xiao Jinyan was attacked again.

Nobody would have expected an assassin to appear within the Imperial Palace.

Even less so did anyone anticipate such boldness from an assassin, daring to strike at the Crown Prince in broad daylight.

The assassin possessed strong kung fu and was skilled in using hidden weapons.

Xiao Jinyan was caught off guard and wounded on the arm.

By the time the Imperial Guard arrived, seeing the attempt had failed, the assassin quickly fled.

The incident alarmed the entire Imperial Palace, and the Emperor, enraged, sent the Imperial Guard to search rigorously for the assassin, not overlooking any suspect.

Hehuan Hall

Xiao Jinyan’s lapel was half undone, revealing his whole arm. Thanks to Shen Chuwei’s treatment, his injury not only stopped bleeding but the poison was also neutralized.

Shen Chuwei looked at the pool of black blood on the ground, frowning deeply with concern.

The poison on the hidden weapon was extremely tricky, requiring nine different poisons to counteract with poison. Moreover, if the dosage wasn’t controlled properly, it could exacerbate the poisoning.

If not for her having Spiritual Spring Water, Xiao Jinyan would probably be gasping for life by now.

Shen Chuwei, somewhat anxious, looked at Xiao Jinyan, "Your Highness, who wants to kill you?"

Xiao Jinyan furrowed his brows tightly, "I know not, but the assassin this time is the same as the last time."