The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

Before long, Wulan Yun arrived at the Taiji Hall.

She didn't even wait for the eunuch to announce her arrival before barging in.

Shen Wangxi was sitting behind the imperial desk. Hearing the sound, he looked up and saw that it was her, but his face remained expressionless.

Wulan Yun stopped in her tracks, but did not bow as usual.

She stood tall, her face still bearing the red marks of five fingers, her eyes slightly red, yet she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall, her voice tinged with grievance: "Your Majesty."

Shen Wangxi put down the memorial in his hand and asked, "What's the matter that requires such haste?"

Ulan Yun took a deep breath: "Your decree states that Consort Zhao need not bow to me, and I accept it. After all, I was in the wrong first and lost His Majesty's favor."

"But Your Majesty, look! Consort Zhao is becoming more and more domineering. She even dared to slap me in the Imperial Garden in front of many palace servants."

"I am, after all, the Empress of the Great Zhou, whom you married through proper channels. Yet now, I cannot even discipline a single concubine without anyone obeying my orders."

"Even a lowly servant like Granny Yan dares to reprimand the palace servants of Jiaofang Palace."

She stared intently at Shen Wangxi, her eyes filled with grief and indignation: "Your Majesty, in this situation, I have lost all face, and the dignity of the Empress has been completely destroyed. Are you satisfied now?"

Shen Wangxi listened quietly to her accusations, his gaze lingering on her flushed cheeks for a moment before looking away.

A suffocating silence fell over the hall.

After a long while, Shen Wangxi finally spoke slowly, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "I understand."

Wu Lanyun was taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to react this way.

She stepped forward and said urgently, "Your Majesty! This is extremely disrespectful and defies palace rules! You..."

"Empress," Shen Wangxi interrupted her, her tone calm yet undeniably authoritative, "you may return now."

Wulan Yun stood frozen in place, staring at him in disbelief.

She said so much and suffered such humiliation, and all she got in return was a dismissive "go back now"?

"Your Majesty!" she tried to say again.

Shen Wangxi, however, had already picked up the memorial again, lowered his eyes to read it, and issued an order to leave in a detached tone: "I still have state affairs to attend to. I have my own plan for this matter."

Looking at his downcast eyes and the way he seemed completely unconcerned about the humiliation she had suffered, Wu Lanyun's heart grew cold.

She bit her lip hard until she tasted blood again, then suddenly turned around and staggered out of the Taiji Hall.

After she left, Shen Wangxi did not continue reviewing the memorials.

Aruo actually hit the Empress.

He could almost picture how the little girl was provoked by Wulan Yun, how she raised her little hand, spoiled and reckless, and slapped him.

They're getting bolder and bolder.

Shen Wangxi rubbed her temples, unable to tell whether it was helplessness or some other emotion.

-

Half an hour later.

When Shen Wangxi stepped into Yilan Palace, his expression was calm.

Shen Qingruo was sitting at the zither table by the window, her fingertips plucking the strings. Hearing footsteps, she looked up with delight:

"Your Majesty! You've arrived? Aruo has learned a new piece of music; would you like me to play it for you?"

As she spoke, she was about to get up and pull him over.

Shen Wangxi simply walked to the main seat and sat down, his posture upright, his gaze fixed on her face, without saying a word.

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly turned cold.

Shen Qingruo's smile slowly froze. She stood there helplessly, her slender white fingers clutching the hem of her clothes.

She hesitated for a moment, then moved closer, gently tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

Shen Wangxi looked up at her cautious expression and said in a deep voice, "What do you think?"

Shen Qingruo's long eyelashes trembled, she lowered her head, and her voice became even softer, tinged with grievance: "Is it because this afternoon, I hit Her Majesty the Empress?"

"You still remember she was the Empress?" Shen Wangxi's voice was still emotionless, but the oppressive feeling made Shen Qingruo's nose tingle.

She released her grip on his sleeve, her eyes instantly reddening, and large tears rolled down her cheeks.

Shen Wangxi was taken aback by her tears.

He hasn't even started to reprimand her yet, and she's already acting all wronged?

"You hit yourself, how dare you cry?" He frowned, his tone becoming increasingly harsh.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as he said that, Shen Qingruo raised her head, glared at him with teary eyes, her gaze filled with both grievance and anger, and then turned around and ran straight into the inner room.

Shen Wangxi sat alone on a chair in the outer room, staring blankly at the swaying beaded curtain for a long while.

Did he...did he just drive people away with his insults?

Shen Wangxi sat there with a sullen face, feeling a tightness in her chest.

Hearing the faint sobbing coming from inside the room, he couldn't help but soften his heart, stood up, lifted the beaded curtain, and went in.