Chapter 1135: A Sovereign is a Sovereign, a Subject is a Subject

Dong Chiyu couldn't speak. Tears filled her eyes. She always seemed to need a shoulder to lean on; the older she grew, the more prone to crying she became.

Ruyi comforted her, gently patting her back. "Your mother's spirit in heaven can finally rest in peace. Don't cry, Blockhead. Your big sister is right here."

Dong Chiyu sobbed softly, shaking her head.

The guards and officials in the hall watched the scene, momentarily at a loss.

Seeing this, Ruyi looked toward the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. "Close the case," she said.

The minister blinked, then hurriedly nodded. "Ah, right. Case closed. Case closed."

...

Within the Imperial Palace.

Yan Nantian was deliberating over official titles and noble ranks. This had been a source of immense frustration lately; no matter how he weighed it, a few individuals remained difficult to place, giving him endless headaches.

He rubbed his temples and looked up. "What's the situation at the Court of Judicial Review?"

An attendant stepped forward. "Your Majesty, Miss Wang summoned the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Punishments, and the Censorate to jointly interrogate the first and second branches of the Dong family. The death of Dong Sanniang was linked to both Eldest Madam Dong and the Second Madam. The Second Madam was sentenced to decapitation, and Eldest Madam Dong was sentenced to hanging."

"How did she manage to convene a Joint Trial of the Three Judicial Agencies? Didn't I tell you to have someone keep an eye on her?"

"Your Majesty, this servant is incompetent. I couldn't stop Miss Wang. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

"Ah..."

Yan Nantian waved him off, thoroughly exasperated.

Establishing a new dynasty was exhausting enough on its own, yet Ruyi had to go and stir up trouble. For a single case, she had triggered a Joint Trial of the Three Judicial Agencies.

"Forget it..."

Yan Nantian shook his head, deciding to drop the matter. He was the one who had called her here, and he was the one who had given her the Waist Token. Now that the damage was done, he had no choice but to accept it.

He could only imagine how many people in the streets would be gossiping about it tomorrow. The officials below would inevitably complain that this was making a mountain out of a molehill. Either way, it was going to be a headache.

Better to just focus on the task at hand.

But his peace didn't last long.

The attendant returned with another report. "Your Majesty, Miss Wang has arrived. She says she is here to return the Waist Token."

Yan Nantian looked helpless. "She's getting on in years; why is she still so impulsive?"

"Let her in."

Ruyi was ushered inside.

Stepping into the Imperial Study, she glanced around. "Not a bad place you've got here. You look pretty imposing sitting up there."

"Not as imposing as you orchestrating a Joint Trial of the Three Judicial Agencies."

"Oh? Not happy about it?"

Yan Nantian glanced at the attendant, who immediately understood. He dismissed the other servants and withdrew from the room as well.

Yan Nantian rubbed his temples. "I warned you repeatedly not to abuse your authority. The moment you stepped outside, you launched a Joint Trial of the Three Judicial Agencies. I haven't even officially ascended the throne yet, and you pull a stunt like this."

Ruyi listened to his nagging before replying, "I know, I know. Here, I brought your Waist Token back."

She handed the token over as she spoke.

Yan Nantian paused. "Didn't I say you could keep it?"

"I won't need it anymore. My own skills are far more useful than this Waist Token."

Hearing these brazen words, Yan Nantian looked helpless. "You make me seem like a very useless emperor."

"I didn't mean that," Ruyi said. "You're the one putting on airs."

"Putting on airs?"

"What else would you call it?"

"Fine, fine, fine..."

Yan Nantian was starting to get angry. He stood up. "You saved my life, yes, but a sovereign is a sovereign, and a subject is a subject. At the end of the day, you shouldn't be so utterly disrespectful. Look at yourself—what kind of behavior is this?"

"Who is a subject?"

Ruyi glared at him. "Who's a subject? Do I eat your food? Do you pay my salary? Back then, on the road to Shangjing, you didn't have a single copper coin to your name! I fed you, I housed you, and when we arrived, I gave you over fifty silver taels. I even saved your life! And now you're calling me a subject?"

"As a commoner, you should still respect the Son of Heaven."

"There have been plenty of Sons of Heaven over the last few decades. Which one are you?"

Yan Nantian slammed his hand on the desk in fury.

Ruyi raised her chin and took a step forward. "What? Slamming tables now? Feeling imposing, are we? My, how mighty you've become, Yan Nantian. I saved your life at least three times, and now you're yelling at me?"

Yan Nantian's frustration boiled over at her words.

He had already been plagued by countless issues these past few days. For Ruyi to blatantly disrespect him and stir up even more trouble only deepened his exhaustion.

He sat back down and let out a long breath. "You're right. I owe you..."

Ruyi looked at him and said, "Don't bother."

"The Ministry of Punishments, the Court of Judicial Review, the Censorate—the Joint Trial of the Three Judicial Agencies will serve as payment for the three times I saved your life. We're even."

With that, Ruyi slammed the Waist Token onto the desk. She turned and walked toward the door, not wanting to stay a second longer.

What made Ruyi so resolute wasn't the supposed debt of a life saved, but the way people changed. The Yan Nantian of years past had never been like this. Back then, he was humorous and chatty, treating her as an equal. Now, he sat high and mighty. He was no longer the man he used to be.

The distinction between sovereign and subject had finally come out of his mouth.

Yan Nantian stared intently at Ruyi's retreating back.

"Wait," he called out to stop her.

Ruyi looked back. "Your Majesty, this commoner has matters to attend to at home and cannot stay."

Yan Nantian said, "Tomorrow is the coronation ceremony. Remember to attend and receive your title."

"No need."

Ruyi turned her head away. "I, Wang Ruyi, acknowledge my friends, my master, and my family. I acknowledge the heavens and the earth. But the one thing I do not acknowledge is an emperor. I have too much pride in my bones; I could never be someone's subject."

She walked straight out of the room, leaving the Imperial Palace behind.

It suddenly struck Ruyi just how deeply ironic this all was. Friends who had once shared everything and joked with one another now sat in high halls, demanding respect for the monarch. Power truly changed a person beyond recognition.

Yan Nantian sat back down with a long sigh. He stared at the door she had left ajar, the midday light spilling through the crack and into the room.

Exhaustion threatened to crush him. It was just like that half-open door—unless someone gave it a push, it would never truly close.

The Waist Token gleaming with golden light on his desk felt like a needle piercing his heart.

Yan Nantian felt angry, but more than that, he felt helpless.

He had his own difficulties to consider. As an emperor, he couldn't allow anyone to leverage a life-saving debt to overstep the boundary between sovereign and subject. As an emperor, he fundamentally had to act according to the rules.

An emperor, at the end of the day, was destined to stand alone.

Sitting in this position meant he could no longer afford any personal sentiments. The very last trace of his willful nature had been entirely worn away during his journey heading south.

The scolding Ruyi had given him back then still echoed in his ears. He remembered it clearly, having kept those words in his heart ever since.

The Imperial Study was brightly lit, but to Yan Nantian, it felt utterly freezing. It held not a single trace of warmth.

Perhaps, to Ruyi, it was the same—without a single trace of warmth.