Chapter 216: Her Favoritism

"The preparations for the imperial examinations are nearly complete. When does Your Majesty plan to deal with the remnants of the Lu family?"

Song Junzhan’s demeanor was completely calm. He showed no frustration at being unable to avenge a great wrong, nor any relief from learning the truth. When he spoke of the Lu family, his expression remained unchanged, as if his enemy Lu Cang was dead and the fate of the remaining Lu family members had nothing to do with him.

Xiao Li fell silent, her steps faltering for a moment before she slowly continued forward.

"Confiscate all their assets. Then, sentence them according to their crimes. Execute those who deserve death, and exile those who deserve exile."

"But there’s no rush. Once the imperial examinations are over, you can oversee the sentencing yourself."

Song Junzhan let out a laugh. "Is Your Majesty publicly showing me favoritism?"

He was only making a casual joke, but unexpectedly, Xiao Li immediately replied, "Yes, I am."

She turned her head to look at him. "If I don’t favor you, should I be favoring the Lu family instead?"

Song Junzhan froze, his steady heartbeat instantly falling into disarray.

He had always known about the existence of the young Mr. Feng. He had personally seen the look in Her Majesty’s eyes when she gazed at the young man—an expression of acceptance and adoration, filled with boundless indulgence.

Having been involved in the entire process of Her Majesty’s seizure of power, Song Junzhan understood perfectly that she had never once considered using Feng Yin. Neither the Feng Family’s influence nor Feng Yin’s loyalty had ever been part of her calculations.

Her fondness for him was pure and simple. Even when Imperial Tutor Feng was imprisoned, with the Silver Armor Army standing guard layer upon layer, she still allowed Feng Yin to go inside.

She was purging the aristocratic families, yet to this day, the Feng Family was the only one she hadn’t touched. Letting Feng Yin visit Imperial Tutor Feng probably meant she didn’t want the Imperial Tutor to suffer and die.

Her favoritism was discreet, but never concealed.

No wonder Imperial Tutor Feng was so bold and unafraid, even trying to use this to threaten her.

’He had thought Her Majesty only had eyes for Feng Yin. That previous kiss had felt like a stolen dream. So, it turns out... he could be an object of her favor as well?’

’He just didn’t know if this favoritism was mostly because he was her most loyal subject, or because of him as a person.’

Song Junzhan was not an insecure man. He was a humble and refined gentleman who had never considered himself inferior to anyone. Instead, he had always striven to fight for fairness and justice.

But at some point, he had started to place himself in a humble position when facing Xiao Li, constantly worried about personal gains and losses. He didn’t know what he should do, or what he even could do.

She was the miracle of his life, and an entirely unexpected turn of events.

"Your Majesty."

Song Junzhan called out to Xiao Li, who was ascending the stairs. When she stopped and turned back, he stood two steps below, looking up at her. His gaze was intense, his eyes glittering. "What kind of person would Your Majesty want to spend a lifetime with?"

Xiao Li raised an eyebrow. ’What kind of question is that?’

"I can’t answer that. Friends drift apart, lovers break up, subordinates leave. No one can accompany me for a lifetime. I only focus on the present, taking one steady step at a time. I won’t make illusory promises to others, nor will I believe the promises of others."

Song Junzhan gazed at her and suddenly smiled. This was the charm of the Empress: ruthless, rational, and self-possessed. In this world, such traits were absolutely not what men found likable, but she was so powerful that men couldn’t win her favor regardless.

"Your Majesty."

He didn’t know where the courage came from, but he suddenly reached out and tugged on her sleeve. He just looked up at her like that, his eyes filled with a silent plea.

"Then... I... admire Your Majesty... I beg Your Majesty to show me grace..."

His voice trembled slightly, and he couldn’t finish his sentence. A blush colored his cheeks, but even though his heart was in turmoil, he forced himself to hold her gaze, refusing to look away.

Xiao Li was at a loss for words.

’Such a divinely handsome man. Why use that face to test a person’s resolve?’

Her gaze slowly drifted down from his face to the hand that was tightly clutching her sleeve.

She reached out, placed her hand over his, and with a bit of force, peeled his fingers away.

The color instantly drained from Song Junzhan’s blushing cheeks, leaving them deathly pale. ’He’d been rejected.’

His first instinct was to kneel. "Your Majesty, forgive my transgression..."

Before he could drop to his knees, Xiao Li grabbed his arm. "There’s no need to kneel, and no need to ask for forgiveness."

Pulling him up, Xiao Li looked at him and said in a tone that was both teasing and serious, "I do have a weakness for handsome men, but I can’t lose a future Prime Minister over it."

"The imperial examinations are your long-held wish. Focus on seeing them through. As for everything else... we can talk about it later."

It wasn’t an acceptance, but it wasn’t a rejection either.

Song Junzhan suppressed his disappointment and nodded. "Alright."

’As long as she doesn’t find me distasteful, that’s enough.’

At the turn of the staircase, a figure in dark purple stood silently, their somber eyes taking in the entire scene.

-----

SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH.

On a scorching summer day, nothing was more comfortable than a soak in a cold bath.

Inside Zhuochun Hall was a spacious pool, twice as long as it was wide, fed by flowing spring water that kept it exceptionally cool.

Xiao Li’s favorite pastime was to come here in the afternoon for a soak. The summer heat would dissipate, leaving her feeling refreshed.

Although she couldn’t swim about freely, she would still dive under for a few strokes, then lean against the edge, her body submerged in the water, basking in the sunlight filtering down from the roof.

Suddenly, someone approached from the edge of the pool behind her. The familiar aura meant she didn’t need to turn around.

She assumed he was there on business, but unexpectedly, he crouched down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The searing heat of his touch on her cool skin sent a shiver through her.

Xiao Li spun around abruptly. It was Lou Yan, dressed only in a thin robe. He stood on the edge of the pool looking down at her, an unidentifiable fire burning in his eyes—utterly dangerous and predatory.

Xiao Li immediately got out of the water. "What do you think you’re doing?"

Lou Yan moved closer. Xiao Li swiftly drew a sword from the wall and pressed its tip against him.

A shattered look flickered in Lou Yan’s eyes, only to be instantly masked by gloom and mockery. "This slave was only thinking of serving Your Majesty. What is Your Majesty doing?"

"Other people become emperor and fill their harems with countless beauties. Why is Your Majesty so chaste? Or are you saving yourself for someone, keeping your body as pure as jade?"

He strode forward, walking directly onto the sword. Xiao Li didn’t flinch in the slightest. The tip of the blade easily pierced his skin, and blood immediately began to flow.

"This slave is not as young and handsome as Mr. Song, nor as innocent and kind as Mr. Feng. Ever since Your Majesty ascended the throne, this slave has been standing behind you, yet it is as if Your Majesty can no longer see my existence at all."

He grabbed the blade with one hand, his palm instantly sliced open by the sword. Blood streamed from his palm.

As if he couldn’t feel the pain, he aimed the tip of the sword at his own heart. His eyes were fixed on her, like a soul-reaping demon. "Your Majesty should stab here."

Xiao Li sneered. "Lou Yan, We do not like being threatened."

Lou Yan’s eyes reddened. "How would this slave dare to threaten Your Majesty."

With that, he twisted the sword away with one hand, closed the distance, grabbed Xiao Li’s hand, and quickly pressed it against his chest.

"Has this slave grown so old and ugly that I can’t even seduce Your Majesty anymore?"

Xiao Li’s eyes narrowed, but Lou Yan had already seized the opportunity to kiss her. He completely disregarded the fact that she might bring the sword in her hand down on him again, kissing her greedily and pushing his luck, trying to part her teeth.