By custom, Mingyi coming out to greet him was already a gesture of great humility from a superior. For Ji Bozhai to come as well was an unparalleled honor. Zhou Zihong knew in his heart that Ji Bozhai had only come because of Mingyi, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of discomfort.

All these years, Mingyi had never returned to Sunspire City. Though she was called the Lord of Facing Sun, she was more like another Six Cities' Lord—overseeing Sunspire’s affairs while also assisting with the governance of the Six Cities. Ji Bozhai had spared no expense in granting her authority and status, ensuring she lacked for nothing.

Yet even so, Mingyi had still not married him.

Zhou Zihong had once thought that Mingyi’s willingness to settle back then was because she still held feelings for Ji Bozhai. But later, he wondered if it wasn’t that she had Ji Bozhai in her heart, but rather that she had no one in her heart at all—which was why she had chosen to marry for practical reasons.

He had been a fool, letting such trivial details keep them apart. Had he been more open-minded back then, perhaps now...

Could it be that Mingyi had refused Ji Bozhai’s proposal because she still had feelings for him?

Zhou Zihong gazed at the figures ahead, a faint flicker of hope stirring in his chest.

Madam Xu glanced at him from the side, her crimson lips pressing together slightly.

Led by palace attendants, the group arrived at the guest hall. After whispering a few careful instructions to Madam Xu, Mingyi left with Ji Bozhai.

Watching their retreating figures, Madam Xu couldn’t help but sigh with envy. "I’ve never seen an emperor so devoted to a single woman."

Without looking up, Zhou Zihai replied, "The debts of a wayward youth must always be repaid."

That might be true, but if given the choice between a man who didn’t love her and a reformed rake who adored her, she’d still choose the latter.

Madam Xu sat down, removing the cloth padding from her belly, and let out a long sigh.

Mingyi had long since liberated the women of the Six Cities. Now, they had the freedom to marry and divorce as they pleased—whether due to unhappiness or a husband’s infidelity.

Few were as stubborn as Madam Xu, clinging to the man she loved for seven long years.

She was grateful to Mingyi for granting her this freedom. Even after seven years without children, as long as Zhou Zihong didn’t seek a divorce, she could remain by his side. But whenever she saw him, the bitterness in her heart was unavoidable.

Zhou Zihong loved Mingyi—she had known that from the start.

Years ago, after a single glimpse of him on the street, she had begged her father to arrange a marriage. Her father’s expression had darkened. "He was once the city lord’s favored son-in-law. Marrying him would only invite gossip."

Madam Xu didn’t fear gossip. She simply wanted to know why such a handsome scholar always wore such a sorrowful expression.

She wanted to smooth the furrow from his brow, to bring him joy.

Yet Zhou Zihong remained indifferent. No matter how renowned the matchmaker she sent, he turned them all away.

Madam Xu refused to give up. After two years of trying every method, she finally went to him herself, blocking his path to ask why—since he was no longer the city lord’s son-in-law—he still refused to marry anyone else.

The way Zhou Zihong had looked at her then was as if she were nothing more than a blade of grass or a flower, his voice utterly calm. "I don’t want her to settle, so naturally, I won’t settle either."

Madam Xu hadn’t understood. She only knew he was unlike any other man she’d met—devoid of that obnoxious arrogance or the oppressive sense of entitlement. And so, she had resolved to marry him, no matter what.Therefore, as soon as she heard that Your Majesty was injured and that the Bright City Lord had been tending to him day and night in the Palace City, Madam Xu seized the opportunity to seek out Zhou Zihong.

Sure enough, he was heavily intoxicated, muttering something about how it should have been this way long ago, how he should have let go long ago.

Madam Xu leaned closer and said, "If you want to let go, do you need my help?"

Zhou Zihong stared at her intently, his drunken eyes hazy as he asked, "What's so good about me that you've been clinging to me for two years?"

Madam Xu began counting on her fingers: "At the polo match, you looked frail but helped me defeat that rogue from the Song family."

"In court debates, you defended my father."

"During the Facing Sun riots, you single-handedly persuaded three thousand rioters."

"When the Women's Academicians' Court was besieged, you personally led the rescue."

She clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at him. "I remember every single thing you've done clearly, but what moved me most was that first glance when I met you on the street."

"Lord Zhou, do you know? Some people only fall in love once in their lifetime. If it happens at first sight, it happens. Even if you don’t marry me, you’ll stay in my heart forever."

To stay forever in someone’s heart—that was truly a great temptation.

Zhou Zihong couldn’t resist it. He pulled her close and captured her earlobe between his lips.

Only afterward did he feel regret. It was the most chaotic night of his life. When he woke the next morning and saw someone in his arms, his face turned pale with shock.

Madam Xu was also pale, likely having suffered through the night, but her eyes still shone with joy as she said, "Given your principles, you’ll surely marry me."

She wasn’t wrong. He would indeed marry her—only, he couldn’t bring himself to send the invitation to the Palace City.

"It’s alright," Madam Xu said. "There’s still plenty of time. You might pine for her for a year or two, but what about three or four years, five or six? Eventually, you’ll see me."

She had spoken with such confidence back then, but now, seven years later, that youthful courage seemed to have withered away.

Sitting on the soft couch, she stared blankly at her despondent husband and suddenly felt exhausted.

She hadn’t been supposed to come this time. She had begged him repeatedly, insisting she wanted to witness the City Lord’s grace, before he finally relented.

Upon seeing Mingyi, she realized she didn’t even have the right to resent her.

Half of her current happiness was thanks to Mingyi, and that woman wasn’t solely preoccupied with love. She carried a compassion that embraced the world. Even if outsiders saw her as meddling in politics, monopolizing power, or bewitching the sovereign, in the eyes of those who benefited from her actions, she remained a deity, a faith.

Zhou Zihong collected his thoughts and turned to see her still barefoot on the wooden floor by the couch. He frowned. "You’ve just recovered from chills, and you’re already mistreating yourself like this?"

Madam Xu snapped out of her daze, tucking her feet back under the blanket, and forced a smile. "My husband cares for me after all."

"Only because I dread your father’s entire household descending upon our residence to fuss over you if you fall ill again," he said, pressing his lips together.

Madam Xu was frail and the only daughter of her family, doted on like the apple of her parents’ eye. Whenever she fell ill, the entire household would rush over to care for her, making quite the spectacle. Her parents already held many grievances against him, and each visit inevitably came with a round of scolding.

He disliked that.

Hearing this, Madam Xu finally darkened her expression. "If I fall ill again, I’ll simply return home. There’s no need for my husband to speak to me like this."This was the first time Madam Xu had spoken back to him. Zhou Zihong paused, somewhat unaccustomed to it. Thinking she might be in a bad mood from being so far from home, he decided not to argue with her.

His mind was completely occupied with thoughts of giving the Jade Guanyin he had personally carved to Mingyi.