Chapter 1: Green-headed Tablet

Night was falling.

Inside the Office of Imperial Attendance, rows of green-headed selection tablets lay neatly on a lacquered tray.

Chief Eunuch Li Dequan carried the tray to the imperial desk and bowed.

"Your Majesty, it is time."

The study was silent except for the soft crackle of candlelight.

Seated behind the desk, Emperor Xiao Heng continued reading the memorial in his hand without even glancing up. "Take them away."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Dequan wasn't surprised.

For three years, the answer had never changed.

The selection tablets existed only because court etiquette demanded they exist.

The emperor had never once touched them.

The eunuchs quietly carried the tray away.

A short while later, palace lanterns lit the stone paths as the imperial procession left the study.

There was only one destination—Chengqian Palace.

---

Chengqian Palace was the closest palace to Qianqing Palace, where the emperor resided, and it was exceptionally splendid. It had always been reserved for the emperor's favored consorts, so that he could visit them easily whenever he wished.

Warm candlelight spilled through the window.

Su Qingyuan sat by the couch with a book in her lap. A plate of osmanthus cakes rested beside her, untouched.

The door opened softly. She didn't look up. "You're late."

Her voice carried the easy familiarity of someone greeting the person she had always been waiting for.

Xiao Heng removed his cloak and handed it to a servant before waving everyone away.

The doors quietly closed.

Now there were only the two of them.

"Today's morning session ran long."

She finally looked up. "What happened this time? Did someone upset you again?"

"Yeah."

She blinked. "Who?"

"All the officials. Every last one of them!"

A smile escaped her lips. "So… all of them bullied you today?"

"They wish!"

She laughed.

The sound of her laughter eased every trace of exhaustion from his face. He crossed the room and, without asking, lifted the book from her hands.

"Reading again?"

"I was."

"Not anymore."

She reached for it. "Give it back."

Instead of returning it, he simply raised it higher. "You've been reading ever since I walked in."

"I was reading while waiting for you."

"That's still reading. You didn't even look at me. No way!"

She stood, stretching to take it from him.

Unfortunately for her, he was much taller.

No matter how she reached, the book remained just beyond her fingertips.

"Xiao Heng." There was a warning in her voice.

"Hm?"

"Are you two years old?"

His smile grew wider. "Say my name again. I haven't heard you say it enough today."

She folded her arms. "So this is your excuse? Nice try."

She sighed dramatically. "I'm done playing."

Turning away, she sat back down and poured herself a cup of tea.

Seeing that she truly intended to ignore him, Xiao Heng immediately surrendered.

He placed the book back into her hands and sat beside her. "I was teasing."

"I noticed."

"Are you angry?"

She took a slow sip of tea. "I'm considering it."

"And how do I persuade you otherwise?"

She glanced toward the covered food box beside him. "I accept bribes."

He chuckled. "I came prepared."

Opening the box, he revealed a plate of freshly made osmanthus cakes.

"You said the last batch was too sweet, so I had the kitchen make these with less sugar."

Her fingers paused.

She had mentioned that only once.

He had remembered.

Without saying anything, she picked up one of the cakes and held it toward him.

"For your efforts."

He leaned forward obediently and took a bite.

"It tastes better when you feed me."

She rolled her eyes. "You really are impossible."

"But you still like me."

"I tolerate you."

"I'll take that."

She couldn't help laughing again.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

The silence between them never felt awkward.

After a while, Xiao Heng leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes.

"So?"

"So?"

"Those officials?"

He sighed. "They're asking me to choose the tablets again."

"They always do."

"They also want me to visit the other palaces."

"And?"

He opened one eye and looked at her. "I'm here, aren't I?"

She smiled helplessly. "They're going to blame me again."

"They already do."

"They'll say I'm bewitching the emperor."

"They've been saying that for years."

She reached over and gently brushed a loose strand of hair from his forehead. "Doesn't it bother you?"

He caught her hand and intertwined their fingers. "As long as I'm with you… let them talk."

She looked at him quietly.

There was no emperor here.

No noble consort.

No court etiquette.

Only Xiao Heng.

Only Su Qingyuan.

Outside, the palace remained bound by endless rules.

Inside Chengqian Palace…

they belonged only to each other.

---

Meanwhile, in Zhaohua Palace—

Another porcelain teacup shattered against the floor.

"He went to her again?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And the selection tablets?"

"The Emperor… never looked at them."

Silence filled the hall.

She finally sneered. "How long can someone like that remain favored?"

---

Outside the palace walls, the court buzzed with whispered complaints. Inside Chengqian Palace, there were no rulers or subjects, no rules or etiquette. There was only a young man named Xiao Heng, and a woman he cherished above all else—and he still couldn't bear to let her go.

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Note for readers: Green-headed tablets were wooden slips, each inscribed with a consort's personal name and formal title (e.g., Noble Consort Qing, etc.). The emperor used them to select which consort would share his bed that night.

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