Chapter 1: Green-headed Tablet

Night was falling. A faint blue glow washed over the glazed rooftops of the Forbidden City.

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.

The warm glow of candlelight streamed through the lattice window, casting a slender silhouette against the paper-covered window, its head bowed as though reading.

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. A breath of cool night air slipped inside, setting the candle flame trembling and sending shadows rippling across the page before her.

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. But her finger paused for a moment as she turned the page, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Xiao Heng removed his cloak and handed it to a servant before waving everyone away. The doors quietly closed. There were only the two of them.

He walked over to the couch, but instead of sitting down, he reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair from her shoulder, "Today's morning session ran long."

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

"Ah.."He gave a muffled reply, then sat down beside her, close enough that his knee nearly touched hers.

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!"He hummed softly and leaned against her shoulder, his nose brushing lightly against her collar as he caught the faint scent that clung to it.

She let out a soft chuckle, the sound low enough to stir a faint vibration beneath his cheek where he leaned against her. The sound of her laughter eased every trace of exhaustion.

Xiao Heng leaned closer and plucked the scroll from her hand: “Reading again?"

"I was."

He glanced down at the cover and asked casually, though his fingers remained firmly around the spine, keeping the book just out of her reach: “Not anymore."

She reached out, her fingertips brushing the gold embroidery on his cuff: "Give it back."

Instead of handing the scroll back, he lifted it higher and leaned back slightly, putting a little distance between them. Even so, his knee still rested lightly against hers: "You've been reading ever since I walked in."

"I was reading while waiting for you."

"That's still reading.”He tilted his head, his gaze settling on her upturned face. Candlelight danced in her eyes, making them shimmer, “I think I’m beginning to envy it.”

She rose to retrieve the scroll, but Xiao Heng rose with her, lifting it even higher. Taller than she was, he held it effortlessly out of her reach. Left with no other choice, she rose onto her tiptoes, stretching for it. Before long, her ankles began to ache, yet her fingertips still fell just short of the scroll. She clicked her tongue softly in annoyance.

"Xiao Heng." There was a hint of warning in her voice, though the last syllable rose ever so slightly.

"Hm?"He answered with perfect composure, but the amusement in his eyes was impossible to miss, and the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth simply refused to stay hidden.

"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, and one sleeve slipped back, revealing a slender stretch of pale wrist: “Using that as an excuse? No way.”

Tilting her head ever so slightly, she regarded him for a moment: “Xiao Heng…” she drawled, deliberately stretching out his name, “Xiao—Heng. Is that enough?”

The tips of his ears flushed slightly, but he still held on to the book.

She let out an exaggerated sigh.: “I’m not going to play along with you anymore.” She turned and sat back down in her original spot, pouring herself a cup of tea.

Seeing that she seemed determined to ignore him—even if he suspected she was only pretending—Xiao Heng relented at once.

He placed the book back in her lap, sat down beside her—this time a little closer—“I was just teasing you.”

“I could tell.” She took a sip of tea, the cup hiding the lower half of her face so that only her eyes were visible above the rim.

He turned his head to look at her, his warm breath brushing her ear, “Are you upset?”

"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.

Without saying anything, she picked up one of the cakes and held it toward him: "For your efforts."

He leaned forward and took a bite. His lips brushed against the pad of her finger—a fleeting touch—The pad of her finger burned for the briefest moment where his lips had touched it.

“It tastes better when you feed me,” he mumbled, crumbs clinging to the corner of his mouth.

She rolled her eyes and reached over and brushed the crumb away with the back of her finger. “There’s just no dealing with you.”

Her movements were brisk, but her touch turned almost instinctively gentle as the back of her finger brushed the corner of his mouth.

He caught her hand as she tried to pull it back, his thumb idly stroking her knuckles. “But you still like me,” he said.

“I’m just barely tolerating you,” she said, but she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she let him hold it, her fingertips curling slightly in his palm.

"If you’ll keep indulging me, that’s enough." He drew her hand to his chest and pressed her palm over his heart, letting her feel its steady beat.

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.

She turned to look at him. Seeing that his eyes were closed, she reached out and gently traced the crease between his brows.

“Go on,” she said.

He took the hand resting against his brow and enclosed it in his own, their fingers intertwining: “What do you want me to say?”

"Those officials?"

He sighed. "They're asking me to choose the tablets again, and want me to visit the other palaces."

"And?"

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

"They're going to blame me again.” She smiled helplessly, “They'll say I'm bewitching the emperor."

“These words have never stopped—not in all these years.” He opened his eyes fully and turned to her. In the candlelight, his gaze seemed deeper than ever. “Does it frighten you?”

She reached up and brushed the loose strands of hair from his forehead. Her fingertips glided down the line of his temple before coming to rest beneath his jaw.

“You’re the emperor,” she said softly. “If anyone should worry about such things, it’s you.”

He covered her hand with his own and laced their fingers together again. This time, he held on more tightly, their fingers fitting together so closely there wasn’t the slightest space between them.

“As long as I have you beside me,” he murmured, his eyes never leaving hers, “they can say whatever they like.”

She gazed back at him in silence. The love in her eyes overflowed so plainly that it could no longer be hidden.

Outside, the wind suddenly picked up, stirring the lattice windows with a soft rattle

There was no emperor, no court etiquette.

Only Xiao Heng.

Only Su Qingyuan.

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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