After her luck was taken away, she fell in love with the woman who traveled through time.

Those who submitted petitions to establish a crown prince were placed separately, and as time went by they became a tall pile.

The emperor slept and woke up, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw a thick stack of memorials in Cui Ling's hand.

His eyelids jumped: "What are these talking about?"

"Your Majesty, please appoint a crown prince." Cui Ling replied.

"They wish!" The emperor suddenly became furious and started coughing violently.

The palace servant who was serving on the side hurried forward to pat him on the back. Cui Ling also stood up, but did not go forward to serve.

After coughing for a while, the emperor looked at him again and said, "Burn all of this!"

"Yes."

"Wait!" The emperor called him again, "Write down who wrote these memorials and who they are asking to be crowned as the crown prince. I want to see who dares to covet my kingdom while I am still alive!"

"Yes."

Cui Ling did whatever he said, quietly without any objection, like a qualified tool. The emperor looked at him and felt a little relieved, but then he thought of the woman he had caught a glimpse of that day, and his brows furrowed again.

He was completely trapped in a struggle. If he forced the woman to stay with him regardless of the consequences, Cui Ling would no longer be useful to him in the future. If he didn't want her... He had been dreaming about that face for a long time. How could he be willing to give up like that?

The emperor stared at Cui Ling for a long time, with a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

Cui Ling continued to read the memorials until the evening.

The emperor knew that if he wanted to not appoint a crown prince, he had to prove to his ministers that he could still handle state affairs. Cui Ling was extremely important to him, so he couldn't exploit him too much. So as soon as Cui Ling put down the memorial, he said calmly, "It's getting late, and you haven't recovered yet. Go back and rest."

"Yes." Cui Ling responded and turned to leave. On his way out, he met Qian You, the Minister of War who had always been at odds with him in the court. He nodded lightly and was about to leave.

"Isn't the seal master feeling unwell? Why doesn't he take good care of himself instead of running to the emperor's bedroom? Aren't you afraid of passing your illness on to the emperor?" Qian You was unwilling to let him go easily.

Cui Ling said calmly, "I just hurt my knee, why should I be sick? Besides, the emperor needs me, so I must be loyal to him."

What he meant was that all the rumors outside were false, and he was still the person the emperor could not do without.

Qian You was stunned for a moment, then frowned. Just as he was about to ask in detail, Cui Ling had already left.

Qian You sneered as he entered the room, and immediately bowed when he saw the emperor.

The emperor looked at him coldly and asked, "Why did you come here so suddenly?"

Qian You sensed the displeasure in his words, and his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't say what he wanted to say.

"I know it's needless to say. Is it about the issue of appointing a crown prince?" The emperor had a blank expression, but a hint of anger was still revealed in his words. "I think you guys are just hoping that I will die sooner!"

Qian You was shocked: "I, I don't mean that at all!"

"Then what do you mean!"

Qian You hurriedly said, "I am afraid of the eunuchs' dictatorship and Cui Ling's harm to the country!"

After the words fell, there was no rebuttal from the emperor. Qian You swallowed his saliva and came up with an idea in his mind: "Your Majesty, think about it, is he not as obedient as before?"

After saying that, he looked up at the emperor and said, "On the night of the ceremony, even I could see that his wife looked exactly like the late queen. After all, he had served the late queen for so many years, how could he not see that? He dared to leave that woman in the room, which clearly showed that he did not take you seriously. This was not only a blasphemy to the late queen, but also a great disrespect to you! If this continues, I am afraid he will become more and more difficult to control."

"So what? He's a rootless eunuch, how could he want to rebel?" The emperor said disdainfully, "He can't be more dangerous than the crown prince."

Qian You didn't dare to respond to his last sentence. He thought for a long time and then said, "But Your Majesty, you can't be controlled by a eunuch, right?"

This sentence accurately hit the emperor's mind. Cui Ling's pretending to be sick and resisting this time sounded a wake-up call for him, making him feel somewhat fearful.

Seeing this, Qian You's lips twitched twice, but he managed to hold back his laughter. "Besides, Your Majesty, I've already done some research. Not only does that woman look exactly like the late queen, she also has the same name and surname. Don't you think that's odd?"

The emperor was stunned.

"It must be that the late queen couldn't bear to leave you, so she reincarnated here, Your Majesty. Can you bear to let her suffer humiliation at the hands of a eunuch?" When Qian You saw his expression, he knew that the matter was settled.

The emperor took a deep breath, and his face darkened as he thought of something.

After Cui Ling returned to the Imperial Household Department, he accompanied Liang Tan for dinner and called the eunuch who served the emperor over to ask him what Qian You said after he came. The eunuch hurriedly replied, "After Lord Qian came in, he sent us out. I don't know what he said to the emperor."

Cui Ling pondered for a moment and then asked him to leave.

In the next few days, memorials were reviewed promptly, and several ministers who had submitted petitions for the establishment of a crown prince were also punished. The court and the harem were finally at peace.

After the emperor recovered from his illness, he assigned two young eunuchs to Cui Ling.

"It's too tiring for you to review memorials by yourself. You can teach them more in the future. They are also descendants of criminals and have read books of sages for several years. I think they will be able to learn it quickly and it will be easier for you in the future." The emperor spoke casually.

Cui Ling's eyes darkened and he looked at the two of them scrutinizingly. The two little eunuchs immediately shrank back.

The emperor was dissatisfied with the cowardice of the two, but he had no better choice, so he put on a stern face to support them: "Why, you don't want to?"

"Your Majesty is kind, and I will obey your command." Cui Ling said concisely.

The emperor's eyes flashed with disdain, and he left. Cui Ling glanced at the two people who were left behind, and began to teach them seriously, but after teaching them, he said lightly: "You two still have families outside."

The two were stunned, not knowing how to answer, but after meeting Cui Ling's gaze, they immediately broke out in a sweat.

"You can decide for yourself what to say and what not to say in the future," Cui Ling glanced at the two of them, "If you feel that the emperor values ​​you, then you have nothing to worry about, then do as you please."

The two were so frightened that they dared not even breathe. When they returned and were asked about it by the Emperor, they only dared to say how Cui Ling had tried his best to teach them, and did not dare to mention the threats at all.

After knowing that Cui Ling did not pretend to obey but actually disobey, the emperor was quite satisfied and once again felt that Qian You was making a fuss out of nothing. He had just asked the two to leave when another person came.

After seeing who the visitor was, the emperor could not wait to ask, "How is she today?" before he even knelt down to pay his respects.

The visitor paused and said, "In reply to the emperor, I have been staying in the house and rarely go out. I went to the kitchen at noon and made some food."

"She didn't like going out in the past, and there were always cakes and pastries in the house. I used to laugh at her for being like a little girl even though she was old." The emperor smiled, and a layer of wrinkles accumulated on his fat, aging face, but his eyes were extremely strange, as if he was reminiscing about the past, or as if he couldn't distinguish between reality and fantasy.

The visitor laughed dryly and nodded when he heard this, not daring to say anything more.

On the other hand, after hearing that there were two more young eunuchs in the Imperial Study, Liang Tan frowned immediately: "Is he planning to sideline you?"

"He won't succeed." Cui Ling comforted.

Liang Tan sighed: "It seems that things are worse than I thought."

She originally thought that as long as the emperor was alive, she and Cui Ling would be safe, but now it seems that this is not the case. The officials in the court wish Cui Ling dead, and the emperor is now trying to disintegrate his power. Now the two of them have unknowingly reached a dead end.

Liang Tan recalled the sneaky figure she saw during the day. It was clearly the old eunuch who had served the emperor for many years. She pursed her lips and looked at Cui Ling apologetically: "It's all my fault."

"Don't think too much," Cui Ling said in a soothing voice, "I will take care of everything."

Liang Tan pursed her lips, her brows still furrowed. Cui Ling couldn't bear to see it, so he finally reached out and smoothed her brows. After doing all this, both of them were stunned.

After Cui Ling realized what he had done, he curled his fingers awkwardly: "It's getting late, go to bed."

"......Yeah." Liang Tan's cheeks turned a little hot. Hearing this, he hurried to wash up. After he was ready, he crawled to the innermost side of the bed.

Cui Ling was about to get his bedding from the closet, but when he turned around, he saw a large empty space next to her. Facing her clear eyes, his Adam's apple moved, and he couldn't resist the desire in his heart, so he lay down beside her.

Liang Tan couldn't help but steal a glance at him, and was caught off guard by his gaze.

"Go to sleep." He said, trying not to laugh.

Liang Tan silently buried his face in the quilt, and was glad that it was the middle of the night and he couldn't see his expression at the moment.

Cui Ling not only had to deal with the backlog of memorials, but also had to be vigilant against the open and hidden attacks. He could only relax when he returned to this room every day. At this moment, lying next to Liang Tan, listening to the various slight noises she made, he soon fell asleep.

Liang Tan, however, had no desire to sleep. Scenes of his rebirth flashed through his mind. Finally, he had to admit that even without her, as long as Cui Ling stayed in the palace, his final fate would be doomed to be a bad one. Her appearance only pushed him to move towards this ending faster.

Perhaps only rebirth can break this deadlock. When Liang Tan thought about this, the scene of him almost dying under the knife appeared in his mind again, and he rejected this idea in an instant.

The current situation is not that bad. If she thinks about it carefully, she may be able to find a way out.

Liang Tan let out a light breath and glanced sideways at Cui Ling who was sleeping beside him. Suddenly, she remembered the warm touch of his fingertips resting on her brows, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curled up a little.

"You're only in your twenties, why are you so bitter and resentful all the time?" She chuckled and raised her hand to press between his brows to help him smooth out the wrinkles.

Cui Ling seemed to be aware of something in his dream, but did not wake up.

He slept well that night. When he woke up, he saw Liang Tan still asleep. He tiptoed to take his clothes and went out. He stood outside the door before changing.

It was almost the twelfth lunar month, and the palace was extremely cold in the early morning. Cui Ling only wore his underwear and went out. The moment he stepped out of the door, all the heat in his body disappeared. The palace servants in the courtyard were startled and hurriedly stepped forward: "My lord, what are you doing..."

"Shh." Cui Ling gave him a warning look.

The palace maids dared not say a word.

Cui Ling lowered her eyes and stood at the door, changing her clothes slowly. The palace maid stood there huddled for a long time, and suddenly understood what this meant.

It turned out that the Master Seal was afraid of disturbing his master's rest, so he took the clothes and went out to change.

"Sir, you are so kind to the master." The palace servant couldn't help but say something, but then he remembered that this master was not someone who could chat with him, and his face suddenly changed in fear.

However, Cui Ling not only did not get angry, but glanced at him and continued: "She treats me better."

The palace servant was so surprised that his mouth opened wide, and he didn't react for a long time. Only when Cui Ling's clothes were almost changed did he quickly go to get hot water to help her wash.

By the time Cui Ling had packed up, it was already daybreak. The palace servant bowed to see him out. When he was almost at the gate, he remembered, "Oh, sir, the eunuch Sun who is with the emperor has been hanging around these days."

Cui Ling stopped walking, his expression unclear: "Do you know what he is doing?"

"I noticed that he looked suspicious, so I paid more attention to him. I observed him for a few days but didn't see him do anything. Plus, he never approached the yard, so I ignored him... Sir, is there anything unusual?"

Cui Ling lowered his eyes: "It's okay, protect your master."

"Yes."

The palace maid bowed hurriedly, and when she raised her head, Cui Ling had disappeared.

Cui Ling walked very fast all the way, and every step was full of anger. However, when he stepped into the door of the imperial study, all his emotions disappeared completely, and he became the indifferent and ruthless seal of authority again. The two young eunuchs appointed by the emperor were already waiting in the room. When they saw him, they hurriedly saluted and said, "Greetings, seal of authority."

"Greetings, Master Seal."

Cui Ling glanced at the memorials on the table, and the top few seemed to have been touched. The two followed Cui Ling's line of sight and were immediately panicked.

"Just now, the Emperor and Lord Qian came and told us to learn how to read memorials. We just touched the first few. Lord Seal Holder, please spare us. Without your order, we would never dare to touch the memorials! If you don't believe me, you can go ask the Emperor. He is walking in the garden with Lord Qian and will be back soon."

As they spoke, the two men knelt down hurriedly.

Cui Ling said calmly, "My family didn't say anything, why are you so nervous?"

The two were shivering.

"Stand up. Since the emperor asked you to learn how to read memorials, then learn it." Cui Ling said, walked around them and sat down at the table, and directly handed one of the piles to them, "Did the emperor ask you to review it personally?"

"No, no, I just told you to learn more from the palm print."

"Then let's see how our family approves it." After saying this, Cui Ling ignored them.

The two looked at each other, then bravely stood up and came behind him, carefully watching how he reviewed the memorials. Cui Ling was quite generous and not only let them watch, but also gave them some pointers.

When the emperor and Qian You came back from outside, they saw him concentrating on teaching. They looked at each other and then left the room. Cui Ling's eyes moved slightly, pretending not to see them.

For half a month, Cui Ling taught the two with all his heart, and gradually they were able to handle memorials independently. The emperor checked the memorials they had handled and was quite satisfied. Qian You, who was in the audience, felt uneasy when he saw this.

"He is obedient," the emperor's resentment towards Cui Ling slightly reduced, and he once again thought of his goodness, "He has been with me for so many years and has never done anything to disobey me."

"Who knows whether he is teaching you sincerely or just pretending in front of you. Your Majesty must not be careless." Qian You hurriedly reminded after hearing this.

The emperor glanced at him and said, "Why do I feel that you don't like him?"