Having many handsome men means no worries; pampering them all keeps me in good spirits.

Lu Nian frowned slightly. "Your Majesty, please don't make fun of me. How could a mere general like me sit on this dragon throne?"

"Oh? Then, Minister Lu, who do you think is qualified to sit on this dragon throne?" Jiang Qingyan looked at Lu Nian with great interest.

Lu Nian was startled and immediately knelt on one knee, bowing her head and saying, "Naturally, it is Your Majesty, the Supreme Ruler."

Jiang Qingyan smiled. "However, if one day someone else covets my throne, what will Minister Lu choose?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Lu Nian's eyes, but he still looked at Jiang Qingyan seriously: "Your Majesty, I swear to serve you to the death and have no other intentions!"

"Oh? How do you swear allegiance to me? Is it the kind where you'd stand in front of me if I were in danger?" Jiang Qingyan stared into his eyes, her tone seemingly joking.

Lu Nian looked back into Jiang Qingyan's eyes and said solemnly, "If Your Majesty requires it, I will gladly die for you!"

Jiang Qingyan saw the seriousness in his eyes and understood what was going on. She nodded with satisfaction, "I believe you. Get up now. I can't bear to see you die. I want you to live well and stay with me for the rest of your life."

Lu Nian slowly rose, a tremor running through his heart. The Emperor said... he wanted him to stay with the Emperor for life... was that what he meant? No, the Emperor just wanted him to be loyal for life, that must be it!

"Come here and sit next to me," Jiang Qingyan said with a smile, extending an invitation to Lu Nian once again.

"Your Majesty, please don't tease me." Lu Nian said, slightly annoyed. Why was His Majesty playing tricks on him endlessly?

Jiang Qingyan didn't explain further, but just stared at him intently.

Just as the two were frozen in place, Lin Zhijie arrived, and Eunuch Wang outside the door quickly informed him.

Lu Nian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The last time he was at the General's Mansion, the Emperor's teasing had made him feel uncomfortable all over. He had begun to question his sexual orientation. He really couldn't get too close to the Emperor anymore...

Lin Zhijie, entering the main hall with a beaming smile, dressed in a blue robe, slowly walked to the front of the hall and respectfully bowed to Jiang Qingyan. Compared to Lu Nian, who had a dark expression on his face, he appeared exceptionally gentle and refined.

Lin Zhijie glanced at Lu Nian, cupped his hands in greeting, and said softly, "I didn't know General Lu was here. If I had known General Lu was here, I would have come later."

Lu Nian glanced at him, said nothing, cupped her hands in greeting to Jiang Qingyan, and turned to leave Yangxin Hall in a long stride.

Jiang Qingyan wasn't angry at Lu Nian's little temper. Instead, she chuckled. Seeing his stubborn look, she really wanted to tie him to the bed and tease him until he cried!

After all... tough bones are more flavorful!

"Don't take Lu Nian seriously, he's lost his mind today." Jiang Qingyan smiled at Lin Zhijie and said, "I wonder what brings you here to see me at this hour, Minister Lin?"

Lin Zhijie didn't take Lu Nian's attitude to heart. He could tell from the look that Lu Nian had been bullied by the Emperor. "Your Majesty, the army will set off for the southern border to welcome the bride the day after tomorrow. This is the gift list. Please take a look. If there are no problems, I will instruct my subordinates to begin preparations."

Jiang Qingyan beckoned to him: "Bring me the gift list."

Lin Zhijie held the gift list with both hands and handed it to Jiang Qingyan.

Jiang Qingyan didn't rush to take it. Instead, with a mischievous smile on her face, she ran her index finger along the gift list until it landed on Lin Zhijie's wrist...

Lin Zhijie felt a tingling sensation all over his body, as if he had been electrocuted… just like that day at the Ministry of Rites, when the Emperor had teased him in the same way…

"Your Majesty..." Lin Zhijie said in a hoarse voice, at a loss for words.

Jiang Qingyan curled her lips into a smile, grabbed Lin Zhijie's wrist with her other hand, and pulled him to sit down in the empty seat next to her.

Lin Zhijie immediately stood up as if springs were attached to his buttocks, but Jiang Qingyan pulled him down and held him down firmly.

"Sit with me for a while," Jiang Qingyan said calmly, not as if she were joking.

Lin Zhijie did not resist anymore, but her heart was already in her throat, her body was slightly tilted outward, and she looked somewhat uneasy.

Jiang Qingyan found it amusing, lifted his arm, snuggled into his arms, and said lazily:

"I've reviewed too many memorials today, and my eyes are a little tired. Read the contents of the gift list to me." With that, he closed his eyes.

Lin Zhijie took a deep breath, looked down at Jiang Qingyan, who looked exhausted in his arms, and his eyes were full of tenderness.

He slowly opened the gift list and read it aloud softly…

Before I knew it, the person in my arms had fallen fast asleep…

Lin Zhijie hesitated for a moment, put down the gift list, and gently carried Jiang Qingyan to the couch next to him, covering her with a blanket.

He gazed silently at Jiang Qingyan's sleeping face, his heart filled with complex emotions.

He clearly knew about the relationship between the Emperor and the Regent... and he also knew that the Emperor was gay...

But he didn't know when it started, he stopped resisting the emperor's advances and instead wanted to get close to the emperor...

Lin Zhijie sighed softly, turned and left the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Outside the door, he encountered Ling Feng, who had been waiting for a long time.

"The Emperor is asleep. Take good care of her and don't let anyone disturb her." Lin Zhi nodded and gestured for Ling Feng to go inside.

He walked alone in the palace corridor, his thoughts surging like a tide. The emperor's voice and smile, as well as her frivolousness, kept appearing in his mind... He couldn't help but smile, unaware that he had already fallen in love with the emperor.

He knew that the Emperor was probably just teasing him, and that this relationship was perhaps destined to be unfulfilled, but he also understood that he was willing to silently protect the Emperor, even if only as a subject…

At this moment, Ling Feng had already quietly walked to Jiang Qingyan's side, squatted down to cover her with the blanket that she had kicked away, and then quietly looked at her.

Looking at her sleeping face, I suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

The Emperor has been very tired lately, having to do everything herself. She has never slept so soundly at this hour before; her body is probably already at its limit.

A gentle breeze swept by, and stray hairs from Jiang Qingyan's temples fell slightly onto her face. She frowned, raised her hand, and scratched it, feeling a little itchy.

Ling Feng smiled slightly, and for a moment he found the emperor's appearance quite adorable, so he couldn't help but affectionately tidy up her stray hairs.

He reached out, wanting to touch her face, but stopped just before his hand touched her skin.

He paused for a moment, then told himself that he was just a guard. He had neither the Regent's immense power nor General Lu's invincible skills on the battlefield, nor Minister Lin's gentle and talented nature.

He was just an insignificant person by the Emperor's side... how could he dare to disrespect the Emperor... in the end, he withdrew his hand.

He knelt quietly by the bed, gazing at Jiang Qingyan, occasionally tidying up the stray hairs at her temples and tucking her in, his eyes full of tenderness.

"I sent you to protect the Emperor, and you've done a great job!" Mo Ting's cold voice suddenly rang out in the hall.