Lishui Imperial Palace.
Inside the hall, golden sunlight spilled across the translucent black floor tiles, reflecting bright rays.
At the same time, the dancing flame within the Bronze Lamp illuminated the entire hall.
The light shone across Jiang Ning's face, making every nuance of his expression plain to see.
Ji Minghao looked at Jiang Ning twice, then smiled calmly. "brother Jiang, how about taking a walk with me?"
"Good!" Jiang Ning nodded.
"Shen Mengyun, you stay here!" Ji Minghao said to Shen Mengyun beside him.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Shen Mengyun nodded in response.
The two of them then left the main hall and walked through the imperial palace.
"brother Jiang, do you know why I wanted to take a walk with you?" Ji Minghao asked again.
"Your Majesty might as well speak plainly," Jiang Ning said.
"brother Jiang is still as straightforward as ever!" Ji Minghao smiled faintly, then said, "The reason I sent Mengyun away and came out for a walk with you is that I want to maintain the image of the Emperor in front of outsiders!"
At this, Ji Minghao let out a long sigh.
"Before I ascended the throne, I truly yearned for this position. Wielding power that reached the heavens, deciding the fate of tens of millions with a single word! Only after truly sitting in this position did I understand how exhausting it was. It wore out both my mind and my body!"
Ji Minghao sighed again, then said, "In the eyes of outsiders, I cannot say these things either. I am the Emperor of this dynasty. I cannot reveal the weakness in my heart before outsiders."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning stopped and looked at Ji Minghao before shaking his head.
"Your Majesty, how could Shen Mengyun be an outsider? She is the Empress