Lishui Palace.
Inside the hall, golden sunlight spilled over the translucent black floor tiles, refracting into bright rays.
The flames dancing in the bronze lamps also filled the hall with light.
That light fell across Jiang Ning's face, revealing every nuance of his expression.
Ji Minghao studied Jiang Ning for a moment, then smiled mildly. "Brother Jiang, would you care to take a walk with me?"
"Certainly!" Jiang Ning nodded.
"Mengyun, stay here," Ji Minghao told Shen Mengyun beside him.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Shen Mengyun replied with a nod.
The two men then left the hall and walked through the palace.
"Brother Jiang, do you know why I asked you to walk with me?" Ji Minghao asked again.
"Please speak plainly, Your Majesty," Jiang Ning said.
"You're as direct as ever, Brother Jiang!" Ji Minghao smiled faintly, then said, "I sent Mengyun away and brought you out here because I wish to preserve my image as the emperor before outsiders!"
At this, Ji Minghao let out a long sigh.
"Before I ascended the throne, I truly coveted this position! Power that towers to the heavens, a single word deciding the fate of countless millions! Only now that I actually occupy it do I understand how exhausting it is! It taxes both mind and body!"
Ji Minghao sighed again, then said, "Yet I cannot say these things before outsiders. I am the reigning emperor. I cannot let outsiders see the weakness in my heart."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning stopped and looked at Ji Minghao, then shook his head.
"Your Majesty, how is Shen Mengyun an outsider? She is the reigning empress, the wife you lawfully married and proclaimed to all the world."
"You don't understand!" Ji Minghao shook his head and sighed softly. "I made Shen Mengyun empress because of General