Xie Tao was admitted to the Chinese Department of Hengli University in the south city.
At the same time, she also entered the internship assessment phase of the Third Time-Space Management Bureau.
Meng Lichun probably still had some personal intentions, so she exercised her power as the director to appoint Nian Jitang as Xie Tao’s internship supervisor.
“Tao Tao, do you know why my work number starts with ‘AM’?” Nian Jitang adjusted the glasses he specifically wore, his eyes twinkling mysteriously behind the plain lenses.
“Why?” Xie Tao, holding a notebook, sat there and asked him.
“Because—’a man.'” Nian Jitang said this with an exaggerated mouth shape.
“…”
Is it that casual?
Xie Tao touched her nose.
“So if you become a formal employee, your work number should start with ‘AW’.” Nian Jitang chuckled, then placed a stack of books he brought in front of Xie Tao.
“These are the space-time management regulations of the Third Time-Space Management Bureau.”
“…Do I have to memorize all these?”
Xie Tao looked at the stack of books, murmuring incredulously after a long pause.
Nian Jitang shook his head, “You just need to familiarize yourself with these. It’s okay as long as you have an impression during the test; it won’t be too hard on you.”
Xie Tao sighed in relief.
However, Nian Jitang then took out a thick book and placed it in front of Xie Tao, “But this one, you must memorize.”
Xie Tao looked at the book for a moment and couldn’t help but cover her face.
Becoming a worker at the Time-Space Management Bureau isn’t just about memorizing this book.
This was merely the first and simplest challenge she faced as an assessed personnel.
In the evening, Wei Yun sat on the sofa, holding the remote control and flipping through a few TV channels indifferently, not even glancing at Xie Tao sitting beside him, just asking, “Do you regret it?”
At this moment, Xie Tao, holding the thick “Time-Space Management Regulation Handbook” and flipping through it, looked profoundly troubled.
“Who regrets it?”
Xie Tao retorted subconsciously, then she scratched the back of her head in irritation, “But with so much, when will I ever finish memorizing it…”
Remembering Wei Yun’s innate talent for eidetic memory, Xie Tao looked at him with resentment, “If only I could borrow your brain for a while.”
Though she said this, Xie Tao still resigned herself to memorize it line by line.
Apart from attending classes at school, most of Xie Tao’s time was spent memorizing the “Time-Space Management Regulation Handbook.”
Life was still hectic.
But for Xie Tao, it was also fulfilling enough.
During the time Xie Tao was busy studying and memorizing, she found that Wei Yun also seemed to be very busy.
But she never knew exactly what he was busy with.
Meanwhile, in the Great Zhou’s capital of Ying, the news that the Imperial Advisor was going to get married had spread throughout the city.
Rumors about this now-powerful Imperial Advisor never ceased in the marketplaces.
Due to his exceptionally handsome appearance and the power he held, there had always been no shortage of women who adored this Imperial Advisor, but he had never shown interest in anyone.
Since the young lady from the Imperial Advisor’s mansion left Ying to return to her hometown, the Imperial Advisor’s mansion had once again become a true “monk’s temple.”
Many people privately speculated that the Imperial Advisor had a preference for the same sex, and it seemed to be a confirmed fact.
Who would have expected that suddenly news would come out that the Imperial Advisor, Wei Yun, is about to get married? This news is unbelievable to anyone who hears it.
Everyone knows that the Imperial Advisor is about to get married, but they don’t know who the new madam he is marrying is.
Outside, there are various rumors, but the Imperial Advisor’s mansion is too busy to pay attention to them. Everyone in the mansion is busy decorating the interior, preparing for the marriage.
Wei Bo is cheerful all day, directing here and there, busy from morning till night, never seeming to tire.
At this time, Zhao Shuwei, who was sitting on the dragon throne in the Qianlong Hall, looked at Wei Yun standing in the center of the hall, wearing a crimson gauze robe, and it was unclear what emotion was in her phoenix eyes. She suddenly sighed, “In the blink of an eye, the Imperial Advisor is getting married.”
At this moment, she couldn’t clearly express what she was feeling.
Perhaps it’s because she never had it, so deep down there’s some difficulty in accepting this.
But now, being the emperor, she understands even better how to control her emotions.
So she smiled with curved lips, “I should give the Imperial Advisor a grand gift.”
Zhao Shuwei is very clear, if it wasn’t for Wei Yun, relying solely on her own strength, she might never have had the day of truly ascending to the throne.
This world is never tolerant enough towards women.
Most men hope that a woman’s life is only enough to be a vase.
And a woman as an emperor is a challenge to the so-called dignity of most selfish men.
In a world where men are revered, ascending to this throne is as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
But power is always above everything in this world.
Prince Xin rebelled and died, the crown prince was imprisoned in the Dali Temple, living a mad and foolish life, and from the moment the previous emperor passed away, the first person in the Great Zhou was the Imperial Advisor, Wei Yun.
Wei Yun has absolute power, which is something that can absolutely suppress the so-called dignity of those men.
Originally, he could have chosen not to form an alliance with her; he could have taken advantage of the most chaotic time for the Zhao family to overthrow the Zhao dynasty and ascend the throne himself.
But he did not do so.
This is a person who was never persuaded by the crown prince or convinced by King Xin. Why would he be willing to form an alliance with her and willingly give up the throne that was within easy reach?
“I’m not interested in that chair. Instead of leaving it to those two to fight over, it might as well be given to you.”
That was what Wei Yun said at the time.
His reason for supporting her ascension is simple.
Perhaps it was because Emperor Qi He never valued her, nor had any fatherly affection for her, and without the support of her maternal family, she had no one to rely on.
Or perhaps, she was simply the most pleasing to Wei Yun among the Zhao family members.
That’s all.
In a short moment, Zhao Shuwei recalled many past events, feeling as if they were from another lifetime.
She came back to her senses and turned her head to look at the woman dressed in the attire of a female official standing there, “Qi Shuang.”
Qi Shuang immediately came forward, carefully presenting the imperial decree on the desk to Wei Yun.
“Since Miss Xie is not a distant cousin of the Imperial Advisor, she should have a suitable status,”
Seeing Wei Yun unfold the imperial decree and looking down at it, Zhao Shuwei smiled, “I hope the Imperial Advisor will accept this gesture of mine.”
When Wei Yun saw the content written on the imperial decree, he seemed to ponder for a moment, and then he raised his head:
“Your servant, thanks Your Majesty.”
When Wei Yun was about to leave the Qianlong Hall, he paused slightly as he turned around, but he did not look back, “The words I once said still hold true today, Your Majesty just needs to sit here at ease.”
This seems like a sufficiently subtle statement.
Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhao Shuwei understood Wei Yun’s meaning the moment she heard it. Her knuckles curled as she watched Wei Yun’s departing back, almost blinded by the sunlight that poured in from outside the hall. Once seated in this position, she couldn’t help but worry if Wei Yun would one day regret his decision, regret handing the world over to her. She thought she had hidden it well, but Wei Yun had seen through her thoughts from the beginning.
The command of the valiant cavalry still remained in Wei Yun’s hands. Most of the court officials were also Wei Yun’s followers. Yet, he had given Zhao Shuwei the power he was supposed to without any hesitation. However, the things that should have been handed over to her, he had no intention of doing so. He was still the most powerful official in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Zhao Shuwei, in the past, admired the young Imperial Advisor and had indescribable feelings for him. It was his “Tong Chen Fu” that gave her the courage to live behind a mask in the deep palace, and it was because of him, she had the ambition to compete with her brothers for power. And it was he who fulfilled her ambition.
Now, he was about to marry the girl he had always cherished. Zhao Shuwei found that her heart, which had once been pure towards Wei Yun, had completely changed because of the imperial power. She felt inexplicably sad.
Thus, when Zhao Shuwei looked at Wei Yun’s gradually disappearing back, the shimmer in her eyes was like reminiscing about the days when she was fourteen, living in the decrepit and peeling palace garden. Back then, she was full of longing for him.
Today, the people of Ying Capital finally learned about the background of the new madam that Imperial Advisor Wei Yun was to marry. It was said to be a sworn sister whom the current Empress had recognized during her time living in the royal temple in Xingdu. She had now been personally appointed as a princess by the Empress.
As for why the Imperial Advisor sought to marry this princess, it was a topic of much speculation, with no one able to guess the reason.
Xie Tao was completely unaware of all this, still scratching her head along with Xie Lan as they looked through the thick “Regulations of Time-Space Management”. Xie Lan gave up after just a few pages, as he always hated reading. Xie Tao had memorized only about a dozen pages so far.
After leaving the tavern and returning home, upon seeing Wei Yun brewing tea in the living room, Xie Tao threw the thick book aside, then ran towards him in her slippers and threw herself into his arms.
“It’s too hard, Wei Yun, I’m struggling…” Xie Tao hung on him, her voice weak.
Wei Yun supported her waist, sitting her on his lap, and brought the cup of tea to her lips.
Xie Tao obediently took a sip, then continued to rub her cheek against his chest.
“You can give up,” Wei Yun said, taking a sip from the cup himself. “I don’t want to…”
Xie Tao instinctively retorted, looking up at his serene expression and petulantly biting his chin. Wei Yun immediately pinched her cheek, “Stop it.”
Xie Tao blinked, then pouted, her voice a bit muffled, “Kiss me, and I’ll stop…”
Wei Yun looked at her pouting, seemingly amused, and couldn’t help but smile.
But in the end, he lowered his head and kissed her.
“Go to sleep early tonight,” he instructed her afterward.
“But I still want to play games…”
There were no classes tomorrow, and it was only a little past nine. Xie Tao had made plans to play games with Xie Lan and Nian Jitang.
“No later than eleven, you must go to sleep.” Wei Yun glanced at the time displayed on his phone screen and remarked.
“Okay!” Xie Tao kicked off her slippers, lay on Wei Yun’s knees, took out her phone, and started to play games with Xie Lan and the others through voice chat.
Wei Yun glanced at Xie Tao, who was lying on his knees, a slight smile hidden in his eyes. In the end, he said nothing and even reached out to touch her hair.
However, Xie Tao didn’t perform well in the game, and Xie Lan also played below his usual level today. They didn’t manage to rank up and even lost a few stars.
“…Tao Tao, I think we’re not suited for ranked matches today.” Xie Lan’s morale was completely shattered, and he even began to question his life choices.
“What’s the point in playing anymore?” Nian Jitang also sighed.
Counting the stars she had lost, Xie Tao seemed a bit aggrieved.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Wei Yun appeared to think for a moment. Then, he put aside the book in his hand, picked up his phone, and launched the game.
“Are you going to play, Wei Yun?” Xie Tao, surprised by the game’s startup sound, looked at him astonished.
“If we win, will you agree to sleep?” Wei Yun held his phone, looking at her sternly.
Xie Tao’s eyes lit up, and she quickly nodded.
The game on Wei Yun’s phone was still the one he had downloaded the last time he dueled with Xie Lan, and the account he logged in with was also Xie Lan’s alternate account.
He unplugged Xie Tao’s earphone jack and said indifferently, “Find another person.”
Upon hearing Wei Yun’s voice, both Xie Lan and Nian Jitang fell silent for a moment, and then Nian Jitang cleared his throat, “I’ll call my boss, ask if she wants to play.”
“If you carry me to rank up tonight, from now on, in the game, you are my big brother!” Xie Lan said earnestly on the other end.
Wei Yun had no interest in responding.
“Then wouldn’t Tao Tao be your sister-in-law in the game?” Nian Jitang joked in between.
Xie Lan seemed choked up, “…Uncle Nian, please shut up.”
Soon, Meng Li Chun joined.
“Wow, it’s lively here.” Meng Li Chun, sipping milk tea through a straw, joined the group chat.
It seemed that from the moment Wei Yun started playing with them, they never lost a game again.
Until eleven o’clock struck, Wei Yun promptly went offline.
Caught in the joy of several easy victories, Xie Tao was laughing happily when she looked up to see Wei Yun watching her. She coughed and immediately went offline.
“Tao Tao, why did you two go offline? Let’s continue!”
Xie Lan, enjoying the easy wins, noticed that both Xie Tao and Wei Yun had already gone offline.
“She’s going to sleep.”
Before Xie Tao could speak, Wei Yun quickly said.
Then, he decisively took Xie Tao’s phone and ended the call.
After washing up, Xie Tao obediently went to bed.
But she could never have imagined that when she woke up, it would be in the Imperial Advisor’s mansion in the Great Zhou dynasty.
At that time, it was still dark, and the sky had not yet turned light.
Wei Yun lit the gold powder incense in the censer on the table, waiting for his girl to gradually appear through the thick fog.
He timely supported her, moving extremely gently to carry her to a nearby bed, covered her with a brocade quilt, and watched her for a long while. Eventually, he turned around and left the room.
Half an hour later, the Imperial Advisor’s mansion received its first-ever visit from so many female guests.
They were all maids and palace ladies sent by Zhao Shuwei from the palace.
They pushed open the door, waking Xie Tao from her dreams. Before she could grasp the situation, they had changed her clothes and seated her in front of the dressing table.
Someone gently wiped her face.
Xie Tao finally became much more alert.
“Today is the grand wedding day of the Imperial Advisor and the Princess. This old servant offers her congratulations to the Princess,” said the elderly maid, bowing slightly with a smile on her face.
???
Xie Tao’s eyes widened in shock.
A wedding???
It took Xie Tao a while to recover, but the old maid and the palace maids didn’t miss a beat in their preparations.
They applied her makeup and combed her hair, carefully selecting extremely valuable jewelry from the trays they held to adorn her.
Swinging gold tassels, red hairpins, and a gem-encrusted crown were placed upon her head.
She was dressed in a gold-threaded bright red gown, with wide sleeves and a trailing skirt.
The bronze mirror reflected her beautiful face, which seemed even more delicate and stunning than usual, like dew on flowers.
Then someone lifted the curtain and entered. Xie Tao looked up to see Wei Yun, dressed in a bright red brocade robe, wearing a golden crown, with long, thick black hair.
“Lord Imperial Advisor.”
The old maid and several palace maids bowed to Wei Yun and then respectfully left the room.
The door closed, leaving only Wei Yun and Xie Tao together.
“Wei Yun, they say I, you…”
Xie Tao stammered without finishing, only to hear Wei Yun say, “Yes.”
His cool voice clearly reached her ears.
Xie Tao was startled.
Just looking at him.
“Tao Tao,”
He suddenly called her, saying, “I seem to have waited a long time for this day.”
It seemed that from the moment he decided she was the one for him in this life, he began waiting like this.
He had thought living was just getting by alone.
But then he met her.
This encounter across two realms made him more enthusiastic about life.
It seemed that living wasn’t so unbearable after all.
Years can be very long, but also like the flick of a finger.
Now, what he most looked forward to was making her his wife.
This wish had always been so urgent.
He lowered his eyes, the corners of his lips slightly lifted, his voice especially gentle, “I’m sorry for preparing all this without your knowledge.”
“If,”
He paused, looking up at her, “if you are unwilling, then today won’t…”
Xie Tao, almost on impulse and without a second thought, hurriedly exclaimed:
“I’m willing, I’m really willing!”
