Seeing Liu Che’s solemn promise, Ah Jiao was somewhat surprised.
“You truly agree?” she asked. By her count, Liu Che’s harem still held twenty or thirty titled concubines. Including the *jiarenzi* and the untitled palace maids, the total came to over two hundred people.
*Tsk, over two hundred.*
“Naturally. An Emperor’s word is final.” He finished drafting the decree and handed it to the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat.
The Secretary bowed and withdrew, leaving the husband and wife alone in the room.
Ah Jiao’s eyes curved with a playful smile as she teased him, “Is Your Majesty doing this to make room for new beauties?”
The Emperor turned his head, his smile turning slightly cool. “Jiao Jiao, do you know what I hate most about women?”
“What?” Ah Jiao leaned her head against him, sensing he was about to poke fun at her.
“Speaking with such biting sarcasm.”
When he was in a good mood, he didn't mind listening to women act jealous for his sake. But when he was in a foul mood, he found it loathsome, as if they were simply looking for trouble where there was none.
Like now.
“Hmph—you look like you’re doing this against your will.” Ah Jiao felt a surge of irritation. She stood up and snapped, “I didn’t force you. If you don’t want to, then forget it. Go spend forever with your beauties.”
Her head began to throb again.
Liu Che watched as Ah Jiao suddenly became irritable, her words showing him no face at all. For a fleeting moment, he felt as if they had returned to the distant past.
Back then, when she was still Empress, they would argue incessantly over the induction of new concubines. Within a few sentences, they would begin to trade resentments.
He felt a slight tremor, unsure why he was even remembering such things.
Clearly, his recent interactions with Ah Jiao had been very pleasant. As long as they didn't mention those messy affairs and he only complained occasionally about her spending too much time at Changmen Palace, everything was fine.
“Jiao Jiao, don’t fight.”
Ah Jiao clutched her head and leaned against the couch. Her gaze was fixed, yet it seemed to land nowhere in particular. She murmured, “I don’t want to fight with you.”
Liu Che stood still, watching her for a moment, before walking over to embrace her. “Fine, let’s sleep.”
She rubbed her temples, waiting a while before speaking. “You sleep tonight. I’m going to check on Yan Zheng. Also, Nan Ke and Mian Fu are returning to the capital to observe mourning for their master; I’ll go take a look at them too.”
She stood up and shook out her robes, but Liu Che suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Jiao Jiao, I’ve already come to believe in you. Do you still not believe in me?”
Ah Jiao looked up, inadvertently meeting Liu Che’s eyes. Just as she had lamented before, his face had aged, but his eyes remained as bright and piercing as ever.
“You’re hurting me.” She tried to pull her wrist away.
“You shouldn’t feel pain,” Liu Che said, his voice firm and certain. “Ah Jiao, you seem to have headaches quite often lately.”
Sometimes Ah Jiao would inadvertently clutch her head and complain of pain. Her behavior seemed to be growing more like her old self—tinged with a certain paranoia and volatility.
*When did it start?* he wondered.
It was as if a fog had suddenly lifted from Ah Jiao’s mind, bringing clarity. Ever since she had accidentally inhaled his *yang* essence, the headaches seemed to have begun.
As their eyes met, they both realized they were thinking the same thing.
Ah Jiao closed her eyes and cast a spell, manifesting their souls.
Liu Che was astonished. He didn't know what she was doing, and he couldn't see anything.
Liu Che’s soul was relatively solid, but the threads of fate connected to it were fewer than when she had last seen them. She channeled her power and located two clusters of incomplete mortal essence.
Years ago, two clusters of her mortal essence had merged into Liu Che’s soul. It was only after Qi Wuyi severed the connection that the matter was supposed to be settled.
Looking at them today, she found that the two small clusters were significantly smaller than before. She reached out to touch them; the clusters neither avoided her nor welcomed her, a stark contrast to the joyful leaping they had displayed the first time she saw them.
*Why have these clusters of mortal essence shrunk?* Ah Jiao’s expression grew serious.
“Jiao Jiao, what is it?” Liu Che asked, confused.
“Don’t move, stand still.” Her hand slowly brushed over Liu Che’s soul and the threads of fate upon it. A thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
*“Find the threads of fate between Liu Che and other women and just sever them.”*
The voice was ethereal, seeming to come from the horizon yet also whispering in her ear—it was her own voice.
Could it be that she had unintentionally absorbed these clusters of mortal essence back? But Qi Wuyi had said that if they were forcibly separated, it would likely damage Liu Che’s soul, as the mortal essence had merged with him because his own aura was insufficient.
Ah Jiao took a deep breath and withdrew her magic. She turned to Liu Che and said, “Something has come up. I think I need to return to the Underworld. Stay here and behave yourself.”
“Is it serious?” Liu Che sensed the gravity of the situation, though he didn't know exactly what was happening.
“There’s a bit of a problem. I need to go ask.” Ah Jiao turned and left. She was afraid. Although Liu Che’s eventual death was inevitable, if something went wrong with his soul, it would be a major issue.
She had recently practiced the art of flight. Though she wasn't very proficient, it was much faster than instant movement spells. Before long, she reached the entrance to the Yellow Springs.
***
After her official pass was verified, Ah Jiao went straight to the Bureau of Reincarnation to find Shen Zhi.
“Papa Shen, I’ve found a problem with Liu Che. Didn't Qi Wuyi go to the mortal realm before to resolve the issue of my scattered mortal essence? That essence merged into Liu Che’s soul, but when I checked today, the essence has shrunk.”
“Shrunk?” Shen Zhi’s eyes shifted. “Is it because you absorbed his *yang* essence earlier?”
“I don’t know. I was afraid something would happen, so I came back to ask.”
“Then go find Qi Wuyi. Have him go to the mortal realm again. While he’s at it, have him check on Lord Yunhe as well.” Shen Zhi lowered his head back to his work.
“Papa Shen, have you been very busy lately?”
Shen Zhi set down his brush and sighed. “The two Great Deities have set new regulations for the Bureau of Reincarnation. All ghosts entering reincarnation must settle their karmic ties and forget their past lives. Now, the Bureau needs to find a deity who is proficient in the Art of Forgetting.”
“Is that hard to find? Is the Art of Forgetting very difficult?” Ah Jiao asked, puzzled.
“The art itself isn't hard, but to practice it to the point where one can make someone completely forget their past is very difficult. It’s not something any random deity can achieve.” Shen Zhi sighed.
He had gone through the list of deities in the heavens and the earth, but he still hadn't found a suitable candidate.
Ah Jiao could only sigh with him. “You’ve worked hard, Papa Shen. I won’t take up any more of your time. I’ll go find Lord Qi Wuyi.”
“Go on.” Shen Zhi smiled warmly. He could see that Ah Jiao’s cultivation had improved significantly lately, and her ghostly form was becoming more solid. Once her task of assisting Lord Yunhe was complete, she might even be promoted to an official Reaper.
Ah Jiao went to find Qi Wuyi, explained the situation, and the two ghosts traveled together to the mortal realm.
When they reached Liu Che’s side, he was already asleep. His breathing was steady, and he appeared normal.
Qi Wuyi manifested Liu Che's soul and examined it carefully before speaking. “It has indeed diminished. Could it be that you really did suck it back in?”
As he spoke, he tapped Ah Jiao’s forehead.
A faint radiance appeared on her body, only to vanish into the darkness a moment later.
“I can’t see anything unusual on you. Have the headaches only occurred since then?”
“Yes, I didn't have them before. I only remembered to check because Liu Che reminded me today, and that’s when I found the problem.”
Qi Wuyi performed a thorough check and confirmed that neither soul was damaged. “Neither of you is injured. It’s likely because... ahem, because of what you two were doing at the time, combined with the fact that the souls didn't resist each other. That’s how it happened. It’s not a problem. As for your headaches, they are simply because the emotions contained within those two lingering clusters of mortal essence have returned. It’s no big deal; you’ll get used to it.”
“Emotions?” Ah Jiao’s eyes widened.
“Yes. Perhaps not just yours. They stayed in Liu Che’s soul for so long; it’s possible they picked up some of his emotions as well.”
“Ah... this...” Ah Jiao was speechless.
“Alright, since everything is fine, let’s go see Lord Yunhe.”
Ah Jiao quickly agreed, and they flew together to Changmen Palace.
Lanterns glowed under the eaves of Changmen Palace. They passed through the light and walked to Yan Zheng’s bedside.
The bed curtains, embroidered with a hundred-flower pattern, were tightly closed, hiding the scene within. Qi Wuyi didn't open them; he simply gathered his power and probed inside.
“Hmm, Lord Yunhe is very healthy and hasn't been disturbed in the slightest. As expected of Lord Yunhe. You mortal ghosts who reincarnate always run into various problems the moment you hit the mortal realm. The Mirror of Reincarnation had to be adjusted several times this year before things improved. Truly fragile.”
Ah Jiao chuckled. “They are mortal ghosts, after all, and haven't cultivated. It’s inevitable they’d be affected by the turbid air.”
After seeing Qi Wuyi off, Ah Jiao sat down on the roof of the Luoshuang Pavilion in Changmen Palace.
If she turned back into her former self... she wouldn't be able to stand it! She could clearly recall how she had been falling into a state of dazed confusion lately, much like her most helpless period in Weiyang Palace.
Sensitive and irritable.
*I should see Liu Che less often*—at least until Lord Yunhe’s affairs were on the right track. She couldn't allow any more mistakes because of her own issues.
***
Liu Che knew something was wrong with Ah Jiao, but he didn't know what. That night, Ah Jiao had left in a hurry, and the next day she only told him nothing was wrong before reducing her contact with him.
She didn't stop coming, but she came less often.
“She’s dangling me along every few days,” Liu Che thought resentfully. He utterly disliked being kept in the dark.
The Embroidered Messengers put in some effort and discovered Lady Xing’s past framing of others. Liu Che immediately ordered her to commit suicide. Princess Yang was given to Lady Jiang to raise. Princess Run and Prince Liu Bo were already old enough to live on their own, so they were given their own quarters and no longer needed a foster mother.
At the same time, anyone in the palace found to be illicitly meddling in court affairs was either demoted for minor offenses or sent to the Storm Room to be executed for major ones.
After these measures, Weiyang Palace became even emptier.
In the Jiaofang Hall, Wei Zifu felt she truly didn't know what the Emperor was thinking. One moment she had regarded Lady Xing as a great enemy, only for Lady Xing to give birth to a daughter and then be ordered to die for her crimes. A while ago, the Emperor had doted on Chen Wan to an excessive degree, yet Chen Wan had been demoted to Changmen Palace and died of illness.
She almost felt as if all of this was to clear the path for Liu Ju. Now, she was effectively the sole power in the palace.
Currently, below the Empress, there were only Lady Jiang and Lady Zhu, both of whom had lost favor years ago. Lady Jiang came from a respectable family, while Lady Zhu came from a background of entertainers; both had gained favor through their beauty, but were discarded after a few years.
Below the *Jieyu* were the *Jing'e*—Lady Shen and Lady Ding—who were also of no concern. If one were to look further, there was Lady Yan, who was at Changmen Palace awaiting childbirth. Even if she wasn't favored, it would be a different story if she gave birth to a prince.
Take Emperor Gaozu’s Lady Bo, for example. Who would have thought she would eventually become Empress Dowager and Grand Empress Dowager?
But Changmen Palace was remote, and she had no people of her own there, making it impossible to keep an eye on.
As for the beauty the Emperor had found during his tour, no information had reached Changan yet. She heard the Emperor enjoyed being alone with her and favored her immensely—even Chen Wan had lost favor because of her.
However, since there had been no formal titles bestowed—for some reason, the Emperor seemed to dislike granting titles to the harem lately—there was no rush to investigate her.
After mentally sorting through the harem, Wei Zifu ordered her attendants to carry Princess Yang as she made her way toward Lady Jiang’s palace.
***
