Where Monarch and Minister Meet: The Scholar's Wife 35

His scent enveloped her, seeping into her very pores. Chen Yao's mind went hazy from the kiss, leaving no room for any other thought.

When the kiss finally ended.

Xiao Mingting pulled back slightly, his eyes dark and fathomless, roiling with desire as if they might swallow her whole.

He looked at the young woman sitting in his lap—her almond-shaped eyes misted with moisture, the corners tinged with a lovely flush of red, her slightly swollen lips parting as she caught her breath, like a helpless little kitten.

"Yao Yao, you're so good." The man's Adam's apple bobbed as his voice dropped, low and husky.

His palm, still splayed across her waist, couldn't resist tracing slow circles over the fabric, and as his gaze lingered on the gentle rise and fall of her chest, he couldn't hold back any longer—he lowered his head again.

A fresh onslaught of kisses rained down upon her.

Chen Yao's small body was pressed even closer against his chest, her slender arms draped limply around his neck.

Gradually, a simple mingling of lips and teeth no longer seemed to satisfy Xiao Mingting.

The flame on the brass candlestick flickered, letting out a soft crackle.

The young woman's lashes fluttered faster, her eyes glistening, and she felt a tingling, numbing dampness spread over her entire being—from her lips, to her collarbone, and downward, trailing without end.

Against the dancing candlelight, their intertwined figures cast a hazy, ambiguous silhouette upon the wall.

In her daze, Chen Yao vaguely felt Xiao Mingting hold her even tighter, and then the two of them slowly sank down onto the couch.

*

At the Imperial Study.

Xiao Mingting sat upright behind the desk, head bent as he reviewed the memorials piled before him.

Eunuch De, standing in attendance at his side, stepped forward and bowed low, reporting in a hushed tone, "Your Majesty, Imperial Astronomer Wang has arrived."

Without pausing his brush, Xiao Mingting replied with a faint "Let him in."

Wang Zhongming soon walked in slowly, bowing respectfully. "Your servant Wang Zhongming pays respects to Your Majesty."

Inwardly, he was somewhat bewildered—ever since Xiao Mingting ascended the throne, he had rarely concerned himself with astrological matters, and had never once summoned an official from the Bureau of Astronomy for a private audience. Yet today, out of the blue, the emperor had called for him.

"Rise," Xiao Mingting said, setting down his vermilion brush and shifting his gaze from the memorials to the man before him.

Then he cut straight to the point. "Wang Aiqing, has the Bureau of Astronomy observed any unusual omens in the stars of late?"

Wang Zhongming's heart tightened, and he instinctively lowered his head in reply. "Reporting to Your Majesty, we have observed the heavens as usual—no signs of calamity or anomaly."

Xiao Mingting gave a slight nod, as if he hadn't been particularly concerned anyway.

Wang Zhongming had just breathed a private sigh of relief when he heard the emperor continue from behind the desk, "And what of auspicious omens? For instance... any signs connected to Our Empress?"

He kept his head bowed, but a flicker of astonishment darted through his eyes.

...The Empress? Ever since His Majesty ascended the throne, the rear palace had stood empty for years—what omens concerning an empress could there possibly be?

Ignoring whatever expression the Imperial Astronomer wore, Xiao Mingting went on, speaking as if to himself, "We have heard that when a virtuous empress exists, her birth date and time align with the fortunes of the state, bringing stability to the realm and prosperity to the nation. Wang Aiqing, you have long been versed in this art—have you ever calculated whether such a woman of this destiny truly exists in the world today?"

Wang Zhongming: "..."

After all, he had been steeped in officialdom for many years. If he still failed to grasp the emperor's implication by now, his career as an official might as well be over.

Clearly, His Majesty already had an empress candidate fixed in his heart and wanted him to use auspicious astrological portents as a pretext to smooth the path and legitimize her.

At that realization, a thin sheen of sweat broke out on his back, and his mind raced to formulate a response.

"Reporting to Your Majesty," he said, maintaining a composed and respectful demeanor as he bowed, "your servant has observed the stars at night and noticed that beside the Polaris, there indeed appears a treasury star standing guard, its light gentle and warm—a sign of good fortune. However... the exact birth date and time of the treasury star will require your servant and my colleagues at the Bureau of Astronomy to calculate carefully before it can be confirmed."

Inwardly, he was already scheming: as soon as he returned, he would have to hurry and inquire with the chief eunuch at His Majesty's side, at least to obtain the future empress's birth date and time. Only then could they work backward from the destiny to match it.

Only then did Xiao Mingting nod with satisfaction. "Then We shall trouble Wang Aiqing. We hope that at tomorrow's court session, We may hear the results of the Bureau of Astronomy's calculations."

With that, he lowered his head once more, returning his attention to the memorials before him, and added in a flat tone, "Dequan, escort Wang Aiqing out."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Eunuch De bowed in acknowledgment.

"Your servant takes his leave." Wang Zhongming said, feeling as though he had been granted a reprieve. He gave the emperor a deep bow, then turned and followed Eunuch De out of the room.

Just as the two stepped across the threshold of the Imperial Study, before Wang Zhongming could even think to ask, he felt a neatly folded slip of paper being discreetly pressed into his sleeve by Eunuch De.

Eunuch De gave his horsetail whisk a slight flick, his expression unchanged, and only bowed his head in a respectful salute. "I see Wang Daren out."

Wang Zhongming offered him a faint smile, dared not linger at the door of the Imperial Study, and hurried off toward a secluded corner of the palace grounds.

Seeing no one around, he quickly pulled the slip of paper from his sleeve and carefully unfolded it.

There, written in bold characters, was a woman's name, her family background, and her precise birth date and time.

Before he could let out a sigh of relief, his heart suddenly clenched as realization struck him...

Wait, Xie Chenyao?

He remembered—wasn't she the wife of Shen Yunxiu, the newly appointed top scholar and secretary of the Ministry of Revenue? No, no—according to what the note said, she was only a sworn sister he had acknowledged, and currently unmarried.

Wang Zhongming felt his hand tremble slightly. He carefully refolded the slip and tucked it back into the deepest recess of his sleeve.

Discreetly wiping the sweat from his brow, he quickened his pace and hurried back toward the Bureau of Astronomy.