They returned to the palace at dawn.
The bell outside the imperial study rang softly as the palace gates opened in silence.
No heavenly light.No strange phenomena.
Everything looked exactly the same as it always had.
And yet—
The first to sense that something was wrong was Consort De.
She was on her way to Fengyi Palace with her attendants when she saw Su Wan approaching from the opposite corridor.
Her pace was unhurried.Her robes were still of the old style.
But in that instant—
Consort De stopped walking.
"Do you feel that?" she asked quietly.
Her maids froze. "Your Ladyship?"
Consort De frowned, staring at Su Wan.
"The Empress looks…" She hesitated. "Brighter."
"…Brighter?" a maid echoed, confused.
Consort De couldn't explain it.
It wasn't beauty.
It was a feeling—as if Su Wan was standing there, yet no longer entirely belonged to the same place.
Fengyi Palace
The consorts arrived one after another.
The hot pot was already set up.Milk tea had just been delivered.The junior maids were organizing the scripts for the afternoon story session.
Everything was familiar.
And yet, the moment Su Wan took her seat—
The hall fell silent for a heartbeat.
Consort Shu instinctively lifted her milk tea… then put it down again.
"Your Majesty…" she asked carefully, "did you sleep well last night?"
Su Wan looked up and smiled naturally.
"Very well."
The moment those words left her mouth—
Everyone relaxed.
And yet, none of them could explain why they had been tense in the first place.
Then—
A voice rang out from outside.
"His Majesty arrives."
This time—
It was unmistakable.
The instant Xiao Xuanyin stepped into the hall, every consort rose to her feet.
Not because of etiquette.
But instinct.
There was something about him now—subtle, restrained, yet impossible to ignore.
Like a mountain standing silently before them.Like the deep sea, calm on the surface, terrifying beneath.
"Sit," he said calmly.
Only then did they realize—
Their backs were cold.
Su Wan looked up and met his gaze.
They said nothing.
But both of them knew—
The changes on them could no longer be hidden.
Afternoon · Imperial Garden
Everything continued as usual.
Jump rope.Knitting.Story time.
Until Consort De noticed something truly alarming.
She jumped rope for more than ten rounds.
And she wasn't tired.
At all.
"…This isn't right," she muttered, staring at her hands.
"I used to get tired after three."
Consort Shu looked down as well.
"So did I."
"I slept incredibly deeply last night."
"And my headaches… they're gone."
The consorts exchanged looks.
The same thought surfaced in all of their minds.
They turned together toward Su Wan.
Su Wan was feeding snacks to the little white spirit beast. Hearing them, she looked up.
"Why are you all staring at me?"
Consort De swallowed.
"Your Majesty… did we eat something we weren't supposed to?"
The air froze.
Su Wan blinked.
Then smiled.
"No poison."
"And not medicine."
"It's just—"
She paused deliberately.
"The pills His Majesty's been refining recently have… very good side effects."
The consorts: "..."
"Side effects… that are good?"
Xiao Xuanyin's voice came from the corridor.
"That is not a side effect."
He walked in calmly.
"It is how your bodies were meant to be."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
After a long moment, Consort Shu asked softly,
"Then… Your Majesty."
"Are you and the Empress… going to leave?"
The question was light.
But unbearably heavy.
Xiao Xuanyin did not answer immediately.
He glanced at Su Wan.
Su Wan put her phone away and stood.
"Not for now," she said gently.
"And even if one day we are no longer in the palace—"
"Takeout will still arrive."
"Story time will continue."
"Jump rope, knitting, novels, dramas—"
"Nothing will stop."
The consorts stared.
Then—
Someone's eyes reddened.
Consort De sniffed.
"That's good."
"Then… we won't fight anymore."
"Really. We won't."
Su Wan smiled.
Xiao Xuanyin watched quietly.
And in that moment, he understood something.
He governed the realm.She anchored hearts.
They were not being held back.
They were—
Being needed.
Late Night · Imperial Study
Su Wan looked at her phone.
A new message had appeared.
[Sustained Fortune Anchor Detected][Status: Mortal Dependency Increasing][Note: This will affect ascension pathways]
She looked up at Xiao Xuanyin, who was reviewing memorials.
"Looks like even if we want to leave," she said softly,"they won't let us go that easily."
Xiao Xuanyin set down his brush.
His gaze was steady.
"Then we'll walk a path no one has walked before."
Su Wan laughed.
"You mean cultivation, governance, the harem, and takeout—everything?"
He nodded.
"I want it all."
Outside the window, the night was deep.
And their legend—
Had finally taken shape.