Shen Qi had not gone far just now. Although he did not like the Noble Consort, he could not just abandon her, so he hid in the crowd, allowing the Hidden Guard to come forward in time to take the Noble Consort away.
Compared to the Noble Consort, who always wanted to cling to him and start conversations, he preferred to take Su Zhiruan for a stroll, watching her get captivated by various odd trinkets and then return to his side.
This mild sense of contentment made him feel needed, not just someone the Noble Consort looked to with desires for gain in her eyes.
For him, this kind of life was more self-forgetting than staying with the Noble Consort.
For a moment, he even did not want to return to the Imperial Palace, to follow the boring rituals, to deal with the never-ending official duties every day.
Everyone envied the life of an Emperor, but none had truly put themselves in his shoes and thought about the responsibilities that role entailed.
Shen Qi watched the bustling crowd but made sure Su Zhiruan did not leave his field of vision.
On this night with the curfew lifted, numerous sheltered young women also went out in groups. Seeing Shen Qi, many of them became eager to approach and speak to him.
However, when they saw a tall, handsome man leisurely walk over to a girl to buy masks, they could only choose to regretfully leave the scene.
"Young Master?" Su Zhiruan paused, then suddenly felt the warmth of a palm on her face, the faint scent of ambergris passing by her nose, behind her ears, and finally settling into her hair as the man put a Red Fox mask on her, "You..."
The vendor beside them, seeing them like this, subconsciously assumed they were a couple and started babbling, saying whatever came to mind.
"Oh my! I can tell you two are no ordinary pair. With such a handsome man and a beautiful woman, you're bound to have a long-lasting relationship, to grow old together, to be blessed with children and grandchildren, a lifetime of happiness! You two purchasing masks is simply the perfect touch for roaming the night market. This way, others may not see your faces clearly, but seeing the masks, they will immediately know you two are a match made by heaven. No one can argue with that!"
Shen Qi, pleased by some part of the vendor's speech, saw Su Zhiruan wanting to say something but hesitating as he carelessly waved his hand, purchasing all the masks there, and picked a pure black Fox mask for himself.
"What are you hesitating for? Put it on for me?" Shen Qi handed the mask to Su Zhiruan, and his words came out naturally as if they were indeed a couple destined by fate.
She stood on tiptoes, carefully placing the mask on him and tying it at the back of his head.
After she put it on, Su Zhiruan inadvertently looked down, only to see the Emperor, who had bent his knees slightly.
So... that is to say...
Shen Qi had quietly bent down to let her put the mask on him, and then, smiling, watched her slowly move.
Perhaps it was the fireworks in the sky being too dazzling, or the surrounding noise being too loud.
A flood of tenderness surged in Shen Qi's heart.
"Young master, are you afraid of being recognized?" On such a relaxed day, and outside at that, Shen Qi seemed to be in a good mood, so she asked bluntly, "Or is someone following us?"
Shen Qi laughed heartily and then shook his head openly, "Neither."
As he spoke, he slowly took the girl's hand. His dry, warm hand enveloped her slightly cold one. Those trinkets that had been bought or gifted to her, he handed over to the Hidden Guard to carry for her.
"Why didn't you guess this possibility?" Shen Qi traced the edge of the Red Fox mask on her face, finally resting on her neck. With the two facing each other, he then slowly added, "There's another possibility — wanting to pair up with this little Red Fox on your face."
Su Zhiruan lifted her gaze and clearly saw the sincerity in his eyes.
From her current angle, she could see fireworks filling the sky, the Milky Way gently streaming along the moat, and the perfectly full moon above. The bustling crowd, hawkers' calls, joyful laughter, and shouts mixed together, creating a spectacle of the people's prosperous era.
"Actually, today, if Mother had not arranged for the Noble Consort to follow me, I originally wanted to take you to the common folk. Unfortunately..." Shen Qi's eyes showed a touch of regret.
Yet, what struck the Hidden Guard and Su Zhiruan was not his regret, but Shen Qi's self-reference.
"I"
As an Emperor, he symbolized the Wang Dynasty, and his usual self-reference was "We."
He reigned supreme, the monarch of a nation, the ruler of an empire.
But today, he referred to himself as "I," and it was in the presence of a little palace maid.
Su Zhiruan, being from the modern era, was quite shocked, but for the Hidden Guard who followed them at all times, it was astonishing.
Shen Qi hadn't even realized that he was actually not in a good mood at first because his plans were disrupted.
However, once the Noble Consort had left, he ended up walking together with Su Zhiruan, which could also be seen as an unexpected convergence of paths.
Now, this was very nice.
The two of them found a great spot on the edge of the moat and then sat down together to watch the fireworks.
For Su Zhiruan, all of this was quite novel; she was a modern person, accustomed to seeing such ancient charm only in TV dramas or movies.
Witnessing it with her own eyes, as opposed to the intentional scenes directed by a filmmaker, was a completely different experience.
Shen Qi enjoyed this moment, the liveliness in the tranquility, the peace within the tumult.
...
The following day was the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This day was also of great importance to the Royal Family. Every year, the Imperial Family would hold a family banquet in the evening. Princes who had been granted titles would return to the Capital City, along with various concubines and even the Imperial Concubines from the temples would be invited to attend.
The entire Imperial Palace needed to treat this day with the utmost care and meticulous preparation.
Even Su Zhiruan had to take care of every aspect of Zichen Hall.
The location chosen for tonight's palace banquet was the largest palace in the Imperial Palace.
It was situated beside a mountain and water, with the Imperial Garden nearby as well as the Kang Bridge Pavilion, the air scented with flowers, illuminated brightly, and festooned with blooms.
The concubines of the harem had dressed in their beautiful new clothes long ago, hoping to earn the Emperor's favor on this day.
Some of the lower-ranking concubines, having heard of Su Zhiruan's favor, directly copied her style, all donning dresses in goose-yellow.
The Noble Consort, as the most prestigious woman in the harem apart from the Empress Dowager, naturally dressed in an elaborate manner.
The Empress Dowager had already met with all the Madams of the Imperial Decree and Commandery Princesses early in the morning.
The harem hadn't been this lively in a long time.
In the evening, around seven o'clock as Su Zhiruan calculated, night gradually fell.
The palace banquet slowly began.
Su Zhiruan followed behind Shen Qi, and on the other side was Ziyu, with Little Fuzi, who had been busy all day, in front of the two women.
Little Fuzi was even busier today, as he went to find many Princes.
And after everyone had arrived, Little Fuzi flicked his duster.
"The Emperor arrives——"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long may he reign!"