The night enveloped the entire imperial palace, the moonlight dim and only a few stars flickering in the sky, much like Murong Junsheng's current mood. The empress dowager's domineering and probing words from today still lingered in his ears, causing him to feel extremely restless.

"No one is allowed to follow me!" Murong Junsheng angrily glared at the eunuchs and guards who were closely following him, and he left the Zhao Yang Hall alone. He aimlessly wandered through the palace, encountering group after group of patrolling guards. He couldn't help but bitterly smile as he heard them repeatedly shout "Long live the Emperor." How ridiculous! Emperor, what a joke! A mere title with no real power. Every decision had to be made according to the Empress Dowager and General Hu Wei's favor. This Emperor truly acted weak and helpless.

Unconsciously, he found himself in the study. As he gazed at the faintly lit room, Mu Rong Junsheng's mind went blank, and he couldn't help but wonder how he had ended up here.

For some unknown reason, Murong Junsheng pushed open the door as if guided by some unseen force. In his sight, Xie Rufeng was holding a brush and slightly bending over, earnestly writing something in a book with a very serious expression.

"How is it?" Seeing that Xiao Rufeng was so focused that he didn't even notice his arrival, for some reason, this scene made Murong Junsheng feel a hint of annoyance.

The sound of something breaking startled Xiao Rufeng, but he immediately realized that it was Murong Junsheng who had arrived. This calmed his expression slightly, and he knelt down on one knee, saying, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

"Xiao Rufeng, how dare you ignore me!" Murong Junsheng captured Xiao Rufeng's surprised expression in his eyes and suddenly had a playful idea.

"I know I've made a mistake!" Xiao Rufeng's eyes lowered, not naturally sensing the teasing expression in the emperor's eyes. He only thought that the emperor was truly blaming him.

Xiao Rufeng straightforwardly admitted his mistake, which made Murong Junsheng unexpectedly lose interest and no longer had the intention to tease him.

"Get up!" Murong Junsheng sat down and waved for Xiao Rufeng to come over. "Tell me about your learning experiences these past few days or anything you have found difficult to understand."

"Yes!" Xiao Rufeng placed the book in front of Murong Junsheng and pointed to the several clearly circled areas in the book, saying, "I don't quite understand these few places. Please explain them to me, Your Majesty."

Many parts of the book were stained with ink, making the once neat pages appear disheveled. However, Muren Junsheng couldn't help but feel genuinely relieved because this meant that Xiaoru Feng was truly putting in effort to learn. With just a casual glance, Muren Junsheng found that some of the annotations made by Xiaoru Feng hit the essence perfectly.

"These few places are like this..." Murong Junsheng was about to speak, but then he saw Xiaoru Feng slightly bowing. He realized that his explanation would take a long time to finish, and bending over like that must be quite exhausting. So he said, "Please have a seat on the side!"

"Yes!" Xiao Rufeng responded with some hesitation, but in an instant after sitting down, he stood up again abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Mu Rong Jun Sheng asked in confusion, noticing the evident expression of Xiao Ru Feng's suppressed pain.

"Your Majesty, please let me stand!" Xiao Rufeng pleaded, grinning. Seeing the Emperor's eyes filled with confusion, he helplessly elaborated, "I was injured in battle earlier this morning, and my buttocks are really hurting."

Yes, Xiao Rufeng also had to endure those fifty lashes. Murong Junsheng suddenly realized this and his previously relaxed mood was immediately brought back.

"Ru Feng, your meritorious service in saving me should be rewarded, but the reality is that you have been punished. Do you hold any resentment in your heart towards me?" Mu Rong Jun Sheng lightly spoke, fixing his gaze directly on Xiao Ru Feng.

"I dare not, nor do I bear any resentment in my heart. Your Majesty's misfortune during the journey is entirely due to my failure to protect you. It is only right for Your Majesty to punish me. Moreover, Your Majesty has treated me with boundless grace and kindness; I am grateful beyond words. How could I possibly feel any resentment?" Xiao Rufeng immediately knelt down.

"This is true!" Murong Junsheng squinted his eyes as if trying to see through Xiao Rufeng's heart.

"Subordinate sincerely speaks from the bottom of his heart. May Your Majesty see this clearly!" Xiao Rufeng immediately expressed his loyalty. These words indeed came from his heart and were not just flattery for the sake of gaining promotion.

With bright eyes gleaming with sincerity, Murong Junsheng found himself immersed in those dark orbs for a fleeting moment.