After being reborn, the empress only wanted to seduce the emperor and seize the empress's posit

Chapter 11 Advises Him to Distribute His Love Evenly
"Your Highness, Li Ma, the maidservant of Consort Xian, requests an audience."

Siyu put down the tea in her hand and said respectfully.

Lu Jingning hesitated, "Let her in."

"Yes"

A moment later, you saw Granny Li carrying in a jewelry box for you.

Greetings to Consort Lu

Granny Li put away the arrogant attitude she used to have in front of her.

"What brings you here, Granny?" Lu Jingning asked softly.

Then, Granny Li presented the jewelry box, saying, "This was a gift from Her Highness the Virtuous Consort to the Noble Lady."

Lu Jingning gently raised his hand, gesturing for Granny Li to present the jewelry box, his brows furrowed with a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

Granny Li carefully opened the box, inside which lay a beautifully carved jade bracelet.

Lu Jingning's eyes flickered slightly as he thought to himself, "Why would Lu Shiwei be so kind as to send me something? There must be something fishy going on."

She remained expressionless, a faint smile playing on her lips, and said softly, "Your Highness is truly kind. I feel unworthy to receive such a precious gift."

After saying that, she gently picked up the bracelet, her fingertips gliding over the delicate jade surface, but a barely perceptible sneer flashed in her eyes.

"Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort was simply in a bad mood the other day; I hope Noble Lady Lu will be understanding."

Although Granny Li was speaking, her eyes were glancing to the side, looking at the palace maids beside Lu Jingning, and finally settling on Xia'er.

Lu Jingning had already seen through her little scheme; wasn't this prey delivered right to his doorstep?

"What are you saying, Granny? We're all family." Lu Jingning remained outwardly calm, but she was already thinking things through.

"Her Highness the Imperial Concubine is waiting for this old servant to report back, so this old servant will take her leave now." Granny Li had already found the person she wanted and couldn't wait to go back and tell the Imperial Concubine.

"Alright, take care, Granny Li." Lu Jingning would see what plans they came up with to deal with him later.

"The old slave is leaving."

After saying that, Granny Li returned to Zhongcui Palace.

After Li Mama left, Lu Jingning left Xia'er alone and reminded her, "I'm sure Consort Xian will make a move soon, so you must be careful."

"Don't worry, my lady, I will be more careful," Xia'er replied firmly.

Lu Jingning nodded in satisfaction: "Of course I believe you."

Then she looked at the bracelet, gently picked it up, brought it to her nose, and smelled a familiar scent: "There's something wrong with this bracelet."

"Could it be that Consort Xian is trying to harm you?" Xia'er said worriedly.

Lu Jingning was already used to it; in his previous life, the Consort Xian had also sent him an identical bracelet: "This bracelet was probably scented with musk, which can make women infertile."

"What? The most important thing for concubines in the harem, besides favor, is having children? How could Consort Xian be so ruthless?" Xia'er said in disbelief.

Fortunately, she didn't make a serious mistake; otherwise, associating with someone as ruthless as Consort Xian would have led to a terrible end.

"Don't worry, I have a way to deal with this, you don't need to worry," Lu Jingning reassured him.

Xia'er breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was not flustered at all: "That's good."

Evening, Hall of Mental Cultivation
Eunuch Zhao approached quietly and whispered, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Please choose a concubine."

Xiao Jingheng paused, his gaze lifting from the complex memorial, a hint of weariness in his eyes, yet still radiating authority.

He pondered for a moment, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, and pointed without hesitation to the plaque that read "Consort Lu," his voice low and firm: "I will go to Chengqian Palace when I am done with my business."

Eunuch Zhao understood immediately and respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

He then quietly withdrew from the hall, secretly wondering if Consort Lu would soon be in high spirits after gaining favor.

Chengqian Palace. "Your Highness, the Emperor has chosen you tonight and will be coming to Chengqian Palace soon," Chun'er excitedly told Lu Jingning upon hearing the news.

But she noticed Lu Jingning looked troubled and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Your Highness, the Emperor is coming, why are you unhappy?"

Looking at Chun'er's innocent expression, Xia'er told her, "Your Highness has just entered the palace and has already served the Emperor for three consecutive days. I'm afraid this will attract jealousy."

"I haven't yet defeated Consort Xian, so I don't suspect I've made too many enemies," Lu Jingning pondered.

"What should we do then?" Chun'er asked worriedly after hearing Xia'er's explanation.

Lu Jingning pondered for a moment, then told the two of them, "Don't panic, I have a plan. Xia'er, go prepare dinner and wait for the emperor to arrive."

More than an hour later, Xiao Jingheng, accompanied by a group of eunuchs, arrived at Chengqian Palace under the cover of night.

"This concubine greets Your Majesty."

Lu Jingning had already ordered his men to keep watch, and as soon as they saw Xiao Jingheng, they would come out to greet him.

Xiao Jingheng quickly helped Lu Jingning up: "I've kept Zhaozhao waiting."

"How could that be? I'm willing to wait as long as it takes," Lu Jingning said shyly.

Xiao Jingheng affectionately pinched her nose: "Have you forgotten what I said yesterday? You don't need to refer to yourself as a concubine."

“Yes, Arui,” Lu Jingning grabbed Xiao Jingheng’s hand and led him back to his own bedroom.

During dinner, Lu Jingning looked at Xiao Jingheng with a pitiful expression.

"What's wrong, Zhao Zhao?" Xiao Jingheng noticed that something was wrong with her, took her hand, and asked gently.

"Arui doesn't just belong to me, she belongs to all the sisters in the harem," Lu Jingning said, sounding aggrieved.

Xiao Jingheng frowned slightly, his eyes full of concern: "Zhaozhao, has someone bullied you?"

Lu Jingning shook his head gently, his eyes slightly red, as if there were tears glistening in them, but he held back his tears.

"No, Arui, I just... I don't want to put you in a difficult position. There are many sisters in the harem, and you need to treat them all equally."

As she spoke, her voice trembled slightly, and she gently twisted the hem of her clothes with both hands.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He looked deeply at Lu Jingning, his eyes filled with emotion and tenderness.

Which concubine in the harem doesn't want her own favor? Yet, not a single woman thinks of herself.

Only Zhao Zhao would rather be heartbroken alone than put herself in a difficult position; indeed, only she truly loved him.

He suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head, and whispered comfortingly, "It's okay, I'm here to protect you, don't be afraid."

"Pretending to be weak really works," Lu Jingning thought to himself with smug satisfaction.

"Shouldn't we go pay our respects to the Empress tomorrow?" Xiao Jingheng asked.

Lu Jingning nodded: "Yes, Arui."

Xiao Jingheng thought for a moment and told her, "Let's skip the greetings to the Empress tomorrow."

Lu Jingning stepped out of his embrace: "No, Her Majesty the Empress has always been in poor health and doesn't pay her respects very often. Besides, I've only just entered the palace; how can I not go and pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress?"

Seeing her insistence, Xiao Jingheng's eyes flashed with a hint of appreciation, and he stopped insisting, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

He gently lifted Lu Jingning in his arms and walked steadily toward the bed.

The flickering candlelight cast a warm and ambiguous glow upon the two of them.

Lu Jingning lowered her head shyly, her cheeks flushing red: "Arui..."

Xiao Jingheng gently placed her on the soft bed, and then lay down himself. The two looked into each other's eyes, their eyes filled with deep affection and longing.

He slowly approached, his breathing gradually quickening, and the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly heated and tender.
He then had a good night's sleep.

(End of this chapter)