Quick Transmigration: Knowing I'm a Bad Woman, Yet Still Liking Me?

"ah."

Bai Yuan let out a soft cry, twisted her body, and broke free from Xiao Chengyu's embrace.

She looked up angrily and met Xiao Chengyu's gaze. "Your Majesty, you have no conscience! I've seen battlefields since I was a child. How could I be frightened by something like that? It's because Your Majesty is ill that I worry about you every day. Being frightened like that made me fall ill."

Xiao Chengyu thought it made sense, so he pulled the person back into his arms and coaxed softly, "I missed you too."

So many people came to visit him, but only the arrival of the Imperial Concubine could lift his spirits.

The palace is a cage that traps others, but in fact, it also traps him, even if he is the emperor.

Bai Yuan didn't belong here; he forcibly dragged her into this cage.

There were considerations regarding the political situation, as well as his own personal motives.

Three years ago, Bai Yaoting brought his family to the palace for a banquet. At that time, Bai Yuan was so vibrant and out of place with him and the others.

However, after she entered the palace, she was like a bird with broken wings, and she fell ill and never recovered. Although he liked her, he rarely stayed in the Jade Hibiscus Palace.

He gave her everything, including possessions and status. This wasn't just to win over Bai Yaoting; he simply wanted to pamper her. Yet, the radiance she possessed was slowly fading away.

Until a few months ago, she suddenly regained her vitality and became even more radiant than before.

He had to admit that he was growing to like Bai Yuan more and more.

If... if only her surname wasn't Bai.

When Bai Yuan heard him say that he missed her, she stopped struggling and reached out to wrap her arms around the man's waist. "From now on, I will never leave the palace again."

"It's not your problem," Xiao Chengyu replied casually, his hand gently stroking Bai Yuan's waist.

Bai Yuan paused upon hearing this, and asked in a muffled voice, "Your Majesty's illness is quite strange, and I am truly, truly worried."

Xiao Chengyu buried his head in her shoulder, inhaling her fragrance, which calmed him further. "You're not worried about someone breaking into your palace, but only about me?"

He thought the woman would come in to complain, but to his surprise, she didn't reveal a single grievance, only that she missed him.

"Um."

The two embraced even tighter, and Bai Yuan responded in a muffled voice, "When something like this happens in the palace, His Majesty will definitely send someone to investigate and won't put me in danger. So I'm only worried about His Majesty. With His Majesty by my side, I'm not afraid of anything."

The summer wind was unusually hot, but Xiao Chengyu still half-embraced Bai Yuan and spent the afternoon reading memorials, only asking Wang Shunan to add an extra basin of ice.

Bai Yuan didn't say much, but quietly nestled in the man's arms and slowly fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun had already set. Xiao Chengyu's legs and arms were already numb, but he just couldn't bear to wake her.

This tranquility was an experience he had never had in his nearly forty years of life.

"Your Majesty, why is it so dark outside?" Bai Yuan stared at the outside with moist, dark eyes, as if it took her a while to come to her senses.

A soft, sweet voice rang in Xiao Chengyu's ears, warming his entire chest. He put the memorial aside, shifted his position, and continued to hold the person in his arms. "Because you slept all afternoon, are you still not fully recovered?"

Bai Yuan nodded slightly, snuggling against him for a while before speaking softly, "Perhaps it's because I haven't received His Majesty's nourishment."

Xiao Chengyu's arm tightened suddenly, but then relaxed again. "The imperial physician said I need to rest for a while longer. You are not allowed to seduce me again."

Bai Yuan was a little angry. After all that trouble this afternoon, this is what you tell me?

She suddenly stood up and stepped off the stage, but almost fell because she lost her balance.

Fortunately, Xiao Chengyu reacted quickly, grabbing her waist from behind. "Your temper is getting worse. Isn't it enough for me to just keep you company? Do I have to favor you too?"

Actually, it wasn't just that his health wasn't fully recovered, but also that the imperial physicians wouldn't allow it.

He was actually a little reluctant; he didn't want to give Bai Yuan that kind of medicine anymore, as it would always harm her body.

Bai Yuan remained silent, desperately trying to pry the man's arms open with her small hands.

"Alright, in a few days, once I'm better, I'll come to be with you immediately, okay?"

Bai Yuan understood that she was probably really going to fail today, so she could only nod reluctantly, "Alright then."

"Stay and dine with me."

After saying that, Xiao Chengyu pulled the person into his arms again. "How about it? I haven't had much of an appetite lately. If you stay with me, I might be able to eat more."

Bai Yuan thought about it and realized that Xiao Chengyu had indeed lost a lot of weight during this period of hardship, and he looked somewhat sickly.

Xiao Chengyu absolutely cannot die now; at the very least, he cannot die before her child is born.

So she turned around and threw herself back into his arms, her little hands stroking his chest for a while before pouting, "If Your Majesty doesn't eat much today, it means you don't like me."

"Hahaha, okay."

Xiao Chengyu ordered his men to prepare a meal, and dishes were served quickly, though most were rather bland.

Bai Yuan thought the light summer dishes were quite nice, and her appetite was whetted.

Not only did she eat herself, she also served Xiao Chengyu, and she didn't use serving chopsticks, she just used her own.

We've done all sorts of intimate things, what's the point of being picky?

Wang Shunan wanted to stop him, but Xiao Chengyu raised his hand to block him.

Bai Yuan spent the whole afternoon with Xiao Chengyu, even having a meal with him. Before she even returned, everyone in the palace already knew that His Majesty had a good appetite.

This left everyone in the palace feeling somewhat frustrated. The Imperial Concubine was still the same Imperial Concubine; with just a slight move, all their concern over the past few days became a joke.

Originally, His Majesty had begun to waver after the Empress visited him daily, but now he no longer mentions it.

The Empress wasn't the only one who was upset; Shen Xun'er was so angry that she didn't even eat dinner.

She looked at the young eunuch in front of her, "Fu Ning, what did Eunuch Wang say?"

Fu Ning bent over, her tone cautious, "Master said that Consort Shen must quickly find a way to prevent His Majesty from continuing to favor the Imperial Concubine. If this continues, His Majesty may change his mind. More importantly, you must keep His Majesty here, and your rank must also be raised further."

Shen Xun'er rubbed her head. "It's not that I don't want to, but I missed the last opportunity, and now His Majesty is seriously ill."

After she finished speaking, she sighed, "As for the Imperial Concubine, everyone knows about the incident that happened at Yufu Palace a few days ago. Now is definitely not a good time."

"This... I'll go back and tell my master."

"That's enough."

Shen Xun'er looked up at him and said, "Wait a little longer. This batch of young ladies will be entering the palace soon. I will find an opportunity."

This year, the selection of imperial concubines for the palace was a month later than usual; they should have been officially conferred titles some time ago.

First came the natural disaster in the south, then Bai Yaoting returned to the capital, and now the emperor is seriously ill, so the matter of the investiture has been delayed again and again.

However, once His Majesty recovers from his illness, the other concubines will bring it up without him saying so.

"This servant understands." Upon receiving the message, Fu Ning quickly left.