Entering the palace means entering a high position; I'm His Majesty's cousin, who am I afr

After Pei Yan returned, Shen Jiayu took a bath.

When they returned to the palace, they found that he had already gone to lie down on the couch.

Shen Jiayu dried her long hair until it was half dry at the dressing table, combed her silky black hair, and then got up.

Most of the candles inside the hall were still lit.

Shen Jiayu stepped forward and blew out the lanterns one by one, leaving only two palace lanterns to barely illuminate the scene inside the hall, so that it was not too dark.

She lowered the brocade curtain and carefully entered the inner side of the dragon bed.

She slipped under the quilt, slowly moved closer, found a comfortable position, and nestled into the man's arms.

Pei Yan was very familiar with this. He opened his eyes briefly, hugged the person tightly, and then closed his eyes again to fall asleep.

Shen Jiayu was not sleepy, so she kept her eyes open and carefully examined the man's cold and handsome features by the dim firelight.

After a while, she sat up slightly and pressed her soft lips to hers.

It touches the water like a dragonfly skimming the surface, then quickly moves on to another spot.

The man was initially lenient.

Just as their lips met, the emperor opened his deep, dark eyes, like a still, icy pool. He held Shen Jiayu's shoulders, preventing her from going any further. "Aren't you sleepy?"

Shen Jiayu rubbed her face against the back of his hand and kissed the inside of his wrist. "Let's coax His Majesty to sleep."

After saying this, Pei Yan remained silent for a while. His face showed no obvious emotion, and his voice was flat and emotionless: "Why do you think I'm angry?"

Shen Jiayu leaned against his chest, listening to the throbbing of his heart: "I could feel it. His Majesty was in a very low mood tonight."

Pei Yan raised his hand, intending to pat her head, but instead touched the damp ends of her hair, and frowned: "Why didn't you dry it?"

Shen Jiayu didn't care about that and said nonchalantly, "His Majesty's bedchamber has a charcoal basket, it's very warm, and it will dry in a little while."

It's early February now, and although the underfloor heating in Xuanzheng Hall is no longer running, the spring chill is still in the air, so every night a charcoal brazier is lit for warmth.

Pei Yan glanced at her, got off the bed, found a clean towel, and began to wipe her down little by little.

Shen Jiayu rose and sat obediently on the couch. She tentatively asked, "Is it because I failed to keep my word that Your Majesty is... in a bad mood?"

She had originally intended to say she was angry, but when the words were on the tip of her tongue, she remembered that he had been saying all night that he wasn't angry, so she changed her mind.

In fact, Shen Jiayu had a slight doubt in her heart.

She really had a bad day; she promised to come, but she was a little late.

But his reaction was really unusual.

In the past, Shen Jiayu thought that he would at most take the opportunity to vent his anger, and then it would be over.

But today, she couldn't quite see through it.

Pei Yan didn't answer the question for a while, but his hands continued moving.

After a while, the conversation drifted to another unrelated topic: "You're eighteen this year, right?"

Although Shen Jiayu found it strange, she nodded truthfully: "Yes."

Pei Yan's voice was deep and muffled, as if there was an invisible layer between them: "After this summer, I will be twenty-seven."

Shen Jiayu turned her head, asking in confusion, "Why did Your Majesty suddenly bring this up?"

What does their age have to do with his bad mood?

Pei Yan raised his hand and pinched her chin, his dark eyes fixed on her, not missing a single expression on her face. His tone was stern and cold: "So, you think I'm too old and too boring?"

Shen Jiayu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.

Pei Yan frowned as he looked at her.

Shen Jiayu laughed for a while, barely managing to suppress it: "Your Majesty thought of this place as soon as I arrived a little late?"

Pei Yan remained silent.

Shen Jiayu looked at him and muttered, "You say I'm overthinking things, but it's clearly Your Majesty who's the one who overthinks."

Pei Yan applied a little pressure to her, scrutinizing her: "Answer my question."

Shen Jiayu blinked and sighed, "It's really because I've been too busy and just forgot the time. There's no other reason. It's not what Your Majesty thinks, like getting old or being boring."

She pursed her lips, clearly disagreeing with that statement.

Pei Yan's brows relaxed almost imperceptibly.

Shen Jiayu slapped his hand away, kissed him haphazardly on the face a few times, and whispered, "Your Majesty is just the way you are, this is exactly what I want. Doesn't Your Majesty know that when I first saw you, I couldn't bear to look away?"

Pei Yan gave a soft "hmm," turned her around so that her back was to him, and continued to dry her hair.

Shen Jiayu explained, "The reason I am late is that the procedures for the investiture ceremony of the Imperial Concubine have not yet been finalized. I originally intended to follow the precedent, but the first Imperial Concubine appointed by the late Emperor was my aunt, so I naturally cannot follow the same procedure as my aunt. I can only look for the old precedent again. I discussed with the two palace ladies for a long time before revising the procedures, which is why I was delayed."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan said, "Following precedent is fine. The Empress Dowager won't mind. There's no need to wrong yourself."

Shen Jiayu waved her hand: "Your Majesty, I have not wronged myself. The new regulations have been drafted and are quite appropriate. Please rest assured."

Pei Yan paused for a moment, then said, "Don't worry about spending money, just use it as much as you want."

Shen Jiayu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Doesn't Your Majesty want to fight the Northern Qiang? Wouldn't it be better if I kept my expenses down?"

The budget wasn't small, after all, Shen Jiayu wasn't the type to compromise herself.

It wasn't extravagant, but rather tasteful and appropriate, reflecting the dignity and respectability of the imperial family.

Pei Yan said in a low voice, "You don't need to worry about these things. Apart from the silver allocated to the national treasury, I will cover all the remaining expenses."

Shen Jiayu turned around with a smile: "Your Majesty is very generous."

Pei Yan's slender fingers gently brushed through her cloud-like black hair a few times. After making sure he was dry, he set the handkerchief aside. "For you, I am naturally willing to part with it."

Shen Jiayu hooked her hand around his palm, her eyes crinkling into a smile, "If I had said just now that Your Majesty was boring, would Your Majesty still be so willing to treat me like this?"

Maybe he'll be furious?

Shen Jiayu regretted it a little; she should have teased him a bit more.

"Of course," Pei Yan said calmly, "but it wouldn't be like this now."

Shen Jiayu asked curiously, "What could it be?"

Pei Yan's eyes were cold and piercing: "I don't know either, but the consequences may be quite serious."

He has always loved her, and she cannot change her mind.

He cannot accept even occasional annoyance or resistance.

Just like tonight, when she didn't let him come over and she was late in arriving, he thought she was getting tired of being inseparable from him, and he almost lost control.