The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

Shen Wangxi, with a sullen face, strode forward, half-dragging and half-pulling Shen Qingruo back to the Taiji Hall.

Shen Qingruo followed unsteadily, her emerald green skirt nearly tripping her several times.

Upon entering the hall, Shen Wangxi immediately pushed the person against the edge of the large desk.

Shen Qingruo let out a soft groan as the tabletop pressed against her.

He immediately raised his hand and forcefully pinched her delicate chin, forcing her to lift her face and meet his eyes, which were filled with hidden anger.

"You've grown bolder, haven't you?" His voice was cold and deep. "You dare to order the people of the Taiji Palace around, and you even dare to have Wu Tian keep it from me. Shen Qingruo, how much guts do you have?"

His eyes were fierce, carrying the imposing aura of an emperor.

Shen Qingruo felt a little pain from his pinching, so she pouted and shook her head, trying to get him to let go.

Shen Wangxi not only didn't loosen her grip, but instead tightened her fingers even more.

Shen Qingruo said aggrievedly, "It was intentional. Aruo deliberately went to disrupt her birthday banquet."

Shen Wangxi frowned even more, staring at her without saying a word, only exerting pressure with his eyes.

Shen Qingruo was no longer afraid of him.

She reached out and grabbed his large hand that was pinching her chin, pulled it off forcefully, and then guided it to her flat stomach.

She raised her watery eyes and looked at him: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? It was because of the Eldest Princess that she knelt before Aruo, and that's why our baby was lost."

"Even now, no matter how much His Majesty's favor she receives, Aruo still has to drink those bitter medicines every day in order to slowly recover her health and have another baby."

"If His Majesty can't bear to punish them severely, shouldn't Aruo be allowed to make a scene and vent her anger?"

As Shen Wangxi listened to her words, her palm resting on her soft abdomen, the scene of Shen Jingyan pressing down on her in Qingyi Palace that day flashed through her mind. A dull pain shot through her heart, and her hatred for Shen Jingyan grew stronger.

But looking at the pretty little face in front of him, he still felt disappointed and frustrated.

Shen Wangxi's voice was suppressed: "It's not that I'm not letting you vent your anger, but how could you so blatantly target them and make them your mortal enemies?"

He stared into her eyes, his tone heavy:

"Shen Qingruo, do you remember that I was once your mistress?"

"Do you remember how old I am this year?"

"Do you remember how much older I am than you?"

"If one day my country collapses first, leaving you alone, how will you survive in their hands?"

Shen Qingruo looked at him, her eyes clear and bright, and answered earnestly:

"Aruo remembers everything."

"I remember Your Majesty was once fh."

"I remember Your Majesty is thirty-four years old this year."

"I remember that His Majesty is eighteen years older than Aruo."

She changed the subject, asking him in return, "But Your Majesty, if Aruo doesn't target the Eldest Princess and doesn't resist, will they let me go?"

Before Shen Wangxi could answer, she said decisively, "No way."

"If I can't do it, why should I endure it?"

She took a step closer, almost touching him, tilted her small face up, and said resolutely, "There's one more thing, Your Majesty is wrong."

"If one day our mountains and rivers are gone, Aruo will never live alone in this world and be bullied by others."

Shen Wangxi's heart skipped a beat, filled with both anger and heartache. She scolded in a low voice, "Nonsense!"

How can you so casually say you don't want to live anymore?

"You are only sixteen years old, while I am eighteen years older than you. I will surely pass away before you. How can you be so careless with your life?"

Shen Qingruo, however, straightened her flat stomach and pressed it even closer to the man's firm abdominal muscles, allowing his large hands to reach back and embrace her waist.

She raised her eyes, her expression earnest and resolute: "Then Your Majesty should try to live a little longer, much longer, so that our little prince may come sooner."

"That way, when Aruo goes with you in the future, he won't be young and lonely."

Looking into her stubborn almond-shaped eyes, feeling her graceful figure pressed against his, and listening to her outrageous words, Shen Wangxi's emotions surged, all turning into another kind of desire.

……

He stared at her without any attempt to hide it. She instinctively raised her hand to cover herself, but her small hand was easily pulled away by Shen Wangxi's large hand.

He stood there, motionless, his gaze slowly moving from her small face, down her delicate neck, her exquisite collarbone, and then down to her waist. He stared at her intently for a long while before finally fixing his gaze on her tender waist.

Shen Wangxi's palms weren't particularly dark, but when he reached out and his thumb nestled into her lower back, the color difference was still quite noticeable.

Those long, slender hands almost completely encircled her waist.

His other large hand also covered her waist, gripping her waist on the other side, completely encircling her slender waist with some room to spare.

Shen Wangxi's eyes were churning with unspoken emotions, yet he made no further move.

His gaze shifted again, fixing on the object and scrutinizing it, as if in awe or examining a unique treasure.

Shen Qingruo felt flustered and uncomfortable under his gaze. She mustered her courage and began to stare back at him.

The man before me is a king who has fought his way up from the grasslands.

Even with his handsome and refined appearance, beneath his clothes lay powerful muscles, broad shoulders, and a strong waist.

The little girl blinked blankly, staring at his abs, then looked at her own slender waist and compared the two.

It turned out that even his narrowest part, his waist, was almost twice as thick as hers.

Seeing that he was still motionless for a long time, but was carefully measuring her with that kind of gaze that made her heart race, Shen Qingruo couldn't help but reach out her slender fingertip and poke his chest.

But the man still didn't move. He simply raised one arm and brought it close to her fair and slender thigh, gesturing to show his size. His thick upper arm almost overlapped with the circumference of her thigh, with little difference between them.

Shen Wangxi stared at the comparison, his eyes growing increasingly dark, lost in thought.

Shen Qingruo felt both ashamed and flustered; this silent scrutiny was more agonizing than direct aggression.

She couldn't help but lift one of her fair, delicate feet and gently kick his firm V-line below his waist, her voice filled with embarrassment and annoyance:

"Your Majesty, if you continue like this, Aruo will have to return to Yilan Palace..."

Before he could finish speaking, his large hand grasped the troublesome slender foot.

He leaned down, his gaze piercing.

"It's too late."

The battle begins, the swan stretches its neck.

It's late at night, men!!!

Pain, sorrow, and the ecstasy of death.

……