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

The sedan chair stopped in front of the exquisite courtyard.

Shen Wangxi walked in, and the palace servants bowed silently.

Inside the room, Shen Qingruo was sitting in front of her dressing table, being helped by Granny Yan to remove her hairpins and bracelets.

She saw him come in through the mirror, but her hands didn't stop. She only glanced at him briefly before looking away, continuing to stare at herself in the mirror with a tense expression, as if she didn't want to talk to him.

Shen Wangxi waved away Granny Yan and the others.

Now that only the two of them were left in the room, Shen Qingruo's air of being a noble concubine vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised sullenness.

She stood up, walked to the window, turned her back to him, and left Shen Wangxi with a slender but unhappy silhouette.

Shen Wangxi walked over, gently wrapped her arms around her waist from behind, and rested her chin on the top of her head. "Are you angry?"

Shen Qingruo twisted her body, trying to break free, but he held her even tighter.

She snorted and didn't say anything.

"I've come to explain what happened tonight," Shen Wangxi's voice rang in her ear, deep and calm.

"That Liu Rusi is not simply someone Yinian offered up as a beautiful woman."

Shen Qingruo's ears twitched slightly, but she still didn't turn around.

"She is a descendant of the Liu family," Shen Wangxi continued. "My maternal grandmother was from the Liu family."

"The Shen family and the Liu family were once the two most prominent families in Jiangnan, with a long-standing friendship and a tradition of marriage alliances. The Shen family held power, while the Liu family controlled the finances."

"But that was a long time ago, before I was even born."

"Later, my grandfather was suspected by the Liang emperor at the time, and the whole family was expelled from the Central Plains."

"The Liu family's wealth was also coveted by the royal family, and most of the men were exiled, while the women were reduced to entertainers and courtesans."

"Decades have passed, and since I ascended the throne, I have secretly sent people to search for the Liu family bloodline, intending to provide them with relief."

"But they discovered that the Liu family was almost completely wiped out, with only one orphan girl remaining."

He paused, then said, "Just as my men were about to find her, she was suddenly taken away by someone else."

"The person who took her away must be Yi Nian."

"My men are a step too late."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingruo slowly turned around, tilted her head up to look at him, and frowned slightly.

She immediately seized on another key point, her voice tinged with jealousy:

"A marriage alliance passed down through generations? Does that mean His Majesty sees her beauty and is considering taking her as a concubine to continue the old agreement?"

As she spoke, her little mouth unconsciously pouted.

Seeing the little girl's extremely jealous expression, Shen Wangxi felt both amused and helpless, and quickly coaxed her:

"I have no such inclination."

"That's an old treaty from so many years ago, it's no longer valid."

"When I found her, I only wanted to confirm her identity, give her the title of county princess, ensure the continuation of the Liu family bloodline, and let her enjoy some wealth and leisure. I never thought of taking her into the harem."

Shen Qingruo hummed twice with some doubt, then leaned into his arms, clutching his clothes with her small hands.

Shen Wangxi looked down at her dependent yet slightly temperamental expression and found it amusing, gently rubbing her cheek with her fingertips:

"Why are you so jealous? Were you a jealous person in your past life?"

Shen Qingruo snuggled against him and didn't object.

Shen Wangxi continued, her tone becoming serious: "Furthermore, Aruo made a mistake in what she said just now."

Shen Qingruo raised her eyes to look at him.

"When I saw her, I didn't find her beautiful." Shen Wangxi's thumb traced her eyebrows and eyes.

"My standards are high. Over the years, you are the only one who has caught my eye and amazed me."

"In previous years, I treated you like a little girl and didn't pay much attention to you. But after I took you, I saw you from a man's perspective and realized how alluring your face is."

"In my opinion, Liu Rusi is not considered beautiful."

Shen Qingruo looked at him and was made happy again by his coaxing.

She quickly gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then snuggled back into his arms, softly saying, "You say Aruo is good at coaxing people, but Your Majesty is clearly good at it too."