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

Seeing that she was all smiles after he coaxed her, Shen Wangxi felt a stirring in his heart, a feeling he had been holding onto ever since he had been intimate with her by the desk.

He glanced at the pear wood table placed by the window in the room. Although it was not as wide as the desk in the Taiji Hall, it was still flat and sturdy.

He took her hand and led her to the table, his voice low and gentle: "You drank wine at the banquet today, and you're in good spirits now. Aruo, let me teach you calligraphy."

Shen Qingruo blinked, somewhat confused: "Now? Your Majesty, it's completely dark."

"A calm mind brings clarity." Shen Wangxi gently pressed her down to sit on the edge of the table, then stood upright between her legs.

He took a sheet of Xuan paper that was prepared on the side, spread it out, and picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in ink.

Shen Wangxi placed the pen into her soft little hand, then covered it with his large hand, completely enveloping her fingers that were holding the pen. "Keep your wrist flat and apply pressure."

His voice was very close, his breath brushing against her ear.

Shen Qingruo felt the position was a bit awkward and tried to adjust it, but he held her in place.

"Your Majesty..." She twisted her waist slightly.

"Don't move." He wrapped his arm around her body, seemingly correcting her posture, but actually pulling her closer. "Keep your words steady, and calm your mind first."

His fingertips, carrying hers, slowly traced lines on the paper, writing the character "永" (yong, meaning eternal).

His movements were slow: beginning, pausing, turning...

The pen tip glides across the paper, making a soft scratching sound.

Shen Qingruo frowned slightly, her voice trembling as she tried to pull her hand away, no longer wanting to write. "Your Majesty, this... this way of writing isn't good..."

"Well written," he affirmed in a low voice.

"Aruo's hands are very steady."

The marks left by the pen gradually blurred, and the words became indistinct.

"Don't write anymore," she complained softly, with a hint of coquettish sobbing.

"Hold on a little longer," he coaxed, guiding her hand that was holding the brush, and began to write another character. The brushstrokes became even more flowing, and the ink spread out in a small patch on the rice paper.

"Writing requires completing the task in one go; one cannot give up halfway." His voice grew increasingly hoarse.

Shen Qingruo tilted her head back, her slender neck graceful, and leaned on his shoulder, her eyes shimmering with tears. "Your Majesty, you're lying..."

Shen Wangxi chuckled softly, but his movements didn't stop. He stared into her misty eyes and said, "Then tell me, Aruo, what did I lie to you about?"

Shen Qingruo couldn't speak, she could only reach out her slender arm to hook around his neck, tears fell, and she sobbed.

……

Life at the imperial palace seemed leisurely, but everyone was secretly plotting their own schemes. Shen Wangxi had no other intentions, but Liu Rusi was single-mindedly focused on currying favor with the most prestigious man in the world.

That day, she carefully prepared a plate of pastries with Jiangnan characteristics, and carrying the food box, she gracefully headed towards the main hall where the emperor resided.

As soon as they arrived outside the hall, Wu Tian stopped them with a smile.

"Miss Liu is too kind." Wu Tian bowed, his attitude polite, but his tone was firm as he stopped her. "However, His Majesty is currently dealing with state affairs and has specifically instructed that no outsiders be seen. This servant will accept these pastries on His Majesty's behalf."

Liu Rusi's smile froze as she watched Wu Tian accept the food box without even announcing it to her. A sense of disappointment and resentment welled up inside her.

She managed to maintain her composure and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, Steward Wu." With that, she had no choice but to turn and leave.

Back in her secluded courtyard, Liu Rusi sat in front of her dressing table, carefully drawing her eyebrows in front of the mirror.

The woman in the mirror had expressive eyes and a charming, alluring air about her.

Xiao Cui, her personal maid who came from Jiangnan, sighed and said in a worried whisper, "Miss, it's been several days now, and we haven't even been able to see His Majesty."

"If...if His Majesty doesn't take a liking to us, will we have to go back to the brothel?"

Liu Rusi paused in drawing her eyebrows, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, before quickly reverting to her gentle demeanor.

She put down her eyebrow pencil, looked at herself in the mirror, and said with certainty, "No way."

She recalled their first meeting at the waterside pavilion that night. Shen Wangxi sat upright in the main seat, exuding an air of elegance and grace. His presence alone made her heart race and her legs go weak at the mere sight of him.

Such a man, a true emperor, was someone she would give everything to climb up to.

"A figure like His Majesty..." Liu Rusi's voice lowered, filled with longing and determination, "Now that I have seen him, there is no reason for me to turn back."

She paused, a blush rising to her cheeks, and her voice lowered even further:

"Moreover, His Majesty looks tall and upright, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His Adam's apple clearly indicates that he is the kind of man who is very capable."

"Perhaps I'll be fortunate enough to bear him a little prince?"

Thinking about that possibility, Liu Rusi's heart beat even faster.

She grew up in brothels like Wan Hua Lou, where she was known as a courtesan and actress, thus preserving her body. However, she was exposed to all sorts of ways to please and seduce men.

That Consort Zhao, I heard, was originally a princess. No matter how much she was favored, she was nothing more than a house flower raised in the deep palace.

When it comes to serving men and knowing how to arouse their desires, Liu Rusi believes she is definitely more knowledgeable and uninhibited than princesses who grew up in luxury.

She refused to believe that with her looks, talent, and bedroom skills, she couldn't capture a man's heart, even if that man was an emperor.