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

After having lunch, Shen Wangxi returned to the Taiji Hall. The memorials were piled up like mountains, but he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

Before I knew it, the sun had already set in the west outside the window.

"Wu Tian".

"Your servant is here."

"Let's go to Qingyi Palace." Shen Wangxi finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He did not set out in his carriage, but instead led Wu Tian and two trusted eunuchs, quietly passing through the palace road.

The Qingyi Palace remained unusually quiet. When the palace servants saw him, they hurriedly tried to report to him, but he stopped them by raising his hand.

He went into the inner room alone.

Shen Qingruo was sitting on the soft couch by the window, gazing absently at the gradually darkening sky outside.

She changed into a primrose-colored belted long dress, the neckline completely covered. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head and saw him. A light flashed in her eyes, but it quickly faded away.

She struggled to get out of bed and put on her luggage, but her body still hadn't recovered.

"Don't move." Shen Wangxi stepped forward quickly and pressed down on her shoulder. His actions were much more intimate than when he subconsciously avoided Wu Lanyun during lunch.

Shen Qingruo obediently stopped moving, but turned her head slightly to avoid his gaze.

"Your Majesty, why did you come all of a sudden?" Her voice was soft, unlike the sweet and gentle one she had last night, as if she were deliberately keeping her distance.

This attitude inexplicably made Shen Wangxi feel a tightness in her chest.

He would rather she cry or make a scene than see her like this, as if everything from last night had been so quickly forgotten by her.

"Does your body still hurt?" He released her hand, sat down beside her bed, and glanced at her neckline to check if the marks below had faded.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm much better." She still kept her eyes downcast, her voice calm.

A suffocating silence spread between the two.

Looking at her like this, Shen Wangxi recalled her sobbing and whimpering beneath him last night, and her tearful grievances in front of him this morning. The contrast with her current aloofness was too great, and he felt somewhat displeased.

He spoke slowly, "Still blaming me?"

Shen Qingruo's eyes welled up with tears again, and she quickly shook her head: "No, Aruo wouldn't dare blame His Majesty. It was Aruo's own fault; she shouldn't have gone to the Taiji Palace..."

As she spoke, tears silently streamed down her face.

Seeing her barely suppressed grievances, Shen Wangxi almost instinctively reached out and clumsily wiped away her tears.

"Don't cry," he said in a low, hoarse voice. "It's my fault."

Seeing his distressed expression, she leaned softly into his arms. Shen Wangxi stiffened, but ultimately held her close, sighing, "Aruo, don't cry. I will make it up to you."

Shen Qingruo hugged his waist and expressed her fear, "Your Majesty, I really don't care about what happened last night, but I have nowhere to go and I don't want to get married. I just beg you not to abandon me and send me out of the palace."

She kept sobbing, and he felt even more guilty.

He sent her to a marriage alliance, abandoned her, and brought her back but didn't make amends properly, only to put her in this awkward and painful situation, making her doubt herself.

Shen Wangxi grabbed her small hand and pulled her closer into his arms.

She didn't resist, obediently leaning against his chest, burying her face in his clothes.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered, as if speaking to her, but also to himself, "I won't abandon you. I will take good care of you."

He will not let her suffer any more injustice.

-

The next morning, Shen Wangxi woke up on the dragon bed, his mind much clearer.

Yesterday was too chaotic and he experienced the ultimate pleasure from a woman for the first time. The mix of pleasure, guilt, and heartache left him with no energy to think about anything else. After a night's rest, some things became suspicious.

For example, why did he suddenly lose control?

His self-control, forged amidst the clash of swords in the desert, is now as firm as a rock.

Although later, under her body's entanglement, he did not want to restrain himself at all, but only wanted to indulge in pleasure and unrestraint, but that was after he had her.

What happened at first? In the inner hall of Taiji Hall, he only wanted to tie a cloak on her, but why did he suddenly act on impulse when his fingers touched her skin, and his self-control had no effect at all?

This is not normal.