The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

After Consort Mi left, Ning Shuyan said sweetly, "Your Majesty, you really shouldn't let Consort Mi return to the palace like this. Aren't you afraid that she will hold a grudge against me?"

This was the first time Xiao Yu had heard such words. He scoffed coldly, "I wanted to keep you company, but you're blaming me instead."

Ning Shuyan took his arm and shook it gently: "That's not what I meant, I was just afraid of offending Consort Mi."

Xiao Yu put his arm around her waist: "Why are you afraid of her? Don't you still have me?"

Ning Shuyan rolled her eyes subtly and muttered, "Who knows if you'll defend me then..."

"Hmm?" Xiao Yu heard it only partially.

Ning Shuyan shook her head: "It's nothing, Your Majesty, let's collect snow together."

Xiao Yu took the cleansing bottle, and Ning Shuyan gently scraped off the snow. On a whim, she scraped off a large clump of snow and flung it onto the back of Xiao Yu's hand.

The biting cold snow fell on the back of his hand, and Xiao Yu immediately shivered. He looked up and saw Ning Shuyan tightly suppressing her laughter. He suddenly realized, "Well, yeah, you dare to tease me."

As he spoke, Xiao Yu picked up the snow from the tree branch and threw it at Ning Shuyan's face. The fine snowflakes landed in her hair, and Ning Shuyan quickly shook her head to shake the snow off. She pouted and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty is bullying your concubine."

As she spoke, she grabbed a snowflake from the ground, quickly rolled it into a small snowball, and threw it at Xiao Yu, hitting him squarely in the face.

Yang An was shocked; this could harm the dragon's body!

But he saw that the Emperor showed no anger whatsoever, instead a mischievous smile on his lips. He also imitated Ning Shuyan by picking up snowflakes from the ground. Ning Shuyan quickly hid behind Ziying, and Xiao Yu went around and threw the snowflakes at Ning Shuyan.

Seeing his two masters playing like this, Yang An quickly stepped in the middle to stop them, saying, "This...this snow ice, the two masters should be careful not to catch a cold."

"Young Master Zhao, you mustn't harm the Emperor's body..."

Yang An's attempts to persuade him were useless; Xiao Yu was busy figuring out how to roll the snow into snowballs.

Ziying laughed and said, "Why don't you join in, Eunuch Yang? Snowball fights are so much fun!"

Yang An was shocked and shook his head repeatedly, waving his hands and saying, "No, no, no! You mustn't, you mustn't..."

As soon as Yang An finished speaking, he felt a clump of snow hit him. Seeing Ning Shuyan preparing to throw Xiao Yu again, he quickly stood in front of Xiao Yu, but Xiao Yu pushed him away.

The two engaged in a pleasant battle.

Laughter filled the plum garden, and the clear, bell-like smiles seemed to shake down the fragrance of the ground. The melting snow water flowed down the branches like a painting.

Mi Jieyu, supported by a palace maid, walked quite a distance before saying, "That Zhao Jieyu, it seems the Emperor treats her somewhat differently."

The palace maid replied, "According to Aunt Xiangmei, although Consort Zhao has been in the palace for a year, the Emperor has not shown her exclusive favor. However, apart from Consort Zhuang, she is the most favored among them."

Mi Jieyu's eyes flashed with a cold light: "To be able to maintain the Emperor's favor for so long, she must be quite capable."

She noticed the Emperor's incredibly tender gaze towards Consort Zhao. She had always thought the Emperor disliked smiling and was accustomed to being solemn and indifferent, but it seemed that the Emperor treated Consort Zhao differently. The moment she appeared, all of the Emperor's eyes fell on her.

So, was the emperor attracted to her beauty?

"Now that the princess has arrived, it's uncertain whether the emperor will continue to favor her," the palace maid said with a smile.

Mi Jieyu sneered: "Back in the manor, my mother told me that women in the Yifeng Dynasty are all bound by the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, and are very obedient and proper. However, the emperor prefers women with personality. If I had entered the palace a year earlier, there would have been no chance for her, Zhao Jieyu."

My mother, as a princess, was bold and strong-willed, and she kept my father completely under her thumb when they were in the royal palace.

Before leaving, her mother told her that a woman cannot rely solely on her face to win a man's heart; she must also put in some effort in bed.

She, Consort Zhao, relied on her beauty to please men, but her beauty would eventually fade, and how long could she maintain her favor?

After a while, she instructed again: "Go and find out what Consort Zhuang and Consort Zhao do on a daily basis, and also find out what the Emperor likes on a daily basis."

Her disadvantage was that she entered the palace late and didn't know the emperor's preferences, but she would gradually learn about them and become the emperor's most favored concubine.

Xiao Yu and Ning Shuyan returned to Lanyue Pavilion, their clothes, shoes, and socks all soaked.

Xiao Yu sat down, somewhat incredulously, and said, "I was truly confused, indulging in your foolishness."

Ning Shuyan pouted and looked at Xiao Yu coquettishly: "Isn't Your Majesty having a lot of fun? Although Your Majesty is an emperor, if you always treat the title as a shackle that binds you, then you will miss out on a lot of joy in this life. As the saying goes, a smile makes you ten years younger. Isn't it good for Your Majesty to indulge yourself once in a while?"

Xiao Yu's brows were gentle and warm: "No one has ever said such a thing to me before."

Ning Shuyan tiptoed and hooked her arms around his neck, gazing at Xiao Yu: "Then I will say it again in the future, because you are not only the emperor, but also my husband. I want to see you happy. Nothing is more important to me than Your Majesty's happiness and health."

Xiao Yu's eyes seemed to sparkle like stars. He hugged Ning Shuyan, resting his forehead against her neck, saying nothing, only stroking her head.

No one ever said they only wanted to see themselves happy, to free themselves from the shackles of the emperor and indulge themselves occasionally.

At this moment, Yang An brought over casual clothes, and Ning Shuyan pushed Xiao Yu away, saying, "Your Majesty, please go and change your clothes. If you catch a cold, I will be in great trouble."

Xiao Yu stroked her slightly damp hair: "Okay, you should go too."

Ning Shuyan changed into a looser dress, simply tied up part of her hair, and let the rest of her silky hair flow freely around her waist, making her look even more lively and charming.

She gracefully walked to Xiao Yu's side and said softly, "Your Majesty has indulged in your frivolous pursuits, so I will brew some tea for Your Majesty to enjoy. What kind of tea would Your Majesty like?"

"Biluochun tea, please."

Ning Shuyan smiled faintly, thinking to herself: Oh... so you like green tea.

Xiao Yu casually picked up a book from the bookshelf and sat on the couch, while Ning Shuyan boiled snow water.

The charcoal fire inside the hall was burning brightly, occasionally making a slight crackling sound. The warmth from the heating system caused the freshly picked plum blossoms to release a faint fragrance, the aroma of which was exceptionally refreshing.

Ning Shuyan listened to the gurgling sound and saw small bubbles rising in the water before opening the lid. She saw that the water was like a string of small pearls, and soon it was boiling and making big bubbles.

She took the handkerchief from Ziying and poured it into the celadon teacup that had already been set out, the water flowing down with a gurgling sound. Xiao Yu, hearing the sound, looked up and saw Ning Shuyan, unable to look away, quietly watching her from the side.

Seeing her slender, jade-like fingers, soft and glossy, warming the porcelain cups with fluent and quick movements, it was clearly tea brewing, but in her hands it was as skillful and graceful as playing a zither.

After each fine green tea leaf falls into the teacup, snow water that has been left to cool for a while is gently and slowly poured into the teacup. Wispy, pale white steam rises gently, carrying a hint of the tranquil fragrance of plum blossoms.

Watching her pour tea, serve it, and pour the tea, her slender fingers held the teacup with extremely graceful and fluid movements, making her hands appear even whiter and more refined, thanks to the celadon teacup.

She was completely focused on the tea, and her concentrated expression possessed a serene and gentle beauty.