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

The night was dark and the sky seemed to have been splashed with ink, thick and dark, without even a glimmer of starlight.

Green Bud wore a pink dress, simply drew her eyebrows, applied a touch of lip rouge to her lips, and lightly brushed some blush on her cheeks. She tucked the silk flowers that Xiao Yu had bestowed upon her that day into her hair and inserted a jade hairpin at an angle, making her look incredibly pretty.

Green Bud entered the inner hall and gazed at the figure in front of her. Xiao Yu was leaning against the bed, holding a book in his hand. His profile was sharply defined, and every feature exuded the demeanor of a monarch.

In her opinion, she had never seen a man more handsome than the emperor.

Hearing the noise, Xiao Yu looked up at Lü Rui.

Green Bud quickly lowered his eyes, wondering if it was just his imagination, but he saw a sharp and disgusted look in the Emperor's eyes.

Green Bud took a deep breath, calming herself down considerably. She bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

Xiao Yu held the book in his hands and said calmly, "Have you ever read a book?"

Green Bud secretly glanced at Xiao Yu, noticing his clear expression and lack of much emotion on his face. Green Bud said softly, "I've read some of it."

She deliberately lowered her voice, making it incredibly soft.

Xiao Yu lowered his eyelids slightly, his tone neither cold nor indifferent: "Your voice is very pleasant."

Upon hearing this, Green Bud's face blossomed into a smile as beautiful as a flower, shy yet charming. She softly replied, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

Xiao Yu indifferently turned to the next page of the book in his hand, "Since that's the case, you read it to me."

As Yang An spoke, he quickly brought over a basket. When she got closer, Lü Rui saw that it was full of books, one after another, pressing down on top of each other. Her face immediately lost all color, and she looked like a wilted eggplant.

"Your Majesty...which one would you like to hear?"

"I want to hear them all."

Upon hearing Xiao Yu's casual remark, Lü Rui felt her body go limp. She took a step back and stared blankly at Xiao Yu.

Didn't the Emperor summon me to serve him in bed?

Xiao Yu coldly raised his eyes, his gaze icy as frosty: "Why haven't you read it yet?"

Green Bud quickly turned her head, picked up a book, opened it, and began to read: "Confucius said: 'Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar? Is it not the mark of a gentleman to remain unperturbed when others do not understand him?'"

"Didn't you have dinner? Speak louder." His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was deep and resonant.

Green Bud gritted her teeth, her voice rising a few decibels, but trembling slightly: "Youzi said: 'A person who is filial and respectful to his elders, yet likes to defy his superiors, is rare... indeed very rare; one who does not like to defy his superiors, yet likes to cause chaos, has never existed. The superior man focuses on the fundamentals; when the fundamentals are established, the Way arises. Filial piety and respect for elders, are they not the foundation of benevolence?'"

After a short while, Xiao Yu was already feeling dizzy from listening. He rubbed his temples and said lazily, "It's too loud. Go outside and kneel down to read. You must read all the books to me."

Looking at the basket full of books, Green Bud felt so sad that tears were about to spill from her eyes.

"Your Majesty...didn't you summon me to serve you in bed?"

"When you can read your books in a way that pleases me, then you can serve me in bed again," Xiao Yu said casually.

Green Bud's face paled, and she stared blankly at Xiao Yu. In the dim candlelight, his slightly pursed thin lips exuded a cold aura, and his face was so calm that it was awe-inspiring.

"Yes... Your Majesty, I obey."

That night, although there were many words that Lü Rui didn't recognize, she still read them aloud, even though she was wrong.

In any case, she chose this path herself, so she can't blame anyone else.

People generally believe that being the emperor's concubine is glamorous, but not everyone can sit in that position.

For two nights in a row, Green Bud served him in bed.

Everyone said that it seemed the Emperor was quite fond of this newly appointed Lady Green, and that he even spent the second night with her.

Inside the Phoenix Palace, all the concubines had arrived.

The last one to arrive was Lü Rui. When she came in, Ning Shuyan also focused her gaze on her face.

Her face looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes like a halo around the moon, and she looked extremely haggard.

Seeing that all the concubines had arrived, Lü Rui quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Please forgive me for being late."

Her voice was extremely hoarse, and her legs trembled slightly as she bowed. Everyone looked at her in bewilderment.

The Empress remained calm and said gently, "No need for formalities. You've worked hard serving the Emperor. I noticed you don't look too well."

Consort Zhuang glared at her fiercely, her hands gripping the armrests of the chair tightly.

Consort Rong raised her chin slightly and murmured, "Truly a vixen."

The sound was very soft, but most of the people in the hall still heard it.

Ning Shuyan immediately understood. Could it be that Xiao Yu tormented Lü Rui last night? Could Xiao Yu really have made her serve him in bed?

Looking at her, pale-faced, with vacant eyes and a hoarse voice, she was clearly suffering terribly! Xiao Yu really was... Ning Shuyan pursed her lips as she thought of that scene.

However, upon closer reflection, she felt something was amiss. Xiao Yu's dislike for Lü Rui was undeniable.

Xi Jieyu, standing to the side, used all her strength to tug at the handkerchief in her hand until she heard a slight tearing sound. Only then did she realize her rudeness. She picked up the teacup and took two sips of tea, but the bitterness of the tea slowly spread in her mouth.

Consort Zhuang thought that she herself had never stayed overnight in Zhaochen Palace. It was one thing for Ning Shuyan to have stayed overnight, but this person was from her own palace, yet she had such an honor!

She couldn't swallow this anger, her rage rising and falling in her chest, making her extremely uncomfortable: "You, Green Lady, have only been serving the Emperor for a short time and you've already lost your manners. As the mistress of Yihe Palace, I still have to give you a few words of advice, lest others say that everyone in Yihe Palace is unruly."

Ning Shuyan casually played with the jade bracelet on her wrist. Consort Zhuang couldn't hold back any longer. Before the Empress could say anything, she started to reprimand her.

It's so satisfying to watch when people from the same community tear each other apart!

Green Bud hurriedly stood up, her legs weak as if she couldn't even stand: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong, but..."

"Don't try to intimidate me with the Emperor..."

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Before Consort Zhuang could finish speaking, she heard the high-pitched voice of the eunuch outside.

Looking up, he saw that Xiao Yu had already walked in. Green Bud was sitting at the back, naturally closest to Xiao Yu. He smiled and helped Green Bud up, saying, "You're not feeling well, there's no need for formalities."

Ning Shuyan frowned slightly. She found it hard to believe these words came from Xiao Yu's mouth. She didn't believe he really showed such favoritism towards Lü Rui, or doted on her so much. Suddenly, Ning Shuyan realized what Xiao Yu's actions were...

She glanced at Xiao Yu and saw that he was calm and expressionless as always as he walked forward and sat down.