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

After lunch, Ning Shuyan sat on the couch practicing calligraphy. A eunuch hurriedly entered and reported, "Your Highness, His Majesty is on his way to our palace."

Ning Shuyan paused slightly as she wrote, but did not look up: "Okay, I understand."

She quickly grabbed a clean sheet of Xuan paper and wrote on it:

Green are your robes, green is my heart.

Even if I don't go, Zining doesn't listen?

After finishing writing, she quickly fanned the characters she had just written, and only put them aside when the ink was almost dry.

When Xiao Yu entered, he saw the woman holding a pen, writing something casually, with her other hand supporting her chin, looking quite lazy.

Aside from catching a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye at Fengqi Palace last time, I haven't really looked at her properly for almost a month.

The daylight shone on her cheeks, making her fair skin glow with a rosy hue. Even without makeup, she possessed a beautiful complexion. The more you looked at her, the more beautiful she became.

"What are you writing?" Xiao Yu asked, walking forward.

Ning Shuyan was startled by the man's voice and quickly pulled the sheet of Xuan paper she had just written on onto the cushion, but these small actions did not escape Xiao Yu's eyes.

"Your Majesty...you...why have you come?" Ning Shu's words were incoherent, and she was quite bewildered. She sat up straight, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on Xiao Yu as if they were filled with spring water.

Xiao Yu chuckled and said softly, "What? You don't recognize me after only a month?"

Ning Shuyan hurriedly got off the bed, but before she could even curtsy, Xiao Yu helped her up. He slid his hand from her wrist to her palm and held it tightly: "You've become distant from me!"

Ning Shuyan quickly shook her head and smiled gently, "Your Majesty, I am a little at a loss. I didn't expect Your Majesty to come."

Xiao Yu pinched her cheek, the long-lost smoothness filling him with a sense of pleasure. Looking at the table, he asked, "What were you writing just now?"

As he spoke, he reached for the piece of paper he had hidden earlier, but Ning Shuyan snatched it first and hid it behind her back. She bit her lip and said in a low, soft voice, "Your Majesty... it's best not to look at it."

"Why?" Xiao Yu asked, looking at her tense expression.

Ning Shuyan hesitated to speak, "This is a draft. My handwriting is ugly and unbearable to look at."

"It's alright."

Seeing her trying to hide her secrets, Xiao Yu, feeling a bit curious, snatched the Xuan paper from her hand. After reading the words on it, his clear face softened with tenderness.

So that's how much she missed him...

In truth, how could he not have thought of her these past few days? He also found it somewhat laughable that a king like himself could be concerned about a woman.

Xiao Yu pulled Ning Shuyan into his arms, his voice trembling with emotion, and said, "Are you upset that I didn't come to see you?"

Ning Shuyan clung to his clothes, feeling the chill of winter. She said softly, "Your Majesty, I don't blame you. I just miss you."

As she spoke, Ning Shuyan hugged his back tightly, as if she didn't want to let go for even a moment.

After a while, the two sat down, and Xiao Yu asked her, "Lu Cai Nu and Consort Zhuang came to Zhao Chen Palace to complain that you hit Lu Cai Nu?"

Ning Shuyan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and lowered her eyes. "So, His Majesty has come today to interrogate me?"

Seeing her aggrieved expression, Xiao Yu took her hand and gently stroked her soft, delicate palm, saying softly, "Why did you hit so hard?"

"Is Your Majesty feeling sorry for Lady Lü?" Her voice was choked with emotion, soft and gentle as if it could overflow with tears.

Xiao Yu smiled as he rubbed her palm: "Why should I feel sorry for her? I feel sorry for your hands."

Although he didn't know why Ning Shuyan hit Lürui, he believed that Lürui and Consort Zhuang must have started the trouble first. He was even somewhat relieved that she hadn't swallowed her anger and hadn't let him suffer.

Ning Shuyan looked up at him with some disbelief: "Your Majesty, didn't you have a special feeling for Lady Lü..."

"You dote on her, don't you?" Xiao Yu finished her sentence.

Ning Shuyan nodded.

Xiao Yu helped her up and sat her on his lap, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. His voice was warm and gentle: "How can Yan'er be so naive and foolish? Do you really think I dote on her?"

Ning Shuyan's eyes were full of surprise: "Then Your Majesty, you've been summoning her to your bedchamber these past few days..."

"She served the emperor in bed? Ha!"

Xiao Yu sneered, "Every corner of my Zhaochen Palace has been wiped clean with a handkerchief by her. Every book on my bookshelf has also been read by her. But I think it won't be long before I have to stop seeing such an unlucky person like her."

Every time Xiao Yu summoned Lü Rui to his bedchamber, it turned out she was cleaning the Zhaochen Palace? Or studying?

Xiao Yu's move was too cunning. No wonder Green Bud's voice was so hoarse on the second day after she was summoned to the emperor's bedchamber. The other concubines thought she had lost her voice from shouting at night.

As for Xiao Yu's later statement, it seems that Green Bud will be offline soon.

"So, Your Majesty hasn't been neglecting me these past few days? Is Your Majesty deliberately not coming to see me?" She looked up at Xiao Yu with her watery eyes, her eyes slightly red.

Xiao Yu raised his hand to stroke the hair at her temple and said softly, "Yes, you're only realizing it now."

Ning Shuyan chuckled, her small hand clenched into a fist and gently punched Xiao Yu's chest, her voice incredibly soft: "Your Majesty, I thought... I thought I had done something wrong that made Your Majesty dislike me."

As she spoke, she pouted, looking extremely aggrieved.

Xiao Yu's heart softened slightly: "If such a thing happens again in the future, I will inform you in advance that this was my oversight."

Xiao Yu thought she would understand his intentions, but he never expected that she would be secretly heartbroken alone in the palace. Thinking of this, he felt a little guilty.

Ning Shuyan wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm so happy. It turns out I've been overthinking things all this time."

Her pure and innocent almond-shaped eyes stared intently at Xiao Yu, the faint blush around her eyes slanting upwards in a seductive way, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

As she spoke, she pressed her head against his chest and rubbed it against him.

Xiao Yu swallowed hard and looked away: "I will not be staying at Lan Yue Pavilion these days."

"It's alright, Your Majesty knows that you have me in your heart, I can wait." Her voice was soft and gentle, and her breath was sweet as she spoke.

Xiao Yu's deep eyes darkened slightly, and his grip on her waist tightened: "So, don't look at me so seductively."

Ning Shuyan removed the hand from his neck and said softly, "Your Majesty, I have never looked at you in a seductive way."

Xiao Yu withdrew his gaze from the unknown place and landed on her small, fair face, which was rosy and delicate, making it impossible to look away.

"It is I who have no resistance to you."

It's true, her eyes were full of affection, and it felt like she was constantly flirting with me. Plus, she had a great figure, and just being near her made me want to play with her all over.

His hand moved to her buttocks and gently pinched them twice. He took a deep breath, and then felt much calmer. In broad daylight, he couldn't do anything so filthy.

"Get down," he said in a deep voice.

Ning Shuyan obediently got up and sat down to the side.

He glanced at Ning Shuyan one last time, his eyes filled with tenderness: "I'm returning to Zhaochen Palace. I'll come to see you in a few days."

Ning Shuyan nodded: "Your Majesty, I understand."

Ning Shuyan rose with Xiao Yu, curtsied respectfully to see him off, and watched him walk a few steps before saying sweetly from behind, "Your Majesty, I will be waiting for you."

Xiao Yu paused slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips for a long time before fading away.

Ning Shuyan watched Xiao Yu walk out of the inner hall. She leisurely poured herself a cup of tea, took two sips, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips: "The longer the tea is steeped, the more fragrant it becomes."