That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

The night was as thick as ink.

Just as Song Shuangning was drifting off to sleep, she suddenly heard the palace door creak softly. She immediately held her breath, closed her eyelids tightly, and pretended to be fast asleep.

The familiar footsteps approached from afar, and the crisp scent of ambergris, carrying a faint aroma of alcohol, wafted into the air.

Has the Emperor been drinking again?

Song Shuangning quietly clenched her nightgown, her heart pounding, unsure whether it was surprise or anticipation.

It seemed like tension, yet also like a hidden expectation.

She felt Xiao Yan sit down beside the bed, and a shadow fell over her, enveloping her completely.

Song Shuangning tensed up, even her breathing became extremely soft.

Xiao Yan's hand, with its distinct knuckles, hovered above Song Shuangning's loose black hair scattered on the pillow. He remained motionless for a long time, gazing intently at her tranquil 'sleeping face'.

After a moment, his voice, slightly hoarse, slowly said:

"Although I kept you confined in the Zichen Palace in the hope that we would develop feelings for each other over time, as described in poetry, I just couldn't take that step. I only dared to come and see you quietly after you fell asleep. I was afraid that if I saw you in person, you would coax me with gentle words and make up a few lies that didn't reflect your true feelings. Then I would soften my heart again and, like before, willingly let you lead me by the nose."

Song Shuangning's eyelashes trembled slightly, then she forced them to stay still.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan was facing away at that moment and did not see it.

Song Shuangning dug her fingertips into her palm, leaving a few faint red marks.

Xiao Yan drank a pot of wine, and now the effects of the wine were rising, making him a little drunk. So, taking advantage of the alcohol, he poured out all the words that had been hidden in his heart and had never been spoken before, even though he knew that she was fast asleep and could not hear him.

"When I brought you to the Zichen Palace, I thought you would cry and make a fuss, and I even thought of ways to punish you."

"You are hereby punished to accompany me in reviewing memorials. You shall stay with me for as long as I review them, and you shall copy the characters I designate each day until I am satisfied."

As he spoke, his thin lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile, and he chuckled to himself.

"But you didn't make a scene. At least if you had, you could have made me feel that you weren't indifferent to everything, that you cared about me to some extent. But you didn't. You didn't show the slightest ripple. You ate well every day, slept soundly, and read storybooks with great interest. You lived such a comfortable and carefree life."

"Ningning, are you heartless, or do you simply... not care at all?"

Song Shuangning quietly raised one eye.

In the foreground, Xiao Yan was resting his hand on his forehead, his elbows on his knees, and his knuckles on his eye sockets.

He looked rather disheveled, a sight rarely seen on ordinary days.

The dragon robe that once fit him perfectly now looked too big on him, making his shoulders appear even thinner, and he no longer had the noble and majestic air he once possessed.

The Emperor has lost weight.

It felt like something had hit my chest, leaving a dull, aching pain.

Song Shuangning bit her lower lip, tasting a faint, sweet, and slightly metallic flavor on her tongue.

In the past, tears flowed easily, and sweet words came effortlessly. All that pretense was used to exploit the emperor's favor, to win his heart, and in return, to obtain what they desired: power and status...

At that time, she told herself that the emperor's affection was probably not even half genuine, and she had to remain calm and composed at all times and never let her heart be moved.

But now, looking at the emperor before her, she felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

She had never seen such madness and fanaticism before.

Is it a rational decision that a wise ruler would make to confine her to the Zichen Palace?

A stubbornness that disregards everything, even bordering on clumsy foolishness.

Such a loss of composure would never have been shown by the shrewd and ruthless emperor of the past.

Just when she was about to give up, Xiao Yan suddenly leaned down and his hot lips fell haphazardly down, first brushing against her cheek, and then pressing against her lips.

She didn't like the taste of alcohol, so she clenched her teeth.

Unable to pry open her lips, Xiao Yan suddenly became angry, burying his face in her neck and roaring angrily, "Even when you're asleep, you still resist me touching you like this?"

Song Shuangning: "..."

Feeling both aggrieved and annoyed by the alcohol, Xiao Yan opened his mouth and bit Song Shuangning's neck.

Song Shuangning winced in pain, instinctively shrinking her shoulder slightly and letting out a very soft groan.

Is this man born in the Year of the Dog?

Xiao Yan stiffened, and the effects of the alcohol wore off considerably.

The moment their eyes met, Xiao Yan was the first to look away.

He then straightened up as if nothing had happened, his slender fingers unconsciously rubbing his knees.

Song Shuangning raised her hand and gently stroked her neck, where there was a wet saliva. The moment she touched it, a sharp pain shot up, making her furrow her brows in pain.

When drunk, people always act recklessly.

Xiao Yan caught a glimpse of her expression out of the corner of his eye, and hesitated several times before speaking.

"It hurts so much," she complained in a sweet, delicate voice.

"It hurts? I'll have A-Liu come in and apply the medicine for you."

After saying that, Xiao Yan got up as if nothing had happened, smoothed out the wrinkles on his dragon robe, and was about to walk out.

It didn't seem like she was calling Ah Liu in to apply medicine for her; rather, it seemed like she was in a hurry to escape her disheveled state, as if those embarrassing things had never happened.

Song Shuangning quickly grabbed his sleeve, tilted her head back, and her eyes were misty with tears.

"Your Majesty, don't go."

Xiao Yan stopped in his tracks.

"Your Majesty, please don't go, okay?" Song Shuangning looked at him with her innocent and aggrieved almond-shaped eyes.

Although she enjoyed the laid-back life in Zichen Palace, she admired Xiao Yan's obsession.

However, if some things are left unresolved, they will only get worse.

Xiao Yan met her eyes and his heart softened again.

He overestimated himself.

Even a simple "Don't go" from her, without needing to coax her gently, is enough to soften my heart.

Song Shuangning stood barefoot on the ground, raised her arms to wrap around Xiao Yan's waist, and pressed her cheek tightly against his broad back.

Xiao Yan's body stiffened, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

He asked in a hoarse voice, "When did you wake up?"

Song Shuangning said, "Your Majesty, I haven't slept at all."

Xiao Yan suddenly flung her hand away, the force so great that he slammed Song Shuangning hard onto the bed.

He immediately leaned down on her, his hot breath spraying on her face, his large hand gripping her chin.

His eyes were frighteningly sinister, and his tone was both fierce and deep:

"You were clearly awake, but you pretended to be asleep. You knew I would come, didn't you? You wanted to see me lose my composure and make a mess of things, and hear me spout those absurdities, didn't you? You watched me lose my mind for you, drink to cheer myself up, and completely lose all my imperial dignity. Weren't you overjoyed? Weren't you very smug?"

"Song Shuangning, let me tell you, the Zichen Palace is your prison. From now on, year after year, you will see me when you are awake, and you will dream of me when you are asleep."

"say!"

Song Shuangning couldn't say anything at all; her chin was being squeezed so hard it hurt, and she was both in pain and annoyed.

She could only raise her hand and pat Xiao Yan's hand, struggling to squeeze out a single word: "It hurts."

Xiao Yan's strength dissipated instantly, and he abruptly released his grip.