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

Zheng Shuangning's cheeks instantly turned red.

How could she possibly keep rubbing against him? He must be talking nonsense!

"Shameless!"

As she uttered those words, she was startled to realize the identity of the person in front of her.

If I were to be so outrageous in my insults to the Emperor, and he were to become angry, would it implicate the people in my household?

Damn it, how could she have blurted out what was on her mind?

She knelt and bowed her head: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty knows your sins..."

"From now on, there is no need to bow or admit wrongdoing, nor to refer to yourself as 'your subject' or 'your concubine'," Xiao Yan said in a deep and gentle voice.

"Also, I like to hear you scold me."

Zheng Shuangning's lips twitched slightly. After a moment, she looked away, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

It's truly unbelievable that there are people in this world who enjoy being criticized...

Could he be a masochist?

Don't let him get away with it.

Xiao Yan finally let go of her, took her hand and led her to the table to sit down. He personally ladled out a bowl of yam, red date and rice porridge and gently pushed it in front of her: "This is something I specially ordered the imperial kitchen to make. I noticed that you feel cold at night, which should be due to insufficient qi and blood and a cold body. Drink some to warm your body."

The blush that had finally faded returned to her cheeks.

It suddenly reminded her of thunderstorms when she was a child, when her mother would sleep with her and always say that she would hold on to her all night and wouldn't let go.

Seeing her shy expression, Xiao Yan's smile deepened: "Ningning, there's no need to be shy. We are husband and wife..."

He suddenly stopped speaking, as if he had remembered something, and a trace of undisguised sadness flashed across his eyes, so fleeting that it was impossible to catch it.

Zheng Shuangning didn't notice his strangeness. She picked up her spoon and said in a cold tone, "Your Majesty is joking. We... will never be husband and wife."

She was a noble consort, but in the end, she was just a concubine.

Even if he were to become empress in the future, she would not be his first wife, and besides, she had no feelings for him to begin with.

Just then, Li Fuquan bowed and entered, speaking cautiously: "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Imperial Concubine, and the other concubines are requesting an audience outside the palace, saying they have come to pay their respects to Your Highness the Imperial Concubine."

They really ran right into the line of fire.

"Clatter." Xiao Yan's face suddenly darkened, and he slammed his chopsticks heavily on the table.

His brows furrowed with anger: "Tell them to go back and never disturb the Imperial Concubine again."

"Yes." Li Fuquan dared not say more and quickly bowed and withdrew.

The sudden outburst of anger startled Zheng Shuangning, causing the spoon in her hand to slip from her grasp and hit the porcelain bowl with a crisp sound.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan's expression softened instantly, and he gently reassured her, "Don't be afraid, it has nothing to do with you."

The emperor's completely different demeanor before and after made Li Fuquan, who had retreated outside the hall, unable to help but cover his mouth and chuckle.

Zheng Shuangning looked up at him: "Yesterday, His Majesty asked me what I wanted. What I want is something His Majesty probably cannot give me."

Xiao Yan sat upright, his expression serious: "Ningning, just say it. Whatever you want, I will do my best to find it for you."

Zheng Shuangning chuckled softly.

"What I want is to be with one person for life, to hold their hand and grow old together."

This is probably the most sincere wish in the hearts of all women in the world.

Lou Du had promised her that he would never take a concubine in his life, and she thought she could have such a perfect life, but everything vanished on their wedding night.

Xiao Yan was silent for a moment, then said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Give me some more time."

Zheng Shuangning found it laughable; men's promises are always the most deceitful.

She would be truly foolish to believe that.

Xiao Yan reached out and turned her face towards him, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. His gaze was deep and serious: "I have never touched anyone else."

His eyes were like deep pools, hiding whirlpools that would captivate anyone who looked into them.

Zheng Shuangning hurriedly looked away and stammered, "I know."

For her, whether the Emperor had been with other people was never important.

All she ever wanted was to leave.

After breakfast, Xiao Yan went to the Qin Zheng Hall in the front courtyard to review memorials.

Zheng Shuangning is currently residing in Zichen Palace. Xiao Yan said that Yaohua Palace is being tidied up, and once it is ready, she will be allowed to move there.

But for her, the dozen or so days she spent in the Zichen Palace were an exceptionally agonizing ordeal.

This is no sign of supreme authority, no sign of an emperor; he's clearly a lecherous scoundrel.

He is a shameless scoundrel.

I forced her to sleep in the same bed every day, though I never forced her, saying I would wait until she was willing. But she drew a line on the bed, clearly indicating that we would each stay on our own side before going to sleep.

However, when she woke up the next day, she was sure to be held in his arms.

Xiao Yan always said that she was afraid of the cold and that she had crawled over to him in the middle of the night on her own initiative, which gave her a headache, but she had no way to refute it.

Xiao Yan noticed that she was bored staying in the palace all day, so he allowed her to move around the palace freely.

But as soon as Zheng Shuangning stepped out, a group of palace maids and eunuchs followed behind her, surrounding her as if they were afraid she would get lost or as if they were preventing her from escaping.

Zheng Shuangning found the scene amusing. With such high walls surrounding the palace, even if she wanted to run, where could she possibly go?

When they arrived at the covered walkway in the Imperial Garden, they happened to run into Consort Rong.

Consort Rong curtsied respectfully, but Zheng Shuangning felt slightly uncomfortable upon first seeing her and said indifferently, "No need for formalities."

Consort Rong rose, a smile plastered on her face, but her tone held a hint of sarcasm: "It seems Your Highness has found the pleasure of going out for a stroll today. The Emperor must dote on you immensely, arranging for so many people to serve you even when you go out. Your days at the Zichen Palace must have been blissfully sweet, haven't they?"

Zheng Shuangning didn't have a good impression of Consort Rong to begin with, and upon hearing this, she only glanced at her indifferently and didn't want to pay any attention to her.

Seeing her remain silent, Consort Rong sighed again, her words seemingly concerned but actually barbed: "Speaking of which, you come from a marquis's family and are usually very particular about etiquette. It's quite enviable that you've received such special treatment from the Emperor. However, you're new to the palace, so you need to be careful in your actions and not give others cause for gossip or disgrace the reputation of the Marquis of Zhenbei's family."

The sarcasm in those words was obvious, every sentence implying that she had broken the rules and disgraced the Marquis's mansion.

Tinglu was furious and was about to step forward to retort when Zheng Shuangning raised her hand to stop her.

Zheng Shuangning suddenly had a thought—

If she behaves arrogantly and unreasonably, will the Emperor become disgusted with her and be willing to let her leave?

Thinking this, she raised her eyes, a hint of arrogance in her expression: "Consort Rong is certainly meddling. When did it become your place to interfere in my affairs? The dignity of the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence is none of your concern. I can do as I please, and even the Emperor tolerates it. Who gives you the right to speak out? If you dare to say another word, I will punish you by making you go back and copy the palace rules, so you can learn the meaning of 'rules' properly."

After saying this, Zheng Shuangning felt much of the pent-up frustration in her chest dissipate.

These days, Xiao Yan has been confining me to the Zichen Palace, harassing me every day, which has already made me quite upset.

It's so satisfying to bully others with your power; no wonder everyone wants to climb the ladder.

Consort Rong was rendered speechless by her retort, her face turning pale and then red. After a long while, she managed to utter a word, but dared not truly lash out due to her rank.

"Even if the Imperial Concubine holds a high position, she should not be so presumptuous and arrogant because of the Emperor's favor."

Zheng Shuangning raised an eyebrow. "So she's arrogant because she's favored? Finally, someone understands her. She's not just arrogant because she's favored, she's also snobbish, mean-spirited, stingy, ungrateful, and lazy..."

Consort Rong continued to chatter on and on:

"I am also a concubine in the palace, second only to you in rank. I have only received a few days of favor, and you are already so arrogant. Do you really think you've ascended to heaven?"

Seeing this, Zheng Shuangning became even more unrestrained, raising an eyebrow and glancing at her with an increasingly arrogant demeanor:

"What? Did I say something wrong? In the palace rules, is there ever any rule that a mere concubine can criticize a noble consort? Since you are so idle, you might as well go back and copy the Precepts for Women a hundred times, so as not to meddle in other people's business and lose face."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard steady footsteps behind him.

Xiao Yan had appeared under the eaves at some point, gazing intently in this direction.

A smug glint flashed across Consort Rong's eyes, but in an instant, her eyes reddened, and she looked as if she had suffered a great injustice. She staggered toward Xiao Yan, trying to win his pity with her weak appearance.

However, Xiao Yan slightly turned his body and easily avoided her touch.

"what!"

Consort Rong missed her target, stumbled a few steps, and almost fell to the ground.

She bit her lip, suppressing the embarrassment in her heart, and choked out, "Your Majesty, I did not mean to offend Consort Gui. I only offered a few kind words of advice because I saw that she had just entered the palace. Who knew she would be so angry? I know I was wrong, please forgive me, Your Majesty."