Yulan wanted to encourage her to go help Bai Xiaodie, but Shen Layue was unwilling to play along. After all, it was meaningless to keep getting involved in such matters.
It didn’t matter if it was Bai Xiaodie or anyone else, she wouldn’t meddle in other people’s affairs. Was her cousin trying to use her as a pawn?
She just couldn’t understand why Yulan always tried to frame her.
“Taor, Xing’er, I remember you mentioned there’s a lotus pond in the palace, right?” She played with the teapot in front of her and looked up sweetly.
“Yes, Your Highness. Because the Emperor dislikes lotus flowers, few people come here.”
Standing up and patting her clothes, Layue raised her eyebrows. “Then, Taor and Xing’er, you two prepare. We’ll take some tea and go sit there. I actually like lotus flowers.”
“Yes.” The two senior palace maids hurriedly began to prepare.
Nowadays, most consorts preferred to go to the imperial garden, so the lotus pond was rarely visited.
“Actually, this place is really beautiful, and there’s a small pavilion too. But since the Emperor doesn’t like it, not only do the palace mistresses rarely come here, even us palace maids don’t come much. It’s remote, so naturally there aren’t many duties assigned here,” Tao chatted as they walked.
But Xing had her own thoughts. “Your Highness, the sky seems cloudy. Perhaps it will rain. Should I go back to get an umbrella?”
Layue looked up at the sky. “It seems fine. No problem. If it rains, we can just stay a little longer. Besides, Jinxin and Guor know we came here. If it rains, they will bring umbrellas. Let’s go. If it rains, it’s even better, isn’t there a pavilion? Drinking tea, listening to the rain, and admiring the lotus flowers, it’s quite pleasant.”
Sure enough, although this lotus pond was a bit far, it was indeed a unique scene.
“How beautiful.”
Xing spread a cushion on the stone chair and poured the tea.
Seeing the clouds gathering, Layue remained unconcerned and instead seemed even more delighted, chatting with the two maids about palace gossip. Occasionally, she giggled. At these moments, the two palace maids were reminded that their mistress was merely a thirteen-year-old girl.
Unseen by them, on a pavilion not far away, a man dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe stood with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of the cheerful pavilion.
They hadn’t been there long when the rain began to fall heavily.
“Your Highness, it’s raining.”
Layue approached the edge of the pavilion, smiling as she stretched her hand out to catch the rain. Large drops hit her hand, and she laughed as she pulled it back.
“Your Highness…” Xing tried to persuade her.
“It’s fine. In our country, Nan Qin, it usually rains lightly. This heavy rain is actually quite refreshing.” Seeming not satisfied, Layue stretched both hands out again, giggling continuously.
From afar, the man watched the girl’s playful antics and waved his hand. Lai Xi, standing behind him, understood and left quietly.
“Your Highness, you might catch a chill like this. Please stop playing,” Xing urged, more anxious than usual, otherwise she wouldn’t speak so directly.
“It’s just my hands getting wet. What’s the big deal?” Layue dismissed her concern.
“Your Highness, someone is coming,” Taor spotted from afar.
Sure enough, Lai Xi was approaching slowly with an umbrella.
“Huh?” The group hadn’t expected it to be Lai Xi and were somewhat puzzled.
Seeing their confusion, Lai Xi remained calm. “This servant greets Honored Lady Shen. Please, Honored Lady Shen.”
Although he didn’t say much, who else could command Lai Xi, the head eunuch, other than the Emperor himself.
The rain was heavy and fast. Despite the umbrella, Layue got quite wet.
She felt somewhat embarrassed.
“Honored Lady Shen, the Emperor is waiting for you upstairs. Please come,” Lai Xi’s tone was gentle.
It had to be said that Honored Lady Shen’s luck was truly good. Everyone thought the Emperor loved the imperial garden, but no one knew that what the Emperor loved most was precisely this lotus pond. Those rumors were merely strategies the Emperor employed to avoid being disturbed.
Layue didn’t show any surprise but obediently ascended the stairs.
The room upstairs was elegantly arranged. The man standing by the window was none other than the Emperor. Dressed in a sky-blue dragon-embroidered robe, with a jade pendant at his waist and a hairpin of the same jade material in his hair, he looked refined and dignified.
Though not wearing his imperial robes, he still exuded the noble aura of an emperor. If an ordinary woman were to encounter such a man for the first time, she would probably fall for him instantly, hoping only for a glance from him.
Layue quickly glanced around the surroundings. The place wasn’t complicated at all, quite simple. It must be a place where the Emperor rested.
“Your Majesty, I pay my respects.”
No matter what Emperor Jing was thinking, when he turned around, his face was smiling.
“Beautiful lady, please rise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Layue’s demeanor appeared somewhat shy. Her clothes were thin and slightly transparent. Jing Emperor looked at the faint cleavage and the subtle fragrance, smiling somewhat boldly.
He lifted her chin. “My beauty, aren’t you the most skilled at enticing people? I still remember that night when you took the initiative.”
Layue calmed her emotions and stared directly at Emperor Jing.
This made him feel an itch in his heart.
“Who gave you the courage to stare at me like this with those sparkling eyes? Are you trying to seduce me?” As he spoke, his hand began to slide down. He pinched Layue’s slim waist and smiled wickedly.
Layue stomped her foot, pretending to be annoyed. “Your Majesty always bullies me. It was you, it was you…” She didn’t finish her sentence but gave him a sideways glance.
Seeing her unique charm different from other palace women, Emperor Jing became more unrestrained.
After all, she was his woman, so naturally, he wouldn’t hold back for himself. He placed his hand on her chest while speaking sweetly: “Your clothes are all wet. You might catch a chill. Why don’t I help you take them off?”
Actually, he didn’t just take them off; he tore her clothes with a few quick moves. Perhaps because the window was open, a slight breeze blew in, making the room a bit chilly now that she had taken off her clothes.
Feeling goosebumps all over her body, she obediently snuggled into his arms.
Seeing her so “cooperative,” he couldn’t help laughing more, still teasing her.
“I just thought I was afraid you were cold and wanted to take off your wet clothes, but you misunderstood and tried to seduce me. Earlier, you said I was bullying you, which I definitely don’t agree with.” From his tone, it was clear he was teasing her. Layue smiled and raised her head, then “smooched” him on the cheek.
Emperor Jing was momentarily stunned.
It wasn’t that no one had kissed him before, but no one had kissed him on the cheek.
Looking at her again, there was a hint of pride in her eyes: “That’s seduction. What you experienced earlier was…” She blew her breath into his ear and slowly whispered one word: “Cold…”
After saying that, seeing him even more stunned, she giggled continuously.
“Ahh…” Before she could finish laughing, she was suddenly scooped up.
At this moment, Emperor Jing’s face was filled with passion: “Since my beauty wants to seduce me, I can’t disappoint her efforts.”
Her body was pressed into the soft couch, followed by a kiss. Layue, in the beginning, was indeed very skilled at seducing, but afterward, she was just average. Her two small hands pushed against his shoulders, whimpering and curling beneath him, provoking his desire.
Layue whispered and gasped against his neck, occasionally crying pitifully, then smiling dreamily.
The various expressions excited Emperor Jing even more. Outside, the rain was getting heavier and the wind was rising, but he felt as if there was a fire burning inside him. The woman beneath him had skin as smooth as congealed fat. Looking at her appearance, she was just a little girl, but with those seductive eyes and full, tender breasts, she was clearly a bewitching enchantress. Where was the little girl? She was truly a fox spirit who knew how to entice a man.
When the “storm” finally ended, Layue curled up on the couch, breathing heavily.
She had been stripped completely naked, while his clothes remained intact.
During the passion, he had only removed his underpants.
Now they were pulled back on, as if nothing had happened, while she looked thoroughly ravaged.
Thinking back to the last time she had been favored, Layue lay on his chest. The couch was large, but with two people, it was somewhat cramped. Layue didn’t care and just lay on top of him.
“So good.” She traced circles on his chest.
“Ah?” He said nothing, just a single syllable.
Layue giggled. “I should definitely check the almanac when I go back. I bet it says ‘auspicious for travel’ today.”
Emperor Jing smiled and gently patted her bottom. The crisp sound came, and her face turned slightly red.
“If it’s auspicious for travel, what about the other consorts waiting in the garden?”
“I don’t care if it’s auspicious for them or not. It’s auspicious for me.” As she spoke, she wrapped both arms around his neck.
“You’re such a playful one.”
Emperor Jing noticed Layue was a bit cold and pulled a blanket over the two of them.
“Yue’er, you’re truly a contradictory girl,” he sighed.
“Girl? Are you sure? Do you want to check again?” She winked boldly. Emperor Jing immediately understood. This little temptress, besides seducing him, was still seducing him.
He flipped her over, pinning her beneath him, and directly pulled off his underpants, looking fierce: “I’m going to ruin you…”
Then the room was filled with passion once again.
…
Hearing the noise upstairs, Lai Xi below rubbed his nose. The weather was getting colder, but upstairs was filled with passion. Judging by the master’s mood, it seemed that Honored Lady Shen would probably be favored for a while.
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