Chapter 72:

On a starry night with the bright moon hanging high in the sky, the moonlight cast a hazy glow over everything. Inside a dimly lit room illuminated only by candlelight, a faint fragrance lingered in the air.

A young man and woman were entwined together. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that the woman appeared slightly older than the man.

She was a typical beauty of the Nang Qin Kingdom—slim and graceful, with a delicate and charming face, fair skin as smooth as jade, and soft pink lips that roamed across the young man’s body.

The young man seemed inexperienced, yet despite this, he was being attended to with exceptional skill by the woman.

She cast him a glance, a seductive smile curling her lips, before extending her tongue to gently lick the young man’s chest, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

Seeing his reaction, she giggled softly. Her tongue became even more daring, moving downward until she engulfed him fully, her slender fingers deftly stimulating him.

The young man gasped heavily. This was his first time, and the Emperor had arranged for one of the palace’s finest courtesans to be at his disposal.

This woman was indeed a rare beauty.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the room filled with the sound of their heavy breathing.

Before long, he reached climax under her oral ministrations.

The woman smiled sweetly, swallowing his essence completely. Her tongue then traced across her lips, adding to the intoxicating allure.

“Your Highness, allow me to rinse my mouth before continuing to serve you…”

After receiving his permission, she gave him another seductive smile before gracefully rising. When she returned to the bed, the young man was watching her intently.

Straddling him, she resumed her pleasurable exploration with her lips. Both closed their eyes, lost in the moment.

Soon, her lips moved to the young man’s neck. Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide, and with a swift movement, a sharp blade hidden in her mouth appeared on her lips.

Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps the young man’s instincts kicked in. At that crucial moment, he opened his eyes as well and barely managed to dodge the razor-sharp blade in a clumsy but timely evasion.

Realizing her cover was blown, the woman hesitated for a moment before continuing her attack. She was, in fact, a martial artist.

The young man was no slouch in martial arts either, and the two engaged in a fierce confrontation.

The guards outside, hearing the commotion, rushed in immediately…

The scene shifted. The young prince who had just survived an assassination attempt sat upright on a chair, wearing a robe, his shoulder bleeding and his face pale.

Kneeling before him was another young man who bore a strong resemblance to him, though slightly younger. He knelt there stubbornly.

Inside the hall, a heart-wrenching voice echoed: “What does it mean to be brothers? When have any of you ever considered my existence? Has anyone ever cared about me? In all of your hearts, it’s always been him, always him. From childhood to now, has anyone ever cared about my feelings? Mother, when have you ever stood up for me?”

“Beast! You harm your own brother and still have the audacity to complain?”

“Mother, you’ve never cared for me. In your eyes, you only have one son. I hate you, I hate you… and I hate him too. I hate how he always gets all your attention…”

His anguished voice reverberated through the hall…

“Ahh…” Emperor Jing suddenly jolted upright, startled awake. Lai Xi, waiting in the outer chamber, immediately responded to the sound from the inner room: “Your Majesty, are you alright? Shall I come in to attend to you?”

Still catching his breath, the Emperor’s voice was low: “No need.”

He looked toward the entrance, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

In this world, only Lai Xi knew that every morning he awoke from a nightmare.

He rose, put on his robe, his expression cold, and walked to the private hot spring at the back. Submerging himself in the water, he lay back, his mind churning.

Since his youth, it had always been this way—he could never escape this nightmare. In his dreams, besides the sharp blade, there was Yan Lie’s anguished voice.

He let out a cold chuckle.

This was what it meant to have a brother.

A brother who could bring himself to kill him.

And because of that beloved brother, he could trust no one. He even came to despise the traditional slim beauties of Nang Qin. The sight of them reminded him of that scheming woman, of that deadly blade. He couldn’t even bear to imagine what would have happened had he not opened his eyes in time. By now, he might already be buried under weeds.

“Lai Xi…”

The voice was soft, but Lai Xi was sharp-eared.

“Your servant is here.”

“Prepare my carriage. We’re going to Tingyu Pavilion.”

“As you command.”

In front of others, he once again became the refined and elegant emperor.

Dressed in a dark robe that accentuated his dignified and scholarly bearing, it was already the hour of Chou (1 a.m. to 3 a.m.). Most people would be asleep at this hour, yet he had chosen this time to visit Tingyu Pavilion with his attendants.

The night watch eunuch was yawning when he saw several figures approaching from a distance. Although the Emperor wasn’t wearing his dragon robe, Lai Xi’s ever-familiar attire immediately snapped the young eunuch to attention.

“Long live the Emperor!” he hurriedly knelt.

Emperor Jing gave a slight nod and strode in.

The young eunuch was perplexed. At this hour, with the Emperor entering like this, should he call out the mistress or not?

The Emperor usually disliked being announced, but at such a late hour, startling someone could be dangerous.

As the young eunuch hesitated, Emperor Jing had already entered the room. Jinxin, who was serving in the outer chamber, was greatly surprised upon seeing the Emperor. She was about to announce his arrival when he stopped her.

His expression was inscrutable.

Jinxin obediently stood aside as she watched her master enter the inner chamber.

The room was moderately warm—not as hot as Xuanning Hall, but still comfortable. Layue was curled up in bed, one leg exposed outside the blanket. Even without candlelight, the moonlight revealed her white undergarments and the delicate, bare foot peeking out from beneath the red quilt with peony patterns, creating a warm and tender atmosphere.

Unable to resist the temptation, his large hand was about to touch her delicate foot when she suddenly turned over, still wrapped in the blanket, murmuring softly: “Your Majesty…”

Thinking she was aware of his presence, he was about to speak when she continued in a low voice: “Your Majesty is a bad man. He’s the worst, the very worst person in the world…”

Had the Emperor not been sitting beside her, he probably wouldn’t have heard her words. Her voice was very low, almost a mumble.

Looking closely at her, he found she was indeed asleep. It must have been sleep-talking.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow. In her dream, he was the worst person in the world?

“Why? Why am I the worst?” he whispered softly into her ear.

The girl frowned and pouted, her tender face showing a hint of displeasure: “He’s just a big bad guy. He doesn’t even remember my birthday.”

Hearing her answer, the Emperor was momentarily stunned. He listened as she continued to mumble.

“I’m named Layue, and he still doesn’t remember my birthday. He didn’t even ask once. So mean, so mean…” The young girl added many more little complaints afterward.

The Emperor sat by the bed, listening to her murmuring to herself.

After a long while, she finally stopped, a gentle smile appearing on her small face, no longer speaking.

“To be able to sleep soundly must be a great happiness,” he murmured, his voice low.

Yan Lie, for your entire life, you will never have Yue Qingcheng. Her daughter is now my concubine. Brothers living in harmony? Impossible. From the moment you arranged for that courtesan to assassinate me, we ceased to be brothers.

The throne you desire, the women you love, the women who love you—I will ensure that you never obtain any of them. Heaven has decreed that you will have nothing.

And it will always be this way. Whatever you desire, I will never allow you to have it.

Grasping Layue’s chin, he watched as she slowly opened her eyes. Before she could cry out, Emperor Jing pressed his lips against hers.

Layue immediately punched him, but Yan Che caught her restless wrists, pinning them above her head as his actions grew more unrestrained. His brief pause allowed Layue to recognize him, and she obediently nuzzled against him.

Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of their heavy breathing.

When dawn came, Emperor Jing left for court, but Layue did not rise. She lay there, her pink face streaked with large tears, appearing as if she had been treated harshly.

Seeing her like this, the Emperor smiled and gently kissed her lips. It was the first time he had kissed her without any trace of desire.

“Sleep well, my dear.”

With that, he rose and left.

After he truly departed, Layue looked toward the door and opened her eyes with a smile.

Although the Emperor had only spoken one sentence the previous night, Layue had sensed the vulnerability within it. No one knew that since her rebirth, her sleep had become very light—she would wake at the slightest disturbance.

She had already awakened the moment Emperor Jing entered the outer chamber, and everything that followed was merely an act.

In fact, her birthday had already passed two months ago, but she deliberately brought it up. She wanted the Emperor to know that she was a simple girl who cared about such things, that she was upset her birthday had been overlooked.

Although she wasn’t sure if the Emperor would believe her, Layue felt that since she had this opportunity, she should make the most of it.

Recently, the Emperor had shown some suspicion toward her. This would be a good way to dispel it.

Thinking back to the Empress Dowager’s words to her the previous day, Layue smiled. Others might have assumed the Empress Dowager had scolded her, but in reality, she had been comforting her. They had played a game of chess while chatting casually.

The Empress Dowager directly acknowledged her grievance, advising her to relax and reassuring her that serving the Emperor well was of utmost importance above all else.

Layue felt warm toward the Empress Dowager’s kindness. In her previous life, the Empress Dowager had never treated her this way. Having such an opportunity in this life was truly rare. She could tell that the Empress Dowager genuinely had her best interests at heart. She was well aware of how crucial it was for a woman to have a child in the palace. However, she was only fourteen now, and it was truly not the right time to bear a child.

Thinking about the upcoming turmoil in the palace, Layue closed her eyes.

In this palace, every child who managed to survive birth had gone through an incredibly difficult journey.