Chapter 38:

In a room illuminated by flickering candlelight and filled with a lingering fragrance, soft moans drifted from beneath the bed curtains.

The Jing Emperor lay there calmly and steadily, while Layue rested on his chest, gently pecking him with kisses. His hands roamed across her fair, tender skin.

After caressing her for a while, he pulled her hand down to his lower body. She seemed to want to resist, but ultimately could not match his strength and was forced to touch him.

She dared not lower her head, shy and timid, staring into his eyes while her hand trembled under his compulsion as she grasped his member.

He inhaled sharply, and with his other hand, he gave her little buttock a pinch.

“You were just ennobled yesterday, yet today you haven’t even thanked me,” he said coolly, as if displeased.

In Layue’s opinion, he was just asking for affection by bringing this up now.

“Layue naturally is grateful; Your Majesty must understand my feelings,” she said, stroking him with one hand while caressing his face with the other, her tender fingertips gliding over his eyebrows, his eyes, and finally resting on his tightly pressed lips.

As she traced his lips, the Jing Emperor gazed at her with a deep, unfathomable look.

Suddenly, he bit her finger, causing her to gasp in surprise.

He didn’t bite hard, but he refused to let go.

She giggled.

“Your Majesty surely doesn’t want to eat me up, do you? But I’m afraid, I’m too big for you to swallow,” she teased playfully, pouting slightly.

This was a habitual gesture of Layue’s, and the Jing Emperor naturally knew it well. What Layue didn’t realize was that whenever she pouted, the emperor’s passion flared.

For reasons unknown, when she did this, he always felt a surge of the urge to tease and play with this little girl.

He released her finger and, before she could even complain, pulled her body up and bit her nipple.

Her face flushed crimson.

After feasting on her for a while, he finally let go. “Well then, isn’t this how I eat you?”

Boom!

Though he was a high-ranking sovereign, he was still a man and not shy about uttering vulgar words in bed.

Seeing her blushing, he flipped her over and pinned her beneath him, his pitch-black eyes staring intently at her.

He gripped her thigh and thrust downward.

“Laughing together beneath the plum blossom canopy, the passion is hard to contain with repeated encounters. The springtime charm arises, and the soul is thrown into disarray; the three peaks are plucked, and the bones melt away,” he whispered seductively in her ear.

Seeing him recite poetry like this, she was too embarrassed to face him.

He chuckled and began to move back and forth.

Back and forth for dozens of thrusts. Suddenly, his pace became wild and fierce.

When he thrust deeply into her, Layue trembled and began to cry.

After all, every man enjoys being the first in such matters. Seeing her like this, he felt particularly satisfied.

He pulled her into his arms and patted her gently to soothe her. “Why are you crying? You’re such a child—crying when you’re happy and crying when you’re not.”

Though she was still sobbing, she couldn’t help but argue, “I’m not a child. If I were, you wouldn’t be doing this to me.”

Her behavior amused him. If she wasn’t a child, why was she arguing now?

He blew softly in her ear, “Then how exactly am I treating you?”

It was a clear provocation.

“Just like that.” Naturally, she refused to elaborate. Seeing him insist on holding her and demanding she specify exactly how he was treating her, she became angry.

“I like the act of love.”

As soon as she said this, the Jing Emperor burst into laughter.

“And you don’t like it?”

Layue was almost rolling her eyes, turning away with a pout and ignoring him.

He wouldn’t let her off the hook, climbing on top of her and pinching her cheeks.

This teasing was truly infuriating. Layue glared at him, only to be met with another round of gentle nibbles.

She was extremely ticklish, and with him treating her this way, she naturally squirmed from side to side. In no time, soft panting sounds once again filled the chamber…

***

Looking out at the heavy rain outside, Layue lay lazily on the bed without getting up. Luckily, she didn’t have to attend court; otherwise, she would have been completely exhausted.

Thinking about the previous night’s passion, Layue looked down at her body with a hint of resentment. Her fair skin was now marked with traces of their love. The emperor always did this, which was really annoying. Yet, she always ended up unable to resist him.

In any case, she wasn’t entirely without pleasure. Her father and brothers still had to endure others’ glances in court, so what was she in the harem?

With such heavy rain, naturally no one would come to visit, so she indulged herself and remained in bed. Though it was somewhat improper, she didn’t seem to care at the moment.

Yesterday, when the emperor left, he had patted her face and said he would come again today. Layue didn’t know the emperor’s preferences, but recalling his passionate behavior, she sighed slightly.

The emperor would come, but she didn’t know how the proud Consort Fu would feel now.

Thinking about her position in the palace, Layue clicked her tongue. She had quite a few rivals indeed.

“My lady…” Taor returned from outside, entering the inner chamber.

“What’s the matter?” With Taor around, there were often some amusing incidents.

Taor’s face showed some anger: “It’s that Concubine Chen again. I just came back and heard she was picking flower petals in the rain on the emperor’s way back to Xuanning Palace after court.”

“Picking flower petals is nothing; why are you so upset?”

Taor retorted defiantly, “But the Emperor has summoned her to stay with him tonight at Xuanning Palace.”

Layue wasn’t angry; this was expected. As long as Chen Yulan used her tricks, the emperor would naturally fall for them. Even if she knew the reason, it was the same.

A balance of power!

“This is exactly how the palace works; the emperor’s favor is the most important. You don’t need to pay attention to those rumors. Perhaps others are hoping my lady will stick her neck out and become the target.”

Layue smiled.

After thinking about it, Taor realized it was indeed the case.

She secretly scolded herself for being foolish.

“It’s my fault for being so stupid.”

Layue shook her head: “The emperor probably won’t come tonight. Tomorrow is the first day of the lunar month; we should leave early in the morning. I don’t want to run into irrelevant people on the way.”

Although Layue was only a concubine of the sixth rank, among the less than forty concubines in the palace, she was relatively high-ranking. Now that she was favored by the emperor, she naturally had a different status than before.

The next morning.

Layue got up quite early, quickly got ready, and arrived at Huici Palace. Bai Xiaodie’s elder sister, Bai Youran, and Consort Li, Zhu Yuning, were already there.

Bai Youran always came early for morning greetings and spoke little, maintaining proper etiquette. Surprisingly, Zhu Yuning had also arrived early this time.

They exchanged greetings, and Layue sat down beside Bai Youran.

Madam Gui, seeing Shen Layue arrive, spoke with a slightly warm tone: “Consort Chun is here early today.”

“Yesterday it rained all day, and I had nothing to do but take a nap in my room and went to bed early. Naturally, I woke up early today,” Layue replied warmly.

Bai Youran watched their conversation. She always arrived the earliest every day but had never had such a private conversation with Madam Gui.

She carefully examined Consort Chun. In a short time, she had risen from a mere palace maid to her current position. Though her rank wasn’t high, she was the fastest among this group of concubines.

She was somewhat puzzled but thought that indeed, one should not judge a person by appearances.

Each person’s fate was predestined.

Before long, everyone had arrived. Although Fu Jinyao was pregnant, the rules could not be relaxed even slightly.

The Empress Dowager looked at her and nodded, seemingly satisfied.

Fu Jinyao gave a faint smile.

The atmosphere in Huici Palace was harmonious and joyful. At this moment, Consort De spoke appropriately: “Mother, a few days ago you entrusted me with investigating the poisoning incident in the palace. I have now found some clues.”

The Empress Dowager’s gaze fell on her, and she uttered a calm “Oh,” with a hint of inquiry in her tone.

Upon hearing Consort De’s words, the other concubines all straightened their backs slightly, fearing involvement. They held their breath, waiting for her conclusion.

“On that day, we found out that Consort Chun had been schemed against. I was really upset. The inner court has always been peaceful, and I never expected such a despicable incident to occur. With the Empress Dowager’s trust, I was ordered to investigate, and naturally, I must give Consort Chun a proper explanation.”

Consort De always spoke like this, and this statement subtly implied that such incidents had increased since the new group of palace maids entered the harem.

The Empress Dowager, sitting at the head, did not speak much, and naturally, no one else dared to bring up the topic.

“I have thoroughly investigated the Imperial Household Department, gathered much evidence, and now arrested the culprit. It turns out to be a former trusted servant of Consort Song. Out of jealousy towards Consort Chun’s favor from the emperor, Consort Song committed such a despicable act.”

Everything was as expected. Layue faintly smiled.

Others hesitated to speak, while Consort Chun slightly lowered her head, making her expression unreadable. The Empress Dowager remained calm and composed, making the atmosphere rather cold.

Normally, the scene wouldn’t be like this, but today, no one wanted to get involved and risk getting stained.

After a long while, the Empress Dowager looked at these bright faces and spoke indifferently: “Song has already been confined to the cold palace. Even if further actions are taken, she cannot be executed. Let’s end this matter here. Consort Chun has been wronged. Convey my decree to reward Consort Chun with ten thousand taels of gold. This child is innocent and young, often deceived by others. However, those who flatter you and call you sister might not be sincere. Consort De, you should take more care of Consort Chun in the future. As for those who are unworthy, there’s no need to pay attention to them.”

After speaking, the Empress Dowager glanced at Chen Yulan, who was sitting at the farthest end. At this moment, she sat quietly like a doll.

The Empress Dowager’s words clearly favored Consort Chun. Even if Consort De was unwilling, she would not dare to disobey the Empress Dowager’s will.

She smiled gently: “I understand.”

The Empress Dowager nodded satisfactorily: “I’m old and don’t want to meddle in the palace’s messy affairs, but even so, I won’t tolerate your mischief.”