Inside a post station on the way to the capital, a man in his twenties stood in the courtyard. His expression was calm, almost indifferent. A chilly autumn breeze blew by. Upon closer inspection, he bore a striking resemblance to the Emperor.
Hasty footsteps approached. A woman dressed in light green hurried in, her expression haggard.
“Your Highness,” she bowed gracefully, her delicate features and slim figure exquisite.
The man did not turn around, merely asking in a flat tone, “What is it?”
The woman hesitated, her voice trembling. “Your Highness, I heard that my father has been placed under house arrest, and my elder sister has been banished to the cold palace. Please, help them…” Her voice quivered with suppressed sobs.
His expression remained indifferent. He turned around and looked at the woman still kneeling on the ground, lifting her chin. Her beautiful face was streaked with tears.
He gently wiped away her tears with one hand, though his voice held no warmth.
“Yunrong, what nonsense are you saying?”
Song Yunrong bit her lip. “Your Highness, my father may have made mistakes, but please, for my sake, save him.”
Prince Liu, cold and stern, withdrew his hand, a mocking smile on his lips. “Yunrong, how could things be so simple? Why do you think I would help? And what have you done to deserve such favor from me?”
Song Yunrong, already in tears, seemed to collapse further at his words.
“Your Highness, do you have no feelings for me at all?” She seemed to steel herself, raising her head to fix him with a steady gaze. “Or is it that, in your heart, aside from that woman, everyone else is just a tool to you? Have you ever truly cared for anyone else?”
“Slap!” A sharp slap sent Song Yunrong sprawling to the ground.
She clutched her face, trembling softly.
“Who gave you the right to slander her? In my heart, you are worlds apart. How dare you even mention her?” Prince Liu, no longer calm, was filled with fury.
Yet Song Yunrong was no longer as meek as before. The Song family had fallen—her father imprisoned, her elder sister demoted from the status of a noble concubine to this disgraceful state. Her own life, as the prince’s concubine, was merely a tool to be used.
“Worlds apart? Even if she was as lofty as the clouds, she was never yours. Your Highness, wake up. She is gone. Even in death, she lies in another family’s ancestral graveyard. If she were truly virtuous, how could she have seduced you? The two of you were always meant to be worlds apart.”
Upon hearing her words, Prince Liu’s eyes turned red with rage. He lashed out viciously.
Song Yunrong was sent sprawling again, spitting blood, yet her voice remained firm and filled with resentment.
“Your Highness refuses to help me—because of my father’s betrayal, or because of my elder sister’s actions against the Shens?”
“Guards,” Liu finally called after calming himself slightly.
The guards, under Liu’s orders, immediately gagged Song Yunrong and dragged her away.
Watching her struggling form, Liu clenched his fists, his face filled with pain.
After a long while, he quietly summoned someone. “Xuanwu, accompany me back to the capital ahead of schedule.”
Xuanwu frowned, trying to dissuade him. “Your Highness, please be cautious. The Emperor already harbors much suspicion toward you. If this is discovered by others, it will only give them something to use against you.”
“I don’t care. I believe there is no place in this world where his spies do not reach. You and I will ride swiftly to the capital and rejoin the group later. Be careful along the way; nothing should happen.”
Seeing that Prince Liu had made up his mind, Xuanwu did not argue further. After making all necessary arrangements, the two quietly left the group heading back to the capital.
***
In Xuanning Hall, Lai Fu stood by the table, reporting softly. “Your Majesty, according to the secret agents, Prince Liu and his aide Xuanwu have secretly set off for the capital.”
The Emperor sneered. “He dares much. Does he truly believe I would not dare to kill him? Has he entered the capital?”
“Yes. Prince Liu and Xuanwu entered the capital and only visited one place before leaving.”
This piqued the Emperor’s interest. “Oh? Where did he go?”
“To the ancestral graveyard of the Shen family.” At this moment, Lai Fu showed no sign of amusement. His usual playful demeanor around the concubines and palace maids was merely a mask.
This answer surprised the Emperor greatly. He furrowed his brow in confusion.
His long fingers tapped against the table. After a while, he asked again. “Was there anything unusual?”
“Your Majesty, nothing special was found. Prince Liu did not meet anyone at the Shen family graveyard. He stayed for about half an incense stick’s time, then left. Xuanwu is skilled in martial arts, and the agents feared being discovered if they approached too closely, so they did not follow closely enough to know exactly what Prince Liu was doing inside.”
The Shen family graveyard?
Prince Liu rushed back to the capital only to visit the Shen family graveyard? He found it hard to believe. What was Liu truly up to?
“Previously, at the post station, Prince Liu’s concubine Song Yunrong had an outburst and was taken care of by Prince Liu. According to the agents, Song Yunrong met with Prince Liu and was injured, after which Prince Liu ordered this action through his close aide.”
It was clear that Liu had long been infiltrated.
Anyone could see that something was amiss. However, the Emperor was not a hasty man by nature.
“Continue to monitor him closely. Also, thoroughly investigate everything about Shen Liangyuan’s past in the Shen family. That is all.”
“Understood.”
The Emperor stood up. “Proceed to Tingyu Pavilion.”
At this moment, Lai Fu resumed his usual cheerful and flattering demeanor.
In recent days, Layue had kept to herself, avoiding everyone except playing chess with the Empress Dowager. Even when Chen Yulan came to request an audience, she refused to see her. Despite this, whispers had begun circulating in the palace, saying that Shen Liangyuan had thrown a tantrum over the matter of Consort Song and smashed an entire room of porcelain.
“The Emperor is here…”
Since Consort Song’s demotion, the Emperor had not entered the harem for half a month.
Layue was lazily lying on a couch. A small corner of the window was open, revealing yellowing leaves drifting outside. Leisurely flipping through a medical book, occasionally nibbling on some candied fruits, she seemed quite content.
Hearing the eunuch announce the Emperor’s arrival, Layue hurried to rise, but the Emperor seemed quicker.
He entered swiftly, and seeing her relaxed posture, he reached out to stop her.
“You seem quite at ease. But it’s getting chilly in autumn; you must be careful not to catch a chill.” He sat by the couch, not making her rise.
Seeing him like this, Layue gave a coquettish smile.
“You’re still young, and there’s much you don’t understand. The servants should remind you more often.” His gaze swept over the senior palace maids, who all shrank slightly.
Taking his hand in hers, she leaned her cheek against the back of it, giggling softly.
“Your Majesty bullies me all right, but why also bully my servants?”
Seeing her like this, the Emperor gave a seductive smile, then leaned down, blowing gently into her ear, causing her to giggle and shy away. “Are you sure the bullying is the same?”
Layue wrapped her arms around the Emperor’s neck, resting her head on his shoulder, her breath sweet and delicate. “Your Majesty hasn’t come in so long, I’ve almost forgotten how you used to bully me!”
Thud, a hand landed on her ample chest.
“So, you’ve been missing it?”
Layue shook her head.
Seeing her deny it so boldly, the Emperor scooped her up sideways.
“If you’re not obedient, you’ll be punished.”
The Emperor was not a gentle lover in intimate moments. Despite his usual demeanor of elegance and refinement, as if a celestial being, he was actually wild and unrestrained in bed. Knowing that he would tear at her clothes without hesitation, Layue knew another outfit would be ruined.
“Your Majesty always does this. I’m embarrassed. Who makes clothes so frequently?” She pouted, perhaps still young, even in such a situation, her actions remained adorable.
The Emperor’s eyes warmed slightly, and he bent down to capture her lips.
Entwined together, they were a pair of people whose outer appearance was refined and elegant, seemingly celestial beings. But beneath that surface lay a different reality—an aggressive, iron-hearted man, ruthless as a demon from hell.
In no time, Layue was stripped bare. The Emperor’s gaze darkened. “Yue’er, tell me, have you missed me?”
If she didn’t play along at this moment, she would surely be punished severely. Yet even when she did play along those days, she had still been punished harshly. Layue started to act rebelliously.
“No~” As soon as the word left her lips, she was fiercely thrust into, letting out a cry as her head hit the headboard.
“Say it. Have you missed me?” Even in this passionate moment, his voice remained cold.
Though he asked this, he did not give her time to answer. He pressed her body down, covered her lips, and thrust his tongue into her mouth. His hands roamed all over her body, his lips moving lower.
He pinched her soft flesh and bit down hard.
Layue’s tears burst forth instantly. Damn it, who treats people like this! Is he a dog?
Seeing her glare at him with a mix of anger and cuteness, the Emperor felt a surge of excitement. He moved his hands lower, pinching her thigh, and with a hard push, he drove into her again. Her pitiful yet furious expression made him even more aroused.
Unable to hold back his passion any longer, he thrust wildly.
Layue bit her lip, enduring everything he did to her. Looking at his handsome face, her expression became increasingly dazed. He always made her feel his presence so deeply.
As for the Emperor, he was lost in her body, reveling in the pleasure. Looking at her face, though his passion burned hot, his heart remained cold and distant.
Yue’er, why did Liu go to your Shen family’s graveyard?
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