The Tyrant Emperor had a little secret—he loved sweets. As a child, his mother, Tuoba Zhen, scolded him for being useless and forbade him, as a prince, from having any personal preferences, lest they be exploited by those with ill intentions.
His every move was under that woman’s watchful eye.
In Beituo, there was a type of fruit that tasted bitter upon first bite, known to the Beituo people as bitter melon. Tuoba Zhen forced him to eat it for a month.
From then on, he never dared touch sugar again. As he grew older, his pride rarely allowed him to order servants to prepare desserts.
Even Eunuch Zhang was unaware of this matter.
At this moment, a sweet, cloying scent lingered at the tip of his nose, mingled with the unique fragrance of a young girl.
The soft sensation was irresistibly intoxicating.
Nan Leli braced his hands on either side of Wen Qitian, his eyes blazing, yet his pupils slightly unfocused, clearly lost in thought.
In both lifetimes, the emperor had never encountered such a situation. His mind scrambled through a jumble of chaotic images but found no way to handle the current predicament.
What should he do?
The man’s aura of confusion grew heavier by the moment.
Wen Qitian wasn’t faring much better. The Wen family’s prized cabbage had never been violated by another pig before. She thought that if her father and brother in the modern era found out about this, they would surely break this man’s dog-like mouth.
She tried to pull away by pursing her lips, but the man, as if startled awake from a dream, swiftly struck back. His tongue quickly tangled with hers before slipping away. By the time Wen Qitian regained her senses, the malt sugar candy in her mouth had already been taken by the man.
Nan Leli quickly stood up, gently wiping the corner of his mouth, feeling that today’s candy was exceptionally sweet.
His expression was solemn—stolen goods truly were more fragrant.
The man’s gaze wavered, his voice hoarse: “If you want candy, go get it from the Imperial Kitchen.”
In other words, don’t even think about stealing mine.
Wen Qitian widened her eyes, her delicate face filled with disbelief.
She was such a great beauty, and he not only stole her first kiss but also implied she wasn’t worth as much as a piece of candy?
No way! A scholar would rather die than be humiliated. If she didn’t mess with him today, she wouldn’t be surnamed Wen!
Wen Qitian gathered her emotions. Tears welled up in her almond-shaped eyes as she bit her lip and let out a soft sob.
Nan Leli was startled and turned to look at her: “What are you doing?”
The two of them were still sitting on the ground. The young girl sniffled as she wiped her tears: “You…”
“?”
“You went too far!”
Nan Leli: “!” How audacious! That candy was originally mine.
The young girl accused: “Forget about kissing me just now, but you even bit me?”
Nan Leli: “”
When did he bite anyone?
The deliberately forgotten memory resurfaced in his mind, and his handsome face gradually grew warm.
It was just… stealing a piece of candy…
Did he accidentally bite her back then?
Wen Qitian glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Seeing his remorseful expression, she sobbed softly and murmured, “It’s over. How will I ever get married now?”
Nan Leli’s gaze instantly turned icy: “You still want to get married? Does the imperial palace lack anything for you?”
The mere thought of her marrying someone else made Nan Leli feel deeply uncomfortable.
He rose to his knees, grabbed her wrist, dusted off both their clothes, and pinched her incessantly chattering mouth. His slender fingers, despite the warmth from the dilong, felt so cold that Wen Qitian shrank her neck.
Her fair skin easily showed marks. Nan Leli had merely pinched her, yet a vivid red bloomed at the corner of her mouth. The man rubbed it maliciously and warned, “Once you enter the palace, you cannot marry without my permission.”
Wen Qitian had only intended to act up a little, never expecting such an intense reaction. Fearing he might tear her mouth apart on a whim, she quickly wrapped both arms around his.
“But you won’t even give me food or drink.”
She looked up, her curled lashes trembling as her eyelids drooped, like a cat denied a meal, pitiful and aggrieved.
The man paused, the chill in his eyes softening slightly.
“If you stay in the palace, I will no longer withhold your meals. Otherwise…” He lifted her chin, leaning in close, his cool voice dripping with threat, “I’ll bind you in your room, never allowing you to step outside for the rest of your life.”
An endless coldness washed over her, and Wen Qitian’s face paled.
Nan Leli’s expression darkened. “You truly wish to leave?”
Nan Leli rarely cared about anything; aside from headaches, he seldom lost his composure.
But this time, he felt a desperate gamble.
He stared fixedly at her delicate face, his fingers sliding downward. Wen Qitian’s strength was no match for his. When his hand closed around her neck, her brows furrowed tightly, her breathing growing rapid.
Her neck was slender, as if Nan Leli could snap it with the slightest effort.
He didn’t apply force, wanting to give her one more chance.
“Will you leave?”
Nan Leli had never shown such patience before. In the past, anyone who dared hesitate in his presence would have been dragged out and executed.
His arm suddenly felt lighter—Wen Qitian had released her grip, as if giving up the struggle.
Nan Leli narrowed his eyes.
What did this mean? Was she willing to die just to leave?
His heart gradually sank, as if something had slipped away from him along with her attitude.
“It hurts…”
Nan Leli frowned. “What?”
“Nan Leli, you…” Wen Qitian trembled with anger at this overthinking, unreasonable man. Clutching her stomach, she shouted at him, “Why do you have so many scenes? My stomach hurts! Can’t you see?”
“…”
Half an hour later, Nan Leli sat by the bed in the side hall, one hand supporting his forehead, his hawk-like eyes utterly lifeless, his gaze occasionally following the maids as they bustled about.
Bai Zhi: “Miss, here’s the hot water bottle. You’re weak now and mustn’t catch a chill or endure fright.”
Nan Leli: “”
Lifelessness +1.
System: [Darkening value -1%]
Yue E: “Miss, here’s some newly brewed sweet soup from the Imperial Kitchen. Drink it to warm yourself. You haven’t eaten all afternoon, and with your cold constitution, it must be unbearable.”
Nan Leli: “”
Lifelessness +1.
System: [Darkening value -1%, remaining darkening value 74%. Host, you’re doing great!]
The host didn’t want to speak and treated the System’s words as dog farts!
While Nan Leli was utterly lifeless, Wen Qitian wasn’t faring much better. Her lower abdomen throbbed intermittently, and her waist felt heavy with pain.
Back in the modern world, Wen Qitian had heard that menstrual cramps could be painful but had never experienced them herself. Never did she expect that, in this new world, she’d nearly be incapacitated on the spot.
Holding the hot water bottle in one hand and sipping warm sweet soup with the other, she glanced sideways at Nan Leli, who was lost in thought. Downing the soup in one gulp, she hummed lightly, “So sweet! Your Majesty, would you like some?”
Nan Leli: “”
His thin lips pressed together. “I’m not going to steal it.”
“Ah~” The little beauty sighed. “It’s not just my stomach that hurts; my mouth aches a bit too.”
Bai Zhi immediately panicked.
“Miss, what’s wrong? Let this servant take a look. Did you burn yourself somewhere?”
Instantly, another flurry of activity erupted over there.
Nan Leli, knowing he was in the wrong, shifted his stiff body, feeling an unprecedented sense of restraint.
He covered his head, his face flushed red with suppressed frustration.
“Ah—”
At that moment, a startled cry drew everyone’s attention.
Nan Leli felt as if a weight had been lifted.
“Zhang Defu, see what’s going on.”
Normally, only two maids attended to Wen Qitian, and the inner hall was rarely open to others. However, due to the sudden incident, many maids had been called in to serve.
Tao Zhi was one of them.
She seemed to have discovered something shocking and couldn’t help but cry out, her face pale with fright.
Eunuch Zhang coldly brought her before the crowd and scolded her publicly, “His Majesty is here. How can you be so careless?”
Tao Zhi knelt with a thud, her face tearful. “Your Majesty, this servant knows she was wrong, but I never expected to see this in the room. Please spare my life! I will never dare again.”
Despite her abdominal pain, Wen Qitian forced herself to stay alert. When her gaze fell on the painting in Tao Zhi’s hands, she inwardly cursed her luck.
She had finished the painting and casually tossed it into a cabinet, forgetting to destroy the evidence.
If Nan Leli saw it, he might just chop off her hands. She had no desire to end up as tragically as a certain envoy.
The small spark of defiance she had felt earlier in front of Nan Leli vanished without a trace. She frantically signaled to Yue E with her eyes: Hurry, hurry, don’t let the Emperor see it.
But it was already too late.
Seeing Tao Zhi’s expression, Eunuch Zhang knew something major had happened. He snatched the painting from her hands and, upon taking a closer look, nearly let his eyes pop out of his head.
“Miss Wen, how could you keep such a painting?”
He didn’t spell it out, leaving her some room to maneuver.
In the past, Eunuch Zhang had been unsparing toward the unexpected arrival of Wen Qitian, but now he wished he could fawn over her like a grandson.
But… little beauty, don’t court death.
Keeping a portrait of His Majesty privately—isn’t that tantamount to treason?
What difference is there between the penalty for this and that for privately keeping a Dragon Robe?
Wen Qitian covered her face.
Their strange behavior made Nan Leli narrow his eyes suspiciously. He extended his hand. “Bring it here!”
Eunuch Zhang shuddered, giving Wen Qitian a look that said, “You’re on your own.”
Wen Qitian: “…”
She simply pulled the blanket over her head, curling up completely. Whatever happens, happens.
An eerie silence fell over the room. Nan Leli’s gaze fixed on the portrait.
The person in the painting… wore familiar sleeping robes, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His dark, glossy hair cascaded down his back, and water droplets soaked the fabric, lending an air of lingering charm.
His facial features were sharply defined, his eyes like a falcon’s in the night, imposing and fierce. The only discordant note was… his thin lips…
The lips… looked a bit strange?
Nan Leli glanced back at the little cocoon on the bed, his expression dark and inscrutable.
Everyone in the hall held their breath, except for the maid on the floor, who trembled in suppressed fear as if her life hung in the balance.
No one noticed, but the corner of their Emperor’s mouth twitched oddly upward before he forcefully suppressed it.
Nan Leli rolled up the painting, placed his right hand behind his back, and struggled to control his disobedient lips. With an air of restraint, he said, “I have seen it. The painting is acceptable. All of you may leave.”
Everyone: “???” That’s it? What about the promised treason?
Ignoring the others, Nan Leli, in a surprisingly good mood, did not punish Tao Zhi. He ordered the food to be brought for Wen Qitian and left with the painting.
Eunuch Zhang opened his mouth, staring incredulously at his retreating figure, then nudged Tao Zhi.
“What are you standing there for? Get lost! This time His Majesty is merciful, but next time you won’t be so lucky, understand?”
Tao Zhi, having narrowly escaped disaster, nodded repeatedly. However, as she left, she glanced back at Wen Qitian, just as Wen Qitian lifted her head from under the quilt, their eyes meeting. Tao Zhi paused in her steps, lowered her head, and retreated.
Wen Qitian’s almond-shaped eyes darkened momentarily before instantly regaining their brightness, showing no trace of abnormality.
The dull ache in her lower abdomen persisted. Having finally received a meal, Wen Qitian barely ate a few bites before lying down to doze off.
In the middle of the night, a cold breeze swept through the doorway, and a figure slowly approached the bedside, reaching a hand under the quilt…
Upon touching something, the figure paused, quickly withdrew his hand, clumsily found the hot water bottle and discarded it, taking its place instead.
Half-asleep, Wen Qitian felt the pain in her lower abdomen ease slightly and snuggled closer to the warmth.
Mumbling softly like a kitten, she said, “Brother.”
The sneaky little shadow: “”
[Author’s Note]
Jingnan Kingdom’s silly deer: “The candy is so sweet.”
Wen Qitian: “Heh, you’re right.”