The armrest of the imperial sedan chair was tapped twice.
This was the signal that the emperor wished to dismount.
The four eunuchs carrying the sedan immediately lowered it slowly and steadily.
Shen Heng quickly stood up and strode forward. When he reached the person before him, he swiftly removed his own dark, thin cloak and handed it over, commanding in a low voice, “Put it on yourself.”
“No.” Su Yuewu did not take it. Hugging her knees, she looked up at him, her eyes like a hidden galaxy shimmering with starlight, her tone sullen and unhappy. “It’s too hot. I waited for you for a full two hours. I feel like I’m about to get heatstroke…”
“Did I ask you to wait?”
Shen Heng’s voice was deep, yet unexpectedly calm. The gaze he cast downward was dark and unfathomable.
“Your Majesty didn’t ask your concubine to wait. Your Majesty told your concubine to leave, told your concubine never to come again.”
Su Yuewu muttered his words, struggling to stand up. But having squatted for too long, her waist and legs were sore and numb. Her body swayed twice, looking as if she were about to fall.
Shen Heng immediately reached out his hand.
Yet the next moment, Su Yuewu reacted swiftly and hugged the nearby bluestone lantern post, successfully steadying herself.
Glancing back at Shen Heng’s hand suspended in mid-air, she gave a light humph. “Your Majesty wouldn’t think your concubine was trying to throw herself into your embrace, would you? That couldn’t be. After all, Your Majesty isn’t even willing to look at your concubine anymore. How could your concubine be so shameless as to rush forward and annoy you again?”
Shen Heng was so angry he laughed.
“Is it fun to toy with me?” He walked straight up, pried Su Yuewu off the post, and forcibly pressed her into his embrace. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and rested his chin heavily on her shoulder. “Hot? I’ll let you die of heat!”
Su Yuewu couldn’t help but laugh, causing the person behind her to hold her even tighter.
The eunuchs around them were already too shocked to speak.
From the moment this Consort Su addressed the emperor directly as “you” and “I,” their hearts had skipped a beat.
Who would have thought that not only would His Majesty not mind, but they would also inexplicably end up embracing each other!
Not long after, they saw His Majesty pick up Consort Su horizontally and carry her into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Everyone wished they could bow their heads to the ground, yet their ears perked up one after another.
This was the first time His Majesty had ever been so special to a woman!
…
Inside the hall, Su Yuewu was placed on the Arhat Bed spread with a lotus-patterned mat. Sprawling out, she felt the coolness of the mat and sighed contentedly.
Shen Heng stood by the bed and looked at her for a few moments before turning to the partition door and calling for Zhang Guide. He instructed, “Have someone bring over several basins of ice. Also, prepare warm water. Consort Su will bathe later.”
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
Ever since Zhang Guide saw His Majesty carrying Consort Su back, his whole body had gone numb.
Yesterday, hadn’t he sworn to settle all grievances with Consort Su and have nothing more to do with her? Today, he had solemnly relayed those words. How had things turned out like this again in the blink of an eye?
And now Consort Su was to bathe here—did it mean what he thought it meant?
Su Yuewu heard the instructions from outside and gently curved the corners of her lips. She sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. As soon as Shen Heng returned, she lifted her sparkling eyes, looked at him, and called out in a soft, delicate voice, “Shen Heng.”
Shen Heng’s footsteps paused.
He could not remember how long it had been since anyone had called him by his name. Even the Empress Dowager often addressed him as “emperor.”
After a moment of eye contact, Shen Heng was the first to avert his gaze. He reprimanded her, neither lightly nor heavily, with the word “presumptuous,” then walked to the Arhat Bed and sat down beside her.
Years later, the two of them sat side by side once more. Compared to the tense, confrontational atmosphere before their parting at the Eastern Palace, the present moment was surprisingly calm and harmonious.
Before long, Su Yuewu tentatively reached for the man’s slender, well-defined hand.
Shen Heng noticed and stubbornly pulled away.
Su Yuewu looked at him pitifully, “Your Majesty… Cousin… Ah Heng…”
Shen Heng, expressionless, placed his hand back on his knee.
Su Yuewu smiled and took his hand, giving it a few gentle rubs and strokes before finally feeling satisfied.
“Do you remember, back in the Eastern Palace, how much I loved playing with your hand?”
Mentioning this was a mistake. The hand that had been obediently allowing her touch was abruptly snatched back by its owner.
Shen Heng’s expression turned a few degrees colder as he scoffed, “How could I forget? You said my hand was beautiful, that it felt even more comfortable than a woman’s. You even warned me to take good care of it—otherwise, if it became ugly, you’d go and play with someone else’s hand.”
The sarcasm in his tone was thick, even bringing out the imperial “We” in his anger. Su Yuewu could only offer a placating smile to coax him, “Just teasing, it was all just teasing!”
“Teasing?” Shen Heng’s expression darkened further. “Explain clearly. Was it teasing to say my hand is beautiful, or was it teasing to say you’d play with someone else’s hand?”
“Of course, I could never play with someone else’s hand!” Su Yuewu declared with an earnest face. Then, shamelessly, she leaned in, wrapped her arms around his, and clung to him, pleading, “Don’t be angry, Cousin…”
Shen Heng tried to move his arm slightly, only to feel her grip tighten. His expression softened considerably.
Just then, a eunuch brought in ice. Seeing the Imperial Consort in such a state, he was startled and quickly lowered his gaze, hurriedly placing the bronze basin by the couch before retreating.
Su Yuewu suddenly exclaimed, “Oh dear!” and released Shen Heng’s arm, standing up.
Instantly, Shen Heng’s expression shifted from clear skies to stormy clouds. He lifted his eyelids, staring coldly at her without a word.
He knew it. She would eventually find an excuse to leave. After enduring her disgust and pretending for so long, she finally couldn’t keep up the act, could she?
“This consort forgot her food box outside,” Su Yuewu sighed, seeming somewhat annoyed.
Shen Heng sneered, not even bothering to reply.
Couldn’t she come up with a better excuse? A mere food box—even if she lost ten or a hundred of them, what did it matter? Who was she trying to fool?
Yet the next moment, he saw Su Yuewu sit back down, shaking her head regretfully. “Forget it. Even if I brought it back, it wouldn’t be edible. I kept the mung bean cakes chilled since I made them, but the ice melted before you returned. The cakes soaked in water—they’re completely inedible now.”
“You made them?”
Shen Heng keenly caught the words Su Yuewu wanted him to notice.
He gazed at her with a deep, intense look. Seeing her nod, he immediately called out to the eunuch serving in the outer hall and ordered, “Go fetch the food box Consort Su left on the palace path.”
The eunuch returned shortly with the food box.
Shen Heng walked over and opened it. Inside was indeed a plate of mung bean cakes, soaked in melted ice water. He picked one up—it still felt cool to the touch.
He stared at the unappetizing green pastry for a moment before putting it into his mouth.
Su Yuewu was slightly taken aback. The feigned regret in her eyes momentarily vanished, replaced by surprise.
She had only intended to play the victim. Shen Heng surely saw through it—the food was genuinely inedible. Why would he…
“Not tasty,” Shen Heng remarked without mercy. “Don’t make these in the future. If you want to show your devotion, just send pastries from the imperial kitchen.”
Despite his words, he picked up another piece and put it in his mouth.
Su Yuewu watched with a frown.
She had tasted them herself. The pastries weren’t exactly unpalatable, but they were overly sweet, and after being soaked in water, one could only imagine how unpleasant they must be.
Unable to bear it any longer, she walked over and pressed her hand over Shen Heng’s as he reached for another piece. When he looked up, she smiled brightly, a hint of teasing in her tone. “If you say they’re not tasty, why keep eating? Could it be that you feel this is a token of my sincerity and can’t bear to waste it?”
Shen Heng glanced at her, intending to brush her hand away, but suddenly paused.
In the next moment, he abandoned the pastry and instead abruptly grabbed Su Yuewu’s wrist, pulling it closer for a careful look.
There, on her fair and slender finger, was a small blister from a burn.
The blister had already been punctured, likely treated with medicine, but left unbandaged.
Shen Heng studied it for a moment before lifting his gaze, his expression unreadable as he stared at Su Yuewu.