Shen Yuling suddenly seemed to remember something and asked softly, “Where am I now?”
“The imperial palace.”
Quan Minghe uttered two words indifferently.
“The imperial palace?!”
Shen Yuling couldn’t help but widen her eyes, her voice unconsciously rising a few notes.
But fearing she might disturb something, she quickly lowered her voice again.
She asked cautiously, “Then… how do I get back?”
“At the end of the Yin hour tomorrow morning, I will have someone send you back.”
“Will we really not be discovered?”
Quan Minghe raised an eyebrow slightly. He had no intention of entertaining such trivial questions—he was the emperor, and what he promised, he always delivered.
But seeing her fearful expression, he ultimately answered patiently.
“No.”
Shen Yuling breathed a sigh of relief and released Quan Minghe’s hand, which she had been gripping tightly.
But as soon as she let go, Quan Minghe seized her wrist instead.
With a firm tug, Shen Yuling stumbled into his embrace.
“Although you do not yet bear the title of Imperial Consort, you have already fulfilled the role.”
“This palace is Yaohua Palace, where you will reside three months from now when you enter the palace.”
Quan Minghe’s lips brushed lightly against Shen Yuling’s ear, his warm breath caressing her skin.
Shen Yuling’s body trembled with a sudden shiver.
“So.”
Quan Minghe paused, lifting her chin to force her to meet his gaze.
“Tonight, you will serve the bed.”
Shen Yuling’s cheeks instantly flushed a delicate pink.
Her bright, enchanting face looked even more captivating in the ambiguous atmosphere, making Quan Minghe unable to resist reaching out to pinch it gently.
“Can we… really? I… I…”
Shen Yuling stammered, her heart filled with both shyness and nervousness.
Quan Minghe did not respond to her words, instead unfastening his own belt.
The magnificent dragon robe loosened instantly, revealing the inner garment beneath.
Shen Yuling shyly turned her head away, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum. “I don’t know how.”
After all, every Imperial Consort was meticulously taught by palace matrons about the intricacies of serving the bed before entering the palace, but she had never experienced such a situation.
“I will teach you myself.”
A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled at the corner of Quan Minghe’s lips.
He took her soft, delicate hand and placed it on his collar, then guided her hand to undress him.
Before long, Quan Minghe’s inner garment also fell to the floor.
Having practiced martial arts for years, his robust physique was now fully exposed before Shen Yuling’s eyes.
On his chest, the bite marks Shen Yuling had left that morning were strikingly visible.
Noticing Shen Yuling’s fixed gaze on his chest, Quan Minghe couldn’t help but curl his lips into a teasing smile.
He raised an eyebrow and asked, “What, do you want to bite me again?”
“I… I wouldn’t dare.”
Shen Yuling lowered her eyes.
He was the emperor—who would dare harm him in the slightest?
Quan Minghe laid Shen Yuling on the bed. Her hands instinctively pushed against him, landing squarely on his chest.
Frowning, her eyes betrayed a hint of fear.
She whispered, “It will hurt… I’m afraid…”
Quan Minghe recalled her first time, which had indeed been rough, without any regard for her feelings.
He soothed her gently, “It won’t this time.”
His tone carried a touch of tenderness.
With those words, Quan Minghe’s hands began to coax the delicate flower to bloom.
“So young, yet you’ve developed quite well.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuling’s fair skin instantly flushed with a faint pink hue, spreading from her cheeks all the way down her body, utterly captivating.
Her cheeks flushed like rosy clouds, lost in the haze of passion, Quan Minghe could no longer restrain himself and began his conquest.
Time passed slowly.
Shen Yuling, who had initially responded eagerly, gradually grew limp and boneless, utterly drained of strength.
She leaned weakly against the crook of his shoulder, her voice soft and sweet: “Is Your Majesty not tired yet?”
Quan Minghe did not answer.
Instead, he reached out and stroked her smooth, fair back, over and over, his movements gentle yet possessive.
The desire in his deep, dark eyes showed no sign of fading—intense and fervent.
He did not reply to Shen Yuling’s question but instead let his actions show her just how tired he was.
“Mmm…”
Shen Yuling couldn’t help but let out a soft moan, her delicate body trembling slightly.
…
She had no idea how much time had passed. Hazy and disoriented, Shen Yuling didn’t even know when she had fallen asleep.
Quan Minghe slowly awoke. As soon as he opened his eyes, he felt a weight pressing on his shoulder.
He frowned slightly, raising a hand to rub his temples.
Quan Minghe never spent the night in a consort’s palace, but last night, entangled with Shen Yuling, he had indulged far too long and grown so weary that he had simply fallen asleep like this.
Shen Yuling truly had not learned the rules of the inner palace—she had actually fallen asleep leaning against him.
Quan Minghe withdrew his already numb arm.
Perhaps Shen Yuling had been too exhausted from the night before, for even with this movement, she showed no sign of waking.
Considering she had not yet learned the palace rules, Quan Minghe decided to let it pass for now.
However, she still needed to return to the Junwang Mansion before the sky grew too bright.
With this thought, he reached out and pinched Shen Yuling’s soft, rosy cheek—once, twice…
“Mmm…”
Disturbed by this, Shen Yuling mumbled a few incoherent sounds.
Her eyes remained tightly shut, unable to open at all.
“Still not awake? Do you not plan to return to the Junwang Mansion today?”
Quan Minghe’s voice rose slightly.
The words “return to the Junwang Mansion” instantly jolted Shen Yuling from her slumber.
Her long, curled lashes fluttered, and her eyes flew open, still heavy with sleep.
Seeing her awake, Quan Minghe reached out to draw the bed curtains tightly shut before turning and walking out.
“Li Ming.”
As soon as Quan Minghe stepped out of the inner chamber, he called.
Li Ming, who had been waiting outside for some time, hurried in and bowed respectfully. “Your Majesty.”
“Have someone attend to Consort Shen for her morning ablutions.”
“As you command.”
Li Ming acknowledged the order, though inwardly he was astounded.
Appointed as a Jieyu?
This was no small matter—within the inner palace, her status would now be second only to Liu Zhaoyi.
And then there was Yaohua Palace, renowned for its unparalleled luxury. Beauty Wang had pleaded with His Majesty many times for it, yet he had never granted her request. Now, it had been given outright to this newly emerged Consort Shen.
It seemed the inner palace was about to become lively again.
As dawn broke, the imperial edict of appointment sent shockwaves through the inner palace.
Everyone in the inner palace heard that His Majesty had appointed a Consort Shen and bestowed upon her the luxurious Yaohua Palace.
It was also said that Consort Shen was in poor health, and without His Majesty’s explicit permission, no one was allowed to enter Yaohua Palace.
Even more astonishingly, it was rumored that all the maids and eunuchs in Yaohua Palace had been personally assigned by His Majesty. Not even Liu Zhaoyi, who had managed the inner palace for years and had borne His Majesty two princes, could uncover any information about Yaohua Palace.
The most astonishing news was that last night, His Majesty actually stayed overnight at Yaohua Palace!
…
Beauty Wang was nearly driven mad by the sudden appearance of Consort Shen.
Having entered the palace two years ago, she had relied on her beauty to win His Majesty’s favor, sparing no effort to please him.
Now, with Consort Shen’s arrival, not only did her rank surpass Beauty Wang’s, but even His Majesty’s favor seemed beyond her reach. How could she not be infuriated?!
Liu Zhaoyi, who had always been rational and composed, found her heart growing uneasy.
His Majesty had never treated any woman with such distinction before. Though she had borne two princes for His Majesty, she had never received such special treatment.
Her composure began to waver…
Upon hearing these rumors, Zhao Liangren, who had just entered the palace, secretly felt relieved.
Now, with someone drawing the attention of all the consorts, and Beauty Wang fully preoccupied with investigating Consort Shen, she would finally no longer be troubled by her.