Yanwan covered her forehead and shot him a reproachful glare. He truly was treating her like a child! She pulled her held hand back forcefully and turned around to grab the pastries.
Li Yu quickly raised his hand to stop her, glaring back at her:
“What’s the rush? I haven’t finished speaking yet. Either way, you must be careful in front of the Emperor. This matter cannot be rushed, and you must never let the Emperor look down on you!”
Seeing that Yanwan was finally willing to look him in the eye, Li Yu leaned down and pressed close to her fair ear, whispering softly:
“Aren’t you the worst little enchantress? Keep the Emperor dangling—never let him get his way too easily. To live well in this palace, the Emperor’s favor is paramount, and I will naturally help you when the opportunity arises.”
Lowering his gaze, he saw a smile finally bloom on her face, bringing forth two shallow dimples on her cheeks—sweet and mesmerizing. Looking at her, Li Yu felt his heart melting.
No wonder the Emperor had stepped in to help her; no man could bear to shift his gaze away from her, let alone watch such a beauty get scalded.
Li Yu felt both sweetness and bitterness in his heart. She was clearly the maiden he favored, yet he had no choice but to push her toward another man.
However, living in this man-eating palace, the weak would only be bullied; only by occupying a high position could she be properly protected. The sole saving grace was that he could stay by her side forever!
……
The Emperor did not care in the slightest how Hailan—whom he had reprimanded—would fare. Though he appeared gentle and considerate toward Ruyi, in truth, his attention was fixed on Yanwan the entire time.
He genuinely wanted to know what she actually knew.
However, mindful of Ruyi’s presence, it was genuinely inconvenient for him to ask outright, lest Ruyi overthink things.
The two of them had only just set aside their past grievances. If Ruyi were to learn the truth, knowing her stubborn nature, she would undoubtedly demand an explanation.
After Yanwan and Suoxin served Ruyi her bath, it was her turn to keep watch tonight. It was hardly proper to let Suoxin do it every single time, nor was that a long-term solution.
Suoxin helped carry the bedding to the daybed in the outer room of the main hall, instructing:
“Rest when you should during the night, but keep an ear out for the master’s orders inside. The tea is already warming on the small stove. I’ll come replace you tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you, Sister Suoxin. You should return to your room and rest early too.”
After seeing Suoxin off, Yanwan returned to the daybed by the window. This daybed was spacious enough for two, so the conditions were not too bad.
Listening to the silence in the inner chamber, the hall was currently quiet to the extreme, with only the faint crackling of the charcoal burning in the brazier in the center of the room.
It seemed Ruyi and the Emperor had already fallen asleep, which meant she could sleep too.
She raised her hand to unfasten the loop buttons at her collar and removed her outer robe to avoid creasing it. She did not bother to remove the rest of her clothing, saving herself the trouble of putting them back on if someone called from inside.
In the middle of the night, the Emperor awoke, feeling a heavy weight pressing against his chest.
By the dim candlelight, he saw that it was Ruyi’s arm resting across his chest.
The Emperor’s brows furrowed tightly. With the impatience of being jarred awake, he raised his hand and placed Ruyi’s arm back under her blanket.
Turning around to face away from Ruyi, he tossed and turned for a moment before raising his hand to rub his forehead. His sleepiness had vanished entirely. Staring at the bed curtains embroidered with pomegranate flower patterns, he began pondering court affairs in his mind.
A’ruo’s father had died in the line of duty, but fortunately, he had left behind strategies for water control. It was precisely out of consideration for his merits in water management that the Emperor had preserved A’ruo’s dignity all this time, but now there was no longer any need to care.
Recalling the underlying meaning in Ruyi’s words today, although the rift between them was gone, she was still deeply troubled by the matter concerning A’ruo.
A thoughtful look flashed through the Emperor’s eyes. She was his childhood sweetheart after all, and Ruyi was a person who valued affection deeply, with no family backing her. Though she sometimes acted inappropriately, her redeeming quality was that she was easy to control.
Although the Fuca family was capable, the Empress’s actions often went against his wishes. Furthermore, according to the results of Qiru’s pulse reading, the Empress’s lifespan might be limited.
The Mother of the Nation was no small matter; he could not afford not to make preparations on both fronts.
Uncovering the blanket, the Emperor rose from the bed, placing his hands behind his back. Looking at the moonlight streaming in from the window sill, the expression on his face turned increasingly cold.
Since A’ruo was useless now, he would find a suitable opportunity to hand her over for Ruyi to deal with—both to ease Ruyi’s mind and to serve as a warning to the Empress and the others.
Having made up his mind, the Emperor turned his head to look toward the outer room, the corners of his lips curving slightly into an inscrutable expression.
There was still a troublemaker left to resolve!
Lightening his steps, he lifted the door curtain and stepped into the outer room. Guided by the candlelight in the hall, he strode toward the daybed by the window.
As expected, it was her turn to keep watch.
Lowering his gaze to look at the darling sleeping soundly, her black hair was scattered messily across the pillow, and her fair skin looked even more lustrous under the candlelight. Her lips were slightly pouted, radiating a sweet charm even in her sleep.
Such a lovely and beautiful maiden—anyone who laid eyes on her would want to take her home, pampering and treasuring her with jewels and fine clothes, keeping her in one’s room for oneself alone to admire and cherish.
Before he knew it, he had stared at Yanwan long enough that his legs began to feel tired from standing.
Without making a sound, he simply sat on the edge of the daybed, resting his chin on his hand as he watched her sleeping face. After a long while, he raised his hand and pinched the tip of her nose.
” *Slap*, annoying…”
The lovely maiden directly swung her hand and slapped his hand away, muttering under her breath before turning around to face away from him and continuing to sleep.
How could this girl be so infuriating? He had already called her like this, yet she still would not get up—simply too unruly!
The Emperor pulled his nightwear closer. The night was cold, and wearing only thin garments made him feel chilled. Thus, he simply grabbed her and turned her back over.
Having been forcefully turned around, Yanwan was instantly startled awake. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a dark figure by the bed. Before she could even scream in fright, someone clamped a hand firmly over her mouth.
“Do not be afraid, it is I. Is this how you keep watch? When I want a drink of water, do I have to fumble in the dark to pour it myself?”
Blinking her hazy, sleepy eyes, her heart pounded wildly. Hearing these seemingly scolding words managed to ease her panic.
Only by the moonlight did she clearly see that it was actually the Emperor.
She let out a sigh of relief, pulled his large hand away from her lips, and suppressed her displeasure at having her sleep disturbed, speaking in a tone full of deliberate respect:
“This servant was sleeping deeply and failed to hear Your Majesty’s order. Please wait a moment; this servant will pour water for you.”
Why drink water instead of sleeping properly in the middle of the night? Doesn’t he know that drinking water at night causes eye bags?
Yanwan grumbled in her heart. Dizzily slipping down from the bed, she put on her shoes and resignedly went to pour the water.
Seeing that she believed him, the Emperor’s thin lips curved upward slightly as he watched her walk into the main hall.
Taking advantage of Yanwan’s departure, the Emperor did not care that this was merely a daybed; he hurriedly kicked off his shoes, slid into Yanwan’s blanket, and wrapped himself up—he was freezing to death!
The bed was warm and cozy from Yanwan’s sleep. Pulling the blanket up to his chin, a sweet fragrance drifted into his nostrils.
The Emperor lowered his head slightly and sniffed—it was the scent from her body.
This fragrance was very special, like the aroma of almond milk—sweet with a milky scent, exceptionally sweet.
Enveloped in the fragrant blanket, the Emperor’s heart suddenly began to beat furiously, making him inexplicably nervous.
Ruyi was sleeping in the inner chamber, yet he had actually lost his mind and slipped into this palace maid’s blanket.
This… if Ruyi were to find out, she would surely misunderstand. Though the two of them were completely innocent, would Ruyi vent her anger on Yanwan?
This sudden feeling of a guilty conscience was far too novel; even as the ruler of a nation, the Emperor had never experienced such a thing before.
Though he was romantic by nature, he had never done something like taking advantage of a concubine’s sleep to go and entice a palace maid—this was truly not the conduct of a gentleman.
Before the Emperor could figure things out, Yanwan walked back over carrying a teacup, only to see that the Emperor had actually lied down on the daybed.
The Emperor had actually taken the initiative to sleep in her blanket?
She could not help but look at the Emperor strangely, a trace of speechlessness and amusement appearing on her face.
This development was simply too bizarre. Why was this lord not sleeping properly and running onto her daybed instead?
Facing an Emperor who was so proactive, why did this feel like Tripitaka voluntarily moving into the Web-Spun Ridge?
After all, the Emperor was her target to begin with, yet before she had even actively enticed him, this Tripitaka had voluntarily run onto her bed.
Delivered right to her doorstep—should she eat this Tripitaka, or not?