What did this mean?
Was she to sit on his lap? Or something else?
Ming Yueni was dazed with sleepiness. Despite her best efforts to remain conscious, she simply could not overcome the urge to sleep.
She couldn’t guess his intent. Nor did she dare to act recklessly and risk poking the tiger’s backside.
“Your Majesty?”
Ming Yueni’s beautiful eyes were covered in a misty glaze of exhaustion. With the corners of her eyes flushed red, she called out to him timidly.
Her eyes seemed to speak: Your Majesty, what do you mean? Could you not just tell me directly?
Hmph! Bei Chenyuan snorted inwardly. He didn’t believe for a second that Ming Yueni didn’t even know how to seduce someone.
Was she still feigning innocence?
Bei Chenyuan’s expression remained cold and heartless. Maintaining his imperial dignity, he continued to read his book.
“Your Majesty?”
“Your Majesty?”
Ming Yueni called out several times, her soft voice tinged with a hint of grievance.
When she received no response, she let out a yawn.
Sinking down against the gilded sandalwood chair carved with dragons, her body as supple as a willow, she slowly slid down until she was finally kneeling at the Emperor’s feet.
Leaning her head against the dragon chair, she closed her beautiful eyes.
Bei Chenyuan paused.
Within the deep, dark depths of his eyes, a flicker of surprise and disbelief surfaced. He lowered his gaze to look at Ming Yueni’s lovely face, his brow furrowing tightly.
In the next second, finding the hard dragon chair uncomfortable, Ming Yueni twisted her waist. Her head tilted, and her body pressed against Bei Chenyuan’s leg.
Like a kitten using Bei Chenyuan’s thigh as a pillow, she found a comfortable position for herself. Her breathing became long and steady as she drifted into dreamland.
Bei Chenyuan was speechless.
He gazed down at her quietly for a moment, then, unable to help himself, he reached out and touched the red mark on her cheek.
Her skin was delicate and smooth. Because of the swelling, it felt warmer than the rest of her face.
“Poor little thing,” Bei Chenyuan sighed softly.
What had Ming Yueni done wrong?
She was delicate and weak, born too beautiful to control her own destiny. She could only cling to him and seek his protection.
And Ming Yueni had chosen him, not the Crown Prince.
At this thought, the anger in Bei Chenyuan’s heart instantly dissipated.
A delicate flower is easily broken; only with proper love and care can it bloom most beautifully.
He stroked Ming Yueni’s head, indulging her as she slept with his thigh as a pillow.
The candlelight flickered, and the only sound in the Imperial Study was the faint rustling of turning pages.
Ming Yueni’s lips curled into a tiny, secret smile.
The night passed peacefully.
When Ming Yueni woke up, she found herself lying on a soft couch beneath the window, covered with a dragon robe.
She sat up. “Your Majesty?”
“His Majesty has gone to the morning court.”
The sudden voice startled Ming Yueni. But when she turned her head, she cried out in surprise and joy, “Sister Yin Guo!”
“Beauty, you really are…”
Yin Guo hesitated, sighed, and shook her head.
Immediately after, she clapped her hands and ordered the palace servants to bring in water to serve Ming Yueni as she washed.
At the same time, she brought over a small box and presented it to Ming Yueni. “Beauty, this is a reward for you from His Majesty.”
“Huh?”
Ming Yueni’s eyes filled with surprise.
She hadn’t even succeeded in “attending the bed,” yet she still received a reward?
“This concubine thanks His Majesty.” Ming Yueni gave thanks first, then took the box and opened it.
A row of jade implements lay inside, looking ferocious and intimidating.
From small to large, the smallest was about two fingers wide, while the largest was comparable to that of a donkey.
Ming Yueni was stunned, her eyes widening in shock.
She froze on the spot, her face turning from pink to a red so deep it looked like it might bleed. The blush spread from her face to her ears and neck until her entire body felt hot.
Ming Yueni’s hand trembled. Fearing she might drop it, Yin Guo lunged forward to steady the box. “Beauty, you mustn’t! This is an imperial gift; you absolutely cannot drop it!”
“I… I… this is—!!!”
Ming Yueni’s head felt like it was steaming with shame as she looked at Yin Guo, utterly at a loss.
Yin Guo cleared her throat and dismissed the servants, leaving only herself and Ming Yueni in the room.
“Beauty, failing to attend the bed last night was actually a good thing.”
With a smile on her face, Yin Guo spoke to Ming Yueni heart-to-heart. “You are a delicate creature, unversed in the matters of the bedroom. The first time is never easy.”
“Since His Majesty has bestowed these, I will teach you well how to use them… next time, you will surely succeed!”
Ambitious and entirely without shame, Yin Guo was determined to teach her.
Caught in an impossible situation, Ming Yueni felt like her toes were about to curl right through her slippers.
After finally enduring the verbal instructions, Yin Guo asked in a low voice, “Beauty, would you like me to give you hands-on instruction?”
“No! No need!”
Ming Yueni shook her head like a rattle in terror.
She didn’t dare take another look, snapping the box shut and clutching it to her chest. “Sister Yin Guo, I’m going back to Fu Rou Palace now!”
Watching Ming Yueni flee in a panic, Yin Guo couldn’t help but shake her head with a laugh. “His Majesty is truly bad, coming up with such a way to scare someone.”
As soon as Ming Yueni returned to Fu Rou Palace, she immediately shoved the “hot potato” under her bed.
She collapsed onto the bed, her legs weak, and began pounding the mattress with her fists.
“That old man! How shameless!”
“I won’t use them…”
Shen Rou walked in curiously. “Sister Nie’er, who are you cursing? What won’t you use?”
Ming Yueni froze, then immediately covered her face with her hands, acting coy and bashful. “Sister Rou, please don’t ask.”
Shen Rou gave her a meaningful look.
Seeing that Ming Yueni could run back on her own, she knew the attempt at “attending the bed” had been unsuccessful.
However, Ming Yueni was, in the end, different from the rest of them.
Shen Rou walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, smiling as she pulled down Ming Yueni’s hands. “Sister Nie’er, I have good news for you.”
“Good news? What is it?”
“His Majesty has issued a decree to summon your mother and younger brother into the palace to reunite with you. I received the news early this morning. By now, they should already be in the palace and on their way to Fu Rou Palace.”
Shen Rou nudged the stunned Ming Yueni and gave a gentle smile. “Go on, get dressed and ready. I will go to the gate to welcome them for you.”
“Alright! Thank you, Sister Rou!”
The surprise had come too suddenly!
Ming Yueni couldn’t believe it for a moment. She scrambled to change her clothes and fix her appearance.
Once she was ready, she went to the side hall for receiving guests. Seeing her mother and brother with her own eyes, her heart finally felt at peace.
“Mother!”
Ming Yueni couldn’t stop the tears from welling up. Her voice was choked and trembling, filled with longing.
Others might not know, but she understood clearly how difficult it had been to be separated by death and then reunited across lifetimes!
“Ah! Ah!” Lady Tao was unable to speak. She could only rush forward, touching Ming Yueni’s head and wiping her tears. She looked at Ming Yueni with a gentle, loving smile, her eyes full of tenderness.
“Sister, don’t cry!”
Ming Yuechang also crowded around, clenching his fists in worry. “Sister, is someone bullying you? Tell me, and I’ll get revenge for you!”
“Xiao Chang, how old are you? Who could you possibly fight?”
Ming Yueni smiled through her tears and rubbed her brother’s head. She explained, “No one is bullying me. I’m crying because I missed you both so much.”
“Sister!”
Ming Yuechang let out a wail, his eyes red as he lunged forward to hug Ming Yueni tightly around the waist.
Lady Tao also opened her arms, holding Ming Yueni just as she had when she was a child, stroking her back to comfort her.
Seeing this, Shen Rou smiled understandingly and quietly slipped away, leaving the space for the family of three.
“Mother, Xiao Chang, sit down!”
Ming Yueni led her family to their seats. She wiped her tears, but upon closer inspection of what her mother and brother were wearing, her expression instantly changed.
“Mother! Xiao Chang, who gave you these?”