The room was filled with the faint fragrance of sandalwood incense. Xie Yanzhao sat at the desk, reviewing memorials, his handsome features carrying the calm composure of someone who had everything under control.
By now, the Emperor had already gradually handed over much of his authority, and many affairs of the imperial court were personally handled by Xie Yanzhao.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Xie Yanzhao lifted his eyes. The moment he saw who had arrived, all the sharpness in his gaze disappeared.
“Yuanyuan…”
Shen Tinghe gathered up her skirt and hurried over, throwing herself into his arms.
“Brother”
The aura around Xie Yanzhao immediately softened. He raised his hand and stroked her long hair, his heart melting completely.
“How did my Yuanyuan become so clingy today?”
Shen Tinghe lifted her head from his arms and held the Qilin Tally out to him.
“I don’t want this.”
Xie Yanzhao frowned slightly.
“Does Yuanyuan want the Tiger Tally instead? You’ll have to wait a little longer. I…”
“No, that’s not it.”
Shen Tinghe hurriedly raised her little hand and covered his mouth.
“The Tiger Tally is even more impossible to accept. That’s something used to mobilize troops. Keeping it privately would be an act of treason.”
Xie Yanzhao looked at her flustered expression, his gaze still calm, as though he didn’t think it was anything particularly important.
He grasped her wrist.
“Yuanyuan, you’re my Crown Princess and the future Empress. Everything I possess should naturally belong to you.”
Shen Tinghe placed the Qilin Tally on the desk and wrapped her arms around his waist again.
“I don’t dare take it. It’s such an important thing. If I accidentally lose it, we’d be in trouble.”
Xie Yanzhao sighed softly and gently pinched her cheek.
“You’re quite bold when you’re throwing a little tantrum with me. Why are you suddenly afraid now?”
“It’s different.”
Shen Tinghe muttered.
“How is it different?”
Xie Yanzhao lowered his head to look at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Shen Tinghe raised her head and gazed into his deep eyes. She answered seriously,
“Brother is different.”
Xie Yanzhao leaned closer to her.
“Why are you so sweet-tongued today? Let me have a taste.”
As he spoke, he lifted her chin and lowered his head to kiss her.
Her soft lips were captured by his as he kissed her gently.
His tongue lightly brushed against hers, carrying both an irresistible dominance and tenderness.
Gradually, Shen Tinghe’s face flushed bright red and her breathing became rapid. She instinctively raised her hand and patted his chest, trying to push him away.
Xie Yanzhao reluctantly released her, then lightly kissed the corner of her lips.
“Why haven’t you learned to breathe properly yet? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?”
Shen Tinghe wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her flushed face in the crook of his neck, complaining,
“You’re bullying me.”
Xie Yanzhao wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, his voice suggestive.
“Just a kiss counts as bullying? Then what will my precious girl do after we get married?”
Embarrassed, Shen Tinghe immediately burrowed deeper into his arms.
Although she was an unmarried young lady, she wasn’t completely ignorant of such matters.
Whenever the two of them embraced, she could occasionally clearly sense the changes in his body. The burning warmth and firmness made her both shy and flustered.
“The… the Qilin Tally. Put it away quickly. I should go home.”
She had barely created a little distance between them when Xie Yanzhao pulled her back into his arms.
“You really don’t want it?”
“I don’t.”
Shen Tinghe shook her head firmly.
“All right.”
Xie Yanzhao finally gave in, his tone carrying a hint of indulgence.
“Then I’ll give it to you after we get married. At that time, you must keep it.”
Shen Tinghe pouted, about to say something more, but Xie Yanzhao lowered his head and silenced her with another kiss.
There was a smile in his eyes, as if he were saying: Say one more word, and I’ll kiss you again.
Shen Tinghe was most helpless against him when he acted like this. His deep eyes reflected nothing but her figure, making it impossible for her to resist him.
Xie Yanzhao supported her by the waist and turned around, then picked up the writing brush beside the desk and placed it in her hand.
“Let me see whether your handwriting has deteriorated during this time.”
“Of course it hasn’t!”
Shen Tinghe straightened her back proudly.
“I practice properly every day.”
She held the brush and casually wrote several characters on the xuan paper.
Her handwriting had been personally taught by Xie Yanzhao. It bore some resemblance to his, but hers was more delicate and graceful, lacking some of the domineering sharpness in his calligraphy.
Xie Yanzhao stood behind her, their bodies pressed closely together. He could clearly smell the fragrance of her hair and feel her soft body against his.
He felt his entire body tremble faintly, while the desire in his heart grew increasingly intense.
He leaned down and whispered beside her ear,
“There are still two months before our wedding. That’s too long.”
Shen Tinghe turned her head to look at him.
“Are you even looking properly?”
Only then did Xie Yanzhao shift his gaze to the paper. Seeing traces of his own influence in her handwriting, a smile appeared at the corners of his lips.
This was his little girl, someone he had personally taught. From now on, she would belong to him alone.
The two of them remained wrapped up in one another in the study, the atmosphere warm and intimate.
A respectful voice came from outside the door.
“Your Highness, Lord Wang Xude, the Minister of the Dali Temple, requests an audience.”
When Shen Tinghe heard the voice, she tried to pull herself out of his arms.
“Crown Prince Brother, someone is here.”
Xie Yanzhao kept his hand around her waist and refused to let go. His voice was lazy yet domineering.
“Tell him to wait.”
Outside the study, Qi Lu and Lord Wang Xude quietly stood there.
Wang Xude was a perceptive man. After hearing no movement from inside for quite some time, he lowered his voice and asked Qi Lu,
“Eunuch Qi Lu, is His Highness meeting someone?”
Qi Lu wore a standard, flawless smile and bowed slightly.
“This servant doesn’t know either. His Highness has ordered that no one may enter without being summoned.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Xude merely smiled faintly and did not ask any further questions.
Everyone here was clever. There were some things that weren’t unknown they simply couldn’t be said, and there was no need to say them.
Inside the study, Xie Yanzhao held Shen Tinghe’s hand and wrote several more characters on the xuan paper.
His strokes were powerful and flowing, seeming to carry immense strength through the paper, forming a striking contrast with Shen Tinghe’s comparatively delicate handwriting beside it.
“Is this the result of practicing every day? Your wrist is too weak, and you don’t have enough strength. Compared with last month, you’ve clearly gotten worse.”
Shen Tinghe puffed out her cheeks in protest.
“Tomorrow is the Thousand Flowers Banquet. I just haven’t practiced much these past few days.”
Xie Yanzhao gently bit her small earlobe, then lightly rubbed it with his teeth as though punishing her, causing Shen Tinghe to shiver.
“Yuanyuan always has an excuse.”
His voice was hoarse, carrying a captivating magnetism.
Shen Tinghe pushed against him with her hands, forcing herself to put on a serious expression as she earnestly advised,
“We aren’t married yet. Your Highness should also show some restraint. Men and women are different.”
“Your Highness?”
Xie Yanzhao raised an eyebrow slightly. A dangerous glint flashed through his deep, bottomless eyes as they narrowed.
The natural imperial authority that surrounded him would occasionally reveal itself even during such intimate moments, carrying an unquestionable arrogance and dominance.
Shen Tinghe’s heart skipped a beat under his gaze, and she became a little timid.
She turned around, voluntarily wrapped her arms around his waist, then rose onto her toes and quickly kissed him on the chin.
“Brother, there are still people outside. Let me go first.”
Xie Yanzhao lowered his head and looked at her, clearly dissatisfied.
“That little bit of sweetness isn’t enough, Jiaojiao.”