After everyone had withdrawn, only Chu Yi and Jiang Yunshu remained in the hall.
Chu Yi’s cold gaze swept over her from head to toe before he casually flicked aside his robe and sat on the couch she had been resting on.
“Still not getting up?”
Jiang Yunshu immediately stood and skipped happily to his side, looking up at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
There was joy in them—and pleasant surprise.
“Your Majesty always appears so unexpectedly. Every time you come, you give this concubine such a wonderful surprise.”
His gaze drifted once more to her graceful, slender neck. The black gemstone hanging around it had slipped into the hollow of her collarbone during her dance.
His eyes darkened, desire flickering beneath them.
Patting the empty space beside him, he said, “Come sit here.”
Jiang Yunshu happened to catch that fleeting look.
This damned emperor is thinking about that again…
Obediently, she sat beside him, leaning lightly against his shoulder as though chatting casually.
“Your Majesty, I still haven’t thanked you for saving me a few days ago. Had that slap landed, this concubine’s face would have been ruined.”
As she spoke, her slender arms boldly wrapped around his neck.
Chu Yi naturally leaned closer, his lips brushing near her ear.
“Wan Noble Consort is overbearing. You’ve suffered because of her.”
Jiang Yunshu froze.
She had never expected Chu Yi—who usually came only for bed and rarely spoke—to say something like this today.
She was genuinely surprised.
Has he finally begun to notice me as a person?
She shook her head.
“No, Your Majesty. This concubine doesn’t feel wronged. Noble Consort Wan loves Your Majesty so deeply. Since I’ve taken a share of Your Majesty’s affection, it’s only natural for her to feel unhappy.”
“Oh? She loves me? Then what about you?”
Chu Yi looked at her curiously.
Love?
Is that really love? They’re clearly after power.
Looking somewhat bashful, Jiang Yunshu lowered her eyes. Her gaze shimmered as though she wanted to speak but hesitated. After a long pause, she finally answered softly.
“Your Majesty is Heaven’s chosen Son and blessed with peerless looks worthy of a dragon. This concubine would like to love Your Majesty… but I’m afraid I would only profane someone as exalted as you.
“So what I feel shouldn’t be called love.
“It is admiration… devotion…
“…the same reverence one holds toward a deity.”
What a clever little mouth she had.
Every other consort, with just one look from him, would honestly proclaim their undying love.
She alone dared to answer like this.
Intrigued, Chu Yi lifted her chin for a closer look.
Her face was no bigger than his palm. She possessed exquisite phoenix-shaped eyes, and at the corner of one eye lay a faint tear mole that added a touch of irresistible charm to her already stunning beauty.
Her eyes shimmered like autumn waters. Whenever she looked up, she appeared as delicate as willow branches and enchanting as blooming flowers.
It was impossible to look away.
Yet beneath those captivating eyes, there always seemed to flash a hint of cleverness…
Or perhaps subtle perfunctoriness.
He had clearly caught it—
Yet it vanished before he could grasp it.
It left him unable to figure her out.
It had been a long time since Chu Yi had experienced such a feeling.
He wanted to conquer her.
He had climbed from the humblest beginnings to the supreme throne of the Son of Heaven.
The entire realm belonged to him.
Yet this little girl still harbored the slightest trace of defiance toward him.
He found it immensely fascinating.
Without realizing it, his attention was completely drawn to her.
The more he interacted with her, the more he realized she was no ordinary woman.
Every smile, every frown lingered in his mind long afterward.
Chu Yi had never been particularly interested in matters between men and women.
Five years had passed since he ascended the throne, yet no child had ever been born in the imperial harem.
Spending ten nights a month in the harem was already considered unusually frequent.
To him, such things were no different from eating—
Merely satisfying the body’s needs.
But…
The woman before him was like a winding mountain path.
Every turn revealed another unexpected surprise.
As though there was no end to discovering her.
While lost in thought, his kisses had already wandered over her body.
Her skin was smooth as polished jade.
Her fair arms appeared and disappeared beneath the flowing fabric of her dress, half-concealed, half-revealed.
Holding her slender waist, Chu Yi lowered his voice beside her ear.
“Did you wear this dress deliberately for me?”
Jiang Yunshu’s head felt light.
“This concubine simply gets hot easily, so I shortened the dress a little to make it more comfortable… Ah…”
Before she could finish, he suddenly interrupted her with his actions.
Her heart skipped a beat, her entire body trembling in surprise.
A playful smile curved Chu Yi’s lips.
“Everyone else would say they dressed this way for me. Yet you insist you were only trying to stay cool. Little thing… am I really not worth even a little white lie?”
“Your Majesty…” Jiang Yunshu answered softly, “I don’t know what the other sisters tell you. But to this concubine, Your Majesty is like a deity. My heart is filled with reverence for you. How could I ever deceive you?
“But if Your Majesty likes this dress, then from now on… this concubine will wear it only for Your Majesty to see. Would that please you?”
Chu Yi said nothing.
Their breaths mingled as their figures overlapped beneath the flickering candlelight.
Outside, flowers bloomed and withered.
Clouds gathered and drifted away.
Afterward, Jiang Yunshu lay on the bed, breathing softly.
Chu Yi’s cool, slender fingers brushed lightly across the corner of her eye once more.
“Wan Noble Consort is domineering. From now on, avoid confronting her directly.
“Otherwise…
“I don’t know how many more times I’ll be able to protect you.”
Hearing those words, Jiang Yunshu turned toward him with unconcealed delight.
“So Your Majesty isn’t angry with me? You don’t think this concubine relied on your favor to deliberately provoke Noble Consort Wan?”
“You would dare?”
His thumb slowly stroked her hair.
She pouted slightly.
“Your Majesty, you’ve even discovered this concubine’s tiny flaw—that I’m terribly timid. Then in the future, you’ll have to treat this concubine a little more gently.”
“Timid?”
“Mm!”
Her flushed little face nodded with complete seriousness.
Chu Yi flicked her forehead lightly.
“You little liar. That night in Fenghua Palace, you dared grab an assassin’s leg. Is that what you call timid?”
Jiang Yunshu’s eyes rolled playfully before she answered with a sweet smile.
“This concubine had been in the palace for three years without ever seeing Your Majesty. When I finally met you, how could I simply watch something happen to you?
“At that moment, I didn’t think about anything. I just rushed forward.
“As long as Your Majesty is safe…
“This concubine will be safe as well.”
Chu Yi didn’t bother considering how much of her words were sincere.
What mattered was that he liked the way she looked at this moment.
Delicate and lively.
Whenever those phoenix eyes blinked, they stirred the heart.
There was also something else.
This little girl could never seem to keep her hands still.
She seemed especially fond of his chest, always brushing against it as though by accident.
The truth was…
Jiang Yunshu really did like Chu Yi’s chest.
After all, beneath it were perfectly sculpted muscles that felt exceptionally satisfying to touch.
She didn’t dare do so too openly, so she only let her fingertips graze him fleetingly now and then, secretly indulging herself.
Sometimes she even wondered…
Have I developed some strange obsession?
Chu Yi suddenly caught her wandering hand.
Resting his forehead against hers, he said hoarsely,
“Behave yourself. If you keep this up, I won’t let you get out of bed tomorrow.”
Tonight…
He had shown remarkable restraint.
Only twice.
Perhaps because there had been so many times before, having it end after only two rounds actually felt strangely unfamiliar to her.
Burying her face against his chest, Jiang Yunshu murmured,
“This concubine doesn’t have anything to do tomorrow anyway. Even if Your Majesty leaves me unable to get out of bed… that’s all right.”
Her words rippled through Chu Yi’s heart like stones cast into still water.
It was as though they had released the beast he had kept locked away for so long.
After that…
There was only abandon.
Outside the hall, Erya might have been young, but she had already spent three years in the palace.
Naturally, she understood what was happening.
Her cheeks couldn’t help but flush.
Nearby, Eunuch Wang An wore a deeply gratified smile.
As expected.
His master simply hadn’t met someone who suited his tastes before.
Now he was genuinely happy for him.
After all, life was long.
Finding someone you truly liked—and who matched you so well—was an exceedingly rare blessing.
When both parties desired the same thing, everything naturally fell into place.
And when two people were perfectly in sync…
They could create fireworks brilliant enough to dazzle the world.
But no matter how deeply she immersed herself in the role…
Jiang Yunshu constantly reminded herself—
It was only an act.
A performance meant to keep the boss happy…
So she could continue living a good life.