Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

The light green dance costume trembled slightly in the wind on the crabapple blossom branch.

As the wine intensifies, spring thoughts stir; the embroidered quilt with mandarin ducks ripples like red waves.

They finally fell asleep in each other's arms after a long night of commotion. At dawn, Li Dequan dared to call out softly from outside, "Your Majesty, it's time for the morning court session."

After a moment of silence in the hall, Kangxi's slightly hoarse voice rang out: "Understood."

He slowly got up, moving so gently that he was afraid of waking the person next to him.

Liu Yunshu was still fast asleep, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyelids, a satisfied smile on her lips.

Last night's lingering caresses left her with faint dark circles under her eyes, but it only added to her endearing, innocent charm.

Kangxi bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, tucking the blanket around her with his fingertips before turning to let Li Dequan help her change her clothes.

"The Queen is still asleep. Have the kitchen keep some warm snacks for her to eat when she wakes up."

As he fastened his jade belt, Kangxi gave instructions in a low voice, his gaze still frequently drifting towards the bed.

Li Dequan quickly bowed and replied, "This servant has noted it down. I will go and instruct the kitchen immediately."

Before leaving, Kangxi glanced back at the figure on the bed. Seeing that Liu Yunshu had turned over and was still sleeping soundly, he quietly closed the door.

When Liu Yunshu opened her eyes, warm sunlight was already streaming into the hall through the window screens.

She turned to the side, her fingertips still able to feel the lingering warmth of the bedding.

"Your Highness is awake?" Biyu, the personal maid who was guarding her side, saw her move and quickly stepped forward in a low voice.

Liu Yunshu sat up, her long, black hair cascading over her shoulders. Looking at the empty space outside the bed, she softly asked, "How long has His Majesty been gone?"

"Your Majesty, His Majesty went to the morning court at the beginning of the morning, and he glanced at you several times before he left."

As Biyu smoothed her hair, she smiled and said, "I told you not to get up right away after you woke up, but to rest properly."

"Um."

Liu Yunshu responded softly, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the lotus pattern embroidered on the brocade quilt.

"Do my makeup," she said softly, glancing at the faint dark circles under her eyes in the mirror, and clicked her tongue lightly, thinking, "Your stamina is really good."

Keep it simple, no need to go to too much trouble.

Biyu agreed and took a peach wood comb to carefully comb her long hair.

Her hair, as black as ink, slid down her fingertips, making her neck appear even whiter.

"Her Majesty was drunk yesterday, so in addition to a hangover soup, the kitchen also prepared bird's nest and lily porridge."

Liu Yunshu nodded slightly, and Biyu combed her hair into a small double bun, adorned with only two white jade hairpins and a few freshly picked peonies.

Then he dressed her in a smoky purple dress embroidered with magnolia flowers, with delicate intertwined branches embroidered on the collar and cuffs, simple yet gentle.

After finishing her makeup, Liu Yunshu moved to the soft couch in the outer room and sat down. Bixi had already brought over warm rose cake and bird's nest and lily porridge.

She scooped up a spoonful and savored it slowly, her gaze fixed on the sycamore tree outside the window.

After finishing breakfast, Liu Yunshu prepared to lie down on the soft couch under the eaves and read a book for a while.

As soon as I stepped onto the veranda, I saw that the cotton mat that had been soaked last night had been replaced with a new one.

Liu Yunshu paused, a blush spreading across her face. It was truly...exciting.

She leaned back on the soft couch, opened Li Qingzhao's poetry collection, and read it carefully.

As my fingertips gently brushed across the pages of the book, describing the phrase "last night the rain was sparse and the wind was strong," I felt a strange connection to the mood of the previous night.

Just as I was engrossed in watching, I suddenly heard light footsteps coming from the corridor. I looked up and saw Xiao Shuangzi walking over.

After bowing, Xiao Shuangzi lowered her head and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Noble Consort has come to pay a visit with Consort Hui, Consort Yi, Consort De, and Consort Rong."

Liu Yunshu paused slightly in her grip on the book, then composed herself and said softly, "I understand. Please invite them in."

He then leaned back.

Xiao Shuangzi acknowledged and withdrew. Not long after, several elegantly dressed ladies walked gracefully towards them.

The leading concubine was dressed in a pomegranate-red palace gown with scattered flowers, with a red-gold and kingfisher feather hairpin tucked behind her ear. She had a plump figure and a somewhat complicated look in her eyes.

The four concubines and others looked at her with scrutiny, mixed feelings, or jealousy.

Liu Yunshu ignored the stares and continued to lean against the soft couch.

Her fingertips paused lightly on the pages of the book, her gaze calmly meeting the newcomers', a faint smile playing on her lips: "My sisters are rare guests, please have a seat."

Upon hearing this, the four concubines unconsciously looked at the Imperial Concubine, only to find that her expression was extremely stiff.

The Imperial Concubine concealed the complex emotions in her eyes and stepped forward gracefully.

"The time in the inner palace is long, and the sisters thought that Your Majesty the Empress had just entered the palace and were afraid that you would be bored by being alone, so they came together to see you."

As she spoke, her gaze subtly swept over Liu Yunshu's simple everyday clothes and the decorations in her hair, her eyes flickering.

This simple attire made her appear even more elegant and refined, while their jeweled outfits seemed rather commonplace.

A slight unease crossed the Imperial Concubine's heart, but she maintained a dignified smile: "Your Majesty is reading a book right now? How delightful."

Liu Yunshu gently closed the book and placed it on the small table beside her, her tone indifferent: "It's just something to pass the time. My sisters came today, surely not just to see me?"

Consort Hui, being the most straightforward, couldn't help but speak up: "Now that Your Majesty the Empress enjoys the Emperor's favor, we, as her younger sisters, should naturally come to congratulate you. But we wonder if Your Majesty has any new plans for managing the six palaces in the future?"

There was a hint of probing in her words, since in the past, the affairs of the inner palace were mostly managed by the Imperial Concubine.

Liu Yunshu picked up the tea that Biyu had just served, the aroma of tea wafting from her fingertips, and said slowly, "Speaking of palace affairs, my sisters have reminded me of this."

Liu Yunshu gently stroked the warm teacup with her fingertips, her tone unhurried.

"In the past, the Imperial Concubine managed the palace affairs in an orderly manner, so the Imperial Concubine continued to manage them. Consort Hui and Consort Yi assisted in managing the purchase of the allotted items and the repair of the palace gardens. Consort De was meticulous and managed the accounts of the expenses of each palace. Consort Rong was gentle and was responsible for the teaching of etiquette in the harem and the affairs of festivals."

As soon as she finished speaking, the expressions on the faces of the group varied.

Although the Imperial Concubine still held great power, she had lost the freedom of her former autocratic rule, and a hint of weighing her options crossed her brows.

After receiving their specific assignments, Consort Hui and Consort Yi exchanged a glance and stopped testing each other.

Consort De lowered her eyes and twisted the embroidery thread on her sleeve, as if she were calculating trivial accounts.

Consort Rong smiled gently and replied softly, "Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail your trust."

Liu Yunshu took in everyone's expressions and tapped her teacup with her fingertips.

"As for the new regulations, there is one clause: if anyone stirs up trouble in the palace, spreads rumors, mistreats servants, or deducts from their allowance, once verified, I will not tolerate it."

Liu Yunshu spoke calmly, yet with an undeniable weight: "Palace servants can supervise each other, and those who report others and whose reports are verified will be generously rewarded."

As soon as he finished speaking, the wind in the corridor seemed to calm down a bit.

The Imperial Concubine's fingers tightened slightly as she held the teacup. The steam from the rim of the cup blurred the emotions in her eyes, but she still maintained her composure and smiled, "Your Majesty is right. The harem should be law-abiding, and I will certainly set a good example."

The four concubines looked at Liu Yunshu with complicated expressions, not understanding why she was sharing power, but a sense of joy welled up in their hearts.

In the past, the imperial concubine held absolute power in the palace, so it was naturally a pleasant thing to be able to share in that power today.

As they were talking, they heard a eunuch's high-pitched voice announcing his arrival from outside.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

Before the words were finished, Kangxi's bright yellow figure appeared at the moon gate.

He had just finished the morning court session, his dragon robe still in place, carrying the solemn air of the assembly, but his gaze softened instantly when it fell upon Liu Yunshu on the soft couch in the corridor.

"Your Majesty." Liu Yunshu stood up to pay her respects, but Kangxi quickly stepped forward and pressed her shoulder down.

"I just told you to rest well, no need for formalities."

His fingertips brushed casually against her wrist; the cool, warm touch made him frown slightly. "Why are you dressed so lightly?"

Before Liu Yunshu could reply, the Imperial Concubine and the others all curtsied and greeted the Emperor: "Your Majesty, we pay our respects."

Kangxi nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on Liu Yunshu, and casually wrapped the dark-patterned cloak he had been holding around his arm around her shoulders.

"The air is cool in the mornings and evenings, so be careful not to catch a cold."

The cloak still carried the scent of his ambergris, mixed with the faint fragrance of morning dew, enveloping Liu Yunshu in warmth.

As the imperial concubine watched this scene, her hand holding the teacup trembled almost imperceptibly.

Although the Emperor had always favored the women in the harem, he had never shown them such meticulous care.

He would even personally drape a cloak over the Empress; such affection was something they had never witnessed before.

"Why are you all here?" Kangxi then turned to the crowd, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

Consort Hui quickly smiled and said, "We thought that Her Majesty the Empress had just entered the palace and might be feeling bored, so we came to keep Her Majesty company and chat with her."

Emperor Kangxi hummed in agreement, his gaze falling on the collection of Li Qingzhao's poems beside Liu Yunshu. He reached out, picked it up, and began to peruse it. "Reading Yi'an's poems?"

"It's just something to pass the time when I have nothing else to do." Liu Yunshu looked up at him, and the morning light shone through the gaps in the sycamore leaves onto his profile, making the gentleness that was usually hard to notice even clearer.

"'Last night the rain was sparse and the wind was strong'?" Kangxi's fingertip paused on that page, he looked up at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "Does the Empress share the same feeling as Yi'an?"

Liu Yunshu knew he was alluding to what happened last night, and glared at him reproachfully, but he grabbed her fingertips in return.

The gentle, indulgent caress instantly transformed her shyness into a sweet feeling.

Seeing this scene, the imperial concubine and the others could no longer sit still.

The tacit understanding between the Emperor and Empress was so profound that no outsiders could interfere.

They had come today intending to probe the Empress's background and give her a warning, but now they felt like superfluous decorations.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has just rested and must be tired, so we will not disturb her any longer."

The Imperial Concubine was the first to rise and take her leave, her tone conveying a sense of tactful concession.

Emperor Kangxi was eager for them to leave, and immediately nodded: "Very well, so that the Empress can have some peace and quiet."

After everyone respectfully withdrew, only the two of them remained in the corridor.

Liu Yunshu gently pulled her hand away from his, adjusted her cloak, and said reproachfully, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid of being laughed at in front of them?"

Kangxi chuckled softly, leaned close to her ear, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Who dares to laugh at my intimacy with my own empress?"

His warm breath brushed against my ear, carrying his unique blend of domineering and tenderness. "Besides, who was it that whispered in my ear last night..."

"emperor!"