Entering the palace means entering a high position; I'm His Majesty's cousin, who am I afr

Xuanzheng Hall.

As the sky grew darker, Qing'an became increasingly anxious.

Why hasn't Consort Zhaoyi arrived yet?

Just as I was pondering whether to go there in person again, I suddenly saw a beautiful figure approaching from afar.

Qing An breathed a sigh of relief and went down to greet the person, "The Consort Zhaoyi has arrived."

Shen Jiayu nodded slightly and stepped into the hall.

The room was brightly lit and quiet.

After spotting the man's figure in the west hall where she lived, Shen Jiayu slowly moved inside.

Once she stepped across the threshold, she stopped moving, her head bowed, and remained silent.

Pei Yan knew about her as soon as she entered the palace, and now, seeing her actions, his eyes turned stern.

He did not speak.

The West Hall was eerily quiet for a moment.

It was Qing'an who sensed something was wrong and, taking the opportunity of serving tea, persuaded Shen Jiayu to sit on the other side of the couch.

After he left, the emperor and empress remained silent, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Pei Yan looked at her by the candlelight.

She was sitting hunched over, as if she wanted to turn her back to him. Even though they hadn't seen each other for a while, he didn't know where she got such a temper.

He tapped his knuckles lightly on the table and called out to her, "Shen Jiayu."

Shen Jiayu ignored him, neither raising her head nor responding.

Pei Yan's patience was wearing thin, and he asked in a deep voice, "Do you want to be punished?"

Upon hearing this, the woman opposite him reacted.

Shen Jiayu looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief, but she quickly suppressed it. Staring with her dark, watery eyes, she said, "So Your Majesty summoned me to punish me? There was no need for such trouble. If Your Majesty disliked me, you could have simply issued a decree to punish me."

Pei Yan frowned: "Would I punish someone without reason? You've been acting unreasonably all along, feigning illness and lying yesterday, saying you were sick and unable to serve me. And today you come, yet you have this attitude. Don't you think you deserve punishment?"

Shen Jiayu didn't think she had done anything wrong, stubbornly saying, "It's not like His Majesty wanted me to serve him in bed. It's just that it's my turn. What's wrong with me not wanting to come?"

Pei Yan caught the key point in her words and asked coldly, "Your turn?"

A layer of mist rose in Shen Jiayu's eyes, and her voice rose: "Isn't it my turn now? These past few days, His Majesty first visited Consort Hui, then Consort Lan and Consort Li, so isn't it my turn next?"

As she spoke, Shen Jiayu's tears were about to fall. She bit her lip to hold back and concluded, "It hasn't been many days since we last met, and His Majesty hasn't missed Ayu at all!"

Pei Yan frowned slightly and silently gazed at her.

Shen Jiayu held back her tears, but her eyes were red and swollen. She tried her best to keep her voice steady: "Is Your Majesty going to use palace rules to suppress me again? Fine, then I'll admit it tonight. I am jealous, I am unreasonable, and Your Majesty can punish me however you wish!"

After saying that, she lifted her skirt, straightened her back, and knelt down in front of Pei Yan.

Pei Yan's deep eyes were fixed on her.

After hearing these words, I finally understood why she had been throwing a tantrum these past two days.

It turns out they were just being jealous.

He took back the words he had intended to say to teach a lesson.

He was still able to be lenient about this. After all, the child was still young, had only recently been favored, and was in this position; it was understandable that he might feel jealous and want some special treatment.

Pei Yan slowly extended his hand, his tone softening slightly: "How do you know it's your turn, and not that I miss you?"

The slender woman kneeling on the ground looked at the large hand in front of her, but instead of extending it, she turned her face away sharply. She could no longer contain her emotions, and her voice choked with sobs, "I just didn't want to, I know that."

Pei Yan didn't let her continue kneeling. He pulled her forward and into his arms.

When she was told to punish him, Shen Jiayu dared to talk back, but after falling into a broad and familiar embrace and smelling the faint scent of agarwood, she completely lost control of her emotions.

Her small face was pressed against Pei Yan's chest, tears streaming down her face. She muttered her accusation, "Your Majesty is so cruel."

After calming down a bit, she looked up at her pitiful face and said, "Since mid-July, I haven't seen Your Majesty. I miss you, but I'm afraid of interfering with Your Majesty's affairs of state, so I haven't dared to come and ask for an audience. Even though the Imperial Dress Bureau made two new dresses for me, I haven't dared to wear them to show Your Majesty. I only hope that Your Majesty will have time to summon me. But..."

At this point, her eyes welled up with tears, and she looked utterly aggrieved.

"But Your Majesty has no regard for me at all! When Consort Hui was poisoned and fell into a coma, Your Majesty went to see her, but I had nothing to say."

But later, Your Majesty did not come to see me first, but went to see someone else.

Yesterday, it was my turn according to rank!

Originally, I thought that Your Majesty had been busy with state affairs these days, and although we hadn't met, at least you still cared about me. I was terribly wrong; it was all wishful thinking on my part!

Pei Yan sighed and wiped away her tears with his fingertips. "Are you so sure it's all just wishful thinking on your part?"

Shen Jiayu nodded vigorously.

"I only visited them a few days ago." Pei Yan paused for a moment, then said calmly, "As soon as I finished my official duties, I summoned you."

He emphasized the words "just visiting".

Shen Jiayu seemed not to have reacted yet: "What did Your Majesty say?"

Pei Yan looked at those eyes that were beginning to brighten, his tone flat, "You heard me clearly, didn't you?"

Shen Jiayu straddled his lap, facing him, her arms around his neck, and asked anxiously, "Really? Your Majesty really only visited them and didn't summon them to your bedchamber?"

Her words were quite straightforward.

Pei Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Shen Jiayu couldn't suppress the smile on her lips, her eyes shining brightly: "So, His Majesty summoned me first, didn't he?"

Pei Yan remained silent.

Shen Jiayu understood immediately, and she hugged him even tighter. "Your Majesty, this is wonderful!"

Pei Yan looked at her swollen eyes and scolded, "You're always thinking nonsense. I wonder if you'll even be able to open your eyes tomorrow."

Shen Jiayu felt embarrassed when she thought about her previous wild guesses.

She snuggled against him, pouting, "So, Your Majesty, please don't make Ayu guess anymore. Whether it's visiting or serving you in bed, Ayu will be the first! Before them all! Your Majesty, is that alright?"

Pei Yan's Adam's apple bobbed as he scolded, "You're such a domineering person."

Shen Jiayu wasn't afraid of his words. She leaned closer, kissed his lips, and tilted her head to ask, "Your Majesty, will you grant my request?"

A warm, sweet scent brushed against his face, and Pei Yan's eyes darkened as his gaze fell on her luscious, rosy lips.

Seeing this, Shen Jiayu once again tried to please him by offering her lips to his cool, thin lips.

This was the first time the two of them had done this.

They were close before, but always within boundaries, just a kiss or a peck.

This time, their lips met, their breaths mingled, and the atmosphere became enchanting and subtle.

Although Shen Jiayu was bold, she lacked technique. All she could do was extend her soft, crimson tongue and touch it cautiously.

After testing the waters for a while, just as she was about to leave, a pair of strong hands grabbed the back of her head.

Shen Jiayu was unable to move, her eyes wide open.

The moment the pearly teeth were pried open, a man's hoarse and curt reply echoed within the hall.

"it is good."