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

Pei Yan made no move, letting Shen Jiayu cause trouble.

He allowed her to kiss his face, his lips, and even his long, jade-like fingers.

Until Shen Jiayu had made enough of a scene.

Pei Yan asked calmly, "Are you satisfied now?"

Shen Jiayu kissed his thin lips hard and mumbled a random "Mmm."

She was about to reach her hand out from inside the man's clothes.

He was then gently but firmly held down.

Shen Jiayu's palm pressed against the warm skin, and she could clearly feel the curves and undulations of the lines beneath her hand.

Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, and her palms burned.

Since they wouldn't let her leave anyway, Shen Jiayu took a deep breath and decided to freely grope her taut waist and abdomen.

Having satisfied her urge to use her hands, Shen Jiayu was completely content.

But when she looked up, she saw the man's deep, dark eyes. His black eyes were fixed on her, as if he would devour her completely at any moment.

Shen Jiayu's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously swallowed.

He was just turning to leave.

But Pei Yan wouldn't let her escape. He hooked her in his arms, trapping her beneath him. "Trying to run?"

Shen Jiayu composed herself and put on an innocent expression: "Your Majesty, I am unwell and cannot serve you. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Pei Yan sneered, carried the person back to the inner chamber, and threw him onto the bed.

Shen Jiayu subtly shifted inside, using her most effective excuse: "I'm on my period today, so I really can't serve Your Majesty."

Pei Yan responded softly, then took off his outer robe and lowered the curtain.

Shen Jiayu was puzzled.

She already said she couldn't serve the emperor in bed, so what's the point of this?

Going straight to bed is a bit too early.

As she pondered this, she heard the man's deep voice, "You've read all those rare books bought from outside the palace, haven't you? There must be some way, right?"

These words made Shen Jiayu freeze.

Thinking of those vivid pictures, her ears turned bright red, and her fair, snow-white neck flushed crimson.

After a long pause, she replied in a muffled voice, "Seeing it doesn't mean I can do it."

Pei Yan raised his hand, his fingers gently tracing her eyebrows and eyes, his voice soft and low, "It's alright, I'll teach you slowly."

The man took her slender hand and placed it on his warm chest, then, under her gaze, inch by inch, he slid it into his nightgown.

......

......

As Pei Yan held her captive in his arms and kissed her earlobe, Shen Jiayu felt extremely regretful.

I should have known better than to use those shields to provoke him.

This person really holds a grudge!

But he wasn't in a hurry; he took his time, doing things little by little.

Her wrists were a little sore.

That wasn't enough; he wanted to torture her as well.

My beautiful, white jade-like earlobe was gently bitten and sucked; it hurt a little, but it itched more than anything.

Shen Jiayu's waist was truly weak and powerless this time, and she leaned against the man's broad chest.

She turned her head away, trying to avoid such intimacy.

The next moment, the man's warm breath brushed against her ear, "Ayu, it's still early, don't rush."

This voice was different from the usual cold and distant one; it was hoarse and deep, pleasant and alluring, with a hint of seduction.

A tingling sensation spread through her eardrums and quickly throughout her body, leaving Shen Jiayu completely powerless and at his mercy.

*

In the days that followed, Shen Jiayu was ordered to recuperate and was forbidden from leaving the palace.

Although the imperial decree to promote her to the rank of Imperial Concubine Chen has been issued, the investiture ceremony has not yet taken place, and she cannot interfere in palace affairs in advance.

Moreover, Pei Yan didn't let her take charge right now, but only told her to focus on recovering from her illness.

With nothing to do, Shen Jiayu would spend her days in the palace reading idle books and stories, teasing Linxue, and chatting with Hongling and the others to pass the time.

Having nothing else to do that day, she had the potted plants under the west corridor moved away to make room for a swing.

After being tied up, Shen Jiayu started swinging on it.

Seeing this, Lin Xue became very curious, ran around the swing a few times, and then tried to bite Shen Jiayu's skirt, trying to pull her down.

Hongling didn't understand: "What's this for?"

Shen Jiayu stopped and patted Linxue's big head. "It's afraid I'm in danger and wants me to come down."

Lin Xue tapped her palm, making two whimpering sounds, as if as a warning.

Shen Jiayu couldn't help but smile and said, "I'm fine, this is really fun."

She got down and had the palace servants lift Linxue up and rock her back to bed.

At first, Linxue was terrified and whimpered, but after realizing there was no danger, she leisurely started swishing her tail.

This scene made everyone in Yihua Palace laugh.

Hongling smiled and said, "It's a kind gesture, but I'm afraid Your Highness can't accept this dress."

Shen Jiayu lowered her head and looked at the hem of her skirt; sure enough, it was snagged.

She smiled and waved her hand, saying, "It's alright, we have plenty of fabric in the palace. His Majesty bestowed a lot of it on us the other day. Send it to the Imperial Clothing Bureau and have them make a few new pieces."

Hongling agreed.

Shen Jiayu then said, "It's a waste to leave the remaining fabric lying around. Go and pick out some less conspicuous pieces, and make a few clothes for you and Lü'e."

The two quickly thanked him.

As for the others, Shen Jiayu did not reward them.

On one hand, the bond between them is different. Hongling and Lü'e have been with her since childhood, and their relationship is the deepest. Although the people in the palace now are also loyal, they don't share that deep affection. Moreover, Yihua Palace already provides the most rewards in the palace. If they continue to give rewards, it's hard to guarantee that they won't become greedy and arrogant, which would be counterproductive.

On the other hand, only Hongling and Lü'e knew about the matter of the wormwood juice, and both of them had contributed, so they deserved some reward. These few clothes were nothing; at the end of the year, she would still talk to the Duchess about giving generous rewards to their families.

Linxue swung on the swing for a while, but her restless nature got the better of her and she went off to chase and play.

The palace maids removed its cushion and replaced it with a soft satin cushion.

Shen Jiayu let Hongling and the others try it, and then went to rest on the chaise lounge in the east corridor.

After dozing off for a short while, I suddenly felt the playful sounds around me disappear, and a tall figure blocked out the light.

Shen Jiayu opened her eyes and, as expected, saw a noble and aloof face: "His Majesty has arrived?"

Pei Yan frowned slightly: "When I left this morning, you were still asleep, and you're asleep again now. Is your head feeling heavy, or are you feeling unwell?"

As he spoke, he placed his palm on Shen Jiayu's forehead to check her temperature.

Shen Jiayu grasped his large hand and grumbled, "It's all because of Your Majesty. You won't let me do this, you won't let me do that, you won't even let me leave the palace. I'm so bored, I can only sleep when I have nothing to do."

Pei Yan looked down at her: "Do you intend to keep taking medicine indefinitely?"

"Of course I don't want to!" Shen Jiayu immediately shook her head, then said with a wronged look, "But I can't even leave the palace gates, I'm so bored."

Pei Yan looked at her like this and sighed helplessly: "If you feel bored, go sit with the Empress Dowager. As for the rest..."

He thought for a long time but couldn't recall anyone in the palace who was close to her, so he gave up.

Shen Jiayu's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Then may I take a stroll in the Imperial Garden?"

Pei Yan nodded: "It's fine to look at the scenery, just don't wander around for too long. You're still weak, so don't get too tired."

Shen Jiayu nodded obediently: "Your Majesty, I've got it. I'll be back after a short stroll."

Pei Yan gave a soft "hmm".

After receiving permission to leave the palace, Shen Jiayu instantly became cheerful and energetic. "There's a swing installed in the west corridor. Your Majesty, please play with me."

Pei Yan glanced to the west and indeed saw an extra swing there.

This is something that women have always enjoyed playing with.

Even when Pei Yan was young, he wasn't interested at all, let alone now.

Seeing Shen Jiayu's expectant eyes, Pei Yan pulled her to her feet and led her over.