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

Shen Jiayu hooked her arms around the emperor's neck and tilted her head back to kiss his cool, thin lips.

After kissing him a few times, she buried her head in the man's neck and muttered, "They all bully me while His Majesty is away."

Sure enough, they couldn't stand it for long. Once they felt safe enough, they started complaining.

Pei Yan didn't call her spoiled as before; instead, his eyes softened slightly: "Were you bullied? Before I left, didn't you say that if anyone bullied you, you should show the might of Consort Chen?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiayu's voice suddenly rose: "Of course I showed my strength, but they outnumbered me and even used palace rules to suppress me."

She recounted the events that occurred during the search of the palace.

It details how the confrontation began, how the argument escalated, and how it escalated into a search of the palace, especially the instances where Consort Li repeatedly targeted and made things difficult for her!

This can be described as a blatant complaint against Consort Li.

Finally, she asked, looking aggrieved, "Your Majesty, don't you think they went too far?"

Pei Yan raised his hand and smoothed her furrowed brow. "It's their fault. I'll get revenge for you later."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiayu's eyes lit up, like shattered starlight, and her voice trembled with joy: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Pei Yan looked down and asked, "Are you happy?"

Shen Jiayu nodded, thought for a while, and then said to him, "Actually, I wasn't that angry or aggrieved at that time. I was just thinking about something."

Pei Yan pulled her closer to him, their bodies drawing even closer: "What are you thinking about?"

Shen Jiayu looked at him and said softly, "I was thinking, if only Your Majesty were here. I missed Your Majesty so much back then."

She used two "miss"s in one breath to express her emotions.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan sighed deeply, cupped her face in his hands, and gently stroked her beautiful cheek with his thumb: "How can I deal with you being so dependent on me?"

Shen Jiayu pressed her hand firmly against his large, warm palm, staring at him with her wet eyes, and offered her suggestion: "Then Your Majesty should not leave me behind for so long, or at least keep me by your side."

Pei Yan lifted her face higher and placed a kiss on her luscious lips.

Shen Jiayu took the opportunity to grab his wrist and gently bite it.

Seeing that he wasn't angry, she grew bolder and pressed her sharp teeth into the man's tiger's mouth, leaving a faint mark.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to examine the teeth marks, she secretly took the black jade thumb ring from Pei Yan's thumb.

Pei Yan did not stop her, but just watched her quietly.

Shen Jiayu clutched the jade thumb ring and hid it behind her back, saying spoiledly, "I'm keeping this. If I ever encounter a similar situation again, I'll use Your Majesty's power to scare them away!"

Seeing that the man did not scold her but instead indulged her, Shen Jiayu was overjoyed.

She took it out and examined it for a while in the candlelight.

The black jade has a warm and translucent texture, feels slightly cool to the touch, and appears even more lustrous under dim light, making it clear at a glance that it is no ordinary item.

Shen Jiayu loved it dearly.

He immediately ordered someone to find a silver chain to string the black jade thumb ring together, and then he wore it around his neck.

He excitedly showed off to Pei Yan.

After the initial excitement wore off, she nestled in Pei Yan's arms, drifting off to sleep. Her voice was soft and slightly nasal as she said, "I'm sleepy."

Pei Yan carried her back to the inner chamber and placed her on the couch. "I originally thought you were already asleep tonight and wouldn't come until tomorrow. You came here after all that trouble tonight, and you've been up until now. How could you not be tired?"

Shen Jiayu obediently crawled into the brocade quilt, and yawned sleepily, "Your Majesty is on my mind, I don't want to wait until tomorrow."

Pei Yan laid down the brocade curtains outside.

Shen Jiayu naturally rolled into his arms, snuggled against him, and fell into a deep sleep.

Pei Yan listened to her even and deep breathing and slowly closed his eyes as well.

The surroundings fell into a state of tranquility and peace.

Shen Jiayu nestled in Pei Yan's arms, and from an angle he couldn't see, a subtle smile crept across her face.

The two kisses the emperor had just given were different from those before. The tenderness and affection in them were no longer hidden or faint, but could be felt clearly and distinctly.

Your Majesty, are you tempted?

That's good. At least her efforts weren't in vain.

Shen Jiayu closed her eyes and moved slightly, snuggling closer to the warm embrace.

*

When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

In her dazed state, Shen Jiayu heard someone talking in the outer room.

She casually threw on a coat and went to the entrance of the inner chamber.

A familiar female voice entered my ears.

The person who arrived was Consort Li.

Shen Jiayu remembered what Pei Yan had said last night and wanted to stand up for her.

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and stood there listening intently.

In the outer room.

The emperor sat upright on the couch with a cold and indifferent expression.

Consort Li knelt on the ground, her eyes slightly red, and pleaded, "...It was that little palace maid who led me to mistakenly believe that there was something that shouldn't be there in Wangyue Tower. Moreover, I am in charge of palace rules and regulations. If I don't order a thorough investigation, it will be difficult to quell the gossip in the harem. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth."

After saying these words with her head down, Consort Li felt uneasy.

After a long silence, the emperor's cold, deep voice finally came from the head of the table, "Is that so?"

Consort Li composed herself and forced herself to remain calm: "Moreover, I am doing this for the sake of Consort Chen. Once she is accused of witchcraft, there will be endless criticism. Only in this way can we prove Consort Chen's innocence."

She spoke cautiously, reciting her prepared defense.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the emperor coldly called out to her, "Consort Li."

Consort Li looked up, puzzled. "Your Majesty?"

Pei Yan stared at her, his eyes sharp and icy, his imposing aura overwhelming. "Are you thinking of Consort Chen, or of yourself?"

The emperor's scrutinizing gaze was so sharp and intimidating that it made Consort Li's heart tremble.

A chill ran down her spine, making her shiver slightly.

Pei Yan's next words were even more merciless: "You ordered the search of Wangyue Tower, probably hoping to find something so you could take advantage of the Empress Dowager's illness and my absence from the palace to manipulate Consort Chen. Consort Li, am I right?"

Consort Li froze.

She was utterly astonished, and could only stammer, "Your Majesty, I dare not..."

Pei Yan looked at her coldly, directly seeing through her thoughts: "You don't dare? Didn't you do just that? It's just that you miscalculated."

Consort Li's once charming and elegant face instantly lost its color, and her lips trembled slightly.

She could no longer utter a single word.

After a long, long time, the emperor's merciless and cold pronouncement finally rang out in the hall: "From this day forward, relinquish your palace power and go back to reflect on your past actions."

Consort Li lost all her strength.

Thinking of Gong Quan, she felt unwilling and wanted to say a few words in her defense.

She tried to plead for mercy by invoking their friendship of over a decade, and also by mentioning the hard work she had put into managing the palace affairs for the past few months, but all she could get in touch with were the emperor's cold, dark eyes.

Consort Li dared not say anything more and retreated dejectedly.