The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

"What do you do every day when you're home?" Xiao Yu suddenly asked. The man's voice afterward was always gentle and tender, like a hungry wolf that had been fed and satisfied, its gaze softening.

Ning Shuyan replied, "Hmm...writing, drawing, embroidery, reading, and practicing dancing."

Xiao Yu was somewhat surprised, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly: "I didn't expect that my Consort Ning would be such a talented woman."

Ning Shuyan chuckled, her smile as radiant as the morning sun. Leaning against his arm, she lowered her eyes and whispered, "I do know a little about everything, but I'm not good at anything. Take embroidery, for example. Every day I see how lifelike and vibrant your embroidery is, but mine is rather unappealing."

Xiao Yu squeezed her hand: "My beloved consort's hands are not suitable for those kinds of things."

Ning Shuyan looked at him with tears in her eyes and said softly, "Your Majesty, you don't know my name yet."

Xiao Yu was slightly taken aback, as no concubine had ever asked him if he knew their names before.

He shook his head.

Ning Shuyan took his hand and wrote the two characters "Shuyan" on his palm.

Xiao Yu said slowly, "Jing Nu Qi Shu, her words are gentle, and she lives up to her name. Shu Yan is very pleasant to hear. Was it your father who named her?"

Ning Shuyan shook her head: "It was my aunt who gave me this name. She said she hoped I would be gentle and quiet, and that every word and action of mine should reflect the demeanor of a lady from a prominent family, and that I should be careful with my words."

Xiao Yu was puzzled and perked up: "Why are you being so careful with your words? Is it because your father and mother treat you badly?"

"As a concubine's daughter, I am naturally inferior to my younger sister. Mother naturally prefers her own daughter. Mainly, my aunt is gentle and modest, and hopes that I will be a quiet woman and not compete with my sister. However, I am sometimes a bit too straightforward and cannot do what my aunt wants."

Among Xiao Yu's consorts, there weren't many illegitimate daughters. Most were legitimate daughters, raised with their parents' doting affection. The woman before him piqued his curiosity, and he asked, "Then, you weren't doing very well in the manor?"

Ning Shuyan played with a strand of hair on her chest, twirling it between her fingers, and shook her head, saying, "But my aunt is very good to me. She would rather suffer all the grievances herself than let me suffer even the slightest grievance. No matter how difficult it was, the days we spent relying on each other were still warm and loving."

Xiao Yu couldn't help but think of his mother, who was posthumously honored as Empress Dowager after his ascension to the throne. A hint of melancholy crept into his eyes and brows: "Just like me, when my mother was alive, no matter how difficult things were in the palace, there was always a touch of warmth. Now that she's gone, I have to rely on myself for everything, forcing myself to grow up."

His mother passed away when he was ten years old. In order to gain his father's attention, and knowing that his father was skilled in archery, he practiced archery diligently. He did his best to fulfill whatever his father expected.

Ning Shuyan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you have done very well. The people of Yifeng all praise Your Majesty. The Empress Dowager must be very pleased in the afterlife."

Xiao Yu was inside the palace and unaware of the gossip circulating among the people outside. He asked with a hint of skepticism, "Is that so?"

Ning Shuyan opened her watery eyes and nodded earnestly: "It's true, Your Majesty. Actually, I'm a bit playful by nature and often sneak out of the mansion. I've often heard them praising Your Majesty."

"How did they praise me?" Xiao Yu asked, intrigued.

Ning Shu said, "Your Majesty is known for loving the people like his own children, being good at accepting advice and acting decisively, and valuing the recruitment of talented people. Hmm... that's all I can remember."

As she spoke, she moved her face closer to Xiao Yu and said softly, "Your Majesty, I also believe that Your Majesty is a good emperor. Therefore, I admire Your Majesty very much."

To win over a man, first, you must admire him; second, you must portray yourself as weak and vulnerable.

Xiao Yu lowered his eyes and looked at the woman in front of him, who was shyly burying her face in his arms, which made him feel a little sorry for her. He opened his arms.

Ning Shuyan smiled and rested her head on his arm, seemingly very content, a sweet smile on her lips.

Xiao Yu said, "When you saw me last night, you were a little timid, so why are you bolder now?"

Ning Shuyan bit her lip and whispered, "Your Majesty, do you find me too noisy?"

Xiao Yu chuckled softly, reached out and pinched her cheek, which was incredibly soft and tender. He said gently, "No, I like you just the way you are."

"Last night I was a little afraid of Your Majesty because I am about to become Your Majesty's rightful woman. After all, I have never experienced such a thing before, so I was a little afraid. Besides, Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven who reigns over the world, and the aura of a monarch makes me, a mere woman, feel a little awe. But now Your Majesty is my bedmate, and if we were outside the palace, you would be my husband, so naturally I am not so afraid."

She spoke softly and gently, her words melodious and sweet, filled with a delicate, sweet voice.

Xiao Yu felt a slight ripple in his heart, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a faint sense of pleasure.

Ning Shuyan added, "Your Majesty's mouth is very beautiful, but you don't smile much. Actually, Your Majesty is even more handsome when you smile. If you smiled more, I would find Your Majesty more approachable."

Xiao Yu unconsciously withdrew the smile from his lips. After so many years in the palace, he had long since become accustomed to keeping his emotions hidden and rarely smiled. Looking at the woman's gentle face, he simply said, "I'm used to it."

"But I promise you, from now on, when you are with me, we won't be so serious."

Ning Shuyan smiled warmly and nestled against his chest, saying, "Is this an honor bestowed upon me by Your Majesty?"

Xiao Yu slowly said, "I suppose so."

Ning Shuyan glanced at the candle not far from the bed, its flame casting a dim red glow and flickering gently. She said, "May I go and put out that candle?"

Xiao Yu glanced at the candle and nodded, saying, "Whatever you say."

As Ning Shuyan got out of bed, she said, "I'm used to sleeping in the dark; I can't fall asleep if there's any light."

"Aren't you afraid of the dark?" He remembered that most women were afraid of the dark.

Ning Shuyan smiled faintly. In the warm candlelight, her beautifully shaped face appeared even more exquisite. "Why be afraid? When you close your eyes to sleep, you can't see anything."

After the candles were extinguished, only a few figures could be vaguely seen inside the curtains.

The next day, this was the scene that Xiao Yu saw when he turned around.

The woman before him had her beautiful eyes slightly closed, her long, curled eyelashes fluttering as she slept soundly, her long, black hair cascading messily onto the bed. Her head wasn't on the pillow, and the blanket was still tucked between her legs.

She's not a good sleeping person. On the contrary, I'm a very proper sleeping person; my bed is almost never messy the next day after I wake up.

This piqued Xiao Yu's curiosity again; she didn't seem like a typical young lady from a prominent family.

Qiu Le, seeing that the Emperor had woken up, quickly greeted him. Xiao Yu whispered, "Keep your voice down, don't disturb your master's sleep."

Qiu Le replied with a happy expression, "Yes."

As he was leaving, Ning Shuyan was still fast asleep. He suddenly remembered that she had never participated in a talent show. Therefore, she was naturally unaware of some of the rules, such as serving him when he washed and dressed, which she should have personally gotten up to do.