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

Today, the imperial kitchen is preparing braised chicken feet, cucumber salad, sashimi of crucian carp, and braised chicken...

Xiao Yu looked at the chicken feet and said with some dissatisfaction, "Why didn't the imperial kitchen remove the bones from these chicken feet today? Yang An, go and see how the imperial kitchen is doing its job."

Ning Shuyan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, please don't blame them. It was my own request."

Xiao Yu was somewhat surprised: "Oh? Doesn't Shuyan find it troublesome to eat?"

"How could that be? It tastes even better this way." With that, she picked up a chicken foot and slowly began to gnaw on it.

Xiao Yu saw that she was using her hands directly, which was really unladylike, but her eating manners were still quite good. Her fair hands gently pinched the yellowish-brown chicken feet, and she was focused on eating, enjoying her food.

Ning Shuyan noticed Xiao Yu scrutinizing her and smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, do you think my eating manners are unseemly?"

Xiao Yu picked up a piece of cucumber salad and put it in his mouth: "There is some, but I don't mind."

Ning Shuyan smiled gracefully and said, "I often gnaw on chicken feet like this at home. My aunt often says that I am not behaving in a proper manner, but she also says that she is very happy to see me like this."

Seeing that she had finished eating a chicken foot, Xiao Yu picked up a piece of chicken and put it in her bowl, saying gently, "I am pleased to see this."

Ning Shuyan was somewhat flattered, after all, it was a great favor for the emperor to serve food to his concubines.

Her smile deepened, and she picked up a piece of chicken, saying casually, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Her tone was sweet, like a gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers in March, soft and comforting. Xiao Yu couldn't help but smile.

After washing her hands, Ning Shuyan dried them with a clean handkerchief and then picked up a chicken foot.

Xiao Yu had no idea what she was doing. He picked at the chicken claw bones and saw her remove the bones from the five toes in a few quick movements. She then smiled and handed it to him, saying, "Your Majesty, please try it."

Xiao Yu had previously been somewhat disgusted by the chicken feet, given his slightly obsessive-compulsive tendencies. However, the woman's hands were flawlessly white, and her smiling face was impeccably clean. He accepted the chicken feet, saying, "I didn't expect Shuyan to have this skill."

He gently touched her slightly cool and smooth hand, and couldn't help but take another look.

Ning Shuyan took in his gaze. No way, this man likes her hands?

"Aren't you going to eat?" Xiao Yu asked.

Ning Shuyan shook her head: "Eating too many chicken feet will make you gain weight. I only need to eat a little each day."

"So that's how you maintain your slender figure, Shuyan? Then you're just like me, eating no more than three meals a day."

Ning Shuyan smiled and said softly, "Women have always cared about their appearance and figure, and now that I have a husband, I naturally care even more. But does Your Majesty prefer a fuller figure?"

Looking at her shy and delicate face, Xiao Yu said calmly, "You're just right like this."

Yang An couldn't help but glance at the Emperor's expression. He remembered that the Emperor originally disliked overly slender women. He wondered if these words were the Emperor's true feelings or just a way to please Consort Ning.

Xiao Yu enjoyed the meal quite a bit. As he was leaving, he leaned close to Ning Shuyan's ear and said in a deep voice, "I will be waiting for you at Zhaochen Palace tonight."

Ning Shuyan's eyes, brimming with autumn water, revealed a hint of shyness and joy as she curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, this concubine respectfully sees you off."

As soon as Xiao Yu left, the smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by her usual serene and gentle expression: "If Lady Xue comes again in the future, just say I'm taking a short rest."

Ziying nodded quickly: "Alright, if Lady Xue had any self-awareness, she probably wouldn't come again. I can tell that His Majesty doesn't like her very much."

That evening, Ning Shuyan boarded a sedan chair and headed to Zhaochen Palace.

Ice had been placed in Zhaochen Hall, and upon entering, one could feel a slightly comfortable coolness.

This time, Xiao Yu was already waiting in the bedchamber early, holding a book in his hands. He was wearing a white nightgown today, embroidered with blue floating cloud patterns. He had put away his usual cold and aloof demeanor, appearing gentle and refined, and his appearance was softened by the candlelight.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

Xiao Yu put the book aside and looked the woman in front of him up and down: "No need for formalities."

Today she wore a pink dress, a white and pink begonia flower in her hair, and two strands of hair by her ears, making her face look as delicate as the moon.

Xiao Yu stared at the crabapple blossom and said, "Extremely beautiful."

Ning Shuyan raised her eyes, the corners of her eyes curving upwards slightly, revealing a hint of alluring charm. "Does Your Majesty consider the flowers more beautiful, or yourself, I?"

Xiao Yu met her captivating gaze and pulled her into his arms. "Naturally, it is my Ning Cairen, the most beautiful."

She was dressed very thinly today, which vaguely outlined the graceful curves of her chest.

Xiao Yu's eyes burned with desire, and he pinned her down beneath him.

Ning Shuyan gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

Xiao Yu kept pulling her up, and the two sat facing each other...

After an unknown amount of time, Ning Shuyan leaned close to his ear and spoke softly to him.

Xiao Yu acted as if he hadn't heard anything...

Because the second day was a day off, Xiao Yu was quite unrestrained. After washing up, it was time to leave.

Ning Shuyan still felt incredibly weak and sore in her legs. She curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, I shall take my leave."

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Xiao Yu felt genuinely sorry for her. However, he couldn't break the rules. So, he said in a very gentle tone, "Yes, go back and rest well. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

Ning Shuyan said softly, "Yes."

After Ning Shuyan left, Xiao Yu stared blankly at the yellow curtains above his head. It seemed that there was still a faint fragrance in the quilt that filled the curtains, like the red apricot branches, full of spring.

The woman's soft, sweet voice had just pleased him greatly, even making him feel satisfied.

He even felt a sense of pride seeing her intoxicated appearance.

Is it fair to call him a foolish and incompetent man who is obsessed with women?

Xiao Yu fell into deep thought...

Ning Shuyan returned to Lanyue Pavilion and opened a bracelet on the dressing table, revealing small brown pills inside.

Ning Shuyan put it in her mouth and swallowed it, then picked up the teacup and drank several mouthfuls of tea.

She deliberately acted alluring in front of him today, but she never expected Xiao Yu to be so ruthless. Her body also bore the marks of their encounter.

It turns out that the usually calm and dignified emperor, once tainted by desire, is no different from other men, except that he is more domineering and decisive.

So no matter how much a man praises you for being virtuous and kind, once you're in bed, what he really wants to do is examine your clothes and other intimate items. Does he expect you to discuss poetry, songs, music, calligraphy, and painting with him in bed?