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

The next day, Ning Shuyan picked a lot of jasmine, dried it, and put it in a sachet.

When Xiao Yu entered, he was watching Ning Shuyan fiddling with a sachet. He quietly walked in and sat on the daybed. He watched as Ning Shuyan tied the sachet to the bed curtains.

The hall was filled with the delicate fragrance of gardenias and jasmine, a sweet aroma that soothed the soul.

Ning Shuyan turned around and was startled to see Xiao Yu. She quickly curtsied and said, "Your Majesty has arrived without saying a word. You frightened me."

Ziying, who was standing next to him, noticed it from the start, but Xiao Yu waved his hand, so she could only pretend not to see it.

Xiao Yu glanced at the sachet she had hung up: "This must have been embroidered by your aunt, right?"

A sweet smile unconsciously appeared on Ning Shuyan's lips: "Yes, Your Majesty, I put some jasmine in it. Jasmine has a calming and soothing effect, so I hung it by the bedside."

"Does Shuyan know how to embroider?"

When Xiao Yu suddenly asked this question, Ning Shuyan smiled and said, "I'm not very good at it... My embroidery is rather ugly."

Her gaze fell on the sachet at Xiao Yu's waist, where the dragon embroidered on it was exquisitely detailed, and the cloud patterns on it looked as if they had been painted on, perfectly smooth.

Ning Shuyan smiled and said, "The sachet at His Majesty's waist is embroidered with such exquisite skill; it's clearly the work of a woman of exceptional needlework."

"This was embroidered by the Empress."

Ning Shuyan smiled and said, "I see. Your Majesty the Empress is very thoughtful and has embroidered this pattern so skillfully."

Xiao Yu spread his arms, and Ning Shuyan got up and sat on his lap as usual, since Ziying in the hall had already left.

Xiao Yu put his arm around her waist and laughed, "But Shuyan has never understood my feelings for her. How about Shuyan embroider one for me another day?"

"Huh?" Ning Shuyan was a little surprised, not expecting Xiao Yu to make such a request.

She said softly, "I am not good at needlework, and I am afraid that Your Majesty will laugh at me if I embroider something."

Xiao Yu chuckled: "How could that be? Regardless of whether the embroidery is good or not, the sentiment is the most important. I will definitely wear the embroidery that Shuyan made."

Ning Shuyan reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing, "Then I will embroider one for Your Majesty, but Your Majesty, please don't rush me. Also... Your Majesty, you can just keep it. If you wear it, my embroidery skills will probably be a laughing stock."

Xiao Yu reached out and pinched her nose, and Ning Shuyan winced in pain, her brows furrowing.

"It's just embroidering a sachet for me, why make so many demands?" His tone was slightly reproachful, but his eyes held a gentle smile.

Ning Shuyan smiled warmly, looking at him so closely. Actually, he seemed quite approachable when he smiled. How could his eyes be so cold, like frost, yet so gentle, radiating a captivating light? His nose was also beautifully shaped, high and straight.

"Why is Shuyan looking at me like that?" He asked, noticing her deep, unsettling gaze fixed on him.

Ning Shuyan reached out and stroked the small mole next to Xiao Yu's nose, saying coquettishly, "Your Majesty's mole is so beautiful."

"This is a flaw, and Shuyan actually thinks it looks good?" He looked incredulous, having never heard of a mole on the face being considered attractive.

Ning Shuyan's eyes were filled with seriousness: "Your Majesty, I am not joking. This mole makes Your Majesty's features more defined, and gives you a unique, aloof air. If Your Majesty does not believe me, I will put one on for you to see."

As she spoke, she looked at the ink that had been ground that day, picked up an extremely fine brush, and took a small amount of ink. She walked to the bronze mirror, looked at herself from left to right, and suddenly thought of putting a dot under her eye.

After ordering, she turned back and smiled, "Your Majesty, what do you think?"

In that instant of turning her head, her smile surpassed that of Bao Si, as she looked back on countless others.

Xiao Yu's eyes lit up. The mole on her face suddenly gave off a seductive charm, her eyes sparkling with an unspoken allure.

Xiao Yu's gaze was as gentle and tender as a spring evening breeze: "Come here!"

Ning Shuyan walked over with a smile, but before she could even sit down, Xiao Yu pulled her into his arms. He asked in a deep voice, "Where did you come from?"

Ning Shuyan was slightly taken aback by this question.

Then he said, "Your words and temperament are so unique. My Consort Ning has truly impressed me."

Ning Shuyan raised an eyebrow slightly: "I told you, Your Majesty, I wasn't lying. Don't you think the mole gives you a unique charm?"

Xiao Yu gently stroked the corners of her eyes, then her nose, and finally her mouth.

Ning Shuyan clearly saw his Adam's apple bob, and she gazed at him intently. She let his hand caress her lips. A thought arose in her mind: Could it be that this emperor refuses to kiss a woman's lips?

She suddenly remembered her first time serving him in bed, when her kiss on his ear made Xiao Yu stop abruptly.

Xiao Yu touched the warmth on his lips, a glint of something unsettling in his eyes. Ning Shuyan opened her mouth and gently bit down.

That bite was incredibly gentle, as if it were teasing Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu only felt his fingertip touch the tip of her tongue, soft and warm.

Looking again into the woman's alluring and seductive eyes, even a slight blink seemed to tug at his nerves. Xiao Yu's breath hitched, his lips landed on her neck, and his hands roamed over her body.

Ning Shuyan's mind went blank until the belt around her waist loosened, and she opened her eyes, pushing Xiao Yu: "Your Majesty, let's go to the inner palace and the bed."

Xiao Yu pressed himself tightly against her, his arm around her waist, and whispered in her ear, "Right here."

The story we discussed last time was about something on the coffee table… He hasn't tried it yet. I wonder what it's like…

Ning Shuyan suddenly felt a pang of regret; she shouldn't have stared at him like that. But she couldn't dwell on it. The flame seemed to offer no light whatsoever; all she could hear was her own rapid heartbeat and his breathing.

Everything is out of control...

Xiao Yu picked up Ning Shuyan, his eyes filled with urgency.

"Ah..." A sound of pain rang out, and in the dim candlelight, Ning Shuyan's face was tightly scrunched up in pain.

Xiao Yu still didn't stop, and Ning Shuyan pushed him away forcefully. "I was bumped into..."

Xiao Yu froze for a moment, then put Ning Shuyan down without finishing his sentence, his face darkening.

Ning Shuyan clutched her buttocks, the pain causing her to gasp for breath. Her eyes filled with tears.

She scolded playfully, "I bumped into the corner of the coffee table, and you hit me hard." In her haste, she even forgot how to address herself, and for a moment she also forgot that she shouldn't have spoken to the Emperor like that.

With things ending so abruptly, Xiao Yu naturally lost all interest. He watched as the woman forcefully pushed him away. His heart burned with a fierce intensity.

Xiao Yu, oblivious to her expression, sat down and said in a deep voice, "I knew nothing about it!"

Xiao Yu thought she was being incredibly dramatic. From the first time he served her in bed, he knew she was particularly dramatic about "pain." The current situation was like having his burning passion extinguished by a bucket of ice water, leaving him extremely displeased.

Ning Shuyan clutched her buttocks and put her clothes back on, but accidentally sat down on the spot where she had bumped into something. She gritted her teeth and tears streamed down her face. It wasn't that she was being dramatic; it really hurt and she felt incredibly wronged.