That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

The candlelight flickered and trembled.

Out of the corner of her eye, Xiao Yan was leaning down to kiss her, his warm lips still pressed against her cheek.

His kisses were light and haphazard, without any pattern, like a child begging for candy.

Xiao Yan was so engrossed in the kiss that he didn't realize she had already woken up.

Song Shuangning continued to pretend to be asleep. Xiao Yan's nose brushed against her eyelashes, leaving her cheeks damp.

Song Shuangning gritted her teeth and endured it, wanting to see how long this lecherous man would take advantage of her!

Xiao Yan buried his head in the crook of her neck, and soon, her neck was covered in damp marks.

"Ningning," he said softly, his voice hoarse.

Xiao Yan's kiss continued downwards.

If we go any further, something bad will happen.

Song Shuangning could no longer bear it and reached out to push his chest.

"emperor!"

Xiao Yan froze, then immediately raised his head.

Feeling a little guilty, she touched the tip of her nose, forcing a nonchalant expression. "Ningning, why are you awake? Did you sleep soundly?"

Song Shuangning's eyes had a lazy, rosy tinge at the corners, as if she had just woken up.

"What was His Majesty doing just now?"

Her voice was soft and husky, like a feather gently brushing against the ear, very alluring.

"I noticed you seem to have something stuck in the crook of your neck, and I was just about to brush it off for you," Xiao Yan casually lied, his tone as frank as if it were true.

Song Shuangning was so angry she laughed. What did she mean by brushing something away with her mouth?

A half-smile, a hint of amusement, rippled in Song Shuangning's eyes, which were like pools of spring water. The corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, making her very alluring.

She chuckled slowly, "Really? I just had a dream where a little dog kept rubbing against my neck. I suppose it was just a dream."

She deliberately emphasized the word "puppy".

Xiao Yan didn't realize he was being compared to a puppy at all, and simply nodded in agreement: "You must be fast asleep and dreaming."

Song Shuangning pulled the brocade quilt over herself, wrapping herself up tightly, revealing only a section of her fair jawline.

"Where will His Majesty stay tonight?"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "This is the Zichen Palace. Where else can I sleep if not here?"

Song Shuangning thought to herself, "Give him a little taste of kindness and he'll take it for granted."

She silently rolled further into the bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, and turned her back to him, her voice softening slightly:

"I am still feeling somewhat sad, Your Majesty. Please go somewhere else."

"No," Xiao Yan began to act shamelessly.

In the past few days, he has also come to a few conclusions: as long as you are shameless enough, you can reap the rewards.

"I'm sleepy." With that, he loosened the sash of his outer robe, took off his boots, and lay down.

Song Shuangning was amused by his unreasonable behavior, snorted through her nose, and simply turned her back to him and ignored him.

Xiao Yan reached out to pull at her brocade quilt, his voice low and gentle: "I'm cold."

Song Shuangning loosened her grip.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yan immediately grabbed half of the brocade quilt and haphazardly covered himself with it.

Ningning still softened her heart; Ningning has a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

Xiao Yan moved closer to Song Shuangning, and seeing that she didn't say anything, he pushed his luck and squeezed in even more, almost pressing half of his body against hers.

Song Shuangning, unable to bear it any longer, turned around and said, "Your Majesty, please stop pushing."

Xiao Yan seemed not to hear her and moved closer to her, "Good Ningning, I'm cold."

Song Shuangning: "..."

Men are such a hassle.

Song Shuangning ignored him and Xiao Yan happily embraced her soft body and fell asleep.

Song Shuangning, however, could not fall asleep.

These past few days, the Emperor has indeed treated her differently than before, putting her first in everything. He even took the initiative to promote her rank, let her assist in managing the six palaces, and hand over the power of the Imperial Household Department to her.

Furthermore, the Emperor meant that he would no longer visit other concubines.

Song Shuangning sighed softly.

Not enough, none of this is enough.

She never wanted superficial favors.

What she wanted was Xiao Yan's unreserved and heartfelt sincerity!

She committed the murder, and he handed her the knife.

Xiao Yan indulged him without any limits.

The road ahead is long, and the long journey has only just begun.

*

These past few days, Song Shuangning has been essentially "confined" to the Zichen Palace by Xiao Yan.

Whenever she mentioned wanting to return to her own Hidden Winter Pavilion, Xiao Yan would invoke his imperial authority and order her to stay in a deep voice.

She had no choice but to stay, and she didn't give Xiao Yan a single kind look on her face.

For example, dining.

During meals, the imperial dining table was laden with food.

Xiao Yan placed a piece of venison on her plate. Song Shuangning gently pushed the meat to the side of the plate with her chopsticks.

"I don't like to eat meat," she said casually.

Xiao Yan picked up another piece of the vibrant green bamboo shoot.

Song Shuangning still frowned and pushed the dishes away, saying, "I don't want to eat any dishes today."

Li Fuquan, who was serving nearby, watched in fear, his lips twitching, terrified that the Emperor would be furious and tear down the Zichen Palace.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Yan was extremely patient and picked up another piece of tofu simmered in mushroom soup and put it into her bowl.

Song Shuangning did not refuse again, and picked up a piece of his favorite squirrel-shaped mandarin fish with her chopsticks, put it in his bowl, and said with a faint smile, "Your Majesty, please eat as well."

Xiao Yan was taken aback, then his eyebrows curved into a smile, and his face was full of joy. "Ningning is still the best to me."

Li Fuquan secretly glanced at the Emperor's overjoyed expression and sighed silently:

Your Majesty, have some self-respect!

Yuan Jieyu slaps you and then gives you a sweet date, how come you're eating it so happily?

*

After resting for a while, Li Fuquan bowed and led his men into the hall.

"Your Highness, the Emperor said he has a surprise for you. Look who has come."

As soon as the words were spoken, a familiar figure slowly walked in.

Song Shuangning stared wide-eyed, as if frozen in place, and didn't come back to her senses for a long time.

"Then this servant will not disturb Your Highness's conversation any longer." Li Fuquan tactfully withdrew and considerately closed the palace door gently.

"Auntie—"

Song Shuangning could no longer hold back. She stood up and threw herself into Aunt Su's arms, choking back tears, "Aunt, Ningning missed you so much."

Aunt Su hugged you tightly, gently stroking your back with her palms. "Auntie missed you too, my dear Ningning."

The mother and daughter embraced and wept.

After a long while, Aunt Su took her hand and sat down on a chair. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks, looked her over carefully, and her eyes were full of relief.

"You look a bit plumper, and your complexion is better. Seeing that you're doing well in the palace, your aunt is relieved."

Song Shuangning was shy.

"As you know, Aunt Su also knows that you are not my biological daughter." Aunt Su's tone was calm, as if she were talking about something trivial.

Song Shuangning's heart tightened, and she gripped her hand tightly, "Auntie..."

Aunt Su patted her hand, smiling through her tears, "Silly child, this is a good thing. You are no longer a lowly concubine's daughter of the Song family, but the rightful legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei. What are you waiting for, Ningning? Why won't you acknowledge your ancestors and return to the family?"

These words seemed to touch the softest spot in Song Shuangning's heart. Her nose tingled, and tears streamed down her face again.

Aunt Su sighed, pulled her into her arms again, and gently patted her back, her voice tender: "Auntie knows you're worried about me, afraid that if you acknowledge me as a relative, you'll have no family left in this world, right?"

"Ningning, your aunt's only wish is to see you live a good life. Don't hesitate any longer, let's acknowledge each other as family soon, okay?"

Song Shuangning nodded through her tears.