Chapter 26: Sensitive to Heat

His face darkened as he entered. He had originally intended to give her a proper lecture, but as soon as he caught sight of a flash of rosy red, his eyes fell on the water-red dudou she wore. Against that dudou, Shen Qing’s skin looked even more delicate—soft as if it could break at a touch, smooth like congealed cream.

The last time he had lectured her for kicking the shuttlecock, she had coyly admitted her mistake with a single phrase that completely disarmed him. Now, after more than half a month without seeing her, even just hearing her voice from outside had stirred thoughts of her lively charm. Now that he saw her in person, the lecture he had prepared evaporated, and his expression softened noticeably.

“Is it really that hot?”

Chunhua was startled and immediately dropped to her knees.

Shen Qing, on the other hand, didn’t care that she was only wearing a dudou at the moment. After all, Xuanyuan Ling had already seen everything—more than once. At least this time she still had the dudou on, so there was nothing to panic about.

Besides, by now she had figured out a bit of Xuanyuan Ling’s temperament.

As long as she didn’t embarrass him in public or disrupt palace rules, he was actually quite easy to deal with in private.

Shen Qing replied, “Your Majesty, this concubine is especially sensitive to heat.”

Xuanyuan Ling recalled how this little thing would shift away from him even in bed just because of a little heat.

Shen Qing then took the fan from Chunhua’s hand and fanned Xuanyuan Ling twice. “To think Your Majesty still comes to visit this concubine in such hot weather—I don’t even dare step outside. I’m afraid I’ll peel like a snake under the sun.”

“So delicate.”

“This concubine doesn’t mean to be,” she said, lifting her arm. “A few days ago, I got bored staying indoors and thought I’d go out to play. I wore a sunhat, so my face was fine, but my arms suffered. That very night, they were red and burning.”

Xuanyuan Ling looked at her arm—it was like sculpted jade. Where was it sunburned?

But girls were different from men—they naturally cared more about these things.

“I’ll have the imperial physician prepare some ointment for sunburn. Use it to recover.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Shen Qing genuinely meant that. Her expression was so sincere it was almost endearing.

Seeing that, Xuanyuan Ling’s lips curved slightly in amusement. Finding her rather cute, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. When he lowered his head, he saw her startled by the sudden movement—her lips slightly parted in surprise.

After the initial shock, she looked down bashfully, her hand bracing against his chest as if she were terribly embarrassed.

Xuanyuan Ling’s hand brushed over her smooth skin as he looked at her lowered head and that jet-black hair—his fingers suddenly itched to touch it.

And so he did.

Once he started, he realized how good it felt, and kept touching with both hands.

The corner of Shen Qing’s mouth twitched. What was his problem? Why was he petting her like a dog? But she couldn’t stop him.

And then he went even further—cupping her face, he kissed her.

After the kiss, he looked a little awkward. He was, at his core, a man of rules and restraint—this wasn’t something he would normally do. But after kissing her, a subtle itch lingered in his heart. Then, seeing Shen Qing shyly lower her head only deepened that feeling.

Shen Qing hadn’t tried to seduce him this time—truly. She simply pretended to be shy, and that performance alone turned Xuanyuan Ling’s minor temptation into full-blown restraint. Doing such things in broad daylight wasn’t proper. He had, after all, never indulged in daytime intimacy before.

Since Shen Qing wasn’t actively seducing him, Xuanyuan Ling ended up spending a rather “chaste and quiet” hour or so with her. They occasionally chatted, and the atmosphere remained peaceful.

Naturally, with nothing further happening, Xuanyuan Ling eventually left.

Shen Qing saw him off at the doorway before returning. Based on how he had acted just now, she felt that while she might not yet hold a place in his heart, she was at least not lacking in his favor. Her rank might still be low, but this was enough for now.

After all, in the harem, true low status came from having no favor.

Meanwhile, upon leaving Zhaohua Palace, a puzzling question flashed through Xuanyuan Ling’s mind—one even he couldn’t figure out.

It wasn’t his first time sleeping with Shen Qing. Logically, the novelty should have worn off by now—it had already been a few months, after all.

Yet strangely enough, despite not seeing her for more than half a month, there was not the slightest sense of distance when he saw her again.

In his heart, the image of Shen Qing was becoming increasingly clear and deeply rooted.