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Shen Yuling suddenly seemed to remember something and softly asked, “Where am I now?”
“The palace.”
Quan Minghe uttered the two words indifferently.
“The palace?!”
Shen Yuling couldn’t help but widen her eyes, her voice rising slightly in surprise. But fearing she might disturb something, she quickly lowered her voice again.
Cautiously, she asked, “Then… how do I get back?”
“At the end of the 3:00 p.m. tomorrow morning, I will have someone send you back.”
“Will I really not be discovered?”
Quan Minghe raised an eyebrow slightly. He had no intention of entertaining such trivial questions. As the emperor, what he promised, he would deliver. Yet, seeing her fearful expression, he eventually mustered the patience to reply.
“You won’t be.”
Shen Yuling let out a sigh of relief and released Quan Minghe’s hand, which she had been clutching tightly. But as soon as her hand loosened, Quan Minghe grabbed her wrist instead.
With a firm tug, Shen Yuling stumbled into his embrace.
“Although you do not yet hold the title of an imperial consort, you already bear the status of one.”
“This palace will be the Yaohua Palace, where you will reside three months from now after entering the imperial harem.”
Quan Minghe’s lips brushed lightly against Shen Yuling’s ear, his warm breath caressing her skin.
A shiver ran through Shen Yuling’s body.
“Therefore,” Quan Minghe paused, lifting her chin to force her to meet his gaze.
“Tonight, you will serve me.”
Shen Yuling’s cheeks instantly flushed a deep shade of pink.
Her bright and delicate face, glowing under the ambiguous atmosphere, looked even more captivating. Quan Minghe couldn’t help but reach out and pinch her cheek.
“Can we… really do this? I… I…”
Shen Yuling stammered, her heart filled with both shyness and nervousness.
Quan Minghe, however, did not respond to her words. Instead, he undid his own belt without a word.
The luxurious dragon robe loosened instantly, revealing the inner garment beneath.
Shen Yuling, overcome with shyness, turned her head away, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum: “I don’t know how.”
After all, every imperial consort would be meticulously taught by matrons about the intricacies of serving the emperor before entering the palace. Yet, she had never experienced such a situation before.
“I will teach you myself.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Quan Minghe’s lips.
He took her delicate, boneless hand and placed it on his collar. Then, guiding her hand, he began to undress himself.
Before long, Quan Minghe’s inner garment also fell to the ground.
Having practiced martial arts for years, his robust physique was now fully exposed before Shen Yuling’s eyes.
On his chest, the bite mark Shen Yuling had left that morning was strikingly visible.
Noticing Shen Yuling’s gaze fixed on his chest, Quan Minghe couldn’t help but curl his lips into a teasing smile.
With a raised eyebrow, he asked, “What? Do you want to bite me again?”
“I… I wouldn’t dare.”
Shen Yuling lowered her eyes.
He was the emperor—who would dare harm him in the slightest?
Quan Minghe placed Shen Yuling on the bed. Her hands instinctively pushed against him, landing precisely on his chest.
Frowning, her eyes betrayed a hint of fear.
In a small voice, she said, “It will hurt… I’m scared…”
Quan Minghe recalled her first time, when he had indeed been rough, failing to consider her feelings.
He gently reassured her, “It won’t hurt this time.”
His tone carried a newfound tenderness.
As soon as he finished speaking, Quan Minghe’s hands began to coax the delicate flower into full bloom.
“So young, yet already so well-developed.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuling’s fair skin instantly flushed with a faint pink hue, spreading from her cheeks to her entire body, making her look utterly captivating.
Her cheeks, rosy like the evening clouds, added to the intoxicating atmosphere. Quan Minghe, unable to hold back any longer, began his conquest.
Time passed slowly.
Shen Yuling, who had initially responded with enthusiasm, gradually grew limp, her strength completely drained.
She leaned weakly against the crook of his shoulder, her voice soft and sweet: “Your Majesty, aren’t you tired yet?”
Quan Minghe did not respond with words.
Instead, he reached out and stroked her smooth, fair back, over and over, his touch gentle yet possessive.
The desire in his deep, dark eyes showed no signs of fading.
It was intense and burning.
He did not answer Shen Yuling’s question but instead let his actions show her just how far he was from being tired.
“Mmm…”
Shen Yuling couldn’t help but let out a soft moan, her delicate body trembling slightly.
…
She had no idea how much time had passed. In her dazed state, she didn’t even realize when she had fallen asleep.
–
Quan Minghe slowly woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he felt a weight pressing on his shoulder.
He frowned slightly and raised a hand to rub his temples.
Quan Minghe had never made a habit of staying overnight in a consort’s palace. However, last night, after being entangled with Shen Yuling for so long, he had grown exhausted and ended up falling asleep right there.
Shen Yuling, it seemed, truly had not been taught the rules of the palace. She had actually fallen asleep leaning against him.
Quan Minghe withdrew his arm, which had gone numb.
Shen Yuling, perhaps too exhausted from the night before, showed no signs of waking up despite the movement.
Quan Minghe, considering her lack of familiarity with palace etiquette, decided not to hold it against her for now.
However, she needed to return to the residence of Prince Lingyang before the sky grew too bright.
With this in mind, he reached out and pinched Shen Yuling’s soft, pink cheeks—once, twice…
“Mmm…”
Shen Yuling, disturbed by this, let out a few muffled sounds, her eyes still tightly shut, unable to open them.
“Still not awake? Do you not plan to return to the residence of Prince of Lingyang today?”
Quan Minghe’s voice rose slightly.
The words “return to the residence of Prince Lingyang” instantly jolted Shen Yuling awake from her sleep.
Her long, curled eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes suddenly opened, still clouded with sleepiness.
Seeing that she was awake, Quan Minghe reached out and drew the bed curtains tightly shut before turning and walking out.
“Li Ming.”
As soon as Quan Minghe stepped out of the inner chamber, he called.
Li Ming, who had been waiting outside for some time, quickly entered and bowed respectfully. “Your Majesty.”
“Have someone come to attend to Consort Shen’s washing and dressing.”
“As you command.”
Li Ming acknowledged the order, though inwardly he was shocked.
Appointed as a Consort?
This was no small matter. In the harem, this rank placed her just below Consort Liu Zhaoyi.
And then there was the Yaohua Palace, renowned for its unparalleled luxury. Previously, Consort Wang had begged the emperor multiple times for it, but he had never agreed. Now, it had been granted to this suddenly appearing Consort Shen without a second thought.
It seemed the harem was about to become lively again.
As soon as dawn broke, the emperor’s edict of appointment sent shockwaves through the harem.
The harem members heard that the emperor had appointed a Consort Shen and bestowed upon her the luxurious Yaohua Palace.
They also heard that Consort Shen was in poor health, and without the emperor’s explicit permission, no one was allowed to enter Yaohua Palace.
Even more astonishing was the rumor that all the maids and eunuchs in Yaohua Palace had been personally assigned by the emperor. Not even Consort Liu Zhaoyi, who had served in the harem for years and borne the emperor two sons, could gather any information about Yaohua Palace.
The most shocking news of all was that the emperor had spent the night in Yaohua Palace!
…
Consort Wang was nearly driven mad by the sudden appearance of this Consort Shen.
She had been in the palace for two years, using her beauty to win the emperor’s favor and going to great lengths to please him.
Now, not only had Consort Shen surpassed her in rank, but she also seemed to have outshone her in the emperor’s favor. How could Consort Wang not be furious?
Consort Liu Zhaoyi, who had always been rational and composed, couldn’t help but feel a pang of unease.
The emperor had never treated her with such special care, even though she had borne him two sons.
Her heart couldn’t help but grow anxious…
As for Consort Zhao Liangren, who had recently entered the palace, she secretly felt relieved upon hearing the news.
This was good. With someone like Consort Shen drawing all the attention, especially from Consort Wang, who was now entirely focused on investigating Consort Shen, she would finally stop causing trouble for her.