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Concubine Xu supplemented the story in her mind, imagining a man in black forcing a marriage, Feng Wuyou unwilling to marry, and then escaping the wedding.

After that, the man in black would come out to look for his fiancée, which would make the story quite easy to explain.

The man in black paused upon hearing this and left without a word, never to return. Could that be considered running away from home?

He nodded slightly.

Concubine Xu felt herself to be incredibly clever for guessing such a complex matter correctly.

"A melon forced from its vine is not sweet."

The man in black had a question mark over his head.

Concubine Xu continued to press, "But who exactly is Feng Wuyou? Where is she from?"

The man in black looked at Concubine Xu suspiciously, "Why are you suddenly so interested in Feng Wuyou?"

Concubine Xu felt somewhat guilty as she replied, "I’m just curious about the person you’re looking for, that’s all."

The man in black rarely spoke seriously, "What kind of person she is, is not your concern. If you have news of her, you can tell me."

Startled by his harsh tone, Concubine Xu felt somewhat unhappy, "Why are you so nervous? I was merely curious. If you’re unwilling to talk, you don’t have to."

The man in black paused again at her words, and then let out a light laugh, "Why are you so agitated?"

Concubine Xu, with her mouth full of watermelon, mumbled indistinctly, "When have I been agitated? I am clearly indignant."

Unable to get the information she wanted about Feng Wuyou, Concubine Xu felt somewhat disappointed.

*

After dealing with his affairs, the Emperor went to Fengyi Palace.

Fengyi Palace had been quiet for a long time, and the palace maids discussed privately that the Empress had angered the Emperor.

Now seeing the Emperor arrive, they were all very pleased.

At that moment, the Empress was making clothes for the little ones. She felt a sense of achievement seeing the babies wear the clothes she had made with her own hands, which was something she did every day.

"Empress, His Majesty has arrived."

Qing Ying came in to report, and the Empress hadn’t yet reacted.

By the time she did react, the Emperor had already strode in, and she had to put down her needlework and get up to salute him.

"May the Emperor live thousands of years in good health."

The Emperor looked at the Empress who he hadn’t seen in a while and who was still very cold toward him, feeling suddenly more estranged.

He glanced at the pile of fabrics on the table and asked, "What is the Empress busy with?"

The Empress replied, "I’m making clothes for the babies."

Actually, the Emperor knew that when the Empress was free, she would make clothes for the babies, not knowing how many she’d already made.

It’s not a big deal for a grandmother to make clothes for her grandchildren, but it’s not something to do every day. How can the Empress always be holding a needle and thread?

"Why are you making clothes for the babies every day? Let the maids do it."

The Empress replied indifferently, "I’m idle anyway, so I might as well make a few clothes."

The Emperor: "..." Why don’t you come look for Us when you’re idle?

The Emperor felt frustrated. He sat down on the bed and upon seeing the Empress standing in front of him, he glanced at the spot beside him, "Empress, sit down and talk."

The Empress acknowledged with a sound and then sat down on the round stool opposite him.

Seeing this, the Emperor knew that the Empress was intentionally avoiding him. In the past, when she was upset, she would sit close by on the bed.

With no one speaking, the atmosphere momentarily became awkward.

Such a situation had never occurred before.

Ever since Ye Chu had returned that night, the Empress had begun to distance herself from him, treating him quite coldly.

"The Empress knows about Yuyu’s wish to take a concubine, doesn’t she?"

The Empress said, "Yuyu has mentioned it; I have no objections, as long as Yuyu likes her, it’s fine."

The Emperor asked again, "Does the Empress know that the woman Yuyu wishes to marry is just a commoner?"

"I know. I have met her a few times, and although she isn’t quite suited for Yuyu, who can help it if Yuyu likes her? Or does the Emperor disagree?"

The Empress looked up at the Emperor, knowing he valued power and influence; a Prince marrying a commoner was practically unthinkable.

The Emperor didn’t expect the Empress to have no objections at all – Yuyu was her beloved son, and she was so dismissive?

"I don’t disagree, but I just think it would be better for her to be a concubine," he said.

The Empress had long guessed the dog Emperor would say something like this; in his eyes, benefit always came first.

"But Yuyu likes her and wants to marry her as his primary wife. If the Emperor disagrees, Yuyu will definitely be heartbroken."

The Emperor pondered for a moment upon hearing this, "Let Us meet this commoner woman before deciding, We haven’t seen her yet; We can’t make promises lightly."

The Empress nodded her head, which was taken as agreement.

With the matter resolved, the Empress thought the dog Emperor would leave.

The Emperor spread his arms and commanded, "Empress, remove My clothes."

The Empress: "..."

Seeing the Empress ignore him, the Emperor was somewhat angry, but he still had to hold back, otherwise it would be like last time—he’d leave in a huff, and the Empress wouldn’t hold him back.

"The Empress seems to regard Us less and less, you cannot even be instructed anymore," he said.

The Empress gave a respectful curtsy, "The Concubine feels a draft, afraid of infecting the Emperor if too close, it’s for the Emperor’s own well-being."

A draft?

I see you’re just making excuses.

"We are not afraid."

"Your Majesty is not afraid, but the Concubine is; if by some chance the Emperor’s health is compromised, delaying state affairs, then the Concubine would deserve to die a thousand deaths."

The Emperor had no comeback for a moment, staring at the Empress for a good while; anyhow, he wasn’t planning on leaving tonight.

He took a few steps forward, and just as the Empress thought the dog Emperor was about to leave in anger, he stopped in front of her, grabbed her belt, and with a tug, the sash landed on the floor.

The Empress was stunned for a moment before realizing that the dog Emperor was undressing her.

She grabbed the dog Emperor’s hand, but a woman’s strength was no match for a man’s, and she couldn’t stop him from pulling her clothes off.

What madness had overtaken the dog Emperor today?

"Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

"If the Empress is unwilling to undress Me, then I shall undress you," the Emperor said with a steely face, continuing to help the Empress remove her clothes.

The Empress watched as her clothes were thrown onto the floor one by one by the Emperor, before she was finally carried to the bed.

"Did Your Majesty come to Fengyi Palace just for this?" the Empress felt deeply wronged.

ps: Second update