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"Is the Emperor finding me too old? Lacking the charm of a young girl, am I? Then go be with someone else; there’s no shortage of teenage girls in the six palaces and three institutes."

"Lingling, what are you talking about? How could I ever find you lacking? If I thought you were too old, why would I frequent the Fengyi Palace? If I had any complaints, why would I find it so hard to leave each time?"

The Emperor, by the end of his words, planted a kiss on the Empress’s neck.

Then he kissed her lips again.

The Empress felt a bit dizzy from these sentences, especially with the Emperor so close; her heartbeat quickened significantly.

She found that she might just like the Emperor’s dark and seductive means, which was why her face flushed and heart raced with shyness every time he flirted with her.

"Your Majesty..."

As the Empress was lost in thought, she discovered that the Emperor had undressed and gotten into bed without her noticing.

And even less expectedly, he had undone her lapel.

The Emperor was truly adept in these matters.

"Lingling, bear me a daughter?"

With mist filling her eyes, the Empress suddenly heard the Emperor’s words and was struck dumb for a moment; ever since she had given birth to Yuyu and injured herself, although she had recuperated quite well, she had not conceived again.

She had always wanted a daughter, yet even after a decade, there was no pregnancy.

It wasn’t due to any fault of the Emperor’s. Indeed, although he had favored other women over the years, he spent most of his time each month in the Fengyi Palace.

In the eyes of others, they said the Emperor respected her as Empress.

And she believed that as well, since there were rules in place; whether the Emperor wished to visit the Empress’s palace or not, he had fixed days each month when he was expected to be there.

During this time, although she suspected that the Emperor was merely flattering her to make her happy, she believed him—to the extent of eight out of ten. She held back the other two parts of her belief.

Because during the time the Emperor spoke of, indeed no other Concubine became pregnant, though Concubine Ning did—all because of drunk indiscretion, she presumed. Otherwise, with the beauty in his arms, the Emperor was no Liao Xiahui; how could he possibly resist?

Yet every time he came to the Fengyi Palace, the Emperor would not sleep until dawn, as if starved—

But since he had promised not to be intimate with any other woman and had indeed kept his word.

Since the autumn hunt, the Empress kept recalling past events; she had many flaws and a quick temper too.

The Emperor, slightly displeased with her distraction, asked, "Lingling, what are you thinking about?"

With a hint of listlessness, the Empress replied, "Your concubine is tired and wants to sleep."

At this moment, the Emperor’s mood was at its peak, "I’ve managed to rest early tonight; does Lingling really intend to leave me out in the cold?"

The Empress replied with irritation, "When you go out of the palace to play, why don’t you think to take me with you?"

Now the Emperor understood why, when he came to the Fengyi Palace, there was no dinner for him and he almost couldn’t enter—if it was not for his cleverness and wit, he would have spent the night alone.

"I left the palace to placate Susu, so I made a brief exit. Planning to return quickly, I didn’t inform you. Next time, I’ll definitely take you out with me. Please don’t be mad," the Emperor coaxed gently.

This was because the Emperor had found that this tone of voice was what it took to appease the Empress: just sweet-talk her a bit and her anger would fade.

Only then did the Empress hum with satisfaction, "That’s more like it."

Having pleased the Empress, the Emperor then redoubled his efforts to make her happy.

*

The next morning, having finished her breakfast, Susu stuffed two meat buns into her shoulder bag and then sat down on the threshold of the Hehuan Hall.

Dabai lay lazily behind her.

As Lady Liang passed by the Hehuan Hall en route to pay respects to her aunt at the Fengyi Palace, she noticed Susu sitting on the threshold.

Pausing, she smiled and asked, "Susu, what are you doing?"

With a childish lilt, Susu replied, "I’m waiting for mommy to come back."

Lady Liang, reminded of something, continued with a smile, "I know where your mommy is."

"Where’s my mommy?" Susu, often seeing Lady Liang at her grandmother’s, was quite familiar with her and immediately stood up and trotted over.

Dabai also got up and followed close behind.

Lady Liang instinctively wanted to step back when she saw Dabai approach—who wouldn’t be scared of a tiger?

"Keep Dabai away, and I’ll tell you."

Susu looked back at Dabai for a moment, longing to see her mother after their encounter the previous day. Wanting to see her quickly, she turned and ran back to Dabai.

Dabai halted, his massive head watching Susu.

From a distance, Lady Liang watched Susu, unsure of what she was doing, but then saw Dabai retreat indoors.

Once Dabai was gone, Susu ran back, panting, "Dabai’s gone, where’s my mommy?"

Lady Liang looked around, checking to make sure no one was nearby, then said to Susu, "I’m heading to your grandmother’s place. Come with me, and I’ll tell you—how about that?"