Li Yunyan went even further, lifting her head in his arms and asking knowingly, "My lord, what did you do to me last night?"

She noticed his ears turn red instantly, and chuckled inwardly. She then tiptoed and whispered in his ear, "My lord, am I now considered your woman?"

"Cough! Cough cough!"

Ying Huai was startled by her words and coughed awkwardly a few times.

He cleared his throat and said seriously, "Your Majesty, you were drugged last night. What I did was only a temporary measure. Please don't blame me!"

A hint of hurt flashed in Li Yunyan's eyes, but she still asked with a strong expression, "Was your kiss with me just a temporary measure?"

Ying Huai hurriedly looked away, and in that glance, she saw He Bei Huai lying unconscious on the bed.

His deeply ingrained sense of loyalty led him to harden his heart.

He pulled her away from his embrace, closed his eyes and then opened them again, his eyes clear, and said, "That's right! It was all a temporary measure!"

Tears instantly streamed down Li Yunyan's face. Her voice trembled with sobs as she asked, "Don't you... like me at all?"

Ying Huai refused to answer and wouldn't look at her.

Li Yunyan seemed determined to get an answer today.

She took a step forward, looked at him earnestly, and said, word by word, "My lord, I love you. I want to be with you for life, to be your woman alone. Will you?"

Ying Huai's heart was in turmoil. He never imagined that the person she had hoped for would be him!

He wanted to say yes, but what came out of his mouth was: "His Majesty dotes on you. If he knew about us... he would go crazy."

"Won't I go crazy?"

Li Yunyan's tears fell like beads from a broken string. "Your Majesty and I both know that the Empress actually wanted to harm me last night, but what did His Majesty do? He protected the Empress and let the real culprit go unpunished! He never thought that I would also be injured. If the Empress's conspiracy had succeeded last night, I would be dead by now!"

"You'll be alright! Last night, His Majesty ordered me to secretly protect you!"

"Can you protect me every time? As long as the Empress is around, she will never let me go and will always try to harm me! You can protect me once or twice, but can you protect me for a lifetime?"

"......I can."

He spoke with absolute certainty.

Li Yunyan shook her head, "I don't believe it, you're all lying to me! He Beiyi also said he liked me the most, he said he would protect me, but he always protects the Empress! You must be lying to me too! You're all big liars!"

By the end, she had broken down in tears, squatted down, hugged her knees, and sobbed uncontrollably.

Hearing her cries, Ying Huai felt as if her heart was being torn apart.

He knelt down like her, gently put his arm around her, and coaxed her in a dull yet tender voice, "Don't cry!"

"Don't cry."

After crying for an unknown amount of time, Li Yunyan was exhausted.

She lifted her head from her knees, her bright eyes now red from crying.

She stared at him intently and said coldly, "Does Your Excellency mean that His Majesty likes me very much, so you cannot be with me?"

He did indeed mean that, and nodded.

"So you don't like me either, right?"

He was slightly dazed, then nodded resolutely.

"Then I'll be truly with His Majesty tomorrow, and it won't matter to you, right?"

He instinctively wanted to nod, but the moment he heard her words clearly, his eyes widened.

"What did you say?"

A poignant smile appeared on Li Yunyan's face.

“My lord, I understand. In the harem, His Majesty’s favor is more important than anything else. I will listen to you. Tomorrow I will no longer administer medicine to His Majesty. Once I have truly become his woman, I will no longer covet you. You can rest assured.”

A tearing pain surged in Ying Huai's heart; that wasn't what he meant!

He looked into her eyes, which were filled with tears, and she looked at him with sadness and pain.

He knew she was unwilling, but he had just personally rejected her!

He was the one who personally pushed him back to His Majesty's side!

He should be happy, shouldn't he?

Seeing that he remained unmoved, Li Yunyan raised her head and pressed her cold lips to his, but left after only a moment.

Her voice was calm and even as she bid him farewell: "My lord, from now on, we have nothing to do with each other."

A scalding tear fell onto Ying Huai's hand.

Li Yunyan got up and climbed onto the bed, lowering the bed curtains to block all view.

Ying Huai stood there for a long time, but he never saw that smiling face peek out from behind the bed curtains again.

After her performance, Li Yunyan lay down in bed and wiped away her tears.

The crying scene just now was largely acted, but it also came from the heart.

She wanted Ying Huai to fall in love with her as soon as possible, and to see his own heart clearly. Otherwise, if this dragged on, she would never be able to wait until she died to see Ying Huai take the initiative.

True fans are forged through hardship!

True love too!

The more agonizing it is, the more unforgettable it becomes.

*

The following afternoon, Li Yunyan heard that Consort Xu, who was in the Cold Palace, had died.

It seems he died from an accidental fall.

He Beiyi thought the Empress had sent someone to silence him, and sneered inwardly.

The Empress, however, believed that He Beiyi was doing this to avenge Li Yunyan! She tore the handkerchief in her hand to shreds.

No one knew that the person was actually killed by Ying Huai.

He thought to himself, "Will this calm her down?"

As for the Empress, he would resolve this potential threat for her if an opportunity arose in the future.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!