"Your Majesty, has the Emperor granted you permission to leave the palace?" Xiao Heye asked casually.

Su Tiyue said, "Yes, today in Chaoyang Palace, the Emperor summoned me for this very reason. He promised to let me leave the palace and go home."

"His Majesty treats you as well as ever. It seems that the understanding between you two far exceeds what this servant could have imagined."

What were she and Zhou Tingyue like in Xiao Heye's eyes?

Su Tiyue always unconditionally believed that Zhou Tingyue would be a good emperor.

As for Zhou Tingyue, he knew that Su Tiyue wanted a free and unrestrained life, so he did his best to give her the opportunity to leave the palace and return home.

All of this demonstrates the tacit understanding and trust between them.

This is what Xiao Heye is most jealous of and upset about.

...

"Master Xiao still doesn't believe me." Hearing Xiao Heye's evaluation, Su Tiyue's eyes suddenly darkened.

"This servant naturally trusts Your Highness, but this servant cannot trust His Majesty..."

Xiao Heye paused for a moment, then continued, "This servant understands men's minds better than Your Majesty."

Su Tiyue smiled and said, "It's not just about men's thoughts... Master Xiao can even read my mind."

"Master, I said I wouldn't run away again. I also said that since I chose you, I would never waver. I don't care what others do or think. I only hope that Master can always believe in me."

Xiao Heye nodded and hummed in agreement.

He had barely finished speaking when he could no longer control himself and reached out to pull her into his arms.

A barrage of kisses rained down on Su Tiyue, who was forced to endure it.

The kiss came suddenly and fiercely, and lasted a long time.

Before Su Tiyue could suffocate, Xiao Heye finally let her go.

With red eyes, Su Tiyue said in a wronged tone, "Master Xiao, can you please stop bullying me all the time? I'm so good to you, can't you be a little nicer to me too?"

"No." Xiao Heye raised an eyebrow, his tone indifferent.

Su Tiyue: "..."

He finished speaking.

He bent down slightly, swept her into his arms, and then walked towards the bathroom.

Xiao Heye lowered his head and carefully wiped her body, his movements gentle and slow.

This scene seems familiar. It's like the night Rong Wang had his accident, when Xiao Heye first helped her bathe, it was just like this, unhurried and gentle.

"Palmprint, are you very concerned about my past?"

Whether it was just her imagination or not, Su Tiyue always felt that every time Zhou Tingyue was mentioned, it seemed to inexplicably upset him.

Xiao Heye nodded, not denying it: "This servant is not happy at all. Her Majesty always praises him, and he always thinks of Her Majesty... Also, you two are always seeing each other."

"Do we meet all the time?" she asked.

Su Tiyue frowned and thought for a moment, then realized that it didn't always seem that way.

Since entering the palace, she has only met Zhou Tingyue a handful of times.

Moreover, they did not deliberately try to meet.

Xiao Heye's statement was somewhat exaggerated.

"If the seal is not pleased, then it will be removed from view..."

Su Tiyue leaned against the edge of the bathtub, her fingers emerging from the water to gently scrape his high, straight nose.

Xiao Heye grasped her wrist with his large hand, then put her outstretched fingers into his mouth and gently bit them: "The emperor has summoned you. If you don't go, wouldn't that be disobeying the imperial decree...?"

Su Tiyue said, "But the Emperor won't force me to do...something I don't want to do."

"Tsk."

Xiao Heye bit her again, this time with much more force: "Is Your Highness subtly mocking this servant? This servant always likes to force you... to do things you don't like."

“I didn’t say that; it was the seal-bearer’s own idea.”

Su Tiyue pulled her wrist back, lowered her eyes to avoid looking at him, and refused to let him continue to hold it.

Xiao Heye was about to say something when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

It's Li Xun.

His voice sounded a little urgent: "Master, Consort Ji says she has something important to discuss with you... What do you think of this?"

Xiao Heye frowned, glanced at Su Tiyue who was still soaking in the bathtub, and decisively refused: "I won't see her. Tell her to come again tomorrow."

Li Xun then said, "Master, she seems quite anxious... perhaps you...?"

Li Xun was a reasonable man. He knew that Su Tiyue and Xiao Heye were in the room. If it wasn't something important, he would have sent Consort Ji away directly.

Instead of sending them away, he braced himself and knocked on the door, even saying a few more words in defense of Consort Ji…

It's clear that the situation is quite serious.

But Xiao Heye didn't want to pay attention to it, especially since it was getting late.

"If you have something to attend to, go ahead and take care of it. I'll wait for you..."

Su Tiyue could tell that this matter must be very urgent, otherwise Consort Ji and Li Xun would not have risked angering Xiao Heye by disturbing him in the middle of the night.

Xiao Heye had been thinking of a reason to send Consort Ji away, but after Su Tiyue spoke up, he changed his mind and said respectfully, "This servant will obey Your Highness."

After speaking, Xiao Heye straightened his clothes and slowly wiped the water off his fingers with a clean handkerchief.

Then he slowly walked out of the washroom, and after stepping behind the screen, he said to Li Xun, "Tell her to wait in the side room."

"Yes," Li Xun replied.

Xiao Heye returned not long after he left, about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

When he returned, Su Tiyue had already come out of the bathtub, changed into his moon-white nightgown, and was lying on the bed waiting for him.

Su Tiyue lay on the edge of the bed, her exquisite curves even more alluring, her two little legs bent and swaying slowly in the air.

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