Chapter 41 Accommodating "Your Majesty, you can't do this."...

Wen Miao was never used to Emperor Qian Yuan's straightforward and overly affectionate manner, so she blushed slightly upon hearing his words.

She asked somewhat helplessly, "Doesn't Your Majesty feel ashamed?"

Not all the palace servants left the hall. Although they all kept their heads down, they were not deaf. The emperor's embrace and question about whether she wanted to stay were overheard by everyone. Just thinking about this scene made Wen Miao feel a tingling sensation in the back of her neck and her skin feel hot.

"What's there to be ashamed of?"

Emperor Qian Yuan slowly asked in return, still holding the Empress's fingertips in his hand as if he were playing with some rare treasure. His touch was gentle, yet it sent shivers down Wen Miao's spine, as if the tremor started from her fingertips and went straight to the depths of her brain.

The emperor said, "The empress is my wife. Does she not miss her husband?"

He used a more intimate term than "Empress," which immediately reminded Wen Miao of the night before when Emperor Qian Yuan had grabbed her waist and forced her to use that term in bed.

Wen Miao blushed deeply; in this respect, Emperor Qian Yuan was probably unmatched by anyone.

She tilted her head slightly, withdrew her finger, and didn't want to answer such an embarrassing question.

But the emperor was relentless; he was adept at using his male charm to achieve his goals—

"Does the Empress truly not miss me?"

He was like a mature, experienced, and persistent hunter. No matter what unexpected events or rejections occurred along the way, he would not give up. Instead, he became more courageous with each setback. He had the patience of a wolf and the entanglement of a python. He hooked his hand around Wen Miao's sleeve and rubbed his fingertips against her wrist.

It's itchy.

It feels numb.

Wen Miao's heart softened for no reason. She kept her eyes downcast, her eyelashes fluttering like a small fan. Just when Emperor Qian Yuan thought he would not get an answer today, he heard a barely audible sound.

His queen said, "Perhaps there is a little bit."

A very ambiguous answer, even seemingly vague, but Emperor Qian Yuan would filter and capture what he wanted to hear—if the Empress said "yes," then she missed him.

There's only a little bit now, but in a few days, it might be a lot.

"...I am very pleased."

The emperor, overjoyed, lifted the empress in his arms. He never concealed his somewhat morbid desire for Wen Miao. He simply walked quickly behind the screen, had her sit on his lap, ordered the palace servants to prepare dinner, and then withdrew.

Wen Miao: "Your Majesty! There are...there are still people!"

"It's alright, I'll have them all leave."

The emperor held the beautiful woman in his arms, his nose brushing against Wen Miao's nape and shoulder, causing the empress to struggle helplessly, eventually giving in and resting her body against the emperor's chest.

Wanbi, who was originally serving in the back, secretly smiled. Shicui gave her a warning tug on the sleeve and turned back.

Luo, who was also qualified to serve inside the palace, remained silent. Although she kept her eyes down and followed the palace servants out of the palace, she was quite surprised.

On her first day at Fengyi Palace, she already knew about the Emperor's special treatment of the Empress, but at that time she only thought it was a favoritism that arose from human emotions.

Especially for an elderly woman like Luo, who had witnessed the favoritism shown to the concubines in the late emperor's harem, such "love" was time-limited, gradually diminishing over time and fading with time spent together.

Luo couldn't help but think of the "deep affection" she had seen in the imperial family before.

There was once a beautiful woman in the late emperor's palace. She was born a commoner and was a skilled embroiderer. She was beautiful and had a naive and charming personality. She fell in love with the late emperor when he came out of the palace incognito. For the first few days, they were very close. The emperor brought the embroiderer into the palace, made her a concubine, and promised her a lifetime of love.

At that time, the late emperor was over forty years old. He inherited the handsome appearance of the royal family of the Great Chu, but his temperament was not good and his abilities were mediocre. In his early years, he was neither successful nor unsuccessful in his political affairs. He only had beautiful women, and he did many amazing favoritism with his "true love" embroiderer.

However, in the fifth month after the embroiderer entered the palace as a concubine, the late emperor gradually grew tired of her.

The innocent and charming girl he once loved has turned into the foolish and arrogant girl he despises. Soon the promise made by the late emperor was overturned. Just then, Consort Li rose to prominence and gained the late emperor's favor, while Xiu Niang was neglected, framed, and ended up in the cold palace, where she went mad.

That "exclusive favor" that was once talked about by the people of Beijing was just a flash in the pan, lasting for less than half a year.

Luo was ordered by the Emperor to serve the Empress. Her feelings for the Empress were not as deep as those for Shi Cui and Wan Bi, but she knew that the Emperor's heart was unpredictable and did not want her mistress to be neglected. At first, she wanted to secretly arrange and advise the Empress, but after observing for several days, she gradually gave up on the idea.

She had a vague feeling that the Emperor Qian Yuan's exclusive favor to the new empress might not be a fleeting moment, but could even last a long time.

Luo, who was at the back, carefully closed the palace door. Just as the door was about to close the last crack, she mustered her courage and slightly raised her eyelids to look into the Phoenix Palace.

The tall emperor lowered his head, embracing his new empress, his head nestled against her neck. The shadows and candlelight within the hall shifted, creating a dimly lit space, so that when the emperor raised his eyebrows, he was bathed in that half-shadowed light—

One side is yang, gentle and tender, full of deep affection.

One side is Yin, like a ferocious beast, greedy and terrifying.

A chill ran down Luo's neck. She quickly lowered her head and closed the half-closed palace door completely.

Inside the Phoenix Palace, Wen Miao was held by Emperor Qian Yuan around the waist. Her toes barely touched the ground, and her eyes and cheeks were flushed. She felt a burning sensation on her face.

"Let me hold you a little longer... I haven't seen the Empress for three hours today."

There is an old saying that "a day apart feels like three autumns," but Emperor Qianyuan said that even a day was too long for him. Before he made Wen Miao his empress, he could endure it and find an excuse to visit his wife every three to five days. But now that he has really married Wen Miao, he not only doesn't get tired of seeing her, but he also doesn't want to be apart from her for even a moment.

Wen Miao was so pestered by the emperor that she finally gave up getting up and just sat in the emperor's lap.

The dinner on the table was plentiful. Emperor Qianyuan held Wen Miao's waist with one hand and held jade chopsticks in the other, picking up all of Wen Miao's favorite dishes, and then carefully feeding them to the Empress.

Wen Miao pursed her lips, leaned back slightly, and as soon as she turned her head, her gaze fell into Emperor Qian Yuan's eyes.

...It's rather pitiful.

Like a large dog abandoned by its owner, it stared longingly at Wen Miao and whispered, "The dishes I've picked are all the Empress's favorites."

Wen Miao thought that she did seem to be easily moved to pity.

After a brief pause, her slightly pursed red lips finally opened slowly, accepting the emperor's actions. Emperor Qian Yuan was greatly encouraged and became even more engrossed in it, picking up food for her, feeding her rice, and then scooping up sweet soup and feeding it to Wen Miao's lips.

After Wen Miao had eaten until she was about 70% full, Emperor Qian Yuan reached out and stroked her lower abdomen before continuing to hold the Empress in his arms and beginning his own meal.

After only a moment, he suddenly flicked his wrist, dropping the dish into the bowl.

The emperor said slowly, "My hand is suddenly a little numb..."

Wen Miao immediately said, "Your Majesty, please put me down. Am I being crushed?"

Given Emperor Qianyuan's physique and his early battlefield training, carrying the Empress in his arms was an easy task.

Instead of answering, Emperor Qianyuan asked, "Could the Empress feed me a bite?"

Wen Miao paused.

Emperor Qianyuan softened his tone and said, "After a busy day, I'm a little hungry, but my hands are numb and I can't hold the chopsticks at all..."

The emperor, who is of the highest rank, speaks as if he is so pitiful, like a beggar on the street who can't afford to eat and can only go hungry.

Wen Miao knew the emperor was doing it on purpose. She wanted to refute and point it out, but in the end she only moved her lips, then picked up her chopsticks and asked, "What does Your Majesty like to eat?"

Emperor Qianyuan was slightly taken aback. The words he had been keeping to himself suddenly seemed to have been half-burned away, and he forgot to reply.

...He thought the empress would refuse him.

"Your Majesty?" Wen Miao called out to the other party again.

The emperor quickly came to his senses, but hesitated when he thought of Wen Miao's question, "...I...I don't know either."

Before, in the cold palace, as long as he didn't starve, that was enough; later, when he went to the battlefield for the Northern Expedition, as long as he could eat his fill, that was enough; and then, as a shield, he returned to the capital to become the crown prince, constantly caught in the vortex of power, where did he have time to care about food? What he really needed to care about was whether the food was poisoned.

After he truly ascended the throne, the table was laden with all sorts of delicacies, but Emperor Qian Yuan had little appetite or interest in them. He ate not for enjoyment, but merely to sustain his life.

Now, when the Empress asked him what he liked to eat, the usually shrewd and calculating Emperor Qianyuan was stumped.

What does he like to eat?

After a moment's thought, Emperor Qianyuan said, "Whatever the Empress likes, I will like."

From the day he met the goddess of his dreams, he lived for her, so what Wen Miao liked should naturally be what he liked as well.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't do this."

Wen Miao paused for a moment, her gentle expression unusually fading. Instead, she looked at Emperor Qian Yuan with a serious expression, her starry eyes sparkling with a different kind of light.

"Your Majesty may not have paid attention to what you like to eat before, but you can start looking for it and trying it now. Don't cater to what I like, but ask Your Majesty what you think."

Emperor Qian Yuan was somewhat puzzled, but seeing the seriousness in Wen Miao's eyes, he nodded, "...I will give it a try."

The emperor, who always knew how to take advantage of others and seek "benefits" for himself, asked again, "Can the empress accompany me in the search?"

Wen Miao thought for a moment and said yes.

Now they are husband and wife, emperor and empress, and can be considered one. Although she doesn't give the emperor as much affection as he does, Wen Miao thinks she should try to manage this marriage.

Every relationship needs maintenance; there's no reason why only one person should give forever.

Emperor Qianyuan smiled slightly and asked, "If I find a food I like, will the Empress reward me?"

Wen Miao first picked up a piece of tofu and handed it to Emperor Qian Yuan, asking him to try it. After he swallowed it, she asked, "What reward would Your Majesty like?"

Emperor Qianyuan held Wen Miao's hand. After enjoying the feeling of being fed by the Empress, he took the chopsticks from her hand and fed himself. He couldn't bear to trouble the Empress. The previous time was just to satisfy a little fantasy in his heart.

The emperor seemed to have already thought of the answer to Wen Miao's question.

He spoke softly, "When I find her, will Miaomiao like me even a little bit more?"

The emperor was trying every trick in the book to gain more favor from Wen Miao.

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Author's Note: His Majesty is an absolute and invincible fanatic for Miaomiao.

Miao Miao offers His Majesty a degree of guidance and healing.