A pair of warm, large hands embraced her waist... In the lake, he held her, rising and falling...

When Mi Shan regained consciousness, her chest was being pressed down, and the man's authoritative yet urgent voice echoed in her ears.

"Shan'er, wake up! Don't sleep! Wake up!"

I opened my eyes through a blurry crack and saw a bronze mask, engraved with bull horns and patterns.

Wet water dripped incessantly from above, landing on Mi Shan's face.

"Cough cough,"

She coughed up several mouthfuls of water with difficulty and opened her eyes.

She then realized that she was surrounded by people, all craning their necks and looking at her with concern.

Besides Li Shengyuan, Prince Rui and Li Changyu were also soaking wet.

It turned out they had also jumped into the water to save her.

But Li Changyu might just be putting on an act.

Even if she were to drown, he would likely give the chance to save her to the emperor.

"...That's wonderful, Shan'er, my Shan'er has finally woken up!"

The emperor was overjoyed and moved to tears. He hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to crush her and carve her into his very bones.

"It's all my fault. I've hurt you. I'll never wrong you or distrust you again..."

Upon hearing this, Mi Shan wasn't particularly shocked.

Isn't this the effect we wanted to achieve?

But a chorus of gasps rose and fell around them.

Who would have thought that a dignified emperor would apologize to a woman?

Besides, she was just a newcomer who had only recently entered the palace.

What makes Mi Shan different from other women?

The emperor was so devoted to her!

"Your Majesty, Shan'er is alright. Can you let me go now? I can hardly breathe."

"Alright, Shan'er, then promise me you'll never do such a foolish thing again. Do you know how deep and wide that moat is? It stretches for thousands of miles! If you get swept away by the waves, where will I find you?"

"Yes, Consort Mi Hui, you mustn't do anything foolish again. You have no idea how worried Father and I have been," Prince Rui said, his eyes appearing red.

He seemed extremely concerned about her.

"Consort Mi Hui?"

She was slightly taken aback.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Eunuch Hai explained softly:

"Consort Mi Hui probably doesn't know yet, but His Majesty has just promoted you to the rank of Consort and bestowed upon you the title of Hui."

"Your Majesty, I am unworthy of such an honor. Thank you."

Mi Shan wanted to bow, but Li Shengyuan stopped her and picked her up in his arms.

"It's windy here, and you're already like this, so there's no need for formalities. Also, tonight, I'd rather hear Shan'er call me Yuan Lang."

After saying that, Li Shengyuan ignored the surprised and suspicious looks of the people around him, picked up Mi Shan in his arms, and strode away.

"Set up your stance and return to Taiji Palace!"

It goes without saying who will be serving you tonight!

Qin Miaomiao was so angry that she felt dizzy and almost collapsed.

The concubines were also astonished, each one feeling a chill: "This is truly unprecedented. The Emperor and Consort Mi Hui's relationship has become so close that even the way they address each other has changed."

"We concubines, when we see the Emperor, are all respectful and dare not overstep our bounds in the slightest."

"Yet Consort Mi Hui could address the Emperor directly as 'Yuan Lang.' This is a treatment usually reserved for the most intimate couples. The Emperor lowered himself to treat a mere concubine as an equal..."

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid even the Empress has never received such an honor."

As someone spoke, their voice gradually faded away.

But it still clearly reached Empress Rouci's ears.

Her expression remained unchanged, her eyes were deep and thoughtful as she gazed into the distance, lost in thought.

Instead, it was Consort Ru who couldn't hold back and angrily rebuked, "The Emperor has already left, and you're still talking nonsense here! Why aren't you all going back to your palaces? Are you just standing here enjoying the cool breeze!"

"Yes...yes. We will take our leave."

The concubines scattered like birds and beasts.

The princes and princesses also bid farewell.

-

Taiji Palace.

The emperor carefully placed Mi Shan on the bed and specially ordered Xu Ninghai to bring dry clothes for her to change into.

"I'll help you."

"No need, I'll do it myself..." Mi Shan subconsciously refused.

Li Shengyuan stopped, though he remained silent.

But Mi Shan sensed that he was somewhat unhappy.

So when she was finally dressed up and the back of the dress needed to be tied, she turned her back to him and lifted the curtain.

"Yuanlang, Shan'er needs you. Can you come and help me?"

Mi Shan's voice was so soft it reached her very bones.

Li Shengyuan's eyes lit up.

"I'm coming right now."

He awkwardly tied a knot for her, then nodded, seemingly quite pleased with his handiwork.

Mi Shan turned her head to look.

It's crooked and uneven; this knot is probably impossible to tie.

He forced a smile of praise:

“Yuanlang did a great job, Shan’er, thank you.”

There's no need for such formality between us.

Li Shengyuan reached out and gently cupped her small, palm-sized face in his warm, rough palm.

The eyes beneath the bronze mask shimmered with tenderness.

"Shan'er, tonight, I want you."

After speaking, he gradually approached her, gazing at her deep red and moist lips.

Mi Shan's heart pounded wildly.

For a moment, I forgot all my movements.

She knew this was something she had to go through.

She had even dreamed of bearing an heir to the throne.

Only in this way, no matter how long the emperor lives or when he dies, she will not be dragged down.

Her clothes were brushed down to her shoulders by his hand, revealing a patch of snow-white, delicate skin.

The man's cold bronze mask was pressed against her face.

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