Jing Zhe reached out and touched it, feeling it for a moment, and finally realized what it was.

When I met Empress Yueyao before, her long, flowing black hair was styled in a bun, making her look elegant and noble. A silver hairpin carved in the shape of a phoenix was inserted in her hair.

And what he's holding right now should be this.

Then Empress Yueyao said, "There is no token. But if you want a certificate that allows you to roam freely in Yueyao Kingdom, this white phoenix hairpin is perfect. There is only one in the entire Yueyao Kingdom. When the people of Yueyao Kingdom see the white phoenix, they will know that it belongs to me."

After saying that, she didn't forget to remind him: "Although there are many women in our Yueyao Kingdom, you must not do anything bad with this white phoenix hairpin, or I will take it back!"

The meaning is obvious: they fear Jing Zhe might harm the young girl from Yueyao Kingdom.

"The Queen underestimates me!"

Jing Zhe immediately retorted with dissatisfaction, "I'm going to Yueyao Kingdom purely to experience its exotic customs and culture. I don't care at all about whether there are more or fewer women!"

"..."

Empress Yueyao did not answer, and the room fell silent.

After a short while, Jing Zhe said, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. Let's go to sleep. We have to leave early tomorrow morning!"

"Um."

Empress Yueyao responded and fell silent again, so quiet that their even breathing could be heard in each other's ears, especially their chests pressed together, beating rhythmically, it was hard to tell whether the beating was their own or the other's.

Jing Zhe originally wanted to sleep, but with the soft fragrance beside him and the realistic touch, he was a little distracted and couldn't fall asleep.

Empress Yueyao's breathing was sometimes slow and sometimes rapid, not like she was asleep, so he said softly.

"Asleep?"

"without…"

Why aren't you asleep?

"I can't sleep."

What Jing Zhe could feel, Empress Yue Yao could also feel. Especially after listening to so much from Jing Zhe, she was still in a state of excitement. How could she possibly fall asleep?

So he countered with, "You weren't asleep either, were you?"

"Yes, the night is long, and I can't sleep. What should a lone man and woman do to pass the time?"

"What do you like to do?"

The Empress asked in surprise.

"Um... I'm thinking about that too."

Jing Zhe was just talking big, but when the Empress actually asked him about it, he immediately shut up. This feeling was terrible, but there was nothing he could do. After all, she was the Empress.

When he first learned that Su Mochen was a princess, he also avoided her like the plague, fearing that if he were to be chosen as her consort, he would never have the chance to philander again.

It wasn't until he figured out a way that he dared to confirm his relationship with Su Mochen before leaving Jingzhou. However, becoming the man of the Moon Yao Empress was far more complicated than becoming a prince consort, so he didn't dare.

In the darkness, Empress Yueyao pursed her lips, exhaled softly, and a faint fragrance wafted through the air.

"How about... I tell you my story too..."

She spoke as if she had mustered a great deal of courage.

"good."

Jing Zhe agreed, but he didn't really care. What kind of story could an empress have? She just grew up in the palace.

"Actually, in our Moon Yao Kingdom, the Empress is mainly responsible for court affairs. Even matters like marriage and childbirth are handled by the Holy Maiden, and these things can take a very long time..."

Perhaps because the topic was about relationships between men and women, Empress Yueyao's tone was noticeably shy, and she spoke haltingly. After finishing, she asked, "Have you heard of it?"

I've heard a little about it.

Jing Zhe had only heard about it once during the day, which was why he was curious about the Moon Yao Kingdom, a kingdom of women. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "As far as I know, the daughters born to the Holy Mother are all candidates for the next empress, right?"

Yueyao nodded first, and only after realizing that Jingzhe couldn't see her did she say, "Yes... my mother was actually the previous Holy Maiden."

"Moreover, even before we are born, the palace will search for other pregnant women in Laixi City and bring them all to the palace. When we are born, some of the other newborn girls will be selected as candidates for Holy Maiden and kept in the palace. Only by passing a series of subsequent tests can one become the final Holy Maiden..."

It's surprising that becoming a saint requires going through layers of selection, but it's understandable, since she's someone who could potentially become the next empress, and this is how you ensure "superior genes."

"But what if the Holy Mother gave birth to a boy?"

"Then let's rest for a while, and then continue..."

"Forehead…"

Upon hearing this, Jing Zhe couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

It seems that men who marry the Holy Maiden of Yueyao Kingdom have a tough time, because they have to be with the Holy Maiden most of the time, and the Holy Maiden is pregnant most of the time. How agonizing must that be?

This empress is definitely not someone you should marry!

When Empress Yueyao was about to tell her story, Jing Zhe guessed that she would complain, after all, as an empress, she rarely had the opportunity to speak her true feelings.

Sure enough, she sighed and said, "Alas, if I could, I wouldn't want to be this empress, but I have no choice..."

Next, Jing Zhe heard many unexpected things from Empress Yueyao, and gained a new understanding of her.

Empress Yueyao's surname is Murong, and her given name is Xi.

Murong is the royal surname of the Yueyao Kingdom, and Murong Xi only became the Yueyao Empress half a year ago.

This is also a tradition of the Yueyao Kingdom. Whenever the princesses grow up, the old empress will choose one of them to be the next empress. This way, after choosing a good husband, the holy maiden can start giving birth when she is young.

There are many princesses in the Yueyao Kingdom, which shows that the competition to become the Yueyao Queen is fierce.

Like other princesses, Murong Xi entered the court early on to help Empress Yueyao handle the affairs of Yueyao Kingdom.

Her nature was not to compete or fight, so deep down she didn't want to be an empress. She preferred to be a princess, able to choose the man she liked and have a child she loved.

However, many things are beyond her control.

In the court, she was exceptionally capable, and the old empress had high hopes for her, so she defied public opinion and elected her as the new empress.

The first thing Murong Xi faced after ascending the throne was how to handle the relationship with the Western Frontier Kingdom.

Back when she was still a princess, her suggestion was that they could no longer compromise with the Western Frontier, because the more they compromised, the more demanding they would be of food.

At first, giving Yueyao Kingdom some food did not affect the lives of the Yueyao people. However, as Xijiang Kingdom demanded more and more, Yueyao Kingdom soon could not afford it. Therefore, Murong Xi's stance was to no longer compromise.

This is also why the old empress promoted her to the new empress.

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