Su Yushan suddenly felt a pang of regret; she shouldn't have brought it up at that moment. Filled with remorse, she began to try and make amends.

"But you said before that there was no need to stand on ceremony."

Hongli did not deny it, saying, "I did say that, but if you insist on being polite, then I will grant your wish. If you lose your manners, you should be punished."

As he spoke, Hongli put his arm around her back and smiled generously, "However, we still have to consider our relationship, so let's be lenient and reduce the punishment from four to three."

"..." How could he possibly say that was a light task? "Strengthening the foundation and nourishing the source, how many times have I told you, how come you can't remember?"

He lightly tapped the tip of her nose with his fingertip, and smiled as he gazed into her eyes. "Haven't you been resting for two months? Your flower garden is almost dried up; I need to water it more."

Having run out of things to talk about, Su Yushan's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she chuckled and said, "I thought you'd be more serious after becoming emperor, but you're still full of bad intentions."

Hongli shook his head, his long eyelashes unable to conceal his deep affection, "I am only their emperor, not yours."

Su Yushan met his gaze, her starry eyes filled with tenderness. Her slender index finger traced the outline of his buttons, unconsciously drawing circles on his lapel.

"Then... what are you to me?"

Hongli smiled slightly, his smile carrying a deeper meaning, "He's the one who makes you laugh outside the tent, but cry inside."

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the tent!” She retorted casually, but Hongli’s dark eyes flashed, as if he had discovered something extraordinary.

“You’re right, the couch, the table, or the window are all fine.”

Before she could finish speaking, Hongli swept his long arm around her and picked her up. Before Su Yushan could react, he had already spun her around and carried her to the bedside, ignoring her cries of surprise.

As soon as she lay down, she felt the towering mountains crashing down on her! Su Yushan's lips parted slightly, about to say something, but her soft lips completely silenced her.

Previously, she had mostly been in tents, surrounded by curtains, which made her feel safe. But now that she was in the bedroom, there was nothing around her. What was even more frightening was that there was a window right next to her, and the lanterns under the eaves emitted a soft, warm glow, which shone on the double-panel, four-bowl-shaped window.

She was worried because she was so close to the window, afraid that she might make some noises that would be heard by the palace servants on duty outside.

The timid Yu Shan tried to reason with him, "Why don't we go back to our tent? How about that?"

Whenever she looked at him with such innocent eyes and acted coquettishly towards him, he couldn't bear to refuse. However, this time was different. Hongli had already decided to give it a try, so how could he give up so easily?

"No." He refused decisively, leaving no room for negotiation. "Right here tonight, I'll make you cry!"

At this moment, Su Yushan was in tears. Why did she have to be so quick to speak and say that extra sentence?

Hongli had made up his mind and refused to change it. Although she was covered with a brocade quilt, when she looked up and saw the faint light shining through the window glass, her heart pounded like a drum and she became even more uneasy.

Although they had been together for nine years, strangely enough, Hongli had never grown tired of her. Now, two months later, sharing a bed again, he felt an even greater sense of novelty; a single glance from her could easily stir his heartstrings.

After being separated for so long, they shared a pillow again. Su Yushan closed her eyes shyly, her delicate brows furrowed, and she covered her lips with the back of her hand, not daring to make a sound.

Seeing her trying her best to restrain her charming appearance, Hongli suppressed a laugh and reminded her, "There's no one outside the wall, I've already sent them all away, so please do as you please, there's no need to suppress yourself."

"Really?" Su Yushan opened her eyes suspiciously, feeling that his words were not very credible. What if he was lying to her, and she made a sound and someone heard it? How could she face people after that?

Despite Hongli's attempts to reassure her, she couldn't let go. She tried to suppress it, but when she couldn't help it, her knuckles would straighten, and she would unconsciously leave red marks on his back.

So when Chang Yue changed the emperor's inner garment the next morning, she glanced at his back and couldn't help but let out a soft "Eh," instantly conjuring up some unspeakable scenario.

Su Yushan was also woken up by the noise. Unable to hear anything more, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

In the past, when serving her master, Changyue would occasionally see some marks, but they were few and very light. It was truly rare to see five or six red marks like today.

No wonder the Emperor dismissed them as soon as he entered the palace. He must have been holding back for months, but he lost control last night and bullied the Empress too much, which is why she lost her temper.

Even though Chang Yue was already married, seeing this situation still made her blush, so embarrassed that she didn't know how to respond.

Hongli replied, "My cat is always throwing tantrums and scratching its back, so it's nothing unusual."

After a moment of stunned silence, Su Yushan realized that Hongli was teasing her!

Embarrassed, she shrank back under the covers and refused to speak, pretending not to understand.

Hongli stopped teasing her and let Changyue help him change his clothes. He had to go to court now and couldn't joke around anymore. He would settle accounts with her properly later that night.

After being forced to kneel, Su Yushan recuperated for a month. During that month, she did not go to Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. Hongli had already given instructions, so the Empress Dowager could not say anything and turned a blind eye.

The Empress knew that Hongli favored Su Yushan. Although he said she was recuperating, he was clearly worried that Su Yushan would be harassed by the Empress Dowager, which was why he didn't let her come.

Kao Hsiu-wen saw through the situation and didn't interfere, but Lan Yung deliberately brought it up, feigning surprise.

"Hey—I haven't seen Consort Chun lately. Why hasn't she come?"

Xi Lan replied leisurely, "Consort Chun's leg is injured, making it difficult for her to walk."

Lan Rong silently counted on her fingers, "It's been a month already, the injury should have healed by now, right? Is it that serious?"

Xi Lan thought to herself that this Consort Xian was really meddling in other people's business. "As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. The Emperor asked the imperial physician to examine her, and the physician told her to rest more and not to be careless, so as not to leave any lasting health problems."

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