Gan Qiongying held the emperor in her arms, a bittersweet feeling welling up in her heart.

"Sister..." the emperor sobbed uncontrollably, "It's my fault, I couldn't find any other way..."

Each sob was like a dull knife stabbing into Gan Qiongying's heart, slowly reopening the wound. Worse still, besides relieving the pain, the embrace also aroused her lust; the closer she was to the emperor, the more she wanted to be intimate.

"If I were of any further use," the emperor choked back tears, swallowing a few words as he spoke, "I would never have let my sister suffer the slightest injustice..."

The emperor rested his head on her shoulder, and Gan Qiongying gently patted his back, seemingly to comfort him, but in reality, she had repeatedly resisted the urge to kiss him.

Gan Qiongying was desperate about her "lustful desires" at this time.

But at the same time, she also sensed something was wrong. Logically speaking, even if she liked him a lot, it shouldn't be like this... It felt like she was being manipulated into this closeness. Gan Qiongying thought about it again and again and felt that it was the plot at work.

If she had let her body do as it pleased, she wouldn't know how to end this situation now.

She needed to figure out what the connection was between the original owner of the body and the emperor, but the emperor kept apologizing, making it difficult for her to even get a word out of him, let alone try to get information out of him.

Dude, stop crying.

My sister's heart can't take it anymore.

The guilt that had been building up inside him was finally released. As the tears welled up in his eyes, the emperor's emotions gradually calmed down. He stared at the small patch of damp cloth in front of him and roughly wiped his face with his hand.

He is truly useless; he has come to such a state that he still needs his elder sister to comfort him.

“Sister,” the Emperor straightened up slightly, keeping a distance between them, his eyes moist as he looked at Gan Qiongying and said, “I am so happy that you could come.”

Gan Qiongying also withdrew her hand at this moment and looked at the emperor. His eyes were still wet and it looked like tears could flow at any moment.

Seeing how heartbroken he was, Gan Qiongying comforted him, saying, "I'm also very happy to see you."

Upon hearing Gan Qiongying's words, the emperor was slightly dazed. At this moment, he seemed to have truly returned to the past, as if all the barriers between him and his elder sister had disappeared.

"Sister, let's go to the bedchamber." Realizing his lapse in decorum, the emperor turned his back to Gan Qiongying and rubbed the mess on his face.

"Okay." Gan Qiongying nodded.

As several maids helped Gan Qiongying change her clothes, the emperor rubbed his sore eyes. Overjoyed at the unexpected meeting, he looked up at the sky and realized that the sun had already reached its zenith, and it was lunchtime.

Inside Jing'an Hall, the two sat at a table. The hall was filled with various kinds of green bamboo, as well as some plants that Gan Qiongying couldn't name. The room was full of greenery, and the fragrance of wood filled the entire hall, making people feel relaxed.

The emperor ordered the palace servants to prepare a meal, and Gan Qiongying sat upright and waited. No matter what dish the emperor suggested, she said it was good because she was so hungry.

"Sheepskin Flower Strips, Immortal's Meatballs, Little Heavenly Pastries, Breeze Rice..."

Without hesitation, the emperor named several dishes in succession. Gan Qiongying felt that the names of the dishes were familiar. Upon closer listening, she realized that they were all dishes she often ate in the princess's mansion after she transmigrated.

"Remember to make the Qingfeng Rice a little sweeter," the Emperor said, then smiled at Gan Qiongying, "Sister likes sweet things."

"Alright." Gan Qiongying was inwardly surprised and uncertain, but smiled and said, "I'll trouble Your Majesty to remember this."

"Sister...why do you always call me Your Majesty?" The Emperor looked at Gan Qiongying with aggrieved eyes.

Gan Qiongying choked upon hearing this. Based on their time together over the past half day, she had come to understand that although she and the emperor had disagreements and estrangement, they must have a very close relationship in private.

Now that they have "put aside their differences," she really shouldn't address the emperor as "Your Majesty."

But there's a big problem!

She had no idea what the emperor's name was!

With a smile on her face, Gan Qiongying changed the subject, saying, "Have someone make another plate of radish cake."

The emperor looked somewhat somber upon hearing this, but said nothing more.

"All is well." He smiled ingratiatingly at Gan Qiongying.

Before long, the maids filed in and laid out the food in order.

Gan Qiongying sat at the table, analyzing everything that had happened in the past half day since she entered the palace.

The emperor knew her preferences so well, was so fond of her, called her "elder sister," and spared no kindness or tears. Their relationship was not as tense as rumored, but rather they were very close.

She couldn't help but have those absurd impulses towards the emperor. If it was just plot twists, then she and the emperor...could it be some kind of illicit relationship?

When she was thinking, she couldn't help but get distracted. Suddenly, the eunuch behind her shouted, startling Gan Qiongying so much that her shoulders trembled.

"Your Majesty!" The young eunuch rushed over in a panic, not caring that his hat had been blown askew by the wind. He seemed to have run like a madman, and now he was leaning on his knees, breathless. "The Empress Dowager... the Empress Dowager wishes to summon His Majesty for lunch..."

Empress Dowager!

Gan Qiongying couldn't help but look back. When she turned around, she saw that the emperor's expression had changed drastically, as if facing a formidable enemy. He suddenly looked at Gan Qiongying.

"Sister, let's go!" The emperor hurriedly stood up and pulled her away. "Let's go now!"

The emperor suddenly pulled Gan Qiongying from her seat. Her neck snapped back, and she heard a cracking sound from her joints. She asked from behind, "Huh? Where are we going?"

The emperor's breathing suddenly became much heavier. He pulled the person towards the door, repeatedly saying, "Sister, let's go quickly."

Gan Qiongying staggered as she was pulled along, feeling the pressure in his palm gradually increase. She had no idea that the slender emperor was so strong!

"No, we have to go through the side hall." The emperor had gone halfway when he suddenly turned around, muttering nervously, "We'll make it, we'll make it..."

Gan Qiongying barely kept up with the emperor's pace, while all the palace servants in the hall, including Eunuch Li, looked flustered.

What exactly happened?

She didn't want to see that old hag either, but she hadn't expected the emperor's reaction to be so intense.

The maids ran ahead and pushed open the side hall door. A blinding beam of midday sunlight shone in, and the maids froze on the spot, then retreated as if they had seen a flood or a ferocious beast.

The emperor suddenly stopped, and Gan Qiongying bumped into his back. Jewelry flew everywhere and hit her forehead. When she tried to rub it, she found that her hand was trembling. To be precise, it was the emperor who was holding her hand who was trembling.

She looked up and saw a bunch of unfamiliar faces.

The emperor wanted to retreat, but it was obviously too late. He instinctively stood in front of Gan Qiongying, but his body trembled uncontrollably, revealing his fear.

He was the emperor; even if he had encountered some ferocious beast, he shouldn't have acted this way.

Gan Qiongying looked past the emperor.

At the entrance of the side hall, an aunt and a group of maids were blocking the entrance, looking like they were waiting for a prey to come to them.

"Why is Aunt Hu here?" The emperor asked, his face and shoulders tense, but his voice trembled as he spoke.

Aunt Hu was one of the Empress Dowager's confidantes. She had a black mole the size of a grain of rice on her temple. Her cheekbones were too high and she was thin. She looked mean just by standing there.

"This servant greets Your Majesty and Princess Duanrong," Aunt Hu and her entourage knelt and bowed in unison.

The emperor silently took a step back, gave Eunuch Li a wink, and then spoke in a hoarse voice, "Aunt, please get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Aunt Hu bowed respectfully.

Eunuch Li immediately stepped forward to help Gan Qiongying. Gan Qiongying was still confused about the situation and was about to be taken away by Eunuch Li, but before she could turn around, she was stopped.

"Princess Duanrong, the Empress Dowager has issued a decree that she has not seen the princess for a long time and misses her dearly," Aunt Hu deliberately raised her voice, "and today, upon hearing that the princess has entered the palace, she has specially prepared a banquet at Yinian Hall."

"No!" the emperor blurted out.