As dusk fell, Yanruo arrived at Kunning Palace.

He Ying greeted her with a smile: "Miss Yanruo, please come in. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Yanruo instructed a palace maid to bring up a blue-and-white porcelain tea canister.

"The Empress Dowager has instructed me to deliver this pre-Qingming Longjing tea. Is Her Majesty the Empress in the palace?"

He Ying looked slightly embarrassed: "Our lady has just finished resting."

Yanruo paused for a moment and then smiled, "I'm fine anyway, let's wait for Her Majesty the Empress to wake up."

This is the first guest to come to Kunning Palace after Su Wanwan married into the family.

He Ying didn't want to send her away, so she had no choice but to welcome her to the living room and serve her tea.

Yanruo sipped her tea, subtly observing her surroundings.

She had been to Kunning Palace before, but it looked very different from what it was now.

It was probably renovated for their wedding.

Carved beams and painted rafters, the room is filled with a sweet fragrance.

Yanruo couldn't help but think of the "Jiaofang Palace" mentioned in ancient books, the residence of the Han Dynasty empress.

It is said that the walls are painted with powder made from the flowers of the Sichuan pepper tree, giving them a warm, light orange color and a fragrant aroma.

It is named after the Chinese peppercorn, which symbolizes "many children and many blessings".

Yanruo took a look and saw that the walls were indeed light orange, a stark contrast to the previous predominantly bright red color.

Unlike the traditional kang (heated brick bed) by the window, this room didn't have a kang, yet it felt exceptionally warm, especially the soles of the feet, probably due to the presence of floor heating and a heated wall.

The Empress Dowager's Renshou Palace also had underground dragons, but only in the east and west warm pavilions. Unlike here, it seems that the entire palace has them.

Yanruo lowered her head and took another sip of tea.

The Empress Dowager once said that when the Emperor married the former Empress Xia Xueyi, he took 400,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Treasury, causing widespread anger and resentment.

During this grand wedding, he didn't ask for a single tael of silver.

I initially thought it was because they didn't take it seriously and didn't want to spend money and risk being criticized.

But looking at its luxurious and opulent appearance, it doesn't seem like it.

Yanruo gazed thoughtfully at the green bronze tripod on the large rosewood table carved with dragons and phoenixes against the wall.

Seeing that Yanruo was sitting calmly and showed no intention of leaving, Heying felt a little uneasy.

Why are you so tactless, insisting on waiting here?

They're a newlywed couple deeply in love; do you think you can interfere?

A woman's exclamation came from the direction of the East Warm Pavilion.

Yanruo and Heying both looked eastward at the same time.

Yanruo stood up, about to take a step.

He Ying quickly stepped forward and stopped her with a smile: "Perhaps my lady is dreaming. Miss Yanruo, please sit down for a moment. I will go and take a look."

Although Heying is a young woman, she personally kept watch last night and heard this kind of sound quite a bit.

They knew that their own mistress had been bullied terribly.

She blushed and didn't dare to sleep all night.

But what if outsiders found out about this?

What kind of words can't you come up with?

The Kunning Palace is extremely large, with nine bays in width and three bays in depth.

The main hall and the east and west side rooms are connected, creating a very spacious area that can accommodate hundreds of people at the same time.

There was a study between the East Warm Pavilion and the living room, and the heavy doors of the room were tightly closed.

The sound could be heard in the living room, which shows how loud the noise was.

Just as Heying arrived at the study, she heard several more uncontrollable female voices.

She quickly asked, "Your Majesty, are you having a nightmare?"

"Miss Yanruo is waiting for Your Highness."

Su Wanwan slowly came to her senses from the blankness and turned her head to look towards the door.

The man pinched her chin and turned her head, saying breathlessly, "Concentrate."

“Someone’s coming.” Su Wanwan gently nudged him.

"Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he'd have to wait." The man was truly domineering at this moment.

Su Wanwan was a little absent-minded. She wanted to say something, but she really didn't have the strength.

His lips, stained with her lipstick, lingered near hers, his dark eyes glancing at her sideways.

"You think you can just run away after you've had your fun? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Su Wanwan paused slightly.

It's not like she insisted on coming.

"Then don't do it anymore," she muttered softly.

Lu Xingjian paused for a moment, his eyes instantly sharpening, and he bit her shoulder.

"What nonsense are you talking about? What couple doesn't do this?"

Su Wanwan gasped in pain, her voice sweet and delicate, almost on the verge of tears.

"Hiss... Are you a dog? Why are you biting people?!"

Looking at the several teeth marks on her shoulder, Lu Xingjian suddenly thought of the red plum blossoms dotting the vast white snow.

Extremely alluring.

It also inexplicably evokes a destructive urge in people.

His voice was extremely hoarse as he whispered in her ear:

“If you say that again, I will punish you a hundred times.”

...

When Su Wanwan arrived at the living room after dressing up simply, Yanruo had already drunk a full belly of tea.

"Thank you for making the trip," Su Wanwan said politely.

Yanruo bowed respectfully: "It is my honor to serve Your Majesty."

Su Wanwan invited her to stay for dinner. Just then, Meng Yue arrived, saying he had urgent military intelligence to report.

He Ying led Meng Yue to the study next door.

The moment she opened the door, Yanruo saw a tall and handsome man standing in the study.

He was wearing an inner garment, with his outer robe simply draped over his shoulders.

With her hair slightly disheveled, she reached out and took the memorial from Meng Yue's hand.

His perfect appearance, and his nonchalant and relaxed demeanor, instantly captivated her heart.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

Suddenly I understood what the sound I had heard earlier was.

Where is the nightmare?

Clearly, clearly it is...

Seeing the lingering blush on Su Wanwan's cheeks and the captivating charm in her eyes, Yanruo immediately tensed up.

I realized I had interrupted their good time!

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