The Empress wore a dignified and elegant smile, praising her sisters for their skill and dexterity, saying they were truly a blessing to the harem.
Emperor He Beiyi was overjoyed and, with a wave of his hand, bestowed gifts upon each of his beloved concubines, causing them to express their gratitude with delight and laughter.
Li Yunyan sat at the head of the table, watching countless alluring glances fly towards He Beiyi, each woman striking a seductive pose—what a beautiful picture of palace beauties! She sighed inwardly, thinking how fortunate it was to be an emperor!
Just as she was eagerly consulting the system about whether there would be an empress in the future small world, the empress looked at her with a gentle expression.
"Sister Li Fei enjoys His Majesty's exclusive favor; surely she has prepared a surprise for His Majesty today?"
He Beiyi ignored the sourness in those words. He was also eager to know what gift Yan'er had prepared for him, and looked over with anticipation.
Li Yunyan smiled gently, her eyes filled with shyness, and looked at He Beiyi, saying, "Your Majesty knows that my embroidery and calligraphy are not as good as those of you ladies, so I dare not embarrass myself. Therefore, I have brewed a few jars of pear blossom wine by myself. When Your Majesty comes next time, I will warm the wine for you!"
He Beiyi was indeed delighted. He received birthday gifts every year, and they were always the same ones, pretty much the same. Although they were exquisite and expensive, they were really lacking in originality.
This was the first time he had ever received wine brewed by a concubine herself.
Overwhelmed by emotion, he couldn't help but lower his head and give her a light peck on the lips, saying in a deep voice, "I will go to Yan'er's place tomorrow to drink the wine you brewed for me yourself!"
Li Yunyan nodded shyly, feeling sorry for her wine, as she wanted to save it to drink with Ying Huai!
The concubines gritted their teeth in anger. "That vixen! She's just trying to seduce His Majesty!"
The Empress knew that Li Yunyan had not prepared any congratulatory gift for His Majesty, which was why she asked that question earlier.
Seeing that Li Yunyan handled the situation with ease, not only did she not embarrass herself, but she also made His Majesty publicly show his favor to her, making him extremely jealous.
In the past, His Majesty was always aloof and self-possessed in public. When had he ever appeared like this?
That bitch! She must be eliminated today!
"Your Majesty, the waters of Moon Shadow Lake are crystal clear, and I've heard that golden carp frolic in them. Tonight, with the bright moon reflected in the clear water, it's the perfect time to admire the golden carp playing amidst the misty haze."
The palace people had heard what the Empress said, and many of the concubines became excited and craned their necks to look into the water.
He Beiyi knew that there were golden carp in Moon Shadow Lake, but he had to be wary of any move the Empress made.
He gazed intently at the Empress, trying to discern what scheme she might be plotting. The Empress's expression remained natural and gentle, her eyes clear, as if she genuinely only wanted everyone to enjoy the lake view.
He Beiyi looked down at Li Yunyan and saw that her eyes were full of expectation, her gaze fixed intently on the water. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on her hand.
"Want to see?"
Li Yunyan turned to look at him and nodded, "Your Majesty, I really want to see what it looks like!"
Her appearance softened He Beiyi's heart. Considering her family background, he figured she probably hadn't seen much beauty before, so he agreed.
"You must stay with me at all times and are not allowed to go anywhere!"
Li Yunyan smiled sweetly: "Okay, Your Majesty, I understand!"
He reached out and pinched her bright little face, then took her hand, their fingers intertwined.
"Let's go take a look!"
Li Yunyan and He Beiyi walked to the side of the boat together and found that, just as the Empress had said, the lake water was very clear. Even at night, they could see golden fish shadows darting across the water from time to time, which was particularly lively.
A palace servant brought up fish food and distributed a packet to each of the concubines; Li Yunyan naturally received one as well.
Immediately, the concubines eagerly fed the fish into the water. The golden carp in the lake smelled the food and swam over, causing a series of exclamations.
As soon as Li Yunyan got the fish food, she noticed the problem.
This fish food contains a special ingredient that can drive people mad; the effects on the fish would likely be similar. Furthermore, fish cannot speak, so even if they sense something is wrong with the food, they cannot voice their concerns, increasing the difficulty of the investigation.
Li Yunyan lowered her eyes. The Empress had learned her lesson this time and her methods had improved.
Thumbs up!
Like everyone else, Li Yunyan sprinkled fish food into the water, which indeed attracted many golden carp to scramble for it.
Suddenly seized by a playful impulse, he leaned forward more and more.
Her waist was immediately wrapped around by a pair of large hands, pulling her back.
He Beiyi's face showed his disapproval. "Yan'er, be careful!"
Li Yunyan smiled at him, "With Your Majesty here, Your Majesty will protect me!"
Feeling very pleased by her trust, He Beiyi lowered his head and stole a kiss.
"Oh dear! Your Majesty, please stop fooling around, I still need to feed the fish!"
Li Yunyan playfully pushed his face away, then continued to focus on feeding the fish.
Her girlish demeanor delighted He Beiyi, who laughed as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist in a protective gesture.
A dark glint flashed in the Empress's eyes, but she quickly turned her head away, nonchalantly admiring the ever-growing number of golden koi carp around her.
Come over here, everyone!
The more the better!
After feeding the fish, Li Yunyan was still not satisfied and excitedly leaned on the bow of the boat to admire the view.
He Beiyi was already longing for her and couldn't wait to take her back to Chonghua Palace and pamper her.
But today is the first day of the month, and he still has to go to the Empress's palace, otherwise he will be impeached by the censors, which would be detrimental to Yan'er's reputation.
Feeling aggrieved, he thought he should at least collect some interest to ease his longing.
He pulled her by the waist with one hand, and with the other hand he supported the back of her head, pressing her down heavily.
The surrounding concubines gasped in astonishment at the sight! His Majesty had actually let his feelings for Consort Li slip away in such a public place!
While secretly cursing Consort Li for being a vixen, she also fantasized that the person His Majesty was deeply kissing was herself.
Suddenly, no one paid any more attention to the golden carp.
Li Yunyan was truly stunned by He Beiyi's kiss. She didn't know why he was being so clingy today, taking every opportunity to kiss her!
She was filled with anxiety. If Ying Huai, that jealous man, saw this, her words would be in trouble next time!
Ying Huai was indeed driven mad with jealousy!
His heart ached unbearably. She was his woman, but he could only watch helplessly as His Majesty kissed her, and he didn't even have the right to stop it!
A surge of resentment and anger welled up within him. His Majesty had so many women, while he only wanted her!
The unwavering belief in her heart quietly slipped away, flowing into the murmuring lake water and into the scene of the two kissing below.
Li Yunyan was held tightly by He Beiyi and couldn't break free at all. She was so angry that she kept pinching and hitting him, but he grabbed both of her hands and pressed her against the ship's pillar.
Sensing his changes and his increasingly high body temperature, Li Yunyan was going crazy!
Is this beast planning to do something here?
Just as she was considering whether to kneel down and give him a nipple, a series of crackling sounds came from the air.
That's the sound of fireworks!
While he was distracted, Li Yunyan pushed him away, keeping a few steps between them.
Seeing He Beiyi's dark eyes and his attempt to grab her again, she smiled and pointed to the sky.
"Your Majesty! Look at the fireworks!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
