Chapter 88 Extra: Morning Time
"What's wrong, Your Majesty?" Su Jingyu asked softly as she looked at him leaning back with his eyes closed in the mirror.
“I’m happy.” Xiao Jingzhan murmured, tightening his arms around him. “Seeing my children so outstanding, and with you all by my side, I feel… very content.”
Su Jingyu turned around to face him, raised her hand to stroke his handsome profile: "I am happy too. With Your Majesty and the children, I feel that I have no other desires in this life."
Xiao Jingzhan took her hand and placed it against his heart, where his heart was pounding strongly at her words.
He lowered his head and kissed her palm, then moved up her arm, finally capturing her soft lips.
When the kiss ended, he breathed slightly, his forehead pressed against hers, his phoenix eyes burning with affection: "Yu'er, thank you. Thank you for coming to my side, thank you..."
Su Jingyu's eyes welled up with tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck and offered her lips: "To meet Your Majesty and to accompany Your Majesty is my greatest fortune."
Their clothes gradually slipped off amidst their lingering kisses. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the dragon bed covered with a bright yellow brocade quilt.
He savored every inch of her beauty, listened to her passionate moans, and led her to... sweat mingled, breaths mingled, he whispered his love in her ear again and again, swallowing all her responses.
The next morning, before dawn, the soft light of the morning sun shone through the bright yellow silk curtains onto the dragon bed.
Xiao Jingzhan's biological clock was extremely accurate; he woke up almost at the very moment dawn broke. He didn't get up immediately, or even move, but simply turned his head slightly, gazing at the person still fast asleep in his arms in the dim light.
Su Jingyu nestled in his arms, her sleeping face serene. After a night of nourishment and a good night's sleep, her skin was radiant and translucent, like the finest mutton-fat jade, glowing faintly in the morning light.
Her long eyelashes fell gracefully like butterfly wings, casting two small shadows beneath her eyes. Her nose was straight and delicate, her red lips were slightly parted, and there seemed to be a faint, sweet smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
His dark hair, like clouds, was spread out on the bright yellow brocade pillow, with a few strands playfully wrapped around his bare arms.
Xiao Jingzhan's gaze meticulously traced her features, from her smooth, full forehead to her slender, beautiful eyebrows, and then to her closed, gracefully shaped eyes... He had seen this face for so many years, from her shy and naive appearance when she first entered the Eastern Palace at the age of sixteen, to her current status as the Empress, who had given birth to five children for him, yet she remained breathtakingly beautiful. In fact, the passage of time and his extreme favor had added an indescribable charm to her allure.
He often felt that his love for her had reached its peak, and his heart was completely filled with her, leaving no gaps.
But whenever he quietly looks at her like this, his love overflows uncontrollably, growing stronger day by day, as if there is no end in sight.
She was his poison, and his cure; the only warmth and obsession in his cold imperial life.
As he gazed at her, the beautiful woman in his arms suddenly stirred. Her long eyelashes trembled, her red lips parted slightly, and she uttered a soft, indistinct murmur: "Your Highness..."
Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a lingering sense of naivety and complete dependence, like a feather gently brushing against Xiao Jingzhan's heart. His heart softened, almost melting into a puddle of water.
He couldn't help but lower his head and kiss those slightly parted, delicate lips, as tender as flower petals.
The kiss was light, carrying the tenderness and affection of early morning. Su Jingyu seemed to be awakened by the gentle touch; her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.
His eyes, still slightly misty from just waking up, were clear and bright, reflecting the faint light outside the tent and... his smiling, handsome face.
"Your Majesty?" She blinked, her consciousness gradually returning. A faint pink blush rose on her cheeks from just waking up and seeing his focused gaze, making her even more beautiful.
She felt his warm, large hand gently stroking her cheek, filled with boundless affection.
"Awake?" Xiao Jingzhan asked in a low voice, his fingertips lingering on her delicate skin, his thumb gently caressing the corner of her lips. "My dear, did you have a dream just now? You were calling out 'Your Highness' in your dream."
Su Jingyu then remembered her dream, her cheeks flushed even more, her eyes darted around, and she mumbled softly, "N-nothing..."
"Oh? Nothing?" Xiao Jingzhan raised an eyebrow, deliberately drawing out his words, his other hand slid restlessly to her soft waist, gently scratching it. "You have a little secret to me? Hmm?"
"Ah! Your Majesty, please stop..." Su Jingyu was extremely ticklish and tried to dodge with a light laugh, but he held her tightly in his arms and she couldn't move.
Xiao Jingzhan lowered his head and gently rubbed his high nose against her small nose. Their breaths mingled, and his voice was hoarse and coaxing with the sound of early morning: "My dear, tell me, what did you dream about? Did you... dream about me?" The last sentence was filled with obvious amusement and certainty.
As he nuzzled her so intimately, his breath brushing against her face, Su Jingyu's heart raced, and she could no longer hide it.
She buried her burning cheeks in the crook of his neck, her voice muffled yet filled with an irresistible sweetness: "It was... a dream from a long time ago, when I had just learned to ride a horse, Your Majesty was still the Crown Prince, and you took me to play in the outskirts of the capital..."
She recounted her dream in fits and starts. In the dream, the young crown prince taught her how to ride a horse, and the two laughed and played joyfully on the grassland.
Later, His Highness was summoned by his attendants to discuss urgent matters and was instructed to wait where she was. However, she was playful and saw a patch of wildflowers blooming beautifully in the distance, so she rode over there and unknowingly rode far away. When she looked back, she found that the surrounding scenery was unfamiliar and the way she had come was blurred.
She was terrified and afraid that wandering around would only make her more lost. Just as she was feeling lost and about to cry, she suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats approaching from afar.
She turned around abruptly—
In the morning light, His Highness the Crown Prince, dressed in a black outfit, rode up at full speed, looking travel-worn and with obvious anxiety in his eyes. But the moment he saw her, that anxiety turned into relief and joy.
He reined in his horse, dismounted, strode over to her, and without a word, lifted her off the horse and held her tightly in his arms.
His embrace was firm and warm, carrying a familiar, refreshing scent that instantly dispelled all her fear.
"What are you running around for? You scared me to death!" His voice was stern with lingering fear, but his arms were tightly wrapped around him.
In her dream, she nestled in his arms, tears finally streaming down her face—tears of fear mixed with relief. "Your Highness... I thought I'd lost you forever..."
"Silly girl," he lowered his head and kissed away her tears, his tone more tender and firm than ever before, "No matter where you are, I will find you. Don't run away again next time, understand?"
"I remember..." She nodded emphatically, both in her dream and in his arms.
The dream ended there, but was then broken by his kisses and caresses.
After Su Jingyu finished speaking, she still buried her face in the crook of his neck, somewhat embarrassed: "It was just... such a dream. Perhaps it was because His Majesty praised Yu'er yesterday, and it reminded me of when he taught me to ride a horse."
Xiao Jingzhan listened quietly, a warm and tender feeling welling up inside him. He remembered that afternoon; it was indeed shortly after she learned to ride a horse, and he had taken her out for a walk to clear her mind, when an urgent report from the border came up that needed to be dealt with.
He hurriedly gave a few instructions and left. When he returned after finishing his business, he found that she was gone. He was terrified and immediately led his men to search for her. Finally, they found her behind a small hill, looking lost and with red eyes.
The palpitations and lingering fear I felt then are so similar to the dream described by the person in my arms now.
"My darling," he said, pulling her closer and holding her even tighter. His chin rested on the top of her head, and his voice was deep and gentle. "Dreams are the opposite of reality. If you get lost in your dream, in reality, no matter where you go, I will protect you and never let you get lost in the slightest."
He stepped back slightly, cupped her face, and made her look into his eyes, his gaze focused and affectionate: "Whether in the Eastern Palace or the Imperial Palace, whether I was the Crown Prince or the Empress, my eyes and my heart have always followed you. You are my Empress, my wife, the mother of my children, the one I have cherished and pampered my whole life, and the one I will continue to cherish and pamper. My love for you and my affection for you will only grow stronger with each passing day, and will never diminish in the slightest."
He lowered his head and kissed her watery eyes, then the tip of her pert nose, and finally kissed her alluring red lips deeply.
He gently sucked and explored, dancing intimately with her, as if to convey all his love and vows to her through this kiss.
Su Jingyu's body went limp from his kisses. She loved this man who doted on her so much, and she nestled even closer into his arms.
After a long while, Xiao Jingzhan pressed his forehead against hers, looking at her flushed and delicate cheeks and her watery and dreamy eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was low and hoarse: "My darling, I love you."
"Your Majesty, I love you too." Su Jingyu responded softly, tilting her head back to kiss his lips again.
The emperor and empress's mornings passed quietly amidst sweet memories, affectionate confessions, and tender kisses, ushering in the warmest and happiest prelude to a new day.
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