As their eyes met, a tingling sensation spread throughout their bodies, and the atmosphere began to heat up.
His lips look so soft, so kissable.
Su An's pupils dilated slightly, and she couldn't help but swallow, her thoughts growing stronger.
The next moment, she suddenly grabbed his collar, stood on tiptoe, and leaned in.
Seeing the handsome face magnified before his eyes, with even the finest pores clearly visible, Su An's heart pounded like a drum, and his breathing became rapid.
The warm breath sprayed on his neck, and Fu Zhun's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
But just as she was about to press her lips against Fu Zhun's thin lips, a voice suddenly came from behind, completely shattering the ambiguous atmosphere between them.
"Miss Su, it's getting late. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager requests that you return home to rest!"
Su An was so frightened that she stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Fu Zhun caught her waist in time, preventing her from embarrassing herself.
Damn! I almost managed to steal a kiss!
Su An was filled with remorse, but recalling her behavior just now, she blushed with embarrassment. She quickly broke free from Fu Zhun's embrace, looked away, and responded with a sound.
"They're here!"
After saying this, she glanced longingly at Fu Zhun's thin lips before lifting her skirt and leaving the place.
Only Fu Zhun remained standing there, savoring the moment.
She seemed to want to kiss him just now...
Thinking this, Fu Zhun raised his hand and gently touched the corner of his lips, his smile widening several times over.
The Empress Dowager's bedroom.
After being blown by the night breeze, the blush on Su An's face had completely disappeared.
But even now, thinking about what happened just now still makes her heart race.
Seeing her lovestruck expression, the Empress Dowager frowned, pursed her lips, and scolded her angrily for her lack of self-control.
"As you just saw, Li Wanyue had already been having an affair with His Majesty before they were even engaged. Now she is pregnant, which has caused a lot of gossip. You are a smart man and should understand how important a woman's reputation is."
"Don't let your momentary lapse in judgment lead you down the same path as Li Wanyue!"
Su An, however, disagreed and shook his head in defense.
"Your Majesty, I cannot agree with your words. Although Miss Li suffered some damage to her reputation due to her unmarried relationship, wasn't her goal to enter the palace as a concubine? Now she has achieved her goal and trampled many people underfoot."
"In this world, there are gains and losses. It's inevitable to sacrifice some things for what you want in your heart. Besides, reputation is such an ephemeral thing. As long as you know it in your heart, why bother about what others say?"
After hearing her words, the Empress Dowager was at a loss for words.
Looking at her fearless appearance, I had a thousand words to say, but they could only turn into a soft sigh.
"Very well, you don't understand now, but you will understand when the time comes."
"I'm saying this all for your own good."
Su An had heard these words countless times.
Everyone says it's for her own good, but no one knows what she really wants.
After a moment of silence, the Empress Dowager raised her hand to yawn and said with a smile, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It's getting late, so let's get some rest. We have to get up early tomorrow."
Su An didn't say anything more and lay down next to the Empress Dowager, fully clothed.
When I woke up again, it was already the next morning.
As dawn broke, Su An was forcibly dragged out of bed by a palace maid.
She glanced out the window, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and muttered something in confusion.
"Is something important happening today? Why are you up so early?"
The palace maid brought over a basin to wipe her face and wash her face, while also answering her questions.
"No, that's not true. However, the Empress Dowager gets up at this time every day. Before long, the concubines in the palace will come to Cining Palace to pay their respects. If they don't get up now, they might miss it."
Upon hearing this, Su An rolled her eyes and lay back down on the bed.
She gets up earlier than the chickens; it seems being an empress dowager isn't so easy.
Seeing this, the palace maid had no choice but to call a few people to lift her up and help her change her clothes.
Around 7 a.m., Su An was brought into the main hall.
Seeing her yawning repeatedly, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but smile and waved to her, patting the spot next to her.
"Come here quickly and sit beside me."
Su An did not refuse. He happily ran to sit down next to the Empress Dowager, drank a cup of tea, and then felt much more awake.
Before the two could even speak, the imperial concubines entered Cining Palace one after another to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
Looking at the group of beauties, Su An couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Although this emperor's character is questionable, he is certainly blessed with a lot of beautiful women. The palace is filled with all sorts of beauties that dazzle the eye, from mature and sophisticated women to young and innocent girls...
Perhaps because Su An was sitting right next to the Empress Dowager, in such an obvious position, it was hard for the concubines in the palace not to notice her.
In addition, the power dynamics within the palace are deeply entrenched, and the concubines in each palace cultivate their own power base to varying degrees.
They didn't have much trouble learning that Su An had moved into Cining Palace as Fu Zhun's fiancée.
Seeing that Su An was very close to the Empress Dowager, they couldn't help but want to curry favor with her and competed to praise her.
"This must be the Prince of Zhenbei's fiancée! She's truly beautiful and charming. No wonder she could make even a heartless man like the Prince of Zhenbei bloom!"
"I've heard that Miss Su is also a businesswoman and owns quite a few shops. We are truly envious of how successful she has become."
"Yes, yes, Miss Su's skin is so radiant and delicate. She doesn't look like she's about to get married; she looks like she's thirteen or fourteen. Do you have any skincare secrets? Miss Su, could you teach me a few tricks in private?"
...
The concubines' constant chatter made Su An's scalp tingle.
But out of politeness, she couldn't not respond, so she awkwardly touched the tip of her nose and replied modestly, "Your Highnesses are too kind. Su An is just an ordinary country girl. You flatter me."
After saying this, she turned to look at the Empress Dowager as if pleading for help.
The Empress Dowager chuckled and raised an eyebrow, glancing back at her, but showed no intention of helping her out of the predicament.
Seeing this, Su An felt like crying but had no tears left.
Now I finally know what it felt like for Tang Sanzang to accidentally enter the Spider Cave.
Seeing Su An being fawned over by the crowd, one of the women dressed in a pinkish-purple palace dress clenched her sleeves, her eyes filled with disdain, and gave a light, annoyed snort.
"She's just a country girl, yet you all call her some kind of treasure!"
"A person like you, devoid of virtue, talent, and manners, what right do you have to sit beside the Empress Dowager? Get out of here at once!"
The more she spoke, the harsher her tone became.
This drew everyone's attention, and they all turned to look in the direction of the sound.
The person speaking was Consort Xian.
No one in the palace wanted to be her enemy. The woman who had been flattering Su An just moments before now kept her lips tightly shut and remained silent, afraid of being implicated by Su An.
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