Inside the hall, all was silent.
The two locked eyes. Yan Beimo leaned lazily against the soft couch, his expression calm and unchanged.
He was wearing a white robe, and on his open chest were several fine, bright red nail polish marks.
Chu Changning extended her slender finger and gently poked it, her smile not reaching her eyes.
"This is how scions of noble families are born; even when they fall in love, their methods remain so vile."
How could an emperor who has emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood be so foolish as to be unable to see through the woman beside him, so foolish as to think that she could put aside the humiliation of the past and be loving towards him?
He knew everything in his heart, yet he pretended not to see her pain.
"Oh, I was wrong. Perhaps that little bit of love is not enough for you to set aside your noble status as a young master of a prestigious family to beg for forgiveness. So, you simply imprisoned me to satisfy your greed."
She poked his chest with her fingers, her alluring eyes fixed on him.
"Yan Beimo, you are a complete hypocrite, a scoundrel with a wolf in sheep's clothing. Beneath this gentle exterior lies nothing but a capricious and unpredictable heart."
Yan Beimo gently lifted his eyelids, looking at the reddened corners of her eyes, as if he had glimpsed the deepest thoughts in her heart, and said in a low voice.
"Trying to provoke me?"
Chu Changning felt a chill run down his spine, and his eyes welled up with tears.
"I've been imprisoned in this palace and treated like your own possession, can't I even have a moment of freedom?"
"Then why are you crying?" He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and stared at her. "Are you betting that I'll soften my heart?"
As he spoke, he suddenly tightened his grip on her waist.
Chu Changning swayed and fell softly into his arms.
The black and gold dragon robe she wore fell loosely down, revealing her smooth, jade-like shoulders and her snow-white, full breasts, a large expanse of cleavage exposed, impossible to conceal.
Yan Beimo lowered his eyes, slowly patted the dragon robe draped over her body, and wrapped it tightly around her, covering her exposed skin completely.
"Or are you betting on how much I indulge you?"
Chu Changning stared at him with her large, watery eyes, without saying a word.
Yan Bei Mo turned his eyes away from her, gently wiping away the tears welling up in her eyes with his fingertips, speaking softly.
"Get a good night's sleep first."
After saying this, he picked her up and placed her on the small couch, then got up and left.
Chu Changning tilted her head to look at his back, shook the gold chain on her foot heavily, and her eyes reddened.
Is His Majesty fleeing in disarray?
Yan Beimo's back stiffened. He didn't say anything, but pushed open the door and walked out.
When the night hawk guarding outside saw the person come out, his expression didn't change, but he felt inexplicably afraid and didn't dare to speak, silently following behind.
The Emperor's bedroom was closest to the Hall of State Affairs, so Yan Beimo went directly to the Hall of State Affairs after leaving the palace.
"Don't let anyone in."
"yes."
Some time ago, the powerful families had been pressuring His Majesty to establish a new empress and wanted to secretly execute the Lady, but His Majesty did not take any action, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the Yan clan.
Not long after Night Hawk hid, he saw two middle-aged men in official robes walking towards him noisily, and the guards couldn't stop them.
He pursed his lips, immediately jumped down from the tree, walked over and bowed.
"His Majesty is exhausted today and will not see anyone."
"Go and inform him that his fourth and fifth uncles are begging to see him."
Nighthawk, "---"
He had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to deliver the message.
The main hall was dimly lit.
Yan Beimo, dressed in a gilded black robe, leaned back on the soft couch with a bold and imposing air. A wine jar sat on the couch table. He closed his eyes, propped his chin on his hand, and let his black hair fall loosely down his back, with a few unruly strands hanging over his shoulders, adding a touch of gloom to his face.
Night Hawk's voice came from outside, but he didn't speak and didn't even blink.
Night Hawk couldn't hear anything, so he had no choice but to tell Yan Shilin and the others to leave, but as soon as he finished speaking, he was pushed away.
The palace doors swung open, and they strode in without a care. They saw His Majesty lounging lazily by the couch, exchanged a few glances, and then knelt down.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Yan Beimo opened his eyes, glanced at the person kneeling on the ground, his dark eyes indifferent.
Yan Shiji couldn't hear anything and felt a little uneasy.
This nephew wasn't close to them when they were in Yandu. Despite his seemingly gentle and polite demeanor, he killed many members of the clan in the Yan family ancestral hall after his elder brother's death.
Ever since that incident, he felt that his nephew, who dominated the north, was no pushover.
Yan Shilin didn't have so many thoughts. He simply patted his robe and stood up arrogantly.
"I heard that my uncle came to Jiankang from Yandu a couple of days ago to discuss the matter of establishing an empress, but His Majesty sent him back?"
Yan Beimo lowered his eyelids slightly, lazily playing with two black beads in his hand, and changed the subject.
"What brings Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle to trespass into the Council Hall?"
Yan Shilin bluntly stated, "Jinling is nothing more than a princess of a fallen kingdom. His Majesty has already ascended the throne. How can she, a powerless orphan, be worthy of the position of the Queen Mother of our Great Qi?"
“It would be better to execute him now than to bring him back. If this drags on, it will only give the world something to talk about.”
Yan Shiji glanced at His Majesty, whose expression remained indifferent. Seeing that His Majesty was not angry, he spoke directly.
"Fourth Brother is right. Our Yan family is the most prominent family in the world. However, because of His Majesty's ascension to the throne, many noble families in the north have plotted rebellion and colluded with the barbarians in the Western Regions, leading to frequent wars."
"Your Majesty should prioritize the overall situation and take a noblewoman as your concubine, so that a repeat of the Wang family incident can not occur."
Yan Beimo said calmly, "Yes, go out."
"---"
The two were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other.
"What? Do you want me to ask you to leave?"
His indifferent voice was filled with a dangerous aura. He remained seated, but the way he glanced at her carried the oppressive feeling of an emperor.
The two men were inexplicably startled and slunk away.
The night hawk, standing with its head bowed at the palace entrance, noticed the gaze above it, swallowed hard, and quickly closed the palace door.
There was no movement inside the palace for an entire day.
When ministers from the previous dynasty came to report on military affairs, Night Hawk turned them all away; he dared not let anyone in again.
As darkness fell and the night grew cool, the moon enveloped the entire palace, casting dappled light and shadows over the magnificent, empty halls.
The entire hall was eerily quiet.
Yan Beimo leaned back on the couch, lost in thought. The cool light shone on his profile, making it appear obscure and gloomy.
"Your Majesty, shall we serve the meal?"
Outside the palace, Night Hawk knocked lightly twice on the palace door, followed by a large group of palace maids and eunuchs.
There was no sound from inside. He pursed his lips. What was wrong with him not eating all day?
"His Majesty?"
There was still no movement.
Seeing this, he waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.
"Commander, a letter from the Northern Capital."
At this moment, someone came up and presented the envelope.
Night Hawk glanced at the signature, but didn't dare open it, and put it away.
"Is Xuan Yao almost at Jiankang?"
"It'll be soon, probably in a few more days. There's one more thing, our people have ventured nearly twenty feet into that thousand-year-old cold pool, but still haven't found the Fiery Lotus."
Night Hawk frowned. "The Fiery Lotus only appears once every ten years. Could someone have already gotten their hands on it? We need to investigate quickly."
"yes."
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