Chapter 492 Extra 11: Zhao Zhao's Memories, Zhuo Zhuo Ning Chuan
Xiu Ningchuan lifted the bed curtains, sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked at her, saying, "What do you want to hear?"
Empress Chenzhao turned over and replied, "It's that song, 'The Cat Girl Tune'."
She clutched the blanket tightly, waiting expectantly for him to start singing, but he remained silent for a long time.
In the past, Xiu Ningchuan would not have refused her request, but at this moment, a strange feeling arose in his heart, and he asked, "Why do you want to hear me sing this?"
Empress Chenzhao usually held absolute power in the court, but she was most vulnerable and least guarded when she was asleep and just before falling asleep.
Now, on a night like this, she longs to hear him sing that song again.
Noticing her unusual behavior, Xiu Ningchuan reached out and cupped her face, continuing to ask, "Why did you let me into your heart when I sang a lullaby?"
Empress Chenzhao said, "If you don't want to sing, then forget it."
Xiu Ningchuan chuckled lightly: "I'm willing to sing, but I'm really curious to know why it's so important. Can you tell me?"
Empress Chenzhao turned her head away and then turned her back to him.
It seems she doesn't know enough about this royal consort. Besides being stubborn, his bad habit is that he likes to pry into things.
Xiu Ningchuan silently removed his outer robe and got into bed.
"Chirp chirp".
Her childhood nickname was like a forbidden zone in the empress's heart; she immediately turned over and glared at him angrily.
Xiu Ningchuan put his arm around her back and explained with a smile, "I called you Qiuqiu just because I wanted to kiss you. The way you look at me always makes me..."
He moved closer, and after their bodies made contact, the Queen's eyes widened even more.
Don't you want to?
Xiu Ningchuan said slowly, "It's been half a month. I've never been absent for so long before."
The Empress's drowsiness completely dissipated as Xiu Ningchuan removed her inner garment.
He said, "Your Majesty appointed me as your consort, wasn't it because you were attracted to my appearance?"
Upon hearing his words, she made a gesture to push him away, but her hand was pulled back and pressed against his smooth, jade-like skin.
Xiu Ningchuan was not a child; how could he believe that a nursery rhyme could open her heart?
Empress Chenzhao swallowed hard and said, "How could I be such a lecherous person?"
"Isn't that so?" Xiu Ningchuan chuckled and said, "Then why did His Majesty's hand go under my waist?"
Empress Chenzhao was not shy at all and said directly, "It's because you deliberately seduced me."
Xiu Ningchuan is a qualified royal consort; he can do anything well if he sets his mind to it. Therefore, the Empress trusts him completely with the affairs of the inner court.
He always excels at what he's willing to do.
Just like now.
His palm rolled over her waist and slowly moved down.
Just like when a craftsman polishes a secret-color porcelain piece, he carefully brushes the thinnest part of the clay body with a glaze brush, making sure that the color can be applied.
The night wind, seeping in through the window, carried lingering fragrance, and the dew-kissed hibiscus petals rustled and fell.
His undergarment had somehow ended up beneath her, the sheer fabric of the collar revealing the seal script beneath.
Empress Chenzhao suddenly reached down and grabbed his shoulder, panting slightly, and said, "...That's enough."
Xiu Ningchuan raised his head and gently refused, "It's not enough."
The Queen's eyes became moist, and her lower abdomen tingled. She said with a hint of grievance, "I would rather hear you sing nursery rhymes."
Xiu Ningchuan was stunned. Had he misunderstood?
He frowned, confirming, "You really just want to hear me sing a song, and nothing else?"
Empress Chenzhao asked, bewildered, "Otherwise, what did you think it was...?"
As she spoke, thinking about what he had just done, she pursed her lips and said, "What's going on in the Emperor's head?"
Xiu Ningchuan knelt between her legs and said dejectedly, "I thought you would like it."
The Empress frankly stated, "I do like it, but what I mean is..."
She felt a little embarrassed when she thought about it.
"The Cat Cat Tune" is a song that Xiu Ningchuan sang to Zhenzhen when he was putting her to sleep.
One night, when she arrived at the entrance of the Star Pivot Palace, she heard him softly singing: "Snoring, snoring, the fluffy ball transforms into a warm dream coat..."
With a gentle and soothing tone, Empress Chenzhao stood at the door listening. Zhenzhen stopped crying, and all her exhaustion disappeared; she also began to feel sleepy.
That night, she slept soundly without having to clutch that old piece of cloth.
Afterwards, she even inquired about the name of the song and invited musicians to perform it in the Ziji Palace, but she did not get the same effect as when the emperor sang it. Instead, she became more and more annoyed the more she listened to it.
Xiu Ningchuan realized when she had heard this nursery rhyme. He first chuckled a few times, and then laughed louder and louder.
The queen kicked him in annoyance, but he grabbed her ankle and pinned her against his waist.
Xiu Ningchuan said, "I just didn't expect it to be such a simple request."
This position is not suitable for discussing serious matters, so Empress Chenzhao withdrew her foot and buried herself in the quilt.
She frowned and said, "Simple? Not simple at all. Everyone else's singing is awful."
Xiu Ningchuan lay down beside her, pulling her and the blanket into his arms, and asked, "Why me?"
Empress Chenzhao said proudly, "It seems that my husband does not know why I chose you to enter the palace."
After a moment of contemplation, Xiu Ningchuan gave a serious answer: "Because the Xiu family's influence in the capital is still shallow, they are the easiest of the few families to control."
Empress Chenzhao curled her lips and said leisurely, "Of course not. Do you think I am the kind of person who would compromise myself to balance power?"
Surprise appeared in Xiu Ningchuan's eyes. He had initially thought so, but now that he was getting to know her temperament, he realized that she wouldn't lie.
Has he made another mistake?
After pondering this for a while, Xiu Ningchuan asked, "Why was I chosen?"
The empress yawned and mumbled sleepily, "I'm tired and want to sleep. We'll talk about it tomorrow."
With two hours to go before court, Xiu Ningchuan felt sorry for her being so tired and couldn't bear to delay her rest. He could only suppress his many questions and stay awake until dawn.
Although Empress Chenzhao did not hear the nursery rhyme she wanted to hear, she heard it in her dream, and a sweet smile curved her lips.
She first met Xiu Ningchuan not in a portrait, nor at a palace banquet, but on the streets of Lin'an.
At that time, Emperor Wusu had not yet abdicated, but he had already considered passing the throne to her. He summoned her and Yuan Heng to the Hall of Diligent Governance and asked them for their thoughts.
Twins can understand each other at certain times.
She had long sensed that her elder brother actually loathed the palace. It might be related to his childhood experiences; he had a difficult life and never had a moment of peace.
Perhaps what he truly yearns for is a life of leisure and freedom.
She didn't actually have much ambition for the throne, but as the eldest daughter of the emperor, she should shoulder great responsibilities.
If she had to choose one of them to be emperor, she felt that she was more suitable than her brother.
No matter how you spend your day, it's still a day; no matter how you live, it's still a wonderful day. She spoke before her brother, accepting the position of Crown Prince with generosity and openness.
However, as soon as she stepped out of the Hall of Diligent Governance, an invisible pressure instantly piled up in her heart.
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