He first slowly took off Chen Xiao's outer robe until she was only left with her inner garment. Noticing her nervousness, he didn't say a word, but calmly took off his own outer robe as well.
After doing all that, he lay peacefully on the outside of the bed, then pulled Chen Xiao down and made her lie down next to him.
Just like that, inexplicably, the two of them lay quietly together in the darkness.
All of Chen Xiao's accusations were swallowed by Xu Ruyu's unconventional actions.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of each other's breathing intertwined in the quiet night.
After a while, Chen Xiao couldn't contain his curiosity any longer and whispered, "Why did you say that outside Changchun Palace today?"
Xu Ruyu paused slightly, then answered honestly, "I just wanted to see if you would mind."
Chen Xiao turned to face Xu Ruyu and gently pushed him: "All you know how to do is play these little tricks."
Before she could finish speaking, Xu Ruyu grabbed her hand.
Immediately afterwards, Xu Ruyu's pleasant voice gently rang in her ear: "It's so late, isn't Your Majesty sleepy yet?"
Chen Xiao muttered under his breath, "Now you're calling me 'Your Majesty' again, but I've never seen you truly treat me like one before..."
The two were so close that Xu Ruyu could hear Chen Xiao's subtle complaints clearly.
He turned to the side, and the two were now facing each other. Their breaths mingled, creating an atmosphere of extraordinary intimacy in the quiet.
Xu Ruyu silently reached out and gently embraced Chen Xiao. At the same time, that clear and gentle voice rang in her ears again: "Xiao Xiao".
Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback, paused for a moment, and then slowly placed his hand on Xu Ruyu's waist and hugged him back.
From a distance, they looked like an incredibly loving couple, sleeping in each other's arms, as if the whole world had shrunk to just the two of them.
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Xiao gradually fell asleep in Xu Ruyu's arms. Xu Ruyu looked at her peaceful sleeping face and gently placed a kiss on her forehead: "Goodnight, my love."
That night, there was no His Majesty or Consort Yu, only Chu Chenxiao and Xu Ruyu, and two hearts that were gradually drawing closer.
The morning sunlight shone on the two of them. Chen Xiao woke up and saw Xu Ruyu's face so close to his. Memories of last night came flooding back.
She berated herself for acting like she'd been drinking fake alcohol, and was about to quietly get up when Xu Ruyu pulled her back into his arms: "You don't need to attend court today. There's no rush for your trip to Xunyang. You rested too late last night, so go back to sleep now."
Hearing his slightly ambiguous words, Chen Xiao struggled for a moment in her confused mind, but finally nestled comfortably in his arms, enjoying this rare moment of peace.
---
Changchun Palace.
Zheng Pianran and Zhao Cheyu finished their conversation late into the night and went to bed very late. However, this morning, they both woke up early, packed their bags, and sat facing each other in the courtyard, waiting for His Majesty's instructions.
Zheng Pianran regarded this trip as a journey home, her heart filled with anticipation and eagerness.
Zhao Cheyu viewed it as a trip to distant places with Chen Xiao, and his joy was evident in his words.
The two were elegantly dressed and ready to depart, glancing at the palace gate from time to time, their eyes filled with anticipation.
When Shen Yi and Yun An arrived, this was the scene they saw: two concubines with very different temperaments and styles were sitting in the courtyard, their eyes frequently glancing toward the palace gate.
Having seen this scene many times before, they simply approached calmly and bowed to the two women together: "Consort Zhao, Consort Chen."
Upon seeing them arrive, the two slowly rose and returned the greeting.
Consorts were not required to bow to palace servants, but Shenyi and Yun'an were not ordinary palace servants. They were senior members of the palace and held official positions, and were highly valued by His Majesty.
Therefore, regardless of their position or status, everyone would give them some face, and Zheng Pianran and Zhao Cheyu were naturally well aware of this.
Shen Yi and Yun An were not flustered at all by the two bowing. They simply said to the two respectfully, "Your Highnesses, Miss Yin is also going along. His Majesty is waiting in her palace. Please wait a moment."
Miss Yin?
The two exchanged a glance, their thoughts differing, and replied gently, "It's alright."
Zheng Pianran didn't react much, after all, he didn't treat this trip as a vacation, and he didn't care who else was traveling with him.
However, he glanced at Zhao Cheyu out of the corner of his eye and caught a trace of disappointment in her eyes. Only then did he realize that Zhao Cheyu did not know that there were other people with her.
Zhao Cheyu was genuinely unaware that Chen Xiao would be taking Miss Yin with him to Xunyang, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but this feeling was fleeting.
Chen Xiao has many people around him, as long as it's not Xu Ruyu.
They had met this Miss Yin at the banquet in Zhaoyang Palace; she was a woman with a unique temperament.
I didn't expect her to be so important. Could she be an old friend of His Majesty?
His Majesty actually went to invite her personally and waited there for her to get ready.
It seems I'll have to be careful with my words and actions when I see Miss Yin later, and I can't be careless in the slightest.
Before long, Chen Xiao and Yin Yuyao walked over gracefully, and four pairs of eyes immediately fell on the two of them.
Chen Xiao's figure was capable and neat, and his light blue hairband tied up all his hair, which gave him a dashing martial arts charm.
Yin Yuyao, standing to the side, was dressed casually.
She wore a light purple dress, the hem of which swayed gently in the wind, and a simple yet exquisite jade hairpin in her hair perfectly accentuated her unique temperament.
The four men bowed together and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Chen Xiao raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to stand up, and then introduced Zheng Pianran and Zhao Cheyu with a smile: "This is Miss Yin. She has an old friend in Xunyang and is traveling with us this time."
Zhao Cheyu smiled politely and said softly, "Hello, Miss Yin." Zheng Pianran also greeted him.
Yin Yuyao was already quite adept at handling such situations. She bowed slightly, her voice as melodious as a mountain spring: "I have long admired the names of the two ladies. It is truly fate that we meet today."
This sentence made Chen Xiao look at her and tease her in a low voice: "You, you really know how to use that official tone so naturally."
Yin Yuyao then came to her senses and realized that Chen Xiao seemed to have never mentioned these two people to her.
However, Zheng Pianran and Zhao Cheyu were unaware of this and genuinely believed that Chen Xiao had mentioned them. Therefore, they responded in a very formal manner: "It is truly my honor to be able to travel with Miss Yin this time."
Chen Xiao was silent for a moment, but to stop the official tone from continuing, she quickly said, "Now that everything is ready, let's set off."
The group marched out of the palace in a grand procession.
After bidding farewell to Chen Yi and Yun An, the four of them boarded the carriage together. The carriage slowly started moving, and as they left the palace gates, sunlight shone on the carriage, as if draping the journey in a layer of brilliant radiance.
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