Yao Hua Palace.
Li Yuyu stood at the palace gate, looking up at the plaque that had obviously just been replaced.
"These three characters are really beautifully written, I wonder which famous master’s hand they came from." Li Yuyu swayed her round fan, narrowed her Willow Leaf Eyes and said casually.
"I’ll take that as my beloved concubine praising me."
No one knew where Yan Xiu had come from, or how long he’d been standing here.
"How come Your Majesty walks without a sound? Speaking all of a sudden like this—aren’t you afraid you’ll frighten your consort to death?" Li Yuyu curved her pretty Willow Leaf Eyes, her voice soft and coy.
Yan Xiu couldn’t help but chuckle. Hands clasped behind his back, he walked up to Li Yuyu and stopped at her side, just so perfectly blocking the sunlight that had been falling across her face.
"Since when did my beloved concubine’s courage become so tiny?"
She wasn’t even scared when he lost his temper; he refused to believe a mere sentence from him could frighten her.
This little concubine’s been getting more and more addicted to acting lately—he wondered if she ever got tired.
"Hmph, people scaring people really can scare them to death."
Li Yuyu puckered her lips.
Yan Xiu couldn’t hold back; he reached out to pinch Li Yuyu’s puffed-up cheek.
Hiss.
So soft. He wanted to pinch more.
A smile surfaced in the depths of Yan Xiu’s phoenix eyes; he was clearly intrigued by Li Yuyu’s cheeks.
Li Yuyu stared in shock, eyes wide: "Your Majesty, a gentleman uses his mouth, not his hands!"
The Emperor was being way too shameless, wasn’t he?
Can’t win an argument so he just pinches her cheeks?
Zero stars!
"Use my mouth?" Yan Xiu raised a brow. "Since that’s what my beloved concubine is asking for..."
Li Yuyu’s chin was suddenly lifted by Yan Xiu. His handsome features were enlarged in front of her eyes; her cherry lips parted as she was about to speak, but her voice was blocked.
!!!
They were still right outside the palace gates!
Shen Quan and Hua Yin suddenly found their own shoe tips extraordinarily fascinating, absolutely unwilling to lift their eyes from them.
And the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs all collectively went blind at that moment.
Yan Xiu didn’t go deep, just lightly pecked at her cherry lips a few times before pulling away, the slightly rough pads of his fingers rubbing over Li Yuyu’s tender lips.
"...I will naturally see that you’re satisfied."
Li Yuyu: !!!
In very good spirits, Yan Xiu strode into Yao Hua Palace.
Because Yao Hua Palace was very close to Yangxin Hall, although no one had lived here before, it had still been regularly cleaned and maintained.
This time, everything Yao Hua Palace needed had been listed by Shen Quan himself and submitted to the Imperial Household. Even though Zhang Jian was inwardly most reluctant, he didn’t dare slack off in the slightest.
It was Li Yuyu’s first time entering Yao Hua Palace.
When she saw the layout, so similar to Luaxin Pavilion, she looked at Yan Xiu walking ahead and listened to Shen Quan at her side introducing the place with a smile, and her heart felt warm.
It was a pity that in Yan Xiu’s heart there was only "Li Yuyu". And he was the Emperor—because he died young, it made him seem deeply devoted.
If he could sit securely on the Emperor’s throne, would he still be deeply devoted to "Li Yuyu" alone?
In ancient times, how many men had only one woman in their entire lives?
All the more so when Yan Xiu was the Emperor.
Li Yuyu shook her head in regret, pushed away those messy thoughts, and did her best to play well the role of competing for favor and keeping favor.
"My Lady, this is the pond. The carp you were raising in Luaxin Pavilion have all been moved over. Take a look, not a single one is missing. His Majesty said the pond here is large—if you’d like to raise more fish, that’s perfectly fine."
Shen Quan led Li Yuyu up the white jade arched bridge, pointing at the ponds on either side as he spoke with a smile.
It was beautiful.
Lotuses and water lilies had even been specially transplanted by the pond, making it look all the more exquisite.
Li Yuyu really liked it here.
She stood on the arched bridge. The sun was setting, and a faint cool breeze was blowing.
Li Yuyu narrowed her eyes, feeling the light dampness brush against her face. It was cool and soothing.
Yan Xiu stood below the bridge with his hands behind his back, looking up at the person on the bridge. On a face that was usually expressionless, a pampering smile appeared.