A Quiet Homecoming

"Xuzhi, rise."

Xiao Mingting said coolly, "Relax, I was just discussing wedding plans with the Empress and her future brother-in-law."

His tone was even, but a hint of satisfaction laced his words.

He still held the young woman in his arms, his dragon robe's wide sleeves draping loosely around her, almost enveloping her entirely, a gesture of pure possession.

"Huh?" Yuan Fuju rose, his mind struggling to catch up.

Shen Yunxiu remained still, her expression already composed again.

Though many questions lingered, since Chen Yao had personally confirmed it, she wouldn't push further, lest she embarrass the young woman.

So she only lowered her eyelids slowly and said softly, "Your Majesty, I came to report on the relief efforts in the south."

Yuan Fuju's gaze cautiously rested on Shen Yunxiu. Seeing that she seemed stable, he breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Then, as if trying to back her up, he quickly added, "I also came to give a report."

Xiao Mingting narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Shen Yunxiu's face. She seemed to have collected herself again.

Without any pretense, he sat down in the chair behind the imperial desk with Chen Yao on his lap, adopting a relaxed posture, and said coolly, "Then go ahead."

Yuan Fuju was momentarily speechless.

Realizing Xiao Mingting was holding her on his lap so openly, Chen Yao's cheeks burned with embarrassment, nearly on fire.

She instinctively hid her face, reaching out to tug at his sleeve, her voice small and pleading, "Your Majesty, let me go..."

Xiao Mingting was in high spirits and had deliberately made that display to stake his claim in front of Shen Yunxiu, so he wouldn't let go.

Instead, he raised his hand to smooth a stray strand at her temple, coaxing softly, "Be good, Yao Yao, this won't take long."

Shen Yunxiu showed no visible reaction, but Yuan Fuju secretly clenched his fists. He immediately sensed Xiao Mingting's scheme, and indignation surged in him.

He's doing this on purpose, parading his intimacy with Xie Chenyao in front of Xilan, making her watch helplessly.

And I thought the Emperor was always steady and reserved, rarely smiling—turns out he's the petty, jealous type. Truly an eye-opener!

Yuan Fuju couldn't help but steal another glance at Shen Yunxiu. Seeing her calm expression, he sighed inwardly again.

*

The imperial wedding was, of course, far more elaborate than Chen Yao's marriage to Shen Yunxiu, a hundred times over.

So it left her a hundred times more exhausted.

In Qifeng Palace, the dragon-and-phoenix red candles flared, casting a warm glow over the entire bridal chamber.

Chen Yao wore an ornate phoenix crown heavy with gold, jade, and pearls, and the empress's ceremonial robes made her feel suffocated in their layers.

She sat on the wedding bed draped in a red brocade quilt, holding a golden vase in her arms, the red veil hanging down to show only a small patch of floor at her feet.

"So in the end, it wasn't a monogamous marriage; it had to be me," Chen Yao said silently to System 04, just to pass the time.

System 04 replied flatly, "Yes, yes, it had to be you."

Chen Yao couldn't help but put her hands on her hips. "I'm telling you, System, you're getting more robotic by the day."

"Since the mission's failed anyway, what's the use of being smart?" System 04 pouted.

Chen Yao retorted, "But you can still talk to me, right? You're a good chat partner."

System 04 spat, "Get lost."

They bickered in her mind.

Fortunately, Xiao Mingting didn't keep her waiting long. Soon, steady footsteps sounded from outside, approaching.

Cheng Yue, standing nearby, leaned in and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is coming."

Then, with a neat chorus of "Greetings, Your Majesty," the palace maids knelt in unison.

Under the direction of the ceremonial officer, the cohabitation ceremony and the union cup proceeded according to custom.

Finally, the red veil was slowly lifted.

Chen Yao looked up instinctively and saw Xiao Mingting before her, clad in a bright red wedding robe with a jade belt, his black hair secured in a golden crown.

He typically favored dark colors, so this vibrant hue was rare, but it highlighted his striking handsomeness.

Xiao Mingting also looked down at his empress.

In the candlelight, the young woman on the bed tilted her face up, bright eyes like autumn water, skin as white as snow, stunningly beautiful.

It was as if time had returned to that night in the Shen residence—the same red candles, the same face, the same wedding attire.

Then, the young woman's heart and eyes had been full of Shen Yunxiu, but now, her amber eyes held only his reflection.

His dark eyes deepened. He leaned down and lifted her from the bed into his arms.

Startled, Chen Yao instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, staring at him dazedly.

Her sweet scent, mixed with faint powder, drifted toward him.

Xiao Mingting chuckled, his voice low and husky. "Yao Yao looks beautiful today."

The young woman's long lashes drooped, casting shadows beneath her eyes. She bit her lip, coloring the rouged flesh a deeper red, too shy to speak.

He said no more, carrying her toward the side door.

Past layers of screens, a spacious hot spring pool appeared, filled with flower petals and fragrant water, wisps of steam rising, shrouding the air in warmth.

He waded in and carefully set her on the white jade steps at the edge.

Chen Yao blinked, letting him remove the heavy phoenix crown and then the layers of ceremonial robes...

He tossed them aside one by one.

It wasn't until she was down to her last undergarment that she seemed to snap back. She instinctively raised her arms, hugging her nearly bare body.

"D-don't look..." Her shoulders trembled, and her delicate voice, thick with shyness, was on the verge of tears.

Xiao Mingting's scorching gaze was fixed on her, watching through the steam as her porcelain skin seemed to glow with a pearl-like sheen.

His Adam's apple bobbed. He didn't force her, but casually removed his wedding robes and discarded them on the ground.

Then he leaned over again, lifted her from the edge, and slowly waded deeper.

The feel of his skin against hers, and the sudden hot water swirling around her waist, made Chen Yao instinctively cling tighter to his neck, pressing her body against him.

His arm firmly encircled her waist, then he tilted her chin up, and the next moment, his thin lips pressed against hers.

Chen Yao instinctively closed her eyes, her lips parting slightly, yielding as his tongue swept into her mouth, brushing against her sweetness.

The pool water rippled, shimmering.

In the thick steam, the young woman's soft, broken little voice rose, mingling with the man's suppressed breathing.