In the middle of the night, she opened her eyes to find a dark figure sitting silently beside her bed. If it were an ordinary person, they might have let out a cry of surprise, but Liao Tingyan didnt. She lay there calmly, even sparing a glance at the window that had been blown open by the wind. The maid hadnt come to close it, probably too afraid to approach after hearing the commotion. So the open window remained, letting in a steady stream of cold air and rain.

  Liao Tingyan immediately realized who the black shadow was, because it wasnt her first time waking up in the middle of the night to find someone sitting beside her. When she slept with Sima Jiao, this would occasionally happen - Sima Jiao couldnt sleep and would often sit there staring at her or simply spacing out.

  Getting used to it little by little.

  The two of them stared at each other in the darkness for a while before Liao Tingyan called out "Your Majesty".

  She had just spoken when Sima Jiao suddenly reached out to her from the bedside. His fingers were still as cold as ever, stroking her cheek, chin and neck, lingering on her slender neck for a while, until Liao Tingyan felt like he was going to strangle her to death, his fingers continued downwards, opening her clothes.

  In the silence, Liao Tingyan only felt a cold sensation on her skin, like falling snowflakes that melted and seeped into her pores, chilling her limbs. It was also like the coolness brought by snakes slithering, as she subconsciously trembled with a sense of danger.

  Liao Tingyan didnt make a sound, nor did she move. The quilt and clothes made a slight rustling sound as Sima Jiao leaned over, pulled open her nightgown, revealing a large expanse of skin.

  Liao Tingyan: "This seems like the beginning of a typical day, but why is this persons breathing not chaotic at all? Theyre so calm, its as if theyve been petrified."

  "Youre not afraid," Sima Jiao finally spoke his first sentence.

  Shes not really afraid, but he always tests her boundaries between sleeping and not sleeping with her, making her tense every time. Now that nerve of hers has loosened up and cant get tense anymore, instead giving off a "just sleep already" kind of feeling to avoid being kept on edge all the time.

  "Your Majesty, there is a small hand warmer in the quilt, warm your hands first."

  She cant stand it when this persons hands are freezing to death, and touching her body really feels cold. Now is winter, snowflakes floated in the daytime, and now outside is still raining, the cold wind whizzing into the room. He lifted her quilt, opened her clothes, and touched her all over, his movements were so slow, did he think she was warm enough to not be afraid of the cold?

  Simu Jiao smiled and raised his hand, placing it on her face. "My hands are too cold, arent they?"

  "Oh, so you knew it too, Old Master. Liao Tingyan had already let him into the quilt, otherwise Your Majesty would have lain down first, please warm your hands and touch me again, Im getting goosebumps all over."

  Simar Jiao just paused for a moment and got on the bed. Liao Tingyan caught a whiff of blood, but didnt know if it was an illusion or not. However, after Simar Jiao took off his outer robe and casually threw it to the ground, that faint scent of blood disappeared along with it. Liao Tingyan didnt think about what Simar Jiao had done to get a bloody smell on him, she took the opportunity to pull back the quilt that Simar Jiao had pushed aside earlier, covering both of them with it. Ah, now that Simar Jiao was blocking the wind outside, it wasnt so cold anymore.

  Unfortunately, the warmth on the quilt had already dissipated. Liao Tingyan quietly searched with her feet under the quilt for a while and pulled out a hand warmer to put into Sima Jiaos hands: "Your Majesty, warm your hands."

  Although her tone was gentle and courteous, Sima Jiao could imagine her expression, "Are you looking down on me?"

  "How could it be."

  Simar Jiao said: "Havent I told you before? Your acting skills are extremely exaggerated, and cant even compare to the eunuchs waiting outside the palace."

  Liao Tingyan: So youre saying that your harem is going to rely on acting skills to rise through the ranks? Because Im too pure and unconventional, unlike those other little demons, you have no acting skills, so youd turn around and promote me instead.

  Simar Jiao gently stroked her hair, his tone extremely gentle: "You see, youre so useless, you must be easily deceived. Others just need to say something in your ear and youll believe it all."

  Why bring personal attacks when discussing matters? Liao Tingyan, relying on Sima Jiaos blindness, wildly rolled her eyes in the dark and cooperated with this patient, saying: "Yes, haha, Im not as intelligent as Your Majesty."

  Simar Jiao suddenly grasped her wrist and pulled her into his own arms, his tone subtle, "Do you believe what you heard today?"

  Liao Tingyan hastily pulled out her lifesaving trick: "I didnt hear anything, I dont believe a single word"

  Simar Jiao pinched her fingers one by one and put them on his lips, "Oh, but what those two maids said was true."

  Liao Tingyan: "What the f**k am I supposed to say to this?"

  Simar Jiao seemed to have no intention of letting her continue, suddenly changing the subject out of nowhere, "Is the Imperial Consort willing to bear a child for me?"

  Why did you suddenly ask such an adult question, and whats the point of asking this kind of question anyway? She didnt even have the guts to say she wasnt willing. Liao Tingyan could only roll her eyes again and stare straight at the ceiling, saying in a devout tone as if facing the priest in the marriage hall: "I do."

  Simar Focals eyes pierced through in an instant, "Youre deceiving me."

  Damn it, why is it so annoying? Liao Tingyan bit her cheek and suddenly reached out to touch Sima Jiaos chest, pulling open his clothes and doing everything he had just done to her.

  Simar Jiao grasped her hand, his tone strange: "What are you doing?"

  Liao Tingyan was held tightly by him and couldnt move, thinking to herself: Whats making you so tense? Is the Jiao in Sima Jiao actually a writing enthusiast who dotes on his work?

  "Your Majesty doesnt believe me, Im just showing you my determination." Liao Tingyan said with a fake smile.

  Simar Jiao was silent for a moment, "Forget it, I believe you."

  Liao Tingyan let out a quiet sigh of relief. The thing is, she really didnt want to have children with Sima Jiao, or rather, she didnt want to have children with anyone. In this world, giving birth as a woman was like taking a risk at the gates of hell, it wasnt much different from her original world where one mistake could cost her life, such a dangerous thing was better avoided. Moreover, Sima Jiao had this ability

  She glanced at the two bodies huddled together under the quilt.

  "I will never leave behind my own bloodline." Sima Jiao said softly in her ear.

  Liao Tingyan recalled the big secret she heard today, but to her surprise, it didnt have a huge impact. After some thought, she even felt a sense of "it figures". In the afternoon, when she was alone and pondering the plot of the original story, she found that many unclear things could be explained. For example, Sima Jiaos illness was likely caused by genetic inheritance from close relatives. And Duan Taifus unhesitating rebellion and betrayal made more sense if Sima Jiao wasnt actually the child of Empress Duan.

  Perhaps sensing her distraction, Sima Jiao pinched the back of her neck, causing Liao Tingyan to suddenly shrink her head. She raised her hand to touch the back, touched Sima Jiaos hand, and suddenly became stunned, "Where is Your Majestys hand string?"

  Simar Jiao didnt think she would notice such a detail, and narrowed her eyes in the darkness for a moment before responding: "I accidentally broke it. Do you know what this bracelet is?"

  Liao Tingyan: "Its probably something of great significance to Your Majesty", otherwise he wouldnt think of touching that bracelet every time his emotions fluctuate.

  Simar Jiao burst out laughing, "That was something that belonged to my own mother. Did you hear? She set herself and the entire palace on fire with a single torch, leaving only this behind."

  This should have been a pitiful answer, but due to the strange and mocking tone in Sima Jiaos words, it felt discordant.

  "I really detest that madwoman." Sima Jiaos smile stopped, and his voice drifted away as he said: "I detest her, and I also detest my father. The Sima family has always produced many madmen. My own father, Sima Yu, was even more severely afflicted. He drove my mother mad, and then she gave birth to me. And now these two siblings have given birth to another madman."

  "Ill tell you a secret." Sima Jiao suddenly became excited, as if he had thought of something delightful.

  Liao Tingyan really didnt want to listen, but Sima Jiao suddenly poured out his heart, and she couldnt help but hear these imperial secrets.

  Simar Jiao whispered in her ear, "When I was a child, that woman always wanted to kill me because I was the evidence of her incest. She fed me poison, but I didnt die. Gao Miao saved me several times. Later, Sima Yu took me away from that womans side, and soon after, she died."

  "That year, Sima Yu went mad and killed Empress She and her son as well as two other princes in one night. I was the only survivor. Everyone thought that Sima Yu had paved the way for me and protected me, but they were wrong. When Sima Yu first went mad, I was the first person he wanted to kill, but I escaped. I was lucky to have escaped and even knocked over candles and set the Taiji Hall on fire."

  "They thought the Taiji Temple was burned down by Sima Yu after he killed so many people, haha, actually it was me who burned it." Sima Jiao couldnt help but laugh, as if this was a particularly amusing matter.

  But just a few breaths later, the laughter stopped abruptly, and Liao Tingyan was about to be driven mad by his sudden changes, while Gou waited there to see how he would go crazy again.

  "This secret Ive only told you, apart from me, only you know now." Sima Jiao hugged her tightly, one hand holding her cheek, "Now that you know my secret."

  Liao Tingyan was chilled to the bone by his tone and couldnt help but ask: "Your Majesty, are you going to kill me?"

  Simar Jiao raised an eyebrow in doubt and murmured, "How did you think of that?"

  Liao Tingyan: Since you dont want to kill me, why say things that are similar to what a pervert would say before silencing someone?

  She really felt tired, Sima Jiao was too ill tonight, she could hardly hold on, mainly because she couldnt hold back her sleepiness. Liao Tingyan was a bit desperate and asked after yawning: "Your Majesty, do you want to sleep?"

  Simar Jiao: "Im not sleeping, can you still sleep?"

  Liao Tingyan: "I can sleep." Her biological clock is very strong.

  Simar Jiao felt speechless, knowing so many secrets, she had such a calm reaction, not even crying, he thought it was not very exciting, after a while, he felt a little excited.

  He couldnt help but hug Liao Tingyan and kissed her, "Youre different from others, I like you this way."

  Liao Tingyan: Hehe, thank you, who made me the female lead, of course its different.

  "So you have to stay with me forever, and if one day you dont want to be by my side anymore, Ill kill you." This pervert said sweetly while affectionately stroking her face.

  Liao Tingyan felt relieved as soon as she heard it, this means that as long as she stays with him, nothing will happen, simple. She didnt want to leave either, the life in the palace was actually quite satisfying for her.

  "Yes, Your Majesty, I will never leave." She guaranteed without hesitation, patting her chest.

  Simar Jiao: "Isnt all this enough to scare her?"

  He had a subtle sense of resentment, "Are you really not afraid of me at all? Everyone has been afraid of me since I was a child."

  Liao Tingyan: Are you a kid? What kind of weird way of throwing a tantrum is this?

  She hugged Sima Jiaos neck and leaned in to kiss him a few times, "Your Majesty, Im sleepy, can we talk about it tomorrow?"

  Isnt it just being coquettish? She can be like that too.

  Simu Jiao really didnt say anything else, Liao Tingyan was stunned for a moment, thinking that the pillow talk was so effective? She remembered one thing and tightened her hand again, tentatively asking: "Your Majesty, can the palace maids by my side be spared?"

  Simu Jiao buried her head in her neck and casually said, "Then let them off this time."

  Its simpler than she thought, Di Yan said to herself. The ancients were indeed not deceiving me; since ancient times, foolish rulers couldnt withstand the whispers by their pillow. She then smoothed out two strands of Sima Jiaos hair, "Your Majesty, the window was blown open by the wind and its too cold inside, can we close the window?"

  He got up and went to close the window himself.

  Liao Tingyan: "Wow."