Zong Zhengjin let out a sigh and finally turned his head to look at her. "Speak if you have something to say."

  Two people are extremely close. Their breathing is almost spraying on each other's face. Their noses are opposite, their eyes are piercing, yet neither of them turns their head away.

  They locked eyes for a few seconds. Su Jingyan fumbled and grasped his hand, which was thick and long, wrapping around her small one. He struggled for an instant, but Su Jingyan reacted faster.

  Lean in close. Rest your head on his shoulder. Whispering intimately into his ear, "I didn't say I don't trust you."

  Zong Zhengjin didn't move. Nor did he speak. Her voice echoed in his ears. "I don't disbelieve you."

  "I'm just scared. I don't know what happened. I thought she would be like that... Is this the result you wanted..."

  It was done by someone you sent...

  Zong Zhengjin was silent for a moment. "Indeed, it is the result I wanted."

  Su Jing raised her head and looked at him like this. "I know now. You won't treat me like that."

  What he said was unbelievable. It was precisely her eyes that betrayed her true thoughts at the time. She once thought that maybe one day he would treat her in the same way. So there was distrust in her eyes, fear and unease when looking at him. How could such a sensitive person not notice?

  But she now knows he won't because there's nothing in it for her.

  Zong Zhengjin saw that her eyes were firm, seemingly having really figured it out. He vaguely felt that something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. His tone was resolute: "I won't."

  Su Jing nodded slightly and leaned her head against his chest. She began to celebrate her selflessness.

  Zong Zhengjin suppressed the strange feeling in his heart. "Since He'er can't sleep, why don't we do something else?"

  She let out a startled cry as he flipped her over, pinning her beneath him. Her nightgown was tossed aside in an instant, leaving her completely naked and exposed.

  Even if they hadn't been "honest with each other" for a long time, her body was still honest about the terror he inspired. Apparently, he was also very satisfied with this reaction.

  The woman under him was slender and delicate, with a perfect figure. Her shoulders were as if carved, her waist was like a willow branch. The dimples on her cheeks added to her charm, the two strands of hair by her temples made her even more alluring. A pair of eyes that reflected his entire body, sparkling with waves in her eyes, this is what a beauty should be.

  Zong Zhengjin was most satisfied with her not only because of their physical compatibility, but also because of her authenticity, her cleanliness. Perhaps it was because she had been foolishly honest with him from the start, telling him about all the "bad things" she had done, without hiding anything from him. Or perhaps it was because he had planted informants in Yunque Pavilion, and the messages that kept coming to him made him believe that she was the same person in front of others as she was behind their backs.

  He can allow women to be a little clever, play some small tricks, but he absolutely cannot allow women to be too clever, her occasional little confusion, irregularity, he can tolerate, even indulge in it is harmless.

  All of this is incomparable to any other woman. The eyes are the most reflective of a person's heart, so he loves her pair of eyes extremely. Calm and pure, clean and spotless, without any impurities.

  Because I want it. Therefore, betrayal is not allowed. Abandonment is not allowed. Because of expectation. Therefore, retreat is not allowed. Her distrust is not allowed.

  …………

  The two of them had been struggling for a long time, almost until dawn. Su Jing's body, which had been nourished for nearly half a month, was once again drained dry, without even any dregs left.

  Su Shun was occasionally listening to the movements coming from inside while he was outside, and couldn't help but laugh with joy. The emperor had been accumulating this anger for so long, I'm afraid it can finally be dissipated this time.

  …………

  "Master, get up and have some food." Yau walked in and ruthlessly woke up the person who was still obviously asleep.

  No response.

  "Master, His Majesty has ordered it. You must get up and have your meal."

  No response.

  “……”

  “……”

  "Sleep for a while longer..."

  “……”

  "She's still not getting up." Zong Zhengjin heard her humming and murmuring outside, but she simply didn't want to get out of bed.

  Su Jing didn't open her eyes and pounced on him following the sound. "So sleepy, still tired."

  Zong Zhengjin's body reacted faster than his mind. When the person pounced over, he had already instinctively caught her. The fluffy little head nuzzled in his arms, extremely adorable. His heart softened a bit.

  "Get up and eat something. It's already noon."

  Su Jing rubbed his cheek gently. "But I'm so tired."

  Her words can be automatically understood as praise. So, the mood is better. Pat her little head. "Eat something and go lie down."

  Su Jing reluctantly opened her eyes. Her long eyelashes fluttered like small fans. She pouted slightly. "Okay."

  Although he said so, he didn't mean to get off him.

  Zong Zhengjin couldn't help but smile. He continued to coax her in a good mood, "Hurry up and get dressed and washed up. I'll go wait for you in the outer room." As he spoke, he put her back on the bed.

  Su Jing gazed at his back, stretched her waist and thought: It's not easy being cute.

  "Your diet is also irregular, it's a bit of trouble. Zhu Yunwu set up a small kitchen." Zong Zhengjin had a few bites and put down his chopsticks. He wasn't hungry.

  Su Jing swallowed the thing in her mouth. Her smile grew even more pronounced. "The Emperor is really good." She suddenly thought of something. "Concubine thanks the Emperor."

  Zong Zhengjin hooked up the corner of his mouth. "If you really want to thank me, then go ahead and kowtow."

  "The emperor is a gentleman and will not mind these trivial matters." He said, staring wide-eyed, ready to observe his facial expression carefully.

  Zong Zhengjin was amused. "You're full of twisted logic."

  "That's okay with His Majesty. Don't bother about the concubines."

  "What's good about me?" Zong Zhengjin raised an eyebrow.

  Su Jing raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down, finally fixing her gaze on his face. "The emperor is perfect from head to toe, inside and out."

  "Eat your meal." Zong Zhengjin retorted with a hint of annoyance, but the slight upturn at the corner of his mouth betrayed his good mood.

  After dinner, Zong Zhengjin returned to the Zi Chen Hall.

  "Master, Du Cairen just arrived. I told her you were having a meal with the Emperor and she left." Daiman followed Su Jing into the inner chamber and said.

  "You're talking about Du Cai of Zhi Xuan Garden." Su Jing turned her head and looked at her, asking.

  Dai Man nodded. "Exactly."

  "Is there anything she wants to leave behind."

  "Returning to the master, it seems that she didn't come in after hearing that the emperor was here, and instead left as if avoiding suspicion. I think... perhaps she came seeking Master's help."

  Su Jing sat down on the embroidered stool in front of the dressing table and saw her own appearance in the pear blossom copper mirror. She gently stroked her cheeks. "I feel like I've changed a bit recently, Ben Pei."

  Ying Yao helped her take off her hairpin. "The master is getting more and more beautiful. Compared to Liang Yu, she's not inferior at all."

  "You guys will just say nice things to coax Benbo." Su Jing hooked up the corner of her mouth.

  "How could they have not discovered it for so long? In fact, Ben Piao's temperament is not good at all. Each and every one of them thought that Ben Piao was a Bodhisattva who had descended to the mortal world to save all living beings."

  "Our master. There is a divine presence three feet above our heads. We are not worthy to blaspheme the Bodhisattva." Da Man hastily said.

  Su Jing didn't take her words to heart. Even if she had been reborn and crossed over into this time and space, she still wouldn't believe in gods or spirits. It's better to rely on oneself than to seek help from others, let alone a Bodhisattva far away in the heavens.

  "They came later. Same old story. Just get rid of whoever can be gotten rid of."

  "Yes. I understand."

  Cining Palace

  "The Emperor has time to come to our Cining Palace today." The Empress Dowager picked up her tea cup, took a sip and smiled as she said this.

  Zong Zhengjin insisted on finishing the ritual, and then didn't even wait for the summons, directly walking to the chair on the other side and sitting down. "See what Mother Empress said? Even if I'm busy with government affairs, I'll always make time to pay my respects."

  "Yes, I've only just heard. The Emperor went to the rear palace at noon. I suppose official business has been taken care of for now. The Emperor should rest more and not overexert himself. His health is most important." The Empress Dowager replied calmly.

  Zong Zhengjin's expression didn't change. "I once worried that Empress Dowager's long-term vegetarian diet and Buddhist devotion would harm her body and child. Now it seems that even if she resides in a small temple, she still has a clear understanding of the various events happening in the palace."

  The empress dowager laughed dryly twice. "This old woman of mine, with one foot already almost stepping into the coffin, can't help but care about my granddaughter a bit more in her final days."

  Zong Zhengjin raised his teacup, leisurely stirring it with a spoon, neither drinking nor responding to the conversation.

  The empress dowager thought that by saying it to this extent, she had already made her point clear and was waiting for him to make a statement. But unexpectedly, he pretended not to understand.

  However, the Empress Dowager has been through many ups and downs in the palace over the years. But in an instant, she adjusted her mood. "I have only raised two children in my life, the Emperor and your sister Mei'er. You two grew up together since childhood, like siblings. Mei'er is also someone you've watched grow up since childhood. The bond between you two is naturally different from others."

  "I am Mei'er's uncle." This sentence is a statement.

  The empress dowager nodded. She naturally knew that he was the uncle of Shangguan Mei. Only Mei was her only granddaughter. For the sake of the Yuan family, for the sake of the Jingkang Marquis's manor, Shangguan Mei had to enter the palace. He had also agreed at the time.

  "Now Mei has already entered the palace. Are you going to make her live a life of widowhood in the future?"

  Zong Zhengjin sneered inwardly, but his face remained extremely solemn. "Your Majesty, please be careful with your words."

  "Your Majesty, this is intentionally making it impossible for me to live." The Empress Dowager had already guessed his thoughts. Just these few months, she had been giving him time to adapt and prepare. Also wanting to have a good talk with Mei'er. That's why it was delayed until today.

  Zong Zheng's mouth hooked up slightly. "What are you talking about, Empress Dowager? I am the Emperor and you are the Empress Dowager. What can't be done?"

  The Empress saw that he was pretending to be stupid, and she was extremely angry in her heart. However, she still had to endure it. "Your Majesty is right," she said. "Only this child's body has been nurtured well. Your Majesty is also getting old. It's time to consider having a child. In the future, it will be good for them to inherit the throne of Chu Zhou Kingdom. I can also rest assured and worship Buddha with peace of mind. After death, I will have the face to meet the late Emperor."

  This sentence has already been put on the surface, as long as he agrees to let Shangguan Wan'er's child inherit the throne in the future, she can retire to Cining Palace and not care about the affairs of the harem. He can be reckless and do whatever he wants while he is alive.