"Your Majesty, I'm so heartbroken," a soft, plaintive voice cooed.
"Your Majesty, would you care to take a look at how deep this wound of mine is? It nearly cost me my life."
The voice was all too familiar. Huo Wei subconsciously slowed his steps and eavesdropped for a while.
Outside the side hall, Huo Wei's face darkened. With a cold snort, muttering "vixen queen," he resumed his steps towards the warm chamber in the main hall.
Inside the side hall, Dugu Luanyue blinked her fox - like eyes that sparkled with a hint of moisture. Looking at Murong Min pitifully, she asked, "Your Majesty, do you like the ink stick? If not, I'll change it."
Murong Min coldly removed her hand. "Do you think a ten - thousand - year ink stick can win over an emperor?"
Dugu Luanyue wrapped her arms around Murong Min's waist and said sadly,
"If even the ten - thousand - year ink stick can't placate Your Majesty, it seems I'll be sent back to Southern Chu.
This thing is extremely rare. The ten - thousand - year ink never fades, doesn't blur when it meets water, and is fire - resistant. My father only had one piece and always cherished it so much that he never used it."
Hearing this, Murong Min felt much more at ease.
Seeing her red - rimmed eyes, pale face, and seemingly thinner cheeks, his anger dissipated a great deal. Especially when looking at her beautiful and charming face, he could only feel pleasure.
Dugu Luanyue tiptoed and kissed Murong Min on the cheek. Her charming fox - like eyes gazed at him affectionately.
"Your Majesty, don't neglect me. You're the only family I have in Northern Yan."
Having not been intimate with her for a few days, Murong Min was now gently tempted by her. His heart began to flutter.
The emperor's brown pupils darkened slightly. His blood seemed to be stirred up, and he kissed her back.
At this moment, someone outside the side hall knocked on the door desperately, looking menacing.
Dugu Luanyue's crimson eyes were filled with a hint of amusement. She knew exactly who was outside. She covered Murong Min's ears with both hands and snuggled up to him.
Murong Min pinned her against the wall. The wound on Dugu Luanyue's chest throbbed a bit, but she still smiled and didn't show it.
She and Murong Min had to repair their relationship as soon as possible. She still had a lot of things to do in Northern Yan.
Murong Min said, "If you ever despise me for being old again and call me your elder, I'll never forgive you."
Hearing his intermittent words about neglect and perfunctory, Dugu Luanyue then realized.
It was the jade hairpin that had caused her trouble. A domineering emperor like Murong Min surely desired the admiration and reverence of women. The word "elder" was just a round - about way of saying the emperor was old!
Murong Min was in his prime, and his dynasty was at its peak. Having incorporated the territory of Western Liao into Northern Yan, how could he tolerate his wife's disdain?
She giggled, "Can't I admit my mistake, Your Majesty?"
The charming beauty in his arms wrapped her arms around the emperor's neck and whispered endearing words.
The emperor was quite pleased, so much so that he didn't hear the commotion outside the side hall for a long time.
Murong Min's eyes darkened. He reached out to undo the front of her robe. "Let me take a look at your wound."
Dugu Luanyue knew exactly what Murong Min had in mind. She pretended to be shy and said,
"Your Majesty, isn't this place a bit inappropriate?" After saying that, her eyes glanced towards the door, and the faint sneer on her lips went unnoticed by the emperor.
Murong Min left marks on her neck. Dugu Luanyue casually pulled out the gold hairpin from her hair, letting her hair fall loose. The beauty became even more charming and alluring.
When she thought the time was right, she raised her voice and said, "Your Majesty, please stop. You're pulling my hair."
Hearing this, the woman outside the hall instantly had a distorted expression on her face. She hurriedly ordered her servants to push open the door.
Zhao Chuyan said to the people around her, "I'm going in to see who on earth is seducing the emperor!"
Just now, Huo Wei, the Prince of Yuzhang, had come to the warm chamber. He casually mentioned that the emperor was in the side - hall room. For some reason, he hadn't returned to the warm chamber.
Huo Wei also said that there seemed to be someone else in the side hall, hinting at Zhao Chuyan several times, which made her very unhappy.
Zhao Chuyan was the most favored imperial concubine of Emperor Wenhui. Before Dugu Luanyue was crowned as the second empress, she was the peerless beauty who monopolized the emperor's favor in the harem. The emperor had once neglected the rest of the harem for her.
But everything changed after Dugu Luanyue came.
Finally, when Dugu Luanyue fell out of favor, she got the chance to return to the warm chamber of Zichen Hall. But unexpectedly, there was someone else in Zichen Hall today!
As an imperial concubine, how could she tolerate such humiliation? She must drag out that vixen and torture her severely!
After Zhao Chuyan rushed into the side hall, she saw Murong Min's back standing in front of the round table. The red skirt of the woman was hanging under the round table.
Hearing the commotion, Murong Min turned around with red - eyed rage. "How dare you!"
Zhao Chuyan didn't know that it was the emperor and the empress inside. She was so frightened that she immediately knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't know it was you and the empress inside."
No matter how arrogant she was, she knew that she was just a concubine, while Dugu Luanyue was the legitimate empress. She really had no right to barge in.
But when the Prince of Yuzhang had hinted at her just now, he didn't say that it was the empress inside at all.
Dugu Luanyue covered her chest. It was starting to hurt. She wrapped her arms around Murong Min's neck and got off the round table. She tidied up her long hair and calmly walked up to Zhao Chuyan. "Who is this?"
Zhao Chuyan replied, "I'm Lady Zhao from Huayang Palace, an imperial concubine."
Murong Min said in surprise, "Imperial concubine, haven't you met the empress before?"
Dugu Luanyue said, "No, I've only heard of her reputation when I went to the imperial concubine's palace to ask for the phoenix seal."
When she realized that the person in front of her was Zhao Chuyan, she remembered that when she first got married here, this imperial concubine Zhao had stubbornly refused to hand over the phoenix seal. It was only after Mei Jiang had gone to ask for it several times that she reluctantly gave it up.
It was obvious that before she came to Northern Yan, Zhao Chuyan was the mistress of the harem.
Murong Min questioned, "What's this all about?"
Zhao Chuyan knew that Dugu Luanyue was bringing up this matter now just to make things difficult for her. She said in a low voice,
"Your humble concubine was worried that Her Majesty the Empress was young and new to Northern Yan. I was afraid that Her Majesty didn't know how to manage the harem, so I only handed over the phoenix seal after I had properly handled all the harem affairs."
Dugu Luanyue smiled. "Yes, just as the imperial concubine said. I was new here, so I really troubled the imperial concubine."
Zhao Chuyan bit her lip. "Yes, your humble concubine understands."
Murong Min said, "Since this is the first time the imperial concubine has met the empress, come and pay your respects to the empress."
Zhao Chuyan was extremely reluctant. Dugu Luanyue was not even twenty years old, while she was ten years older than the empress. Now she had to pay respects to a girl like a servant. She was extremely dissatisfied.
She reluctantly walked over and gave a very perfunctory bow.
Dugu Luanyue pulled out the jade hairpin from her hair and gave it to her. "This is the first time I've met Concubine Zhao. As the empress, this is a gift for you. Take it."
Zhao Chuyan understood that Dugu Luanyue was proclaiming her status as the legitimate empress. "There's no need. Your Majesty the Empress is young. If there's a gift to be given, it should be your humble concubine, an old - timer in the palace, who gives it to you."
Dugu Luanyue calmly inserted the jade hairpin into her hair. With a half - smile, she said, "What are you saying, imperial concubine? In the harem, rank is what matters, not how long one has been here."
The empress is of the highest rank, and concubines are of lower rank. This is an unchangeable fact, and even Zhao Chuyan had to admit it.
When Zhao Chuyan stood up, she saw Murong Min holding Dugu Luanyue's hand. A surge of anger welled up in her heart. "Your humble concubine won't disturb Your Majesty and the empress anymore. I'll go back first."
But at this moment, Dugu Luanyue called out to her and stopped her from leaving.