484: A Mistaken Fate in the Deep Palace

Liu Airu lay on the red wedding quilt, her entire body trembling uncontrollably. Tears she had suppressed for so long finally slid down, splashing onto the brocade quilt from the corners of her eyes and shattering into tiny wet stains.

She looked at the man before her, seeing the affection in his eyes—an affection so thick it could not be dispersed, belonging solely to Xia Wei. The humiliation and anger in her heart surged like a tidal wave, overwhelming and nearly drowning her.

She was the legitimate daughter of the Liu Clan, the rightful Empress of Tianqi, adorned with the Phoenix Seal and the mother of the nation. How could she endure such a profound disgrace?

How could she be treated as a substitute in her own Kunning Palace on the very first night after her investiture?

She raised her hand, wanting to slap Situ Jun hard across the cheek to wake him from his Chaos and let him know of his own absurdity.

But just as her wrist rose halfway, it was precisely caught by Situ Jun’s other hand. He pinned her wrist above her head against the brocade quilt, easily confining her entire person between the bed and himself, leaving her nowhere to escape.

Then, he leaned down and kissed her lips once more.

This time, the initial roughness and loss of control were gone, replaced by a hint of cautious tenderness.

The scent of alcohol between their lips had faded slightly, leaving behind a crisp pine fragrance that intertwined with the cold, sharp aura unique to a strong person. It drifted into her nose, causing her to lose herself for a moment; even her struggling movements subconsciously slowed down.

Liu Airu's struggle gradually weakened, not out of compromise, but because her mind was thrown into turmoil by this sudden tenderness.

Her husband, the Lord of Tianqi, Li Xuan, had never shown her such fiery tenderness.

Even though today was the wedding night of her investiture as Empress and her move into the Kunning Palace, he could still calmly use the excuse of having memorials to review in the Imperial Study to leave her alone in this empty bedchamber. He completely disregarded her feelings, the dignity of the royal family, and the embarrassment she felt as the New Empress.

Thinking of this, a sense of ridiculous bitterness actually sprouted in her heart. That bitterness wrapped around her mind, leaving her momentarily dazed. She hated her own lapse in concentration, hated that she could be moved by this tenderness that did not belong to her, and hated this utterly absurd situation and her own helpless fate.

In that moment of her daze, Situ Jun’s fingertips lightly brushed over her shoulder. His pads grazed her delicate skin with a slightly cool touch before he gently untied the silk ribbons of her lotus-colored nightgown.

Those ribbons were woven from soft Cloud Brocade; with a gentle tug, they came undone. The cool fabric slid slowly down her shoulders, revealing her translucent and delicate neck and shoulders. The light of the red candles fell upon them, reflecting skin as white as porcelain, like the finest mutton-fat jade, glowing with a faint, soft light.

The icy fingertips touching her warm skin made her whole body shudder. She snapped back from her daze, and the fear and panic in her heart surged once more.

She raised her hand to push against his chest, her voice carrying a hint of a sob and an imperceptible tremor.

“Situ Jun, wake up! If you continue like this, I will call for help!”

There wasn't just fear in her voice; there was also a hint of panic that she hadn't even noticed herself.

She knew better than anyone that calling for help would mean her reputation would be ruined, that she, the Empress of Tianqi, would become the laughingstock of the world, and that she would lose this hard-won position in the harem.

Even more terrifyingly, once the matter was exposed, the Liu Clan would inevitably be implicated—ranging from demotion and exile to the execution of the entire family, leading to eternal damnation.

As for Situ Jun, perhaps because of his great strength, even if he committed the offense of defiling the palace, Li Xuan probably wouldn't hold him accountable.

Situ Jun, however, seemed not to hear. He remained immersed in his own world, treating the person in his arms as the submissive and exquisite Xia Wei from the previous night, wantonly venting the long-suppressed heat in his heart and that unquenchable desire for possession.

His fingertips brushed over her skin, carrying the warmth of Yang Fire Power, slowly smoothing over her slight chill and also bit by bit prying open the defensive line in her heart named “resistance.”

She wanted to push Situ Jun away, to escape this absurd situation, but her body seemed nailed to the bed, unable to move. Even her fingertips were so soft she couldn't muster any strength.

She could even clearly feel the pure Yang Fire Power within him slowly transferring to her through their touching skin, causing her body to gradually heat up and even her consciousness to become blurred.

“No... don't...”

Liu Airu sobbed, her voice so weak it was almost inaudible. That voice was filled with despair and helplessness, like a drowning person unable to grasp a single life-saving straw.

Situ Jun finally seemed to notice that the aura of the person in his arms was slightly different from Xia Wei's, and the texture of the skin and the contours of the features were not entirely similar.

But the intoxication and the heat, along with that inexplicable throb of emotion, made him unwilling to wake up, unwilling to break this moment of tenderness.

The red candles crackled as they burned, the sparks from the wicks reflecting the intertwined figures on the bed. The red brocade quilt billowed and surged, the Dragon and Phoenix Harmony pattern embroidered upon it being crumpled out of shape—just like the palace rules and dignity crushed this night, and the subverted ethics and destiny.

Two lines of clear tears slid from the corners of Liu Airu's eyes, landing on the brocade quilt and spreading into a small wet patch. It was quickly absorbed by the quilt as if it had never existed, much like her current grievances and helplessness—known to no one and pitied by no one.

She slowly closed her eyes and let her consciousness sink, simply treating herself as a shell without a Soul. She chose not to look, not to listen, and not to feel the bone-deep absurdity and humiliation, only allowing that fiery tenderness to envelop her.

After an unknown amount of time, amidst Situ Jun’s gentle lingering and fiery care, Liu Airu’s hand slowly rose and circled around his neck.

That movement was not a struggle, but a subconscious response she hadn't even noticed herself. It was like parched land meeting a sweet rain; even if the rain came from an improper source, she couldn't help but want to absorb it.

Her lips clumsily responded to his kiss with a hint of raw awkwardness and a long-suppressed longing for tenderness, a yearning to be cared for.

Outside the palace, the maidservants stood with bowed heads under the corridor. Hearing the slight sounds from within the hall, they only assumed the New Empress was feeling troubled by spending her wedding night alone and was tossing and turning. They didn't think much of it, only lowering their heads further, not daring to peek.

On the palace paths, the patrolling Imperial Guards marched past with steady steps, the crisp clatter of their armor plates exceptionally clear in the silent, deep night.

Yet no one knew that within the solemn bedchamber of the Kunning Palace, a shocking entanglement of fates and an absurdity that subverted palace rules were taking place.

The night was still long.

Tears fell from the red candles, drop by drop, soaking the lampstand and also soaking Liu Airu's heart.