In the first year of Emperor Qingdi's reign in Dongling, early winter on the first day of October, Yong Huagong.

"Chu Chen!" Zi Xi woke up in a cold sweat, sitting bolt upright.

The eyes that suddenly opened held a lingering trace of shocked fear.

"Your Majesty!" A series of clear and urgent footsteps broke the deathly silence of the long night outside, "Is your Majesty well?"

Two palace maids stood outside the dragon curtain, their heads bowed in fear as they asked questions.

As the maid's words fell, nine hanging palace lanterns with coiled dragon patterns were lit, their light illuminating the dim palace instantly.

Zi Xi's forehead was beaded with glistening sweat, her otherwise exquisite beauty now pale and wan.

Without consciously realizing it, he clenched the front of his robe and slowly turned his head, staring blankly at the unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar scene before him.

Lanterns cast a hazy glow, and beaded curtains hang in layers.

A noble and magnificent palace, richly decorated.

The gauze curtain hanging above the bed fluttered gently in the wind, its delicate patterns casting shadows on the two figures standing respectfully outside.

An unsettling silence hung in the imperial bedroom.

Zi Xi raised her hand, looking at her slender, white fingers. Her eyes flickered with a mix of surprise, joy, sorrow, and pain.

The depths of her eyes constantly shifted, finally transforming into a void as her gaze fell.

"Your Majesty…" a raspy voice, laced with magnetism, interrupted Zi Xi's thoughts. "What is the matter, Your Majesty?"

Hearing this sound, Zi Xi shivered with a chill.

Abruptly turning his head, he saw a handsome young man with disheveled clothes in his line of sight. His muddled mind instantly cleared, and Zi Xi's eyes gradually turned cold.

Memory flooded my mind like a tidal wave.

In the second year of Emperor Qing's reign, on the 18th day of autumn, the first man to share his bed after his ascension...was the one standing before him.

What is his name?

"Chu Chen…" Zi Xi murmured softly, her slender hand instinctively reaching towards his face, gently caressing his chin.

The man’s handsome features were illuminated by the palace lanterns, making him appear even more docile and submissive. A strong desire shone in his eyes, “Your Majesty, let us retire for the night.”

Time for bed?

Zi Xi smiled calmly, her slender fingertips moved slightly, a cold light flashed in her eyes, and then she swiftly tapped several acupoints around him with her bare hand. The man was instantly immobilized and unable to move.

"Your Majesty?" A flicker of unease crossed his eyes, almost imperceptible. On his face, a look of bewildered confusion appeared. "Have I done something wrong? Tonight is our wedding night..."

Lantern-lit night?

What a great way to put it.

"Wedding lanterns, that's something only ordinary couples would say," Zi Xi smiled faintly.

In a royal household, this was just an ordinary night of sleeping with the emperor, also the first night of transformation after ascending to the throne.

Zi Xi's brow and eyes were icy cold. She leisurely threw back the brocade dragon-patterned quilt, calmly arranging her slightly disheveled clothes. Her voice was tranquil to an unsettling degree, "You did nothing wrong."

The wrong person has always been the one who is fooled, unable to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and as a result... buried with their own hands the vast empire of Dongling.

A sharp, bone-chilling pain suddenly shot through my heart.

Zi Xi pursed her lips, lightly closed her eyes, and calmed the turbulent killing intent surging within her five internal organs.