Yun Rao looked at him in confusion, but upon seeing the steaming bowl of medicine in his hands, a slight curve formed at his lips. "Is it that you insist on feeding me the medicine yourself?" Yun Rao felt a touch of embarrassment—she naturally understood that he meant for her to drink it, but she didn't understand why he insisted on feeding her, nor why he had summoned her at all. A gentle voice echoed in her ears. Cloud Rao, who didn't consider herself particularly close to the emperor before, had no clear sense of his temperament and thus dared not ask anything. She merely nodded slightly, furrowed her brows, and murmured "bitter," then quietly drank her entire bowl of medicine, not forgetting to take the dried fruits he offered. He reached out, took the empty bowl from her hands, and placed it beside the table. Then, lifting his hand, the long, slender, pale fingers gently touched her lips, using the back of his finger to wipe away the lingering moisture at her lip. The gesture was tender, his gaze focused and attentive—so smooth and natural that Cloud Rao found herself involuntarily stiffening. In the past, when An Ziyuan had served her medicine, he often performed such delicate movements, always slow and composed, yet imbued with an endless grace and tenderness. She had always been easily enchanted by such quiet warmth. Her clear eyes lifted instinctively, fixed on the profile of his face. Having lived in a life of constant comfort, his skin there was notably pale and smooth. When she looked at him, he was already gazing back at her, steady and unflinching, his gaze calm. His unwavering gaze, however, made Yun Rao feel suddenly uneasy. She hurried to lower her eyes, afraid of offending the sovereign. He gently held her cheek, drawing her face closer. As their breaths came close, a subtle, lingering intimacy began to unfold between them. Suddenly, her heart raced. When his breath neared her lips, she instinctively raised her hand to push him away, stepping back several paces and then falling to her knees with a soft "thud." "Pardon me, Your Majesty," she stammered, unable to find the right words. "Pardon me, I— I—" Emperor Yan Jing looked at her, without any reproach, simply saying, "Rise, then. It was I who was abrupt." His gentle demeanor only made Yun Rao feel more at a loss, still refusing to rise. "Princess Xi Yue, does Yun Ze always bow so low?" the Emperor asked suddenly. His words reminded Yun Rao, and a sense of irritation passed through her. Xi Yue was the princess of Dazhe, the daughter cherished by the Emperor as if held in his palm—she needn’t even bow; let alone kneel. Now, her already polished and practiced kneeling etiquette seemed to raise fresh suspicions. "Before my marriage, my father-in-law repeatedly reminded me that once I entered the palace, I should no longer think of myself as the princess of Cloudze, nor behave in any undignified or childish manner. I must learn to abide by the customs and protocols of the imperial court." Yun Rao lowered her eyes, holding her breath, speaking with steady composure and making up plausible excuses. "It seems the rumors are indeed true—Princess Xi Yue not only possesses a celestial beauty but also is well-educated, graceful, and truly dignified and virtuous." She wasn't certain whether the calm tone carried a hint of subtle embarrassment, nor dared to challenge it directly, merely bowing her head and nodding in agreement. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kind praise." "Stand up now. After all, you're a princess—these formalities may be waived from now on," the Emperor declared. Yun Rao's knees ached slightly from kneeling, so she simply rose and settled back beside him at his side. Though her face remained calm, she felt as though seated on pins, unsure of the purpose behind the Emperor's summons today. Yet the Emperor had said little to her, merely picking up a memorial and flipping through it, saying, "It's not as if anything urgent has come up. The palace is dull enough to be tedious. Let's just sit and go through these memorials together." "...Well, even if it's dull, it's better than watching him review the memorials in silence," she thought. Sitting was tiring, but at least she could lie down later. Yun Rao didn't dare object, merely bowed her head and replied, "Yes," then sat upright beside him. The Emperor's mind was fully absorbed in the memorials, and Yun Rao, unwilling to interrupt, remained silent. The entire imperial study grew still—so still that one could almost hear each other's breaths. Yun Rao had nothing to do and found herself quite bored, sitting still. After having glanced back and forth across the imperial study several times, she still felt uninterested, yet dared not speak to interrupt him. With nothing else to do, her gaze gradually settled on the man beside her, where she quietly observed him. Emperor Yanjing suddenly turned his head, startleing Yun Rao, who hurriedly lowered her head. "If you feel tired, go rest over there first," he seemed not to have noticed, gesturing toward the elegant couch beneath the window where the Emperor usually rested. "If you feel bored, there are books there." He pointed to the bookshelf on the other side. Then, he tapped the stack of imperial memoranda on the table. "Or, take a look at the memoranda and help me review them." Yun Rao quickly shook her head, overwhelmed by his kindness, hesitating and speaking softly. "I'm a bit tired. May I return to my chamber first?" Her words were still half-formed when they were interrupted by the report from the eunuch outside the door. "Your Majesty, Consort De requests an audience." Yun Rao breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Though she had only recently entered the palace, the maids and nannies had already mentioned in passing that Consort De was the most favored consort of the Emperor. Now that a favored consort had come to see him, it was surely only right that he would allow her to return. Yet she had felt more at ease than she should have. "Tell Consort De, I'm not well today, so let her go first." Yun Rao looked at Emperor Yanjing in surprise, but the Emperor remained composed, calmly issuing his instructions. "Your Majesty," the eunuch replied, "Consort De says she personally prepared a soup and has brought it over for you." "Your Majesty," a soft, delicate voice echoed from outside, "I heard that Your Majesty had been injured and hadn't seen you for two days, so I've been worried. When I heard that you reviewed the memorials while still injured today, I was afraid you'd be exhausted, so I personally prepared a soup to bring you." The voice was smooth and tender; even as a daughter, Yun Rao found it deeply pleasing, let alone a man. It was no wonder she was favored. Yet from this speech, it seemed she lacked awareness of reading the room or understanding court etiquette—perhaps she had simply been overly cherished and didn't need to attend to such formalities. Yun Rao's gaze naturally fell upon Yan Jing, the Emperor. She had almost forgotten that he had recently been attacked, and palace whispers claimed he was seriously injured. Qu Xiao Man said only that his arm was wounded, and indeed, as she watched him, he seemed perfectly well—his face neither weary nor pale. His hand, steady and graceful as he reviewed the memoranda, suggested no impairment. Yet she couldn't recall which arm had been injured. Yun Rao felt a little embarrassed upon seeing this. The De Fei, though merely the daughter of a minister and one rank below her, had not seemed to bow or pay homage—yet here, with her dignity as a princess and a high-ranking fei, she had gracefully knelt before the Emperor. Yan Jing, the Emperor, glanced at Yun Rao, his eyes clearly saying, “Learn to do it,” with a hint of teasing. The De Fei, not having received a response from the Emperor, lifted her head and immediately spotted Yun Rao seated beside the Emperor. Her expression slightly changed, then she bowed gracefully to Yun Rao. “Stand up,” the Emperor said. The De Fei thanked him and rose, her beautiful face now showing a look of concern. “I heard the Emperor had—” “Nothing is wrong,” the Emperor interrupted gently before she finished speaking. “Leave the soup there. I still have imperial edicts to review. Your kindness is truly appreciated.” His words already signaled a clear dismissal. “Your Majesty?” The De Fei gently bit her lower lip, looking at the Emperor with a delicate, pitiful expression. “Is there anything else, Your Grace?” "Imperial Yan Jing looked at her kindly, his voice gentle and soothing, which left the De Consort at a loss for words. "No matter, Your Majesty—please take care of yourself and rest well. I shall retire now," she said, reluctantly performing the bow, and with a clear sense of reluctance, stepped back. The De Consort appeared younger than Yun Rao, and was openly expressive of her thoughts—so much so that even Yun Rao could easily read her intentions. In the deep palace, such openness would inevitably lead to her being worn down and eventually exhausted. Yun Rao silently sighed, then turned to Imperial Yan Jing and formally requested to step down. The Emperor did not hesitate, merely gazing at her slightly weary face and nodding. "Go back and rest first," he said. "Thank you, Your Majesty," Yun Rao bowed and withdrew. As she reached the door, she heard the Emperor address the eunuch, "Eunuch Yu, which palace lady will be attending tonight?" "Your Majesty, it is the De Consort," replied the eunuch. "Delay the schedule a little. I shall go to the Yuehua Palace tonight." Yun Rao's steps stopped abruptly. Emperor Yanjing glanced at her, "My beloved consort, what is it?" Yun Rao forced herself to turn around, speaking with care, "Your Majesty, will you be staying overnight at Yuehua Palace tonight?" Emperor Yanjing raised an eyebrow slightly, "Are you not pleased with that?" Yun Rao nearly cried, "Your Majesty, I'm unwell and恐怕 I won't be able to..." "Never mind," Emperor Yanjing said with great consideration, "I won't hold you responsible for any shortcomings in my hospitality."