The Betrayal of the Empress

Tonight, the red candles burned brightly inside the Sweet Dew Hall.

Although there was no phoenix coronet and red cape, nor a hall full of guests, for Ye Xuan, this was the most fulfilling moment of his life.

He arranged the bedding neatly and even scattered some dried flower petals on the bed.

Embroidery Maid sat on the edge of the bed, watching Ye Xuan busy himself. The panic and guilt in her heart were temporarily suppressed, replaced by the shyness and anticipation of a new bride.

She was the Empress of Great Xia, having weathered countless storms.

She had also favored many concubines and had always been the one in control in bed.

But tonight, facing the man she truly loved, she was so nervous that her palms sweated and her heart beat like a drum.

"Sister."

Ye Xuan blew out the extra candles, leaving only a single dim, yellow light.

He walked to the bed, his face flushed, but his eyes were bright and sparkling.

"Let's... rest."

Embroidery Maid blushed and nodded gently, "Mhm."

The bed curtains fell.

A session of intimate passion, a few rounds of spring breeze.

This night, there was no overbearing Empress, no humiliation of being forced.

There were only two people in love, exploring carefully, lingering with the utmost tenderness.

The passion subsided.

Ye Xuan held Embroidery Maid contentedly, his fingers gently twirling her long hair.

Embroidery Maid lay on his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. She felt that if this moment could last forever, she would be willing to give up the throne.

However...

After a while, Embroidery Maid suddenly realized something.

She looked up, poked Ye Xuan's chest with some dissatisfaction, and asked:

"Hey, Little Ye."

"Hmm?" Ye Xuan responded lazily.

"Just now... why were you on top?"

As the Empress, Embroidery Maid was used to being high and mighty.

Even in this kind of matter, she subconsciously felt that she should be the dominant one. She didn't notice it during the heat of passion, but now that she thought about it, something felt wrong.

Ye Xuan looked at her in surprise and said matter-of-factly:

"In the mortal world's storybooks, isn't the man always on top? I am your husband, so of course I should be on top."

"..."

Embroidery Maid choked on her words.

An inexplicable surge of jealousy welled up in her heart. She narrowed her eyes and asked sourly:

"You know so much... then when you served the Empress before, were you also on top?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it.

Wasn't this just bringing up the worst possible topic?

Sure enough.

Hearing the word "Empress," Ye Xuan's originally tender face instantly darkened.

"Don't mention that crazy woman."

Ye Xuan waved his hand with a look of disgust, his eyes full of disdain and aversion:

"Her? She'd let me be on top?"

"That female tyrant, every time she acted like a beast in heat, forcefully pinning me down."

Ye Xuan snorted coldly, hugging Embroidery Maid tightly in his arms, and said in a flattering yet somewhat boastful tone:

"Sister, how can you compare yourself to that female dog?"

Wu Lingxiao almost spat a mouthful of blood onto his face.

Female... female dog?

She, a dignified Empress, had actually become... a completely skill-less female dog in his mouth?

"You..."

Wu Lingxiao trembled with anger, her fingers pinching Ye Xuan's arm so hard that her nails were about to sink into his flesh.

"Ouch! It hurts, it hurts!"

Ye Xuan cried out exaggeratedly, thinking she was acting coquettishly. He quickly kissed her forehead and coaxed her softly:

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. Just mentioning her makes me sick. Sister is the best.

"Sister, I swear, I will love you for the rest of my life."

Wu Lingxiao: "..."

Listening to these sweet words, she only felt as if a large stone was blocking her chest, so stifled she wanted to die.

She was being praised.

But she was also being cursed terribly.

"Go to sleep!"

Wu Lingxiao roared through gritted teeth, turning around indignantly with her back to Ye Xuan.

"Oh, Sister, don't be angry."

Ye Xuan stuck to her like a plaster, hugging her from behind, burying his face in the crook of her neck and rubbing against it:

"I won't mention her anymore. In my heart, there is only you, and my body is only for you."

"Sister... I love you."

Hearing that soft and affectionate "I love you" by her ear.

Wu Lingxiao, who was originally so angry she was about to explode, instantly softened her body.

She kept her eyes open in the dark, listening to the even breathing coming from behind her, a tear slowly sliding down the corner of her eye.

This "I love you."

Was meant for Embroidery Maid.

If one day... you learn the truth.

Ye Xuan.

Will you still love me?

Or... will you not hesitate to pick up that sword and stab it into my chest?

Outside the window, a heavy snow was falling, covering up all sins and lies.

But this bitter fruit that had already been planted would eventually have the day it breaks through the soil.

The following three months, for the Great Profound Empress Wu Lingxiao, were the most absurd, yet the most intoxicating three months in her long life.

In order to spend a little more time with Ye Xuan, this once extremely diligent Empress began to frequently skip court sessions.

Memorials piled up like mountains, but she didn't even glance at them, throwing them all to the Prime Minister, Shangguan Wan'er.

She avoided the morning court whenever possible. When she truly couldn't, she would just hastily go through the motions, then hurriedly change into coarse hemp clothes, carry a food box that had long gone cold, and sneak into the Sweet Dew Hall like a little girl acting as a thief.

Sometimes, she would even cling to Ye Xuan's side for the entire day.

She took off the dragon robe symbolizing supreme imperial power, changed into coarse hemp clothes, rolled up her sleeves, and helped Ye Xuan water flowers, grind ink, and even clumsily learn to cook.

"Little Ye, look, is this fish burnt?"

"Sister, that is charcoal, not fish."

Ye Xuan helplessly pushed her out of the simple little kitchen, but his face was filled with a doting smile: "A gentleman stays away from the kitchen; Sister, you should just be responsible for eating from now on."

Looking at Ye Xuan's busy back, Wu Lingxiao would often have an illusion:

Perhaps, spending a lifetime like this wouldn't be bad.

As long as he didn't find out, as long as this lie could continue to be woven, she was willing to be Embroidery Maid for a lifetime.

Weiyang Palace.

Late at night.

Wu Lingxiao had just returned from the Sweet Dew Hall. Before she had time to change out of her coarse hemp clothes, she saw the Emperor Consort, Zhou Xubai, sitting by her dragon bed, quietly trimming the candle wick.

Hearing the footsteps, Zhou Xubai turned his head.

His gaze fell on Wu Lingxiao's out-of-place commoner attire, and then on her face, which was flushed from having just been nourished by love. The jealousy in his eyes was indescribable.

Zhou Xubai put down the scissors. His voice was warm and smooth, yet it revealed a bone-piercing chill:

"Your Majesty, are you too lazy to even pretend nowadays? Wearing these clothes of a lowly commoner, walking around the palace so openly, are you not afraid of being seen by the palace servants and losing your imperial majesty?"

Wu Lingxiao was in a good mood and couldn't be bothered to argue with him. She casually set up a soundproofing barrier and said indifferently while taking off her clothes:

"Why should I explain my actions to you? It's so late. Why aren't you staying in your own palace? What are you doing here?"

"This subject missed Your Majesty."

Zhou Xubai stood up, walked behind Wu Lingxiao, and reached out to help her undress.

When his hand touched Wu Lingxiao's skin, she subconsciously dodged.

This action caused Zhou Xubai's hand to freeze in mid-air.

"Your Majesty..."

Zhou Xubai's voice trembled, carrying a hint of pleading and long-suppressed resentment:

"How long has it been... since Your Majesty last graced your servant's bed?"

"Half a year. A full half year!"

"Ever since that Ye Xuan entered the Sweet Dew Palace, ever since you became obsessed with playing this Embroidery Maid game, you haven't touched your servant once! I am your Empress! I am your wedded husband!"

Wu Lingxiao rubbed her brow, feeling somewhat irritated.

Ever since she became Dao companions with Ye Xuan and swore the oath of one lifetime, one world, one couple, she had developed an instinctive repulsion toward other men, even toward the once-favored Zhou Xubai.

"I have been busy with court affairs lately. I am tired," Wu Lingxiao brushed him off. "Go back for now. I will visit your palace another day."

"Another day! How much longer will Your Majesty keep lying to me?"

Zhou Xubai suddenly erupted.

He grabbed Wu Lingxiao's sleeve, his eyes red, his voice shrill:

"Busy with court affairs? Is Your Majesty's so-called court affairs peeling grapes for that little slut in the Sweet Dew Palace? Is it acting spoiled in his arms?"

"Your Majesty! How much longer are you going to keep up this act?"

"That Ye Xuan is committing high treason, bringing shame upon you, making you act unlike an Emperor! Why haven't you told him the truth yet? Why let him live like a fool in your lies?"

Faced with Zhou Xubai's questioning, Wu Lingxiao's eyes flickered.

She turned her back to him, forcefully suppressing her guilty conscience, and spoke in a tone full of malicious amusement:

"What is the rush?"

"Haven't I said it before? This is a grand design."

A cruel curve touched the corner of Wu Lingxiao's lips as she tried to use this method to prove her control:

"Right now, he doesn't love the Embroidery Maid enough. I am waiting. Waiting until his love for the Embroidery Maid seeps into his very bones, until the moment he believes he is the happiest person in the world."

"In his sweetest moment, I will personally tear it all apart."

"Making him fall from the clouds straight into hell, that is what you call true despair. Right now, the time is not quite ripe."

Hearing these words, Zhou Xubai froze for a moment.

Then, he laughed.

"Hehe... Your Majesty is truly wicked."

Zhou Xubai laughed until tears came to his eyes.

He reached out, gently caressing Wu Lingxiao's cheek, a frantic light flashing in his eyes:

"Since Your Majesty is only playing, since he holds no place in your heart..."

As he spoke, Zhou Xubai's hand slipped down Wu Lingxiao's collar. He pressed his entire body against hers, breathing softly:

"Then tonight... Your Majesty should stay, and properly love your servant."

"Your servant... wants you."

Wu Lingxiao stiffened all over.

Ye Xuan's clear face instantly flashed in her mind, along with the solemn vow made in the snow...

From now on, you shall keep your chastity for me, and I shall be your only one.

If she touched Zhou Xubai tonight, it would be a betrayal.

"No!"

Wu Lingxiao roughly shoved Zhou Xubai away. The force was so great that he stumbled back several steps and crashed into a pillar.

"I am tired today. I am not in the mood!"

Wu Lingxiao's eyes were panicked as she turned to leave.

"Halt!"

Leaning against the pillar, Zhou Xubai looked at the fleeing Female Emperor and suddenly let out a cold laugh.

His laughter was filled with mockery and an all-seeing sharpness.

"Wu Lingxiao, you don't dare?"

Zhou Xubai stepped forward step by step, his gaze like a knife, piercing straight into Wu Lingxiao's heart:

"What are you afraid of? Afraid of that Ye Xuan?"

"Your Majesty, could it be that you really... became Dao companions with that lowly commoner and swore to keep your chastity for him?"

Boom!

Those words directly pierced through Wu Lingxiao's final fig leaf.

She was the Female Emperor! The ruler of this world!

How could she admit that she was keeping herself pure for a male pet?

How could she admit that she was bound by the oath of a mere Qi Condensation realm cultivator?

To her imperial dignity, this was a monumental disgrace!

"Insolent!"

Wu Lingxiao flew into a towering rage. She spun around, and a terrifying pressure instantly swept through the entire bedchamber.

She glared at Zhou Xubai, her eyes bloodshot:

"I am the Emperor! All the men in this world belong to me!"

"What qualifications does a mere Ye Xuan have to make me keep my chastity?"

"I sleep with whoever I want! Is it your place to question me?"

Zhou Xubai coughed up blood from the shock of her pressure, but his smile grew even more arrogant. He was gambling, betting on the Female Emperor's ridiculous ego.

"If that is the case, then please prove it to your servant."

Zhou Xubai untied his own sash, looking at Wu Lingxiao provocatively:

"Prove to your servant that you have not fallen in love with him. Prove to your servant that you are still the supreme Female Emperor!"

Looking at the man who had accompanied her for many years, Wu Lingxiao thought again of Ye Xuan's clean eyes.

In her mind, two voices were fighting madly.

One was screaming: You cannot do it! If you do it, there is no going back!

The other was roaring: You are the Emperor! You cannot be controlled by a plaything!

If you do not do it, it means admitting that you have fallen in love with him, admitting that you have lost!

In the end.

The Emperor's arrogance and vanity triumphed over that newly sprouting love.

"Fine."

Wu Lingxiao gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with hostility:

"I will prove it to you!"

That night, the red candles in the Weiyang Palace burned until dawn.

Wu Lingxiao tossed Zhou Xubai around like a madwoman. Only through this rough method could she cover up the sound of her heart breaking deep within.

At the same time.

Sweet Dew Palace.

Ye Xuan sat on the threshold, hugging the belt embroidered with a crooked duck, looking at the moon in the sky.

"It is so late... why hasn't sister come yet?"

"Did the head maid make things difficult for her again?"

"Or... is she sick?"

Ye Xuan touched the cold osmanthus cake in his arms, which he had specially saved for his sister.

"It is okay."

Ye Xuan smiled at the moon, a gentle and trusting smile:

"Sister must have been delayed by something. Tomorrow... tomorrow she will definitely come."