"I’ve told you repeatedly to keep your distance from Zhu’er, why do you always treat it like it’s nothing?"
Chen Mo explained, "I just happened to run into Lin Catcher, and I thought that I hadn’t helped her expel the chill toxin for a while. Since Your Highness was busy with state affairs and it was inconvenient to disturb, I thought of finding a secluded place to treat her..."
"Expelling the toxin takes at most an hour, yet you stayed in the Palace Chambers the whole night, and with three people together," the Empress said with a hint of anger in her voice. "Chen Mo, do you take me for a fool?"
"Your Highness has misunderstood."
Chen Mo hurriedly explained, "Aside from expelling the toxin, I also wrote ten Chapters of a storybook, and before I knew it, it was late at night. The palace was already under curfew, and I had nowhere to go, so I could only spend the night there..."
"A storybook?"
The Empress recalled the popular "Silver Bottle Plum" circulating in the palace lately, which she had secretly read.
It really was written by this little thief...
"Is that really all?"
The Empress expressed doubt about this.
Back in the Yangxin Palace, Lin Jingzhu even dared to kiss Chen Mo. Who knows what else they might do in private!
Chen Mo approached and sat beside her, smiling gently, "If Your Highness doesn’t believe me, why not check for yourself?"
The Empress naturally understood what he meant. She had done body checks before, but last time was when she was drunk. Now she was angry; how could she bring herself to do such a thing?
"I won’t..."
"Mmm~"
Before she finished speaking, her mouth was blocked.
The Empress twisted her waist, struggling, her hands pressed against Chen Mo’s chest, trying to push him away, but that strong body was like an immovable rock.
Under such invasive advances, her defenses crumbled, and eventually, she surrendered. Her lips parted, granting him what he wanted, her body limp and soft as she leaned into Chen Mo’s embrace.
After a long while.
It was only when the Empress patted Chen Mo’s shoulder that he finally, and reluctantly, lifted his head.
"You, you little thief, are you trying to suffocate me?"
The Empress’s eyes were misty, her breath quickened, her lovely face flushed with red.
Chen Mo embraced her soft, delicate body, grinning, "I care too much for Your Highness. How could I bear to..."
The Empress gave him an eye roll, complaining, "All day long you say sweet words to coax me, but behind my back, you’re not honest at all!"
Chen Mo awkwardly laughed without saying a word. The Empress bit her lip, saying, "Getting entangled with other women is one thing, I won’t hold it against you. But Zhu’er is my niece. If something happens between you two... how can I face the world?"
The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt, her eyes almost overflowing with resentment.
Chen Mo also knew he was a bit out of line, but Lin Jingzhu’s Favorability Rating was already approaching the third stage, and things were beyond his control.
If it weren’t for him maintaining some reason, things might have gone further yesterday.
Chen Mo hesitated slightly, and then said in a low voice, "Your Highness knows, last time Lin Catcher almost had an accident. If I act too harshly, I’m afraid it would upset her."
Chen Mo cautiously said, "Your Highness, considering your esteemed status as Mother of the Country, this might not be appropriate, right?"
The Empress’s voice was clear and resolute, "In the past, I was too concerned, too indecisive, which gave others opportunities. This time, I won’t yield again!"
She never truly wanted to be the Empress; it was all a matter of exchanging interests.
Over the years, she had given almost everything for Great Yuan, believing she was worthy, at least loyal to Chu Yanli’s trust back then.
"Your Highness..."
Chen Mo found himself speechless.
The greatest burden is the debt of a beautiful woman.
What virtue or ability of his could lead the esteemed Eastern Palace Empress to such lengths?
Feeling the grip around his waist tighten, the Empress understood his thoughts and didn’t want him to feel too pressured. She said playfully, "Don’t get me wrong, I’m not doing all of this just for you. I’ve been trapped in this deep palace for years; I just want to live for myself once."
"Yet, as they say, now is not the time."
"After all, Wu Lie is still alive..."
At this point, she suddenly felt a bit strange.
She felt like Yinlian from the book, waiting for her ailing husband to die so she could elope with her lover.
Although she felt somewhat shameless thinking this way, she knew there was no turning back, nor did she wish to turn back.

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