Li Yuanzhi’s heart raced as his warm breath brushed against her ear. Her whole body went weak, and she stammered, “D-don’t… there are still people down there.”
Song Qingshu understood that well enough. If they made any noise and alerted those below, it would only cause trouble later. After planting a few ki$$es on her lips, he stopped teasing the girl in his arms.
By now, Chen Yuanyuan and Ah Ke had finished washing up. After the palace maids tidied everything, Ah Ke ordered them to withdraw, knowing her mother preferred peace and quiet.
The maids filed out, carefully closing the door behind them, and the room fell silent.
Ah Ke wrapped her arms around Chen Yuanyuan’s, pressing her cheek against her mother’s shoulder. “Mother, it’s been so long since you last slept with me.”
Chen Yuanyuan affectionately stroked her daughter’s hair. “You’re an imperial consort now. How could it be convenient for me to stay overnight in your bedchamber?”
Ah Ke pursed her lips and muttered softly, “I never wanted to be an imperial consort in the first place.”
Chen Yuanyuan shook her head helplessly. “Always talking like a child.”
Ah Ke’s lips pouted as if she were holding back a great deal of resentment, but in the end, she said nothing.
The two women walked to the bed and began removing their outer garments.
Song Qingshu’s eyes nearly popped out. *This is a benefit I didn’t see coming.*
Beside him, Li Yuanzhi grew anxious. She quickly reached out and covered his eyes, threatening, “You’re not allowed to look! Not allowed!”
Song Qingshu smiled gently and turned his head away. “I won’t look, then.” In truth, he had already seen enough. He knew they were only taking off a few outer layers and still had their undergarments on. Nothing was actually exposed, and there was nothing much to see anyway.
This made Li Yuanzhi feel a bit embarrassed. She said softly, “Actually… you could look a little if you want.”
Song Qingshu pulled her into his arms. “You can make it up to me later.”
Li Yuanzhi’s heart fluttered. “How do you want me to make it up to you?”
Song Qingshu leaned close to her ear. “Why ask when you already know?”
Li Yuanzhi’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she let out a barely audible “Mm~”
By now, Chen Yuanyuan and Ah Ke were lying in bed. The quilt was made of the finest Suzhou embroidery silk, but even it seemed dull beside their jade-like skin.
“By the way, Ah Ke, why are you so interested in Song Qingshu?” Chen Yuanyuan tucked the blanket around her daughter and lay on her side, gazing at her quietly.
The two people on the beam, who had been sharing an intimate moment, both froze and turned their attention downward.
Hearing her mother’s question, Ah Ke’s gaze darted evasively. “I… I’m not interested in Song Qingshu at all.”
Chen Yuanyuan reached out with a finger whiter than jade and tapped her daughter’s forehead. “If you truly weren’t interested, why would you have gone all the way to the Cold Palace to inquire about him?”
Li Yuanzhi playfully bit Song Qingshu’s shoulder. “And you said there was nothing between you.”
Song Qingshu said with frustration, “There really isn’t anything between us.”
“I… I was just bored and happened to pass by there.” Ah Ke’s voice lacked conviction.
“Still not telling your mother the truth?” Chen Yuanyuan let out a melancholy sigh. “I’m not trying to scold you, but you are the emperor’s consort now. If word got back to His Majesty that you were seeking information about another man, it would be a disaster of enormous proportions.”
“The emperor won’t care about this.” Ah Ke suddenly spoke up.
Chen Yuanyuan was taken aback. “Why?”
“Because the emperor isn’t really a man.” It was as if Ah Ke had been holding this in for a long time. The moment the words left her mouth, she felt an immense sense of relief.
“What?” Even Chen Yuanyuan, who had weathered many storms, turned pale with shock.
Even Li Yuanzhi on the beam opened her mouth wide in astonishment. Only Song Qingshu, who already knew this, remained calm. What he was more curious about was how Chen Yuanyuan, as Ah Ke’s mother, could not have known this before.
“Ah Ke, you mustn’t say such things. If anyone hears, it’s a death sentence. Even your father wouldn’t be able to save you,” Chen Yuanyuan said hastily.
“I’m not lying.” Ah Ke bit her lip firmly. “Though I didn’t want to be a political sacrifice, I knew Father’s situation was dire. When he sent me here for this marriage alliance, I accepted my fate. I thought being a Southern Song imperial consort wouldn’t be so bad—I could even help Father. But…”
Her cheeks flushed as if she were about to say something shameful. After a pause to compose herself, she continued, “I had thought that my husband-to-be, at a time of great crisis for the Great Song, had managed to rebuild the court, preserve half the realm, and extend the Han people’s legacy. I thought he was a hero. But it turns out he isn’t even a real man…”
Chen Yuanyuan frowned slightly. “You keep saying he’s… like that. What proof do you have?”
Ah Ke pressed her lips together and explained slowly, “On our wedding night, he didn’t touch me at all.”
“Maybe… maybe he wasn’t feeling well that day.” Though Chen Yuanyuan said this, her heart sank. Her daughter’s face was almost identical to her own in her youth. She knew from experience just how powerfully attractive such a face was to men. No man could go through his wedding night without touching her at all—unless he wasn’t a man…
Ah Ke let out a soft laugh, tinged with mockery. “At first, I thought the same. But later, every time he came here, he had me sleep alone while he spent the entire night reviewing memorials. Only when he could no longer hold out would he rest for a while on the side couch. After putting up that act a few times to show the world how favored I was, he came less and less often. Now he doesn’t come at all. But his rewards to me keep increasing—he must feel guilty.”
“Maybe… maybe he has some unspoken affliction that isn’t what you think…” Chen Yuanyuan’s voice trailed off as she spoke. She already believed her daughter’s conclusion. No man in this world could resist such temptation.
“Once, I happened to overhear some old palace maids whispering. They said that while His Majesty was enjoying the company of a consort, news came that the Jin army was only a few miles from the imperial retreat. He was so terrified he fled in panic, with the Jin soldiers pursuing him all the way. He only found safety after escaping to sea. Perhaps from the shock, or from being soaked in the water too long, after that day he could never… never perform as a man again.” Ah Ke recounted this calmly, as if it had nothing to do with her.
Chen Yuanyuan finally understood everything. Her mouth fell open in shock. “Your father… he doesn’t know this. If he did…” She stopped mid-sentence, knowing Wu Sangui’s nature all too well.
“Even if Father had known the truth beforehand, he still would have sent me here,” Ah Ke finished for her.
Seeing her daughter’s self-mocking expression, Chen Yuanyuan was overcome with grief. She pulled Ah Ke into her arms and wept. “Why are we mother and daughter both so ill-fated….”