Chapter 227: Concentric Heart Rings

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Fireworks exploded, lighting up the night sky.

The display would continue through the night, not ceasing until it was completely over.

When Xiao Yang left the banquet, Mu Yunlian didn’t follow. She found that a little strange, but outside the hall, she saw Rong Yin waiting for her.

Fireworks blossomed in the distant sky, illuminating the entire horizon, but Xiao Yang could only see the fervent, brilliant light in his eyes, filled with deep affection.

She remembered the promise she had made, and so did Rong Yin.

Xiao Yang walked over slowly.

Rong Yin extended a hand, and she naturally placed hers in it. They walked back to Zichen Palace, hand in hand.

The early summer breeze was cool but not cold. It felt refreshing after drinking.

"Your Majesty drank quite a bit."

Xiao Yang: "I’m fine. Not drunk."

Rong Yin: "Is Your Majesty happy today?"

Xiao Yang: "I suppose so..."

’I’m not sure. I don’t know. But I’m not miserable right now, so I guess that counts as happy.’

The two of them walked at a leisurely pace. Behind them, fireworks filled the sky, and the warmth from their joined hands was scorching. Even in silence, it didn’t feel lonely.

Mu Yunlian had provoked Rong Yin into taking the sterility medicine before, but in all this time, he had never once made a fuss about attending to her. He was, in fact, waiting for tonight.

Xiao Yang had no intention of refusing. Their relationship was already so intimate that it was practically the same as if they had slept together. Only the final step remained; there was no reason to say no.

She had long since accepted his presence in her life. This was all just a matter of course.

Back at Zichen Palace, Xiao Yang let go of his hand. "I’m going to wash up first."

Rong Yin grasped her hand again. "Your Majesty, there’s no hurry."

He led Xiao Yang to a seat and took a box from his robes. Opening it, he revealed a pair of lustrous white Jade Rings.

They were carved with a dragon and a phoenix that could be joined together. They had been carved from a single piece of jade, and the patterns fit together perfectly.

"These are concentric rings." He took out the Dragon Ring and looked at Xiao Yang expectantly. "Would Your Majesty be willing?"

’I don’t know if this is a confession or a proposal,’ Xiao Yang thought. He hadn’t specified. ’A confession is unnecessary, and a proposal is inappropriate.’

Xiao Yang held out her hand, gesturing for him to put it on her.

Rong Yin carefully slid the ring onto Xiao Yang’s finger. To return the courtesy, Xiao Yang put the other ring on his.

Man on the left, woman on the right. When they held hands, the concentric rings touched perfectly.

"I went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

Xiao Yang: "Hm?"

Rong Yin looked at her gently. "I took these rings and asked my brother for his blessing."

Uh-huh.

Xiao Yang wore a look of amusement. "Your brother didn’t jump down and beat you?"

Rong Yin teased her intentionally. "I told him Your Majesty made the first move and that I was forced."

Xiao Yang scoffed. "Oh, you poor, wronged thing, Regent King."

Rong Yin stopped joking. "I am not wronged. It is my greatest pleasure."

He leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers. "To have met Your Majesty is a fortune spanning three lifetimes. A hundred years from now, I will personally go to my brother and beg his forgiveness."

He was the younger brother raised by the late Emperor’s own hands, which made him Xiao Yang’s elder by generation.

Even though they were distant cousins, the generational gap always made him feel as if he was committing a depraved crime. He was torn by guilt yet unable to extricate himself.

Rong Yin’s carefully composed gaze suddenly turned scorching hot as his self-control began to crumble.

He lowered his head for a kiss and swept Xiao Yang into his arms. "It’s getting late. I... will help Your Majesty wash up..."

Water from the bathing tub splashed all over the floor, the trail of wetness spreading to the Dragon Bed.

"Ngh... Your Majesty..."

"Your Majesty, I’ve missed you so, so much..."

Suppressed gasps and lust-filled murmurs of pleading filled the air.

"Your Majesty, I beg you..."

"Your Majesty, one more time..."

The Regent King was just as deceptively reserved as ever. On the surface, he was cold, grim, and serious. In reality, he was a powder keg, igniting at the slightest touch, with no knowledge of restraint or moderation.

A slender, beautiful arm fell from the curtains of the bed. Glistening beads of sweat rolled down the snow-white skin, gathering at the fingertips before dripping onto the carpet.

Soon, a strong arm reached out, tracing a path up to the palm, and clasped the hand. Their fingers intertwined, the jade rings clicking together softly.

The next moment, veins popped on his arm as he pulled her back in, and another wave of passion crested.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

The whispered calls, filled with longing and desire, continued all night until dawn.

From beneath the silk quilt, a snow-white arm emerged. But upon that pale skin were dotted red plum blossoms—a sight full of suggestive charm.

The next moment, it was yanked back. "Don’t catch a chill, Your Majesty."

Xiao Yang: "It’s hot."

Extremely hot. It was like having a massive furnace pressed against her back.

But Rong Yin didn’t feel it. To him, Her Majesty was like a piece of warm jade, so exquisite he couldn’t bear to let go. He held her in his arms, unwilling to part by even an inch.

Only last night had he truly and completely become Her Majesty’s man. After a night of tenderness, he was at his most clingy, wishing he could meld her into his own body.

Xiao Yang felt like she was dying of heat, yet this thing just held her tighter. Having reached her limit, she snapped, "Get off!"

On the very first day after truly attending to her, the Regent King was kicked off the Dragon Bed.

He landed solidly on the floor with a kick—unprepared and stark naked.

Rong Yin was speechless. ’Thank goodness only Her Majesty saw that. Otherwise, I’d never be able to show my face in public again.’

’If that scoundrel Mu Yunlian found out I was kicked out of bed by Her Majesty, he’d laugh his teeth out.’

He stood by the bed, feeling miserable for less than two seconds, before very sensibly crawling back in. This time, however, he didn’t dare to hold her too tightly, merely lying beside her.

No one really knew when the Regent King and Her Majesty had actually gotten together. Many people assumed they had already done everything long ago.

One of the biggest differences between an Empress and a male Emperor was the lack of need for the records of the Department of Household Affairs. After all, any child born from her own belly was guaranteed to be of her bloodline.

In truth, the officials had brought it up, but Xiao Yang felt she needed her privacy. To record such matters was far too intrusive.

So now, everyone found it natural and was even delighted that the Regent King was staying in Zichen Palace. They didn’t know the Empress couldn’t get pregnant; many were still hoping she would conceive and give birth to a Prince.

The change after Rong Yin began attending to her was that there were now two people clinging to Xiao Yang.

During the day, the two men were the Regent King and the Minister of Revenue. But as soon as evening fell, sparks of animosity would fly between them, a crackling rivalry in their eyes. It would only stop when the Empress chose one to attend to her, or simply sent them both away.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month passed. Marquis Pingchuan and Duke Liang returned with the results of their investigation.

It was only when Xiao Yang saw them appear in the Imperial Study Room that she remembered Ji Xuanmo was still in the rear palace.

Xiao Yang glanced at Xiao Lv and asked him quietly, "He’s still around? Hasn’t starved to death yet?"

Xiao Lv gave her a look. "He can be, if you wish."

’To live or to die, it’s all up to Your Majesty’s will. You can have him die any way you want.’

Xiao Yang was speechless, her eyelid twitching. ’This guy is getting more and more with the program.’

"If he’s not dead, bring him in. It’s time this matter came to a conclusion."

Xiao Yang had someone summon Prince Jing, Grand Tutor Xu, and the others. It was a good opportunity for everyone to witness the outcome together. Of course, Xie Liuzheng couldn’t be left out at a time like this.

The officials arrived quickly. Just as Mu Yunlian, Li Wei, and Rong Yin came in, Ji Xuanmo was also brought before them.

After more than half a month, Ji Xuanmo was pitifully haggard. He had lost a significant amount of weight, and his clothes seemed to hang off his frame.

He was half-dragged in by two guards, who then forced him to his knees on the ground.

He was kneeling, but when he looked up at Xiao Yang, his sunken eyes were filled with resentment and defiance, as if he had suffered the greatest humiliation imaginable.

In reality, aside from being confined, he had been given his medicine daily, and his meals included both meat and vegetables. Knowing he might be the late Emperor’s son, no one had actually mistreated him.

The only reason he was so thin was that he had starved himself by refusing to eat.

Xiao Yang could understand his hatred for her, but she couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t eat.

’Starving yourself to skin and bones just to defy your enemy? Does he think he can frame me by starving to death?’