In the private study, there was a sense of quiet, with only the sound of flipping through pages or the sound of putting down pens.
"Don't come in yet?"
A low voice echoed from the imperial study, and Yu Yao knew it was a call for her. She furrowed her brow slightly and turned to enter the imperial study.
"I see you, my lord. What are your commands?"
She bowed slightly to Nie Beichen, lowering her eyebrows and looking docile and respectful, appearing no different from the other palace attendants waiting before the throne.
Yue Beichen looked at her straight on, his gaze like a deep pool of a thousand years, bottomless to the eye.
Yet he said nothing!
The emperor remained silent, Yu Yao still half-squatting, too scared to stand up, her mind filled with unease.
She secretly pondered, was it because she had offended Night Beichen?
She didn't do anything either. Since she was a palace maid, she would just do what a palace maid should do.
You can't push too hard in a deal, and sometimes men can be a bit ungrateful.
Even if it's the most delicious and best thing, if it's something that can be obtained easily without putting in much effort, and if it's eaten every day, men will not only get bored of it but also not appreciate it.
Had it been before, Yu Yao would definitely not have dared to do so. She was so eager to please Night Beichen.
With a favorability rating of 70, a bit of a tantrum might just have an unexpected effect.
However, the key is to know how to strike the right balance.
"Get up! Do you like to squat so much that your knees don't hurt?"
A deep voice came from the dragon chair in front of the imperial desk, it was Night Beichen.
"Come over and grind the ink!" He added.
"Yes."
Yu Yao did not continue to squat; instead, she got up smoothly and walked over to the side of the imperial desk, picking up the cinnabar ink and beginning to grind it.
Just as she was about to grind the ink, she saw Night Beichen looking at her with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Are you angry?"
Yu Yao's face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered, "The emperor jests. How could a maid dare to be angry?"
"You, you're still such a little vinegar jar."
Night Beichen reached out and rubbed the tip of her nose, smiling softly. He then pulled her towards him, seating her next to him.
Yu Yao's expression stiffened, but she did not push him away. She sat on his lap, but she didn't speak.
Night Bechen held her waist, sitting with her in his arms. Seeing that she was still silent, he knew she had not yet let go of her anger.
"In private, you don't have to call yourself a slave, call me Chenlang!"
This was the second woman, besides Rongfei, whom he said such words to.
Even the Empress had never spoken to her like that.
As for the other women in the palace, they would never dare to.
Curiously enough, Night Beichen just wanted to hear her call him by that name.
Just like Ruo'er calls him, Chenlang.
She treats him as a beloved man, rather than the emperor.
Yu Yao was stunned. Chenlang? Isn't that how Ruo'er calls Night Beichen?
Among so many women in the palace, only Ruo'er has the qualifications to call such a intimate name.
She was somewhat shocked that Night Beichen would allow her to call him by such a name, but she didn't find it strange.
After all, there's a favorability rating of 70, which is nothing to sneeze at. Although it's not as high as Ruo'er's, it's still considerable.
She knows that this is a good opportunity to enhance their relationship.
After thinking it through, Yu Yao instantly transformed into a drama queen.
"Me... no... can I really call you like that?"
She turned around, sitting cross-legged on his body, facing him directly, with an extremely surprised expression.
"Of course, I allow you to call me that from now on, of course in private."
Night Beichen smiled at her as he watched her, speaking softly.
However, Yu Yao seems to have been stimulated by something and suddenly let out a loud "wah" cry.
Night Beichen was taken aback, and then… panicked.
This was the first time he had seen such a crying fit.
Before, they were all like pear blossoms with raindrops, and he had become accustomed to it. He had developed an immunity to "women's tears."
Those women, no matter how beautiful they cried in front of him, could not evoke a sliver of pity from his heart.
It would only make him more annoyed!
Now…
"What's wrong with you?"
Night Beichen suddenly felt at a loss.
"But what did I say wrong?"
Yu Yao was still crying, with tears streaming down her face and her hair sticking to her face, making her look a bit disheveled.
"Your Majesty, do you know? Although I have practiced martial arts, my skill is not high. When I fell into the arena, I thought I would die there."
She said while crying and burped, and continued:
"To survive, not to be eaten, I fought for my life and went to fight against the beasts. As for the audience's gossips, abuse and ridicule, I no longer care. I am going to die soon, what's the point of caring about so much?"
Saying this, Yu Yao roughly wiped her tears, not caring that she also wiped her nose on her face.
She appeared completely indifferent.
Night Beichen did not despise her; instead, he felt very painful, very very painful.
Night Beichen had seen her fall into the beast arena.
Night Beichen picked up a handkerchief to help her wipe away her tears, including the snot, and was about to properly comfort her.
But Yu Yao continued, "Your Majesty, it was you who saved me. You saved me from that human hell."
Night Beichen paused for a moment, then smiled, a soft smile, "It's also because you were the first to heal my poison that I paid attention to you."
Yu Yao looked at him, continuing to speak in a sobbing voice:
"I was very grateful to the emperor at that time, and I also had a crush on him. However, I dare not be greedy or express it. I just wanted to stay with the emperor and repay him well. I hoped to see the emperor every day."
Night Beichen smiled happily, his lips curving slightly, "That's why when I asked what you wanted, your answer was to serve in the Taihe Hall. I see now you had been longing for me all along, huh~"
The last "huh" had a long trailing note, melodious and tender, sensual and seductive.
Yu Yao couldn't help but blush, and an appropriate embarrassment appeared on her face.
"I have indeed been adoring the emperor for a long time. But my appearance is damaged, so I dare not be greedy. I just wanted to be a maid in the emperor's side forever. I never thought…"
"I never thought that I would be able to climb onto your dragon bed, did I?"
Night Beichen smiled and pinched her nose playfully, feeling better than ever before.
He could feel the difference in his feelings for Yu Yao, but he didn't resist.
Yu Yao nodded, blushing, "Yes, I didn't think about it at all, and I was a bit scared. But I'm also very happy!"
A barely audible sound, revealing a hidden joy.
"What a foolish girl you are!"
He chuckled lowly, and his eyes were full of laughter.
Yu Yao blushed and didn't say anything.
"I want to hear you call me Chenlang. Do it now!"
He looked at her intensely, with a commanding tone.
But his expression was gentle, and his eyes showed indulgence.
"Chenlang!"
Yu Yao blushed and obediently called out, "Chenlang!" although the sound was very small, it was still heard by Night Beichen.
In fact, she didn't want to call him by that name in her heart and felt awkward.
But the man in front of her was her target, and she couldn't refuse naturally.
Night Beichen smiled contentedly, looking at her with a smile that was very good.
At the same time, a system excited voice rang in Yu Yao's mind.
"Host, host! The favorability rating has increased by 5 points, now it's 75!"
Yes, 75 points.
Yu Yao smirked, the favorability rating is now the same as Ruo'er's in Night Beichen's heart.
I wonder if, in the event of a conflict between myself and Ruo'er, Night Bechen would choose to side with whom.
