Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Final Break with the Emperor

Xiao Ceyun walked straight toward the bed. After sitting down, he stared expressionlessly at Wei Yanqiao and spoke bluntly, "Noble Consort Sheng, it is time for you to serve me tonight."

His words served as an undisguised reminder to Wei Yanqiao that even if she harbored a thousand forms of reluctance and resistance, as long as she remained his consort, she was bound to serve him in the bedchamber whenever he demanded it.

At that moment, Caiyue entered, carefully carrying a steaming bowl of red date and longan soup. She whispered, "Your Ladyship, the red date and longan soup you requested is ready."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of hesitation crossed Wei Yanqiao’s eyes. She turned to Xiao Ceyun and declined with a gentle, slightly apologetic tone, "Your Majesty, it is an unfortunate coincidence that I have started my monthly cycle today. As I am unclean, I fear offending your imperial gaze; I truly dare not attend to you tonight."

Fortunately, she had been cautious enough to instruct Caiyue to bring in the soup the moment she saw Xiao Ceyun arrive.

Hearing this, Xiao Ceyun’s expression darkened instantly. He stood up abruptly from the bed and, without a word, swung his sleeves in a fit of rage and dissatisfaction before storming out.

Witnessing this, although Wei Yanqiao felt a sense of trepidation, she quickly rose to offer a salute, saying respectfully, "I bid Your Majesty a safe departure."

Xiao Ceyun strode away without looking back. Very well, he would wait a few more days. He refused to believe that Wei Yanqiao could hide from serving him forever!

Bi Zifu followed closely behind Xiao Ceyun, trembling with fear, and muttered to himself: *Noble Consort Sheng is truly ungrateful. The Emperor has come here in person several times, yet she has failed to please him.*

A palace maid asked another who was waiting nearby, "Have you seen Caiyue? The girl hadn't finished her chores, yet she vanished in the blink of an eye."

"Her Ladyship’s monthly cycle has arrived; Caiyue just took her some red date and longan soup."

"But didn't Aunt Shuiyao say that Her Ladyship’s cycle for this month had already ended before we returned to the palace?"

Xiao Ceyun, who had been walking steadily, stopped dead in his tracks. With a face as dark as a storm, he strode directly toward the two maids who were conversing.

Upon seeing Xiao Ceyun, the maids were terrified. They collapsed to their knees in unison, crying out, "We pay our respects to the Emperor!"

Suppressing his fury, Xiao Ceyun asked, his voice trembling with extreme rage, "What you just said—did you say Noble Consort Sheng’s monthly cycle has already passed?"

"I am a new arrival at Yixin Palace, Your Majesty. I keep track of Her Ladyship’s cycle as per the rules so that we may prepare accordingly. When I asked Aunt Shuiyao, she said that Her Ladyship’s cycle was at the beginning of the month, and now we are in the middle."

Hearing this, Xiao Ceyun’s face changed dramatically. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and stormed off in the opposite direction.

The maid was so frightened by his sudden reaction that her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground. Encountering the Emperor in such a state of rage was truly terrifying!

***

Wei Yanqiao slowly sat back down at the desk. Seeing this, Caiyue asked cautiously, "Your Ladyship, would you still like to drink this red date and longan soup?"

Feeling troubled and exhausted, Wei Yanqiao said, "Take it away; it is no longer needed."

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out, "Why would it not be needed? Didn't you use this bowl of soup to successfully deceive me, my beloved consort?"

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice to see Xiao Ceyun, his face grim, striding into the room.

Caiyue was terrified; she threw herself onto the floor, trembling violently. Wei Yanqiao was equally ashen. She hurriedly stood up to salute, stammering, "May the Emperor be blessed with peace. I wonder why Your Majesty has returned so suddenly?"

Xiao Ceyun ignored her question and did not tell her to rise. Instead, he walked directly to her, reached out, and gripped her chin firmly, forcing her to look at him. His gaze was as cold and heartless as frozen stars. He gritted his teeth and said, "If I had not returned, how would I have known that you dared to deceive me?"

Xiao Ceyun, filled with rage, swung his arm with all his might, throwing Wei Yanqiao aside. A cry escaped her lips as her slender frame was cast aside like a broken kite, landing hard on the floor.

She lay in a heap on the cold ground, her face pale with terror. Her beautiful, expressive eyes looked up at Xiao Ceyun in a panic, tears welling up. Her voice was faint and delicate: "Your Majesty, I truly did not intend to deceive you... I have my unspoken reasons..."

Xiao Ceyun sneered, his eyes locked on her. "You have reasons for refusing to serve me? Very well, what are your reasons?"

"I..." Wei Yanqiao furrowed her brows, not knowing where to begin. As a consort, it was her honor to serve the Emperor, yet she could not bring herself to do so.

Wei Yanqiao was dressed in a thin, plain white garment. Despite its simplicity, in the flickering candlelight, she looked like a celestial being—ethereal and otherworldly. She lay helpless on the ground, her form so delicate she seemed as if a light breeze could carry her away. Perhaps from the sudden shock, her once rosy cheeks were now deathly pale, as fragile as paper. Her thin, frail body trembled uncontrollably from fear and cold, a sight that would stir pity in anyone.

Watching the pitiful and heart-wrenching Wei Yanqiao before him, Xiao Ceyun felt a stir in his heart. He had never noticed before that this woman possessed such devastating beauty, and for a moment, he was entranced. Regaining his senses, he issued a command: "Everyone, get out!"

Hearing the Emperor’s order, the maids and eunuchs waiting in the hall did not dare to delay. Bowing their heads, they scrambled out as if their feet were greased. In the blink of an eye, only Xiao Ceyun and Wei Yanqiao remained in the vast hall.

Xiao Ceyun slowly crouched down before Wei Yanqiao. He reached out to touch her trembling shoulders and helped her up. Locking his gaze on her pale face, he said in a low voice, "I will give you one more chance. Answer me: will you serve me or not? If you are willing to serve me, I will forgive the crime of deceiving the Emperor that you just committed."

Wei Yanqiao hung her head, biting her lip in silence as if weighing her options. After a long moment, she lifted her head, her eyes fixed on Xiao Ceyun with unusual firmness, and replied resolutely, "Your Majesty, I do not wish to serve you."

Hearing this answer, Xiao Ceyun’s previously softened expression turned as frigid as frost! He lashed out, "How bold and audacious you are, Wei Yanqiao! Have I been too indulgent toward you? Since you have entered these palace gates, you are my woman. How can you refuse when I demand you to serve me?"

Facing the furious Xiao Ceyun, Wei Yanqiao kept her head lowered, not daring to meet his eyes, and whispered, "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. Forgive my insolence."

However, her submissiveness did not quell his rage. Xiao Ceyun grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, shouting, "Tell me, what is the reason that makes you so determined to refuse to serve me?"

***

At that moment, he secretly hoped that Wei Yanqiao was merely acting out of petty jealousy because the Empress was pregnant and she was angry with him.

Wei Yanqiao took a deep breath, steadied herself, and explained slowly, "I have long since turned my heart toward the Buddhist path. My heart is now like that of those who have renounced the world; I must abstain from desire and impurity. If I were to fulfill your request tonight, it would undoubtedly be a violation of my vows and a transgression against the Buddha."

"Absurd!" Xiao Ceyun interrupted her in a fit of rage. "This is the Imperial Palace, not a temple! I am the master of this world, and I will not permit you to defy my will!"

"Even in the luxury of the palace, as long as my heart is set on the Buddha, my path of cultivation remains unobstructed. Besides..." Wei Yanqiao lifted her head slightly, her eyes locking onto Xiao Ceyun’s, revealing a trace of sorrow and helplessness, "I never wanted to return to this palace. It was your imperial decree that forced me to come back."

Hearing this, Xiao Ceyun sneered, his voice laced with sarcasm, "I ordered you to return, and now you hold a grudge against me for it?"

In the past, Wei Yanqiao had always loved to hover around him. Whenever he stepped into her palace, she would be overjoyed and passionate, using every means to serve him. Yet, since her return, everything had changed. She no longer clung to him as she once did, and she was cold and distant toward him.

"Yes!"

As if she had nothing left to lose, Wei Yanqiao answered bluntly, "I do not wish to serve you!"

Xiao Ceyun’s face turned cold, his gaze piercing her like a blade of ice. The aura of his imperial majesty, as biting as the midwinter frost, filled the room, making Wei Yanqiao shiver uncontrollably.

"Since you are so unwilling to serve me, then I shall not force you." He shifted his gaze to the *Classic of Poetry* neatly arranged on the table, a cold smile touching his lips. "If you truly wish to cultivate, then go ahead. From this day forward, stay in this palace and copy your Buddhist scriptures to your heart's content. I have no further need for your service!"

With that, Xiao Ceyun turned and swept out of the room without hesitation.

Watching his figure fade into the distance until he vanished, Wei Yanqiao felt as though every ounce of strength had been drained from her. Her body went limp, and she collapsed onto the cold floor.

Tears, like a breached dam, flowed uncontrollably down her cheeks. Everything tonight had been meticulously planned, yet seeing Xiao Ceyun’s heartlessness, she could not help but feel a suffocating pain in her heart. In her past life, she had truly loved Xiao Ceyun.

Shuiyao rushed in. Seeing the scene before her, her heart tightened. She crouched down, asking with deep heartache, "Your Ladyship, why must you do this to yourself?"

If the Emperor decided never to let Wei Yanqiao serve him again, it meant the end of his favor. Their Yixin Palace would be no different from a cold palace from this day forward.