The previous seductive atmosphere in the bedchamber suddenly vanished.

At this moment, the Emperor was dressed only in a silver and white undergarment. He exuded an imposing presence with his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and his face combined handsomeness with ruggedness.

“Nu… I’m not pretending; I am Kang Yu Yi…” Kang Yu Yi’s head hung low, her voice faint like a whisper.

She was still hoping for a reprieve and was unwilling to directly explain that she was not the original Concubine Kang.

The Emperor sneered, withdrawing his index finger from her slick wet pussy, pulling out a dubious silver thread.

He calmly wiped the water stains from his hands with her panties, which had been tossed aside.

Kang Yu Yi was secretly relieved, thinking she had easily resolved the crisis.

But the emptiness she felt beneath her was unbearable. After experiencing both the dream and physical stimulation, Kang Yu Yi felt an unfamiliar heat spreading throughout her body, making her both embarrassed and annoyed.

Before she woke up and arrived at the palace, it was New Year’s Eve of the 30th year of Yongfeng. That night, she was supposed to spend the New Year at the small courtyard of the Kang family on the west road of the Qin royal residence.

However, after an argument with her mother Zhou, she ran back to the East Courtyard where His Highness resided.

When she woke up, she inexplicably found herself in the palace, now a noble consort, and had even given birth to a child with the Qin Prince, who is now the reigning emperor.

The stimulating scenes she had just dreamed about were clearly unprompted, yet she somehow knew very clearly that it was the night of March in the thirty-first year of Yongfeng.

In just three months, what had happened to her? She couldn’t even imagine why she had had the audacity to ride on His Highness’s cold face on their first night…..

As she pondered this, her head throbbed, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

The Emperor had initially planned to patiently wait for her to confess on her own. However, seeing her beautiful face first turn red, then suddenly turn pale and blue, he was taken aback.

He suddenly stretched out his large hand and encircled her delicate and fragile neck, as if he were about to strangle her with all his might, ready to suffocate her at any moment.

In reality, the Emperor’s grip was not strong enough to completely cut off her breathing, but the implied threat was highly intimidating, making Kang Yu Yi tremble in fear.

“Do you understand the principle of confessing for leniency and resisting for severity?”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly as he fixed his gaze on hers, determined not to miss any change in her expression.

Kang Yu Yi, having vaguely guessed from the dream that she had woken up years into the future, was unsure of how to explain her situation.

What if His Majesty believes she is merely pretending, deceiving the ruler, or that she is possessed by an evil spirit?

But if she does not confess, the hand currently gripping her fragile neck seemed ready to end her life with just a slight squeeze.

It felt to Kang Yu Yi as though there were two paths before her: one leading to a mountain of swords, the other to a sea of fire—essentially, no escape!

After much deliberation, Kang Yu Yi noticed the growing impatience in the man’s deep, unfathomable eyes, which only heightened her panic.

“Your Majesty, have mercy! I am indeed Kang Yu Yi, the daughter of Kang Dahai, the steward of the Qin Wangfu! I don’t know what happened; after sleeping on New Year’s Eve in the 30th year of Yongfeng, I woke up in this palace,” she said, her voice thick with nasal distress.

She quickly added, “Your Majesty, please understand, I truly don’t know what’s going on. I would never dare deceive you. I beg for your mercy!”

When he saw her begging for mercy, with her eyes misting over, the Emperor felt as if he had been punched in the heart.

Noticing the big hand on her neck loosening slightly, Kang Yu Yi’s tense heart eased a bit, but she remained cautious, fearing that any misstep might reignite his wrath.

“Describe in detail what happened,” the Emperor said, his brows furrowed and his voice cold, making it unclear whether he believed her explanation or not.

Although the hand’s grip had loosened, it was still like a sharp blade hanging over Kang Yu Yi’s head.

“I don’t know either. I was originally working in the Queen Consort’s flower room. Over a month ago, the Queen Consort arranged for me to be assigned to the East Courtyard to serve you,” Kang Yu Yi said, hesitating to say the term “maid” out loud.

“But you never allowed me near you, so I have remained in the side room, not daring to appear before you,” she added cautiously.

Mentioning events from seven years ago, the Emperor’s deep, dark eyes flashed briefly with unease.

When she first came to the East Courtyard to pay her respects, she was dressed in a pink and white flush-chested jacket, with a pale pink wooden hibiscus in her hair, light powder on her face, and a delicate mother-of-pearl ornament on her forehead.

With just one glance, he was uncontrollably stunned by her beauty, which surpassed even a thousand peonies.

Though he had seen women whose beauty could rival hers, he had never felt any unnecessary emotions or been moved before.

Yet, the first time he saw her, his heart fluttered with unfamiliar feelings.

That night, he even dreamt about her.

He loathed the feeling of being controlled by lust, so he never allowed her to come near him. Even when they happened to meet, he deliberately ignored her.

Seeing that he remained silent, Kang Yu Yi grew more anxious.

“Your Majesty, please understand! I am truly not pretending to be the noble concubine! I am the sixteen-year-old Kang Yu Yi; I just don’t know why I suddenly found myself here…” Kang Yu Yi cried as she spoke, with large tears streaming down her face.

She didn’t want it to be like this. She didn’t understand why everything had changed when she woke up.

The Emperor’s heart tightened, and his expression became more obscure.

He did believe a part of her story but found it hard to accept her claim of waking up many years later from the 30th year of Yongfeng.

The Emperor lowered the hand that had been gripping her white jade neck.

Although he had not used any force, the tender mark on her slender neck was still glaringly red.

Kang Yu Yi’s skin was so delicate that even light pressure left marks, especially considering his years of martial training had left his hands rough and callused.

The Emperor took out an ointment he kept in the bedside cabinet, scooped out a generous amount, and carefully applied it to the red mark on her neck, gently rubbing it with his fingertips.

He had never believed in ghosts or supernatural phenomena, so there must be a reason for this situation. Since he couldn’t get more information from her, he would have to investigate other aspects.

The next morning, Kang Yu Yi, not knowing what she had dreamt, let out occasional soft sobs like a kitten’s meow.

The Emperor, having a light sleep, was already in his usual morning contemplation time, so her murmuring quickly woke him up.

He subconsciously hugged her tighter and placed a gentle kiss on her hair, trying to soothe her from her nightmare.

Kang Yu Yi, half-awake and half-asleep, was startled awake by his unexpected action.

Although the previous night’s confrontation had been somewhat resolved, Kang Yu Yi still felt nervous about his coercive questioning and remained stiff in his embrace, afraid to move.

Seeing her fully awake, the Emperor sat up.

Today was a rest day, so there was no morning court.

On regular days, even without the morning court, the Emperor would rise early to attend to official documents at the Zhaoming Palace’s Qinzheng Hall.

However, after last night’s interrogation, Kang Yu Yi had several nightmares, mumbling about “Don’t kill me” and “Your Majesty, spare me.”

The Emperor had to keep soothing her back to comfort her during her nightmares.

As today was also a rest day, he stayed with her until she was fully awake.

After they got up and freshened up, they were about to head to the front hall for breakfast.

Suddenly, Eunuch Chen Jinbao hurried in and reported, “Your Majesty, Your Highness, Miss Pei Yuqian from the Pei family, daughter of the Grand Princess, has come to pay her respects and is waiting outside the front hall. Should I summon her?”

Kang Yu Yi was taken aback. She recalled the Grand Princess’s overt disdain and hostility toward her at the Lotus Appreciation Banquet the previous day.

Why had the Grand Princess’s daughter come suddenly?

Since Pei Yuqian is the only direct granddaughter of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor’s palace is largely vacant, Pei Yuqian often visited the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager.

Pei Yuqian had been renowned as the most beautiful woman in the capital since coming of age. Her grandfather was Pei Ming, the head of the Cabinet, her father was the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, and her mother was the Grand Princess, the Emperor’s aunt.

It was no wonder the Grand Princess was so determined for her daughter to take a prominent position.

After all, no one in the capital was more suitable in terms of family background or talent.

Kang Yu Yi’s maid, Zisu, secretly wondered what Miss Pei’s intentions were, especially since she chose to visit on a day when His Majesty was resting at the Palace of Lu Hua.

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