Chapter 19: Revelry

You Dadai, born into a venerable family with a century of history, had been raised in luxury and privilege from a young age, so her nature was inevitably lofty and proud. Yet now she...

At this moment, even though he harbored disdain for her, his heart was nonetheless profoundly moved.

He was angry—angry at her frivolity, angry that she had cast aside the dignity of her lineage to willingly abase herself.

He was also self-satisfied—satisfied by the obsessive devotion this woman showed him, her infatuation unwavering.

At the same time, his heart softened, like the breached banks of the Yellow River, swiftly submerging all those feelings of revulsion, anger, and smugness.

He was, indeed, the emperor, but above all, he was a man. For You Dadai to relinquish her pride and bow to him, to serve him—even if his heart were as cold and hard as iron—at such a moment, all that remained was a sigh of pity for her.

She was, after all, his empress; if she sought only a night of favor, why would he begrudge her? Especially when she approached him with such humility, almost groveling in the dust.

"Dadai, you..." The softness, tenderness, and pity in his voice was something even he could not have imagined.

He cupped her face gently, stroking it slowly, and Dadai, coy and affectionate, nuzzled against his hand like a tamed housecat, mewling to please her master.

In Ji Ye's eyes, all she did was humble and humiliating, but in Dadai's heart, it meant nothing—merely obeying the instincts of her body.

To do what one loves, to follow the restlessness of the heart—what has that to do with dignity or morality?

For her, the law of survival—might makes right, the strong devour the weak—was etched into her bones since she was a little snake; dignity, rules, propriety were less than clouds in her heart, illusions that never existed.

"Sovereign." Dadai stretched out her tongue, licking his palm, her eyes filled with reverence—a look that undoubtedly inflated Ji Ye's masculine pride and made his heart race.

He grabbed her waist, lifted her into his arms, pressed her beneath him, and with a careless hand, pulled out her jade hairpin, tossed aside her phoenix crown; her black hair cascaded messily, her enticing crimson lips exhaling breath scented with orchid and iris. His thoughts suddenly stirred—he felt as if he were intoxicated.

His empress seemed to have matured overnight, her womanly charm multiplied—a blend of allure, seduction, and temptation. Without even tasting her lips, he felt drunk with desire.

The masculine scent pressed in, mingling with the precious aroma of dragon musk—a potent aphrodisiac. Dadai gazed up at this man, handsome and unattainable, shrouded in ascetic restraint, and the chord in her heart, sealed by a Buddhist spell, suddenly resonated, making her heart throb with fear.

She whimpered, clutching her chest in alarm, "Alas, I am ill—who will save the snake?"

Ji Ye chuckled lowly, his slender fingers—accustomed to years of handling memorials—untied the butterfly knot on her waist sash. "I shall save you," he murmured, feeling not just pity but deeply moved.

He had always known You Dadai loved him from the start, but he hated her arrogance and so ignored her genuine affection.

Now, he supposed he was reluctantly accepting her love.

She was one of his harem; she was his responsibility. Even if he accepted her love, it mattered little—a woman, no matter how favored, could not sway his decisions.

He gently rubbed her full, glossy lips, thinking, granting her a kiss was of no consequence.

The feeling in his heart was strange—he wanted to cherish this woman beneath him.

So be it, let it be a return for her affection, after all, she was his empress...

He seemed to recall the feeling of her lips and tongue kissing his own, the sensation so intense it was beyond description.

A light kiss, barely a brush—Dadai tasted the flavor, her eyes suddenly brightening. No longer hesitating or overthinking, she wrapped herself around him like a water snake, arms encircling his neck, lips and tongue invading his mouth, excitedly ravishing him. Yet, it wasn’t quite the same taste as before.

"Hmm?" She smacked her lips, puzzled.

Her long legs wound around his taut waist, her soft peach valley pressed against his hardness, bodies trembling. He pressed her down again, granting her a deeper, wetter kiss—a kiss so intense it ravaged Dadai's tongue.

No time to savor it, Dadai was already wholly focused.

Obstructive garments were discarded onto the bed, red undergarments and trousers flying everywhere, the two bodies on the couch indulging in wanton pleasure by daylight, and the emperor, his mind pulled astray, had already forgotten propriety.

Emperor and empress together, their passion was wild and fierce.

Li Fuquan, about to enter the Eastern Warm Pavilion to report, suddenly stopped in his tracks, his ears filled with the empress's increasingly seductive moans.

Her cries, wrought by pleasure, carried not a hint of shame or restraint.

Li Fuquan quietly retreated, and when sunlight struck his face, it turned crimson as if painted with clouds.

He had heard many concubines’ moans, but never had he witnessed such unabashed abandon as the empress—she felt no shame at all.

But she was, strangely, enticing.

Clearly, His Majesty needed no aphrodisiac; his body was strong and vigorous. If not, how could the empress be so satisfied?

As for what kind of satisfaction, just look at Ji Ye’s furious embarrassment in the pavilion.

"Silence!" he growled.

Dadai felt no shame, but he was embarrassed by her cries. Yet his movements did not cease; one hand covered her mouth, fingers pinching her slippery tongue, holding her tight, thrusting vigorously, the golden bedding already drenched.

Though she didn’t understand why her mouth was covered, Dadai continued to whimper and lick his fingers.

Her seductive gaze made the ascetic Ji Ye dizzy with desire.

The day wore on.

His first mistake was indulging in daylight pleasure, his second, letting himself run wild, his third, favoring the empress in the Eastern Warm Pavilion.

The moment his hardness entered her depths, he sobered, but it was too late.

From then on, he understood: for him, You Dadai was a moment’s compassion—an endless doom.

"Can’t you stop clinging so tightly?" he muttered through gritted teeth, yet he lifted Dadai’s hips, thrusting even deeper and tighter.

Dadai whimpered beautifully, clinging ever closer, taking advantage until he could barely breathe.

This was only the beginning; if they were in snake form, male and female would have tangled long ago, twisted like a rope.

The window was covered with pale yellow gauze, sunlight blazed outside, the room was bright enough to frighten, Ji Ye’s heart quaked with terror, yet he couldn’t stop.

"Get off me!" he snapped, standing up from the couch, gripping her snake-like waist as if to throw her away.

Dadai mewled and licked him, refusing to cooperate.

"Are you spent already?" she asked innocently, her flushed face showing undisguised contempt.

"It’s only been a moment," she complained, her brows furrowed, her luminous eyes, swollen lips—all betraying her displeasure at his lack of stamina.

If memory served, a single mating should last five or six hours at least.

She forgot: snakes have two rods, they can switch; this emperor only had one, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t last that long.

Was this thousand-year first time to end so hastily?

"I’ll just switch," she said, as if changing clothes.

Ji Ye bared his teeth, suppressing the urge to strangle her, and with a fierce thrust, struck her deepest pleasure spot. Dadai soared with delight, licking him, "Hurry up, haven’t you eaten?"

Her tone was imperious, arrogant, infuriating.

Ji Ye slapped her, leaving a huge print on her snowy hip.

"You’re asking for trouble!"

He didn’t bother with the couch, continued standing, then moved to the wall, pressing her delicate body against it, thrusting mercilessly.

Dadai howled with joy, her body soft as silk, wrapped around his waist, bouncing on his hardness.

The ruby on his forehead gleamed coldly, and Dadai’s beastly instincts awakened. Her pearly teeth itched; she bit his shoulder, leaving marks everywhere—soon his shoulders bloomed with bright peach blossoms.

"You Dadai, are you part dog?!" Ji Ye hissed in pain, and dropped all tenderness, grabbing her high red jewel and biting down.

This was every woman’s most sensitive spot; Dadai’s eyes shone red, writhing in excitement, grinding her teeth, then biting his forehead.

He always wore a forehead ornament; today’s was jade with silver patterns and a ruby. Dadai bit it off and pulled it away.

Ji Ye, furious, yanked her off, flipped her around, pressed her to the wall, and entered her from behind, biting her ear coldly, "You Dadai, today you truly seek death."

"To die entwined—I like it," Dadai replied, arching her hips, twisting joyfully.

Ji Ye wiped his face, dejected, realizing he had indeed been ensnared by this woman.

As he thought so, he seemed bewitched; his hands moved of their own accord, twisting her soft breasts through her armpits, licking and kissing her earlobe, tightening his hold, their smooth bodies fitting together flawlessly.

"Kiss my lips," Dadai turned her head, pouting.

She found it strange—the sensation when she licked his lips and tongue was different from when he licked hers.

Her mouth, already ravished to a decadent glow, hardly needed asking; he seized it, licking, biting, sucking.

Their breaths mingled with an uncanny allure; even if he spread her thighs, tasting her lustful petals, he would not refuse.

The pleasure was overwhelming—the scent of her body shattered all his years of Confucian learning.

He lost all moral restraint, acting like a beast, without shame or hesitation, doing whatever his body desired.

This was poison; the last shred of his reason warned him.

Once addicted, he would never recover—he would be destroyed.

Stop now—she is the incarnation of evil, sent to ruin your empire; the honey trap is the hero’s grave.

But her saliva was sweeter than nectar, her peony deep in the jungle irresistible—buried within, leaving was death.

Conflicted, his face showed pain and delight in turn.

He began to hate her, this woman who bloomed like a phantom in his arms.

"You Dadai, You Dadai..."

Pressing his lips to hers, biting her tongue, the more he hated, the more fiercely he kissed, the more violently he thrust.

She endured it, her petite, white body marked all over with the traces of wild love, but she cared not. She noticed two crimson scars on his forehead, familiar in shape; she smiled, squinted her eyes, and lunged up to bite him.

"Hiss!"

Ji Ye exhaled sharply, cradling her, kneading her in his arms, momentarily unsure whether to punish or cherish her.

As the sun set and dusk fell, the scent of passion in the Eastern Warm Pavilion only grew stronger.

Outside, the eunuch in charge of meals was followed by a line of palace maids bearing trays, and two waiting women, Qiuyun and Chunmo, gazed anxiously.

Li Fuquan staggered over the threshold, leaning on the doorframe, saying, "You two are the empress’s chief attendants. Whether to present supper to His Majesty is up to you—I don’t care anymore, I care about nothing."

Chunmo, unable to hold back, pressed, "Li Fuquan, what’s going on with our empress? Give us a straight answer. What do you mean by shirking your duty?"

Li Fuquan wiped the sweat from his brow, clutching his trembling heart, and laughed coldly, "The empress is well—she’s busy sucking His Majesty’s marrow, eating his liver, and drinking his blood."

Qiuyun’s face darkened, her tone colder than his, "Eunuch Li, speak properly. Is your sarcasm meant to slight us?"

Chunmo sneered, "Isn’t it so? It’s been over two years since the Phoenix Seal was lost from Ganquan Palace; our empress is like an invisible person in the harem—who pays her any mind?"

Li Fuquan sat weakly on the threshold, forcing a bitter smile, waving his hands, "Don’t blame this old eunuch—henceforth, I’ll be at your mercy. The empress is well, very well."

How could she not be? His Majesty, inside, alternated between shouting and indulgence, his licentious tone, his tyrant’s ways, paired with the empress’s seductive antics—my heavens, is the kingdom doomed?!