Reborn into the palace, she seduces the emperor's heart, driving the chief minister to madness!

Chapter 39 Second Overnight Stay

The crescent moon, as white as silver, bathed the entire courtyard in its pure white light.

Chu Qingyin straightened her clothes slightly and slowly walked out of the inner room.

Just then, Pei Yuanling strode in, and the moment his gaze fell on Chu Qingyin, a fleeting look of disbelief crossed his eyes.

The candlelight flickered, and a beautiful woman emerged gracefully from the inner room. She wore a gossamer-thin gauze dress, the hem of which swayed gently, revealing glimpses of her delicate, radiant skin. Her dark hair hung loosely, with a few strands falling over her shoulders, trembling slightly as she walked. Her fair skin glowed, and her eyes sparkled. She was truly both innocent and alluring, captivating the heart.

"Yinyin..." he called out subconsciously, his tone tinged with nostalgia and bewilderment.

Chu Qingyin smiled gently and stepped forward slowly: "This concubine respectfully welcomes Your Majesty."

Pei Yuanling snapped out of his daze, the confusion in his eyes disappearing, replaced by a complex emotion.

"You..." He hesitated, his gaze lingering on the girl's slender and graceful figure, "Why are you dressed like this?"

Chu Qingyin feigned innocence: "Does Your Majesty think this outfit doesn't look good on me?"

Pei Yuanling choked.

It looks good, but... it's too explicit.

"Your Majesty, I knew you were coming, so I dressed up especially for tonight."

Chu Qingyin mustered her courage and took a step forward, then raised her arms and hugged the man's waist, resting her head on his firm chest, her voice soft: "Your Majesty, please don't neglect your concubine tonight, okay?"

Pei Yuanling's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

He reached out and grabbed her arm, about to push her away, when Chu Qingyin raised her head, looked directly into Pei Yuanling's eyes, and her attitude became even more coquettish: "Your Majesty, I beg you."

Pei Yuanling used to be most unable to stand her way.

As long as she acts coquettishly towards him like this, he will never give in. He would probably even pluck the stars and the moon from the sky if she wanted to.

But in that moment, she saw confusion, hesitation, and a hint of struggling pain in the man's eyes.

This slight pain also caused Chu Qingyin's heart to ache.

If he were the kind of emperor who was completely ruthless and heartless, and a beautiful woman took the initiative to throw herself into his arms, he could exercise his power, enjoy her to his heart's content, and do whatever he pleased.

But he restrained himself.

What restrained him was his love for his ex-girlfriend.

Love?

Is this love?

Chu Qingyin was also in a daze, and for a moment she almost forgot to act.

It wasn't until Pei Yuanling pushed her away that she snapped out of her daze, furrowed her brows, and looked at the man in front of her with a wronged expression: "Does Your Majesty dislike your concubine?"

Pei Yuanling's eyes flickered slightly. After a long silence, he said, "You really do resemble her, but..."

“No buts.” Chu Qingyin stepped forward and took his hand, pressing her face against his palm, as obedient and docile as a lamb. “Your Majesty, I know who you are referring to as ‘she,’ but I only wish to stay by your side.”

Pei Yuanling: "..."

He didn't say anything, but simply raised two slender fingers and slowly moved them until they finally landed on the cinnabar mole on Chu Qingyin's forehead.

“This cinnabar mole…” Pei Yuanling murmured.

Chu Qingyin said, "If Your Majesty doesn't like it, I can cover it with a hairpin in the future."

The hand that was caressing the cinnabar birthmark paused.

Chu Qingyin raised her eyes in confusion and saw Pei Yuanling looking at her with a complicated expression in the flickering candlelight.

His thumb covered her cinnabar birthmark, and he asked her in a hoarse voice, "Answer me, who exactly are you?"

That gaze was so sharp that Chu Qingyin momentarily thought she had slipped up.

However, she quickly calmed down, gently placing her hands on the man's lean waist, and said softly, "Whoever Your Majesty wishes for me to be, I will be."

Upon hearing this answer, a hint of sadness flashed in Pei Yuanling's eyes.

He pushed Chu Qingyin away and said indifferently, "Go to sleep."

Chu Qingyin frowned. Her answer just now should have been correct, right?

Before she could say anything more, the emperor had already strode to the bedside, looking every bit the virtuous man who remained unmoved even with a woman in his lap.

His handsome and noble face was also clear and free of any desire.

Chu Qingyin couldn't help but feel dejected; it seemed there was no chance for her tonight again.

I never realized he was so abstinent! Every time he came to her Lizheng Palace, he would hold her and torment her in all sorts of ways, with the kind of hungry wolf energy that seemed to want to kill her on the bed.

Filled with frustration, the two lay back down in bed, some distance between them.

Even as the night grew deep and quiet, Chu Qingyin tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

She turned around cautiously and stole a glance at the man beside her.

He seemed to be asleep; his face was obscured in the darkness, but his breathing was even and steady.

Chu Qingyin sighed softly, closed her eyes and forced herself to fall asleep, but her body involuntarily moved closer to the man beside her.

This was a habit she had developed in her previous life; whenever the night was quiet, she always liked to snuggle in Pei Yuanling's arms.

Before she knew it, Chu Qingyin rolled into Pei Yuanling's arms.

The warm, familiar scent enveloped her, making her feel incredibly safe. She instinctively curled up against that firm chest and let out a satisfied sigh.

Pei Yuanling was not asleep as Chu Qingyin had imagined.

Feeling the warm, soft, and fragrant body pressed tightly against him, he slowly opened his eyes.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the face of the woman in his arms and outlining her delicate features. However, the presence of that single red birthmark served as a stark reminder, a stark reminder of her impending doom.

This is not a concubine.

As if the man's gaze was too intense, Chu Qingyin frowned slightly in her sleep, then unconsciously snuggled against the man's chest, trying to seek more warmth and a sense of security.

Seeing her familiar, dependent gesture, Pei Yuanling's eyes showed even more struggle.

He tried to numb himself, telling himself that the person in front of him was the imperial concubine he had been longing for, and that he could perhaps treat her as a substitute, but reason told him that this was impossible.

His voice has already left, and the person before him, though similar, is ultimately not Chu Qingyin.

"Yinyin, is it really you?"

Pei Yuanling closed his eyes and murmured to himself, "If it is you, why won't you acknowledge me?"

Is she still resentful towards him?

That's probably true.

**

The next day, the morning sunlight streamed through the window into the bedroom, bathing the two sleeping figures in a soft golden glow.

Chu Qingyin slowly opened her eyes and found herself nestled in Pei Yuanling's arms. In an instant, her heart seemed to skip two beats.

However, she quickly calmed down. This was not one of those passionate nights in her past life, and she was Qiao Qingyin.

She took a deep breath, tiptoed up, and looked at Pei Yuanling, who was still fast asleep.

As the morning light filtered through the smoky pink curtains, the man's face appeared three-dimensional and profound in the soft light, lacking its usual majesty and guardedness.

In a daze, Chu Qingyin couldn't help but reach out her hand.

The moment his fingertips touched the man's cheek, Pei Yuanling suddenly opened his eyes.

Their eyes met, and an awkward yet inexplicably ambiguous atmosphere instantly filled the air.

"Your Majesty, I..." Chu Qingyin tried to explain in a panic.

Pei Yuanling gazed at her, momentarily lost in thought, and murmured, "Yinyin, you're back."