Chapter 496: Extra 11: Zhaozhao's Memories, Radiant Ning Chuan

Chapter 496: Chapter 492: Extra 11: Zhaozhao’s Memories, Radiant Ning Chuan

Xiu Ningchuan lifted the bed curtains and sat on the edge of the bed. Looking at her, he asked, “What would you like to hear?”

Empress Chenzhao rolled over and replied, “The Raccoon Slave Tune.”

She clutched the covers, waiting expectantly for him to begin, but he hesitated.

Ordinarily, Xiu Ningchuan would have indulged her, but a strange feeling rose within him. He asked, “Why do you want me to sing this particular song?”

Empress Chenzhao’s word was law at court, but she was at her most vulnerable and unguarded just before and after falling asleep.

Tonight, she longed to hear him sing that tune one more time.

Sensing something was off, Xiu Ningchuan reached out and cupped her face, pressing, “Why is it that if I sing a song to help you sleep, you’ll let me into your heart?”

Empress Chenzhao said, “If you don’t want to sing, then forget it.”

Xiu Ningchuan chuckled. “I’m willing to sing it. But I’m dying to know why it’s so important. Can you tell me?”

Empress Chenzhao turned her head away and rolled over, presenting him with her back once more.

‘It seems I still don’t know my Imperial Consort well enough. Besides being stubborn, he also has a penchant for digging until he finds the root of the matter.’

Without a word, Xiu Ningchuan removed his outer robe and climbed into the bed.

“Jiu Jiu.”

Her childhood name was like a forbidden sanctuary in the Empress’s heart. She immediately flipped over and glared at him angrily.

Xiu Ningchuan wrapped an arm around her back, explaining with a smile, “I only called you Jiu Jiu because I want to kiss you. Looking at me like this… it always makes me want to…”

He moved closer, and as their bodies touched, the Empress’s eyes widened even further.

“You don’t want to?”

Xiu Ningchuan said slowly, “It’s been half a month. We’ve never abstained for this long.”

The Empress’s drowsiness vanished completely as Xiu Ningchuan untied his inner tunic.

He said, “Your Majesty made me the Imperial Consort. Surely it was because you were taken by my beauty?”

Hearing this, she raised a hand to push him away, but he caught it and pressed it against his skin, which was as smooth as jade.

Xiu Ningchuan was no child; how could he believe a simple nursery rhyme was the key to unlocking her heart?

Empress Chenzhao swallowed hard. “I am hardly that sort of lustful person.”

“Aren’t you?” Xiu Ningchuan murmured with a laugh. “Then why is Your Majesty’s hand creeping down past my waist?”

Empress Chenzhao, not the least bit shy, stated bluntly, “That’s because you’re deliberately seducing me.”

Xiu Ningchuan was a competent Imperial Consort. Whatever he set his mind to, he excelled at. That was why the Empress felt completely at ease entrusting him with the affairs of the inner court.

Anything he was willing to do, he would always do exceptionally well.

And this moment was no exception.

His palm pressed against the small of her back, then slowly slid lower.

It was like an artisan polishing a rare celadon, carefully brushing glaze over the thinnest part of the clay body, cautious yet determined to ensure the color took hold.

The night breeze drifting through the window carried a lingering fragrance as the petals of dewy hibiscus blossoms rustled to the ground.

At some point, his inner tunic had been spread beneath her. The light gauze of the collar had become sheer, revealing the seal-script embroidery underneath.

Empress Chenzhao suddenly reached out, her hand gripping his shoulder as she gasped, “…Enough.”

Xiu Ningchuan looked up and gently refused, “Not yet.”

The Empress’s eyes grew moist, a tingling ache spreading through her lower abdomen. She said, sounding a little wronged, “I’d still rather hear you sing the nursery rhyme.”

Xiu Ningchuan froze. ‘Could I have been mistaken?’

He frowned, seeking confirmation. “You really just want to hear me sing a song, and nothing else?”

Empress Chenzhao asked in confusion, “What else did you think I meant…?”

As she spoke, she thought about what he had just been doing, and her lips twisted into a pout. “What exactly is going through my Imperial Consort’s mind?”

Kneeling between her legs, Xiu Ningchuan said dejectedly, “I thought you would like it.”

The Empress said frankly, “I do like it, but that wasn’t what I meant…”

She felt a little embarrassed just thinking about it.

He had sung the Raccoon Slave Tune to lull Zhenzhen to sleep.

One night, as she reached the entrance of Xingshu Hall, she heard him singing softly, “PURR PURR PURR, PURR PURR PURR, a little furball becomes a coat of warm dreams…”

His tone was gentle and soothing. Empress Chenzhao just stood at the doorway and listened. Zhenzhen stopped fussing, the Empress’s own weariness melted away, and she, too, began to feel drowsy.

That night, she didn’t need to clutch that old piece of fabric, and yet she slept soundly.

Afterward, she made a point to find out the name of the song and even had the court musicians perform it in the Purple Extreme Palace. But it never had the same effect as when her Imperial Consort sang it. In fact, the more she heard it, the more irritating she found it.

It dawned on Xiu Ningchuan when she must have heard the nursery rhyme. He first let out a few muffled chuckles, which then grew into hearty laughter.

Annoyed, the Empress kicked him, but he caught her by the ankle and pinned it against his hip.

Xiu Ningchuan said, “I just never expected it would be such a simple request.”

This was not a position for a serious discussion. Empress Chenzhao pulled her foot back and burrowed under the covers.

She frowned. “Simple? It’s not simple at all. Everyone else’s singing is just awful.”

Xiu Ningchuan lay down beside her, pulling her, covers and all, into his embrace. “Why me?” he asked.

Empress Chenzhao said with a touch of pride, “It seems my Imperial Consort is still unaware of why I chose you to enter the palace.”

Xiu Ningchuan pondered for a moment before offering a serious answer. “Because the Xiu Family’s roots in the Imperial City are still shallow. Of all the great families, yours was the easiest to control.”

The corners of Empress Chenzhao’s lips curled up. “Of course not,” she said languidly. “Do you think I’m the type of person to compromise my own happiness just to balance political power?”

A look of astonishment flickered in Xiu Ningchuan’s eyes. He had assumed as much at first, but as he came to know her temperament, he realized she wasn’t lying.

‘Had I been wrong again?’

Xiu Ningchuan took a long moment to process this, then asked, “Then why did you choose me?”

But the Empress just yawned and said drowsily, “I’m tired. I want to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow.”

There were still four hours until morning court. His heart ached seeing how exhausted she was, and he couldn’t bear to keep her from her rest. He could only suppress his countless questions and lie there with his eyes open until dawn.

Although Empress Chenzhao didn’t get to hear the nursery rhyme she so desired, she heard it in her dreams, and the corners of her lips curved into a sweet, sleeping smile.

Her first time seeing Xiu Ningchuan wasn’t from a portrait, nor at a palace banquet, but on the streets of Lin’an.

At the time, Emperor Wu Su had not yet abdicated but was already considering passing on the throne. He had summoned her and Yuan Heng to the Diligent Governance Hall to ask for their thoughts.

At certain moments, the hearts of twins are connected.

She had sensed long ago that her Imperial Brother actually detested the Imperial Palace. It might have been related to his childhood experiences. His life had been difficult, and he had never known a moment of true peace.

Perhaps what he truly yearned for was a carefree existence, like a drifting cloud or a wild crane.

She herself held no great ambition for the throne, but as the Emperor’s eldest daughter, she had to shoulder the immense responsibility.

If one of them had to be chosen as the ruler, she felt she was better suited than her Imperial Brother.

A day passes regardless of how you live it, and any life can be made brilliant. She spoke before her Imperial Brother, accepting the position of Crown Prince with magnanimity and grace.

But the moment she walked out of the Diligent Governance Hall, an invisible pressure instantly settled upon her heart.