The Emperor, with more men than women, made me his mistress.

When the two arrived at the palace by carriage, the emperor had already finished his morning court session and was waiting with the Empress Dowager at Shou Kang Palace.

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager." Jin Chenyuan and Yue Li entered Shou Kang Palace and bowed in unison to the Empress Dowager sitting at the head of the table.

After marrying Jin Chenyuan, Yue Li naturally changed her way of addressing the Empress Dowager, calling her "Mother" along with Jin Chenyuan.

After the Empress Dowager smiled and called out, the two were about to bow to the Emperor, who was sitting to the left of the Empress Dowager. However, the Emperor strode down, took Yue Li's hand, and looked at her with tender eyes, saying, "Didn't I tell you? You don't need to be so polite in front of me."

After speaking with Yue Li, he looked at his uncle, who was already bowing to him, and said, "Uncle, there's no need for such formalities. Didn't I already issue an edict? Uncle doesn't need to bow when he sees me."

Empress Dowager: ...

Yue Li: ……

Jin Chenyuan: ...

Your preferential treatment is too obvious, isn't it?

You refer to yourself as "I" when you're talking to Yue Li, but when you're talking to your own royal uncle, you refer to yourself as "朕" (Zhen, the imperial emperor). Are you afraid that others won't know what you're thinking?

Upon hearing this, Jin Chenyuan lowered his hand from the bow, snorted, and then put his arm around Yue Li's waist and sat down to the right of the Empress Dowager.

However, upon seeing this, the Emperor did not release Yue Li's hand and return to his seat. Instead, he also took Yue Li's hand and sat down on the chair next to them.

He didn't care at all that he, as the emperor, was sitting in the lower seat.

Although he knew that today was the day the two of them would formally pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, seeing the two newlyweds so affectionate, the Emperor felt a pang of sadness in his heart, and subconsciously he made this inappropriate move.

Even after sitting down next to Yue Li, he was still restless, holding Yue Li's hand tightly and interlocking their fingers, and then deliberately trying to start a conversation with her.

Yue Li: ……

She could only talk to the Empress Dowager while occasionally dealing with the Emperor's minor harassments, and sometimes she also had to consider the feelings of Jin Chenyuan on her left.

In any case, Yue Li was the busiest person in the entire Shou Kang Palace.

The Empress Dowager, sitting at the head of the table, watched the actions of the three below and was extremely relieved that she hadn't agreed to the Lian family's suggestion to send a young woman from one of their branches into the palace to become the Emperor's Empress. She was also very relieved that she hadn't stopped the Emperor; otherwise, given how completely he was devoted to Yue Li, if she hadn't allowed him to be with Yue Li, he probably would never have gotten close to any other young woman in his life.

Of all the people in the hall, Jin Chenyuan was the one who felt the worst. He never expected to encounter such a troublesome nephew on the very first day of his marriage.

Jin Chenyuan wondered if he should find some time to properly teach the Emperor the ways of being a ruler.

Have all the memorials to the throne been reviewed and approved today?

Have all the political affairs been settled?

Why is the Emperor so idle all day?

Sensing the increasingly oppressive aura emanating from Jin Chenyuan, Yue Li instantly felt her back ache again. Thinking of the tricks Jin Chenyuan had played last night, Yue Li's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Then, she immediately turned her head and gave Jin Chenyuan an innocent smile.

Can we blame her for what happened today?

If he really wanted to find someone to hold accountable, then he should go find the emperor standing nearby.

But just then, she heard the Emperor say, "Aunt, let's go for a walk."

The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and both Jin Chenyuan, who was sitting next to him, and the Empress Dowager, who was sitting at the head of the table, heard it.

Yue Li's eyelids twitched even more violently. She forced a smile and said, "No, I'd like to stay here and talk with Mother some more."

Jin Chenyuan, standing nearby, said irritably, "If Your Majesty wants to go, then go. There's no need to stay here and suffer from holding back."

However, the Empress Dowager, who was sitting at the head of the table, looked at the Emperor's appearance, thought for a moment, and said, "Why don't you accompany the Emperor to take a stroll in the Imperial Garden, and let Chenyuan keep me company?"

"Mother!" Jin Chenyuan's voice involuntarily rose a few decibels.

Yue Li looked at the Empress Dowager with confusion.

Only the Emperor, upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, smiled broadly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Grandmother!"

As he spoke, he pulled Yue Li along and tried to walk out.

Yue Li remained seated, glancing at the Empress Dowager and then at Jin Chenyuan.

She knew why she had come to the palace today. The Emperor's actions had already made Jin Chenyuan look very bad. If she left with the Emperor, wouldn't she completely embarrass Jin Chenyuan?

Yue Li still values ​​her first man very much.

"There's plenty of time to stroll around the Imperial Garden with His Majesty. Today, Yue Li will stay here and chat with you, Mother!" Yue Li patted Jin Chenyuan's hand reassuringly.

Yue Li's words surprised the Empress Dowager, who was sitting at the head of the table, but she didn't say anything more.

As for the emperor, who was somewhat frozen in place, the Empress Dowager pretended not to see him.

After all, she had already fought for what she could for him.

It's obvious that he doesn't hold enough weight in Yue Li's heart right now.

So when Yue Li was talking to the Empress Dowager, it was the Emperor who looked unhappy, while Jin Chenyuan had a gentle smile on his face.

As Yue Li spoke, she didn't forget to glance at the two of them out of the corner of her eye.

The state of the two at this moment truly reflects the saying: smiles don't disappear, they just shift.

The two did not stay in the palace for long. After talking with the Empress Dowager for half an hour, they left Shou Kang Palace hand in hand.

Watching the two walk away hand in hand, the Emperor bowed to the Empress Dowager and said, "Grandmother, I will also be going now."

The Empress Dowager was well aware of the Emperor's thoughts, but she decided to let the young people do as they pleased and didn't want to interfere too much.

After all, one is his own son and the other is his own grandson. They are both his flesh and blood, and it would be wrong for him to favor one of them.

So the Empress Dowager said, "Alright, you go ahead and get busy. But even if you're busy with state affairs, you must take care of your health. Don't ruin your body at such a young age."

"Understood, Grandmother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Hearing his grandmother's concern for his health again, the emperor felt somewhat helpless.

He knew that his father's early death had left a great shadow in his grandmother's heart. She always thought that the affairs of state had worn down his father's health. After all, his grandfather had also died young. His grandmother's worries were not without reason.

So whenever his grandmother showed concern for him, he would obediently agree, for fear that his grandmother, being so old, might overthink things.

"Then you go ahead and get busy. When you have some free time, have the imperial physician check your pulse." In the end, the Empress Dowager still couldn't help but give her a word of advice.

"Yes, then I will go." After bowing to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor turned and left Shou Kang Palace.

Upon exiting the Shou Kang Palace, the Emperor looked at Fu Quan waiting to the side and asked, "Which direction did you and your aunt go?"