CHAPTER 521: CHAPTER 382 NEW YEAR’S EVE

Upon stepping into the Cold Palace, the first sounds to greet him were, of course, the usual voices of refusal.

"This is the Cold Palace of the noble consort, how dare you intrude without permission?"

"Chen Qianhu, while the Empress Dowager may value you highly, the rules of the Heavenly Family cannot be violated..."

"Though I am but a foreign woman, I still possess a clear reputation. It is difficult to disobey the Emperor’s command, but if you insist, let this be the only time..."

"What... three people together?"

After this, there was the practice of Buddhist Law.

Within the flickering candlelight of the Cold Palace, six slender, graceful legs could be seen, three pairs of snowy feet. Their owners took various postures: some kneeling on the bed, some crouching on the floor, others leaning against the bedframe...

Yin sprawled out a few times, likely out of shared sympathy among women. The elder and younger Yin gradually developed a tacit understanding, an embarrassing one at that—though the two women never explicitly said it, they seemed to take turns catching their breath.

This left Dong Guifei watching in astonishment.

Though she had shared but a fleeting intimacy with Chen Yi, even in that single moment when under the allure of aphrodisiac balm, she found herself slowly conquered by him. Yet he still had energy left—it was evident just how vigorous this young man was.

She had foolishly thought back then that if she let him go to Lin Wanxiao, there’d be no one left to cure her poison.

She’d believed that no one could tame such a ravenous beast, but tonight, the long-haired nun saw for the first time someone working in collaboration.

The flame-patterned azure robes slipped onto the edge of the bed, his cascading black hair spread loose, Chen Yi’s back was drenched in sweat, while the person curled in his arms read aloud at his command.

Her eyes opened and closed, springlight as if bursting forth.

The candlelight gradually dimmed, the night curtain hung heavy, and the surrounding mountains were engulfed in darkness. Yin Weiyin’s rosy cheeks indicated that words now escaped her, yet before she could sit back to enjoy the scene with amusement, she found herself pulled into his embrace.

Dong Guifei’s body had been propped up on a pillow.

In silence, one can only meditate upon Buddhist Law.

Dong Guifei began murmuring softly: "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form."

Having seen such delight tonight,

even fiddling with Shariputra a few times would feel worthwhile.

......

The Cold Palace hadn’t seen such liveliness in ages.

When Dong Guifei came back to her senses, she saw him lying in the middle of the bed. At his left side was the stunning princess Yin Weiyin, while she herself was at his right.

And tucked into his arms was a delicate, weak young maiden.

Moonlight poured through the gaps of the window sashes, hazy and soft. All three women were utterly exhausted, their breaths unevenly rising and falling.

Sharing a quilt, Chen Yi felt an indescribable sense of contentment.

Yin Weiyin glanced toward the tightly closed window, clutching the quilt, and rose slightly to push it further open. Her cascading black hair fell like a waterfall as she faced the moonlight, her figure from the side ethereal, like an immortal from the palace of the moon.

The princess leaned against Chen Yi, threw a sideways glance at the window, and said:

"There are fireworks tonight."

It was, after all, the New Year.

Dong Guifei thought this maiden’s childishness had yet to fade. Catching her breath, she teased her with a smile:

"Not long ago there was the crackling of firecrackers too."

The little fox’s face suddenly turned bright red, and she buried her face deeper into the quilt.

Dong Guifei, seeing this, thought she might have gone too far, and glanced at Chen Yi.

Chen Yi chuckled and said, "Her skin is thin; she can’t take too much teasing."

Yin Tingxue muttered softly, "It’s all over now. Just stop talking about it."

Chen Yi lowered his head to look at the strands of hair poking out from the quilt and teased, "Just say what’s wrong! Go on, say it..."

The little fox tightened the quilt around herself.

Yin Weiyin, watching this scene, felt sympathetic and decided it was time to assume the demeanor of the household’s matron. Turning slightly, she placed both hands on Chen Yi’s chest.

The priestess bent closer and said, "Don’t bully her anymore."

Chen Yi glanced at Yin Weiyin.

The priestess hesitated for a moment but steadied her gaze upon him.

"Then I’ll bully you instead!"

Chen Yi suddenly sat up, turning to pin the priestess partially beneath him. Yin Weiyin let out a startled shriek or two before she began slapping Chen Yi’s shoulder. Yet Chen Yi held her waist with one hand and tickled her side with the other.

"Alright, enough, enough...! Ah... it tickles, it tickles!"

Yin Weiyin laughed reluctantly, her voice filling the room. Chen Yi, however, didn’t let her off too easily. He leaned in as if intent on kissing her neck and armpits, but suddenly she felt a warm body press against his back.

The little fox clung to his neck from behind, her soft voice pleading:

"That’s enough, alright? Don’t bully Sister Weiyang anymore."

Chen Yi slowly let go of Yin Weiyin. Smiling, he said, "I’m not bullying her. We’re just playing. She’s happy too, deep down."

Yin Tingxue asked, "Really?"

"Of course it’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask her."

The little Yin glanced at the elder Yin. The priestess turned her face to the side, muttering under her breath:

"False."

Chen Yi turned his face toward her.

The priestess immediately corrected herself:

"True!"

Dong Guifei, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

After a round of playful bickering, the bedchamber quieted somewhat. Chen Yi listened to the sound of their breathing, a tide of warmth rushing through his heart.

It felt like true warmth.

Chen Yi didn’t know quite how to express it. He only felt his heart sink into contentment. Even in silence, he didn’t feel bored. Simply staying near these women was more than enough; it was a sense of deep satisfaction.

Outside the window, beyond the moonlight, raising his gaze slightly allowed him to see the palace: cornices of various sizes rising and falling among the palace groups, coated with frost that glimmered coldly. Further in the distance, the outlines of layered mountains resembled water ink frozen thick in winter.

This was a frigid winter night.

So when the heat from their indoor frolic gradually dissipated, it was time to light the brazier.

"Help me—this is too heavy for me to lift alone," Dong Guifei coaxed softly.

Rather than truly being too heavy, it was an attempt at adding a bit of intimacy.

Chen Yi put on his clothes and, along with Dong Guifei, lifted a brazier weighing several dozen pounds. The long pipe for releasing smoke connected to outside the window, while both elder and younger Yin watched curiously from the bed, clutching the quilt as they lifted their eyes.

The brazier was covered in a thick layer of ash. Dong Guifei blew on it, sending a plume of smoke into the air. Both elder and younger Yin quickly retreated to the bed. When Chen Yi lifted the lid, he saw that despite the brazier’s size, the area for holding charcoal was actually quite small; most of what appeared to be functional were purely decorative layers.