Once the eunuchs and guards had withdrawn, only one consort remained beside the emperor, still kneading his shoulders to ease his tension.
"Your Majesty, did you have a nightmare?"
The emperor's eyes were half closed, and his body relaxed a little as he nodded.
"Indeed. We dreamed that the inner palace was utterly deserted, and a monstrous creature came to harm Us..."
"Your Majesty, didn't the State Preceptor say that the Son of Heaven is protected by Purple Star Emperor Qi, linked to heaven above and earth below? Monsters and demons cannot harm you. Set your mind at ease."
At these words, the emperor nodded slightly.
"But with the State Preceptor away, Our heart always feels empty. These past two years, Our health has worsened by the day. We are still hoping the State Preceptor will refine that Longevity Immortal Elixir he spoke of."
The consort smiled.
"Your Majesty is still brimming with vigor. You leave this consort hovering between life and death! You simply miss the State Preceptor. As for the Longevity Immortal Elixir, with a body like yours, you are far from needing it!"
Her words, coupled with the deliberate, seemingly casual rubbing of the woman behind him, stirred a response in the emperor's body. He turned to look at the consort, whose charms were only half concealed.
The storm that raged upon the bed rivaled the thunderstorm outside the bedchamber. Whether the consort's screams were genuine or feigned, they at least left the emperor in a much better mood.
Elsewhere deep within the palace, someone else lay awake late into the night. In the sleeping quarters of the Eastern Palace, a man who looked nearly forty sat before a desk, dressed in a curved-hem robe with no crown upon his head and a book in his hand.