Li Chen's technique was surprisingly good, his pressure just right. His fingertips seemed to carry a strange electric current as they kneaded the pressure points along her shoulders and neck, neither too lightly nor too firmly, easing her fatigue while sending waves of indescribable tingling through her.
She could not help letting out soft little hums, her cheeks flushed and her eyes gradually growing hazy and moist.
Fragrance hung thick in the bedchamber, and the atmosphere was charged with intimacy.
She could feel the young emperor's hot breath behind her and his powerful masculine presence, making her heartbeat quicken involuntarily.
Yet Li Chen's massage remained entirely proper, confined to her shoulders without crossing any boundaries.
Once he had massaged the Empress Dowager until her whole body was languid and her face flushed peach-pink, he withdrew his hands at just the right moment. In his usual tone, he offered a few more words of concern before taking his leave.
Watching his retreating figure, the Empress Dowager let out a soft breath. An inexplicable trace of disappointment arose in her heart, one even she failed to notice.
On his way back, Li Chen felt that the Empress Dowager had posed far too great a test. From the angle he had just occupied, he had been able to see quite a lot.
Winning her over just like that would take all the fun out of it. He had already noticed last time that the Empress Dowager was indeed lonely.
But despite her peerless beauty, the Empress Dowager was also a woman who strictly upheld her marital chastity.
Her appearance was seductive, yet her temperament was conservative.
Li Chen wondered what he could do to make her lose control first and willingly kneel to beg him.
Fortunately, he had just come from Consort Yi's