I woke up as the Villainous Empress

The following day, before heading to the royal court, Zheng Liang instructed Xiaowei to not disturb Yang Ning and let her sleep until she woke up naturally.

Their passionate encounter from the previous night, which was initially intended to be a brief moment of intimacy, extended late into the night until she finally drifted off to sleep in his arms. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for wearing her out, especially knowing she was already grappling with morning sickness and feeling lethargic and weak due to her pregnancy.

Before retiring for the night, Zheng Liang requested a warm towel from the maid and personally wiped Yang Ning's body with it. Although he could have asked the maid to assist with her cleaning and changing, he preferred to attend to her himself. After all, she was his wife, and he wanted to take care of her himself.

Once Yang Ning was changed into a new nightgown, he tidied up himself before joining her in bed, pulling her into his warm embrace and cuddling her until they both drifted off to sleep. In the past, the idea of sharing his personal space with someone had unsettled him, but now just the thought of Yang Ning not being by his side made him feel lonely and depressed.

He never realized how therapeutic and reassuring it could be to have someone in his arms while sleeping. Yang Ning truly was the best part of his life.

___

It was almost dawn when Zheng Liang joined Yang Ning in bed after cleaning them both. However, only after a few hours of sleep, he woke up again to attend the morning royal court. Before leaving, he made sure to instruct Xiaowei to let Yang Ning sleep until she woke up naturally and not disturb her.

He also instructed Xiaowei to call for the female nurse from the Imperial Medicine Department to check on Yang Ning when she woke up. Despite their passionate moment last night, he had been mindful of his boundaries and was as careful as possible. However, he didn't want to take any chances and was worried that he might have inadvertently hurt her in any way.

Since Yang Ning was still in her first trimester, and Master Jiang had advised them to be cautious during this period due to her weak constitution, they needed to be even more careful than usual.

___

By the time Yang Ning woke up, it was almost lunchtime. Sitting up in a daze, she frowned upon realizing she had slept so long. Turning to Xiaowei with a puzzled expression, she lamented, "Why didn't you wake me earlier? I had planned to train the maids this morning to prepare the products. Now, I am already behind schedule."

However, as soon as she placed her foot on the ground, her legs wobbled, and she felt a sharp pain between her thighs. "Hiss," she winced and cried out in pain and sat on the edge of the bed, reflecting on what happened last night.

"He said that he was being gentle. If that was his being gentle, then what would he have done if he had gone all the way with full power?" She murmured in a low voice and shook her head as she didn't want to think about it. This man was simply trying to break her apart. He is not a human but a lustful monster!

Although she had enjoyed a good long sleep, her body was still aching from their passionate moment last night. Her back was hurting, her most intimate parts were tender and numb, and she couldn't even stand up properly without wobbling. Was this the punishment for her giving in to his seduction?

That's why one should not be too greedy. This was the result of her being too greedy and giving in to his seduction, falling into the trap of pleasure. The pleasure was temporary, but the pain would take its sweet time to go away.

Seeing Yang Ning's weak condition, Xiaowei didn't need to ask anything and knew what had happened last night. Her lady couldn't even stand properly and was in this condition, and His Highness also looked sleep-deprived when he left for the royal court in the morning. He even asked for a warm towel in the middle of the night and didn't allow any maid to assist Yang Ning in changing her clothes.

Everything was so obvious. She would be a fool not to know what happened between them last night.

As a maiden maid, her face turned crimson in embarrassment, and she controlled herself from giggling aloud. She coughed to clear her throat and said, "Your Highness, please don't move and rest in bed. You don't need to worry about the training of the maids. His Highness has already canceled their training for today as he wanted you to sleep in longer and rest."

When Yang Ning heard this, she sighed and nodded in acceptance. Though she wanted to start training the maids today and begin the production of the first batch of products as soon as possible, her body was too exhausted after the events of last night. It would be better for her to rest today and start working tomorrow.

Now she had another life growing inside her; she couldn't be impulsive and ignore her health to focus on her work. She needed to find a balance between the two, and her priority should always be her baby and her health.

"Alright! Help me take a bath then. Maybe a warm water bath might help me to relax," Yang Ning said, letting go of the remaining pride that she had. She knew that Xiaowei and the maids knew everything; she couldn't hide it from them. So it's better to accept the reality and act as normally as she can.

Xiaowei smiled politely and responded, "Your Highness, I have called for Nurse Hou Wei; she will be coming anytime soon. I will help you with the bath after she checks on you."

"Hou Wei? Why did you call her?" Yang Ning asked in confusion. Though she was feeling tired, it wasn't too bad that Xiaowei needed to call Hou Wei to check on her.

Xiaowei replied hesitantly, "Before leaving for the royal court, His Highness had asked me to call Nurse Hou Wei to check on you when you wake up. He was worried about your health, that's why."

Yang Ning was speechless at their thought process, but she didn't comment on anything. It would be of no use if she said anything at this moment. Looks like not only the maids but now, even Hou Wei would know about it too, that she and Zheng Liang did something last night. Explore hidden tales at empire

Yang Ning was embarrassed about the whole situation. Sighing in embarrassment, she buried her face in her hands. "I wish I could disappear. This is too embarrassing!"

Xiaowei, who was standing there, struggled to contain her amusement. Their reactions were as different as night and day: His Highness was indifferent and proud, while Yang Ning blushed and squirmed in embarrassment.

Their contrasting responses only added to the humor of the situation!