Wei Shu and the Prince of Jin were not good collaborators, so they would need to choose another prince to inherit the throne. The remaining princes had weak maternal backgrounds, making it beneficial to support an Empress now and adopt that prince.
Moreover, if she became Empress, Wei Shu would be unable to openly harass her, and he could openly see her.
“Empress? Someone like me, with no family background, can become Empress?” Ruan Ning’s eyes brightened, then she became suspicious. “I… can become Empress?”
“If I say you can, then you can,” Gu Lianchang replied, raising an eyebrow. “Are you satisfied with this chip?”
If she were Empress, Wei Shu would become her legitimate son.
In the future, she could order him around instead of being suppressed under his power, unable to resist or call for help.
Ruan Ning’s face lit up. “This plan is good. Thank you, My Lord!” She thought about the death eunuch, wondering how heavy he wanted to weigh himself, but a blush began to spread across her cheeks, gradually affecting her ears and neck.
Gu Lianchang took a deep breath. Exquisite and pure as jade, even the fading blush on her skin was mesmerizing.
He reluctantly let go of her hand, fetched a thin brush, and brought over a stack of small white porcelain dishes filled with various colors of pigments dissolved in water. Gu Lianchang dipped the brush, embraced her in his lap, and started painting on her exposed skin.
The brush tip was barely a millimeter wide and smooth, causing Ruan Ning to tremble at its touch. As it moved, her trembling intensified. Wherever the brush went, a tingling sensation mixed with fear overwhelmed her, consuming her entirely.
A delicate peony took shape, half-blooming with layered petals quivering on the snow-white surface, a small red stamen forming its heart.
Gu Lianchang’s brush tip stopped, motionless for a long time. He had finally found the perfect canvas.
He retrieved an exquisite jade box and opened it, revealing a row of gleaming silver needles.
The silver light caught Ruan Ning’s attention, jolting her from her daze. She panicked and stammered, “You, you’re not planning to tattoo me, are you?”
Gu Lianchang hesitated. In the past, the needle would have pierced without mercy, but he questioned whether such perfect skin should be marred by a permanent design.
