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Xie Ning opened her eyes groggily, lifting up the bed curtains to see the emperor standing in front of a bronze mirror with two palace attendants tending to his waistband.

The emperor noticed her stirring and dismissed the attendants, walking over to the bed.

"Awake?" he inquired.

Xie Ning felt somewhat embarrassed. Normally, she didn't sleep in late when she was alone, but since she arrived at the Hall of Eternal Peace, she always seemed to sleep like a log.

The emperor picked up on her discomfort and reassured her with a smile. "You slept soundly. With you, even I sleep well through the night."

Before he became emperor, he was the crown prince who was only declared at the age of fourteen. He had suffered many sleepless nights before then. But since sharing the bed with Xie Ning, he had always slipped into a deep slumber and woke up invigorated.