The Emperor found some ease at the Empress's place, but after all, the Empress is the Empress. No matter how relaxed he felt beside her, certain necessary decorum had to be maintained. As such, within the ease, there inevitably remained a touch of constraint.
At the concubines' chambers, the Emperor could be carefree and relaxed, disregarding rules, for the concubines, to put it harshly, were the Emperor's playthings, dedicated solely to his amusement. The Emperor observed decorum with the Empress to show respect and could not afford to be negligent, but towards the concubines, he was unrestrained.
However, the truth was, even though the Emperor was unrestrained with the concubines, finding ease there was impossible too. The concubines' duty was to entertain the Emperor. They were passionate and employed all sorts of methods such that the Emperor, seeking ease, would end up relaxing in bed with them.
