Chapter 89

Su Mi’s thoughts were not on Qin Yan, and she couldn’t sense the coldness in his words. Her gaze remained on Jian Yujue, across from her. After thinking for a moment, she thought it would be even better if she could get closer to take a look and ask some questions.

So she nodded and said, “Sure, Lord.”

As soon as Su Mi finished speaking, Qin Yan’s lips curled up, and he chuckled. He grabbed Su Mi’s hand, causing her to wince in pain and finally look to the left.

Although Qin Yan seemed to be smiling, his face was terrifyingly dark, as if he could devour her in the next moment.

“Your Majesty, my wife is feeling unwell and wishes to take her leave.”

Zhu Jingyu’s mood was no better than Qin Yan’s, but he didn’t have time to think about it. He waved his hand to signal his approval and let Qin Yan lead Su Mi out of the East Palace main hall.

On the way out of the palace, Qin Yan tightly held Su Mi’s wrist, leaving a red mark on her delicate skin.

He was tall and straight, with wide strides, and Su Mi, being dragged by him, looked like a little tail from afar. She had to run to barely keep up with him.

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“Ubklq Fwrlahkpsa, pbswze ol alvwad dso–“

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“Zlp, xypvla.”

Ckd Zyd’p xsse oyp nzlyazu dsv tsse, ps Wldt Jys eked’v eyal ypj qwavbla iwlpvksdp yde iwknjzu eashl vbl nyaakytl.

Inside the carriage, Qin Yan still held onto Su Mi and didn’t let go. Su Mi tried to struggle a few times, but her strength was no match for Qin Yan’s. She could only sit on his lap.

“Lord, what’s wrong? The banquet has just started.”

Qin Yan initially didn’t want to say much, but when he thought of Su Mi’s infatuated look at that scholar, the fierce possessiveness he usually restrains in front of Su Mi became evident.

“Do you want me to stay there and break that scholar’s neck?”

Qin Yan’s gaze resembled an angry lynx in the forest. Su Mi suddenly recalled his terrifying possessiveness. When he broke Li Xiuyuan’s hand before, he had the same expression. She understood Qin Yan’s temperament, so she hurriedly explained, feeling anxious, “No,Lord. I only thought that scholar reminded me of my younger brother.”

Unexpectedly, Qin Yan laughed at her words. He tightened his grip on Su Mi’s waist, forcing her to meet his gaze. Their noses were almost touching. Due to having drunk wine, there was a faint scent of alcohol on him, light and accompanied by a slightly bitter taste of apricot, which didn’t clash with the sandalwood scent emanating from Qin Yan. Instead, it was hidden within, intoxicating.

His breath was scorching. “You like him and are afraid I will harm him, aren’t you?”

Su Mi was helpless. No matter what she said, the Lord didn’t seem to listen at all. “Lord, I really just thought he resembled my younger brother.”

“Heh, where did you get a younger brother? Just because he looks similar, you consider him a brother.”

Su Mi couldn’t argue back. She initially thought that the matter of having a younger brother was a painful memory for the Su family, and there was no need to mention it to Qin Yan. He was usually busy with official duties and would never think of needlessly investigating the Su family’s affairs from over a decade ago. Therefore, suddenly bringing it up now wouldn’t be convincing.

“Lord, when I was born–“

Su Mi wanted to continue explaining more clearly, but Qin Yan’s eyes darkened, and he leaned in to kiss her. His overpowering, masculine aura enveloped her, making it impossible for Su Mi to resist. His hands roamed over her body, exploring the curves and contours, starting from her waist.

“Lord, let me finish speaking… mmm…”

Qin Yan punished her by biting her cherry lips, the hint of blood adding more intensity to his actions. “We’ll talk later.”

He had been holding back during the whole journey, but now that he was angry, desire took over. He held her waist with one hand while the other began unbuttoning Su Mi’s clothing.

It had been too long since Su Mi had been intimate with Qin Yan, and her body couldn’t withstand his teasing. She immediately slumped weakly onto his shoulder, allowing his hand to explore her ample chest. She wanted to have a proper conversation, but whenever she tried to speak, Qin Yan’s intensity would increase. His touch felt like fire, making Su Mi’s entire body burn with heat, gradually leaving no room for anything else.

“Lord… I’m afraid…”

Qin Yan’s voice was hoarse, and his hands continued to undress her. “It won’t hurt after a few more times.”

Su Mi mustered up her last bit of strength and grabbed Qin Yan’s collar. With a red face, she whispered, “Lord, I’m not afraid of pain. I’m afraid that if something happens and it becomes known about your identity.”

She should have said this earlier, but so many things happened afterwards, and Qin Yan never touched her again. She had a thin face and never mentioned it. Even though it might ruin the atmosphere today, she was still worried.

“So that’s why you’ve been avoiding me in bed?”

When Su Mi heard the words “in bed,” her face turned even redder, but she still nodded.

Her shy demeanor was like ripe fruit dripping with redness. Clearly, every inch of her body was sensitive and flushed, yet she continued to “consider” him by suppressing her desires. That appearance was incredibly tempting, and Qin Yan wanted her to deeply understand what it truly meant to “consider” him.

He didn’t give Su Mi a chance to speak. His hand moved downward, pulling down the already unbuttoned outer and inner garments, revealing a light pink undergarment that partially concealed her allure, making her even more seductive.

“Lord, can’t we wait until we get back…”

Qin Yan untied his waist belt, his eyes burning like a raging fire. His voice was low and husky as he whispered in her ear,

“No.”

…

It was a windless early summer night, but fortunately, the carriage was moving quickly, and the sound of wind covered the sounds of moans coming from inside the carriage. However, there were occasional soft cries escaping from the women.

Feng Bao sat outside, unsure whether to listen or not. He could neither listen nor ignore it, so he silently drove the carriage.

But the road had its end, and they were approaching the chief’s residence, so naturally, the speed would slow down.

“Don’t stop.”

Feng Bao was afraid of hearing things he shouldn’t, so he moved his buttocks forward in the front seat and desperately started driving in circles. “Yes, master.”

…

In the Qianqing Palace, Zhang Yue’er was wearing only a thin sleeping robe and lying on the dragon-patterned sandalwood bed. After the spring hunt, the emperor had never summoned her to his bed or spent the night in the Chuxiu Palace.

So when Lord Lu announced her today, she didn’t expect it at all, but of course, she was extremely delighted.

However, after being delighted for half the night, she was still lying alone. The emperor had ordered the screen to be removed and was sitting on the throne, watching her from a distance in the dim light, making it difficult to discern his expression.

As the time approached midnight, Zhang Yue’er couldn’t help but speak, “Your Majesty, aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Mmm, wait a bit longer,” he replied. He didn’t know what had gotten into him. He wasn’t in a good mood today, so he had allowed Lu Dehai to summon her to his bed, but now he was starting to regret it.

Zhang Yue’er shifted to the inner side and said, “Your Majesty, I won’t touch you. You should go to sleep quickly; it’s not good for your health to stay awake.”

After saying this, Zhu Jingyu didn’t sit back down. He got up and walked to the edge of the bed. After removing his inner garment, he lay on the outer side, turning his back to Zhang Yue’er and keeping a distant distance between them.

Even though Zhang Yue’er had spoken those words, she mustered the courage to move closer. After all, as long as she didn’t touch him, it should be fine. It was never mentioned that she couldn’t approach him. She saw that Zhu Jingyu had his back turned, seemingly lost in thought and unaware of her presence, so she moved even closer, maintaining only half an inch of space and tracing his silhouette on his back.

“You…”

Zhang Yue’er hurriedly pulled back her hand, thinking he had noticed. Her heart raced, and she didn’t dare make any sudden movements.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Jingyu softly asked, “Do you… like that top scholar?”

Zhang Yue’er didn’t expect him to ask about this matter and thought for a moment before honestly replying, “Yes, I like him.”

“Good.”

Zhu Jingyu lowered his eyes, feeling a sour tightness in his heart. She clearly said she liked him last time. Wasn’t she afraid he would be angry and blame her? Even if she had lied to him, it would have been better.

Indeed, Jian Yujue was exceptionally handsome. How could he compare to Zhu Jingyu, who had been weak and sickly for twenty years? Even if he stopped taking those medicines now, he still couldn’t recover in a short period of time.

When she said she liked him earlier, it was clearly out of pity for him, an emperor with no real power.

Before Zhang Yue’er could finish speaking, she continued, “I think he feels a lot like Sister Su. I like Sister Su, so naturally, I like him too.”

“But my liking for Your Majesty is different.”

Zhu Jingyu felt a surge of joy in his heart and suddenly turned to face Zhang Yue’er, who had secretly moved closer. He blurted out, “How is it different?”

“It’s very different. I only have one kind of liking for Your Majesty, but for someone like Sister Su, I can have many, many kinds of liking.”

Zhu Jingyu was stunned by her words, but Zhang Yue’er smiled at him as if she had said something ordinary. “Your Majesty, I’m going to sleep now. You should sleep early too.”

“Mmm…”

Zhu Jingyu watched as Zhang Yue’er’s breathing gradually calmed. He had once had Lu Dehai investigate, and what Yue’er desired most was to return to the county town in Jiangling to accompany her mother.

He had considered sending her back to her hometown so she could experience those days of freedom with her family, but now he realized he couldn’t bear to do it.

“Yue’er, can you stay in the palace and accompany me for a lifetime?”

Zhang Yue’er was already half asleep when she turned over and mumbled, “Your Majesty, what are you saying? I was already going to stay in the palace for a lifetime.”

Zhu Jingyu smiled, raised the corners of his mouth, and closed his eyes. “Then I’ll take that as a yes.”