Chapter 267

"Oh?" Yan Hongtian laughed in a low voice, and the hand around her waist actually loosened slightly. Qingfeng finally managed to catch her breath, but Yan Hongtian's suddenly close face made her suffocate again. His deep black eyes were full of keen interest, and even his voice sounded exceptionally pleasant: "Then what would you do? Poison?"

Qingfeng was stunned. How could there be such a fickle man? Discussing how to kill him with someone, and still being able to laugh so easily, as if it were such an interesting thing. Qingfeng finally understood: Yan Hongtian was just here to amuse himself with her.

Looking at the woman in his arms who was clearly gnashing her teeth in hatred but chose to remain silent, Yan Hongtian's brows furrowed involuntarily, "Are your sisters really that important to you?"

Asking what he already knew! Qingfeng bit her lower lip tightly, determined not to pay attention to him anymore; at worst, she would be strangled to death by him. Qingfeng prepared herself mentally, but the pain in her waist did not arrive as expected. Qingfeng kept her head lowered the whole time, missing the chance to see the flash of appreciation in Yan Hongtian's eyes, only hearing a disdainful, light rebuke: "Pity... you are as weak as an ant now; anyone can crush you to death."

These words undoubtedly stepped on Qingfeng's tail. Qingfeng suddenly raised her head, sneered, and replied: "My life may be like an ant's, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, but so what? You simply don't understand what it means to depend on each other for survival, that blood is thicker than water." Within the Six Kingdoms, everyone knew that a few years ago, during the Qiongyue coup, Yan Hongtian had been forced by his own brother, and in the end, they had even killed each other. How could a person like him know what family affection was?

"You are very good at making me angry." Yan Hongtian's voice was very light, so light that Qingfeng's hands trembled involuntarily. She knew she was afraid of him, but she seemed obsessed with proving her existence by provoking him time and time again.

Yan Hongtian's black eyes were deep and cold; through these eyes, Qingfeng could not guess his thoughts at all. One moment he seemed about to eat her, the next he suddenly released the hand around her waist. Not knowing what he wanted to do next, Qingfeng stared at him defensively, only to see Yan Hongtian sit down gracefully on the wooden chair nearby. His expression was the opposite of before, and he said in a relaxed, low voice: "Prime Minister Lou is gentle and elegant, and tender and considerate toward women. There are as many women who want to become the Prime Minister's wife as there are carp crossing the river. I wonder if you, Miss Qing Ling, whose appearance is damaged, can endure the loneliness of the boudoir in the future?"

Sure enough, Qingfeng's brows furrowed tightly. Although she tried her best to remain calm, her obviously stalled breathing betrayed her mood. Seeming to feel it wasn't enough, Yan Hongtian continued: "By comparison, your younger sister will definitely not be lonely. There isn't a single woman in the General's Mansion. Even if General Su doesn't like her, there will still be many people fighting to have her."

What? There are actually no women in the General's Mansion? This... how is Little Sister supposed to live? Thinking of the scene of Mo'er being surrounded by a group of men, Qingfeng's face turned pale instantly.

Very satisfied with her reaction, Yan Hongtian sneered: "Worried about them? Let me teach you how you can protect them." As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Hongtian picked her up by the waist. Qingfeng only had time to gasp before she was carried into the inner chamber and trapped on the embroidered bed.

"The first step is to become my woman, preferably a favored woman." Her wrists were gripped tightly by Yan Hongtian, and his scent occupied her breathing the entire time. Qingfeng screamed in shock: "Yan Hongtian, you are shameless! Let me go!" She had even had a moment of doubt just now, thinking he would really tell her; this man was simply not worth her holding even a shred of hope!

Yan Hongtian's weight pressing on her, his scorching body heat, their intertwined bodies—all these strange experiences made Qingfeng fearful. Fear made her struggle hard. Yan Hongtian lowered his head, their foreheads and noses pressed together, breathing in each other's scent. A restless and ambiguous atmosphere swirled between the two.

Qingfeng's breathing was a bit chaotic, but Yan Hongtian was unexpectedly calm and cold: "Little kitten, although your claws are very sharp, it's a pity you want to pounce and bite everyone you see. Having your joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness all written on this face will only make you lose miserably. A person who cannot even protect themselves has no qualifications to manage the life and death of others." A rose that only has thorns, other than stimulating those who want to conquer it to pluck it, is useless.

Hiss—

Yan Hongtian pressed her hands down with one hand and tore down the light purple thin gauze from the bed curtain with the other. The light gauze covered her face without warning, and Qingfeng did not understand why.

"Qingfeng, the most wrong thing you have done in this life is ruining this face!"

The thin gauze covered her face and her eyes, and Yan Hongtian's cold and ruthless voice rang in her ears even more clearly. At this moment, Qingfeng's heart felt as if it had been heavily hammered by something. With unprecedented clarity, she finally understood that Yan Hongtian didn't care at all whether there was one more woman or one less, nor did he care about the face and body she thought everyone admired. He had come today just to humiliate, possess, and conquer. This wisp of gauze was his most cruel revenge against her. Forget about pride; she had already had her most basic dignity trampled underfoot by others. Qingfeng finally stopped struggling; she couldn't move...

She couldn't tell if the thing blurring her vision and her heart was gauze or tears.

The red candles crackled and popped. On the embroidered bed, the bodies were fiery, but the heart, riddled with holes, was cold.

Tonight seemed to be the hottest night since the beginning of summer. The late night, which should have been quiet, seemed exceptionally restless because of the low chirping of the cicadas. When the Emperor favors a concubine, palace servants can only wait for orders in the courtyard and are not allowed to approach the inner chamber. Inside the room, the red candles flickered, and fragmented sounds came from time to time, but because they were far away, they were not very clear. The bright moon set in the west, and the monotonous chirping of the cicadas made people sleepy. Except for the guards with swords outside the hall who were still standing straight, several eunuchs and palace maids on night watch were leaning against the hall door, dozing off.

Fuling sat by the flower bed, her hands resting on her knees, her head slightly lowered, not knowing if she was thinking or closing her eyes to rest. Feeling a light tap on her shoulder, Fuling looked back and heard a soft female voice in her ear: "Fuling, you aren't used to night watch, and you've been tired all day. Go and rest first. I'll serve outside."

Xia Yin stood behind her, looking at her with a smile. Her eyes were clear, and she didn't look sleepy at all. It was already the third watch (1-3 AM), yet Xia Yin could still be so refreshed. Fuling admired her endlessly; she was truly worthy of being a palace maid trained by the Imperial Household Department specifically to serve concubines. Although it was hard work in the Female Medical Academy and the Laundry Bureau, she rarely had to stand night watch. She was indeed a bit sleepy, but it was her turn to be on duty tonight, so how could she let someone else do it for her? Besides, there would be many more days in the future when she would need to stand night watch; she couldn't trouble others every time. Fuling stood up and replied softly, "I'm not tired. You go and rest."

Seeing her insistence, Xia Yin smiled slightly, said nothing more, and walked toward the side courtyard.

Fuling yawned lightly. Afraid of falling asleep again, she didn't sit down but walked to the big tree beside the courtyard gate and slowly walked around the thick trunk. After walking for a long time, she realized that this strange behavior in the middle of the night had caused the guards outside the hall to look at her one after another.

Fuling smiled awkwardly. The seven or eight guards outside the hall were all staring at her, except for one who was looking straight ahead, still vigilantly watching the surroundings. That person... looked so familiar. Borrowing the still-bright moonlight, Fuling looked for a long time before she saw clearly; he seemed to be the guard she met at noon, Ming Ze, right?

With distinct facial features and a detached, aloof temperament, he looked like a cold person who was hard to approach. The bright, warm smile on her master's face suddenly flashed through her mind, and Fuling's heart trembled for no reason, and her feet couldn't help but continue to walk around the big tree.

She didn't know how long she walked, until her feet ached, before Fuling came back to her senses. She looked up at the sky; the sky was already turning white like a fish's belly, and streaks of orange-red clouds in the distance were blooming with faint light through the gray-white clouds. Fuling was slightly startled; the night had passed?! Looking back, the red candles in the inner room had been extinguished, and it was completely silent.

Stretching her waist lightly, Fuling mocked herself; she had actually walked all night?

A group of people walked along the palace path in the distance. Fuling squinted to look. Walking at the very front was Eunuch Wu from the Jingshi Hall, followed by several eunuchs holding something in their hands, which she couldn't see clearly. They walked very fast and arrived at Qingfeng Palace in a moment.

Fuling bowed slightly and said in a low voice, "Eunuch Wu."

Wu Zhiqiu glanced at her. After seeing her face clearly, his steps stalled. It was her? That low-level palace maid who had served Qingfeng from the beginning. He didn't expect her to have arrived at Qingfeng Palace. Qingfeng had been titled a concubine immediately after coming out of prison and had the ability to make the Emperor stay at Qingfeng Palace; she must be a formidable woman. Bringing Fuling along with her must mean she viewed her as a confidante. Wu Zhiqiu weighed and calculated in his heart, raised a kind smile, and replied, "It's Fuling. You don't need to be so polite in the future."

Fuling did not exchange pleasantries with him, only smiling slightly.

Seeing that she didn't understand social niceties, Wu Zhiqiu ignored her, walked to the door, knocked twice lightly, and said in a low voice, "Emperor, it is almost the Hour of the Chen (7-9 AM)."

With Wu Zhiqiu's voice so low, could the person inside, who was still fast asleep, hear him? Just when Fuling thought there would be no response, a male voice suddenly rang out: "Come in."

"Yes." Wu Zhiqiu waved at the eunuchs behind him, and several people hurriedly followed him into the room. Only one eunuch stood outside the door holding a tray, the tray covered with a bright yellow silk cloth; she didn't know what was being served.

Fuling sighed secretly; although the voice just now was low, it didn't sound like someone who had just woken up at all. Was the Emperor always so alert? Fuling was still secretly speculating when Yan Hongtian's tall figure had already exited to the courtyard. Fuling hurriedly knelt halfway to salute, only to see those bright yellow boots pass by in front of her in a hurry.

Wu Zhiqiu bowed and followed behind Yan Hongtian, asking carefully, "Emperor, to keep or not to keep?"

"Do not keep." Throwing down the words without hesitation, Yan Hongtian strode out of Qingfeng Palace.

"Yes." Having received the Emperor's answer, Wu Zhiqiu did not follow. He took the eunuch holding the tray and walked toward the room.

(End of chapter)