Chapter 42: Wrongly Married to Xiyan (1)

Zhuo Qing and Lou Xiyan walked side by side. Lou Xiyan looked as if nothing was wrong. Gao Jin lowered his head, covering the complex light in his eyes, and led the two around the hall toward the inner palace behind. After winding around for a while, the three stopped in front of a palace slightly smaller than the Great Hall. Candles were lit in the palace, but the palace doors were tightly closed.

Zhuo Qing raised her eyes and unexpectedly saw Qing Ling, who had disappeared in the Great Hall. She was being guarded by a guard. The two looked at each other for a while. She saw many questions in Qing Ling's eyes, but she couldn't and didn't know how to explain, because she wasn't the sister she was familiar with at all.

"The Emperor has an order to summon Qing Ling into the palace." Gao Jin's voice didn't sound as sharp as an ordinary eunuch's.

Qing Ling looked at her deeply before walking straight toward the half-hidden palace door. Zhuo Qing was still wondering about the complex meaning revealed in that look just now when a loud crash of porcelain breaking suddenly rang out in the palace.

She and Lou Xiyan were standing on the stone path outside the palace, far away, and couldn't hear what was being said inside, but this loud crash was enough to show that the atmosphere inside was absolutely heavy.

Zhuo Qing was still worried for Qing Ling when the door opened from the inside. Qing Ling was helped out by Gao Jin. She didn't see any injuries on her body, but her face was frighteningly white. Handing Qing Ling to the guarding guard, Gao Jin walked straight toward Zhuo Qing.

"Miss Qing, please follow this servant into the palace." Zhuo Qing was stunned. Could it be that this Emperor wanted to break them one by one?!

Sure enough, as Zhuo Qing thought, before Lou Xiyan could speak, Gao Jin had already said respectfully: "Prime Minister Lou, the Emperor only summons Miss Qing into the palace alone."

Zhuo Qing frowned. Being interrogated alone, she would find it difficult to play dumb. Lou Xiyan patted her shoulder gently and smiled softly: "Go, I'll be outside."

Zhuo Qing raised her eyes and met his clear and calm narrow eyes. This sentence was ordinary, but it made her feel inexplicably safe. She should perhaps thank Heaven for letting her meet him after she traveled through time.

Forget it, forget it. Since she used someone else's body, there was no use in avoiding some things. With a relieved smile, Zhuo Qing turned and walked toward the palace without hesitation. She walked firmly, naturally not noticing that after she turned around, Lou Xiyan's gentle smile froze on his lips, and his slightly narrowed eyes made people unable to see what he was thinking at this moment.

Zhuo Qing stepped into the palace, and Gao Jin didn't come in together but stood outside the palace and closed the palace door.

Zhuo Qing continued to walk forward. Several pieces of porcelain fragments were scattered on the ground. Although it wasn't as spacious as the Great Hall, it was much larger than an ordinary conference room. Zhuo Qing raised her eyes and saw the man standing right in the middle. His black-gold jade crown was nowhere to be seen, and his bright yellow ceremonial robe had been changed by him into a black robe. His cold eyes and cold face, and his heaving chest showed that his mood at this moment was unstable. Even though the candles lit in the palace were not very bright and his expression couldn't be seen clearly, Zhuo Qing had already deeply felt the compelling violent aura on this man.

Stopping her footsteps, Zhuo Qing didn't move forward anymore, lowering her head slightly, intending to remain unchanged to cope with all changes, out of sight, out of mind.

Both were speechless, and the surroundings fell into dead silence. Only Yan Hongtian's somewhat turbid breathing could be heard. Zhuo Qing still did her own thing, lowering her head and not speaking, but unfortunately, Yan Hongtian didn't have this patience.

"Raise your head." As the roar rang out, Zhuo Qing only felt a pain in her chin. A large palm grabbed her jawbone tightly without any pity, lifting her head: "Do you think that by changing a person into the palace, you can hide from me? Three years ago, I said that you can only be my woman in this life."

The low voice was not high, but it was enough to make the listener's heart tremble. The intensity and restlessness in his eyes made Zhuo Qing's heart tremble. This man had too strong aggressiveness and possessiveness. Although her chin was very painful, Zhuo Qing remained silent. Before figuring out what was going on, she had better remain silent. He didn't need to use too much force to strangle her to death.

Zhuo Qing's silence also angered Yan Hongtian: "What? Weren't you eloquent and infinitely glorious in the hall just now? Now you've become a mute?"

Zhuo Qing could feel Yan Hongtian's hand tightening slowly with his anger. After thinking about it, Zhuo Qing replied cautiously: "I have nothing to say. Feng entering the Prime Minister's mansion was just following the Emperor's decree."

"A good 'following the decree'!" Just as Zhuo Qing finished speaking, Yan Hongtian's anger exploded completely, almost gritting his teeth and roaring: "I let Feng go to the Prime Minister's mansion, not you—Qing Ling."

Qing Ling?! Ignoring the pain in her chin, Zhuo Qing was stunned. She was Qing Ling? That couldn't be right?!

A flash of Qing Ling's complex gaze flashed in Zhuo Qing's mind. No, if she was Qing Ling, then who was the woman just now?

No wonder Yan Hongtian was so strange when he saw her. It turned out he hadn't been wrong all along; he wanted Qing Ling!

Heaven, she was really going to be dizzy! No, she had to calm down!

Staring at the calm and cold woman in front of him, Yan Hongtian suddenly sneered: "I didn't see it three years ago, you are actually a formidable character, able to persuade your sister to enter the palace on your behalf, able to bewitch Xiyan in such a short time, and able to perform autopsies and solve cases. It's truly amazing."

Taking a deep breath and settling her mind, Zhuo Qing insisted: "You recognized the wrong person. I am Feng, not Qing Ling." Everything was his one-sided word. What if he was testing her?!

She wouldn't admit it, right? Good, then don't blame him.

A cold sneer and gloom flashed in Yan Hongtian's eyes. Zhuo Qing's heart went cold. Bad, she seemed to have angered him.

Sure enough, Yan Hongtian pinched her jaw with one hand and pulled her collar with the other—

Rip—

Her chest felt cool. Being grabbed by the chin, Zhuo Qing couldn't lower her head, but the sound of fabric tearing accompanied by the pain in her right shoulder, she could guess that she was already half-naked.

Although she was still wearing a camisole, which was similar to a modern backless dress and not very exposed, Zhuo Qing felt unprecedented humiliation. Looking coldly at the man in front of her who was carrying a bit of triumph, Zhuo Qing said coldly: "What else do you want to do!" If he thought that by possessing her, she would obediently become his woman, then she would let him know how stupid he was.

"Do you consider this being shy?" His gaze wandered over Zhuo Qing's graceful figure; Yan Hongtian seemed to thoroughly enjoy the resentment and humiliation in Zhuo Qing's eyes. His hand actually relaxed its grip slightly, sliding slowly toward the back of her neck to pull her closer. With one hand encircling her waist and the other winding around the back of her neck to caress her earlobe, a low, slightly husky murmur sounded faintly: "You are destined to be mine; there is no need to be shy!"

Two powerful large hands wrapped tightly around her chest. Zhuo Qing put her hands between the two of them, trying to push him away with all her strength, but unfortunately, her meager strength was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and their bodies were still tightly pressed together.

His body was very hot. With her hands against his chest, the powerful heartbeat came wave after wave from her palm, and Zhuo Qing could feel his restless breath.

"You..." Zhuo Qing still wanted to try to communicate with him. Facts proved that a man in heat didn't need communication! Her lips were hot, and Yan Hongtian kissed her lips, carrying his domineering and scorching heat. Zhuo Qing only felt her head go blank, and there was a moment of dizziness, but the scorching heat on her chest made Zhuo Qing wake up immediately.

Yan Hongtian's hand didn't know when it touched her right chest. Zhuo Qing struggled hard. After several times, she finally knew she couldn't break free. With a horizontal heart, Zhuo Qing bit his unscrupulous lips and tongue fiercely. She bit without mercy, and Yan Hongtian groaned. Soon she tasted the bloody smell.

Just as Zhuo Qing intended to bite again, Yan Hongtian let her go. Zhuo Qing retreated quickly. After stopping a few meters away from him, she stared at him guardedly. Finally able to breathe properly, Zhuo Qing breathed hard. Being tossed by him like this, she was so hot!

Gently wiping the bloodstain from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, Yan Hongtian actually laughed: "You are really fierce enough." She was very different from when he first met her, but that was fine. He still preferred fiercer women; it was interesting to conquer them.

His gaze swept over Zhuo Qing's right shoulder, and Yan Hongtian's eyes darkened again, saying coldly: "Do you still dare to say you are not Qing Ling now?" Over the years, he had already investigated her affairs clearly, so he naturally knew the words on her shoulder. This time, he wanted to see how she would deny it!

What did he mean? He kissed her, and that meant she was Qing Ling?!

Yan Hongtian's eyes stared fixedly at her right shoulder. Zhuo Qing looked down in confusion. A small red word that appeared faintly on her right shoulder near her chest startled her. It wasn't that she was startled by the word "Ling," but that she didn't understand why there were words on her right chest. Touching it with her hand, the skin was very smooth. After a while, the words became lighter and lighter, and finally disappeared.

What was the principle of this?! Zhuo Qing was still in shock, and Yan Hongtian also saw that something was wrong. Why did she look so surprised when she saw the mark she had had since she was a child?

Yan Hongtian's approach again finally made Zhuo Qing come back to her senses. Now was not the time to study the words.

Taking a step back, Zhuo Qing called out in a low voice: "Wait! I have something to say!"

Yan Hongtian didn't come forward again, only looking at her coldly.

Zhuo Qing's brain turned fast. This body was Qing Ling, but she did appear in the Prime Minister's mansion? How to explain, how to explain?

A flash of inspiration, Zhuo Qing raised her head calmly, with a face of confusion and bewilderment, and replied: "On the way here, the officials who escorted us were afraid that the three of us sisters wouldn't be honest, so they fed us medicine every day, and we were unconscious and delirious for more than half a month. After waking up, I forgot many things. Everyone said I was Feng, and there were words on my shoulder. I didn't know anything about it myself. I have no impression of what you just said."

"Amnesia?" Yan Hongtian laughed loudly: "Qing Ling, oh Qing Ling, you really think I can be played by you in the palm of your hand!"

Who was playing whom now?! She was the one who was played, okay!

Although pretending to have "amnesia" was really stupid! But besides this, what else could she do?!

"You don't believe me, I have no way. Everything I said is true. You can go and check with the Haoyue officials." On the point of being fed medicine, she didn't lie. Lowering her head slightly, Zhuo Qing tried to be as gentle as possible and said: "There must be some mistake in the middle, but since I have already entered the Prime Minister's mansion, I should stay by Lou Xiyan's side."

She didn't want to stay by his side at all? Everything was planned by her, right? Amnesia, right? She really thought he couldn't check Haoyue?! In this world, nothing could be hidden from him!

Coldly looking at her pretending to be obedient, he could now be sure that gentleness didn't suit her at all. Approaching Zhuo Qing step by step, Yan Hongtian hummed coldly: "It seems you have forgotten your identity. You have no right to choose at all! You think that after Xiyan knows your identity and your deception, he will still want you?!"

This man was soft and hard to eat! Fine, then she didn't need to pretend to be pitiful. Raising her head, Zhuo Qing looked back proudly and sneered: "If I remember correctly, Lou Xiyan said in the Great Hall that I am his—wife!"

"You—say—what!"

Yan Hongtian's voice, almost spat out from his teeth, made people's hearts cold. But no matter what, she absolutely could not stay in the palace! Having made a decision in her heart, Zhuo Qing raised her eyebrows lightly and smiled: "I have been in the Prime Minister's mansion for almost half a month, eating and living with him. You wouldn't think we were just covering ourselves with a quilt and chatting purely, right?"

"You deserve to die!" With a roar, Zhuo Qing felt a pain in her neck. The force on her hand had no pity at all. She couldn't breathe at all. Blood rushed to the top of her head, and Zhuo Qing realized deeply—he really wanted to strangle her to death!

"Save... save me..." It was almost a broken cry for help. Even she couldn't hear it clearly. Who else could save her?!

Just when Zhuo Qing thought she was about to die, that clear and moist voice came from afar—

"Your Majesty, this subject Lou Xiyan has an important matter to report."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 43 =====

"Your Majesty, I, Lou Xiyan, have an urgent matter to report."

(End of chapter)