Chapter 270: Yuan Qing Cheng vs. Zhang Chun

…

What surprised and disappointed Yuan Qingcheng's palace attendants even more was that Zhao Yu did not let them serve him that night—he only indulged with Yuan Qingcheng alone, even chasing Xu Poxi out of the room.

Xu Poxi and the others couldn't understand what Zhao Yu and Yuan Qingcheng were up to—was Zhao Yu impotent, unable to handle multiple women anymore?

The moment this suspicion arose, Xu Poxi and the others panicked. If Zhao Yu's body had failed, they—especially those who hadn't yet conceived an imperial heir—would be utterly hopeless. Moreover, if others in the palace learned that Zhao Yu's decline had occurred in their quarters, they would surely be ostracized, even targeted for retaliation—the consequences were unthinkable.

Crucially, Zhao Yu had been incredibly vigorous last night, showing no signs of trouble at all—how could he possibly be impotent after just one day?

Driven by curiosity and doubt, Xu Poxi and the others secretly crouched beneath the eaves, listening to the sounds inside the room.

What they heard shocked them: Zhao Yu was ferociously intense tonight—Yuan Qingcheng screamed continuously, begged for mercy, and even repeatedly volunteered for Xu Poxi and the others to come help share Zhao Yu's onslaught.

Yet Zhao Yu rejected every one of Yuan Qingcheng's suggestions with a single phrase: "Tonight, I want only you."

Zhao Yu tormented Yuan Qingcheng for two full hours before the room fell silent.

Xu Poxi and the others estimated that, had Yuan Qingcheng not been physically robust—a woman who had already borne five children—they would have found her dead in the morning.

Xu Poxi and the others exchanged glances, bewildered—what had Yuan Qingcheng done to provoke such a brutal onslaught from Zhao Yu?

Inside the room.

Yuan Qingcheng, breathless and exhausted, glared fiercely at Zhao Yu and whispered weakly: "Are you satisfied now, my lord?"

Zhao Yu's eyes flashed: "Satisfied? Did you satisfy yourself? If not, I'll grant you another round."

Yuan Qingcheng begged at once: "Your humble servant erred—please, my lord, have mercy and spare me!"

Zhao Yu grunted: "That's better."

They lay entwined, resting for a while. After regaining some strength, Yuan Qingcheng whispered into Zhao Yu's ear: "My lord, be honest with me—when you first took me, were you especially excited?"

Zhao Yu didn't answer, but asked: "Why do you ask that?"

Yuan Qingcheng replied matter-of-factly: "You were just a delivery boy once. I had countless fans, and my persona was that of an ethereal goddess untouched by mortal desires. Among my suitors were many second-generation heirs, officials' sons, billionaires on the Forbes list, and A-list celebrities—but to preserve my image, I kept them all at arm's length. Yet in the end, I ended up with you, my lord…"

Yuan Qingcheng had been about to say "poor loser," but then she remembered Zhao Yu was no longer a delivery boy or a poor loser—he was the Emperor she had to flatter. So she swallowed the words and changed them to: "In the end, I ended up in the hands of an ordinary man like you—weren't you especially proud? Especially thrilled?"

Zhao Yu replied casually: "It was fine."

Yuan Qingcheng didn't believe him: "Really?"

Zhao Yu said: "A sovereign never speaks in jest."

After a pause, Zhao Yu added: "Before I got you, I'd already taken Da Lei Jiao, Hao Zhan Lin, Nao Wang Yun, and Empress Dowager Chun—and I'd bedded nearly a hundred women. Do you think I could feel especially proud or thrilled getting you?"

Yuan Qingcheng was devastated—her heart clenched. She had saved her virginity for two lifetimes to give to Zhao Yu, and she was the dream woman of countless men, a super-celebrity—yet he didn't care, didn't even appreciate it. On the other hand, Zhao Yu had once been nothing but a delivery boy. How could she bear it?

But Zhao Yu wasn't wrong—he'd already taken Ma Xiao Jiao and the other three. Though their status didn't match hers, together they certainly equaled her. Moreover, in looks and figure, she wasn't even the most outstanding among the five. And given how many women he'd already had, his indifference toward her was perfectly understandable.

'I should've never given myself to this bastard!' Yuan Qingcheng fumed inwardly.

At that moment, Zhao Yu asked Yuan Qingcheng: "Are you angry?"

Yuan Qingcheng shut her eyes: "No, how would I dare be angry at my lord? You have so many women—I'm nothing, insignificant."

To Yuan Qingcheng's surprise, Zhao Yu chuckled.

Yuan Qingcheng opened her eyes and asked: "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing because the ethereal goddess has finally been broken," Zhao Yu said.

Yuan Qingcheng snapped: "Who's an ethereal goddess?!"

"You. You just said you were an ethereal goddess—did you forget already?" Zhao Yu said.

"I said my former persona was an ethereal goddess—I never claimed I am one. Otherwise, how could you have taken me?" Yuan Qingcheng corrected him.

"I don't care. To me, you are the ethereal goddess."

Zhao Yu propped his hands behind his head, speaking with nostalgia: "When I saw the pastoral life you portrayed—plowing in spring, weeding in summer, harvesting in autumn, storing in winter—I thought rural life was so peaceful, so beautiful. I truly wanted to flee the city and return to the land."

"You mastered many traditional crafts—embroidery, bamboo weaving, carpentry, Shu embroidery, indigo dyeing—and even revived ancient techniques like movable-type printing and traditional papermaking."

"I especially loved watching you cook—making tofu, brewing soy sauce, preparing seasonal delicacies. I thought then, if only I could taste even one bite."

"In my eyes, you were a goddess who could do anything—growing vegetables, planting flowers, picking fruit, fermenting wine, dyeing cloth with grape skins, chopping trees to build swings, erecting thatched huts. A delicate woman with fair skin, yet handling farm work and crafts as if blessed by divine power—this contrast amazed me…"

At that moment, Zhao Yu felt breath brushing against his face.

He opened his eyes and saw Yuan Qingcheng right before him.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Yu asked.

"You liked me from the start, didn't you? You were my fan, weren't you?" Yuan Qingcheng asked urgently.

It was clear this answer mattered deeply to her.

Zhao Yu turned his head away: "I don't hang out in fan circles—how could I be anyone's fan?"

Yuan Qingcheng cupped Zhao Yu's face, forcing his eyes to meet hers: "Don't lie to me!"

"Fine, fine, fine—I followed you, watched your videos often, I'm your fan, and I really liked you. Happy now?" Zhao Yu said.

Yuan Qingcheng beamed, then kissed Zhao Yu fiercely, and declared triumphantly: "Then how can you say you weren't proud or thrilled to have me?"

Zhao Yu admitted: "I lied to you. Is that acceptable?"

Then he added: "How could I not be proud and thrilled to have won the woman I'd longed for? And don't you remember how I was the first time we were together?"

Hearing this, Yuan Qingcheng instantly recalled her first time—how Zhao Yu, heedless of her virginity, had ravaged her like a starving wolf, leaving her half-dead.

'All words can be lies, but his actions and results cannot deceive me—this bastard almost fooled me!'

Yuan Qingcheng punched Zhao Yu with a soft fist: "You said a sovereign never speaks in jest!"

Zhao Yu grinned: "I'm not Emperor now—I'm just a delivery boy, and you're my electric scooter."