He snorted coldly, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Your Majesty is of noble birth and delicate constitution. This bed is cold and hard, I'm afraid Your Majesty will not be used to sleeping on it."

"Where are you cold?" She gripped the corner of the blanket tightly with her fingers; it was clearly very warm.

Seeing that she didn't believe him, Xiao Heye stretched out his arm and gently placed his large, thick palm on her slightly flushed cheek.

In that instant, Su Tiyue felt an icy chill on her cheek, as if it were not a human hand, but a block of ice.

Why are his hands so cold? He was just warming himself by the fire...

"Do you believe me now?" He withdrew his hand and lay down. "Not only are my hands cold, but my whole body is cold... my heart is cold too. Your Majesty, I cannot help you with your father's affairs. Please leave."

He turned over, his back to Su Tiyue, his resentment still lingering.

Xiao Heye wasn't so kind. Su Sui, in league with those old fogies in the court, impeached him as the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial. They all hated him to the bone and wished they could grind him to dust...

Is it wishful thinking for Su Tiyue to come and plead for mercy now?

He thought that after all that, she would know to leave, but to his surprise, Su Tiyue not only didn't leave, but instead circled halfway around the foot of the bed and crawled back to him.

She leaned forward, blinking her watery eyes, and said, "I didn't expect the palm print to be so cold-blooded? How about I help you?"

"Oh? How does Your Majesty intend to help?" He lay on his side, a hint of mockery in his dark eyes.

“Where your palm print is cold, I’ll warm it up for you… I’m warm and not afraid of the cold, keep warming it up, it’ll get warm eventually.” She leaned closer to Xiao Heye, her clear and bright eyes looking at him gently, like a well-behaved kitten, making Xiao Heye’s heart itch.

Xiao Heye coldly replied, "No need, it won't get warm."

How could she possibly warm up a body that even a charcoal fire couldn't heat up?

Besides, he doesn't have that kind of fetish.

"How will you know if you don't try the palm print?" Su Tiyue forced a faint smile, paused, and then gently took his hand from under the covers.

Her eyes and brows exuded gentle charm, and her luscious, crimson lips were almost within reach.

Su Tiyue took his cold fingers in her hand and warmed them. Then she guided his hand through her outer garment and the pink dress, slowly sliding down her chest until his cold hand was firmly pressed against her ample bosom.

She gasped, and after a shiver ran through her body, she finally got used to his temperature.

Xiao Heye remained motionless, a strange flame burning in his eyes as he stared intently at her, his gaze burning as if he wanted to incinerate Su Tiyue.

The touch from my fingertips is soft, warm, and it stirs up a restless emotion.

At that moment, he almost couldn't hold back. Having been a eunuch for more than ten years, Xiao Heye experienced for the first time what it meant to be consumed by lust.

Suddenly, he came to his senses and tried to gently pull his hand away, but Su Tiyue stretched out her other hand and pressed down on Xiao Heye's hand tightly through his clothes, preventing him from pulling away.

He moved even closer.

this……

Xiao Heye swallowed hard, the bulge in his throat bobbing up and down. He suddenly felt thirsty.

"Chief Inspector Xiao, how about we discuss another deal?" Su Tiyue said.

"You're so cold, you probably won't sleep well tonight. How about I warm your bed for you?"

He asked, "Does Your Majesty intend for this servant to release your father?"

"Um."

"Heh..." Xiao Heye chuckled softly, and said slowly in a drawn-out tone, "It's always been this servant who negotiates terms and deals with others. Today is quite interesting. Is Your Highness prejudiced?"

"Yes," she answered honestly, but the more she listened to Xiao Heye's tone, the more something seemed off; it seemed this deal would be difficult to reach.

But Su Tiyue still asked softly, "Is that alright?"

Xiao Heye said, "This is no small matter. If the Emperor finds out, we will both lose our lives... This servant will consider it?"

This sentence sounds familiar; Su Tiyue had given him the same answer before.

But the fact that he said he would consider it meant that there was still room for maneuver. Su Tiyue seemed to see hope and nodded vigorously.

Xiao Heye withdrew his hand from her embrace, his expression unsmiling, and said calmly:

"Your father sees me as a thorn in his side, and in principle... I shouldn't have agreed to Your Majesty's request. But since Your Majesty is so sincere, I will consider it carefully for a few days before giving you my reply. What do you say?"

Sure enough, he holds a grudge.

Su Tiyue made him wait for so long, now it's her turn to wait.

"Alright, I'm patient. As long as the Master agrees, I'm willing to wait as long as it takes."

Although Xiao Heye was not susceptible to the honey trap, Su Tiyue, despite her shamelessness, managed to gain some things.

She shifted her body, her cheek pressed closer to his chest, the steady, powerful heartbeat ringing in her ear. Su Tiyue wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and said softly, "But I've heard that the Zhenfu Division's punishments are cruel. My father is old and a civil official. Could the head of the division prevent his subordinates from torturing him?"

She lowered her head, her voice hoarse, as if she were crying: "Now that I have agreed to be the pawn of the Master, I will definitely obey from now on. Master, could you please agree to this for the sake of our time working together?"

Xiao Heye frowned and lowered his head, smelling the fragrance in her hair—the familiar scent of jasmine.

He paused for a moment, then replied, "Your Majesty's face is something this servant will naturally give you."

Upon hearing this, Su Tiyue finally felt a huge weight lifted from her heart.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!