Chapter 32 Abstinence from Lust "I have only given you a title, not what you deserve..."

With the day of the Earth Worship Ceremony fast approaching, Su Panyue followed Feiyan Feixue for a day to learn the rules and procedures of the ceremony.

Normally, the emperor and empress should be present for the sacrificial ceremony, but Xie Lanzhou's harem only has one concubine, and although her rank is very low, she can only perform the ceremony on behalf of the empress.

Originally, this task would have been more suitable for the Empress Dowager, but ever since the last falling out at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xie Lanzhou has forbidden the Empress Dowager from leaving the house, waiting for her to reveal the truth of what happened back then tomorrow.

So Su Panyue had no choice but to be forced into it, memorizing the sacrificial prayer for a day and then being dragged by the two to practice the sacrificial procedure for another day.

The worst part is that she has to fast for three days, only eating vegetarian food and not meat.

The following evening, Xie Lanzhou finally had time to return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to dine with her.

Normally, Su Panyue loves imperial cuisine the most; there are almost no dishes she doesn't like.

But today, looking at the table full of vegetables, she slumped down, clearly not in high spirits.

Xie Lanzhou didn't care much for food or drink, so at first he didn't understand why she looked so gloomy.

Until I heard her inner thoughts: "I've been eating vegetarian for two days now, might as well send me to become a nun."

Xie Lanzhou then realized that the dishes on the table were all vegetarian. Although the kitchen had tried its best to make them look, smell, and taste delicious, they were still not as good as usual.

He turned to look at Su Panyue, who was holding chopsticks but didn't know where to start, looking rather haggard and pitiful.

Xie Lanzhou asked knowingly, "Why aren't you eating?"

Su Panyue touched her empty stomach and said weakly, "I'm not hungry."

Inwardly, he was screaming: "Look at this! Is this even fit for human consumption? Even cattle and horses don't eat this much vegetarian food!"

Xie Lanzhou drawled out an "oh," then beckoned to the little eunuch beside him: "Have the Imperial Kitchen send over a few more meat dishes."

Upon hearing this, Su Panyue asked with a puzzled look, "Didn't you say we had to fast for three days?"

Xie Lanzhou: "Who said that?"

Su Panyue hesitated and asked, "A rule set by our ancestors?"

Xie Lanzhou said casually, "Rules are set by the living. What right do the dead have to set rules?"

"What I say is the rule."

Su Panyue verbally agreed, "Your Majesty is wise."

He thought to himself, "So what if he's an emperor? How arrogant!"

When all ten dishes were served, including chicken, duck, beef, and lamb, Su Panyue's eyes lit up.

He had to admit to himself: [Being an emperor is truly amazing.]

Xie Lanzhou picked up a piece of braised mutton with his chopsticks. The mutton was stewed until tender and was covered with glistening sauce. Just looking at it made one's mouth water.

After taking a bite, Xie Lanzhou commented, "It's fatty but not greasy, fresh but not gamey, not bad."

After saying that, he glanced at Su Panyue beside him and said with feigned regret, "It's a pity that Su Panyue is not hungry today and will not be able to enjoy it."

Looking at the mocking expression on his face, Su Panyue was quite certain that he was deliberately teasing her!

However, there were still some palace servants present, and she said she wasn't hungry anymore. If she changed her mind now, wouldn't that be very embarrassing?

She could only cheer herself on in her heart: [Su Panyue, you absolutely must hold on, you can't let them laugh at you.]

Xie Lanzhou calmly tasted each dish one by one, commenting on each one, which made the palace servants from the Imperial Kitchen beam with delight.

After all, this was the first time they had received a comment from His Majesty after serving him meals for so long.

Only Su Panyue, sitting to the side, was sullen and unhappy. She couldn't leave, nor could she eat. She thought resentfully:

Even eating can't shut you up; you just keep chattering away.

Then suddenly a plate of lotus root fritters in tomato sauce appeared in front of him. Xie Lanzhou said, "Although I'm not hungry, would you like to eat a little more for my sake?"

Su Panyue was delighted. She turned her head to look at his serious expression and replied, "Then this concubine will respectfully comply."

You insisted I eat this, so I won't be polite.

Xie Lanzhou picked up the food and put it into her bowl one by one. She only had to stuff it into her mouth and chew it.

The key is that Xie Lanzhou always knows what she wants to eat next and hits the mark precisely, even the portion size is just right for her to eat.

After doing this many times, Su Panyue couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

[Someone of his status should have never served anyone before, right? How come he's so skilled?]

Having eaten almost all of his food, he muttered to himself, "I feel he's not suited to be an emperor; he's better suited to be my servant, attending to me every day."

Hearing her thoughts, Xie Lanzhou narrowed his eyes. This woman was starting to assign herself an identity again.

She told him he was the perfect man for her at their first meeting, then suggested he should become a male prostitute, and now she's even arranging for him to be her servant.

That's incredibly audacious; he has to teach her a lesson.

Thinking this, he asked, "Have you finished eating?"

Su Panyue nodded with satisfaction, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip.

Xie Lanzhou waved his hand, and the palace servants waiting nearby immediately cleaned up the table and left the hall.

Normally, Xie Lanzhou would go to attend to some official business after dinner, but today he sat still in the same spot.

Su Panyue couldn't help but wonder: [Why hasn't he left yet? Shouldn't we prepare for tomorrow's ceremony today?]

Xie Lanzhou, who was leaning against the chaise longue, beckoned to her, and Su Panyue got up and walked over.

What are your orders, Your Majesty?

Xie Lanzhou said lazily, "I have only given you a title, not the favor you deserve."

Su Panyue blinked: [What do you mean by pampering? Is it the kind I'm thinking of?]

The next moment, Xie Lanzhou answered her with his actions.

She was pulled onto the chaise lounge, and before she could react, the man leaned down and pressed her into his arms.

She looked up and met the man's Adam's apple. She called out in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty."

Xie Lanzhou did not respond, but instead his Adam's apple bobbed as he leaned down and kissed him.

The man's kiss was domineering and brooked no refusal, relentlessly plundering and demanding from her lips and teeth.

As Su Panyue gradually came to her senses, she discovered some fun she had never experienced before. So she not only passively endured it, but also tentatively stuck out her little tongue and joined in the game of chasing.

Xie Lanzhou sensed her response and gradually slowed his advances, instead guiding and teasing her with tender and gentle movements.

Gradually, Su Panyue's breathing became more and more rapid, and her body went limp, as if she had melted into a pool of spring water, which he held in his arms.

Even Xie Lanzhou, who was usually calm and composed, lost his breath, and the veins on his forehead bulged, as if he was enduring something.

Seeing that he made no further move, Su Panyue opened her eyes to look at him, her eyes and brows carrying a different feeling, alluring without her realizing it.

Having tasted the initial pleasure, Su Panyue thought with lingering enjoyment: "Aren't we going to continue?"

With a surge of courage, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Xie Lanzhou's neck, pulling him closer. Trying to ignore the burning heat pressing against her, she comforted herself:

[Just kissing feels so good; how wonderful it would be to actually do it!]

But Xie Lanzhou sat up abruptly, turned his head, and said in a hoarse voice, "The sacrificial ceremony is tomorrow."

Still lying on the chaise longue, Su Panyue couldn't help but roll her eyes. She had finally mustered up the courage, but this man gave up halfway.

[People who don't even fast before meals are now starting to practice abstinence from sex?]

[You said you were going to quit pornography, so why did you kiss me first? I even... and then you pulled away.]

Su Panyue complained inwardly, but said, "Your Majesty, please go about your business. You don't need to worry about me."

As soon as she opened her mouth, she realized that her voice was a little off. Although she was clearly angry and dissatisfied, it inexplicably carried a hint of coquettishness, making her doubt whether it was even her own voice.

Xie Lanzhou stiffened, without even turning around to look at her, and gave a low "Mmm": "I have other things to do, you can go to sleep first, you don't need to wait for me."

After saying that, he got up and fled from the Hall of Mental Cultivation as if he were running away.

He didn't know why he added that sentence, since Su Panyue had never waited for him before, even without him saying so.

He walked briskly, the summer night breeze brushing against his face, carrying away some of his restlessness.

Eunuch Fu shuffled along behind him, saying, "Your Majesty, you've finally come out."

Xie Lanzhou asked, "What is it?"

Eunuch Fu lowered his voice and said, "Just now, Li Shaoqing of the Dali Temple came to report that Prince Rui has fled."

Xie Lanzhou frowned: "When did he arrive?"

Eunuch Fu: "About 15 minutes ago, Vice Minister Li was waiting for you in the Hall of Diligent Governance."

Xie Lanzhou went straight to the Hall of Diligent Governance, and upon entering, he saw the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review kneeling to one side.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Xie Lanzhou waved his hand: "Get up, what happened?"

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty the Prince Rui was imprisoned in the Judicial Review Prison and heavily guarded. He was interrogated several times as you instructed, but no torture was used. His Majesty the Prince Rui has always insisted that this was a conspiracy by the envoys of the Yan Kingdom."

"It wasn't until dinner time just now that the jailer who delivered the meal discovered that the person was missing."

Xie Lanzhou asked, "What traces were found at the scene?"

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review replied, "The dozen or so prison guards were all knocked unconscious. The gate and chains of the Zhaoyu prison were forcibly broken open with weapons. There were no signs of struggle. I suspect it was done by someone under Prince Rui's command. According to the unconscious guards, there was only one man."

Xie Lanzhou shook his head slightly: "One against ten? He doesn't have anyone that capable under his command."

Li Shaoqing continued, "I have already sent people to investigate, but I don't know if we can bring the person back tomorrow."

Xie Lanzhou: "It's alright. The sacrificial ceremony will proceed as scheduled tomorrow. We will draw two hundred men from the Imperial Guards. Once they spot Xie Yunrui, they will capture him immediately." After thinking for a moment, he added a single word: "Leave him alive."

After this matter was dealt with, another guard came to report that someone had tried to break into the dungeon, but escaped after being discovered by the guards. Judging from his clothes, he was a eunuch with excellent light-footed skills.

The eunuch was extremely skilled in light-footed martial arts. Xie Lanzhou immediately thought of the person who had abducted Su Panyue. He fumbled for the ring in his hand and decided to go and see for himself.

The guards outside the dungeon were on high alert. Xie Lanzhou did not show himself directly, but instead leaped onto the roof of the dungeon and stood on the ridge to overlook everything.

Then they spotted a person standing in a tree a few feet away. The moment their eyes met, the person ran away at top speed, and Xie Lanzhou reacted quickly, following closely behind.

As the two drew closer, the man suddenly stopped and said, "If you keep chasing, it will be too late to save your beauty."

Realizing he was talking about Su Panyue, Xie Lanzhou hesitated for a moment. In that brief moment, the man threw something out of his sleeve, and thick smoke instantly billowed up.

When Xie Lanzhou realized he was being tricked, he was already shrouded in thick smoke and couldn't see anyone clearly, but he could hear the sound of his footsteps as he fled.

Xie Lanzhou didn't chase after them. Instead, he threw a dagger following the footsteps. Then he heard the man groan, and the footsteps paused but quickly disappeared.

After leaping from the roof beam, Xie Lanzhou ordered the Imperial Guards to immediately seal off the palace and check all eunuchs with fresh wounds. He himself hurriedly returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Seeing the woman sleeping sprawled out in the center of the canopy bed as always, he felt his heart finally settle back down.

After he took a shower, he pulled her into his arms, recalling the kiss that almost went too far that afternoon, and murmured, "Wait a little longer, I'll give you another chance, until you make your choice."

The sleeping woman was completely unaware of his burning gaze. She let out a soft moan and unconsciously found a comfortable position in his arms before falling into a deep sleep.

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Author's Note: Zhou, I'm just asking you, is this okay? My little sister has already agreed, and you're still hesitating? Do you understand, your wife will run away if you keep going like this? [Chin resting on hand]