Chapter 36 Clouds and Rain "Are you ready, Su Panyue?"

Su Panyue's arm inadvertently brushed against the man's exposed chest muscles, her mind going blank, unable to hear his question at all, only one thought in her mind:

[It feels so good! I want to touch it.]

Hearing her thoughts, Xie Lanzhou's smile widened. He put one arm around her waist and used the other to turn her head, which had been lowered.

"Are you not going to answer my questions anymore?"

Su Panyue realized what he had asked and quickly denied it, saying, "Of course it's not for anything else!"

【Absolutely must not be discovered!】

Xie Lanzhou, however, seemed not to hear her thoughts. He reached out and stroked her cheek, whispering, "That's just currying favor."

Looking into his unfathomable eyes, Su Panyue opened her mouth, unsure how to answer, only daring to shout in her heart:

Why are you looking at me like that? I might kiss you!

Then Xie Lanzhou moved the hand that was stroking her cheek back, firmly held the back of her head, and kissed her without hesitation.

This wasn't the first time the two had kissed, but Su Panyue clearly felt that this time was very different.

Their lips met, and he broke through her defenses, seemingly attacking, yet also like chasing and playing.

Su Panyue's breath was quickly taken away, and she subconsciously wanted to back away, but a large hand held her tightly at the lower back, making it impossible for her to move at all.

Seemingly sensing her slight struggle, the man's advances slowed, and his lip movements softened.

Su Panyue gradually relaxed, regained her breathing, and also regained her lustful courage, secretly sticking out her little tongue and curving it at the corner of the man's lips.

She felt the man's back stiffen, as if he had received some signal, and he raised his hand to turn her over.

So Su Panyue went from sitting sideways on his lap to facing him directly.

The sudden change in posture made Su Panyue feel a little uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but cross her legs, but to little avail.

He could only mutter to himself, "This...this isn't quite right, is it?"

But the man in front of her was staring straight at her, making her voice tremble slightly as she spoke: "Your Majesty, what is this?"

Xie Lanzhou suddenly took off his robe, revealing his strong upper body: "Take a look for me, see if the injury on this arm has healed."

Su Panyue was taken aback and turned to look at his arm. The inch-long wound had already scabbed over, leaving behind newly grown pink flesh.

I'm so damn stupid. He got such a long scar to save me, and I actually wanted to...

Xie Lanzhou listened to her thoughts without moving, and as his heart sank, he heard her continue thinking:

I actually wanted to sleep with him! What a sin!

"Your Majesty's injury should be healed by now," Su Panyue said, reaching out to gently touch the scar, then seemingly casually touching the muscles on his arm.

Xie Lanzhou said in an inscrutable tone, "Since there's no problem, it's time."

"What's the time to do?" Su Panyue didn't quite understand, staring blankly at the man's smiling eyes.

She was so engrossed in watching that she grew a little bolder and said, "Your Majesty looks so handsome when you smile; you should smile more often."

“If it weren’t for my sickly husband and mysterious guards, I should be smiling more,” Xie Lanzhou said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Su Panyue didn't understand what he was saying, but she wasn't in the mood to listen to him either, because her almond-shaped eyes were very busy, sometimes looking at his incredibly handsome face, and sometimes secretly glancing down at his abs.

I couldn't help but exclaim, "Isn't this just tempting me? Who could resist...?"

Xie Lanzhou chuckled softly, causing Su Panyue, who was wearing a shaved shirt, to tremble slightly. Then, she stared wide-eyed in surprise.

How does the dragon's root rise?

As she stared in disbelief, wondering if she was imagining things, the man leaned back against the wide armchair.

Looking at his slightly panting chest, Su Panyue finally confirmed that it wasn't her imagination; she was truly being pressed against.

She gently moved her body backward, trying to climb off him, but someone grabbed her arm and instead pulled her into his arms.

He seemed even hotter than before, and Su Panyue felt herself being burned by his heat. Even the two ice chests placed in the corner of the imperial study lost their effect, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

With her hands braced against his chest, Su Panyue struggled to maintain a tiny gap between them, her eyes darting around in a panic, not daring to meet his aggressive gaze.

Just as she was anxiously and expectantly waiting for his next move, the man's slightly hoarse voice came from beside her ear: "Are you ready, Su Panyue?"

The last three words floated lightly, like a feather brushing past, yet they made Su Panyue's heart pound like a drum.

She tilted her head slightly to look at him, pursing her lips as she thought: [You actually asked me about something like this? Of course I can!!]

But should I play hard to get? Otherwise, it might seem like I'm being too forward.

Just as Su Panyue was struggling with her own thoughts, he suddenly picked her up.

The man's strong hands supported her thighs, and he walked steadily towards the chaise lounge beside her.

Afraid of falling, Su Panyue disregarded her shyness and wrapped her arms around his neck.

As he gently placed her into the brocade quilt on the chaise longue, Su Panyue inevitably blushed, imagining what would happen next.

Seeing that Xie Lanzhou was looking down at her, she closed her eyes on her own, only to hear the man's smiling voice above her: "Are you reluctant to let me go?"

Su Panyue opened her eyes and then remembered that she was still holding his neck with both hands. She quickly let go, feeling both embarrassed and ashamed.

Then they saw a shirtless man walk toward the door.

Lying in bed, Su Panyue thought in disbelief: [They're leaving already? Is this even okay?]

Immediately afterwards, he heard him say something to Eunuch Fu, who was guarding outside the door, and then lock the door from the inside, and turn to walk towards the bed.

Realizing she had misunderstood, Su Panyue silently pulled the thin blanket over herself and watched him approach step by step with a slightly nervous expression.

Xie Lanzhou smiled, leaned down to completely envelop her, and kissed her rosy lips again, his long, slender fingers also busy at work.

Su Panyue exclaimed in surprise, feeling something she had never experienced before, as if something had uncontrollably soaked her dress.

"No, no, no more." Her cheeks flushed, and she reached out to grab his mischievous hand. But when she spoke, her voice took several turns, making even herself feel a little shy.

Xie Lanzhou was obedient. He stopped and rubbed the glistening substance on his fingers, loosened the sash around her waist, and then began to peel away the intricate petals layer by layer.

Su Panyue's limbs felt weak and powerless. When she reached out to stop him, it was more like a silent invitation, which made him move even faster.

Just when it seemed that peeling any more would be pointless, Su Panyue finally managed to utter two words: "Turn off the lights."

Xie Lanzhou remained obedient, raising his hand to create a gust of wind that extinguished most of the candles in the hall.

Under the dim light, every breath and movement was magnified, and the whispers were especially clear.

"Wait, wait, is this the place?"

"yes."

"Don't go any further, it hurts so much, wait a minute, wait a minute."

Stuck in this awkward position, Xie Lanzhou broke out in a cold sweat, feeling that he had never been so tormented in his life.

After dawdling for a while longer, Su Panyue's heart began to stir with anticipation: [Why aren't they here yet?]

Xie Lanzhou had a sudden thought and slowly lowered his body, but then he heard the agonizing cries of pain in her heart, so he had to stop again.

This happened many times, and both of them were feeling unwell, especially Xie Lanzhou, whose temples were bulging with veins, his eyes were red, and he was panting heavily as he lay on the bed.

Su Panyue was also feeling bad. There was a handsome man in front of her, but she was not fortunate enough to enjoy him. She cursed herself for being useless in her heart, but she still whispered, "Maybe... we should just forget about it?"

Xie Lanzhou was so angry she almost laughed. Her eyes were fixed on the person who had reached down, as if she would devour her if she said another word.

"Just bear with it."

Accompanied by his unusually hoarse voice and a sigh, Su Panyue's sobbing suddenly grew louder, and an unprecedented feeling rushed straight to her brain.

"Don't move, please don't move, sob sob," she said, her voice trembling with tears, but Xie Lanzhou was no longer obedient.

After a brief pause, he began, still trying to comfort her verbally, but his actions were anything but hesitant.

After a few breaths, Su Panyue actually found some enjoyment in it, and her sobbing changed tone, as if adding fuel to a fire and making it burn even more fiercely.

Fortunately, Xie Lanzhou had already instructed Eunuch Fu to dismiss the palace servants guarding the area, so the nightingale could only sing for him alone.

In the latter half, Su Panyue was even picked up by him and carried back to the table.

Xie Lanzhou pulled a soft blanket over the table and gently placed her on it. He seemed gentle, but only his hand movements were slow and gentle.

"Didn't you want to see the military map?" Xie Lanzhou pinned her against the table, where the military map depicting the attack on the Yan Kingdom was right in front of her.

But Su Panyue couldn't even hear what he said, let alone see it. Her voice was broken and intermittent as she begged for mercy, hoping he would slow down, but to no avail.

The military map on the table was wet, the ink had blurred, and it stood there forlornly, untouched.

In the latter half of the night, Su Panyue became limp and helpless, completely at the mercy of others. She could vaguely feel someone cleaning and washing her, and it seemed that someone was whispering something in her ear, but she couldn't remember the content at all.

The following afternoon, Su Panyue slowly woke up and found herself lying on a bed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. As for how she got there, she had no recollection whatsoever.

Feixue Feiyan, who was guarding outside the palace, entered the palace after hearing the commotion and asked, "Your Highness, you're awake."

Su Panyue agreed, but was startled by her own hoarse voice as soon as she opened her mouth. Fortunately, Feixue reacted quickly and went to the table to pour a glass of water and handed it to her, saying, "You've slept for too long, have some water to soothe your nerves."

Su Panyue gratefully accepted the drink and downed it in one gulp. She noticed Feixue glancing at her, then blushed and lowered her head.

Confused, she looked down at her bare arms. Several finger marks were clearly visible on her wrists and arms. When she quietly lifted the blanket, the marks were even more shocking. There were even two rings of finger marks on her exposed ankles.

Some indescribable memories flooded her mind, and even Su Panyue blushed. She pulled the quilt up to cover herself completely, leaving only her small face exposed. Little did she know that her rosy, slightly swollen lips still betrayed something.

Feixue, being older, immediately asked something else to ease Su Panyue's embarrassment, "Would you like to eat now, Your Highness?"

"What time is it?" Su Panyue glanced at the slightly setting sun. She was a little hungry, but based on her experience, the Imperial Kitchen probably didn't have any suitable food at this time of year.

Feixue replied, "It's early Shenshi (3-5 PM). His Majesty has instructed the kitchen to keep your food ready so you can eat whenever you wake up."

Unexpectedly, Xie Lanzhou was so considerate. Su Panyue silently forgave his terrible behavior from yesterday and then prepared to get up. However, as soon as she moved, her whole body ached, and she felt like her body was falling apart. She silently cursed that awful man a few more times in her heart.

After finally getting up and finishing her meal, Feiyan brought over two small jars.

"What is this for?" Su Panyue asked curiously.

Feixue replied, "This is the medicine I prepared for you. Please apply some after you finish your meal."

"What kind of medicine is it for?" Su Panyue asked, puzzled.

Then she saw Feixue give her a meaningful look and whisper a few words. Su Panyue quickly stopped her, "Okay, okay, I know, I'll apply it myself, you go ahead and do your work."

Feixue smiled and agreed. As she was leaving, she ran into Xie Lanzhou and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Xie Lanzhou waved for her to leave and went into the hall himself.

Su Panyue had already heard him arrive. As usual, she would have gotten up to greet him, but her body ached all over and the lingering effects of last night's bed made her reluctant to get up. So she lay lazily on the bed, pulled the blanket over her face, and pretended not to hear anything.

Xie Lanzhou seemed to be in a very good mood. He sat down on the edge of the bed and called her twice but received no response. He was not annoyed. Instead, he lowered his body and said in a deep voice, "Not going to speak? Then I will have to apply the medicine for you."

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Author's Note: I know there are some typos [covering face and peeking] They really went all out for this young couple.