Chapter 46 I will naturally bless you and Yuan Chaolu. ...

The narrow cave entrance was dimly lit, and the sweltering air made one feel as if they were trapped in an oven.

When he called her "sister," his soft voice brushed against her cheek, making Yuan Chaolu want to cover her ears, but she remained leaning against the wall, feeling the lingering warmth of his lips on her fingertips.

After arriving at the hunting grounds, she kept reassuring herself that even if the emperor, a saintly and virtuous man, coveted her, he wouldn't really show it so obviously. But at this moment, when he truly revealed his wolfish nature and wanted to do something to her, Yuan Chaolu was completely unable to stop him.

The emperor said that her previous two fiancés were not good men and were not suitable for her, so she should find another suitable husband. But does that person have to be the emperor?

If she had a choice, she would never have married a man like him.

However, the only thing Yuan Chaolu cared about was revenge. Marriage was merely a means to find protection. She was not opposed to marrying anyone, and she did not come to Luoyang for love, as long as the other party could be her stepping stone.

Especially this young king before him, who held the reins of power over the world, could turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist, and there was nothing he couldn't do.

Since leaving his Xile Palace yesterday, Yuan Chaolu has figured this out.

A sharp, piercing sensation came from the wall behind her, reminding her where she was.

He wasn't in a hurry, as if he were waiting to close the net on his prey. He patiently waited for her to speak, his fingertips tracing her wrist bones, reminding her again and again how he had kissed her.

He moved even closer, so close that their noses were almost touching. Yuan Chaolu was enveloped by his tall figure and enveloped in his breath.

The woman's riding attire clung tightly to the man's military uniform, and the friction of the fabrics added to the sense of oppression.

As Yuan Chaolu breathed, her chest rose and fell. They were so close, and it was the height of summer. The ambiguous feelings between the man and woman were palpable, and the temperature kept rising.

Unable to bear the romantic atmosphere, Yuan Chaolu finally raised her head and said, "Your Majesty says I am biased, but I promised Lord Pei the marriage because he treated me with great kindness, and we both had feelings for each other, which is why I solemnly agreed. But Your Majesty..."

"Your Majesty is always strict with me, and that's how it is perceived by outsiders. It's clear that Your Majesty dislikes me very much."

She gradually fell silent, her eyes fixed on him.

The emperor chuckled softly, his voice still echoing in the cave, reaching Yuan Chaolu's ears again and again. She raised her hand to cover his lips, but he held it and pressed it against the stone wall.

"You mean I'm not as considerate or gentle as Lord Pei, so you should reconsider?"

The two pressed closer together, and Yuan Chaolu struggled to breathe. He heard Yuan Chaolu laugh and say, "It's clearly you who owes me a favor, yet it seems like I'm the one begging you? A person should have a conscience."

Yuan Chaolu's red lips parted slightly: "How dare I, your humble servant?"

The footsteps outside the cave grew closer and closer. Just as they were about to reach her, he spoke again, calling her name in a voice that was neither loud nor soft. His lips moved down her chin, forcing her to give an answer. Yuan Chaolu's breathing became heavier and heavier, but she still refused to give in, saying, "I need to think about it some more."

He said, “The longer it drags on, the more I want. Everything you’ve promised him, I naturally can’t ask for less than you can ask for.”

These words greatly shocked Yuan Chaolu. What did he want? An intimate relationship, one that went beyond that of an ordinary couple…

"Why are you so nervous? Are you afraid your fiancé will discover me?"

He pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped the fine sweat from her palms.

The sound of horses' hooves outside the cave never returned, and Yuan Chaolu slowly pushed him away. Once the forest was completely quiet, Yuan Chaolu immediately walked out of the woods.

When they returned to the lakeside, the men and horses were gone. Xiao Zhuo mounted his horse, and Yuan Chaolu suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty."

Xiao Zhuo looked down and saw Yuan Chaolu come forward and take his horse.

The evening breeze ruffled her clothes, and her eyes, resolute, shone even brighter in the evening light: "Your Majesty, I am a woman of conscience and will repay your kindness."

She smiled slightly, her lips glossy. "But Lord Pei is so considerate, taking care of me in every little detail and cherishing me. He is truly very good to me, and I can't bear to let him down. Will Your Majesty treat me the same way?"

The emperor looked down at her, his expression gradually turning indifferent, and chuckled: "Comparing him to me, Yuan Chaolu, you're quite something."

Seeing his arrogant expression, Yuan Chaolu felt relieved and loosened his reins.

**

The emperor had important business to attend to in the evening, and the two parted ways by the lake.

Xiao Zhuo walked for a while and saw that Lin Bianzhong had been waiting for a long time.

"Your Majesty, the warriors' competition is nearing its end and they await Your Majesty's arrival."

Xiao Zhuo nodded, and then Zhong Changjun took the scriptures handed to him by the attendant beside him. Zhong Changjun said, "Your Majesty, these are Buddhist scriptures sent by the Prince of Yan this afternoon."

He hesitated, then, seeing that the Emperor was urging him to speak, he said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember that you denied your relationship with that Miss Zhou Aju to His Highness Prince Yan at the Martial Arts Review Ground? If His Highness Prince Yan were to find out about your affair with the Second Miss, I'm afraid..."

"You are reminding me that I should know when to stop. Miss Yuan's identity involves many things."

Zhong Changjun was startled and hurriedly tried to kneel down: "This servant deserves to die. This servant only noticed that His Majesty has been paying more and more attention to the Second Miss these past few days..."

"I know."

Xiao Zhuo's dark eyes were unfathomable. His fingertips brushed against the passing branches, his face reflecting the dappled light and shadow.

He was well-versed in the ways of a ruler, knowing what was permissible and what was not.

Knowing that lust can consume one's reason and one should not fall into it, I have always adhered to the principle of calmness and self-control.

He knew everything.

As if knowing that he had specially ordered Pei Xi to preside over the warrior competition today, he knew that they would definitely come to the forest in the afternoon. He shouldn't have brought Yuan Chaolu along for the hunt, and he shouldn't have let her ride that conspicuous heavenly horse. Of course, his meticulous minister would have noticed.

But he did it anyway.

Xiao Zhuo's lips curled up slightly, a hint of pleasure flashing in his eyes.

On and around the high platform, a vast array of officials stood respectfully, all awaiting the arrival of the emperor.

When the emperor appeared, all the officials knelt down in turn and shouted "Long live the emperor!"

The burly warrior who won first place was led before the emperor. The emperor clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Judging from your horsemanship and archery skills, you are the bravest in the army and deserve the title of warrior."

Amidst the resounding cheers, the warrior received his reward. The emperor's gaze swept over the crowd below the stage, finally settling on Pei Xi.

Xiao Zhuo said, "Thank you for your hard work today, Minister Pei."

"I dare not." Pei Xi, dressed in a neat military robe, remained calm and bowed deeply to the emperor.

The competition lasted all afternoon, but the emperor's personal appearance was only a brief moment.

After exchanging pleasantries with his ministers, the emperor descended from the high platform. As he passed Pei Xi, he said, "Minister Pei, you have worked hard. I have prepared a generous gift to reward you."

Pei Xi slowly raised his eyelids. In the twilight, the emperor was handsome and had the appearance of a celestial being: "I will naturally bless your marriage to Miss Yuan. Please also convey my regards to Miss Yuan."

Pei Xi's expression remained unchanged as he bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

**

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the sky crimson. After the archery competition, the soldiers dispersed in twos and threes, and the high platform gradually became deserted.

Pei Xi stood alone on the high platform, gazing at the blurry outline of the distant mountains. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching, and someone patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Lord Pei, you haven't left yet?"

Not yet.

Lu Changli led his men back to his tent. Night had fallen completely, and the flickering candlelight cast two figures sitting opposite each other onto the tent flaps. No noise could penetrate the heavy curtains.

Lu Changli pushed a letter over with his slender fingers. "What do you think?"

“He Lanyi sent a letter, wanting to form a marriage alliance with my Lu family. He had previously intended to match his sister with me, but I politely declined.”

He tapped the words "Runlan" lightly with his fingertip. "This time, however, Runlan was mentioned."

Pei Xi carefully read through the paper, meticulously folded it along the original creases, and handed it back: "The marriage between the Lu family and the Helan family will naturally benefit both sides, but one is a civil official and the other is a military general, with powerful and complex forces behind them. I'm afraid that if this marriage is presented to the Emperor, His Majesty may not approve it."

"That's exactly why I declined Helan Yi's offer before. But this time is different. Runlan was rescued by a member of the Helan family and took the initiative to agree to the marriage. Moreover, the person she is marrying is not Helan Yi, but a member of a collateral branch of the Helan family. The Empress Dowager already dotes on her, so His Majesty will naturally—"

Seeing Lu Changli smiling, clearly confident, Pei Xi said, "Since the Empress Dowager is involved, it shouldn't be a problem. But you must be careful of Helan Yi. Judging from his ruthless methods in battle, he is definitely not a kind person."

Lu Changli placed the letter by the candle, watching the flames climb up and burn the letter to ashes, and said, "His Majesty has been in a very good mood lately, so take advantage of these few days to have Runlan personally go to His Majesty's presence."

He turned around and saw Pei Xi holding a teacup, his brows furrowed, unusually lost in thought today. He asked, "How are things going with Yuan Chaolu?"

Pei Xi said, "Very good."

Lu Changli said, "Is that so? But you seem a bit off today."

Lu Changli said, "That day you came before me and said that Yuan Chaolu killed Lu Yu, which really surprised me. She is indeed extremely audacious. The Empress Dowager wanted to marry her to Lu Yu, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to succeed. Lu Yu's reputation is already ruined, and it just so happens that the court is clearing up the injustices of the previous dynasty and treating the former officials well. How could they marry the daughter of the former Minister of Works to him? Even if this marriage were presented to His Majesty, His Majesty would not approve it."

Lu Changli stroked the edge of the teacup and said, "His life was a disgrace to the family. The family had long wanted to get rid of him. Now that he has died silently, everyone is happy. It's just that he died at the hands of Yuan Chaolu."

He looked up and said, "Pei Xi, she should be grateful. You must protect her and tell her you like her and want to marry her."

The story unfolded as follows: Pei Xi made no attempt to conceal the truth and revealed in detail that Yuan Chaolu had committed murder. Out of consideration for their long-standing friendship, Lu Changli agreed not to pursue the matter further and even granted him permission to marry Yuan Chaolu.

After all, Lu Changli also needed to place a pair of eyes watching Yuan Chaolu. Just because Yuan Chaolu hadn't yet discovered what happened back then didn't mean she wouldn't in the future.

And this can also be a good thing for brothers, so why not do it?

With Pei Xi's shrewdness and methods, how could Yuan Chaolu possibly outmaneuver him? She would only be firmly trapped in Pei Xi's palm and would never be able to cause any trouble.

Lu Changli asked, "Have you ever heard Yuan Chaolu reveal anything else about the Lu family?"

Pei Xi looked at Lu Changli's gentle face and smiled, "Of course not. If I had, I would have told you."

Lu Changli stood up, took a small, exquisite silver box, Pei Xi opened it, and a sweet fragrance wafted out. He closed the box and asked, "What is this?"

"This is for you, an aphrodisiac fragrance. You can use it for your bedroom pleasures after marriage."

Pei Xi chuckled: "When did Lord Lu begin to keep this?"

Lu Changli sighed: "The offerings below were originally intended for the Empress Dowager to use by the Gao family's daughter, but they have turned out to be completely useless."

The two exchanged a glance, and Pei Xi understood. He put the silver box into his sleeve, stood up, and said, "Alright."

Pei Xi lifted the curtain and stepped out, the warmth in his eyes slowly cooling.

With the Milky Way shining brightly overhead, he walked back through the grass, finally able to calm down and reflect on his encounter with the Pegasus in the hunting forest that afternoon.

His gaze slowly rose and fell on the distance. Inside Yuan Chaolu's tent, the candlelight was still burning, casting a dim yellow hue in the night.

**

Inside the tent, Yuan Chaolu had just finished bathing, changed into an undergarment, and simply draped a silk skirt over her shoulders.

She waited quietly for Qi Yu's arrival. She had suffered from nightmares again last night and was unable to break free. Even the fragrant wood from the Western Regions was of no use, so she had no choice but to ask her to come over.

There was a commotion behind her from the curtain. Yuan Chaolu turned around, thinking it was Qi Yu, but saw a tall figure lift the curtain and walk in.

Yuan Chaolu asked, "Why has Your Majesty come?"

Xiao Zhuo had already entered and sat down behind the table, smiling slightly as he said, "What, cousin, don't you welcome me?"

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The author's note: Your Majesty has become so engrossed in being a mistress that you've forgotten to say you won't indulge in lust.