Chapter 59 "You treat other men the same way..."

She gripped the fan handle tightly with her fingertips, remaining motionless. Just now, when he was drinking the Heqin wine, his sleeves fell down, and Yuan Chaolu noticed a new wound on his wrist. The wound was small, like a scratch, but it had not been bandaged and was still bleeding.

What did he do that came so late tonight?

When Yuan Chao revealed his thoughts, he saw him rise without warning, followed by his gaze, and called out, "Your Majesty."

Xiao Zhuo turned around and looked at her. His expression was calm, completely different from his smiling appearance in the evening, which made Yuan Chaolu even more suspicious.

"Your Majesty returned very late, missing the auspicious hour. Did something happen tonight?"

She met his deep eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I have been waiting for you."

The moment he uttered the words "your humble servant," his eyebrows twitched slightly.

Yuan Chaolu walked around the table, lifting her elaborate skirt to stand before him, "Your Majesty, won't you explain something to me?"

Xiao Zhuo said, "You ask why I am late?"

He emphasized the word "you" slightly, looked at her silently for a while, and said, "On the way to Changqiu Palace, I met the Prince of Yan, and he pulled me aside and talked to me for a long time."

Yuan Chaolu stared blankly.

Xiao Zhuo said, "At the palace banquet tonight, the Prince of Yan got extremely drunk and almost lost his composure in front of many people. Before he could make a fool of himself, Zhong Changjun took him away. On my way back to Changqiu Palace, I encountered the Prince of Yan again."

Yuan Chaolu's heart pounded, and he suddenly realized that he really shouldn't have said that.

Xiao Zhuo gazed at her with his dark, cold eyes and said slowly, "He said that you are truly different in his heart. He really regrets breaking off the engagement with you. Every day he saw the Empress at the hunting grounds was like being tortured. He hesitated whether to beg me to take back your marriage with Pei Xi. He didn't expect that I would beat him to it. He said that he really likes you, but he has let you down."

Now, when Yuan Chaolu recalls her time with the Prince of Yan, she realizes that she did a lot of things that went beyond propriety in order to facilitate the marriage, and she also said a lot of flirtatious words.

The emperor has always been suspicious and his temperament is fickle... It seems that the Prince of Yan must have said a lot to him today, and the wound on his wrist was probably caused by the Prince of Yan accidentally scratching him.

Yuan Chaolu scrutinized the face, trying to see if he was truly angry.

But then Xiao Zhuo took a step to leave, and Yuan Chaolu quickly stepped forward to stop him, asking, "Where is Your Majesty going?"

Xiao Zhuo lowered his head and said, "I'm going out for some fresh air."

Yuan Chaolu said, "It's so late, Your Majesty. Where do you want to get some fresh air? If you feel hot, I will open the window for you."

Xiao Zhuo pursed his lips into a thin line, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and after a moment he took another step to walk out. Yuan Chaolu was now certain that he was truly dissatisfied, so she stepped forward again and stretched out her arm to block his way: "Don't go."

Xiao Zhuo asked, "Why?"

Yuan Chao's hair ornament, still adorning her temples, jingled as she tilted her head back. "Normally, Your Majesty wouldn't stop me from leaving, but not tonight. It's our wedding night. If Your Majesty leaves now, what will others think of me?"

Yuan Chaolu took a step closer, her gaze fixed intently on him.

"Before the marriage, I suggested that Your Majesty summon Prince Yan and clarify things so as not to cause any misunderstandings. It was Your Majesty who did not speak properly with Prince Yan, wasn't it? When Your Majesty conferred my title, you also knew that I had two fiancés before."

She dug her nails into her palms, unafraid to tilt her head back.

Xiao Zhuo said, "Then what do you want me to do?"

Yuan Chaolu opened his lips, about to utter the words that had asked him to stay, but when he looked into his deep, piercing eyes, the words stuck in his throat.

The red tassels on his hair ornaments dangled down to his fair ears, the gilded threads shimmering so brightly they were almost blinding to her.

Her ears were noticeably red as she said, "You stay."

Xiao Zhuo raised an eyebrow, looking at her unmoved.

Yuan Chaolu raised her hand to his chest and pushed him onto the bed. The gauze curtains fell behind her, and she casually took off her phoenix crown, the hairpins and ornaments jingling and scattered to the side. "Your Majesty, raise your hand, let me help you change your clothes."

Xiao Zhuo sat on the couch, looking up at her. The candlelight flickered in his unfathomable eyes. After a moment, he raised his arms and slowly stretched his body like a lazy leopard.

Yuan Chaolu reached under his arm and untied his ceremonial robes, waist sash, and accessories one by one.

The elaborate robes, layer upon layer, were breathed on the man's face with each breath as she approached. When the last layer of his inner garment was removed, fine beads of sweat appeared on Yuan Chaolu's forehead, yet he remained aloof, his gaze tracing her face.

Yuan Chaolu raised her eyelids to meet his gaze.

The young man was left with only a single garment, his lean waistline concealed beneath it, the candlelight outlining the muscle definition, reminding Yuan Chaolu once again of the cheetah he had kept.

Her foster mother had taught her many methods of taming animals, and she was quite confident in her animal-taming skills, but for the first time, she felt doubt when facing this man.

She suddenly grabbed his wrist and pressed him into the soft pillow.

Next, it was her turn to unbutton her robe.

The palace clock dripped softly. Although it was early autumn, a stifling heat still lingered in the deep palace. The candles on the lampstands inside the hall shone brightly, and wisps of heat seeped in through the curtains, making her feel unbearably hot.

Yuan Chaolu raised her hand, her fingertips touching her wedding dress, lingering there for a long time as if making a decision, before finally lowering her hand.

She knelt quietly beside him, letting her long black hair cascade down her silk skirt, and asked, "Your Highness, what else did you say?"

“There are many more,” Xiao Zhuo said softly, understanding her meaning; his empress was waiting for him to take the initiative.

“The Prince of Yan said that you had said some sweet words to him and to Pei Xi. At that time, Pei Xi was by his side and was advising the Prince of Yan not to drink anymore.”

"I don't think much of the Prince of Yan, so I won't care too much about him, but it's impossible for me to be completely unmoved. Are you trying to seduce the Prince of Yan in the same way you do to me?"

"Of course not!" Yuan Chaolu hurriedly denied, "Your Majesty, I feel very different from you."

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a deliberate upward inflection at the end, like a feather gently brushing against you. Her hand, which had been resting on the brocade quilt, slowly rose and rested against Xiao Zhuo's wrist.

"Your Majesty, there are female officials recording the official history outside tonight."

Those bright eyes had upturned corners, giving them a captivating, unspoken charm.

For a long time, Xiao Zhuo did not make a move. Yuan Chaolu frowned and then relaxed, looking at him with a wronged expression.

The new queen was filled with anxiety and took tonight's events very seriously. She spoke seductively to the king, yet also waited for him to make the first move.

She couldn't resist leaning forward, and as she braced herself against the king's side with one hand, her long, flowing black hair cascaded down, landing on either side of his face with a silky smoothness like satin.

Xiao Zhuo looked up and saw that her clothes were slightly open, revealing her fair skin as smooth as mutton fat jade. After bathing in fragrant oil, a continuous fragrance was emanating from her skin and bones, enveloping him.

A few stray hairs fell into her clothes, vaguely outlining her graceful curves, undulating gently.

Xiao Zhuo's gaze returned to her cheeks, noticing that they were flushed red.

He slowly raised his arm, his well-defined fingers hooking onto the thin ribbon of her skirt, and slowly pulled it open. Seeing that Yuan Chaolu's breathing was slightly sluggish and her eyelashes were trembling rapidly, he stopped and waited for her to calm down. She bit her lip as if urging him to continue, and he pulled on it repeatedly.

The sash was pulled open inch by inch by his fingertips, making a soft rustling sound, and finally slipped off like mist, revealing a pearly color.

Yuan Chaolu subconsciously raised her hand to block in front of her, but he had already reached out and run his hand through her black hair, pulling her hand around his waist.

"Don't move." His magnetic voice rang in her ear, his thumb tracing down her shoulder line, his gaze following the contours of her body.

Yuan Chaolu felt a surge of heat as soon as he came into view.

When he leaned down, his lips, like those of a tiger or leopard, landed on her neck, his warm breath making Yuan Chaolu feel her ears burning. She wanted to pull away, but his thumb pressed against her chin, forcing her to tilt her head back and expose more of her vulnerable side.

The man's broad chest pressed against her shoulders, his figure almost completely obscuring the light, blocking out most of the candlelight, making it impossible for her to push him away.

His lips moved slowly, gradually shifting from the side of his neck to the hollow of his collarbone, stirring a subtle shiver.

He held her heartstrings, his hand adorned with a jade thumb ring covering hers. Yuan Chaolu suddenly tilted her head back, her hand plunging into his hair ornament, "Your Majesty..."

But then he said, "The Empress's heart is beating so fast."

When Xiao Zhuo raised his eyes, his eyelashes cast a long, narrow shadow on his lower eyelids. "So fast, it made my lips go numb."

His thumb slowly moved down her back. Extreme embarrassment made her unwilling to be controlled by him anymore. Before she could break free, Xiao Zhuo had already captured her slender waist.

As a strategist who plans and schemes, he is well-versed in the art of advancing and retreating. After using his lips and fingers as vanguards, he made her breathless, but he was in no hurry to open the city gates and invade. He lingered on the banks of the moat, and even his advance was carefully calculated.

Then he braced his other strong arm against her side and exerted force suddenly. Yuan Chaolu's breath hitched, she bit her lip, and looked up at the top of the tent.

The initial feeling of receiving such favor was difficult to bear; the sensation was like the tide slowly rising and then gradually surging.

A blush gradually crimson settled at the corners of her eyes, her thoughts becoming chaotic and unprepared.

Her dark, cloud-like hair spread out on the cloud-patterned quilt, creating ripples as it swayed, and the woman's fingertips sank deeply into the silk.

Her voice was thick with emotion as she said, "Your Majesty's departure tonight regarding the Prince of Yan's matter is truly..."

Xiao Zhuo said, "I have no intention of leaving."

Yuan Chaolu was slightly stunned, nestled in the brocade quilt. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the candlelight flickering violently, casting shadows of varying depths on his angular face. He looked down at her, admiring her expression.

"I wouldn't leave you alone on our wedding night just because of what the Prince of Yan said. I was going out to instruct Zhong Changjun to bandage my wounds."

Yuan Chaolu gripped the brocade quilt tightly. It was in this moment of distraction that he seized the opportunity. The thin layer of sweat that seeped from her temples created a damp, fragrant mist on the brocade pillow.

Yuan Chaolu felt as if she were a bow drawn to its fullest extent, and he was the arrow being pulled back.

The curtain hooks struck the bedposts with a crisp sound.

Yuan Chaolu's consciousness was fragmented. At first, he could bite his lip and endure it, but later his eyes became redder and his defenses gradually collapsed. However, he seemed not to hear it and instead became even more violent.

His long eyebrows reached his temples, and his eyes looked even more beautiful when they were wet with sweat. At this moment, he stopped and looked at her, calling her in a low, husky voice: "Yuan Chaolu".

Yuan Chaolu couldn't say a word, she just looked at him with her watery eyes.

Looking at his damp, tousled hair, a desire spread through her eyes. Suddenly, she raised her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders, kissing his Adam's apple. "The past is the past. Now that I have married Your Majesty, we will be buried together in life and death. In this life, Your Majesty will be my only one."

She was deliberately trying to coax him at this moment.

Xiao Zhuo straightened up slightly at this, seeing her bright eyes and earnest expression.

A dark undercurrent surged in his eyes. In response, he suddenly exerted force, lowering his face to bite her earlobe...