The emperor chuckled, "My beloved concubine, how about I call you 'Love Pig' from now on?"

"I'll beat you up every day, how would you feel?" Qiao Qiu raised an eyebrow and said calmly.

"My beloved concubine, can't you act like a lady?"

"Tsk, Your Majesty, have you forgotten what title I had before?"

The emperor chuckled softly, "My beloved concubine, have you not answered my question yet?"

"When?" Although Qiao Qiu prefers staying at home, she also likes to travel.

"the day after tomorrow."

Qiao Qiu nodded. "Okay, I'll go."

"My beloved concubine..."

"What?"

"Our son came out anxiously."

"Huh? Son?"

Before Qiao Qiu could even process what was happening, the emperor pounced on her and pinned her to the bed. As his clothes were stripped off, Qiao Qiu even had time to think that the emperor's undressing skills were indeed quite impressive.

...

Time flew by. Qiao Qiu felt like she had fallen asleep, woken up, turned over, slept again, and woke up again, and it was already time to leave the palace.

This time, the emperor went out in plain clothes, accompanied only by Qiao Qiu and a few guards, which can be said to be a very low-key departure from the palace.

The first place we went to was the Prime Minister's residence.

Before his arrival, the emperor had not informed Prime Minister Qiao, so the prime minister was filled with trepidation at his arrival.

Qiao Qiu didn't understand why the emperor had brought her to the prime minister's residence.

However, the emperor did not stay for long. He stayed one night, visited Qiao Qiu's former boudoir, and then left the Prime Minister's residence.

After leaving the Prime Minister's residence, the Emperor took Qiao Qiu shopping, where they tried almost everything fun and delicious. They played for two or three days before moving on to the next place.

Qiao Qiu followed the emperor around, always keeping up with his every move. She was always clever; if she hadn't sensed anything amiss after all these days, she wouldn't be able to stay in this world. However, since the emperor didn't tell her anything, she was fine and continued to eat and play as if it were a vacation.

On the lush green grass by the river, the emperor held her as they sat down to admire the scenery. "You're quite composed," he remarked.

Qiao Qiu waved a foxtail grass erratically, saying, "I just came out to have some fun."

The emperor chuckled, "You certainly have a broad mind."

Qiao Qiu has always done things as she pleased. Perhaps life doesn't always allow people to be so carefree, but she quite likes the present. No one is watching her, and once she leaves the palace, she doesn't need to worry about the Empress Dowager.

In fact, Qiao Qiu felt that she had never lived her life according to her own wishes. She just wanted to elevate herself and forgot her original intentions.

It's good to have turned things around now, even though the road has been a bit winding, it's better than the beginning.

"What's wrong with being easygoing? If I were too cunning, you'd probably have to hide from me if you saw me."

"It's good that you're shrewd. Don't forget, there are many women in the palace. Apart from the new ones who are less cunning, the others are all seasoned veterans. I can't protect you every moment, so you need to have some means to protect yourself."

"Hey, what if I can't have children?" Qiao Qiu suddenly thought of this question and looked up at the emperor.

"Unable to...have a child?" The emperor frowned. "What's wrong with your health?"

Qiao Qiu didn't know how to explain it. This was a world created by a curse, and the Qiao family could not reproduce here, so she was infertile.

"I mean, if not every woman in the world can have children, then even I would face the same risks."

"It's alright, then we'll adopt one to inherit the throne." Hearing that she was alright, the emperor's heart, which had been pounding, immediately settled back into his stomach.

Qiao Qiu knelt up, grabbed his collar, looked into his eyes, and said, "Remember what you said today."

The emperor was taken aback, then nodded.

Qiao Qiu released his collar, then leaned back into his arms, squinting her eyes and slightly raising the corners of her mouth, "What brought you out this time?"

"So that I could take you out to play."

"If you don't say that when things get serious, I'm leaving."

"Hey, why are you so easily amused?" The emperor hugged her and said, "Let me tell you, a few days ago there were many unfamiliar faces coming and going in Shengjing. In several small towns around, a lot of people gathered. I investigated the source and it was Shengjing, but I couldn't find out exactly who they were, and it also involved many ministers."

"You suspected them of plotting a rebellion, so you simply left the palace and used yourself as bait." Qiao Qiu raised an eyebrow, stepped out of his arms, and looked at him. "Are you crazy?!"

The emperor laughed and said, "With you by my side, I have nothing to fear."

Qiao Qiu clicked her tongue. "You really are carefree. If so many people attacked, how could I, a weak woman, protect you? I've never seen you use martial arts before. By the way, do you know martial arts? Tell the truth. If I find out you're lying, you'll be kneeling on a washboard in the Imperial Bedchamber."

The emperor tried to speak several times but was interrupted each time. After hearing the rest, he couldn't help but laugh, "I, the emperor, have no imperial dignity whatsoever in front of you."

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"I won't."

"What?!" Qiao Qiu thought she had misheard.

"I really don't know how," the emperor reiterated, looking at Qiao Qiu with sincere eyes.

“…I believe you now.” Qiao Qiu thought so too. When she pushed him earlier, although she didn’t control her strength well, she didn’t deliberately use any force either. If the emperor knew martial arts, he definitely wouldn’t have stumbled back several steps and been unable to stand steadily.

"My beloved concubine, how skilled are you in martial arts?" the emperor asked, looking at her expectantly.

Qiao Qiu looked at the river, unable to bear it any longer, and said, "I can beat you."

"……oh."

“These guards, even the last few combined, are no match for me.” For some reason, Qiao Qiu felt a pang of pity seeing his somewhat disappointed expression.

The emperor smiled and hugged her. "My beloved concubine is so adorable. I know you still haven't told the whole truth. I won't ask anymore."

Qiao Qiu looked at the river and smiled.

After that, they continued to travel and enjoy themselves, but they understood each other even more deeply.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the emperor and Qiao Qiu still had not encountered any danger. Not to mention the assassins, even the troops that the emperor had ordered to be on guard had not made a move.

"Your Majesty, you have miscalculated," Qiao Qiu said with a smile.

"Then let's go back to the palace." The emperor tapped her nose.

"good."

The two acted on impulse, packing their things and setting off early the next morning. Because they had gotten up so early, Qiao Qiu, who couldn't get up until late morning, continued to sleep in the carriage. The emperor let her be and slept with her.

At this moment, on a distant high slope, dozens of men dressed in black stood there. Their faces were covered with black masks and their heads were wrapped in black cloth, with only their eyes showing.

The person standing at the very front kept his gaze fixed on the only carriage in the caravan of a dozen or so people below, without a trace of emotion.