Chapter 119: Was she punishing him, or was he punishing her?

Bang!

As expected, Lang Zhi kicked open Qingyue's door.

"Daughter!" Lang Zhi looked at Su Yuyao, who was kneeling at Qing Yue's feet, crying her eyes out. He could no longer contain his anger. His eyes turned red as he roared, "Tuan Yue! You hit her again?!"

"Langzhi! Hey..." Qingyue looked at Langzhi's head full of eyeballs, wanting to get angry, but couldn't. This stinky spider! All he knows is spoiling the child!

Seeing that Qingyue didn't argue with him or hit Su Yuyao again, Langzhi didn't want to get angry anymore, so he rolled his eyes back.

Xuanfeng rushed in to help Su Yuyao up, but Su Yuyao threw a tantrum, twisting her body and refusing to get up.

"Yao'er! If you don't want to get up, then you can stay kneeling!"

Qingyue sat down with a stern face, coldly looking at the two hopeless lumps of mud in the room. "You want to protect her? Go ahead and protect her! This is only in front of me. If she were to slap Mother Yi like this in front of her, do you think she would still be alive?!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yuyao realized she had made a grave mistake. No matter how much Xuanfeng liked or doted on her, he was, after all, the Heavenly Emperor! How could she possibly lay a hand on the Heavenly Emperor?!

She quietly raised her head and glanced at Xuanfeng standing beside her.

Xuanfeng was also looking at his maid, Su Yuyao, who was kneeling at his feet, secretly looking at him with wet eyes, her eyes filled with guilt and a trace of regret.

He then reached out to Su Yuyao.

Su Yuyao glanced cautiously at Qingyue, whose expression was serious, and dared not make any rash moves.

Langzhi scratched his head, chuckled, moved next to Qingyue, and sat down gently.

“Tuan Yue, we all know you're doing this for your daughter's own good, but... well... let's teach her slowly…”

“Teach her slowly? Do we have time? They’re already together!” Qingyue looked at Su Yuyao with heartache. “In a few days, I’ll ask the Goddess Yi Mu to give Yao’er a title. If it’s a female maiden, that would be even better. If we can’t get a female maiden title, we’ll ask for a fairy title. At least she’ll be considered a member of the Heavenly Palace. We’ll ask for a marriage arrangement after Fei Hua’s mourning period is over!”

"I disagree!" Xuanfeng said.

"Why?!" Su Yuyao thought Qingyue's idea was great. If she were Xuanfeng's maiden, she could openly declare herself Xuanfeng's woman in the Heavenly Palace!

"I want to marry Yaya as my fairy wife! A lawfully wedded, principal fairy wife!" Xuanfeng said earnestly. "If she were Nü'e, she wouldn't have the chance to be my principal wife!"

"Then why don't you just not marry the first wife?" Su Yuyao said, tilting her head up. "As long as you don't marry the first wife, I am the first wife! Unless... you don't want to marry me at all..."

"Girl!" Xuan Feng was angered by Su Yuyao's words. "How could I not want to marry you?!"

"How do I know if it's possible or not? Anyway, there are so many people lining up to warm your bed!" Su Yuyao said angrily.

"Girl!"

Su Yuyao pouted and stood up, saying to Xuanfeng, "There's a girl in that room who wants to be a concubine! Go find her! I'll sleep with the Empress tonight!"

After saying that, Su Yuyao ignored Qing Yue's stern look and crawled back into bed.

"Girl! Stop fooling around!" Xuanfeng ignored Qingyue's ugly expression and rushed to the bedside.

"Yao'er! Xuanfeng!" Qingyue stood up angrily and said, "If you two want to fight, go back inside!"

"Tuan Yue, why are you angry again!" Lang Zhi finally found an opportunity to pull Qing Yue into his arms. "Let the two children talk it out themselves, let's not interfere..."

"Girl! You know Feihua isn't thinking straight, and you're still jealous?!"

"What am I jealous of?!" Su Yuyao sat up abruptly, glaring at Xuanfeng. "I'm not angry at Feihua! I'm angry at you!"

"What happened to me?! I didn't do anything!"

"That's right! You didn't do anything! Feihua said she wanted to be your concubine, why didn't you refuse?!"

"Why should I refuse? You know perfectly well that it's impossible..."

"I know it's impossible! So you're not even going to say a word?" Su Yuyao shouted angrily. "You think Feihua is not sober now, so you don't have to refuse. But what if someone else wants to be your bedmate tomorrow? Are you still not going to refuse then?!"

"Who would want to be my concubine?!" Xuanfeng also became agitated.

"Is it because no one else is doing it? Not because you don't want to?!" Su Yuyao questioned, her eyes wide.

"Oh dear! No..." Xuanfeng covered his forehead, sighed, and didn't know how to explain.

"Xuanfeng! Get out!" Qingyue could also see that the two of them were not on the same page at all, and arguing any further would only make things worse.

"Auntie!" Xuanfeng was more agitated than ever before. "I..."

"Get out!" Qingyue pulled Xuanfeng to the door and said softly, "Yao'er is angry! You're not calm either! Let me try to talk to her!"

"Lord Xuanfeng! Please come with me!" Langzhi, his face dark, grabbed Xuanfeng's shoulder and forcibly led him into the courtyard.

"Lord Langzhi!" Xuanfeng glared at Langzhi's hand on his shoulder. "Take it off!"

"Get out of my way!" Lang Zhi said rudely. "You're not going to be able to explain this to my daughter now!"

Xuanfeng rolled his eyes at Langzhi.

"Hmph!" Lang Zhi sneered, "You don't need to be unconvinced! Do you know where your problem lies?"

Xuanfeng didn't want to pay attention to Langzhi, but he really didn't know what was wrong with him, so he forced himself to ask, "What's wrong with me?"

"Attitude!" Langzhi said, pointing at Xuanfeng's nose.

"Attitude?" Xuanfeng frowned and said, "Wasn't my attitude good enough?"

"It's not a matter of good or bad! It's just..." Lang Zhi smiled wickedly and said, "You should communicate with my daughter about your own attitude!"

"In terms of attitude?"

“It’s like a concubine! You should say that no matter who comes to be your concubine, you won’t agree! Instead of saying that no one will be your concubine! By saying that, aren’t you just leaving yourself an excuse?” Langzhi patted Xuanfeng’s chest and said, “Do you understand?”

Xuanfeng seemed to understand. He glanced at Langzhi and said reluctantly, "I understand."

As dusk approached, Xuanfeng waited in the courtyard, but Su Yuyao didn't come out. "That brat, is she really going to sleep with her aunt tonight?!"

He hesitated for a moment before walking to Qingyue's door, then pushed it open and peeked inside. He saw Qingyue leaning against the headboard, with Su Yuyao lying on Qingyue's lap, wiping away tears.

"Your Majesty..." Su Yuyao sobbed, "Xuanfeng actually argued with me... Is he... really going to find a concubine..."

"Silly child! What kind of person is Xuanfeng?!" Qingyue stroked Su Yuyao's head and gently advised her.

“He said it himself… he doesn’t have a maidservant because no one has asked to be his maidservant… if someone had offered to… he would definitely… agree…” As she spoke, Su Yuyao started crying again.

"Where did he say such a thing?"

Su Yuyao sobbed, "He didn't say it like that... but... that's what he meant..."

"Yao'er! Don't make wild guesses about Xuanfeng's intentions! You know perfectly well that's not what he meant! You're just making yourself miserable!" Qingyue held Su Yuyao's hand and examined it carefully. "Does your hand still hurt?"

"My hand doesn't hurt..." Su Yuyao sobbed twice, "but... my heart hurts so much..."

Xuanfeng finally couldn't hold back any longer and stepped into the house, looking at Qingyue somewhat embarrassedly, "Aunt... I... want to..."

Upon hearing Xuan Feng's voice, Su Yuyao quickly sat up and looked over with teary eyes.

“Girl, I…” Xuanfeng wanted to admit his mistake and coax Su Yuyao, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it because Qingyue was there.

Qingyue noticed Xuanfeng's embarrassment and also understood Su Yuyao's thoughts, so she stood up and said, "You two should have a good talk! Yao'er! Don't throw a tantrum!"

Su Yuyao watched Qingyue leave the room respectfully before rolling her eyes at Xuanfeng and saying, "What are you doing here?! Weren't you going to find a maidservant?"

Xuanfeng glanced at the doorway and then at the window, making sure no one was there. He then gently knelt on the footstool and reached for Su Yuyao's hand. "Girl, I was wrong!"

"What's wrong?"

"I...I was wrong in my attitude..." Xuanfeng recalled Langzhi's words and said firmly, "I...I would never take a concubine! Even if someone insisted on becoming my concubine, I would absolutely not accept her!"

Seeing that Xuan Feng had admitted his mistake, Su Yuyao's anger instantly subsided. She blinked her round, wet eyes, pouted, and said, "You said it yourself! You'll remember that!"

Xuanfeng took Su Yuyao's hand, and the marks of the ruler were clearly imprinted on her delicate palm.

He tenderly stroked Su Yuyao's hand, "Does it hurt?"

"It hurts so much..." Su Yuyao pouted and said coquettishly, "I was also made to kneel as punishment today! My knees hurt a lot too!"

Xuanfeng smiled, reached out and gently rubbed Su Yuyao's knee, "Does it still hurt?"

Su Yuyao couldn't help but laugh, stretching her leg out towards Xuanfeng and saying in a coquettish tone, "It hurts! Rub it nicely!"

"Girl, I made you kneel on the prayer mat! How could it hurt so much?" Xuan Feng slowly got up and moved closer to Su Yuyao. "However... my slap really landed on your butt!"

Xuanfeng then aggressively kissed Su Yuyao's lips again, "Do you want... me to rub them for you?"

"No!" Su Yuyao wrapped her arms around Xuanfeng's neck and whispered in his ear, "I haven't punished you yet!"

"You brat! How do you want to punish me?" Xuan Feng kissed Su Yuyao's peach-like cheeks, and smelling her sweet scent, a certain part of his body began to stir uncontrollably again.

"I'll punish you... by leaving your room alone!" Su Yuyao said with a grin.

"Huh?!" Xuanfeng said with a helpless smile, "Good girl, let's change the punishment! For example..." He slowly slid his hand toward Su Yuyao's plump buttocks.

"No! I have to punish you properly!" Su Yuyao blocked Xuanfeng's hand and said, "Get out! You are not allowed to come to me without my orders!"

"Girl...girl!" Xuan Feng was pushed and shoved out of the room by Su Yuyao.

"Still not appeased?" Qingyue asked, looking at Xuanfeng's expression.

"It's all appeased," Xuanfeng said, scratching the back of his head.

"Then why did you come out alone?" Qingyue asked, puzzled.

“She said… she wanted to sleep with you…” Xuanfeng said with a wry smile.

Qingyue sighed helplessly, "Bai'er! Bring hot water to my room and help Yao'er bathe!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Bai Er replied, suppressing a laugh...

After being coaxed by Xuanfeng, Su Yuyao happily took off her clothes, had Bai Er wipe her body clean, and then pulled Qingyue to lie down on the bed.

"Your Majesty! When will you go and ask for a higher rank for me?!" Su Yuyao asked with great joy.

Qingyue stroked Su Yuyao's face and asked softly, "Are you willing to be Xuanfeng's maiden?"

"I'd love to!" Su Yuyao nodded with a smile and said, "As long as I can be his woman openly and honestly, I'm willing to accept any status!"

Looking at Su Yuyao's expectant expression, Qingyue suddenly felt a pang of heartache. Yao'er actually longed for the rank of a mere maidservant; how could she be so pitiful...

The bright moon hung high in the sky, and Su Yuyao's room was still brightly lit by candlelight.

Xuanfeng had finished reviewing all the materials Guan Yue had sent. To his surprise, it was almost exactly as the girl had described: seventeen out of the thirty-two hadn't handled a single matter, and judging from their origins, they were all Qinggan's confidants. The remaining fifteen had handled matters to varying degrees, but…

“White Ear!” Xuanfeng called out softly.

"Yes, sir!" Bai Er rubbed his eyes and sat up from the side couch, replying, "What are your orders?"

"Find me a few people..."

Su Yuyao lay in Qingyue's arms, her little hands darting around inside Qingyue's clothes.

Qingyue neither reprimanded nor stopped her, but instead looked at the still immature Su Yuyao with a smile, letting Su Yuyao run wild.

Su Yuyao pressed her nose against Qingyue's chest, inhaling the faint scent of milk, but her heart was pounding and she couldn't fall asleep at all!

I wonder if Xuanfeng is asleep yet? Did Feihua bother him? Why doesn't he come begging to me again? Maybe I would have gone back! Sigh... I should have gone back with him just now! I miss him so much...

As she pondered, Su Yuyao lost interest in the scent of milk on Qingyue's chest. She slowly withdrew her hand from Qingyue's clothes and sighed softly.

"Yao'er, what's wrong?" Qingyue gently asked, stroking Su Yuyao, whose mood had suddenly turned somber.

"Your Majesty, do you think... Xuanfeng is asleep now?"

Qingyue smiled, pretending to think, and said, "Hmm... I guess they're already asleep!"

"Asleep?!" Su Yuyao frowned and said, "He can actually fall asleep?"

"You're a restless sleeper and you snore. Xuanfeng must be sleeping very well without you around!" Qingyue teased Su Yuyao on purpose.

"Hmph!" Su Yuyao sat up, her face flushed, and said, "Where did I misbehave?! Where did I snore?!" She pulled Qingyue up and asked, "Did Xuanfeng tell you?!"

Qingyue found Su Yuyao's expression quite amusing, but fearing she might throw a tantrum, she quickly said, "No, he didn't say..."

"Didn't he say?" Su Yuyao rolled her eyes and said, "I don't believe it! I have to go and question him!"

Su Yuyao got out of bed with her own thoughts in mind, and said in a serious tone, "I don't want to go back, I want to find him and ask him why he slandered me..."

Qingyue covered her mouth and smiled, then nodded.

"Then I'll go!" Su Yuyao said earnestly after putting on her shoes. "You go to sleep first! I might ask a few more questions!"

Qingyue watched Su Yuyao walk out of the room solemnly, and she almost cried with laughter.

As soon as Su Yuyao closed Qingyue's door, she rushed anxiously to her own room.

She had just run to the door when it opened.

"Girl?!" Xuanfeng looked at Su Yuyao in great surprise.

"Xuanfeng!" Su Yuyao suddenly threw herself into Xuanfeng's arms, pleading sweetly, "I don't want to be punished anymore! I want to sleep with you! You said you'd behave well! You have to keep your word! No slacking off!"

As she spoke, Su Yuyao reached out and tore open Xuanfeng's belt.

"Don't... little girl!" Xuanfeng awkwardly grabbed Su Yuyao's hand.

"What?! Are you going to back out?" Su Yuyao pouted and glared at Xuanfeng.

Xuanfeng blushed, a rare occurrence, and winked at someone behind him.

Su Yuyao then noticed that behind Xuanfeng stood Guan Xiao, Lang Zhi, Guan Yue, Lei Ming, Granny Zhong, Yin Hao...

Su Yuyao's face slowly turned a deep purplish-red from embarrassment. She closed her eyes in frustration and buried her head in Xuanfeng's arms.

"Uh... sir... well... since you're so busy... then... let's talk about it after you're done..." Guan Xiao said awkwardly, "We... should head back now..."

"Lord Guan Xiao, please go to the Vermilion Bird Palace and wait for me. I'll be there soon!" Xuan Feng said softly, protecting Su Yuyao in his arms.

Su Yuyao nestled in Xuanfeng's arms, listening to the footsteps of everyone passing by, until Langzhi's voice drifted over, "Lord Xuanfeng! I'm warning you, don't torment my daughter!"

"Grandpa Langzhi!" Su Yuyao glared at Langzhi, her face flushed purple. "Please stop talking!"

"Daughter!" Lang Zhi bent down, smiling at Su Yuyao, and said gently, "If this brat bullies you, just tell Grandpa! Grandpa will deal with him!"

"You should leave now!" Su Yuyao said, frowning, glaring, and stamping her feet.

"Lord Langzhi! Please wait for me..."

Langzhi glanced at Xuanfeng and slowly walked out.

"White Ear! Close the door!"

"Yes, sir!"