Chapter 45 Kiss: "Yao Ruyi, step forward."

What are you saying?

The emperor was saying things he couldn't understand again. Yao Ruyi stared at him with her eyes wide open, blinking only when her eyes were dry, her gaze traveling from the emperor's eyebrows to the corners of his lips.

He swallowed hard.

"Hmm? Why doesn't the Immortal Lord say what Lan Yan's marriage has to do with you?" The person on the bed looked completely innocent. Gu Huizhou held the other's fair and slender wrist in his hand, his eyes dark and unfathomable, and spoke softly with a seductive tone, "Hmm?"

"With me..." Yao Ruyi thought for a while, her head was dizzy, and even a little thought brought on a sharp pain. The scene before her eyes also became blurry. Gu Huizhou was wearing a bright red wedding dress. Even though he was about to get married, he still came to interrogate her about their relationship.

A mist suddenly appeared before my eyes. "I don't want to."

"Hmm—"

Her wrist was gripped tightly again, and the man suddenly leaned down, his dark hair brushing against Yao Ruyi's face. The incense on his body mingled with the smell of alcohol on Yao Ruyi's body, causing Yao Ruyi, who was lying on the bed, to rub against him incessantly, saying, "It itches."

Breathing heavily, Gu Huizhou stared intently at the other person, a fleeting mist passing through his eyes before large tears welled up in them. Anger surged from the bottom of his heart, and he gritted his teeth, "The Immortal Lord is indeed deeply devoted."

He hadn't said anything, so why was the emperor scolding him? Yao Ruyi felt even more aggrieved. He wasn't about to just obediently let the other party scold him. He struggled and shouted, "Why are you pressing me down!"

"Why don't you go find your concubine? Why are you pressing me down like this?"

Gu Huizhou coldly pressed down on the other, neither of them letting go. He laughed angrily, "Why? Because I am the emperor. Even if you are just a mushroom, you are still within my territory. You can only leave if I tell you to."

"you--"

Her eyes were red, filled with unspeakable grievances.

How could he be like this? He took a concubine and got married, yet he still scolded him. She couldn't stand it and Yao Ruyi said fiercely, "You're bullying me!"

"I've bullied you?" The man moved closer, his face dark, and grabbed Yao Ruyi's wrists with one hand. Two red marks appeared on her wrists as she struggled, making his eyes even darker. His chest heaved. "Yao Ruyi, I'll give you one more chance. What does Lan Yan's marriage have to do with you?"

Upon seeing the other person in their red wedding attire, Yao Ruyi felt a tightness in his chest. He mustered all his strength and pushed forward, muttering, "Stay away from me."

Unfortunately, both of his hands were being held tightly. When he tried to pull, he only pulled the person closer. Their breaths mingled, and Yao Ruyi shivered from the heat.

Gu Huizhou chuckled softly, "Should I stay further away? Or should Lan Yan stay closer?"

Lan Yan, Lan Yan...

Yao Ruyi met Gu Huizhou's gaze with a stern face. Why did the emperor keep mentioning Lan Yan? What was his relationship with Lan Yan?

"Lan Yan got married, when did you—" Before she could finish her question, her mouth was pinched shut. "You're still bringing him up!"

"Smack—"

A teacup fell to the floor beside the bed with a crisp sound, startling Yao Ruyi. His face was pinched and his lips were pursed. He could feel the other person's hot breath. Once his hands were freed, he quickly pushed the person away.

He actually pushed the person away.

Yao Ruyi sat up and leaned against the headboard, panting heavily. Her brocade robe was in disarray, and the collar was wide open, revealing her undergarment underneath.

Gu Huizhou also straightened up, and the two of them sat on the bed, their faces as black as charcoal.

The air seemed to freeze, and not a sound could be heard from within the Cloud Palace. Cui Xiangzhu stood hesitantly at the doorway, several eunuchs behind him carrying several buckets of hot water, which emitted wisps of white steam in the night.

The emperor's question had just reached them, and they had heard it clearly. Xiao Dezi looked up timidly, his eyes questioning Cui Xiangzhu, "Eunuch, this…"

Cui Xiangzhu sighed and waved his hand, "Go down and start burning it first."

"yes."

They carried it in the same way they carried it out, and the group moved quietly, not daring to make a sound. They hadn't missed His Majesty's angry shout just now, and if they displeased him now, their heads would be in someone else's place.

Yao Ruyi felt a tightness in his chest, and he looked at Gu Huizhou with a resentful expression. His lips were pursed tightly, and the two of them stared at each other.

The dizziness subsided considerably, and when he looked up again, he saw that the emperor had changed out of his clothes. He was now wearing a strikingly beautiful red robe, the fabric disheveled and revealing his prominent chest. His lips were bitten red, and his eyes were dark and fixed on him.

He swallowed hard and rubbed his red and swollen eyes. He didn't know why the emperor was acting so strangely tonight. He hadn't even asked a single question, yet the emperor was already so angry.

But he really wanted to know, "Today's Lan Yan—"

"Hmm—"

In an instant, his eyes widened, and he was pinned down on the bed. Luckily, the blankets behind him had just been scattered, preventing him from hitting the edge of the bed.

The warmth on her lips was vastly different from her own temperature. Yao Ruyi vaguely saw a fierce glint in the other person's eyes, and the next second, she tasted blood between her lips and teeth.

He wanted to speak, but he didn't even know where his tongue was. Being chased and sucked, Yao Ruyi forgot to breathe for a moment.

The man's eyes reddened, and he fiercely pressed down on the person beneath him, imprisoning him and preventing him from moving an inch.

"Hmm—"

Her head felt heavy again. When Yao Ruyi was released, she gasped for breath. Seeing the mockery in the emperor's eyes, Mushroom didn't have time to think and quickly regulated her breathing.

He protested, "Why won't you let me speak?"

Gu Huizhou's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. His heavy breath hit the nose of the person beneath him, and he spoke in a sinister tone, "What did you say? That the Immortal Lord's beloved is getting married today, and that the Immortal Lord is so heartbroken that he has gotten himself drunk?"

Who is the person you admire?

Yao Ruyi shifted his body to the side, finally feeling his breathing become much easier, but the next moment he saw someone lying on top of him, the man's fingers were hot, and his index finger was stroking his lower lip again and again.

A tingling, electric-like sensation instantly coursed through my body, just like the shiver I felt when someone had their tongue in my mouth.

Yao Ruyi's eyes reddened again, "Lan Yan is not the one I love!"

He finally understood why the emperor's expression had turned cold when Lan Yan was mentioned, as if he was afraid that his words would be cut off again. Yao Ruyi asked loudly, "Lan Yan is getting married today, are you going to get married too?"

The tense atmosphere around them finally subsided. Gu Huizhou pinched the lips of the person beneath him with his fingers and frowned. "What does Lan Yan's marriage have to do with me?"

"The court officials have petitioned for you to hold a selection of concubines; it's inevitable sooner or later..."

As Yao Ruyi spoke, he lowered his gaze. The emperor propped himself up, his dark hair cascading down his body. He could vaguely see the jade pendant hanging at the other's waist, the warm white jade swaying gently.

"Who told you that?"

"..."

He couldn't very well reveal Xu Yi's name.

The two looked at each other in silence.

Gu Huizhou snorted coldly, "Whether I choose concubines or not is none of their business."

Mushroom muttered, "Oh." He stared blankly at the person, but couldn't help but smirk, a silly grin spreading across his face.

Gu Huizhou was taken aback. He stared at the silly mushroom beneath him who was inexplicably grinning foolishly, not understanding what was going on. Recalling what the person had just said, he pondered for a moment and then said in a deep voice, "You mentioned Lan Yan, so you want to talk about this matter?"

"Um."

He secretly let go of the pent-up frustration in his heart.

Gu Huizhou said, "Then why mention Lan Yan? If you have any questions, just ask me directly."

"Because he is getting married today."

Gu Huizhou frowned. "Am I referring to why Lan Yan was mentioned?"

You could still smell the alcohol on Yao Ruyi as he spoke. He said, "Because only Lan Yan is getting married today."

Gu Huizhou, "..."

His anger towards this stupid mushroom was a complete joke, and for a moment he didn't know what to say. The young emperor's lips twitched, and it was unclear whether he was laughing or about to speak.

After a while, Gu Huizhou propped himself up and sat up. His gaze was fixed on Yao Ruyi on the bed. Suddenly, he thought of something, "The Nineteenth Prince is unwilling for me to select concubines?"

Leaning forward, the two sat on the bed, one inside and one on the edge. Gu Huizhou leaned over and blocked most of the light. The coldness on his face turned into a light smile, his eyebrows curved slightly and the corners of his eyes lifted. The candlelight flickered behind him, making his features appear alluring.

Her voice carried a seductive undertone, her tone light and cheerful, "Why is the Nineteenth Prince unwilling?"

Yao Ruyi looked on in a panic, "I don't want to."

Why are you unwilling?

Mushroom whispered, "You'll have concubines when you participate in the talent show."

The man's smile widened. "So what if I have concubines?"

With a concubine...

Yao Ruyi frowned. If the emperor had a concubine, "then I'll have to move out."

"Then what?"

What else could happen? "Then your concubines move in." After thinking for a moment, "Maybe three or four concubines move in together."

Gu Huizhou's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, "Who told you that?"

"..."

Okay, very good.

Gu Huizhou's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his dark eyes drooped downwards, and the shadow of his eyelashes cast long, alluring shadows on the corners of his eyes.

After a while.

The emperor squinted at the dejected man before him, his words of coaxing still lingering on his lips, "How about I don't take any concubines?"

The person in front of me widened their eyes instantly, their eyes shining so brightly it seemed they contained the stars in the sky outside the window. "Then I can live here forever."

"Yes, remember what you said."

Still feeling the effects of the alcohol, Yao Ruyi shook her head. "What?"

A gloomy, hoarse voice entered his mind close to his ear, and his ear felt hot and itchy. He tried to back away but was grabbed by the neck and couldn't move.

"Um--"

"His Majesty……"

"You said you've always lived here."

With a soft chuckle, the young emperor stood up, a mocking smile playing on his lips, like a smug fox with upturned eyes.

"Cui Xiangzhu."

The door was pushed open, and a figure stepped forward in quick succession. "Your Majesty, the hot water is ready."

"Um."

Cui Xiangzhu was taken aback, but quickly smiled and said, "This servant will have someone carry it in right away."

He chuckled and left, closing the door quietly.

With a smile on his lips, Gu Huizhou walked to the bed made of golden nanmu wood and looked at the person on the bed.

Yao Ruyi's eyes were slightly red. He had said he shed tears, but there were only two or three drops. His eyes were vacant as he looked ahead, seemingly at someone. When Gu Huizhou looked over, a smile appeared on his crimson lips. "Your Majesty."

Gu Huizhou responded, "Mm."

"His Majesty."

"Um."

"His Majesty."

Gu Huizhou knelt on one knee on the bed, reached out and pulled the person closer, rubbing his hand against the person's bright red lips. The calluses on his hand were still there; the ointment that Twelve had given him last time had all been applied to Yao Ruyi's hand. Each time he rubbed, the other person trembled.

As if amused, the man sat on the bed facing the person.

Their lips were two fingers apart, their noses almost touching. The emperor held the man's wrist in his hand and said slowly, "Yao Ruyi, come forward."

Yao Ruyi couldn't understand, so she simply did as she was told, "Okay."

"Hmm—"

————————

[Shut up] Late and short