Chapter 183 Chapter 183 "If possible, I would like to serve you...

The ceremony of Ye Zun's enthronement as queen was grand, and two ceremonial officials, one male and one female, were selected to walk in front, holding the black jade symbolizing the perfect match for the couple.

There are no special regulations for the selection of ceremonial officials. They can be relatives or important officials.

Lan Qi came to discuss with Jiu Zhao and asked if Jiu Zhao had anyone in mind.

After being selected, they were summoned to the palace to pay their respects, and were to stay there temporarily to become familiar with the ceremonies until the wedding day.

Jiu Zhao didn't hesitate and said frankly, "Why not choose Zhu Yanqiongxing? They are the only ones I'm familiar with in the entire Burning Sea."

Lan Qi glanced at her and said, "Aren't you afraid that I'll be jealous?"

Although it was a test, the young man's tone was almost joking.

Jiu Zhao saw that he wasn't genuinely angry, so she jokingly replied, "Didn't I also select Qiong Xing? They're reserve concubines, living with me in the palace every day, waiting for your favor, and I haven't even been angry with you, let alone asking Zhu Yan, the city lord, to serve as the ceremonial officer?"

Lan Qiben was sitting opposite the wooden table drinking tea.

Upon hearing this, he instantly appeared behind Jiu Zhao and held her in his arms.

The tip of his straight nose brushed against Jiu Zhao's black hair, and he gently bit her earlobe. "So, you care about those female officials too, right?"

Jiu Zhao pinched his chin with his hand and turned his gaze to the side: "Since you are sincere, of course I care."

She never hesitates to express her true emotions.

For Lan Qi, who was born lacking in love and was suspicious, the open love, hate, joy and anger made him feel at ease.

So, he allowed Jiu Zhao to pet him, her eyelashes fluttering like a fan. He placed his lips close to her cheek and whispered, "The ceremony is imminent, and I need to reassure you. I had always intended that after we were married, I would announce to all quarters that I would marry only one person and dismiss all the other women officials from the palace."

"Then I think the same thing." Holding the other's face in his hands, Jiu Zhao placed a kiss on it. "Only if Zhu Yan personally participates in this, witnessing our mutual affection and realizing that he has no chance, will he completely give up."

…

The reason Jiu Zhao gave made Lan Qi unable to refuse no matter what.

After the imperial edict was issued, Zhu Yan and Qiong Xing quickly came to Lianli Hall to pay their respects.

Qiong Xing had no feelings for Lan Qi at all, and she entered the palace only under the advice of her clansmen, with the intention of seizing the throne.

Now that Jiu Zhao's entry into Lianli Palace has become an established fact, she has been angry for a few days. Although there are still some traces of unwillingness between her eyebrows, she has finally accepted her fate.

"Greetings to the Empress."

She fell to the ground and bowed deeply.

Beside him was Zhu Yan, whose expression was nothing but respect.

To show the difference between high and low, ministers are not allowed to formally face the emperor.

Jiu Zhao was sitting firmly on a high place, but he often felt the vague gazes coming from below.

She naturally knew who it was.

She feigned ignorance and motioned for the two to take their seats. Then she acted like a wife looking forward to her wedding: "There's been a lot going on lately, so it's been a while since I've discussed with Qi Lang the selection of the two of you as the wedding ceremonial officers. Time is running out, so it's a bit rushed. I'm sorry for the hard work."

As soon as the name "Qi Lang" came out, Jiu Zhao accurately caught the slight twitching of Zhu Yanyin's half-face in the backlight.

Qiong Xing also bit her lower lip and said with a bow, "Your Majesty, you are too polite. This is my duty."

"You don't know that although I had a relationship in Sanqingtian, in the final analysis, Qi Lang was the one I admired when I first fell in love.

"He is my adopted brother, a family member who has long been integrated into my blood. He has been with me all the way from childhood to adulthood.

"In the past, we had some misunderstandings, but luckily, fate has predestined us. Even after many twists and turns, he is still the one who stays with us in the end."

"I have high hopes for this wedding. I hope you two will be familiar with all the etiquette and make sure there are no mistakes."

As if he couldn't read Zhu Yan and Qiong Xing's expressions, Jiu Zhao clasped his hands together, smiled shyly, and talked a lot.

The corny words came at them like a swarm of bees looking for honey, and only when they were so thirsty did she relent and let them go.

"I'm sorry, Qi Lang and I have had so many experiences together that I lost track of time. It goes without saying that the female official Qiong Xing has her own residence in the palace. I've also arranged a place for City Lord Zhu Yan to stay for you. When you go out later, just follow my maid."

"Then, I will take my leave."

Compared to when Qiong Xing came, the curve of her lips became uglier.

The hideous twitching that appeared on Zhu Yan's face not long ago was more like an illusion that Jiu Zhao had imagined himself.

When it was time to leave, he finally raised his eyes.

His emerald pupils never blinked, and his demeanor remained the same.

Only on the palm of his hand beneath his sleeve, five bruised and swollen pinch marks could be seen on his cold white skin.

…

The moon is at its zenith, and the night is deep and quiet.

After Jiu Zhao finished washing up, she put on her wide-sleeved nightgown and sat on the edge of the bed, combing her hair with an ivory comb.

She looked blankly, as if waiting for someone, but her gaze unconsciously fell on the corner where the candlelight was flickering.

After an unknown amount of time, Olaf, who was sleeping soundly in the golden cage, suddenly opened his fox eyes.

It stretched out its limbs, wrinkled its nose and sniffed around a few times. Its pupils soon released a light of excitement, and it whimpered very softly.

The accident also happened at this moment.

The magic light suddenly gathered around Jiuzhao's legs.

The middle is solid, the edges are diffuse, and a half-kneeling human figure appears in the hazy line.

A warm hand held the sole of her foot that was exposed from the edge of her skirt, and the other hand picked up the satin shoe half a step away and carefully put her foot into the shoe.

"The Burning Sea is cold, and your body has just recovered. Walking barefoot on the ground will easily cause you to catch a cold."

Jiu Zhao was not surprised by Zhu Yan's arrival.

In other words, from the moment she said those words, every busy night of Lan Qi's life, she would wait for Zhu Yan's arrival.

If you don’t come tonight, then tomorrow night.

If tomorrow night doesn’t work, there’s still the night after tomorrow—

However, Jiu Zhao realized that he had overestimated Zhu Yan's patience.

Following the young man's movements, she sighed, "Back then, by the Chengxin Pond, you helped me put on my shoes like this."

"If possible, I would like to serve you for the rest of my life."

Zhu Yan readily accepted the derogatory words in Jiu Zhao's voice.

Looking up, his expression was filled with infatuation.

He did not stand up. As always, he maintained his status as the inferior in the relationship and allowed Jiu Zhao to look down on him.

Jiu Zhao turned his head away and said: "Lan Qi will stay in Lianli Hall eight out of ten days. You are so careless and don't care about him. You really don't want to live."

"I won't implicate you."

Zhu Yan crawled on his knees, climbed onto the edge of the bed, and hurriedly explained, "I've learned that Ye Zun is sleeping alone tonight to attend to government affairs, so I came to find you."

Jiu Zhao raised an eyebrow: "Why, has he planted your people around him?"

Zhu Yan remained silent and did not comment.

Almost everyone has secrets that cannot be shared with outsiders.

Seeing this, Jiu Zhao didn't ask any more questions.

She raised her waist and sat a little further away from Zhu Yan. Then the uneasy young man caught up with her and grabbed the corner of her skirt with his big hand:

"Zhao Niang, are you really planning to marry Lan Qi?"