Chapter 29 After Marriage

"I had no idea that you, Xin Sa Ri, had such a temper!"

"Do you even know what the majesty of an emperor is?!"

Fu Lin roared angrily.

Jialuo was startled by his suddenly raised voice.

She shrank back and glanced at him.

She spoke in a low voice, "Your Majesty, thanks to you, I am still unaware of the majesty of the Emperor. I don't know why you are suddenly so angry. I was just saying that Angel is too young."

After she finished speaking, Fu Lin did not reply, his gaze filled with suppressed anger as he stared at her.

Jialu thought for a moment, then said, "Besides, Your Majesty was already somewhat displeased when you entered. Now, I only said one thing wrong, how could that have made Your Majesty so angry?"

Fu Lin's gaze narrowed slightly, his raging anger turning into a deep, dark aura. He looked at her quietly for a moment before slowly saying, "Oh? So the Empress noticed that I'm in a bad mood?"

Jialuo: "......"

Damn it, why didn't anyone in history tell her that Fulin was such an awkward person?

"Because the Emperor usually enters with a relaxed expression, but today his brows are furrowed, and he is filled with thunderous rage."

Jialuo didn't want to have any more conflict with him, so she spoke up honestly.

"Hmph, since you know I'm in a bad mood, why don't you serve me carefully instead of saying things that upset me?"

Jialu thought to herself, "What does your happiness or unhappiness have to do with me?"

Then her expression slowly turned to worry.

She said, "Your Majesty, it's not that I don't care about you."

"Your Majesty, I did not know how to ask you what happened or what made you unhappy, so I acted inappropriately and angered you. Please forgive my sins."

Unexpectedly, this time Fulin was not so easily fooled. He looked at her warily and said, "You're not cursing me in your heart, are you?"

Jialuo: "!!!!"

She immediately put on a surprised and aggrieved look, her lips trembling as if she couldn't speak.

The night was hazy, and the hibiscus tree stood quietly outside the window.

The girl was slender and beautiful, with an innocent yet panicked expression on her face.

Those eyes were so clear and bright, with a vibrancy that Fu Lin had never seen before.

She was confined within layers of palaces, spending her days gazing at the square sky.

Yet she didn't seem to be confined in this palace; she was like a bird that had flown in from the grasslands.

Bright, lively, vivid.

Fu Lin's gaze slowly descended, then landed on her lips.

It was a lustrous pink, as if it had been dyed with some kind of paint.

But he knew that was the natural color of her lips, and he had even seen them in a brighter red.

Fu Lin couldn't help but step forward, wanting to close the distance between the two.

Jialuo was startled and instinctively stepped back, but tripped over the stool behind her. She lost her balance and was about to fall to the ground.

"ah!"

The boy stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and pulled Jialuo back.

Galo's vision instantly transformed into a cluster of dragon patterns.

In this awkward and panicked moment, she discovered that the boy's casual robe was intricately embroidered with dragon patterns of various shapes.

Perhaps because of the boy's previous failure, she didn't think the boy in front of her could be considered a "man".

So she just naturally started looking at his clothes.

Indeed, it is the Emperor; the skill in this embroidery is truly remarkable…

The boy's hand, which had been holding hers, slowly slid away.

It seemed to be swirling around on her skin.

The moment she realized what the boy was doing, her wandering thoughts snapped back to reality.

The skin of the two people touching immediately became uncomfortable.

It felt like a feather gently brushing against her skin, making that area of ​​her skin feel burning hot.

Surprisingly, the boy's fingers were not as smooth and lustrous as they appeared.

There was a noticeable roughness in the knuckles.

The roughness gently scraped against her wrist.

Jialuo's heart tightened, and she wanted to back away, but the boy grabbed her waist with his other hand.

He used considerable force, and Jialuo instantly fell into his arms.

The faint scent of ambergris instantly filled her nostrils.

Galo immediately became uncomfortable and tried to pull away, but the boy naturally refused.

As the two struggled, Jialuo retreated while the boy pushed forward. Stumbling and falling, she landed with a "plop" on the soft kang (heated brick bed).

The boy naturally fell on her as well.

"emperor!"

Their eyes met suddenly. Jialuo looked at the face above her and called out, her face flushed.

The young man remained calm, and when they met eyes, his phoenix eyes drooped slightly, his dark pupils staring straight at her.

She couldn't read the boy's expression, but she could sense the changes in his body.

Just as she felt extremely uncomfortable and tried to break free by bracing herself against his chest with both hands.

The boy pressed down on her and slowly lowered his head toward her face.

Jialu felt her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She turned her head away, and the boy finally stopped.

"Empress, do you truly not know how to please me?"

But the two were so close that when she turned her head, it seemed as if her earlobe was pressed against the boy's lips.

The boy's breath was slightly hot, making Jialuo's ears instantly burn.

What did he mean by that?

Could it be that he intends to consummate their marriage at this moment, something they've been unable to do all along?!

!!

No, if Fulin really wanted it, why was he unwilling even after drinking that day?

Or perhaps... the Emperor tasted the sweetness of this matter that day, and now he also enjoys this pleasure?!

Jialu was startled by her own words, but found them to be completely plausible.

She could no longer control herself and turned her head away.

Try to appear natural and don't let him notice your discomfort.

However, her voice was somewhat hesitant when she spoke, revealing her unnatural state of mind.

"Your Majesty...may I ask you, why are you angry?"

The boy's eyes were fixed on her, and when he heard her say that, his eyebrows lifted slightly.

Jialu thought he wouldn't answer, which gave her a reason to pretend to be disappointed and break free from the boy.

But to my surprise, he actually spoke up.

“Prince Ajige wanted to follow in his brother’s footsteps.”

"Prince Ajige, the Prince of Heshuo Ying?"

Jialuo was quite surprised.

"Hmph, Your Majesty, with such a tone, do you not know who this person is?"

Fu Lin looked at Jia Luo with a leisurely air, as if observing what she was saying.

Of course, Jialuo knew who Prince Heshuo Ying, Ajige, was—Dorgon's younger brother.

"what's on your mind?"

She didn't speak, so Fulin asked her a question.

Jialuo looked at the boy; she could imagine that Fulin had a very difficult childhood.

She had a powerful and capable mother at home, and an ambitious and covetous Dorgon at home.

After Dorgon's death, Prince Ajige of the First Rank appeared.

He was Dorgon's younger brother, born of the same mother!

How could this not anger Fulin?

If it were Galo herself, she wouldn't be happy if someone kept eyeing her money.

Moreover, this is the entire Qing Dynasty!

Jialu pursed her lips, raised her eyes, and looked into the boy's eyes.

Her image was reflected in those dark eyes.

She began, "I'm wondering if Prince Heshuo Ying, Ajige, is tired of living."

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed that Fu Lin's eyes narrowed slightly because of those words.

Jialuo was slightly surprised, but before she could figure it out, she heard him speak: "Oh? Why does the Empress say that?"

Why?

Why?

If you're going to flatter and fawn, what else is there to say?

Jialuo was somewhat speechless. She felt that the boy in front of her was just like a spoiled teenager, constantly asking why, whether he knew, and what to do.

"Because the emperor is the emperor, the sovereign and father of the people, the emperor of all men."

"And what is Ajige? Does he even deserve to speak to Your Majesty?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jialuo took the opportunity to show a hint of pain, and a trace of pity appeared in her beautiful eyes.

"Your Majesty, this hurts my back."

She finished speaking in a pitiful tone, as if afraid the boy wouldn't let go of her.

The hand that had been pressing against the boy loosened, and instead began to tug at the boy's sleeve, gently shaking it.

Fu Lin turned his head, and at that moment Jia Luo noticed that his earlobes were slightly flushed.

Then he easily released her restraining hands, and got up to sit on the south side of the kang (heated brick bed).

Jialu blinked, her gaze struggling to leave the boy's reddened earlobes.

Oh my god!

Good heavens, the famous Shunzhi Emperor actually fell for this?!

Uh... if I'd known he'd fall for this, Galo...

Well, even if she knew he was susceptible to this, Jialuo might not be able to act coquettishly every time.

She quickly got up, pretending that her waist was very sore, and sat down on the south-facing kang (heated brick bed) next to her, supporting her waist.

Just when she thought the conversation between the two had ended.

"You've met Dorgon before, what kind of person did you think he was?"

He suddenly asked.

Jialuo was taken aback and looked at Fulin, but the image of the man she had seen in the temple that day came to mind.

The man was heroic and extraordinary, with a strong and assertive look in his eyes.

In fact, Fulin did bear some resemblance to Dorgon.

Although he seemed to be forcing Jialuo to do things for him, his expression was extremely upright.

"Prince Rui is naturally heroic and extraordinary, with an outstanding demeanor."

Jialuo kept an eye on Fulin's expression. As she spoke, she noticed that the boy's relaxed expression slowly faded, and his brows turned cold.

She pretended not to know, sighed, and continued, "Unfortunately, this is only Prince Rui's facade."

“At that time, he came to see me while I was in the temple, but his intentions were unclear. He even asked me to serve him, but I did not agree.”

“Prince Rui’s entourage was excessive, even arrogant. Perhaps Heaven knew that Prince Rui’s plans would fail, so it took this way to take his life.”

"I can't help but sigh," Jialuo said.

Fu Lin's tone was slightly cold, seemingly casual, as he asked, "Does the Empress mean that Dorgon committed many unrighteous acts, and therefore Heaven took his life?"

Jialuo looked at him; his expression had long since lost its previous roguish air.

He then reverted to his usual coldness when he saw her, but the lingering blush around his ear reminded Jialu of the boy's sudden unease just now.

She paused slightly, took back her words of agreement, and said instead, "No, Your Majesty, I am a rough person and speak rather bluntly. Please don't laugh at me."

"Speak."

Fu Lin was clearly curious about what she would say.

Jialuo cleared her throat, lowered her voice, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that as you mature, the young dragon grows and the true dragon manifests itself."

"Heaven protects the true dragon, so Prince Rui, who defied Heaven, died in such a painful way."

"Besides, the moment I first saw Prince Rui, I knew he was completely wrong. He was trying to stop a chariot with his bare hands, defying the world's will. How could he possibly end up well?"

"I never imagined he would leave so hastily, without even having a chance to see how you became the emperor of the Qing Dynasty and how you trampled him underfoot."

"On this point, Your Majesty dares to speak out against injustice."

After speaking, Jialuo sat down to the side, her gaze fixed on the table, but her attention was actually on the boy opposite her. She wanted to see how he would react.

Sure enough, the boy was taken aback, his gaze fixed on her face.

Jialu refused to meet his gaze.

At this moment, the palace lanterns outside the window gradually went out, one by one shrouding the huge palace in darkness.

Just as darkness fell outside the south window, a soft moonlight, like a milky white veil, gently parted the darkness and enveloped the palace with its red walls and green tiles.

She turned her head and looked out the window.

The hibiscus tree in the courtyard swayed gently, and the water in the pond rippled because of an unknown flying insect.

It was already past midnight, the night was deep, and the candlelight was dim.

The boy remained silent, so Jialuo had no choice but to turn and look at him.

"Your Majesty, it's late..."

The boy interrupted her the moment she turned her head and asked.

"Your Majesty, do you wish to leave the palace?"

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Author's Note: Waaaaah... I didn't manage to write 10,000 words, only this much. But I tried my best, I'm experiencing some writer's block...