Chapter 36

On a warm spring day, the palace maids in Zhaoyang Palace performed their duties, some quietly moving about, others standing with their hands at their sides, all showing respect and observing proper etiquette.

Xiao Jin, Xiao Zhi, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Ye have been with the Empress since childhood, and their bond is extraordinary. Among them, Xiao Jin and Xiao Zhi are in charge of the Empress's personal affairs and often serve her in the palace. Xiao Yu and Xiao Ye are responsible for maintaining order in various places and mostly move around the inner palace outside the palace.

Xiaozhi is usually quite lively, with a cheerful smile on her face, but today, she seemed a little different...

"Lady Zhi, Her Majesty is calling for you."

A maidservant called out to her, and she finally turned her gaze away from the man outside the hall.

"good."

Xiaozhi turned and walked into the hall, her face calm, but her heart was already churning with turbulent emotions.

This is the same bandit who kidnapped the Empress outside Chang'an Temple... How did he get into the palace?!

"Your Majesty." She turned to the side and gave a curtsy.

At this moment, Yuan Qiong was flipping through the notes Guan Shengran had given her. She nodded casually, signaling for her to get up.

"The commander of the Imperial Guards guarding outside the palace is one of our own. Please take good care of him and make sure Xiaoyu and the others don't cause any trouble. I will arrange for him to leave in a few days."

"promise."

How could she not understand the meaning behind her master's words? Her master must know that she recognized that man, which is why she gave such an order!

What exactly is the relationship between that man and his master?!

"Alright, you may all leave. I'll be alone for a while."

"promise."

Xiaozhi led the palace maids out of the hall.

Then, the man who should have been guarding outside the hall appeared behind Yuan Qiong, smiling as he took the book from her hand.

"What are you looking at?"

Then, turning to the first page, one sees the three large characters "Guan Shengran".

He raised an eyebrow, a playful smile playing on his lips: "Him...?"

Guan Shengran, son of Guan Xiao, was Yuan Qiong's strongest trump card in the later period. After Yuan Su fell from power and Yuwen Zhe ascended the throne, the reason why Yuan Qiong could still rely on her status as the Empress Dowager's sister-in-law to bully him was partly because Guan Shengran firmly controlled the military power in the court for her.

Thinking of this, he felt a pang of sadness: "Is it pretty?"

I don't know whether to ask about the notebook itself or the person who wrote it.

Yuan Qiong nodded: "It's beautiful." She stretched out her fair and delicate hand and gestured with her eyes for him to return the book.

Honestly, I don't want to pay it back.

Without saying a word, Lin Qiang stuffed the notebook into his pocket: "Since it's so beautiful, I'll take it back and take a look, to admire Young Master Guan's literary talent."

"........"

Yuan Qiong was displeased and kicked him, saying, "What am I supposed to see if you take it away?"

"Look at me." Lin Qiang bent down, bringing his handsome, masculine face close to hers, her reflection clearly visible in his deep, starry eyes: "Am I not pretty?"

Shameless!

Yuan Qiong raised her hand and pushed his face to the side, suppressing her wildly beating heart, and said with a forced smile, "Stay away from me! You're so ugly!"

"Is it ugly?" Lin Qiang touched his chin, looking thoughtful. "It must be because I don't have a beard! I'll grow one out tomorrow!"

This man...

"roll!"

If you dare grow a beard again, I'll kill you!

"I won't leave."

We finally found them, how can we just let them go?

Lin Qiang reached out and tried to pull the person on the couch into his arms, but Yuan Qiong noticed his intention, ducked and dodged away from the couch, standing far away with a grim expression.

These bandits seem to have never cared about etiquette or morality!

"Big Beard, I'm married. I'm someone else's wife. How dare you lay a hand on me, pull me around like that?!"

"marry?"

Lin Qiang grinned, finding it utterly ridiculous to apply those two words to the current emperor and empress.

What is marriage?

Marriage is a promise of future and responsibility between two people; it is the passion and belief of two independent souls determined to stay together for life and become one.

In his view, the relationship between Yuan Qiong and Yuwen Jing was not a marriage at all, but merely a binding exchange of interests.

"Have you ever even considered him your husband for a single day?"

"Has he ever fulfilled his responsibilities as a husband, even for a single day?"

"Have you done anything together for this marriage?"

“Girl, you have never liked him. What you value is the imperial crown on his head, the immense power beneath it, and the vast and beautiful land.”

“He didn’t marry you; he only married the eldest daughter of the Yuan family and the support and assistance of the Yuan family.”

Yuwen Jing and Yuan Qiong were merely puppets in Yuan Su's hands. Could two puppets playing house and getting married truly be considered a match made in heaven?

A gentle breeze tinkled the wind chimes outside the window, their sound crisp and melodious. Yuan Qiong paused for a moment, then scoffed, "Shouldn't it be like this?"

"No matter the reason, once I marry him, I will be his wife for life."

This has been the custom since ancient times: marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers; after bowing to heaven and earth and informing the gods, one is naturally considered husband and wife. Ordinary families might be able to divorce, but in the royal family, divorce is a luxury.

"Moreover, just as you said, what I covet is the imperial crown on his head. I will never give up the power that is within my grasp, nor will I be willing to hand over this beautiful land to others!"

Facing the man before her, her narrow, fox-like eyes revealed undisguised ambition and desire; she laid bare her most avaricious side. She admitted that the large, dark beard did indeed entice her. But this slight attraction was utterly insignificant compared to supreme power!

"Romantic affairs are often blown away by the wind, and I alone yearn for the overlord. If men can do it, so can I."

Lin Qiang quickly smiled obsequiously and echoed, "Sure! Of course!"

My daughter is the coolest! My daughter is the best! No one else comes close!

Looking at the ambitious Yuan Qiong, Lin Qiang's eyes were immediately overflowing with doting affection.

Of course, he disagreed with the first and second sentences.

What do you mean marrying him means you'll be his wife for life? What am I supposed to do then? Be a bachelor for life? No way!

"Just like I said, Yuwen Jing didn't marry you, but rather with the support of the Yuan family. If you weren't the eldest daughter of the Yuan family, he would never have married you. But I'm different. Whether you're Wang Yao or Yuan Qiong, you're my favorite girl, and I only want to marry you!"

He stepped forward and spoke without hesitation.

"If it's everything you want, whether it's power or the world, I can give it to you. Would you marry me?"

Lin Qiang firmly believes that as long as you swing your hoe well, there is no corner you can't dig down!

**

The sun is setting, and dusk is approaching.

When Tan Xiaoque was taken back to the manor by Feng Zhijie, she was still very unhappy.

"You stinky Fengzhi, who told you to meddle in other people's business?!" Shaking off the hand restraining her, Tan Xiaoque stretched her limbs and rushed into the house with a grin: "Boss! Xiaoque's here!!!"

Feng Zhi didn't want to pay attention to this young lady, but he was afraid that she would cause trouble if she couldn't find someone to help her, so he followed behind her and said, "Stop shouting, the chief is not in the manor."

"Where did he go?" Tan Xiaoque's smiling face instantly turned serious, her change of expression incredibly fast: "Tell me, where did the Boss go?"

"They've entered the palace."

"Entering the palace?!" No, the chief leader least wants to get involved in court affairs, so why would he suddenly enter the palace?

"Have you found Wang Yao? Is she in the palace?!"

This unusual situation can only be explained by this one explanation!

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask! The chief often appears and disappears mysteriously; who could possibly know why he's going to the palace?"

Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you! Hmph! Feng Zhi arrogantly turned his head away, fearing that Tan Xiaoque would press him further, and then turned and left.

The sulking little girl ignored him and walked towards the main hall with a stern face. Wang Yao! Wang Yao! Wang Yao! The boss is obsessed with that Wang Yao! If they run into her this time, she'll definitely slash that woman's face and see what she can use to seduce the boss then!

That evening, when Lin Qiang returned home, he was quite surprised to see Tan Xiaoque rushing towards him happily.

"Little Sparrow? What brings you here?"

The little girl, clinging to Lin Qiang, rubbed against him like a kitten, saying, "The Boss promised me he'd go back to the mountain soon, but I waited for so many days and he didn't come back, so I came by myself~"

After saying that, she looked up at him with her wet, almond-shaped cat eyes and asked, "Little Sparrow misses the Boss so much. Does the Boss miss Little Sparrow too?"

"Little brat, get down here!" Lin Qiang flicked her forehead, laughing and crying at the same time, and pulled the person who was clinging to him like an octopus off: "If you keep clinging to me like this, I'll have someone send you back."

Tan Xiaoque reluctantly let go, whining, and stood to the side, looking pitiful. "It seems the Boss doesn't miss Xiaoque at all~ I'm so sad~"

**

At this moment, in a small courtyard of the most bustling red-light district in the capital, at the top-ranked Wenhua Tower.

Dozens of exceptionally beautiful girls were subdued and pinned to the ground, where the madam of the Wenhua Pavilion looked them up and down.

Among them, the woman on the left with the most unique temperament caught her attention.

The madam crouched down, her alluring eyes scrutinizing the girl like a ruler, and nodded with satisfaction. She asked, "Are you the girl who tried to run away a couple of days ago?"

Yuan Liu Niang turned her face away, refusing to answer the question.

"Oh, quite the spirit, huh?" The madam stood up, commenting as if to say, "Although she's a bit old, her body is truly exquisite. With a little training, she'll surely become the star of my brothel. Tell your manager that this girl is staying in the back building. The rest are to be sent to the front building and handed over to Manager Wang to be used for attracting customers."

"promise."

Several burly men dragged away several other beautiful women with pale faces, leaving only Yuan Liuniang lying on the ground, completely powerless.

The madam sat down, leisurely picked up a cup of tea, and a satisfied smile curled her lips. It had been a long time since she'd encountered such a fine piece; with this girl, this year's courtesan competition would certainly be even more secure.

An old woman behind the madam stepped forward and helped Yuan Liu Niang up, saying, "Miss, don't argue with the madam. It's your good fortune that the madam keeps you; otherwise, your fate would be even worse. As long as you behave well and learn from the madam, you'll be transformed and become even more alluring in less than twenty days."

Yuan Liu Niang raised her eyes, about to say something sarcastic, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through her head, causing her vision to go black for a moment, and some blurry images flashed through her mind.

She clutched her chest helplessly, an indescribable sorrow welling up inside her, almost suffocating her.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Yuan Liu Niang instantly curled up into a ball, her pale and pained appearance startling the nanny. She looked at the madam in panic: "This...this girl might have some kind of illness, right?!"

The madam put down her teacup and went to check her pulse. Apart from the sleeping pills, she had no other illnesses!

Could it be that the dosage was too high?!

"Girl, are you alright?"

As the contractions subsided, Yuan Liuniang opened her eyes in a daze, somewhat disoriented, unsure of what day it was or what time it was. After a long while, she finally remembered that she was being controlled.

But for some reason, the madam in front of her, who had just been a complete stranger, now felt an absurd sense of familiarity to her!

"Madam?" she called out tentatively, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "Have we met somewhere before?"

Author's Note: Yuan Liuniang: Haven't we met somewhere before?

Madam: Where?

Yuan Liu Niang: In a dream?

Madam: ...

I suspect you're hitting on me, but I have no proof.