The Empress Dowager was truly beyond saving this time, and everyone in the palace knew it. Song Ting didn't have a chance to return home until the night of the next day.
The palace couldn't be left unattended at this time. Song Ting originally intended to take a quick look at Huai Xu and leave, but as soon as she reached the corridor, she saw two figures, one tall and one short, kneeling at the door of Huai Xu's room, each with a bowl of water on their head.
Song Ting approached silently. He found that both bowls were filled with water, but Xiao Wu's bowl was fuller, while Xiao An's bowl... was almost empty, and his head was wet.
But all the water in the bowl went into his brain.
"..." Song Ting thought speechlessly. "What's going on?"
"My lord! You're finally back!" Xiao Wu was overjoyed to see him, as if he had seen a savior. He hurriedly tried to stand up, but the bowl of water on his head wobbled forward and he almost fell.
"Ah—" Luckily, he managed to snatch it at the last moment. Xiao Wu visibly breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness..."
But with less than half the water left in the bowl, Xiao Wu's face immediately fell again: "It's over, it's over..."
"..." Song Ting had a headache. "Huai Xu gave the order?"
Xiao An, standing next to him, pouted and nodded.
Song Ting kicked Xiao Wu in the knee: "Since that's the case, then kneel down."
Before the poor five could even stand up straight, they knelt down again with a thud, almost performing a full prostration.
"Everyone says that beautiful women bring disaster, but I didn't believe it before."
"But now... I hate..."
Xiao Wu steadied the bowl of water on his head, looking hesitant and stammering, while Song Ting had already turned and disappeared behind the window.
However, the more imposing the commander was just moments ago, the more disheveled he is now—
In the darkness, he looked into Huai Xu's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling. The man leaned against the headboard, his eyes full of mockery: "I'm afraid you can't break the habit of climbing out of windows, sir?"
"..." Song Ting touched her nose awkwardly. Then, pretending to be nonchalant, she walked over, sat down next to the man, cupped his face, and gave him a light kiss on the forehead. "I was wrong."
"The entire mansion belongs to you, sir. You can go wherever you want and come in however you want. What wrong have you done?"
...I'm unhappy again.
Song Ting sighed inwardly.
"I truly didn't know about this before."
Chu Huaixu maintained the same expression, glancing sideways with a half-smile.
"Then, sir, could you tell me why your secret guards came after Xiao An?"
"..."
“The lord swore to me that he would never lie to me.”
"…………"
If Song Ting only had a headache last night, he really wanted to tell Thirteen to get lost right now.
"Why does Your Excellency have to go to Xiao An instead of asking me directly if you want to know something?"
Song Ting was already helpless against this person, and now, facing Huai Xu's aggressive questioning, he was even more unable to cope.
But he couldn't say anything about it yet, so he could only try to divert Huaixu's attention in other ways.
He held Huaixu tightly in a strong embrace, and Huaixu's unfinished words were drowned out by the affectionate kiss.
Song Ting looked cold, but his lips and tongue were hot, and his tongue greedily seized the scent that belonged to Huai Xu.
No one else possessed a captivating, cool fragrance like Chu Huaixu.
But Chu Huaixu hated the smell on Song Ting. He pushed Song Ting away, wrinkled his nose and looked disgusted: "You're so overpowering, I feel like throwing up."
It smelled of medicine and incense from the Empress Dowager's bedroom.
"Then I'll go take a shower first."
"Stop fussing around. How long can you stay? You should be leaving soon after your shower," Chu Huaixu said coldly. "I doubt the Empress Dowager will make it through the night."
Song Ting was somewhat embarrassed.
He stared into Chu Huaixu's eyes and said bluntly, "But I want to kiss you."
Chu Huaixu was stunned for a moment, then he leaned on the bed and laughed uncontrollably, his long black hair spreading out behind his head, covering half of the bed.
He looked so handsome that Song Ting couldn't help but move closer. She wanted to get closer, but then she caught a whiff of the incense scent on him.
Hesitant, yet also yearning.
Suddenly, a jade-colored arm reached out and pulled Song Ting down. Before Song Ting could react, her throat was grabbed.
This was a vulnerable yet crucial position. Song Ting's instinct for danger made her tense up instantly, and she subconsciously wanted to make a move.
But he soon realized who was choking him.
It is the Chu-Huai Preface.
She was the love of his life, a love he was willing to risk his life for.
All defenses were instantly dropped.
He clung to that arm with both hands, and Chu Huaixu seemed to smile slightly, moving closer to him. Song Ting couldn't bear to look away, his eyes fixed intently on the person in front of him.
A tender kiss descended, from the lips and teeth all the way to the ear, a gentle lick and slow nibble, before slowly moving downwards.
The person who gave this seemingly indifferent kiss seemed to have a knack for it, knowing exactly how to drive him crazy.
The kiss [ignore] moved from the soft [ignore] earlobe to the neck that was being choked, and Chu Huaixu pressed his palm against the [ignore] trembling Adam's apple, which made the poor Adam's apple tremble even more noticeably.
Chu Huaixu, however, seemed to be amused and chuckled softly.
He liked Song Ting like this, like a tamed vicious dog, letting him do whatever he wanted.
He could easily snap that neck if he wanted to.
"Please, Master... grant me..."
The vicious dog said the same thing again, just like it did in the dark Buddhist hall of the White Horse Temple.
Chu Huaiqing released his grip, leaned back slightly, and raised his leg to rest against Song Ting's chest, mercifully saying:
"Then come and get it yourself."
Song Ting had already fallen for him... Upon hearing this, she gently pushed Chu Huaixu back...
...
This time, the Empress Dowager did not last long. Just after midnight, the palace sent someone to inform her that she had passed away.
At that time, Song Ting was still entangled with Huai Xu. The eunuch who was reporting was anxiously waiting in the hall. The steward went to urge him again and again, but the commander was blinded by the beauty of the woman and could not care about anything else.
Red candles wept, the moon hung high in the sky, and Chu Huaixu, like a bewitching ghost, smiled broadly, unusually showing a gentle and pleasant demeanor towards Song Ting.
Song Ting knew that it was because the Empress Dowager had died, and he was happy.
"My lord! Commander! We can't delay any longer!"
The old eunuch waited and waited, but no one came. He was so anxious that he was like an ant on a hot pan. Finally, he couldn't wait any longer. He didn't care about whether it was proper or not, and followed the steward to the backyard and knocked on the door himself.
Chu Huaixu smiled, letting go of his thoughts, and gently pushed the man away, dodging Song Ting's kiss, his toes barely touching the Commander's chest.
"Please go, sir."
"Just remember to offer incense to the Empress Dowager and ask her how the Thousand Days of Intoxication tastes."
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