Chapter 162 I Don't Care
As dusk melted into gold, it seeped into Chengqian Palace, casting a soft, warm glow on the interior.
At that moment, Lu Zhaoxue was sorting through a medical book by the window, her fingertips turning the pages, when suddenly a warm body came up behind her and pulled her into an embrace.
"Ah Xue, I'm so tired."
Chu Siheng rested his chin on Lu Zhaoxue's neck, his voice languid and sticky, tinged with weariness.
Lu Zhaoxue smiled helplessly and turned her head to look at Chu Siheng.
Chu Siheng had only been on the throne for a little over a month. Wearing the dragon robe, he exuded a more majestic aura, but when facing Lu Zhaoxue, his deep eyes still held an unyielding tenderness.
Lu Zhaoxue gently raised her hand to straighten Chu Siheng's slightly disheveled clothes. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against his earlobe, eliciting a satisfied sigh from him.
"Siheng, you should go and handle government affairs."
"Political matters are not as important as Xue." Chu Siheng rubbed against her neck playfully, which made Lu Zhaoxue chuckle.
"Besides, those ministers are too long-winded; it's much more comfortable to hold Ah Xue here."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Siheng reached out and took the medical book from Lu Zhaoxue's arms, casually placed it on the sandalwood table beside her, then picked her up and carried her into the inner room.
Lu Zhaoxue exclaimed in surprise, instinctively wrapping her arms around Chu Siheng's neck and scolding, "Chu Siheng! This is daytime!"
"So what if it's during the day?"
Chu Siheng lowered his head and gently pecked Lu Zhaoxue's nose, his eyes full of smiles.
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoxue's cheeks flushed slightly.
Chu Siheng carefully placed Lu Zhaoxue on the bed, then lay down with her, resting his head on her lap and playing with her flowing black hair.
"Ah Xue," Chu Siheng suddenly spoke, his voice low.
"I have decreed today that a warm garden has been renovated and planted with many red plum blossoms for you. When the winter snow falls, I will accompany you to admire the plum blossoms, shall I?"
Lu Zhaoxue's heart skipped a beat. She lowered her eyes to look at Chu Siheng, whose eyebrows and eyes were close at hand, his long eyelashes like butterfly wings, trembling gently.
She knew that Chu Siheng wanted to make up for the regrets of the past. Now that he had become the emperor, he could finally openly protect her by his side, so naturally he wanted to offer her all the good things in the world.
Lu Zhaoxue raised her hand and gently stroked Chu Siheng's eyebrows and eyes, her voice as gentle as water: "Okay."
Just that one word, "good," made Chu Siheng's eyes crinkle with laughter.
He rolled over and pulled Lu Zhaoxue into a tight embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head as he murmured, "So good, Ah Xue, so good."
Chu Siheng's embrace was tight, so gentle that it made one feel at ease.
Lu Zhaoxue leaned against his chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
Suddenly, light footsteps sounded outside the palace. It was Haitang, the palace maid who served you closely. She cautiously reported from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, the imperial kitchen has made your favorite crab roe pastry. Should we serve it now?"
Chu Siheng didn't even look up, his voice languid: "Bring it in."
After Haitang placed the pastries on the table, Chu Siheng took Lu Zhaoxue's hand and walked over, picked up a crab roe pastry, and brought it to her lips.
"Ah Xue, have a taste."
Lu Zhaoxue opened her mouth and took a bite. The sweet crab flavor spread on her tongue. Just as she was about to speak, Chu Siheng suddenly leaned in, took her fingertip in his mouth, and gently sucked on it.
Lu Zhaoxue's cheeks flushed instantly. She was so embarrassed that she raised her hand to push Chu Siheng away, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Then, Chu Siheng lowered his head and kissed Lu Zhaoxue's lips.
The twilight outside the window gradually deepened; this lingering scene was nothing more than the usual sight of the past month or so.
The eunuchs and maids in the palace often gossiped about it in private, their voices full of amazement.
"Her Majesty the Empress is truly remarkable. The previous emperor doted on her, and now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, he cherishes her even more!"
"That's right! Look at His Majesty now, he doesn't have the slightest bit of imperial airs. The first thing he does after court every day is to run to the Empress's palace."
"Tell me, what exactly is the reason for this?"
"Tsk tsk, not everyone can have such good fortune. Her Majesty the Empress is beautiful and kind-hearted, no wonder she has won the favor of two emperors."
The new emperor, Chu Siheng, dotes on Lu Zhaoxue even more than Chu Huaiyu does on her, making him a complete "wife slave".
These discussions, more or less, would eventually reach Lu Zhaoxue's ears.
Whenever she heard this, Lu Zhaoxue would just smile helplessly and turn to look at Chu Siheng, who was clinging to her and insisting that she feed him a grape.
Chu Siheng noticed Lu Zhaoxue's gaze and raised an eyebrow, asking, "What's wrong? A-Xue, are people gossiping again?"
He immediately put down the grapes in his hand, grasped Lu Zhaoxue's hand, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "If anyone dares to gossip, I will immediately..."
"Alright." Lu Zhaoxue interrupted Chu Siheng, reaching out to smooth the wrinkles between his brows.
"They're just idle gossip; I don't take them to heart, so why should you?"
Looking at Lu Zhaoxue's gentle eyes, Chu Siheng's coldness vanished instantly, replaced by tenderness.
He leaned down slightly and placed a kiss on Lu Zhaoxue's forehead, his voice low and solemn: "Ah Xue, I don't care what others say about me."
"All I know is that this vast land is not as beautiful as the single cinnabar mark between your brows."
"I couldn't protect you before, but now I'm going to make you the happiest woman in the world, someone no one dares to bully or humiliate."
Looking at the deep affection in Chu Siheng's eyes, Lu Zhaoxue felt a slight pang of sadness in her heart.
She reached out and hugged Chu Siheng's neck, burying her face in his chest, her voice choked with emotion: "Siheng, your words are enough."
All the past hardships and sorrows, all the unspoken bitterness and pain, have vanished like smoke in Chu Siheng's unconditional love.
Outside the window, night deepened, and the stars shone brightly.
Inside the warm chamber, red candles burned brightly, illuminating the two embracing figures. Year after year, they lived in soft, fragrant warmth, carefree and without worry.
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