Chapter 77 Help You "Then it's my turn to help you."
When the two returned to the palace, they passed by the Imperial Study, where Suki was still writing furiously at his desk.
Su Panyue asked curiously, "What is he doing?"
Xie Lanzhou glanced at it and called out, "Go and rest. We'll continue tomorrow."
"Greetings, Your Majesty; greetings, Your Majesty. This servant need not rest; I will finish copying tonight."
Shouxi was too focused on the moment before, and only then did he look up and see the two of them. When he saw Su Panyue dressed in men's clothing, he was stunned for a moment before quickly lowering his head, not daring to look any longer.
Xie Lanzhou waved his hand, his posture leaving no room for refusal, so Shouxi had no choice but to put down his pen and leave.
Su Panyue picked up what he had copied and glanced at it briefly. It contained some official titles and corresponding names, some of which she recognized.
"Is this the same Minister of Revenue? He's got all that fat on the inside, hasn't he?"
"The Ministry of Justice has a new person in charge, and this one is quite capable."
She chatted with Xie Lanzhou as they looked at the exhibits, as if they were having a casual conversation.
The man beside her turned his head to listen to her speak, his gaze focused and captivated.
"You seem quite familiar with these former officials?" he asked after Su Panyue finished speaking.
"I wouldn't call myself familiar with him, but when I was with Prince Chang Le, I often heard him talk about him, which encouraged me to learn more about him and get to know him better," Su Panyue replied.
Xie Lanzhou nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, "How about giving you Luzhou as your fiefdom?"
"Huh?" Su Panyue didn't immediately understand what he was talking about.
"How about the State of Lu submitting to our Great Qi and being renamed Lu Prefecture? We'll give you a fiefdom and put it under your administration. What do you think?"
Su Panyue understood this time, blinked, but still had some questions: "Give me a fiefdom?"
The emperor has the right to grant fiefdoms, but those are usually given to imperial relatives, princes, and grandsons. There has never been a case of granting fiefdoms to concubines, so Su Panyue doubted whether he had made a mistake.
Xie Lanzhou nodded. "Are you willing?"
"Forget it, forget it. Many court officials are already dissatisfied with your decision to make me empress. If you grant me more land, they'll surely cause a huge uproar." Su Panyue waved her hand and put down the memorial.
When those court officials were mentioned, Xie Lanzhou scoffed, "You have land and soldiers, who dares to question you? Just behead them."
What he said made some sense. Su Panyue lowered her eyes and pondered, without replying.
Xie Lanzhou didn't urge her to make a decision, and instead put his arm around her shoulder as they walked towards Huaqing Palace.
"This matter is not urgent; we can discuss it slowly. There is something more urgent."
Su Panyue asked in confusion, "What is it?"
Xie Lanzhou remained silent, only tightening his arms around her.
Su Panyue raised her hand and nudged him with her elbow, "I clearly helped you in the car! Look, my palms are still red."
Xie Lanzhou took her hand and placed it in his palm. Her fair and delicate palm did indeed have a faint red tinge. He picked it up and blew on it twice.
"Then it's my turn to help you," Xie Lanzhou said softly, his warm breath falling on her palm, making her want to pull her hand back.
"Then, I'll go change my clothes first." Su Panyue glanced down at her men's attire and felt a little awkward.
"No need," Xie Lanzhou said, not giving her a chance. "That's it."
As they spoke, they carried the person into the inner room.
He placed Su Panyue on the table, her line of sight level with his. She could clearly see the flames dancing in the man's eyes.
On a whim, she took the initiative and kissed him.
The indoor heater emitted gentle smoke, warming both body and soul.
A moment later, Su Panyue began to pant heavily, feeling that even breathing had become difficult.
"Does it hurt? Let me loosen it for you." Xie Lanzhou noticed her situation and reached his hand inside her clothes.
Today, Su Panyue had Feixue wrap her chest with a white cloth, and to make it look better, it was indeed wrapped quite tightly.
"Hey, where was the knot tied? Here, or here?" Xie Lanzhou asked as she searched, seemingly serious, but actually unable to suppress the smile on her lips.
Su Panyue, unable to contain herself any longer, reminded him, "It's not in front, it's behind!"
Her tone was clearly annoyed, but coupled with her unsteady breathing, it sounded like she was scolding someone.
Xie Lanzhou stopped teasing her, pressed his face against her cheek, and quickly untied the extra restraints.
Su Panyue wasn't wearing any undergarments today, and after the white cloth was torn off, she felt a little uncomfortable and hugged Xie Lanzhou tightly.
"Are you cold? Let me warm you up." The man put one arm around her lower back and leaned closer.
Su Panyue subconsciously bent over and tried to back away, but was blocked by an arm behind her.
Before long, sweat beaded on her forehead; she was indeed getting hot. The loose-fitting men's outer garment was still hanging around her waist, threatening to fall off.
It must be said that the official table was really sturdy. Su Panyue was almost falling apart, but the golden nanmu table only wobbled slightly.
With a muffled groan from the man, the passion finally ended.
Su Panyue was so tired that she couldn't even lift a finger, so she let him wipe and clean her.
It was only then that she realized something was wrong, and asked with some difficulty, "Didn't you say you didn't want children? Why, why..."
Xie Lanzhou was also covered in sweat and was carefully cleaning himself with a towel. Hearing this, he coughed lightly, feeling a little uncomfortable, before replying, "I got some medicine from Uncle Gui, so I'll be fine."
Su Panyue gave a soft "oh," and said, "Then hurry up and bring it over, I'm so sleepy."
"It wasn't for you, it was for me. I've already eaten it," Xie Lanzhou said, lowering her eyes.
Su Panyue laughed, "So this contraceptive medicine is also for men."
Xie Lanzhou didn't say that he had Gui Bo specially prepare it, only saying, "This medicine is not good for women's health."
Su Panyue nodded and beckoned to him with her finger.
Xie Lanzhou thought she had something to say, so he walked closer and lowered his head, only to be unexpectedly kissed.
"award."
Su Panyue left two words, then turned to face the inside and quickly fell asleep.
Xie Lanzhou smiled helplessly, reached out and hugged her from behind, inhaling the fragrance of her hair, and fell asleep with her.
...
The next day, Su Panyue woke up around noon.
As winter approached, she became increasingly reluctant to get out of bed. Xie Lanzhou had already gotten up sometime earlier. She rolled around in bed a couple of times, then asked Feiyan to bring her a storybook. She stubbornly stayed in bed until lunchtime.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has arrived," Fei Yan reminded her upon hearing the commotion outside.
Su Panyue quickly handed her the storybook and told her to hide it.
She bought this on a special trip yesterday. It tells the story of a guard and a young lady eloping. The story is a bit cliché, but the guard is quite cunning. She can't let Xie Lanzhou find out about this. If he learns it, she will be the one to suffer.
As Fei Yan picked up the storybook and walked out, she happened to run into Xie Lanzhou who was entering. She immediately put the storybook behind her and bowed to greet him.
Xie Lanzhou squinted at the person behind her, but said nothing and waved for her to leave.
Feixue and Feiyan were the first batch of secret guards he personally trained. They were initially assigned to Su Panyue, partly for protection and partly for surveillance.
At the time, her identity was strange, so he had to be careful. He never expected that even the trusted bodyguards he had personally trained could be bribed by her and were now helping her to keep things from him.
Xie Lanzhou pursed her lips helplessly. She probably couldn't blame anyone else for this; it was just that her empress was too charming.
"Still not awake?" Xie Lanzhou sat down on the edge of the bed, looked down at the woman who was pretending to be asleep with her eyes closed, and said in a low voice.
Sensing Xie Lanzhou's approach, Su Panyue held her breath, preparing to give him a fright.
Before she could even react, a kiss suddenly landed on her cheek.
She cried out in surprise, which gave Xie Lanzhou the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. He easily pried open her teeth, stole her breath, and woke her up completely with his actions.
"Alright, alright, I'm hungry, it's time to eat." Su Panyue raised her hand to push him, and said quickly while taking advantage of a moment of silence.
"Okay," Xie Lanzhou replied with a smile.
After the two had lunch, Xie Lanzhou said, "I've finished reviewing all the memorials piled up here. It's time to return to the capital."
Su Panyue looked up in surprise, "So fast?"
Yesterday's memorial was half a person's height, and it's already been approved today? Did Xie Lanzhou go to handle state affairs before dawn today?
Xie Lanzhou recalled the pile of memorials that had been thrown into the brazier and burned. They were full of empty praise for him, so he nodded with a sense of reassurance. "Now that they're all approved, when are we going back to the capital?"
"Ask me?" Su Panyue pointed to herself. "Your Majesty can decide. It is indeed a bit cold here. It would be better to go back for the New Year."
"Alright, then pack your things in the next few days, and we'll set off soon."
In the following days, Su Panyue could only see Xie Lanzhou at dinner and when she went to bed. He dealt with those old officials who harbored disloyalty with swift and decisive measures, and selected several trustworthy people to stay in Luzhou to oversee the situation.
In just five days, everything in Luzhou was arranged.
On the sixth day, the group set off back to Beijing.
The tens of thousands of troops they brought with them also returned to the capital. Xie Lanzhou allowed them to go home for the New Year, so the soldiers who returned walked with much lighter steps.
Su Panyue had had enough of riding in carriages, so she requested from the beginning of the trip that she ride a horse during the day and only take a carriage if it got too cold at night.
Xie Lanzhou agreed, and the two rode side by side on horseback, heading south.
Gazing at the magnificent landscape in the distance, Su Panyue turned to Xie Lanzhou and asked, "Now that this beautiful land belongs to Your Majesty, how does Your Majesty feel? Excited? Thrilled?"
Xie Lanzhou shook his head slightly and asked, "Do you know why I suddenly decided to attack the State of Lu?"
Su Panyue thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "For the sake of unifying the world?"
Xie Lanzhou shook his head.
"Is it because they used a curse on you? To get revenge?" Su Panyue continued to speculate.
Xie Lanzhou still shook his head.
"What was the reason for that?" Su Panyue couldn't guess the reason at all, and tilted her head in confusion.
"Because they actually sent you as a spy and threatened you in every way. If you are not eliminated, you will be a disaster sooner or later."
Xie Lanzhou gave Su Panyue an answer she had never expected. She was stunned for a moment, never imagining that the reason was actually herself.
After digesting the news for a while, Su Panyue finally summarized it into one sentence: "In order to prevent me from being a spy and continuing to be controlled by them, you simply destroyed the State of Lu?"
Xie Lanzhou nodded, his expression unchanged.
Su Panyue lowered her eyes without showing any emotion, her heart filled with mixed feelings. "But you've done so much for me, and there's nothing I can do for you in return."
"I don't need you to do anything, just stay by my side." Xie Lanzhou's voice was very soft, but very clear and firm.
Su Panyue chuckled, then suddenly spurred her horse forward, galloping quite a distance. "Then come and chase me!"
"I'll follow you wherever you go," Xie Lanzhou said calmly as he followed behind her, his voice fading into the wind.
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Author's Note: Sorry I'm late. I had a bit of a cold today, and a headache, so I slept in before writing. Remember to wear warm clothes in this cold weather! [Hugs]
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