Chapter 198: A Taste of Being a Tyrant
Lu Haozhi felt his heart was shaken and he moved forward unconsciously.
"Yan'er, I'll sleep wherever you sleep. It's getting late, let's rest."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand towards the beautiful woman in front of him.
Meng Yan waved his arm away and smiled faintly, "Your Majesty... do you really just want to sleep?"
As she spoke, clear waves flowed in her beautiful eyes and she glanced down.
On those bright yellow satin pajamas embroidered with a coiled dragon descending from the sea... there was a large bulge...
He is fooling around!
Lu Hao was speechless for a moment. What he meant was, of course, that this sleep was not the same as that sleep. Even if he wanted to sleep, he would do it after he finished sleeping...
However, looking at Yan'er's current expression, she probably won't let him get close to her.
He blinked and moved forward again, "Yan'er, you promised me that evening, you can't go back on your word."
Meng Yan was slightly surprised, "What did I promise Your Majesty?"
Lu Haozhi said confidently, "You promised me that you would stay in this Tishun Hall with me forever. You would give me whatever I want. That's what you said."
Meng Yan thought about it for a moment. In the evening, Lu Haozhi was very drunk. She did follow his words and promised many things in a mess. But how could he remember these drunken nonsense so clearly?
He even remembered clearly when the quarrel occurred!
She narrowed her eyes and curled her red lips slightly, "Your Majesty, are you really drunk?" As she spoke, her small hands, as delicate as spring onions, gently traced Lu Haozhi's chest.
Lu Haozhi took a long breath, feeling that if he told the truth at this moment, he would probably suffer no good consequences. However, the pair of small hands playing tricks on his chest made his blood rush and his mind was in a mess.
When a man reaches this point, he doesn't care about anything anymore.
He grasped her slender, white wrists and pulled her into his arms, mumbling, "At that time... I was a little drunk... But I remember every word you said clearly."
The implication is that he was drunk, but not completely drunk.
When Rong An helped him out of the Yangxin Palace, he still felt dizzy, but after resting for a while in the Tishun Hall and drinking some sobering soup, the drunkenness had actually subsided for the most part.
However, Yan'er in front of him was so gentle that she would agree to whatever he said, so he did not point it out. He took the opportunity to make many requests to her and pestered her to agree to them one by one.
At that moment, he came to ask her to fulfill her promise.
Meng Yan smiled sweetly, and suddenly raised her hand and pushed his shoulder with all her strength.
Lu Haozhi was caught off guard and fell backwards. He was sitting on the edge of the kang and immediately fell to the ground.
Meng Yan snorted, "Your Majesty, you can go and sober up. There is hot tea in the pot and cold water outside. Please feel free to use it!" As she said that, she lay down again, wrapped in the apricot red silk quilt, with her back to Lu Haozhi.
She felt something was wrong at first. Lu Haozhi could drink a lot, so how could he get drunk so easily? He must have lied to her!
How dare he pretend to be drunk and lie to her!
Lu Haozhi sat on the ground, looking at the figure lying on the kang with his back to him, and his mouth became increasingly dry.
Is he going to take a cold shower? No!
Lu Haozhi got up from the ground, climbed onto the kang using his hands and feet, grabbed Meng Yan's shoulders, and begged her for help.
Meng Yan refused to pay attention to him at first, but eventually she couldn't get enough of him, so she sat up again and patted the kang, "Your Majesty, please sit down."
How could Lu Haozhi dare to disobey? He immediately sat up straight, put his hands on his knees, and looked like he was listening to the instruction.
Meng Yan raised her delicate chin slightly and said, "I will not break my promise. Even if the emperor promised me while drunk, I will fulfill it one by one."
Seeing Lu Haozhi's face filled with ecstasy, Meng Yan smiled again and said, "But, Your Majesty, you must also promise me that you will never deceive me again. Tell me the truth, no matter big or small." At this point, she took Lu Haozhi's hand and pulled him into her arms, "How can there be so many tricks between husband and wife? I don't like Your Majesty to lie to me like this. For example, if Your Majesty wants to be with me, just tell me directly. Why do you have to do such things?"
Her eyes were charming and her words were gentle. Lu Haozhi felt itchy instinctively. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently on the forehead. "You're right. I will never do such a stupid thing again. Then... Yan'er, can I..."
Meng Yan raised her head and gave a narrow smile of disdain, "You reek of alcohol... and you're here to do anything to me..."
Lu Haozhi was extremely anxious and blurted out, "How could there be any smell of alcohol! I, I rinsed my mouth with green salt tea, and before you fell asleep, I even asked Rong An to help you bathe and change clothes. There is no smell of alcohol at all!"
After hearing what he said, Meng Yan couldn't help but take a closer look. Sure enough, Lu Haozhi had changed his pajamas and it was not the one he wore before going to bed.
She was secretly shocked. Just for the things between the beds, he really was... willing to put in the effort!
Seeing the man's aggrieved look, Meng Yan pursed her lips and smiled, then raised her hand to untie his pajamas.
Lu Haozhi kissed her gently, hugged her soft and round body, and gently placed her on the pillow.
The night is like water, and on the tiles inlaid with carved window lattices, several branches of wintersweets are intertwined, with sparse shadows slanting across.
Under the window, a pair of lovers were intertwined and entangled with each other.
The next morning, Meng Yan reluctantly opened her eyes. The man's arms were still wrapped around her. She slept in his arms all night.
She turned over gently and saw snowflakes rustling against the window. She couldn't help but prop herself up slightly and whispered to herself, "It's snowing again..."
"Why do you care if it snows..."
The man behind her hugged her again, turned over and pressed on her, kissing a large area of snow-white skin.
Meng Yan chuckled, her arms as thick as lotus roots wrapped around his neck, "It's been a whole night, isn't that enough? It's time to go to the court."
"No, I'm not going to let you out of the room today."
"Why aren't you going again? If the Emperor doesn't take care of state affairs, isn't it my fault?"
"There's nothing important to do before the New Year, so it's better not to go."
Lu Haozhi put his arm around her waist, stared into her eyes, and whispered, "Besides, I want to experience what it feels like to be a tyrant."
Outside the door, Ruizhu and Yunxiang looked at each other in bewilderment on the corridor. It was already past the time when the empress usually got up, but she had not yet been summoned.
If it were any other time, they would definitely go in and take a look.
But today... the emperor is inside...
The two were just in a daze when they saw Rong An coming in from outside.
Rong An walked to the corridor and saw the situation. He immediately understood what was going on. He coughed and asked in a low voice, "The Emperor and Empress haven't gotten up yet?"
Ruizhu shook her head, and Yunxiang asked, "Eunuch Rong, what should we do? Breakfast... should we deliver it or not? You have served the Emperor for many years and have extensive experience. You need to give us some guidance."
Rong An glared at her unhappily, speaking as if the two of them had just entered the palace!
But it's true, no matter how much the emperor doted on the imperial concubine in the past, he had never been so reluctant to go out early the next morning.
He touched the fat man's chin and said carefully, "Leave it there. When the emperor and the queen are tired, they will naturally send someone in to serve them."
Wait till they are tired...
After leaving the palace, Liu Qilan took her little niece and boarded the carriage of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion and returned home.
The carriage traveled along the streets of the capital, passing through the streets and alleys. Looking out the window at the bustling pedestrians and the smoke rising from the shops on the roadside, Liu Milan's face was as calm as water, and her beautiful face like an angel was hidden in the twilight.
The carriage turned and passed by a mansion.
The mansion covers a vast area, with red beams and painted buildings. On the hanging plaque are four large characters "Ding'an Mansion" written in a style of flying dragons and phoenixes.
Her eyes were slightly lowered, her slender hands were tucked into her sleeves and placed on her knees, her fingertips were cold.
Suddenly, a small hand held hers.
She raised her head and saw her little niece Liu Chenxi's dark eyes looking at her, full of worry.
"Little aunt, don't be afraid. Doukou told me that if I ask the Empress Dowager again in the next two days, she will definitely be able to cancel the engagement."
Children think simply. In their little hearts, how could such a good person as their aunt marry such a bad guy?
Liu Qilan touched her niece's head and smiled slightly, "Good Chenchen, auntie knows you are doing this for my own good, but you must never tell Princess He'an about this again."
Liu Chenxi pouted, "Why, Chenchen doesn't want a bad uncle."
Liu Qilan said softly, "You are the princess's study companion. Your duty is to accompany her in her studies, to cultivate her character, and to constantly advise her on cultivating virtue. My marriage is our family affair. You must not trouble the princess, and certainly not instigate her to speak to the Queen Mother. Otherwise, it would be abusing your power for personal gain and bullying others."
Liu Chenxi drooped his little head and uttered a low "oh".
She actually didn't quite understand, but what her aunt said always made sense.
The carriage wheels turned and soon stopped outside the gate of Zhenyuan Marquis' Mansion.
Several maids were already waiting at the door. They helped the two girls, one big and one small, out of the carriage, put them in a sedan chair, and went straight in.
Liu Qilan first returned to her residence, Zhilan Xiangxie, changed into her casual clothes, and then went upstairs to meet her brother and sister-in-law.
When I entered the main room of the upper house, I saw my sister-in-law Wang leaning on the kang with a soft pillow. She was wearing a silver-grey squirrel-shaped Zhaojun hat on her forehead and a thick felt covering her body. There were two fingertip-sized plasters on her temples, and she looked sick.
Seeing her come in, Wang propped herself up and sat up, saying with a smile, "Sister, you're back. Come and sit down. It's freezing cold, and I'm sorry for the trouble you've taken to accompanying Miss Chen to the palace." Then she sighed, "It's a pity that I'm so weak. Now, I rely on you for everything, whether at home or outside, to meet guests and people."
Liu Qilan sat aside and said with a smile, "It's just my job, sister-in-law, why be so polite."
Wang had been in poor health ever since she had a miscarriage last year. She has been recovering until now. Now the household affairs of the Liu Mansion are managed by the second daughter, Liu Milan.
Liu Milan is indeed a talented person who can manage the household. Even though the wife has been ill for more than half a year, the Liu Mansion's backyard is still in order. However, Wang Shi feels more and more guilty and uneasy, because after all, Liu Milan is still an unmarried girl.
At that moment, Wang asked her what she had seen and heard when she entered the palace today.
Liu Qilan explained everything one by one, and then continued, "The Empress Dowager only chatted with me about daily life. Later, Noble Lady Bai came over, and we all sat together and talked for a while. When I left the palace, it was Noble Lady Bai who saw me off."
Wang was delighted when she heard this and said, "I heard that this noble lady Bai is now a popular figure around the Empress Dowager. It's a pity that she has no affinity with the Emperor."
Liu Qilan said, "Lady Bai has a gentle and docile temperament and elegant manners. It's no wonder that the Empress Dowager likes her. As for the rest, I think everyone has their own aspirations."
Wang nodded in agreement upon hearing this, and then added, "It's a good thing that you can establish a relationship with her. I've been thinking about it these past two days. Miss Chen is still young, so it's hard to talk to her. After all, it would be great if we could have a few more people like her."
Liu Qilan listened quietly, then spoke after a moment, "Sister-in-law, life is not easy for everyone. Concubine Bai is not favored by the emperor, and now she can only rely on her words in front of the Empress Dowager. How can I embarrass her and cause her trouble with my affairs?"
Wang sighed, "That being said, what about your situation? That kind of bastard is not someone you can rely on for life."
Liu Qilan's face was cold and she said calmly, "At worst, I'll just cut my hair and become a nun. I don't believe it. Could it be that the people from the Anding Mansion are going to snatch someone from the nunnery?"
Wang said hurriedly, "Stop talking like that! It's not like this!"
While the aunt and sister-in-law were talking, Liu Milan's brother, the young marquis Liu Zhengfeng, returned to the upper room, dusted off the snow on the corridor, and stepped into the room.
Liu Qilan hurriedly stood up and greeted her brother.
Liu Zhengfeng looked indifferent and just nodded.
Wang Shi saw a hint of anger on his face and thought he might have something to say, so she said to Liu Milan, "I asked the kitchen to make a bowl of winter bamboo shoot and duck soup. It should be ready by now, and I've sent it to your room. Go back and drink it while it's hot to drive away the cold."
Liu Qilan knew that her brother and sister-in-law must have something to say, so she got up and went out.
Just as she reached the window, she slowed down her pace.
But then he heard Liu Zhengfeng angrily shouting, "The people at the Anding Mansion are going too far! I went there today and said all the nice things I could, offering to return all the betrothal gifts, as long as the marriage can be called off, and I won't make a single noise. But everyone over there, from top to bottom, doesn't have a single reasonable person. They're all stiff-necked and yelling at me, talking nonsense like breaking the engagement and reneging on the promise!"
Wang's voice came, "But, since that rascal from their family already has a sweetheart, why does he have to occupy our sister?"
Liu Zhengfeng scolded, "What do you know? The Anding Mansion has lost a lot of its influence in recent years. Recently, the emperor has been trying to purge the influence of these old ministers. They used to be close to the Liang family, and they are afraid of being swept into the family, so they are obsessed with their children's marriages. Our mansion may not be powerful, but we have never been involved in those things. I have some friendship with the upstart, the Protector of the Country, Meng Changyuan, and they are just greedy for this!"
Wang said gloomily, "I've been thinking about this these past two days... What if, I mean, what if, they're willing to let that woman have an abortion, then..."
“Nonsense!”
Before Wang could finish, Liu Zhengfeng interrupted her, "To be able to do such a thing shows what a vile and filthy person he is. How could such a thing be worthy of being the son-in-law of our Liu family?! Before my father passed away, he told us to take good care of my sister. How could we leave her to such a man?"
"What are you yelling at me for?" Wang was also anxious and blurted out, "Isn't this also what I'm thinking of? I'm telling you, my sister said today that if it doesn't work out, she'll become a nun. If you're willing to let your sister become a nun, I don't care!"
Liu Qilan listened for a while and returned to Zhilan Xiangxie in silence.
When I returned to the house, the maid brought me a bowl of old duck soup.
She had no appetite, so she took two bites and put the food down, sitting quietly at the table facing the window.
Her affair caused unrest in the whole house, and the brother and sister-in-law, who had always loved each other, started quarreling over this.
If that really doesn't work out, then she'll just shave her head and become a nun...
Today I met the noble lady Bai. She had short hair and wore a tweed hat. I heard the palace maids talking privately that she cut her hair herself and was given the title of lay Buddhist by the emperor.
What kind of thing could force a woman to this point...
But seeing her calm expression and the way she talked and laughed freely, it seemed as if she didn't find it a hardship at all, which made Liu Milan deeply admire her.
Yes, even a weak woman is not completely powerless to resist.
She would not bow to that stinky thing. In the end, she would die anyway.
Liu Qilan let out a long sigh, opened a drawer on one side, took out something from it, and held it in her hand.
It was a plaque carved from nanmu, painted with clear varnish, with vermilion tassels hanging down and a big word "Meng" engraved on it. This was the waist badge of the Meng family of Yiyang Marquis Mansion.
It was not until recently that she found out that the man was Meng Changyuan, the prince of Yiyang Marquisate whom her brother always mentioned, and the current national hero.
"Miss, don't worry. I will never look back at you and will never tarnish your reputation. From today on, I will never remember this matter again."
The words were still ringing in her ears. He had indeed kept his promise and completely forgot about her.
Liu Qilan sat for a while and put the badge back into the drawer.
That matter should be buried deep in my heart forever.
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P.S. There was no romantic relationship between Miss Liu and Big Brother before.
Also, Lu Haozi, you may be happy now, but you won't be happy anymore soon~
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