Empress Ma was not considered a beauty in her youth; at best, she was a pretty girl with decent features.
It's obvious that beautiful women are a resource in chaotic times. If she were truly beautiful enough, Empress Ma's adoptive father, the rebel leader Guo Zixing, would have already used her for a marriage alliance. Why would it have been Zhu Yuanzhang's turn?
Hmph, a rich and beautiful woman paired with a poor boy, what a show!
Now that she's fifty, she looks like a kind and gentle old lady.
Therefore, the crowd reacted differently to Liu Xian's ambiguous statement about "offering herself in return."
Zhu Biao was startled at first. Someone was openly harassing his mother. What should he do? Hmm, let's see how his father reacts first...
Zhu Yuanzhang felt extremely awkward and strange. Someone was harassing his wife. Who was he? He was the powerful founding emperor.
But "Liu Xian" came to repay a debt of gratitude and save his wife, so it doesn't seem appropriate to directly refute that.
And the voice sounds like it belongs to a female demon, so it shouldn't matter, right? The idea of offering oneself in return is probably just something this mischievous demon is joking about...
The other palace maids remained silent, looking down at their noses as if they were admiring their own shoes.
The matchstick-like hand deeply touched his face. Could this be the legendary NTR? Or the most exciting one—the husband committing adultery in front of his wife?
Yoshi...
Zhu Yuanzhang rushed forward, looking at the awakened Empress Ma with a flustered expression, and asked, "Are you alright? Is there anything wrong? Would you like some food?"
As the sound entered her ears, Empress Ma seemed to finally come to her senses. She looked up and met Liu Xian's gaze.
A hint of interest mingled with the coldness, perhaps even a touch of goodwill...
"Looking at me like that, do you feel regretful for not being able to repay my kindness with your body?"
Ling Xiao Liu Xian spoke with a teasing tone.
The white snake, floating in mid-air, spoke in human language and suddenly awoke.
With the addition of the title "benefactor," Empress Ma understood most of it in no time.
The theme of monsters repaying kindness—a timeless trope in storybooks—is actually true.
However, he was not a scholar whose talents were not recognized, and this demon did not seem to be kind.
Empress Ma's pupils contracted. After receiving a confirming look from the Emperor, she took a deep breath, her voice slightly weak due to her illness.
"You jest, Demon Lord. You and I are both..." She paused, realizing that saying they were both women was incorrect, since one of them was a demon, and saying they were both female was also wrong.
"The nature of a snake is unpredictable. I haven't passed my tribulation yet, but I still have a chance to transform between yin and yang."
Empress Ma was still pondering when the White Snake spoke first, her voice drawn out, her jade-like tail drooping down onto the soft brocade quilt, creating an enchanting scene.
The hall was eerily quiet, as if a chicken hadn't been heard in countless times...
The White Snake seemed to be getting more and more interested and began to promote herself:
"Snake demons have their advantages. First, both male and female snakes have physical advantages; they both have slender waists and can be used in any position. Male snakes also have another great advantage..."
At this point, the White Snake glanced at the stunned Old Zhu, and whispered, "...Empress Ma blushed deeply."
Old Zhu and Little Zhu were uneasy. What the monster had said must have been something immoral and scandalous!
"Secondly, I can maintain my youthful appearance forever. If you get tired of me, I can change the appearance of other people too. Just think, having me is like having all the beauties in the world in your arms!"
"Thirdly,..." the white snake went on and on about the benefits of offering herself in marriage.
It seems...not bad. No wonder those scholars all love female demons.
Apart from two certain individuals, everyone else in the hall thought the same thing.
"Demon Lord, please stop speaking," Empress Ma slowly shook her head, looking tenderly at the white snake.
"I have been married to the emperor for decades, through thick and thin, and my heart is devoted to him. How could I betray him?"
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes welled up with tears, and he wanted to shout, "Me too!"
"Oh, I thought you were going to say something about how humans and demons are different," the White Snake said with a grin.
Suddenly, the white snake paused subtly, its eyes narrowing to slits. With dangerous speed, it moved closer to Empress Ma's cheek, the snake meeting the human's gaze.
"Why not choose to repay each other with our bodies? Exchanging beauty is the easiest thing for us demons to do."
Since you don't want it, my entanglement with you and the emperor will only deepen, and snakes are masters of coiling.
After uttering this meaningful remark, Empress Ma and the other two were still pondering its meaning.
The White Snake raised her head as if nothing had happened, looking at Bai Susu, who was staring intently at the pastries on the table.
*Slap slap slap*, the snake's tail struck three more times, its expression one of utter disappointment and frustration.
"You're so pathetic, I'll just let you drool with envy."
Why are you hitting me? Liu Xian, your attempt to seduce the Empress failed, it has nothing to do with me!
Bai Erya held her head in confusion, while the system nearby chuckled gloatingly.
The white snake got off the bed and coiled around Bai Susu again. Its python-like body slowly shrank to the size of a jade bracelet and wrapped around the little girl's wrist.
This miraculous scene caught Empress Ma's eye; it was real magic, unlike street tricks, and her heart pounded even faster.
The little white snake said to Zhu Yuanzhang in a sarcastic tone:
"Your wife's life was only pulled back from the brink of death. Unfortunately, I am still seriously injured, and we can only proceed step by step from here on out."
Empress Ma met the Emperor's worried gaze and nodded gently. She knew her own body well; although she had woken up, she still felt weak and sore all over, and her vision was blurred.
"Thank you, Immortal Liu," Zhu Yuanzhang said, though anxious, he managed to maintain his composure and tightened his grip on Empress Ma's hand.
"If there is anything you need, I will certainly do it if it is within my power."
Hmph, you think you can do whatever you want? You're still so cautious and cunning at a time like this, how annoying—Liu Xian Ling Xiao.
Everyone saw that the White Snake deliberately ignored the Emperor and said to Bai Susu:
"Susu, let me teach you a lesson. Once you become my disciple, there will always be some handsome boys who will try to seduce you and promise to give you everything."
Once you fall into their trap, you're finished. Like some people say, "They've never stopped having beauties in their arms—Consort Sun, Consort Zhao, Consort Guo, oh, this consort and that consort."
"Don't believe that!"
The village girl nodded earnestly.
Some people - Zhu Yuanzhang: ...
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