As she hesitated, a familiar feeling suddenly came over her, and she instinctively hugged the man on top of her.
Realizing this action, Xiao Tuo finally sighed in resignation, realizing that even her body had become accustomed to this man.
"Look at me." The other person's unquestionable voice came from beside him.
She tried to turn her head away, but the other person turned her face back to her.
Seeing the satisfied smile in the other person's eyes, Xiao Tuo felt quite helpless.
However, after gazing at each other for a long time in this intimate situation, a touch of tenderness suddenly welled up in her heart. Although it was faint, it was no longer purely out of a desire to complete the task as before.
...
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Tuo nestled in Zu An's arms, secretly observing the man.
The other person had already fallen into a deep sleep. Although Xiao Tuo was also exhausted, her mind was in turmoil and she couldn't fall asleep at all.
She thought about many things, and suddenly she was startled because she realized that most of what had just appeared in her mind was the image of the king, and she had only thought about Lian for a very short time.
Xiao Tuo looked at the man so close to her with a complicated expression. Had she really developed feelings for him?
Ultimately, she was too tired, and as she thought about it, she gradually drifted off to sleep. In her dream, she didn't know what she encountered, but her brows were furrowed and her face showed panic. She subconsciously snuggled closer to Zu An and felt his warmth and heartbeat before she slowly calmed down.
The next morning, when Xiao Tuo woke up and found herself in his arms, she blushed. She hadn't expected to be so attached to him while she was asleep.
Looking at the man beside her with his sculpted face, she suddenly blushed: "This tyrant is quite handsome."
She suddenly felt a little lost in thought. Why was it that when she was with Lian before, she was always overwhelmed by the heavy realities of life, and her memories were filled with pain and torment? On the contrary, during this time with this guy, she felt more sweetness. Could this be the feeling of love?
"I heard that if you stare at someone for more than fifteen seconds, you'll fall in love with them. You've been staring at me for a long time, haven't you?" At this moment, Zuan's teasing laughter rang out in the room.
Xiao Tuo's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly shrank back: "You...you were awake a long time ago?"
"I woke up when I heard someone's heartbeat quicken." Zuan wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pulled her back into his embrace. "We're an old married couple, why are you hiding?"
Hearing the words "old married couple..." Xiao Tuo's originally cold heart felt a little warmer.
But before she could say anything, she felt him press down on her again, and she exclaimed, "It's morning!"
"What happened this morning?" Zu'an was already very familiar with the situation.
Xiao Tuo frowned slightly, gave a soft hum, and after a while said coquettishly, "You tyrant..."
In the past, she would have said this entirely as an insult, but now it carries a hint of flirting.
After the storm had passed, Zu'an summoned his trusted confidant: "Pass down the order, bestow upon Man... cough cough, bestow upon Fu Hao a white awning and a yellow battle-axe. She has the authority to execute any soldier in the entire army, regardless of rank, without prior approval."
In this era, the yellow battle-axe and the white banner represented royal power, and they had never been bestowed upon a subject at the same time.
Lying in bed in the inner room, Xiao Tuo had a complicated expression. The king truly favored the queen, and what was even more precious was the extraordinary trust between them.
She could foresee that all her previous attempts to sow discord between the two sides and create a turbulent atmosphere in Yindu would fail.
Just then, Zu'an's voice came again: "In addition, announce to the world that Xiao Tuo is to be made a wife, and have Fu Shuo and the others study the ceremony rules."
In the Shang Dynasty, "妇" meant empress or concubine.
Xiao Tuo was truly shocked. All along, she had thought that she was just the other party's plaything, because she knew that she had entered the palace with ill intentions, so she had no complaints about it.
But the other party actually bestowed upon her the title of "wife," and from then on, no one who saw her could look down on this little palace maid, but had to respectfully address her as "wife."
Although not as powerful as Fu Hao, the two were not far apart in terms of rank within the palace.
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind: even if Lianzhen's coup succeeded, it wouldn't matter much to her.
She was never stupid; she knew that she had served the previous king, and even if Lian didn't mind, the courtiers would not agree to her becoming queen.
Being able to become one of the concubines is already the highest honor, let alone how could Lian not mind her past?
Having grown up with Lian since childhood, how could she not know Lian's magnanimity? She just hadn't seriously considered this issue before, but after listening to those analyses last night, she knew that the King was right; if Lian came to power, she would definitely not have a good ending.
Moreover, given the current situation, Lian has no chance of succeeding; the lives of her family and clan are entirely in her own hands.
At this moment, she saw Zu'an return to the inner room. With a complicated expression, she said, "Your Majesty, I am unworthy of such a reward. I am truly ashamed to accept it. Please, Your Majesty, rescind your order."
The king treated her very well, but the more he did so, the more guilty she felt.
Zuan laughed and said, "A king's word is law. If I say you deserve it, then you deserve it. Of course, if you feel you haven't done anything to deserve it, then do me a favor."
"What is it?" Xiao Tuo was taken aback, not understanding why the king couldn't do something and needed her help.
Zuan handed her a bamboo slip: "Pass this information on to Lian."
Xiao Tuo's expression changed; she knew the other party's intention without even looking: "No, I can't harm him. Your Majesty, I will serve you peacefully from now on. Please don't make me do such a cruel thing with my own hands."
Although she had given Lian some false information before, it was all unintentional. Now that she knows it is harmful false information, why would she want to deceive Lian?
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