Chapter 20 reveals who she truly mistook for the Emperor.
The wind and rain were dark and gloomy, and the world was vast and desolate.
In a house on the edge of the meadow, the torrential rain was kept out.
After Xiao Zhuo entered, he bent down and placed the person in his arms on the couch, when he suddenly felt a tightness around his wrist.
Yuan Chaolu grasped his wrist, her fingertips trembling slightly. "It hurts so much. Young Master, please call the army doctor again later. I have something to tell you."
Xiao Zhuo lowered his head and saw that she was soaked to the bone. Her braids were now disheveled, and her wet black hair clung to her snowy cheeks. Water droplets from her robes soaked through the sheets beneath her, creating a dark stain.
He subtly took her slender wrist, making her release her grip first, and a warm breath brushed against her.
She pressed her face against his, her breath brushing against his neck. "No need to call the medics, they can't cure him."
Xiao Zhuo turned his face away: "You've never even seen a military doctor, how do you know it can't be cured?"
“Because it’s a heartache.” Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fingertips gripped his clothes tightly. “It’s because of that golden lion. Just now, the cheetah ran out, and I’m still trembling in my heart. I need you by my side, young master.”
Before she finished speaking, she leaned forward and nestled her whole body into his chest.
The girl was tall and slender, and the rain soaked her to the bone, which accentuated her graceful figure. Every inch of her curves was clearly visible, clinging to the man's strong and lean waist.
Some things were so vivid that Xiao Zhuo could feel them even through his clothes.
He knew she was bold, and even though he deliberately avoided her for several days as a warning, she remained unscrupulous.
Xiao Zhuo's eyes turned slightly cold. He didn't know where he had gone wrong, giving her the hint of romantic feelings between a man and a woman, which had led her to this point.
Does she even know who she is?
"The cheetah that the young master keeps always appears near the Zen temple, which makes me uneasy. At night, I am plagued by nightmares and often dream of its shadow pouncing on me."
Xiao Zhuo said, "After we get back, I will have Jin Ni avoid your residence."
She suddenly looked up, a strand of hair brushing against his Adam's apple. "Really? Thank you, young master. Do you think I performed well today?"
"Are you riding this horse for me or for yourself?" Xiao Zhuo asked in a low voice. "Why bother with my opinion?"
Her eyes were clear and bright as she slowly leaned closer: "Of course I want to stand out in front of others and let them know how capable I am. But it's also for..."
His face was clearly reflected in those eyes, and a soft "you" was whispered on his lips.
"So, young master, please don't be angry with me anymore." Her voice was clearly coquettish.
“I specifically asked Lord Pei to mention to His Majesty that it was the young master who recommended me, and it was because I thought of the young master on the heavenly horse that I was able to persevere.”
She gently placed her cheek in his palm, nuzzling it like a small animal, and looked up at him with her eyes slightly upturned.
In this place, inside and outside the bed curtains, a lone man and a lone woman, their actions so suggestive and deliberately provocative, clearly hint at something more.
But her gaze was innocent, as if she had no idea what she was doing.
Xiao Zhuo pretended not to notice the burning gaze in her eyes, and finished speaking in a calm tone: "His Majesty has already bestowed the Heavenly Horse upon you and is very satisfied with your performance today. If there is anything else you want, please feel free to ask."
"Is it really possible?" She pursed her lips. "I want a bigger reward."
Xiao Zhuo paused for a moment, then asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Is it alright? If you had a mansion, it would be perfect to move out and live on your own, instead of living under someone else's roof and being looked down upon."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhuo's expression softened slightly: "That's all."
"Does Your Majesty truly bestow upon me anything?" Yuan Chaolu slowly knelt up, her hand lightly resting on the edge of the bed, and leaned forward.
"If I were to say, I would like... for you to accompany me, young master."
Her red lips parted slightly, the words swirling between her teeth, almost bursting forth.
Before she could speak, Xiao Zhuo finally withdrew his hand from hers and smiled slightly: "The military doctor will see you later."
Before she could finish speaking, she frowned and said repeatedly, "It hurts," her fingers gripping his clothes tightly, her chest heaving. "Young master promised that if I tame the celestial horse, you will no longer avoid me."
Xiao Zhuo said, "That's why I came to see you."
As she spoke, a necklace slipped from her neck; its shape was peculiar, as if it were made of animal bones.
Xiao Zhuo's gaze lingered on it for a while before he asked, "When you tamed the celestial horse today, what method did you use to make it obey?"
As Yuan Chaolu was lost in thought, a series of approaching footsteps suddenly sounded amidst the rain outside the eaves.
The two people inside looked out at the door. Xiao Zhuo said in a deep voice, "Wait inside. Don't come out."
The torrential rain swept across the land, cascading down the roof tiles and splashing onto the muddy ground in front of the house.
Xiao Luozhi, soaked to the bone, stood under the eaves. He saw the door of a house open in front of him, and a tall figure walked out of the house. The emperor turned his eyes and looked in his direction.
Before he could finish his greeting, the emperor gestured for him to come forward and speak.
The two walked to the eaves of the house, but the narrow eaves could not keep out the wind and rain, and half of their shoulders were soaked by the rain.
"Brother," Xiao Luozhi said, still catching his breath, "how is that girl?"
Xiao Zhuo looked up and saw rain running down his brow bone, making his phoenix eyes appear even colder.
He keenly sensed the chill emanating from the emperor.
Once that thought took root in his mind, Xiao Luozhi felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. When he came to his senses, he had already walked here in the rain.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, the Heavenly Horse has been put back into its cage. I was worried about Your Majesty's safety, which is why I took the liberty of coming here."
He laughed and said, "By the way, how is that girl? When I came here, I heard everyone in the camp talking about her heroic feat of taming the heavenly horse. I would also like to see it for myself."
The emperor's deep gaze fell upon him, causing Xiao Luozhi's heart to pound.
"You've come for that Miss Zhou?"
Xiao Luozhi's thoughts were laid bare under the emperor's gaze. He closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and finally said, "I met a woman at Tianzhen Pavilion a few days ago. She was also surnamed Zhou. I just saw her from a distance and her back looked quite similar. May I ask, Your Majesty, is that woman named Zhou Aju?"
The only sounds in the world seemed to be the torrential rain and thunder. After he finished speaking, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
“Prince Yan, you shouldn’t have come here.”
The torrential rain lashed his face, and those words pierced his ears like ice picks. He snapped back to reality and realized the absurd mistake he had made.
Spying on the emperor's private affairs is a serious crime.
Xiao Zhuo asked slowly and deliberately, "The Grand Secretary Zhou An's surname is Zhou. There are many people with the surname Zhou in the court. Which Zhou in Luoyang is the Zhou Aju you mentioned?"
“Brother…” Xiao Luo’s ears were ringing, and his lips were filled with coldness.
The emperor raised his hand to stop him from speaking, his voice deep and cold: "It's not her."
Xiao Luozhi hurriedly knelt down: "It is my fault, I should not have interfered in the affairs of my imperial brother."
My brother wouldn't lie to me, nor would he have any reason to. It must have been that the heavy rain blurred my vision, causing me to have a momentary illusion.
In the brief moment of relief, I belatedly realized that I had acted too impulsively, and regret welled up in my heart.
However, a moment later, a hand reached out in front of him, stopping him from kneeling.
"Prince Yan, come here." The person above spoke, his voice no longer as cold and stern as before.
Xiao Luozhi raised his head and saw that the coldness in those eyes had faded. "I have something to tell you. Come with me."
Xiao Luozhi followed him and suddenly said, "Brother, please wait a moment."
Xiao Zhuo turned around and saw him looking at his face with a strange gaze, as if he wanted to say something but dared not.
"What is it?"
Xiao Luozhi took a step closer and lightly touched his chin with his fingertip: "Your Majesty's cheek... seems to have a rouge mark."
Dark clouds churned in the sky, and several blinding flashes of lightning suddenly appeared. The emperor's face was solemn, and after a long while, he raised his stiff fingertips to wipe his chin.
Xiao Luozhi held his breath, watching as he rubbed with extreme force, his knuckles grinding heavily against his chin, leaving a noticeable red mark. Then, he cast a questioning look at him. Xiao Luozhi nodded and asked, "What did Your Majesty call me for just now?"
The emperor remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said softly, "It's nothing, I just want you to go and fetch a military doctor for me."
Xiao Luozhi vaguely sensed that the emperor's expression had been solemn, as if he was about to entrust him with something extremely important, but at the last moment, his tone changed. He couldn't catch the subtle change, nor did he dare to ask any questions. Upon hearing the order, he felt relieved and bowed, saying, "Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will do it immediately."
The young man turned and walked away into the pouring rain, his figure disappearing into the vast rain and mist. Xiao Zhuo stood under the eaves, the skin on his cheek, even though it was wiped extremely clean, still seemed to burn with the temperature of a young girl.
After much deliberation, he intended to tell the Prince of Yan the truth about her identity, but his younger brother reminded him that he had a rouge mark left on his face by his fiancée...
When Zhong Changjun arrived, he saw the emperor standing alone under the long corridor with a sullen face, his robes rustling in the wind, and half of his body soaked by the heavy rain.
He quietly walked to the emperor's side, and then heard the emperor say, "Handkerchief."
Zhong Changjun quickly took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and respectfully presented it to him. The Emperor's fingers, as smooth as jade, slowly wiped his chin with the handkerchief, his gaze fixed on the pouring rain. After a while, he casually tossed the handkerchief into Zhong Changjun's arms and said, "When the military doctor comes, you will serve him."
Having said that, he stepped into the torrential rain. In the distance, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the downpour continued.
**
Yuan Chaolu waited in vain in the house. Instead of the Prince of Yan, he was met by Zhong Changjun and the army doctor.
She didn't intend for the military doctor to cure her heart palpitations so easily. Since she was frightened by the Yan King's cheetah, she naturally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity as many times as possible.
Upon seeing this, Zhong Changjun gently said that he would select a maid to serve her so that she could take care of her.
Yuan Chaolu said softly, "I still have a maid in my household named Heyi. There's no need for Zhongshu to find someone else for me. Just ask her to come."
Nighttime, in a secluded room of Chanxu Temple.
The candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of two women on the wall. Their soft, murmuring conversation echoed gently, like the murmur of swallows and orioles.
Yuan Chaolu was sitting at the table, gently combing her black hair with a wooden comb in her hand. Looking at the woman in front of her, she said, "Sister Heyi, has anything happened in the Yuan residence while I was away?"
He Yi sighed, “The Second Madam always sends me to find you, saying that the young lady of the house does not return home at night and stays outside day and night, which may damage the reputation of the Yuan family. However, she does not dare to let me hear these words directly. We are grateful for the generous gifts that Prince Yan sends to the mansion every day, and the Yuan family respects Prince Yan.”
"Is there any progress in the search for medicine on the Prince of Yan's side?"
This time, He Yi nodded slightly. Yuan Chaolu's breath hitched. "Sister, please tell me quickly."
"A-Ju, do you remember when we left the Northwest, A-Bi's senior brother mentioned that they had a senior sister who worked in the Imperial Medical Bureau?"
Yuan Chaolu's eyes lit up as he said, "Of course. Senior Brother Cen said she is extremely skilled at detoxification. When I asked around before, she was on imperial orders to travel out of the capital for medical consultations and was not in Luoyang. Could it be that she has returned?"
"Yes, the Prince of Yan's men have said that once Physician Qi returns to Luoyang soon, she will review the prescription and perhaps find the missing ingredient."
Yuan Chao appeared with a faint smile, his displeasure at being abandoned by the Prince of Yan in the evening completely gone. He lowered his eyes and said, "As long as he can find medicine for my sister, that's all that matters."
He Yi said, "And you, Aju? How has your relationship with the Prince of Yan been these past few days...?"
Yuan Chaolu patted her hand to reassure her, placed the comb on the table, stood up, picked up a lamp, and the bright light illuminated her smiling eyes.
"Now, I'm going to find him."
The rain showed no signs of stopping. Yuan Chaolu walked slowly along the long corridor, pushed open the door and entered, only to find the room dark. Neither the Prince of Yan nor his attendant Zhong Changjun had returned.
The lamplight illuminated the books. After placing her homework on the table, the young woman sat demurely, her gaze fixed on them. Although she had come with a different purpose, she still needed to put on an act.
Before long, footsteps sounded outside. Yuan Chaolu silently counted the steps in her mind. When a tall figure appeared beside her, she pretended to be surprised and looked up, "Young Master is back?"
Xiao Zhuo stared at the book for a long time before slowly looking up at her. "You're reading?"
Yuan Chaolu smiled and said, "What's wrong? Where is Zhongshu? He didn't come back with you."
He was still wearing the same black robe he had worn during the day, and raindrops dripped from a corner of his riding attire, continuously hitting the ground.
He did not reply and walked into the inner room.
"Go back. I won't be checking your homework today." The voice was distant and indifferent.
"Young master promised that he would forgive me and never avoid me again after I rode the heavenly horse. Why have you become so cold after just one evening apart?"
Yuan Chaolu's gaze faltered slightly as she noticed a patch of blood in his palm hanging by his side. She quickly reached out and pulled him to a stop. Her hand touched something sticky, and upon closer inspection, she saw the bloodstain left by the reins during the day, which had not yet been bandaged and had reopened.
"The young master was injured, yet no one bandaged him up, and Zhongshu didn't even notice?"
Xiao Zhuo stood beside her, watching her skirt unfold like a flower bud, and then sat down in his usual seat as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
He bent down slightly, about to pull his hand away, when she stood up and said, "Let me bandage you."
Xiao Zhuo said, "You should go back now."
The girl seemed not to hear and walked straight to the bookshelf.
As Xiao Zhuo watched her figure, he recalled what Zhong Changjun had said: when he was away, she would come to this house every evening to either recite poems or complete her studies. Clearly, she had already taken over the place and treated it as her second home.
Yuan Chaolu found the medicine box and placed it on the desk. When she looked up, her eyes reflected the candlelight. "I came to help you bandage up, young master. You said you wouldn't ignore me, so you wouldn't refuse this request, would you?"
Xiao Zhuo could not deny that he was indeed in a great mood today because of the Tianma matter.
He felt a subtle pressure in her palm, and watching her movements, he finally sat down.
The dim lamplight enveloped the two of them, and the pattering rain outside the window made the room even more quiet.
She cupped his palm in her hands, gently blew on it, and moved with great care, sometimes carefully bandaging his wounds, sometimes glancing up at him with a faint smile.
The candlelight illuminated the fine hairs on her face, and her warm breath brushed against his wrist. He frowned, leaned over, and began to look through the homework on her desk.
After she finally finished bandaging, Xiao Zhuo withdrew his hand without even glancing at it and said, "Come here, this is written wrong."
Yuan Chaolu's smile was somewhat forced; he didn't really want to discuss academic matters with him, but he had already leaned closer and lightly touched the errors on the book with his fingertips.
"If you have any questions, ask me now, don't ask later." His voice was much gentler than usual as he patiently guided her, his words like the soothing sound of spring water.
Yuan Chaolu raised his eyes and saw that he was focused, his long eyelashes casting a fan-shaped shadow under the lamp, making his eyebrows and eyes look particularly deep.
When she tentatively leaned forward slightly, he no longer avoided her as before, but his expression remained unchanged... as if he was completely unmoved by it, calm to the point of indifference.
Although she hoped he would be gentler, she didn't want him to be so completely indifferent.
The sound of rain pattering on the roof beams. After listening to him finish reciting a chapter from the Analects, Yuan Chaolu said softly, "Young master, may I rest for a while, take a bath first, and then read the next chapter later?"
Xiao Zhuo nodded in agreement, without saying another word.
Her footsteps faded into the distance, and Xiao Zhuo remained sitting alone in the shadows.
The air around them was heavy and oppressive. It had only been a short while since she had been by his side, but the room was already filled with the fragrance of orchids emanating from her. Even his sleeves were soaked with that fragrance, which he couldn't shake off.
Such a fragrance should not exist.
As Xiao Zhuo walked to the door, the cold rain rushed towards him, finally washing away the lingering scent of her that remained on his sleeves.
Thunder rumbled as if rolling across the roof beams. He heard the sound of roof tiles breaking in a side room in the rainy night, as if a corner of something had collapsed.
Xiao Zhuo frowned and walked towards the dimly lit house.
This is the house of the Golden Lion, a leopard. When Xiao Zhuo pushed open the door, he saw broken tiles scattered all over the ground, and wind and rain poured in from the breach above.
The leopard, with its massive body, couldn't escape the splashing rain even when pressed against the wall. It was now in a sorry state, its fur soaked through, water dripping down its body.
Xiao Zhuo said, "Golden Lion, come here!"
He intended to lead the leopard to his residence, but halfway there, he suddenly noticed that the lights were still on in her room on the other side, and in the distance, the mountains were piled with thick, dark clouds.
He paused slightly and subconsciously called out, "Zhong Changjun."
Silence fell, and no one answered.
Earlier, because it was late at night and the steps were slippery, the emperor dismissed Zhong Changjun from his service and returned to his meditation room in the mountains alone.
At this moment, however, there is no one here who can be ordered around.
Xiao Zhuo stood under the corridor for a moment, glanced at the soaking wet cheetah beside him, and then took a step toward the light.
The roof tiles are about to collapse; the people inside need to be informed.
But as he approached the house, before he could even knock, he heard the gentle sound of bathing water.
A strange female voice rang out: "It's already very late. Is Aju still going to see the Prince of Yan later?"
The King of Yan.
Upon hearing these two words, Xiao Zhuo's raised hand hovered in the air.
The sound of rushing water suggests someone is getting out of the bathtub.
Outside, the torrential rain roared and raged, but it couldn't drown out the whispers inside. Yuan Chaolu said, "Of course, Sister Heyi, asking him about his studies was just a pretext; the real purpose was to get close to him. Today, the Prince of Yan finally lowered his guard against me and stopped resisting my approach. It will definitely be much easier in the future."
A cold glint, like a water blade, flashed across Xiao Zhuo's eyes as he slowly raised his eyelids.
A moment later, he suddenly chuckled very softly.
She actually mistook herself for the Prince of Yan?
**
Yuan Chaolu changed into clean clothes and went to the Prince of Yan's bedroom again. As she pushed open the door, a night wind suddenly rushed in, and the candlelight flickered violently.
The wind made her feel uneasy, but when she finally focused her gaze on the scene before her, she froze.
The flickering candlelight on the lampstand cast a dim light on the figure in front of the landscape screen. He was tall and imposing like a mountain, sitting behind a table. Behind him lurked the figure of a leopard as large as a small mountain. The leopard had golden eyes like torches, was on high alert, and bared its white fangs at her.
His face was hidden in the darkness, but as she approached, his handsome features gradually became clear, and a smile curved his lips.
"Come over here, I have something to ask you." His tone was gentle, even with a slight smile.
But this gave her a bad feeling, and a chill ran down her spine.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
