Chapter 279 Angry...Love
The night was as dark as ink, staining the layers of palaces.
The Lihe Palace had long been locked, and most of the candles inside had been extinguished, leaving only a few palace lanterns on night watch flickering in the corridor, casting a dim and tranquil glow.
However, this tranquility was abruptly broken by a series of hurried and heavy footsteps.
"Bang!"
The door to the inner sanctuary was suddenly pushed open from the outside, the force so great that the door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.
A strong smell of alcohol mixed with the chill of the night wind instantly swept into the warm room.
Narcissus was not asleep. Dressed only in a plain white nightgown, she sat on the soft couch by the window, gazing blankly at the dark night sky under a solitary lamp.
Hearing the sound, she turned around abruptly and saw Emperor Zhaoheng standing at the door.
He wasn't wearing a dragon robe, but only a bright yellow casual outfit, the collar slightly open, his dark hair a little messy. His usually deep and sharp eyes now carried a hint of drunkenness, and an extreme sense of suppressed rage and anger.
Emperor Zhaoheng stared at her intently, with an aggressive look, like a trapped beast whose scales had been touched.
Feng Shunxiang had already swiftly dismissed the palace servants and quietly closed the palace doors, completely isolating this space from the impending storm.
Narcissus's heart skipped a beat, but she tried her best to remain calm, though the fingers resting on the table tightened slightly.
Narcissus: "Your Majesty..."
"emperor?"
Emperor Zhaoheng chuckled, his steps unsteady yet unusually firm as he approached her, his voice hoarse and filled with heavy mockery.
"In your heart, am I just 'the Emperor'? Hmm?"
He walked up to her, his tall figure exuding a strong sense of oppression, and the shadow he cast almost completely enveloped her.
The strong smell of alcohol wafted onto her forehead and hair.
“Tell me,” he reached out, his calloused fingertips lifting her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes burning with pain, “Shuixian, when you look at me, do you see Xiao Yiheng, or merely the Emperor of Daqi?”
"How much of your constant talk about caring, and your perfectly timed tenderness... is genuine?"
The pent-up suspicions, fueled by alcohol, burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam.
At this moment, Narcissus no longer wanted to prioritize his feelings and tried to break free from his control, her voice turning cold.
"Your Majesty has had too much to drink, and I cannot understand what you are saying."
"Can't understand?"
Emperor Zhaoheng suddenly grabbed her wrist, the force so strong that she frowned. "I can tell you understand perfectly well! Zhou Yan is just a shopkeeper, yet you dared to trespass into the Qianqing Palace for him, speaking urgently and defending him in every way! But what about me? You always have this gentle, obedient, and impeccable demeanor!"
Emperor Zhaoheng said in a deep voice, "Narcissus, where is your heart? Where is your true heart?! Answer me!"
His voice grew louder and louder, his gaze fixed on the narcissus.
Narcissus's rationality was finally shattered by his unreasonable accusations!
The grievances, anger, and deep pain of being misunderstood that had been building up over the past few days erupted like lava!
She forcefully shook off his hand, tilted her head back, and for the first time, a clear and undisguised anger ignited in her eyes in front of him.
"Yes! I care about Zhou Yan! I care about Dengdi Inn! Because it's the culmination of my hard work!"
She pressed on relentlessly, each word like a knife, yet every sentence concealed the bitterness of being misunderstood.
"If I only loved your power and coveted the glory of the Empress's position, why would I have given birth to Yongning for you, and gone through hardships to give birth to Qingyan and Qinghe?"
"Xiao Yiheng, tell me, if I didn't have a shred of sincerity, why would I be in this situation?!"
"I don't know! I simply don't know!"
Emperor Zhaoheng was forced to take a half step back by the fire in her eyes and her barrage of questions. The alcohol and anger mixed together, making him lose all reason and leaving only an instinctive emotional outburst.
"I only see you lose your composure because of others! I only hear people say that you don't love me at all! I'm afraid! Narcissus, I am the emperor, but I am also afraid! Afraid that you don't have me in your heart at all!"
He practically roared out those last words, revealing a raw vulnerability and fear that no emperor should possess.
The argument reached its climax, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder and the heavy breathing of the two.
Just as Shui Xian was shaken by his last words, "Even I am afraid," and she froze, Emperor Zhaoheng suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms!
His kiss descended like a sudden storm, with irresistible force, a mixture of the burning heat of alcohol and a punishing plunder, fiercely grinding against her lips, prying open her teeth, conquering and seizing territory, leaving her no room to retreat.
This is no longer the tender and affectionate time we used to share; it's a battle of emotions!
It is possession, it is confirmation, it is an attempt to use the most primal means to carve one's own mark on her body and deep into her soul.
Narcissus seemed to be hurt by her and let out a soft groan.
At that moment, Emperor Zhaoheng seemed to be awakened. He slowly raised his eyes and loosened his grip on Shui Xian's waist.
Just as Emperor Zhaoheng was about to back away, Shui Xian grabbed his collar and kissed him.
Sensing her response and venting of anger, Emperor Zhaoheng's kiss became deeper and more urgent, as if he wanted to devour her whole and merge her into one.
He swept her up in his arms, roughly tearing down the curtains to create a space of intense turmoil.
Their clothes were scattered and disheveled in the entanglement, their skin pressed together, their body heat mingling.
This was not a pleasurable lovemaking, but an emotional storm, a collision and tearing of two hearts that had been tormented by suspicion and misunderstanding for too long, in the most direct and intense way, while at the same time... confirming each other's existence.
In the midst of the intense collision and fusion, as the tide of passion threatened to overwhelm reason, Emperor Zhaoheng gasped for breath, his sweaty forehead pressed against hers.
His bloodshot eyes were fixed on her dazed gaze, and his voice was hoarse like a broken bellows, filled with a desperate questioning.
"Tell me...do you even have me in your heart? Is it...only me?"
Narcissus was in a daze, as if she were adrift in a raging storm. All her calculations, all her rationality, and all her carefully maintained facades were shattered by the primal storm of emotion.
Looking at the handsome face before her, etched with pain, and listening to his almost humble questioning, the softest string in the depths of her heart was plucked hard.
Narcissus closed her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek, mingling with her sweat.
Following her body's most instinctive reaction, she stretched out her arms and tightly wrapped them around his neck, her voice trembling with sobs as she finally called out the name she had kept buried deep in her heart, a name she had never uttered aloud:
“Yiheng…”
That cry of "Yiheng" was like a thunderclap piercing through the thick gloom, carrying her unreserved sincerity, clearly reaching Emperor Zhaoheng's ears and crashing into his heart!
All his movements suddenly stopped, his body stiffened abruptly, and then came an even more frantic and profound possession, as if he wanted to completely integrate her words, along with her as a person, into his very bones and blood...
...
As the storm subsided, only the lingering afterglow and their gradually calming breaths remained indoors.
Emperor Zhaoheng still held Shuixian tightly, his arms wrapped around her slender waist with such force that she almost suffocated, but he did not loosen his grip at all, as if she would disappear if he let go.
He buried his face in the crook of her sweaty neck, greedily inhaling her unique, comforting scent.
"...I'm sorry, Xian'er."
After a long silence, his deep, hoarse voice rang in her ear, filled with deep regret and lingering fear, "It was me...it was me who was foolish...I used the most despicable method to test you...I was just...just too scared..."
Narcissus lay wearily on his sweat-dampened chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat and feeling the tremor in his voice. Miraculously, the anger and grievances in her heart gradually subsided.
She reached out and gently stroked his tense back.
“Zhou Yan…he is truly innocent.”
Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear: "Dengdi Inn is not just about making money; it's about paving a path for Qingyan, Qinghe, and even Yongning that might be closer to the people's hearts and lead to a more transparent and honest government."
Narcissus slightly raised her head and, in the dim light, looked into his eyes, which were gradually regaining their clarity.
“Yiheng, do you understand? Now, I am inseparable from you, from the children, and from this world that you entrusted to me, which I have gradually come to regard as my responsibility.”
She paused, her voice slightly choked, yet utterly sincere.
"Isn't this... also another kind of deep, profound sincerity? A sincerity that shares your joys and sorrows...?"
Emperor Zhaoheng listened quietly, as if enveloped in a warm current, making him almost speechless.
He understood.
He finally understood completely.
His fairy didn't not love him.
But her love had long transcended the tender feelings between lovers; it had become intertwined with the nation and its people, which they were jointly protecting, and with their profound plans for the future of their children.
Her composure, her planning, and her concern all stem from this.
This was a more profound, more resilient, and more... a deep affection that resonated deeply with him, the emperor.
He lowered his head and kissed her lips tenderly, tightening his arms around her, his voice more solemn and gentle than ever before.
"I understand... Xian'er, I was confused, I was narrow-minded... I will never doubt you again."
He cupped her face in his hands, found her lips precisely in the darkness, and placed a tender, apologetic kiss on them.
"I will issue an edict tomorrow to release Zhou Yan and compensate Dengdi Inn for all its losses."
Narcissus nestled in his arms, feeling the firmness and promise in his words, and the huge stone that had been weighing on her heart for so long finally slowly fell to the ground.
She gave a soft "hmm" and closed her eyes.
This storm, which arose from suspicion, finally subsided after the emotional honesty and physical intimacy.
The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the window lattice.
Emperor Zhaoheng woke up early but did not get up immediately. Instead, he lay on his side, looking at the still sleeping Narcissus beside him.
Her face was serene, and there was even a faint, relaxed smile on her lips.
Emperor Zhaoheng felt a surge of tenderness in his heart. He quietly got up, took the eyebrow pencil from the dressing table, and personally bent down by the bedside, clumsily yet with utmost focus, to draw her eyebrows.
Narcissus was awakened by his gentle movements. She opened her eyes and met his gaze, which was full of tenderness and apology.
She didn't move, but just looked at him quietly, a faint smile appearing in her eyes.
Between the emperor and empress, there was an unprecedented intimacy, born from weathering storms together.
After the morning court session, an imperial edict was issued: An investigation revealed that Zhou Yan, the manager of the Dengdi Inn, had been framed and was released without charge. The Emperor, moved by his injustice, bestowed upon him a sum of gold, silver, and silk as a token of his condolences. Any troublemakers among the officials were to be severely punished without exception.
When the news reached Lihe Palace, Yinzhu wept with joy and repeatedly kowtowed to Shuixian.
After Zhou Yan was released from prison, although he was still in shock, his loyalty and gratitude to Shui Xian were even more profound.
The women in the harem saw the Emperor and Empress going in and out together, and some even heard whispers that the Emperor was personally drawing the Empress's eyebrows, their affection for each other even stronger than before.
All the rumors about the discord between the Emperor and Empress were dispelled without a trace, and those secretly spying and gloating eyes instantly turned into awe...!
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