The cook stammered, "No, really, it's not necessary. I'm already full."
Lu Zhao's suspicious gaze fell on Cook Sun. Everyone else would gladly accept the food offered by their master, but Cook Sun hesitated and refused to accept it, unless there was something wrong with the food itself.
"Just eat what I tell you to eat. What, did I put something in the food?"
Cook Sun forced a smile. "Haha, you're joking. What could possibly be in there? Just some nourishing herbs like astragalus and angelica. The herbs are precious; it would be a waste to feed them to a servant like me."
"Jinyang, come and see if there's anything wrong with the food." Lu Zhao didn't want to waste time talking to her, so he called Jinyang over.
Cook Sun's heart was in her throat, fearing that Jin Yang would find something wrong, but when she thought that she had picked out the croton seeds, how could he possibly see it, she calmed down a little.
Jin Yang smelled each dish, tested them with a silver needle, and finally tasted a small amount. His expression changed. "Master, these dishes contain a large amount of croton seeds. If the young lady eats this, I'm afraid she won't even be able to save her child."
Before Chef Sun could react, Lu Zhao had already kicked her away, yelling, "You deserve to die!"
He kicked her hard, and the cook, Sun, slammed against the door and hit her head on the threshold, making her dizzy.
She was terrified, never expecting her master to be so ruthless. She scrambled to her feet and knelt on the ground, vehemently denying everything, "No, I didn't have croton seeds! This is slander!"
Seeing that the evidence was irrefutable, she still dared to deny it. Lu Zhao's aura turned cold and deep. His thin lips were slightly pursed, and a murderous aura swept over him. Cook Sun trembled all over and regretted why she had given Gu Chaoxi croton oil out of spite.
She had previously signed a contract of servitude with the steward of the villa and received a large sum of money for it. Now she was afraid that Lu Zhao would sell her off. However, considering the many benefits she had gained on the mountain, even if she were sold off, she would still have made a considerable profit.
"Jinyang, drag him away and beat him to death!"
"Beating...beaten to death?!" Cook Sun was terrified. Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground.
"How dare you kill people so casually! I'm going to report you to the authorities!"
Jin Yang dragged her away.
Unable to resist Jin Yang and unable to break free, Cook Sun quickly begged for mercy, "No! Young master! Miss! I've only skimped on things once or twice. I only used a little bit of croton oil to help you digest, I won't do it again!"
"Girl! Please, let me go! Young master, spare my life!"
Gu Chaoxi huddled in Lu Zhao's arms, trembling. "Luckily I didn't eat it, otherwise I might not have been able to see you when you came."
Lu Zhao was heartbroken. While comforting her, he instructed, "Jinyang, don't waste time."
Jin Yang dragged her away and threw her to his men, saying, "The prince has ordered her to be beaten to death!"
Cook Sun's eyes widened in disbelief; she hadn't expected the person inside to be a prince! As a woman, she had no idea which prince he was, but he was certainly not someone she could afford to offend!
He was a prince; taking her life would be a piece of cake for him. How dare she mistreat the prince's woman? Cook Sun was filled with remorse.
As the stick struck her, Cook Sun's cries gradually subsided.
Jin Yang was about to watch the person die when suddenly his stomach started churning. He cursed under his breath, thinking that he had only tasted a tiny bit, about the size of a fingernail, and it was already giving him diarrhea!
He said angrily, "Kill him! Throw him out!"
Then he ran off to find a latrine.
The guards beat the man to death, checked his breathing to make sure he was still, and then threw him at the foot of the mountain.
After an unknown amount of time, the shadow guards sent by the emperor to track Lu Zhao lost him again. They were searching the vicinity without giving up when suddenly, a hand grabbed his ankle.
The shadow guard got goosebumps all over his body, and looked down...
...
Inside the palace, the emperor was about to fall asleep when he learned that the shadow guards he had sent out had returned, and he quickly ordered them to come in.
Upon hearing the shadow guard's report, the young emperor sat up abruptly from his dragon bed in shock and abruptly pulled back the gauze curtains.
"You're saying that the woman Lu Zhao is keeping outside is pregnant?"
"Indeed, the Regent even hired a cook to go up the mountain specifically to cook for that woman. My subordinate encountered her at the foot of the mountain; she was on her deathbed, barely clinging to life. We couldn't get any other information out of her, so we don't know the specifics."
The emperor was in turmoil, filled with shock, anger, and even a deep-seated fear.
Others might not know, but he knew perfectly well that Lu Zhao had been poisoned when he was a teenager, rendering him unable to have children. This poison was secretly administered to Lu Zhao by his mother to pave the way for his future!
The throne fell to Lu Zhao because he was unable to have any children.
Lu Zhao actually has a child now! How could he possibly have offspring?!
A sinister glint flashed in the emperor's eyes, and his handsome, still-growing face turned somber.
...
Gu Chaoxi woke up in the man's warm embrace. She tried to get up, but the man, who was still sleeping, pulled her back into his arms and held her firmly down.
"It's still early, sleep a little longer," a low, hoarse voice said.
Gu Chaoxi was unable to move. Thinking of how this shameless man had brazenly occupied her other half of the bed before she went to sleep, she couldn't help but kick him.
The next instant, the misbehaving foot was caught by a large hand.
With her legs restrained and a large hand holding her waist, Gu Chaoxi could only wriggle unwillingly in Lu Zhao's arms, trying to escape the man's control.
Suddenly, the man's breathing became heavy, and his calloused fingertips gently caressed the soft, smooth side of her waist.
"Don't move." Chen Qi's voice was already low and husky, but now it carried a hint of lust. "If you start a fire, are you going to put it out?"
It was strangely alluring to hear.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
