The chopsticks in Xie Shizhu's hand fell to the ground with a clatter. His clear eyes instantly turned red as he looked at Yan Chou in disbelief.
Yan Chou quietly admired Xie Shizhu's expression, wanting to see sadness on her face so that he could satisfy the pleasure after revenge.
Xie Shizhu turned his eyes away, bent down to pick up the chopsticks on the ground, pinched one end of the chopsticks with his fingertips, stared at Yan Chou's bright yellow brocade robe under the table, and moved his eyes to his boots. Without considering any consequences, he poked the chopsticks in his hand into the black satin boots of Yan Chou.
Fu Yun was standing behind the two of them. Seeing this, he hurriedly wanted to call the guards, but was stopped by Yan Chou.
He was stunned for a moment and then automatically left Jin'an Hall.
Yan Chou stood up suddenly, and the next second he picked up the bent-over woman, with a sullen face, holding her wrist tightly with one hand.
A cold look flashed in his eyes, and he used a little force with his fingertips. Xie Shizhu dropped the chopsticks in his hand in pain.
"Queen, are you angry because you can't be the regent's woman?"
Xie Shizhu glared at him. Even though her arm hurt, she was unwilling to lie: "Yes."
Yan Chou scoffed, "Instead of arguing with me, why not think about how to face the Regent tomorrow?"
"Your Majesty, don't worry about that," Xie Shizhu said with a cold smile, "Even if the Regent Prince has a princess, I am willing to be his concubine."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gloomy look appeared in Yan Chou's eyes, and his thin lips were tightly pursed, as if he was trying to suppress the undercurrent in his heart.
Well, he was willing to withstand everyone's criticism and let her sit on the throne of queen, but Xie Shizhu was dismissive. Even if she was Yan Xiuran's concubine, she still looked down on the master of the palace.
Yan Chou let go of her wrist. Xie Shizhu's fingertips had turned blue and white, and there were man's fingerprints on her wrist, with a circle of red marks around her fair skin.
"Since the Queen has spoken so arrogantly," Yan Chou said, "I want to see if the Regent can live until the day I divorce you."
After saying this, Yan Chou turned away.
As soon as he left, the maids rushed in from outside. Seeing the emperor's gloomy face, they were all frightened. When they returned to the palace, they saw that the queen was fine and were relieved.
Xie Shizhu acted as if nothing had happened. He asked the maid to get a new pair of chopsticks, sat down and picked up the dishes slowly.
*
In Chengming Palace, Yan Chou sat at the desk, frowning slightly. The more he read the memorials, the more annoyed he became.
Fuyun asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, are you okay? Do you need me to call the imperial physician?"
Yan Chou said impatiently: "No need."
"yes."
A eunuch's sharp voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager requests an audience..."
Then, the Empress Dowager and the palace maid Lin Xuan came to Chengming Hall together.
Yan Chou slowly stood up, staring at the Empress Dowager standing before him, and asked indifferently, "Empress Dowager, what brings you to my palace so late at night?"
The Queen Mother looked unhappy and hadn't slept well for several days. She clearly wanted to put Fang Yiran into the harem, but she let Yan Chou betroth her to Yan Xiuran.
"Emperor," the Queen Mother said with a twitch of her lips, "isn't it inappropriate to marry the daughter of the Minister of Personnel to the Prince Regent?"
Yan Chou stared at her calmly, his eyes flashing with a cold light, and said sternly, "The Queen Mother means that the Regent is not worthy of the daughter of the Minister of Personnel?"
The Queen Mother was startled, a trace of embarrassment flashing across her face.
"no……"
Yan Chou interrupted her: "What else does the Queen Mother want?"
Lin Xuan stood beside the Queen Mother, glancing at Yan Chou's face from time to time. The man looked better than any other man she had ever seen.
Moreover, she traveled through time and space here, where Yan Chou stood at the top of the pyramid, controlling the fate of everyone.
Here, Yan Chou is the sky.
If Lin Xuan can make it onto the Yanchou list, she will live a fulfilling life in this world.
Xie Shizhu didn't know how to cherish the things he had been longing for.
The Queen Mother hesitated for a long while, and finally could only sigh inwardly, with a wry smile on her face: "The Emperor, please go to bed soon. I will return to Ning'an Palace first."
Yan Chou said "hmm" lightly, watched the Queen Mother's back, and turned his gaze to the palace maid beside her.
After they left, a cold look flashed across Yan Chou's eyes, and a mocking smile appeared on the corner of his lips. "Tomorrow in the palace, Lin Xuan will be secretly executed."
Fuyun nodded, already planning to have someone bury the guards in the palace, "Yes."
Yan Chou pinched his brows and had no intention of reviewing the memorials. He walked out of Chengming Hall and went straight to Jin'an Hall.
Fuyun wanted to follow, but was sent away by Yanchou.
*
When the palace maids in Jin'an Palace saw the emperor coming, they were all overjoyed compared to the melancholy they had felt at noon.
At noon, the emperor left the palace with a gloomy face. They thought that the emperor would not come to see the queen for some time.
Unexpectedly, after a few hours, the emperor came again.
A group of palace maids knelt on the ground to greet him.
Yan Chou didn't see Xie Shizhu in the palace, so he suppressed his annoyance and asked, "Where is the Queen?"
"Your Majesty," a maid replied in a low voice, "The Queen is bathing."
Hearing this, Yan Chou went straight to the bathhouse. When he entered, there was only a candlelight in the room, and steam filled the air. He could only see a woman's thin back through the swirling mist. Her long hair covered her waist, and her fair skin was particularly eye-catching.
Xie Shizhu seemed to hear footsteps, looked back, and vaguely saw Yan Chou's tall figure. His face changed and he hurried to get out of the bathtub.
Yan Chou stepped into the pool with his long legs, his bright yellow brocade robe soaked in water and felt heavy.
He quickly grasped Xie Shizhu's shoulders, looked down at her condescendingly, and said, "Queen, why are you running?"
Xie Shizhu covered her chest with her hands and said, "I didn't run away. I just finished my bath and planned to go to bed and rest."
Yan Chou used his fingertips to push her arm away, and when Xie Shizhu tried to block it again, he grabbed her wrist.
"It's not like I haven't seen it before," Yan Chou glanced down and sneered, "Why are you so secretive?"
Xie Shizhu knew that her struggle was futile and might even anger Yan Chou. She adjusted her breathing and smiled: "I have finished my bath. If the emperor wants to bathe here, I will not disturb you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Chou pulled her into the water, and the originally calm water began to ripple.
Xie Shizhu was startled and wanted to get out of the water. She held her breath and struggled for a long time, but Yan Chou's hand was always pressing on her shoulder. The difference in strength between the two made it impossible for her to break free from Yan Chou.
She was not a good swimmer, and after a few minutes, her face turned pale, like a drowning person.
When she was almost dying, Yan Chou put his arms around her waist, clasped the back of her head with his big hands, and pressed his thin lips against her already pale lips.
At this time, Yan Chou was like a piece of driftwood. Xie Shizhu helplessly put his arms around his neck and let Yan Chou greedily absorb everything.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com