On the ninth day of the ninth month of the eighth year of Emperor Linxian's reign, Qiao Zhen was promoted to the rank of Ronghua.
On the twelfth day of the ninth month of the eighth year of Emperor Linxian, Qiao Zhen was promoted to the rank of E.
On the fifteenth day of the ninth month of the eighth year of Emperor Linxian's reign, Qiao Zhen was promoted to the rank of Jieyu.
On the 20th day of the ninth month of the eighth year of Emperor Linxian's reign, Qiao Zhen was promoted to the rank of Zhaoyi and given the title Mao.
On the 21st day of the ninth month of the eighth year of Emperor Linxian, Qiao Zhen was promoted to the rank of Lady, ranking first among the three ladies, Lady Zhuohua.
In just over ten days, Qiao Zhen was promoted to the rank of Lady, something she herself had never expected.
Qiao Zhen picked up a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. She couldn't quite understand Ye Shangzhou. He had clearly been indifferent to her before, but now he was showing her favor. She was currently enjoying a period of great success.
Xiao Ling: [Didn't you want me to torture you? Hurry up and torture me!]
Qiao Zhen: [I think you're acting a bit strange. You weren't like this before. Why do you suddenly want to cause trouble?]
Xiao Ling: [Hehehe, a system that doesn't want to cause trouble isn't a good system.]
Qiao Zhen: ...I have a feeling that something terrible has happened that she doesn't know about.
"Um?"
Qiao Zhen snapped out of her daze and saw Ye Shangzhou's handsome face right in front of her. She was terrified as if she had seen a ghost and reflexively knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Ye Shangzhou frowned, feeling somewhat displeased. He hadn't punished her recently and had even toned down his previous tyranny in front of her, so why was she still so frightened?
"Am I ugly?"
Qiao Zhen didn't know what was wrong with Ye Shangzhou, but she answered very honestly, "Your Majesty, you are handsome and very good-looking."
Ye Shangzhou pulled Qiao Zhen into his arms, leaned in and nibbled on the tip of her nose, a rare smile on his face. "Then why were you so scared? Hmm?"
"I was distracted just now, and when I came to my senses I saw Your Majesty. It's only human nature to be startled when there's someone in front of me." Qiao Zhen nestled softly into Ye Shangzhou's arms, her hands clutching his clothes.
She had been testing Ye Shangzhou's limits these past few days, but still couldn't figure out his temperament. While he was known for his unpredictable temper, he had rarely lost his temper lately, yet his earlier demeanor clearly indicated he was easily angered.
This gave Qiao Zhen a bit of a headache.
Nightfall asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"The pastries from the imperial kitchen aren't sweet enough."
Ye Shangzhou picked up a piece of pastry and fed it to Qiao Zhen, then lowered his head and rolled the pastry into his own mouth. He chewed it thoughtfully, "I think it's too sweet, a bit cloying. Is it the lady who finds it sweet?"
Qiao Zhen buried her face in Ye Shangzhou's arms, "Today's lip rouge is strawberry flavored."
Ye Shangzhou was slightly taken aback. He lowered his head and kissed Qiao Zhen's lips, then licked them repeatedly. "Mmm, it's sweet." Though the words were ambiguous, he spoke them very seriously.
Qiao Zhen did not respond to him.
Ye Shangzhou felt something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it; the feeling was both unfamiliar and novel to him. He had been having strange dreams for days, the women in his dreams were blurry, yet he vaguely remembered their personalities.
When the woman was with her man, she would flirt with him. When she was alone, she was very casual. When she was with others, she had a natural air of authority. When facing enemies, she had a noble and arrogant air. She must have been a woman who clearly distinguished between love and hate.
He couldn't see the woman's clothes clearly, but he could tell from her movements that she was very intimate with the man, and she often carried her man into strange places.
There was a subtle empathy between Ye Shangzhou and the man in her dreams.
But Qiao Zhen failed to give him the feeling of the woman in his dream. In Ye Shangzhou's opinion, Qiao Zhen was a bit petty and rigid, not comparable to the woman in his dream.
Xiao Ling: Qiao Zhen is such a coward, isn't it because he was scared by Ye Shangzhou? He deserves to be single.
If Qiao Zhen knew about Ye Shangzhou's thoughts, she would only secretly be angry for a while, but she wouldn't change her mind. She didn't want Ye Shangzhou's favor; she only wanted Ye Shangzhou to become a wise and benevolent ruler.
She turned around, intending to reach out and hug Ye Shangzhou's neck, but intentionally or unintentionally pushed the books on the table next to her to the ground. She turned her head to look at them, bent down and picked them up.
Ye Shangzhou took the book from her hand, casually flipped through it, and then tossed it onto a corner of the soft couch. "It's all about scheming and intrigue, what's so interesting about it?"
Qiao Zhen innocently said, "I just think that people's hearts are very interesting. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Since you are the one who steers the boat, why don't you also become the water god, steer the boat and drive the water? Just thinking about it makes me feel very powerful."
Ye Shangzhou looked at his two limp legs and sneered, "Do you think I can be a water god?" He reached out and restrained Qiao Zhen's waist, "Hmm?"
Qiao Zhen looked up and met Ye Shangzhou's desolate eyes, and she instantly understood the crux of the problem.
Nightfall Boat conquered the world, and the prosperity of the Great Night Dynasty is largely due to his contributions. However, he is now crippled in both legs and cannot go to the battlefield. If it weren't for his military power and his brutal methods of dealing with the people in the court, he might have already been removed from his position.
After all, those people always favored Ye Huaijin.
Qiao Zhen mustered up her courage and kissed Ye Shangzhou's eyes, "Yes, it's possible, it's definitely possible."
Her words were saying, "Your leg can be cured, it definitely can be cured."
As expected, Qiao Zhen once again offended Ye Shangzhou, and she was dragged away and flogged once more.
Qiao Zhen lay sprawled on the hard wooden plank, covering her face in utter despair. "Ye Shangzhou, fuck your mother!" she thought. Luckily, she was quick-witted; she had bribed a guard to put a cotton pad inside her underpants.
Looking at Qiao Zhen who was being carried back, Ye Shangzhou asked with a half-smile, "Do you know you were wrong?"
Qiao Zhen was not going to back down on this matter, and she said firmly, "I! Did! Not! False!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
