"Wait! Your Majesty!"
Zi Xi immediately used her lightness skill to follow behind, but before she could stop, she jumped in front of Yin Jiuxiao.
Her collar was grabbed and Yin Jiuxiao carried her out the door like a kitten, coldly ordering the jailers to reinforce the cell.
As the cell door slammed shut, Zi Xi peeked through the crack and shouted her last words: "Reform yourself well, Miss Su!"
Yin Jiuxiao immediately covered her mouth. This little thing is so annoying!
He grabbed Zixi by the back of her collar and strode through the dungeon corridor until they reached a secluded corner, where he suddenly slammed her against the wall.
"Azi! Have I been too lenient with you?"
"You actually dared to stand before me...you!"
He gritted his teeth, speaking slowly and deliberately, but unable to finish his sentence; it sounded like he was being sarcastic or jealous.
"How could His Majesty bear to punish me!"
"But if Your Majesty really punishes me, I'm not afraid!"
Zi Xi's back was pressed against the cold stone wall, but she was not flustered at all. Instead, she looked up at him and grinned foolishly.
"You...you're absolutely outrageous!"
"How dare you defy me!"
"And another thing! Who gave you permission to spout nonsense in the dungeon? Leaking court secrets—for that alone, I can chop off your head right now!"
Yin Jiuxiao's eyes darkened, and he pinched her chin with his fingertips. He felt a burning sensation on his fingertips. How could her chin be so soft and smooth?
How wonderful it would be to kiss him!
"Your Majesty, please don't frown, it will cause wrinkles."
Zi Xi blinked, then suddenly raised her hand and gently poked his furrowed brow with her fingertip.
"Are you saying I'm too old???"
Yin Jiuxiao's breath hitched, a chill ran through him, and his knuckles tightened slightly, but he ultimately didn't exert any force.
Do you know what you're doing?
"I am a tyrant, a murderous emperor, not the great person you claim to be."
His voice was deep, his gaze intense, and his expression warning.
At least he has an urge right now to take off her mask and kiss her hard.
But he couldn't. Once a royal assassin removed his mask, he was no longer an assassin, but rather someone the emperor tacitly allowed to regain his freedom.
He didn't want her to leave.
"Everyone says His Majesty is bloodthirsty, but in my heart, His Majesty is the best emperor."
Zi Xi smiled, her eyes curving into crescents beneath the half-covered mask.
Comparing their ages... she's only twenty, and His Majesty is indeed six years older than her!
But she couldn't tell.
Yin Jiuxiao's fingertips trembled slightly.
"You quelled the war in the north and reformed the tax system. The reduced taxes will at least allow the people to have enough to eat and wear."
"You could have ignored the Su family's fate and used them as bait to lure out the remnants of the Zhanjun Pavilion, but you still spared the Su family's life."
"How can he not be considered a good person?"
"You kill those corrupt ministers and spies, but you don't indiscriminately kill innocent people. You are not a qualified tyrant at all. You just... hurt people in a moment of impulse because you had a terrible headache."
Her voice was soft, yet every word was clear.
Yin Jiuxiao's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes as dark as night.
"Azi, do you know what it means for you to say such things to me?"
His voice was hoarse.
"Does that mean... His Majesty will reward me with gold ingots?"
Zi Xi chuckled, making a joke.
"It means... you admire me as the emperor... but one day, you will admire the real me."
"And you will never escape my grasp in this lifetime."
Yin Jiuxiao scoffed and suddenly leaned closer, his hot breath almost touching her ear.
"No, isn't the you who is the emperor and the real you the same person?"
"But Your Majesty must hurry! My lightness skill is unparalleled in the world, and I can run incredibly fast!"
Zi Xi's ears turned bright red instantly, but she remained stubborn.
Yin Jiuxiao stared at her for a long time, then suddenly chuckled, released his grip, and strode away.
"Your Majesty! Wait for me! My injuries haven't fully healed yet!"
Zi Xi rubbed her burning earlobes and jogged to catch up.
Ahead, Yin Jiuxiao's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, but he deliberately slowed his pace so that the little tail behind him could keep up with him.
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