Chapter 76: Shedding his disguise, he wanted to devour her whole and possess her...
As dusk deepened, the entire Shen residence was locked up early due to the fright they had experienced during the day.
Fangru dragged her tired body through the corridor. The bluestone pavement was still damp from the rain, and her footsteps made a soft sound.
The wound on her right abdomen throbbed with pain, and the two bloody heads from the daytime still flashed before her eyes from time to time.
Pushing open the door to her boudoir, she found the room pitch black, with only moonlight filtering through the window paper and casting a hazy glow.
"Chuntao?" she called softly, her fingertips just touching the tinderbox on the table when a gust of wind suddenly struck her.
With a "thud," the candlestick fell to the ground.
Fangru's heart tightened. By the moonlight, she could vaguely see a tall figure sitting on her favorite rosewood armchair.
The man lightly tapped the armrest with his fingertips, his movements so leisurely that it was as if this were not Shen's boudoir, but his imperial study. The cold scent of ambergris mingled with the night, making her stiffen all over.
"Who?" she asked, her voice tense.
A low chuckle came from the darkness, the last syllable carrying a hint of mockery, yet it almost froze Fangru's blood: "Officer Shen, you don't even recognize me?"
She turned and ran out, but her wrist was grabbed by a brute force, so strong it felt like it was going to crush her bones.
In a dizzying moment, her back slammed heavily into the soft brocade quilt, the shock causing excruciating pain in her right abdominal wound, making her vision go black.
Before she could catch her breath, the man's body, cool with the night dew, had already pinned her firmly beneath him.
"What is Your Majesty trying to do?" She forced her head up, her gaze meeting his unfathomable eyes. "Breaking into a private residence is not the act of a gentleman."
Zhou Ling leaned down, his nose almost brushing against her earlobe, the scent of ambergris growing stronger, making her breath catch in her throat: "When did I ever say I was a gentleman?"
He slowly and deliberately loosened her sash, the sound of the brocade rubbing together sounding particularly ambiguous in the silence, yet he insisted on bringing up the matter that made her heart pound: "Is Constable Shen still grieving for those two dead people?"
"What exactly does Your Majesty want..." Before she could finish her sentence, his lips were fiercely sealed by hers.
The kiss carried a punitive undertone, so brutal that she had no chance to resist. His tongue forcefully pried open her teeth, hooking and entwining with hers as if to crush all her resistance.
Fangru struggled desperately, but he held her hands firmly above her head, and her wrists went numb from the heat of his palms.
"Zhou Ling!" She finally broke free from the suffocating kiss, her breath ragged as she angrily shouted, her lips swollen and red from the kiss. "How dare you!"
"Insolence?" He chuckled softly, his fingertips gently caressing her slightly swollen lips, the movement carrying a cruel tenderness. "When Constable Shen poisoned and murdered the emperor at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion that day, did you not think about what insolence meant?"
His hand, through her thin undergarment, caressed her slightly protruding belly. The touch was aggressive, making Fangru tense all over, but he deliberately pressed lightly with his fingertips: "Tell me, whose child is this?"
“It has nothing to do with His Majesty.” Fangru turned her face away, her voice stubborn.
"Unrelated?" His hand suddenly tightened, causing Fangru to gasp in pain, cold sweat beading on her forehead. He leaned close to her ear, his breath hot: "I want to see if it really is related."
Her clothes were ripped open, and the cool night breeze instantly enveloped her, making her shiver all over.
He tore away his usual indifference, like a wolf before its hunt. He swallowed his silent desire, his tongue brushing against his teeth, every movement proclaiming that he wanted to devour her and possess her.
"Get away! Don't touch me!" She waved her hand to push him away, but he gripped her wrist even tighter, almost breaking her fingers.
His lips pressed down again, this time with a touch of tenderness, capturing her lips and nibbling gently, his tongue sweeping across the roof of her mouth, causing her to tremble.
Her cries were completely silenced by him. He pinned both her wrists above her head with one hand, while his other hand slid down her waist and abdomen, each touch carrying a burning heat that left her powerless to resist.
"You're so sweet." As he pulled away from her lips, his fingertips still gently brushed against them, his possessiveness in his voice almost devouring her.
Fangru's eyelashes trembled as if glistening with tears, and her clear voice trembled softly.
"What? Are you scared?" Zhou Ling's fingers stopped at her wound, gently rubbing the gauze, the movement deliberately tormenting. "Weren't you acting quite brave in front of me that day?"
"Didn't His Majesty act very well too?" she finally couldn't help but retort, her voice laced with sarcasm, "pretending to care about me completely..."
Before she could finish speaking, his lips were sealed by hers again. This kiss was filled with anger, so fierce that it almost stole her breath. His teeth gently nibbled at her lower lip, as if punishing her for talking back, until she groaned in pain, at which point he released her slightly.
"If I care," he whispered on her lips, his breath hot, "would you tell the truth?"
"Does Your Majesty think that I will speak up?" she sneered, but the next moment she arched her back in pain as his hand pressed on her wound. The pressure was not great, but it was enough to make her tremble all over in pain.
Zhou Ling's actions carried a clear sense of punishment, his fingertips still pressing lightly: "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it, I have plenty of time."
His gaze fell on the gauze on her abdomen, and his voice suddenly turned cold, as if it had been chilled to ice: "The Drunken Immortal Pavilion murdered the emperor, colluded with the White Sun Society to betray the country, and deceived the emperor... Shen Fangru, you have certainly prepared quite a few surprises for me."
Fangru suddenly looked up, her heart clenching: "My father..."
“Don’t worry,” Zhou Ling lowered his head and gently kissed her collarbone, his gesture carrying a hint of feigned tenderness, “Lord Shen is alright for now. However…”
His palm suddenly covered her lower abdomen, burning hot, but his tone was frighteningly cold: "If you don't want this child, I can help you."
"How dare you!" Fangru finally panicked, her voice trembling, "This is..."
"What is it?" Zhou Ling stared intently into her eyes, not wanting to miss a single expression on her face. "Finally willing to tell me?"
She bit her lower lip, turned her head away, and refused to speak again.
Zhou Ling's gaze fell on her wound, his hot breath brushing against her ear: "Huang Jiang is a good-for-nothing. How come this stab didn't get rid of the bastard in your belly?"
The word "bastard" pierced Fangru's heart like an icicle, making her shudder and feel a chill run through her. She closed her eyes and refused to look at him again.
"Speak." He suddenly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him, his fingertips pressing so hard they almost crushed her jaw. "Whose child is this?"
Her lower lip was bitten until it bled, and the taste of blood filled her mouth: "Anyway... it's not yours."
Zhou Ling's eyes suddenly turned icy cold, and she curled up in pain: "Of course it's not mine! Tell me, whose is it? Gu Zhou's? Or someone else from Bai Yang Society?"
With each name he uttered, his anger intensified, aggravating the wound on his right abdomen. Blood seeped through the gauze, staining the brocade quilt beneath him.
"You..." Fangru finally couldn't take it anymore, her voice trembling with tears, "Couldn't you be a little gentler... I'm still injured..."
Zhou Ling bent down and gently kissed her bleeding wound. The kiss carried a sense of punishment, making her tremble with pain: "Since you dared to carry another man's child, you should have expected this day to come."
"Bastard..." she gasped, the pain tearing through her wounds, each breath a painful struggle. "I'm still injured..."
"Deceiving the emperor." His lips pressed against her neck, his breath hot, yet carrying an undeniable force. "You deserve to be treated like this for lying to me that you're not pregnant."
His eyes turned fierce, and his movements were filled with suppressed anger, as if he wanted to vent all his dissatisfaction: "First you tried to assassinate the emperor, and then you lied to me and said you weren't pregnant. Do you hate me that much?!"
Fangru's tears finally fell, landing on the back of his hand, which was icy cold.
Zhou Ling's tone suddenly became calm, yet it carried a chilling undertone: "I'm pretending not to care about you just to see which man you'll fall for."
These words struck Fangru like a thunderbolt. It turned out that all his coldness and aloofness in this life were merely a meticulously planned play. She thought she had escaped the fate of her previous life, but little did she know she had already fallen into the web he had woven, like a moth drawn to a flame, believing she could escape, yet ultimately unable to escape being devoured.
"Be gentle..." The wound on her right abdomen throbbed with pain, and she couldn't help but plead again, her voice trembling with sobs, "I'm still injured, and I'm pregnant..."
He released his grip on her wrist and gently stroked her cheek, his tone still forceful: "Then relax and be good. If you listen to me, it won't hurt so much."
The temperature inside the tent rose higher and higher, and the scent of ambergris mixed with the blood on her body, creating an extremely ambiguous atmosphere.
Fangru's consciousness gradually blurred; the pain from her wounds and the burning sensation in her body intertwined, almost robbing her of the ability to think. Before completely losing consciousness, she seemed to hear Zhou Ling whisper in her ear, his voice seductive:
"Enjoy my hospitality. A well-behaved child deserves to be spoiled... On the contrary, I have my own ways to make you remember this 'lesson,' in the most profound way..."
As night deepened, the bed curtains swayed gently in the breeze. When Fangru opened her eyes again, she felt sore all over, and the wound on her right abdomen still throbbed. She looked at the familiar ceiling above her head, and a tear slowly slid down her cheek, landing on the brocade quilt and spreading into a small damp patch.
What hurts more than the wound is the heart that has sunk to the bottom.
In this life, I have ultimately repeated the same mistakes.
The autumn sun had just climbed over the window lattice, and the light and shadow in Shen's boudoir still carried a hint of coldness.
Zhou Ling, already dressed in casual clothes, sat at the rosewood table in the outer room, his fingertips casually stroking the edge of the teacup as he listened to Li Zuo's low report on the situation in the capital.
"Your Majesty, the remnants of the Baiyang Society have..." Before Li Zuo could finish speaking, a suppressed cry of pain suddenly came from inside the room, followed by the crisp sound of porcelain falling to the ground, shards of porcelain flying everywhere.
Zhou Ling stood up almost instantly and entered without stopping, lifting the curtain.
On the bed, Fangru was curled up, her face as white as a sheet of rice paper soaked in water. The gauze on her right abdomen was soaked with dark red blood and stuck firmly to her clothes. The overturned medicine bowl on the ground was still rolling with residual juice. The smell of medicine mixed with the smell of blood permeated the air.
"Summon the imperial physician." He ordered the guards outside the door, his voice devoid of emotion, but his gaze was like a woven net, firmly fixed on Fangru's trembling shoulders.
When the imperial physician arrived with his medicine chest, his hands were still trembling.
In front of the emperor, he carefully unwrapped the blood-stained gauze. The wound was deeper than he had imagined, with the flesh turned outwards and fresh blood seeping out—a horrifying sight. Cold sweat trickled down his temples as he held the cotton swabs in his fingers, his movements as gentle as if afraid of breaking something, as he cleaned, applied medicine, and bandaged the wound again.
Only after the last layer of gauze was wrapped did Zhou Ling slowly speak, her voice like ice in the silent room: "When can she take the abortion pill for her injuries?"
The imperial physician's hand trembled violently, and the medicine bottle nearly slipped from his grasp. He hurriedly steadied himself, lowering his head even further: "Your Majesty, if the gentlest prescription is used, it will be effective right now... However, Miss Shen is already weak, and the abortion medicine is cold in nature, so it may... may endanger her life."
"Life in danger?" Zhou Ling repeated, his gaze darkening. "People will die?"
"There is... there is a very low risk." The imperial physician's voice was even softer. He secretly glanced at the emperor's expression and quickly added, "If he suffers a hemorrhage midway through, I... I will be powerless to save him."
“Then there’s no need.” Zhou Ling interrupted decisively, without the slightest hesitation in his tone. “Prescribe the best medicine to ensure the safety of both mother and child.”
The imperial physician, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, hurriedly replied "Yes, Your Majesty," and retreated hastily with his medicine chest, as if he would be crushed by the oppressive atmosphere of the room if he stayed any longer.
Zhou Ling walked to the bedside and leaned down to look at Fangru.
Her eyes were tightly closed, but her long eyelashes trembled involuntarily; she was clearly not asleep. He reached out and touched her cheek, his fingertips finding it icy cold, and her body instantly stiffened like a stone.
"If I were to grant you permission to use the medicine," he said in a low voice, as if speaking of something private, "would you be willing?"
Fangru slowly opened her eyes, her gaze completely calm, her tone so composed that it didn't seem like she was talking about the child in her womb: "As long as His Majesty allows me to continue living in the Shen residence and not have to move to the palace, I am willing to take the medicine."
Zhou Ling raised an eyebrow, his fingertips still resting on her cheek, but his gaze scrutinized her face as if unraveling a mystery: "Is it really that simple?"
“If possible,” Fangru paused, then added, with a faint, almost imperceptible expectation, “I would like to return to the Ministry of Justice to handle cases.”
"Granted." Zhou Ling agreed readily without the slightest hesitation. But just as Fang Ru was about to nod, he suddenly curled his lips into a smile with a hint of deeper meaning: "However, I have changed my mind."
He leaned closer, his breath almost touching her earlobe, his voice as light as a feather, yet carrying an undeniable force: "You can live outside the palace, or you can return to the Ministry of Justice, but this child must be born."
"What does Your Majesty mean by this?" Fangru frowned, her nails digging into her palms.
“I will raise him as a prince.” Zhou Ling straightened up, his tone firm and brooking no argument. “You just need to take good care of your pregnancy; you don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Fangru lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the fleeting sarcasm in them, and said in a flat voice, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
Zhou Ling didn't say anything more and turned to leave the boudoir.
The moment the door closed, Fangru slowly raised her eyes, gazing absently at the lotus pattern entwined on the ceiling. What was with the feigned kindness? She just wanted to use the child to keep her tied down.
She gently touched her lower abdomen, feeling a faint warmth at her fingertips, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
At this moment, Zhou Ling was already standing under the old locust tree outside the Shen residence.
The autumn wind swirled withered leaves, which landed and lingered around his boots. He gazed at the falling leaf and ordered his hidden guards, "Pass down the order: from this day forward, all pharmacies in the capital are prohibited from selling any abortion drugs, not even blood-activating herbs. Anyone who violates this order will be punished for treason."
Before the guard could respond, he added, his voice as cold as ice: "Have Li Zuo personally go to the Shen residence and warn all the servants that anyone who dares to offer Miss Shen even a bowl of blood-activating soup, or spread a message about abortion pills..."
He paused, his tone almost overflowing with murderous intent: "Bring me your head."
The guards bowed and withdrew, leaving Zhou Ling alone in the courtyard.
He looked up at the branches of the old locust tree, his gaze deep and thoughtful.
Fangru agreed too readily, without even pleading for the child, which only shows that the child was not the offspring of someone she cared about.
If she truly cared about the child's father, she would never have so easily agreed to an abortion.
In that case, the child becomes the best bargaining chip. Keeping the child will both keep her in check and allow them to see who the man who got her pregnant really is.
Zhou Ling tapped his palm lightly with his fingertips, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
No matter who it is, once the truth is revealed, he always finds a way to make them pay the price.
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