Chapter 44 Chapter 44 "What the hell are you doing? Um...
Xu Qing'an moved quickly. Shangguan Xu had just seen the anger in his eyes when he leaned over and pushed her down without saying a word.
Now he was holding her shoulders, his figure looming over her, his breathing still trembling, his anger undiminished.
His voice was hoarse as he spoke again, "The Queen said there will only be one, me..."
Shangguan Xu was intimidated by his anger and was in a trance for a moment before she came to her senses. She blinked rapidly several times, calm but puzzled: "So? What do you want to say?"
Xu Qing'an controlled his breathing and asked in a low voice, "When...when did Your Majesty and Prince Feng become connected?"
Shangguan Xu then realized that what he cared about was her and Prince Feng. She laughed in her heart, as she had never seen the bad nature of men before, but now she saw it.
It turns out that the so-called possessiveness does not need a name, it can flourish in their hearts.
Shangguan Xu looked unconcerned: "Why are you asking this?"
Xu Qing'an smiled, but his voice was gnashing with anger: "Look at my position in the Empress's order."
Shangguan Xu couldn't help but sneer: "Do you think I have a close relationship with Prince Feng?"
Xu Qing'an said coldly: "That's what the Queen said herself."
Shangguan Xu raised her chin. Even though she was in a low position, she didn't look embarrassed at all. She was so calm that she seemed like the one in charge of the situation.
She smiled, her fingers stroking from between his eyebrows down to the bridge of his nose, before resting her entire palm on his cheek. "It depends on how you define it. Prince Feng and I have known each other since childhood, and it's been over ten years now. If you count by time, we could be described as having a 'deep friendship.'"
Xu Qing'an didn't blink: "What if we calculate it based on our relationship?"
Shangguan Xu said slowly: "Then he is also my fifth uncle."
Xu Qing'an pressed harder on her shoulder.
Shangguan Xu laughed heartily. Perhaps everyone has bad nature. He found it really amusing to see that the man who was always in control and calm in the face of adversity would lose his composure over a trivial matter.
Because of her laughter, Xu Qing'an felt the pent-up anger in his chest surge even more. He suppressed it, but still smiled and asked coldly, "What are you laughing at, Madam?"
Shangguan Xu's smile persisted. "I laugh at Xu Qing, you've always been so intelligent, yet you're so entangled in these matters." She turned serious and asked him, "Prince Feng is far away in the north. He hasn't been to Chang'an since Your Majesty ascended the throne. Even though I have a past relationship with him, how far do you think it can develop with such great distance between us?"
Xu Qing'an's eyes were deep.
She had a point, but he was still confused.
He raised one hand and grasped the wrist of the hand she placed on his cheek. His long eyelashes drooped as he spoke softly, "But in my opinion, that Prince Feng treats Your Majesty very well. He arranges shipping from Jiangnan and investigates in Luozhou. Your Majesty can get the Prince to run around for you simply by sending a letter via carrier pigeon. Your Majesty, the so-called love that transcends mountains and seas is not reflected here, is it?"
Shangguan Xu had teased him enough and took her hand away from his face, but he held it tightly. She frowned and struggled hard, but couldn't get free. She said angrily, "You said it yourself, he's a prince. Even if I ask him to help me, does he really have to do everything himself?"
"He's stationed in the north, with a large number of personal soldiers under his command. He's also involved in the Jiangnan water transport and the Luozhou investigation. One requires him to act in secret, and the other requires him to be faster than those in the court who are plotting evil. While both are important, neither is so important that he needs to rush all the way from the north."
"It's just a matter of talking, how can it be so serious as to say that love is like mountains and seas?"
Shangguan Xu struggled hard again, but he still didn't let go. Instead, he held her tighter and tighter, making her feel that wherever he held her must have turned red.
He completely ignored her struggles and just stared at her with cold eyes without saying a word, like a wolf at night, with a hint of ferocity in his eyes.
Shangguan Xu could no longer bear it: "What the hell are you doing?! Ugh..."
He leaned over and pressed down, kissing her lips roughly and forcefully, and entwining his tongue with hers without any reason.
The wrist that was originally held in the air by him was now also held and pressed to the side of his body. Shangguan Xu could only use his other hand to hit him, but he was easily caught and pinned to the other side of his body.
All the sounds were blocked in the throat.
Shangguan Xu was extremely angry, but under normal circumstances the difference in strength between men and women was already huge, not to mention that he had practiced martial arts. Moreover, she was in this position of being on top and bullying the bottom. She was imprisoned under him and could not resist with her strength alone.
But the orchid fragrance on his body kept coming to her, and that familiar scent could not be confused with the feeling in her memory.
Those feelings that belonged only to old friends were given a sense of compulsion by him.
How could she tolerate him defiling her!
She wants to kill him!
The air she breathed could not keep up with the needs of her body. Shangguan Xu's vision gradually turned black and numb. The physiological reaction made her resistance gradually weaken. Only a slight whimper came from her throat, and the tears gathered in her eyes slowly slid down the corners of her eyes.
Sensing the changes in the person under him, Xu Qing'an gradually came back to his senses from his crazy state. He opened his eyes, with surprise in his bloodshot eyes. He slowly left her lips and stood up from her.
She cried...
With a "slap", the palm of his hand loosened and a slap landed on the side of his face as expected.
Shangguan Xu cursed: "I don't think your illness has been cured!"
There was an obvious interaction of breathing in the room, a calm after intense contact, and a concentration after extreme anger.
Xu Qing'an turned his head, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. He frowned, then twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled, "Perhaps it's easy to lose control of yourself when you're with the Empress."
He ignored his red face and moved his palm to her cheek, tidied her messy hair, and then brushed it across her earlobe.
Shangguan Xu turned his head away, not hiding his disgust: "Get away, don't touch me!"
Xu Qing'an refused to listen and simply asked, "Why is the Empress so angry when it comes to His Royal Highness Prince Feng? She doesn't even want to be gentle with me."
Shangguan Xu glared at him: "You call this tenderness? Who went crazy first?!"
Her lips were numb and still felt a little painful. She even suspected that he had sucked wounds on her lips.
Xu Qing'an softened his expression and asked, "Then is it true that there is nothing going on between Her Majesty and His Highness Prince Feng?"
Shangguan Xu was still angry and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and thought that if she didn't give an accurate answer today, he probably wouldn't let her go easily.
She calmed down and gave a positive answer in a serious tone: "No."
Afraid he wouldn't believe it, Shangguan Xu added, "We're just clan relatives. Plus, I'm the Empress Dowager and he's a prince, so he's naturally more inclined towards me than other court officials. Furthermore, my brother and he have a childhood friendship, so he's not only helping me with Luozhou's affairs, he's also helping my brother."
Xu Qing'an and his fifth brother were only one year apart in age, so they played close to each other when they were young. They often went together to study with Shangguan Li. Shangguan Li was a man of noble character, and Xu Qing'an respected him, and naturally Prince Feng did the same.
He finally heard a reason that convinced him.
He lowered his gaze to her smooth neck. The anger that had just arisen in him made him want to let go of her wrist several times during the kiss and instead strangle her neck.
The skin there was smooth and delicate, and definitely could not withstand his torture.
Shangguan Xu noticed his gaze moving and frowned, worried that he was going crazy again.
But he raised his eyes suddenly, and his gaze met hers. Shangguan Xu's eyes flashed, as if he felt guilty after being discovered.
He knew she was looking at him, but ignored her and chuckled softly, "Your Majesty, I believe you." His fingers finally moved to her neck, and he followed her gaze as he casually apologized, "Your Majesty, I have offended you today, but it was also because I was worried that you were deceiving me with your promise."
"Your Majesty has said that from now on, I am the only one who can stay overnight in Lizheng Palace." He repeated the words and raised his eyes to find her gaze.
Shangguan Xu felt itchy from the rubbing of his fingers on his neck, and the numbness brought a trembling pleasure, but Shangguan Xu frowned and controlled himself, not wanting to feel it.
She responded with difficulty, "When did I ever say anything to deceive you? Why should you worry?"
Xu Qing'an recalled, "It seems so. Although sometimes it was slow to materialize, it was eventually fulfilled. It seems that Her Majesty will not lie to me."
He suddenly leaned over, buried his head in her neck, took a deep breath, and the breath sprayed in her nose. Shangguan Xu shuddered subconsciously.
"Then I think Her Majesty will definitely fulfill the matter of having children that she mentioned earlier, right?"
Shangguan Xu was startled. She tilted her head to look for his eyes, but his eyes were buried so deep that she could only see half of his earlobe. With his current movements, she felt terrified, worried that what happened tonight had irritated him and that he no longer had the patience to wait for her to delay.
Shangguan Xu said softly: "This is Da'an Temple..."
I heard a few restrained low laughs that seemed to make my chest vibrate.
Xu Qing'an: "Of course I know this is Da'an Temple." He raised his head and tilted slightly towards her, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I respect the gods and Buddhas."
Worship gods and Buddhas?
Shangguan Xu found it funny. He had been intimate with her twice in Da'an Guo Temple. How could he have the nerve to say the three words "respect the gods and Buddhas"?
After holding on for a long time, the person on her finally sat up, took her hand and gently pulled her up. It was not until the moment she sat up that Shangguan Xu felt relieved.
Xu Qing'an casually straightened his robe, smoothing out the wrinkles. He then said with a satisfied look, "It's getting late, so I won't disturb Your Majesty's rest. Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will carry out all your instructions. I believe that Lord Shangguan will be reunited with Your Majesty soon. I will also convey Madam Azheng's illness in detail and ask the divine physician to diagnose and treat her."
Shangguan Xu smiled at him and said, "Then I would like to thank you in advance, Mr. Xu."
Xu Qing'an nodded and smiled, "Your Majesty, you are kind."
After the people left, Shangguan Xu's face suddenly darkened and he felt depressed.
These days, she retreated to Da'an Temple. In addition to paying close attention to her brother's affairs, she also made some inferences about Xu Qing'an's background.
She had previously suspected his identity and background because of his martial arts skills and the fact that there was a miraculous doctor in his family. Even though she had sent people to investigate him, as she had said before, if something is deliberately concealed, then others will have no way to find any trace of it.
Thanks to his memorial, her brother's case had a chance to be delayed and respite. However, now that things had settled down, she began to think carefully about the clues.
The memorial given by Xu Qing'an recorded several cases of public building collapse caused by various weather conditions, such as heavy snow or rainstorms, in various places since the beginning of this year.
Xu Qing'an told her that several of these examples were recorded when he was at the Censorate, reading the reports submitted by local censors. However, he had used this reason before when answering the question about his advance knowledge of the problems with Youzhou's disaster relief grain. Now, if he mentioned it again, she would not believe it so easily.
Moreover, he had been transferred to the Ministry of Justice since February. Even though the Ministry of Justice also reviewed case files, due to different responsibilities, some information was naturally not as comprehensive as that of the Censorate.
Remembering that there was a miraculous doctor in his family and that he was well aware of the situation in Jiangnan, Shangguan Xu guessed that he was not the only one behind him.
She could almost conclude that he must have power outside the court.
He has been in office for only about half a year, but he has been able to almost completely understand the situation in the court. He does not seem like a newcomer in the officialdom, but more like a veteran in the officialdom who has a deep understanding of the world.
He must have had a thorough understanding of the court affairs before becoming an official.
But why did he do this? Wasn't his considerable influence in the underworld enough? Could it be that he truly desired to be the highest-ranking official, as he claimed? So, he chose her over Su Wang because Su Wang was an unavoidable obstacle on his path? But where did his influence in the underworld come from?
There were still many things that didn't make sense. She always felt that his purpose in choosing to work with her was not simple, especially the underworld forces behind him whose size was unknown, which was like a knife hanging over her head.
One has to admit that he has the ability, but when power is added to the ability, that becomes a threat.
Although he expressed his love for her several times, she also felt that it was mixed with a lot of exploitation and some men's natural desire for the opposite sex. She understood his ambition and had witnessed his ruthlessness, so if the day really came when he became the prime minister, would he rule the court with her, or would he be more inclined to become another Su Wang and create his own one-man show?
Before tonight, she did have murderous intentions towards him, but the root cause was that she had too many resistances towards him, so it was inevitable that she would sometimes act impulsively. But now it was different. Not only did she see through the unfathomable background behind him, but his crazy behavior tonight also made her feel the threat from him. If she lost control for the first time, there would be a second time. She would lose control in small things as well as big things.
At that moment, she had more murderous intentions towards him.
Not only does she want to kill him, she also wants to take the underworld forces behind him for her own use.
Shangguan Xu pondered.
In this case, I have to work hard when dealing with him...
——
After Xu Qing'an returned to the mansion, he went straight to the bedroom.
He sat quietly at his desk.
Tonight was truly a night of extreme emotional ups and downs for him, like waves crashing against the shore, one after another.
However, what he cared about most was her relationship with Prince Feng. If what she said was true, and Prince Feng only helped her because of their childhood friendship, then should he write a letter to his fifth brother to tell him to be careful of her and not to inadvertently become her accomplice?
But he also understood his fifth brother's character. He was too straightforward and too good at keeping secrets. That was why he had not yet told his fifth brother about his return.
Well, now that he is by her side, he can keep a closer eye on her. Even if something goes wrong, he can stop it in time. Besides, they have not seen each other for many years, and he does not know what kind of situation his fifth brother is in now. It is not appropriate to act rashly to avoid alerting the enemy.
After thinking about King Feng, he sighed lightly and suddenly thought of her again.
Although he always mentioned her promise to him about having children from time to time, he would never take the final crucial step.
He could let her tease him, and she could even use that incident as an excuse to tease him all the time, and he could accept any request she made from him as if it was a deal between them.
As long as she doesn't take the last step.
And he actually didn't want to see her take that step.
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