Chapter 55
"What are you recommending yourself for?" Zhao Fanghua was tongue-tied, and suddenly she was pulled into a warm embrace by a strong force.
She looked up and met Zhao Qinglan's drooping brows. The candlelight reflected on his well-defined jawline, casting a shadow.
Zhao Fanghua's gaze involuntarily slid downwards. The collar of her plain white shirt was loosely open, revealing a small area of her firm chest. Her porcelain-white skin glowed faintly in the light.
People who practice martial arts... must be in very good health.
She felt a little dry in the mouth and her heartbeat quickened for no reason.
Zhao Qinglan took in her helpless look, a hint of triumphant smile flashing across his eyes.
He held her hand, which was frozen in mid-air and had nowhere to go, and gently pressed it against his open collar.
He raised his eyebrows slightly and asked with a smile, "Want to touch it?"
Feeling the steady and strong heartbeat coming from under his palm, Zhao Fanghua's throat rolled.
Before she could react, Zhao Qinglan had already taken her wrist and reached under her slightly cool undershirt.
Her fingertips first touched a tight warmth, then slowly slid down her chest. When they passed over the abdominal muscles that were as neatly cut as chocolate, she suddenly retracted her hand as if she had been scalded, and her cheeks burned.
Zhao Qinglan knew when to stop and stopped forcing her. He just tightened his arms, held her in his arms, and lay down.
Zhao Fanghua struggled a few times but found it was futile, so she simply gave up and burrowed in his arms for a few times, then found a comfortable position to nestle in, still glaring at his profile angrily.
This is the first time I've seen his sleeping face so closely.
Although they had slept on the same bed in Penglai Villa before, she was drinking tranquilizers that made her fall asleep immediately, so I didn't see her very often.
At this moment, his brows were slightly furrowed, and even his lips were tightly pursed in his sleep.
How come this person is so serious even when sleeping?
Zhao Fanghua was lost in thought, but her fingers quietly touched his brow as if they had their own ideas.
Unexpectedly, my wrist suddenly tightened and I met a pair of cold star-like eyes.
When he saw it was her, the frost in Zhao Qinglan's eyes melted instantly. He held her fingertips and gently rubbed them across his cheek, his voice slightly hoarse: "Your Highness, are you still awake?"
His lips brushed against her palm lightly.
Zhao Fanghua trembled slightly, and a tingling feeling came over her.
"Sleep, sleep now!" Zhao Fanghua closed her eyes hurriedly, but felt his fingertips still slowly kneading her knuckles.
Zhao Qinglan's breath was getting closer. "Or... Your Highness wants to do something else?"
"No! I want to sleep now!" Her eyelashes trembled rapidly.
A low laugh came from my ear, and a soft touch fell on my brow.
Zhao Fanghua secretly opened her eyes a little, and happened to see the smile in his eyes that had not yet faded.
She quickly closed her eyes again.
early morning.
Zhao Fanghua stretched. One side of the bed was empty. He didn't even know when he left.
But that doesn't matter.
While Cuiping and Fenhe were busy with their own things, Zhao Fanghua tiptoed to the door and was stunned when he opened it.
There were a lot of imperial guards standing outside the gate, and it was obvious who was behind it.
Wasn't it just that she was discovered while climbing over the wall?
Is it necessary to detain them in so many levels?
Cui Ping, who had just returned, happened to see Zhao Fanghua with a sullen face, and quickly bowed to her and said, "Seventh Miss, the master said that if you are unhappy when you see her, tell her that the emperor has something to give you, and he will give it to you on the day of your wedding."
Zhao Fanghua raised her eyelids and said, "What must be given to me on the wedding day? A pornographic picture?"
Cui Ping blushed with shame, "Seventh Miss!"
Zhao Fanghua waved his hand, went back to his room, and lay on his back on the bed.
She rolled over in her arms, muttering, "What should I do? Is this really the only way?"
She calmed down and thought about every detail of her time with the little mute and Zhao Qinglan a year ago.
To be fair, both the little mute and Zhao Qinglan were good to her, especially the little mute, who not only saved her life, but also saved it twice and a half.
Once he saved her from a fire, and once he saved her from being harassed by Shen Xiujin. Later, Shen Xiujin died... so he could still be considered as saving her, right?
I helped Zhao Qinglan block an arrow once, and I paid it back once.
Li Shan was stabbed in the back, which was considered as revenge.
That……
I still owe him half a time.
So, life-saving grace,
It's okay to pledge my body to you, right?
Even she herself didn't know that the balance in her heart had quietly shifted towards marrying him.
Anyway, all under heaven belongs to the king, and you can't escape even if you run away.
Even if he really treats me badly in the future...
At worst, I can just bite him to death?
The wedding day arrived just in time, and the Zhang residence was already adorned with red and colorful decorations. Zhao Fanghua's room was even more elaborately decorated, with even the edges of the bronze mirror tied with red ribbons, filling the room with a festive atmosphere.
But there was chaos in the house, and screams like pigs being slaughtered could be heard from time to time.
The matchmaker said anxiously, "Miss Seven, it will be ready soon, it will be ready soon." As she spoke, she skillfully combed her face.
Zhao Fanghua struggled to run, but the two maids held her down tightly, saying, "Seventh Miss, all brides have faces like this. Just bear with it, it will be fine soon."
"Ah!!!" Zhao Fanghua bared his teeth and yelled at the woman, "I don't want it, it hurts!"
After a flurry of activity, it was finally done and the matchmaker breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Fanghua, who was standing by, had already hated everyone in her heart.
After putting on the entire set of clothes, she felt that her neck was almost pressed into her body by the phoenix crown, and the three layers of exquisitely embroidered wedding dress made it difficult for her to breathe.
The maids and old women in the room all had shining eyes.
The matchmaker touched the southern pearls on the phoenix crown and murmured, "I never thought that I would be able to see the empress's phoenix crown in my lifetime."
The maid quickly replied, "Isn't it? I've seen a lot of good things in the palace. The Emperor calls Miss Seventh, no, the Empress. This is the first of the best."
Zhao Fanghua was about to roll his eyes when he suddenly heard the sound of ceremonial music outside.
The little maid stumbled in and shouted, "The Ministry of Rites' ceremonial procession has arrived! The Ministry of Rites' ceremonial procession has arrived!"
The matchmaker quickly put the veil over her head, and in a panic, put a small box into her hands.
Zhao Fanghua understood. This must be the thing Zhao Qinglan gave her.
Because she was thinking about the little things in the box, Zhao Fanghua had no time to pay attention to this unprecedented grand wedding.
All emperors of the Dasheng Dynasty had married when they ascended the throne, and even if they later established a queen, the ceremony of conferring the queen was held in the palace.
She was the first empress to be carried into the palace from the main gate in the founding of the Dasheng Dynasty.
Sitting in the sedan chair designed by the queen, Zhao Fanghua took out the box from her sleeve.
It was the box where he had previously placed the "Red Book and Iron Certificate".
Zhao Fanghua was stunned for a moment. This box was still there. Could it be that...
She quickly opened the box. On the top layer was the golden medal of immunity from death that she had carefully preserved. However, this time, in addition to Zhao Qinglan's private seal, there was also a jade seal on it.
The color of the seal is almost the same as that of a private seal. It was not stamped recently. If you look closely, you can even smell the scent of ambergris on it.
Zhao Fanghua was speechless for a moment, and even secretly wondered if he had been carrying it with him all day to marinate it, but then he immediately denied it.
There was another piece of paper underneath. Zhao Fanghua opened it and saw a long string of words that gave her a headache, so she skipped over it. However, the last paragraph made her stunned:
"...I will pass the throne to Crown Prince Xuanming, who will ascend to the throne as Emperor..."
"Who is Xuan Ming?" Zhao Fanghua was stunned for a moment, then looked at it carefully again, connected "Empress Dowager" and "Zhang Dongling" together, and thought about it for a while.
So that should be her child? How come they already have a name for the child before he's even born? Did she agree?
Zhao Fanghua put the decree of succession aside without showing much interest.
Below was a stack of silver bills. Zhao Fanghua's eyes widened as she looked at them. The denominations were of different sizes. She quickly took them out and counted them again and again. It was exactly ten thousand taels!
"I'm rich!" Zhao Fanghua quickly covered the corner of his mouth, swallowed the word "wealth", and laughed secretly.
There was a letter under the banknote.
Zhao Fanghua shook her head as she unpacked the boxes: "It's really the old lady's dowry, set after set."
But when I saw the content of the letter, I was stunned.
"I know my sister's concerns and that she doesn't want to be confined to the palace, but after much reflection, even if I swear to heaven, I can't guarantee that Zhao Qinglan won't betray me in the future. This decree of succession is for our child. When he's capable of independent work, we can travel the world. If I ever change my mind, the banknotes and identity pass in the box will ensure my sister a life of prosperity."
There was also a line of small text below: "Next time you run away, don't take jewelry with you. It's heavy, worthless, and easily attracts others' attention when you pawn it."
Zhao Fanghua blushed, and she muttered unconvincedly, "That's not... there's nothing I can do about it. Everyone knows that banknotes are convenient..."
Sure enough, there was an ID card from this world in the envelope.
Zhao Fanghua's mood suddenly became complicated. She put the things away carefully and put them in the box, not knowing what to do.
However, the subsequent complicated rituals left her no time to think about it.
When everything was over and she returned to Fengyi Palace, she was too tired to talk.
As soon as she sat down on the bed, the phoenix crown on her head made her lean back, and the pearl curtain swept across her cheeks.
When Zhao Qinglan opened the bed curtain, he saw her lying on her back in the big red quilt, her face flushed.
He chuckled softly, his bright red wedding gown outlining his broad shoulders and narrow waist, his eyebrows and eyes deep beneath his black hair and golden crown.
"Did you kick out all the palace maids?" His voice was full of ridicule as if he knew the answer.
Zhao Fanghua moved slightly to make room for him, her cheeks flushed: "I'm not used to so many people..."
"It seems that His Highness can't wait any longer..." Zhao Qinglan said as he slowly unbuttoned his coat.
"No!" Zhao Fanghua hurriedly stood up to deny it, but was pulled back to its original place by the heavy phoenix crown.
Zhao Qinglan couldn't help but smile knowingly as he looked at Zhao Fanghua who was nailed to the bed by the phoenix crown.
Zhao Fanghua glared at him: "Still laughing!"
Zhao Qinglan leaned over to unbutton her crown, his warm breath brushing against her ears. When he was removing the hairpin, his knuckles accidentally brushed against the side of her neck, causing a slight shudder.
Zhao Fanghua glanced at him secretly, and his drooping eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes, making him look even more seductive than usual.
As he turned around to put the phoenix crown away, she jumped off the bed and rushed to the door, but before she could touch the door frame, she was grabbed by the waist and carried back.
"Where do you want to go?" He whispered while biting the tip of her ear.
"I..." Zhao Fanghua hurriedly made an excuse, "I was just checking to see if anyone was watching outside. I heard someone might be eavesdropping, so I had to chase them away."
Zhao Qinglan was silent for a moment, then he strode open the door and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, go out."
When he returned to the couch, he casually untied the belt around her waist with his fingertips: "Are you relieved now?"
Zhao Fanghua forced himself to remain calm and changed the subject: "Is it particularly easy to assassinate you now?"
Zhao Qinglan sighed, "Sister, has anyone ever told you that you tend to talk nonsense when you're nervous?"
After saying that, he no longer cared about Zhao Fanghua's slight resistance and directly picked her up by her hips.
She was so frightened that she quickly put her arms around his neck and subconsciously clamped her knees around his waist.
Zhao Fanghua still wanted to struggle desperately, but while struggling, her thigh rubbed against something hot and hard, and she suddenly froze in place.
A hoarse laugh escaped Zhao Qinglan's throat. "Still moving around?"
Zhao Fanghua shook her head repeatedly and hid her flushed face in his shoulder.
It was late at night and the only sound in Fengyi Palace was the occasional crackling sound from the burning dragon and phoenix wedding candles.
Zhao Qinglan looked at Zhao Fanghua who was sleeping soundly. Her snow-white neck was covered with red plum blossoms. He lowered his head and rubbed it with the tip of his nose, causing Zhao Fanghua to "ah" twice.
"Sister, there's something you haven't told me yet."
Zhao Fanghua was annoyed by his rubbing and muttered, "I like you..."
"Who do you like?" he pressed, his lips and teeth leaving new marks on her collarbone.
"I like...Alan, I like Zhao Qinglan... um..."
(End of full text)
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