Great Zhou World
Xiao Yuhuan felt guilty, his head lowered slightly, his gaze seemingly glued to the damp carpet beneath his feet, afraid, or perhaps unwilling, to lift it. His eyes were lowered, their long lashes casting a small shadow beneath them, obscuring any possible emotion. There was no flicker, only a deep, dark gloom.
The fabric on his shoulders was still stained with dark water, sticking to his body, exuding a lingering chill that was completely out of place in this warm room.
Ning Yangyang had changed into a clean, crisp nightgown and leaned against the brocade-covered bedside, a bowl of steaming ginger soup in her hands. A wisp of white mist blurred her features, but it couldn't obscure her inner thoughts. She didn't know how to face the man beneath her bed—just a month ago, she had stood on her high side, righteously rejecting him. Now, with this reversal of attitude, anyone would probably sneer at her, calling her a "fence-sitter."
However, Xiao Yuhuan was crucial. He and Xiao Ziyi had a close childhood friendship, but now the distinction between emperor and subject was severe, and suspicion and wariness were the norm beneath the throne. Xiao Yuhuan was the only sliver of leverage he could pry open to shake Xiao Ziyi. And today, the ominous premonition in her heart, like a hidden thorn beneath the water, pricked her from time to time.
"Will I be the Queen?" She knew the answer perfectly well. Xiao Yuhuan would never agree. It had nothing to do with love; it was simply because of her awkward status and the complex network of in-laws behind her. Rather than wait for him to be embarrassed, it would be better to offer this "well-behaved and sensible" person herself.
A glance at Xiao Yuhuan's still-dry clothes stirred a thought in Ning Yangyang's mind. She gently extended the bowl of warm ginger soup forward, her wrist hovering in mid-air, the rim of the bowl almost touching the edge of his downcast gaze. Her voice was deliberately soft, a tone of casual, pure concern. "Drink some ginger soup, don't catch a cold." Her fingertips held the bottom of the bowl steadily, without a trace of calculation or trembling.
Xiao Yuhuan seemed startled by the voice and the warmth so close to him. He finally raised his eyes, but they first fell on the bowl she held out. After a pause, he slowly raised them to meet her gaze. His eyes were complex, a layer of guilt swirling with an unspoken struggle and a subtle scrutiny. He said nothing, simply extending his bony, damp, and cool hand to take the bowl.
His movements were somewhat stiff. He tilted his head back, his Adam's apple rolling rapidly a few times, and drank the bowl of spicy soup in one gulp, as if he was not drinking warming ginger soup, but a cup of bitter wine that he had to swallow. He held the empty bowl in his hand, his fingertips exerting a slight pressure, his knuckles turning white.
The title of "Queen" is like a red-hot iron, lying between the two of them, and neither of them wants to touch it first.
It was still Ning Yangyang. She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind. A gentle, almost perfect smile spread across her face, a soft glow that hinted at self-sacrifice. She spoke first, her voice even softer, with just the right amount of earnestness and a hint of humility: "Your Majesty, I know you're worried about my position." She lowered her eyelids slightly, avoiding his deep gaze, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. "I've thought it through. As long as I can be by your side, I don't care about any position." As soon as she said that, a real feeling of nausea rose in her stomach - a woman in this harem, not caring about position? It was ridiculous! Could it be that she cared about that empty companionship? Her hands under the brocade quilt unconsciously clenched the silk mattress beneath her.
"Yangyang." Xiao Yuhuan finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, like sandpaper grinding against wood. He simply called out her name, a call that seemed to contain a thousand words, yet was forcibly strangled the moment it left his mouth. Then, there was a suffocating silence. No promises, no comfort, only a heavy sense of helplessness, weighed down by guilt and reality, emanating from his tense mouth and slightly furrowed brow.
Ning Yangyang stared at him intently. The deep affection in his eyes was so genuine, so intense it threatened to drown her. Those deep eyes seemed to hold a sea of stars, illuminated just for her. Yet, the more intense this love burned, the colder her heart grew. Deep affection? How long could it last? She knew all too well the rules of this palace.
What about a month from now? A year from now? Those peach blossom eyes, now reflecting only her figure, now filled with deep affection for everyone, who would they gaze upon so intently? The sea of stars would eventually flow elsewhere. This thought, like a venomous snake, instantly bit through her forced composure, making it nearly impossible for her to maintain the gentle expression on her face. She could only grip the quilt tighter, her fingertips digging deep into it.
Guilt is the best time to make a request, and Ning Yangyang took advantage of the opportunity. "Ah Huan, I still have a wish, as you know. I was the one who saved Nangong Xi, and I must be responsible for her to the end. Lend me a team, and I will escort her away from Dayu, okay?"
"Yangyang, you clearly know that you are going against your brother. Why bother?"
Ning Yangyang met his gaze, unflinching. A resoluteness bordering on grief and indignation suddenly welled up in her eyes, as if her deepest innermost being had been touched. "But she's more important than Xiao Ziyi!" Her voice rose a little, barely suppressed with emotion. "She doesn't love him! Why use power to force her? I can't accept this!" She took a deep breath, suppressing her surging emotions, her voice a deep, fatalistic sadness. "If I hadn't existed, perhaps they wouldn't have had the chance to meet... This fate started with me, and I must sever it myself!" Her fingertips dug into the quilt beneath her, her knuckles turning white from the strain, and her body trembled slightly with the turmoil of her emotions.
After this passionate confession, the room fell into a dead silence. Xiao Yuhuan's eyes wandered over her face in a complex manner, as if he was trying to distinguish between truth and falsehood, or as if he was struggling with something. Suddenly, he took a step forward, with an almost desperate impulse, and suddenly took up Ning Yangyang's hand that was resting on the quilt with both hands. His palms were cold like wet clothes, but he was so strong that his knuckles even trembled slightly. He looked down at her, his eyes burning with a mixture of expectation, temptation and the last ray of hope, and his voice was low and tense:
"Do you love me then?"
Ning Yangyang's heart skipped a beat, but a gentle, dependent smile instantly spread across her face. Without hesitation, she instinctively responded with the sweetest of voices: "Of course I do." Yet, these words of love flowed from her voice with a calm, unwavering composure, and her eyes were even more impassive, even holding a hint of the emptiness of a mission accomplished. Xiao Yuhuan stared intently into her eyes, trying to find even a glimmer of genuine love in those clear pupils, but all he saw was a carefully embellished, tranquil surface. A chill, a touch of self-mockery, instantly gripped him—wasn't he forcing her? He was using his power to bind her to his side.
He suddenly loosened his grip, as if burned by the false word "love." His tall figure was shrouded in a heavy sense of fatigue and powerlessness. He turned silently, his back to her, and walked towards the door. As he was about to cross the threshold, he stopped without looking back. His voice was cold and distant, as if he was announcing a predetermined decree:
"Yangyang, in seven days, I will personally issue an edict to confer you the title of Imperial Concubine." He paused, emphasizing the word "I" to emphasize his current status, "You... still have the opportunity to choose." After saying that, he threw it with his backhand, and a heavy, cold and hard object drew an arc and landed accurately on the brocade quilt in front of Ning Yangyang.
It's a tiger talisman.
Xiao Yuhuan's figure completely disappeared at the door, leaving the room in silence and the metal token lying quietly on the brocade.
Ning Yangyang felt as if nailed to the spot. After several breaths, she slowly reached out her hand. Her fingertips touched the cold metal, the intricate, unfamiliar patterns scratching her fingertips. She carefully lifted it, the heavy weight weighing down her wrist. This tiger talisman, a symbol of supreme military power, was now in her hand. She stared down at it, the cold edges rubbing against her palm, bringing an almost ethereal sense of reality. Xiao Yuhuan... gave it to her like this? This was practically like handing her the weapon of rebellion!
"Host! You won't complete the next task." In his mind, the system's sharp electronic sound carried obvious anxiety.
"Your mission is to advance the Queen's process. He has his own choice in mind. Why would I force him to do anything?"
"I understand, but you're just going to take the damage! Nangong Xi, you haven't even found the person's exact location!"
Ning Yangyang snapped back to her senses and clenched the tiger talisman in her palm. The cool touch forced her chaotic thoughts to calm down. She hurriedly responded in her mind, "I was a little desperate at the time! But after returning to the capital, the PDF document mentioned Nangong Xi's hiding place! All I need now is manpower! That place must be the heavily guarded Dragon Pond Tiger Cave!"
"System!" Her thoughts were filled with a desperate determination. "This kidnapping must succeed, not fail! No second chances! Plan: strike while Xiao Ziyi is in court and the palace restrictions are relatively relaxed! After we succeed, we'll immediately take the waterway and send the person to Alai as quickly as possible!"
The system calculated quickly: "Host, the risk is extremely high! What if Xiao Ziyi receives the news and is faster than you? What if he mobilizes the Imperial Guards to surround Nangong Xi? Moreover, if Nangong Xi disappears, the first person he will suspect will definitely be you! Your situation..."
"I know!" Ning Yangyang growled in her mind, almost crushing the tiger talisman in frustration, "But Dayu is hell for her! Xiao Ziyi is a lunatic! Where to hide her? Where can she hide from his eyes?" She swept her eyes across the gorgeous but cold palace, feeling that it was full of cages. She suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in front of the bed anxiously. The tiger talisman in her hand was like a branding iron, burning her to the point of panic. "She must be sent away! She must be sent away as soon as possible! Alai Country is our only hope...but...time..." She stopped abruptly, her teeth unconsciously biting the soft flesh inside her lower lip, and a hint of rust filled her mouth. The huge pressure almost crushed her, "I have a way."
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