Yan Ling’s hand moved again towards the Emperor, a hint of anger already simmering in her heart.
Was the Emperor even a man? With someone as alluring as herself before him, he remained completely unmoved. Moreover, despite her best efforts to tempt him, he showed no reaction.
But matters had progressed to this point. Tonight, she was determined to consummate their union. She wondered who in the harem would dare to speak ill of her tomorrow.
With a sudden surge of force, she tugged at the Emperor’s undergarments. Unexpectedly, Shangguan Yao flung his hand away, blocking Yan Ling’s touch, and stood up from the bed.
He paced to the bedside with a stern, brooding expression. His slender, peach-shaped eyes were darker and more profound than the starry sky outside the window, a hint of desperate helplessness playing on his lips.
Was he truly beyond help? Even with such a beautiful siren before him, he could not perform. Shangguan Yao clenched his fist and abruptly struck the window lattice.
Yan Ling, lying on the bed, looked displeased and stared intently at Shangguan Yao’s back. Gradually, she began to grasp the situation, then let out a dark, cold laugh, speaking mockingly.
“So this is the Emperor of Dong Qin. No wonder he never visits Qian Lan Palace.”
Yan Ling had two favored men in Bei Chao, and she was well-versed in the arts of the bedroom. For a man to escape such a situation unscathed…
It meant either astonishing self-control or impotence. And this Emperor did not appear to be a man of self-control, which left impotence. She had never imagined the Emperor of Dong Qin to be a man incapable of intimacy, all show and no substance.
What kind of man had she chosen? Yan Ling laughed, glaring fiercely at Shangguan Yao’s back.
Until he turned around with a fierce and cruel expression, his pupils glinting with a cold, emerald light.
Shangguan Yao, with his dozens of concubines in the harem, was intimately familiar with women. Upon hearing Yan Ling’s accusation, he quickly realized something.
This princess from Bei Chao was not a virgin. The reason she had been pestering him was simply for her own gratification. This was truly a colossal joke.
Shangguan Yao surged forward with lightning speed, his five fingers, like steel, grasping Yan Ling’s neck. He spoke with chilling intent.
“You are but a wilted flower, and you dare to be so arrogant? Even if I kill you, will your father’s emperor have the face to say anything?”
Yan Ling was greatly startled, her face turning as pale as paper. She had forgotten to conceal her true nature. How could a virgin understand such things?
No matter how incapable Shangguan Yao might be, he would not wish for his woman to be anything less than a virgin. Yan Ling felt her breath growing difficult, her hands struggling to pry Shangguan Yao’s fingers away, speaking with great effort.
“Don’t forget, I am a princess of Bei Chao.”
Shangguan Yao’s pupils turned crimson, a cold, cruel smile gracing his lips. His entire being radiated the ferocity of a wild beast. The sleeping chambers seemed to have frozen over, as if touched by the frost of winter, a thin layer of ice forming.
Seeing Yan Ling gasping for her last breaths, as if she would surely die today, Shangguan Yao unexpectedly loosened his grip at the last moment, releasing her and coldly tossing her to the ground.
Princess Yan Ling of Bei Chao resembled a dying, struggling stray cat, completely devoid of her former arrogance and haughtiness. She desperately gasped for air, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably, like a pouring rain.
Shangguan Yao walked expressionlessly to a soft couch on the side, his voice cold and chilling.
“From this day forward, you are to remain in Qian Lan Palace and are not permitted to step outside. If I discover you have left, you can await your father to collect your corpse.”
“You? You?” Yan Ling’s eyes darkened, and she stared fearfully at Shangguan Yao, her gaze filled with unwillingness.
Could it be that she, a princess of a nation, was to live a widow’s life forever?
No, this man still had the audacity to treat her this way. Very well, she would not make it easy for him. She would ensure their Dong Qin lineage died out and would have her own imperial brother come to escort her back to their country. She never wanted to stay in this place again.
“You should know, since you are not a virgin, you must have had a man. If I send someone to Bei Yan to gather evidence, then even if I kill you, the Emperor of your Bei Chao will not be able to say a word.”
Shangguan Yao continued speaking, and Yan Ling knew his words were not without merit.
If her father truly knew of such matters, he would only be ashamed of her. Who would then seek justice for her?
But she had her imperial brother. Crown Prince Yu was her full brother.
The sleeping chambers were silent. Shangguan Yao reclined on the soft couch, his eyelashes fluttering, his eyes gently closing as if he had fallen asleep.
Yan Ling, having somewhat recovered, struggled to her feet and walked towards the exit. She did not wish to lose face so completely. However, Shangguan Yao, you just wait for me. I will not make things easy for you.
Within the sleeping chambers, after Yan Ling’s departure, the person on the couch abruptly opened his eyes. His infinitely dark pupils shot out cold light, glistening with bloodlust.
Leng Yue, did you orchestrate tonight’s events? This is truly excellent. It seems I underestimated you. Are you acting unintentionally, or with purpose?
At Qing Feng Pavilion, by the edge of the碧湖 (Biyu Lake), Yun Xiao was leisurely leaning back in her chair, her eyes closed in concentration, listening to Wan Wan play the zither. The music was lively, swirling above Biyu Lake, drifting far into the distance. Water lilies bloomed on the lake, their fragrant scent wafting through the air, refreshing the spirit.
The night breeze, like water, gently drifted by, cool and comfortable.
A clear presence wafted beside her. She knew Liu Xing and Zhui Yue had returned. She slowly opened her eyes.
“How is it over there?”
She had sent Liu Xing and Zhui Yue to Jing Fu Palace to gather information earlier.
Liu Xing stepped forward, reporting calmly, “Master, that Consort Yan seems to have sustained injuries. She departed just now.”
Yun Xiao held her tea, smiling with an ethereal elegance. The swirling mist lightly veiled her face, striking a chilling, trembling chord in the hearts of onlookers, leaving them wondering what she intended to do, what she was planning.
“Master?”
“It’s nothing. Isn’t it very interesting? A scoundrel and a shrew fighting amongst themselves. The more they fight, the healthier they become.”
“Master, I am afraid?” Liu Xing spoke cautiously. He was truly afraid that the Emperor would hold their master responsible for this, and then their master would be in deep trouble.
“What is there to fear? I have no knowledge of what Consort Yan intended to do. I merely helped the Emperor regain some sensation. Isn’t entering the palace for the purpose of treating the Emperor?”
Yun Xiao spoke with an innocent expression. Those who were not in the know would truly be deceived by her. However, as her subordinates, Liu Xing and Zhui Yue twitched their mouths, unable to utter a single word.
As expected, the next day Shangguan Yao summoned Yun Xiao. It was early in the morning, disrupting her much-needed sleep. She followed behind four young eunuchs towards Jing Fu Palace. Her sleepy gaze swept around, and she surprisingly did not see the Emperor’s personal eunuch, Xiao Ting Zi, prompting her to mutter in puzzlement.
“Why hasn’t Eunuch Ting come?”
One of the young eunuchs quickly glanced around and replied in a low voice.
“Eunuch Ting was beaten twenty planks last night.”
“Oh,” Yun Xiao was somewhat surprised. What did this have to do with Eunuch Ting? He had received twenty planks. It was truly true that accompanying a ruler was like accompanying a tiger, as the saying went. It seemed she needed to leave the palace as soon as possible.
Wan Wan, on the side, winked and whispered, “It seems he’s not up to it again.”