【Chapter Ten: Just Kiss Me Once, Okay?】
The fireworks lasted for a full cup of tea's time, and even a few pedestrians appeared on the street to watch them.
Exclamations of admiration were carried by the wind up to the Bell Tower.
Xie Hengwu bit her lip, countless words gathered at the edge of her lips but seemed blocked, unsure where to begin.
After a long moment, she chuckled softly: "Fortunately, it's not too late now, otherwise it would disturb their rest."
Xiao Yanzhou withdrew his gaze from her and looked toward the distance. The sky still held lingering mist from the fireworks, hinting at the spectacle that had just occurred.
He said lightly: "Do you still like it?"
Xie Hengwu nodded gently, smiling: "It's beautiful, I like it."
She knew this was prepared for her—from her fabricated birthday to leaving the palace, such fireworks could be arranged in such a short time…
Her birthday in the Marquis's Mansion was also fake, no one would care about a false birthday. Over so many years, she had long lost the habit of celebrating birthdays.
But after coming to this foreign land, the person who should have been an enemy instead took her lie seriously.
Thinking that Xiao Yanzhou had put effort into this, Xie Hengwu felt a warmth in her heart, as if gently nudged by a fluffy cat's head.
She looked at Xiao Yanzhou, whose side profile was sharp and distinct, with lowered eyelashes carrying the indifference and arrogance of someone in high position.
Feeling the gaze beside him, he glanced sideways, eyebrows lightly raised: "If you like it, that's fine."
Xie Hengwu smiled at him, suddenly stepping forward a few paces, opening her arms to hug him.
In the cold weather, an embrace always brings inexplicable comfort and reassurance.
Xie Hengwu encircled his waist, burying her face in his chest, murmuring softly: "Your Majesty has put so much effort into this, I don't know what to do."
Xiao Yanzhou's body stiffened instantly when she hugged him, then he hugged her back quite unnaturally, lightly patting her back.
"Your Majesty, the carriage is ready."
Huo Heng emerged from the darkness, bowing solemnly.
Xie Hengwu hadn't yet released her hold, and being seen by Huo Heng felt awkward for a moment, so she buried her face deeper, carefully shifting her steps to hide behind Xiao Yanzhou.
Xiao Yanzhou looked amusedly at Xie Hengwu in his arms, saying to Huo Heng: "Understood, you may withdraw first."
Huo Heng acknowledged and disappeared into the night once more.
Xie Hengwu then raised her head, puzzled: "Your Majesty, aren't we returning to the palace yet?"
Xiao Yanzhou scoffed lightly: "Just fireworks for your birthday? What do you think I am?"
Xie Hengwu: "Then where are we going…"
Her remaining words were cut off, because Xiao Yanzhou again wrapped his arm around her waist and leaped down from the Bell Tower.
The sensation of falling suddenly assaulted her, startling Xie Hengwu so much she forgot to scream, only clinging tightly to him regardless.
Once the two were seated in the carriage, Xie Hengwu still looked dazed, leaning against the soft pillow in a state of wandering thoughts.
Xiao Yanzhou sat beside her, finding her distracted state amusing, reaching out to pinch her cheek.
Xie Hengwu felt the pain and finally regained her senses, her first words complaining: "Your Majesty scared me again."
Xiao Yanzhou retorted: "You yourself are unsettled, and blame me?"
Xie Hengwu softly snorted—who could have thought he would suddenly jump from such a high Bell Tower? If she weren't sitting safely in the carriage now, she truly felt Xiao Yanzhou wanted to take her to death.
"So where exactly is Your Majesty taking me?"
Xiao Yanzhou curled his lips almost imperceptibly and uttered two words: "A secret."
Seeing this, Xie Hengwu knew Xiao Yanzhou would not say more, so she did not press further. Settling her mind, she carefully examined the interior of the carriage.
Xiao Yanzhou's carriage was only ordinary-looking on the outside.
Inside, the seating couch was spacious and soft, the floor covered with a thick white fox fur rug. In each corner of the carriage hung a luminous pearl the size of a fist, glowing with a soft radiance brighter than candlelight.
In the center, a brazier burned high-quality silver-thread charcoal, with a pot of wine warming atop it, filling the carriage with warmth like spring. On a golden-thread nanmu table were placed exquisite tea and pastries, as if freshly prepared and served.
As Xie Hengwu looked around, she clicked her tongue in amazement, quietly calculating in her mind how much silver all this must have cost.
She then compared it with her own small savings and finally reached a conclusion.
Extravagant! Truly too extravagant!
"By the way, I haven't asked yet—what reward would you like?"
A deep, mellow male voice followed Xie Hengwu's train of thought. She turned her head and blinked: "Reward?"
Xiao Yanzhou looked haughty, nodding sparingly: "She rewarded you, so how could I not?"
Xie Hengwu stared at the luminous pearl and blurted out: "Could Your Majesty reward me with that pearl?"
Xiao Yanzhou's expression went blank for a moment, then he followed her gaze to the luminous pearl, his expression turning somewhat complicated.
"You like this kind of thing?"
Xie Hengwu smiled brightly: "In Nanliang, there are no luminous pearls this large. I find it novel."
"There are many more in the treasury. I'll have Zhao Quan send them to you later."
Somehow, Xiao Yanzhou's voice sounded a bit weary.
Hearing this, Xie Hengwu's eyes lit up.
So, the pearl wasn't some unique treasure.
That meant it could be sold!
Xie Hengwu naturally understood that the reward she had asked for was rather vulgar. But if she were to leave the palace in the future, how could she establish herself without money in hand?
It wasn't that she didn't know how to ask for more elegant things; unfortunately, before survival, elegance was useless.
Having received Xiao Yanzhou's promise, she felt much happier.
Xiao Yanzhou, however, looked at her with a slightly complicated gaze, privately puzzled.
According to the information Zhao Quan had gathered, the Changping Marquis had not treated her poorly, and she was even known as a talented woman in Nanliang.
So why, upon arriving here, had the talented woman turned into a money-grubber?
Could they have investigated the wrong person?
Xiao Yanzhou frowned, sinking into self-doubt.
Meanwhile, Xie Hengwu had already put the matter aside, moving to the window and lifting a corner of the carriage curtain to look outside.
With fewer pedestrians, it was rather quiet. Xie Hengwu gazed at the streets of Beijiang—most shops on either side were already closed, but street lamps still flickered with dim light, illuminating the snow.
In Nanliang, she had almost never seen snow.
As she watched, Xie Hengwu's back inexplicably tensed. The next moment, Xiao Yanzhou's voice sounded beside her ear.
"What are you looking at?"
Warm breath accompanied his words, brushing against her ear. Xie Hengwu shivered but instead snuggled closer into his embrace.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I… was looking at the snow."
"Snow?" Xiao Yanzhou's tone rose, as if he found this statement utterly incomprehensible. "What's so interesting about snow?"
His voice seemed to drill directly into her ears, sending half of Xie Hengwu's body into goosebumps. She whispered, "Your Majesty, there isn't this much snow in Nanliang."
Xiao Yanzhou raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.
Just as Xie Hengwu thought he wouldn't do anything else, Xiao Yanzhou wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.
A weight settled on her shoulder, Xie Hengwu instinctively turned her head, her soft lips brushing lightly against his cheek.
The fleeting touch, like a dragonfly skimming water, vanished instantly. Xiao Yanzhou's expression remained unchanged, but the color of his phoenix eyes seemed to deepen.
Xie Hengwu felt her face flush, her neck stiffening as she hesitated whether to move again, whispering softly, "What are you doing, Your Majesty?"
Xiao Yanzhou didn't know how to answer either.
He was merely following what the books said.
They claimed that women all liked being embraced from behind.
When Xie Hengwu turned her face, they seemed to be whispering intimately, cheeks so close he could see how her crow-black eyelashes tangled and intertwined.
Her crimson lips were right before him, and he could still recall the sensation of that earlier bite.
So soft, so fragrant, like creamy cheese.
Xiao Yanzhou remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Kiss me again."
"What?"
Xie Hengwu thought she had misheard.
But Xiao Yanzhou looked serious and repeated, "I said, kiss me again."
The cold-faced tyrant leaning on her shoulder spoke such coaxing words, Xie Hengwu almost thought she was dreaming.
She secretly pinched her thigh, the sharp pain clearly telling her it wasn't a dream.
Had Xiao Yanzhou taken the wrong medicine?
Xie Hengwu blinked dumbly, her gaze drifting past Xiao Yanzhou to the pot of wine warming on the stove.
He hadn't drunk any wine either…
"How long are you going to dawdle?"
Seeing her still unmoved, Xiao Yanzhou grew impatient.
Hearing this familiar impatient tone, somehow Xie Hengwu calmed down.
It was still this impatient Xiao Yanzhou, good, good…
A kiss… just one kiss? After all, she had entered the Marriage Alliance, and such matters were long overdue by reason and propriety.
Under Xiao Yanzhou's somewhat gloomy gaze, Xie Hengwu lowered her head and lightly kissed his cheek.
Seeing Xiao Yanzhou at such close distance, his face appeared even more handsome and cold, unlike a mortal.
Xie Hengwu almost felt her actions were blasphemous against a deity.
Yet this was the "deity" himself commanding her to blaspheme.
She raised her head and asked him in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "Your Majesty, is this enough?"
But Xiao Yanzhou closed his eyes, leaning on her shoulder, deeply inhaling near her neck.
It seemed not too bad.
Xie Hengwu felt like she was being watched by a predator, who was sniffing to judge whether she was delectable.
She didn't know how long Xiao Yanzhou sniffed before raising his head, his phoenix eyes half-closed like a carnivore just satisfied, lazily saying,
"Not bad."
Zhou Qi's words were somewhat useful.
At least earlier, the fragrance on her body indeed became more intense.
The carriage gently halted, the wall lightly tapped, and Huo Heng's voice vaguely came from outside.
"Your Majesty, we have arrived."
Xiao Yanzhou responded softly inside the carriage but showed no intention of moving.
Xie Hengwu gently struggled and whispered urging, "Your Majesty, we should go down now."
"What's the hurry," Xiao Yanzhou looked down at her, "we aren't here to investigate a case."
Xie Hengwu certainly understood this, but having so many people waiting outside in the cold wind, she still felt guilty.
Xiao Yanzhou seemed to notice her discomfort, chuckled lowly, and whispered by her ear, "Then kiss me again."
Xie Hengwu widened her beautiful eyes, two words popping into her mind.
Shameless!
Just then, Xiao Yanzhou released his arm encircling her waist, Xie Hengwu turned back, hoping to slip away.
But she forgot how great the difference in their sizes was.
As soon as Xie Hengwu turned around, she found herself firmly trapped between the carriage wall and Xiao Yanzhou, as if she had willingly leapt into a snare.
Xiao Yanzhou had almost completely encircled her, the narrow space within his arms intensifying the ambiguous atmosphere between them.
He lowered his gaze, his face shadowed and brooding, exuding a sinister and unrestrained aura that made one instinctively want to flee.
With her back pressed against the hard carriage wall, Xie Hengwu tilted her head up to see the tall emperor leaning slightly forward. His striking phoenix eyes narrowed, carrying a faint, teasing smile as he murmured, "Just one kiss, won’t you?"