Just as Quan Minghe was about to lift the woman directly onto the bed, the door creaked open once more.
“Master, I’ve found a wo… woman for you.”
Zhao Cong’s urgent voice came from the doorway, but it trailed off halfway as he caught sight of the woman kneeling at his master’s feet.
He wondered inwardly—how had a woman suddenly appeared here?
Quan Minghe’s gaze instantly shifted from the woman at his feet to the doorway.
Then, he looked down again at the woman before him, and a plan swiftly formed in his mind.
The woman at his feet was clearly someone deliberately sent to entrap him, her purpose all too obvious.
As for the woman unconscious at the door, brought by Zhao Cong—she might be free of ulterior motives.
In that fleeting moment, Quan Minghe had already made his choice.
“Bring her over.”
Zhao Cong hurriedly complied, instructing his men to place Shen Yuling on Quan Minghe’s bed.
Quan Minghe cast a cold glance at the woman still kneeling on the floor, his expression indifferent.
“Take her away and investigate her thoroughly.”
“Yes, sir.”
Zhao Cong responded respectfully before quickly retreating with his men and closing the door behind him.
Only Quan Minghe and the sleeping Shen Yuling remained in the room.
Quan Minghe’s eyes rested on the woman. Even without makeup, she was radiantly beautiful, captivating enough to hold one’s gaze.
Her brows arched delicately, her lips naturally red, her features as exquisite as a painting. Her face was small and round, flawless as if carved by nature, blooming like a peony—so dazzlingly beautiful that she surpassed any woman in his inner palace.
Quan Minghe felt his breath grow heavier, his Adam’s apple involuntarily bobbing as a wave of uncontrollable heat surged through him once more.
Without hesitation, he reached out and tore open the woman’s clothing.
The girl was unconscious, so Quan Minghe offered no comfort or tenderness.
Shen Yuling was abruptly awakened by a sharp pain, the unfamiliar sensation filling her with fear.
Opening her eyes, she could only see the man’s fierce mask and the deep, dark eyes beneath it.
Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
“It hurts…”
“Bastard, let me go!”
She was about to marry the Prince of Lingyang, personally chosen by the emperor, but who could have imagined that before the wedding, she would meet such misfortune and lose her purity?
Once Shen Yuling regained her senses, she struggled desperately, her small hands pushing against the man atop her.
Her face was a mix of fury and helplessness.
But Quan Minghe took her struggles as mere coyness, which only heightened his interest.
“Be good. If you obey, I can give you whatever you want.”
As he spoke, Quan Minghe reached out, grasped Shen Yuling’s wrists, and with a slight force, pinned them above her head, rendering her immobile.
“I have a husband! Let me go! You lecher! Villain! My father will have your head!”
Quan Minghe merely scoffed lightly.
This woman was clearly still a virgin—could it be that her husband was impotent?
As for her claim that her father could behead him—if her father dared, he was welcome to try.
The effects of the drug in Quan Minghe’s body had not yet worn off. The sight of the weeping girl beneath him, her red lips and delicate, pitiful face, was utterly intoxicating.
Her fair and delicate skin, her soft and boneless body, made it impossible to resist. At this moment, he only wished to sink deeper into this tender embrace.
Outside, the moon hung high in the night sky, casting a cold and clear light, unaware of how long the absurd scene inside the room had lasted. Only gradually did Quan Minghe feel the frenzied desire within his body slowly return to normal.
By now, Shen Yuling’s voice had grown so hoarse she could barely make a sound, her tears had long dried up, and she could only allow the man to manipulate her at will, her eyes empty and filled with despair.
Yet, this pitiful sight stirred no emotion in Quan Minghe. Very few things in this world could truly move him.
He gripped her waist, his gaze deep and intense as he stared at her. It had been a long time since he had indulged so freely in pleasure.
Even now, though the effects of the drug had worn off, he still had no desire to leave.
“No, please stop.”
Sensing the hand on her waist begin to stroke gently again, Shen Yuling instinctively voiced her refusal.
But her soft, kitten-like voice only stirred Quan Minghe’s desire even more.
He pulled her back into his embrace.
And so, amidst endless entanglement and struggle, the night gradually faded, the sky grew faintly bright, and the commotion in the room finally ceased.
The tear stains at the corners of the woman’s eyes were clearly visible—traces left by tears that had dried and flowed, flowed and dried, over and over again.
By now, she was utterly exhausted and had fallen into a deep sleep.
Quan Minghe glanced at her, rose to his feet, dressed, and strode out of the room.
To dare scheme against him—she was simply courting death!
Meanwhile, Shen Yuling, who had appeared to be sound asleep, opened her eyes after Quan Minghe left.
Her eyes, washed by tears, appeared exceptionally bright and clear, yet deep within them flickered a sense of triumphant satisfaction.
Quan Minghe, perhaps in this lifetime, I am destined to be entangled with you…
How wonderful it would be if I could make you my blade.
Shen Yuling endured the discomfort coursing through her body.
An entire night.
It seemed Quan Minghe truly did appreciate this body of hers, so meticulously cared for.
The Shen family guarded the northwest, not far from the Western Regions.
As a child, Shen Yuling often traveled to the Western Regions, a land of talent and spiritual energy, home to many wondrous recipes for body care.
Not only did she learn these recipes one by one, but she also studied the unique dances of the Western Regions. In her spare time, she practiced yoga she had learned from the modern world and combined it with contemporary methods of self-care.
As a result, even she herself could not help but adore her own body.
Though Quan Minghe was an emperor and not one to indulge in women, sometimes just a hint of his pity, reluctance, or unwillingness to harm could be enough to change the outcome of a situation entirely.
Shen Yuling quickly dressed and slipped away like a wisp of smoke.