“Your Majesty, you…”
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, Lin Ming reached out and gently patted Empress Ye Qinghuan’s head. With righteous indignation, he said, “I’m not that kind of man. Don’t even think about forcing yourself on me!”
“…”
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Ye Qinghuan’s beautiful eyes widened in shock, and in the next second, an unprecedented wave of shame surged through her chest!
She struggled desperately to get up, but she had fallen too hard earlier. Stars were spinning before her eyes, her brain was oxygen-starved, and to others watching, she looked like… she was snuggling in Lin Ming’s arms like a spoiled girl!
Lin Ming cleared his throat again and said, “Your Majesty, since you’re being so insistent! As your subject, I cannot disobey the will of my ruler. Forgive me, then!”
“No, wait—”
Ye Qinghuan could only glare in frustration. She had a naturally sensitive constitution. Normally, if a maid accidentally brushed against her, she’d lash out in rage.
But this man actually…
Lin Ming didn’t care in the slightest. Without hesitation, he reached out and pinched the Empress’s fair and delicate cheek—just like petting his own kitten!
While doing it, his eyes sneakily glanced at the graceful curves beneath her sheer imperial robe.
Not gonna lie, the texture was flawless—smooth, soft, and supple! No doubt, a genuine natural beauty!
As the saying goes, strike once with full force, the second time weaker, and the third… you’re doomed.
The very next second, he could clearly feel an overwhelming pressure, like a mountain, crashing down upon him!
He looked up, and his skin immediately broke out in goosebumps!
Ye Qinghuan’s eyes were ice-cold, erupting with volcanic rage. If looks could kill, she’d have swallowed him whole on the spot!
Crap! He had just pinched the face of the King of Hell!
Lin Ming finally snapped out of it. Damn it, what had he been thinking?! His courage had ballooned way out of proportion!
Just then, the system’s notifications rang out rapidly in his mind—
[Empress’s Rage +99!]
[Empress’s Rage +99!]
[Empress’s Rage +99!]
[Congratulations! Host has achieved the achievement “Testing the Waters!”]
[Double Rewards Triggered!]
[Lifespan extended by 3,000 minutes! Tripled to 9,000 minutes!]
[Rewarded Talent: Martial Dao Spirit Root — a one-in-a-million physique for martial cultivation!]
[Rewarded Talent: Thunderous Pressure — inflicts intense psychological pressure on everyone within 10 meters!]
[Newbie Protection Bonus: Talent “Precise Perception” — allows detection of others’ martial cultivation levels (Note: If the difference with the host is too great, detection may fail.)]
“So many rewards?” Lin Ming was shocked, but also beginning to panic.
Earlier, just 1 point of rage had only earned him a glare. But now with a +99? Ye Qinghuan must be absolutely furious!
He immediately activated the “Precise Perception” talent—
Above the Empress’s head, a string of data floated:
Martial Dao Third-Class Grandmaster!
That was the strength of a hundred hulking warriors!
Game over!
Lin Ming’s pupils shrank as he saw Ye Qinghuan’s jade-white hand raise, her fingers still trembling with residual fury, about to slap him.
If that slap landed, even a hundred versions of himself would be turned into mincemeat!
“Outrageous! Lin Ming, how dare you be disrespectful to Her Majesty! I’ll cut you down where you stand!”
Just then, a thunderous roar shattered the tension.
Ye Qinghuan froze mid-motion and withdrew her hand.
A towering figure in armor stepped forward from behind, his eyes wide with fury, “You dare disregard the Great Duan Empire? Disrespect Her Majesty? Disrespect the Imperial Guard?”
As he shouted, he drew his sword and advanced toward Lin Ming.
A dozen Imperial Guards surged forward, surrounding Lin Ming completely!
At that moment, Lin Ming was utterly hopeless. Damn this stupid system! You give me all these talents, but not a single one that can help me escape or fight?!
He really had no way out now!
But then, a cold shout rang from behind: “I’d like to see who dares act recklessly in Duke Commander’s residence!”
Clatter—
A surge of troops stormed in from outside.
Leading them, of course, was Luo Feng.
Over a hundred house guards surrounded the Imperial Guards in turn!
“Luo Feng! What are you doing? How dare you surround the Emperor’s personal troops? Surround Her Majesty herself?!”
The commander of the Imperial Guards looked livid.
Luo Feng replied coolly, “All I know is—this is Duke Commander’s estate. Anyone who tries to harm His Grace dies. No one is exempt!”
“There are 3,000 guards in this residence, and we have four top-tier Martial Grandmasters—Feng, Lin, Shan, and Huo. Second- and third-tier Grandmasters are too many to count. Not to mention outside the capital—we still have 30,000 Black Cavalry troops from the Lin family. Hu Lin, you’re just a mere fifth-rank deputy general. You think you can afford this fight?”
Hu Lin trembled with rage, “You—”
“General Hu, stand down.”
Ye Qinghuan’s voice rang out to stop him.
She heard the hidden message—those words weren’t just for Hu Lin, they were a warning for her.
The Lin family’s power had grown so vast, even the Empress had to tread carefully!
Ye Qinghuan’s eyes grew colder.
Even a mere servant from the Lin household dared threaten her now?
This Lin family was becoming more lawless by the day!
Hu Lin could only bow respectfully, “As you command.”
With a wave of his hand, the Imperial Guards backed off, lifting the siege on Lin Ming.
“Luo Feng, you back off too,” Lin Ming suddenly said.
He’d realized something—wait a minute! His whole family were top-level schemers! What was there to be afraid of?
Throughout history, when noble families + powerful ministers + military control stacked together, even emperors ended up washing their feet!
Still, there was no need to go head-to-head with Ye Qinghuan just yet. Slow and steady wins the race—he still had time to milk her for all she was worth!
“But Your Grace, they just tried to kill you! We can’t let this go!”
Luo Feng clearly didn’t want to let it slide. “At the very least, we should kill these Imperial Guards! Otherwise, where would the face of the Duke Commander residence go?”
The entire hall went silent!
Killing the Emperor’s personal guards in front of Her Majesty herself—that would be outright treason!
Before Ye Qinghuan could speak, Lin Ming unexpectedly raised his voice, “General Luo, was it my orders that weren’t clear, or are your ears not working? Do I need to repeat myself? Stand down!”
Talent: Thunderous Pressure, activated!
In that instant, every one of the Duke’s guards, including Luo Feng, felt a mental shock that made cold sweat pour down their backs!
This new Duke Commander—his aura was on par with the old Duke!
Luo Feng dropped to his knees and pleaded, “Your subordinate’s hearing is faulty and failed to understand the Duke’s command earlier. Please punish me!”
Lin Ming kept a stern face, “Since it’s your first offense and you’ve always been loyal to the Lin family, I’ll let it slide this time. Go to the Discipline Hall and take twenty strokes!”
Putting on a full act—twenty strokes to someone like Luo Feng was nothing but a tickle!
“Yes, sir!” He accepted the order and led his men away like a receding tide.
As the tension eased, Lin Ming turned to Ye Qinghuan, grinning brightly,
“Your Majesty! Allow me to explain. Just now, when you almost slipped, I was so eager to protect you that I momentarily forgot our roles as monarch and subject. That was my failure!”
“You took advantage of me, fine! But why did you pinch my face?!” Ye Qinghuan glared, her chest heaving with rage.
“I saw a mosquito land on Your Majesty’s face! I couldn’t let it defile your sacred blood. Out of instinct to protect you, I pinched it… several times.”
He even looked utterly pleased as he said it.
Everyone: …
It was November. Livestock were freezing to death. Where would mosquitoes come from?!
Was this Duke Commander really this shameless with his excuses?!
Ye Qinghuan suppressed her fury. She knew full well he was doing it on purpose—and in such a crude way too!
Yet all she could do was say, “Minister Lin’s loyalty to me is witnessed by the heavens and the moon. How could I possibly blame you?”
At least it gave her an excuse to back down without losing face.
“But… ahem… next time something like this happens, Minister Lin, could you at least give me some warning first?”
Thankfully, he hadn’t touched her weak spot—her thighs.
Ye Qinghuan’s deepest secret was that her greatest physical weakness was her thighs.
If someone so much as brushed them, her whole body would go numb like she’d been electrocuted, losing all strength instantly.
But still… this was too much!
Her pretty face flushed pink again, followed by a new wave of anger born from shame.
This bastard—once she had full power in her hands, she would definitely…
Lin Ming suddenly said, “Oh! Your Majesty, there’s another mosquito on your leg!”
Before she could reply, Ye Qinghuan screamed instinctively and jumped on the spot, hurriedly covering her thigh.
“Not there!”