Shen Lang observed his lost, dejected expression and couldn’t help but touch her cheek.
“Another poor soul, captivated by my face…” she sighed.
Qing Mei found it amusing, yet he couldn’t bring himself to laugh.
He didn’t know how to convince her that his affection for her went deeper than her mere appearance.
*
*
「The next day.」
Qing Mei went to court as usual.
But this time, everything seemed different.
When Shen Lang received the news, she was stunned, finding it hard to believe.
‘The Empress is deposed and will be executed tomorrow?
Prince Chen has been condemned along with her and thrown into the dungeons?
The Chen Prince Mansion is surrounded by the Imperial Guard and on the brink of collapse?
The Prime Minister offended the Holy Emperor, was stripped of his title, and has been taken to the dungeons?’
‘Fuck.’
‘This is a little too intense.’
‘Is that dog Emperor even human, pulling a stunt like this?’
‘To suddenly bring my family to ruin like this…
what kind of grudge does he hold against us?’
Shen Lang leaned languidly on a soft couch, pressing her fingers to her brow.
She began to wonder how that dog Emperor had suddenly amassed so much power.
‘Wasn’t he supposed to be some hedonistic pretty boy with no real authority?’
‘So what the hell is this?’
‘He’s nearly wiped out my entire family, and now he wants to kill my husband-in-name-only?’
Then she immediately learned that the worst was yet to come.
…The Prime Minister’s Mansion had also been surrounded by the Imperial Guard.
The servant who came in to report was trembling so violently he could barely stand.
Shen Lang frowned.
“What are you so afraid of?
It’s not like we’re done for.”
The servant’s legs were shaking uncontrollably.
“If His Majesty…
if His Majesty implicates us because of the Prime Minister…” he stammered, “what are we to do?”
Shen Lang shot him a disgusted look.
“You useless coward.
Get out of my way.
I’ll go to the palace and see the Emperor myself.
I refuse to believe the Emperor is the kind of man who would act so indiscriminately!”
“And what if I were to tell you…
that I am?”
A low, cold voice suddenly cut in.
Following the voice, Jiang Yu slowly walked in, clad in a black dragon robe embroidered with dark gold thread.
His gaze was cold and profound, fixed squarely on Shen Lang.
Shen Lang instantly froze, her eyes going wide.
‘My brain is short-circuiting.’
‘What is going on…?!!’
‘This isn’t how I saw this playing out at all!’
After what felt like an eternity, Shen Lang managed to force a stiff, awkward smile.
“Your Majesty…
to what do we owe the honor of your visit?”
Jiang Yu’s eyes were like ice.
His thin lips parted.
“I’ve come to escort my Empress back to the palace.”
He spoke slowly, gracefully, but his words carried an undeniable authority that hammered into Shen Lang’s heart.
Shen Lang’s heart sank.
“…Your Majesty, what nonsense are you spouting?
Didn’t you already depose the Empress?
She’s to be executed tomorrow, isn’t she?”
Jiang Yu’s gaze grew deeper, colder.
He suddenly seized her pale, delicate wrist.
“You know,” he murmured with a low chuckle, “I was drinking all night.”
Shen Lang’s wrist throbbed in his grip; she couldn’t move it at all.
“…Let go of me first,” she said, her tone softening slightly.
As if he hadn’t heard her, Jiang Yu went on, “I spent all night thinking.
Why does everyone lie to me?
That old bastard Prince Chen pulled a switch, secretly marrying you off to Qing Mei…
Tell me, shouldn’t I be angry?”
Shen Lang was speechless.
“And that scoundrel Qing Mei.
He knew perfectly well that I adore you, yet he defied his Emperor and secretly took you into his mansion.
The woman of my heart…
finding her pleasure beneath another man…
Yin’er, tell me, how should I deal with him?”
Shen Lang remained silent.
‘Your Majesty, your train of thought is getting a little dangerous.’
“Why so quiet?” Jiang Yu leaned close to her ear, his voice a low, laughing whisper.
“Don’t worry, I don’t hold it against you.
And you…
don’t even think about running away.”
Shen Lang said nothing.
‘How did such a nice young man suddenly turn to the dark side?’
*
*
Shen Lang was taken to the palace under guard.
The moment she arrived, she was locked away in Kunning Palace.
There, she was subjected to the most brutal and inhuman torment imaginable.
It was a storm of violent releases, met with countless pleas and curses.
To her horror, she discovered that the young man’s stamina was seemingly endless.
The next time Shen Lang awoke, it was broad daylight, and the dog Emperor was long gone.
A group of palace maids surrounded the bed, all watching her with nervous expressions.
“…Your Ladyship, you’re finally awake.
This is the restorative tonic the Emperor instructed us to prepare.”
Then, a small bowl of broth was respectfully offered to her.
Shen Lang tried to move, her entire body aching.
She let out an involuntary hiss of pain and said impatiently, “Take it away.
I’m not drinking it.”
The palace maids exchanged worried glances.
“Please, Your Ladyship, you must drink it,” one pleaded.
“Otherwise, His Majesty will surely not spare us…”
Shen Lang lay on the bed like a boneless sack of potatoes, with no desire to move an inch.
She waved a lazy hand.
“Even if God himself came down from heaven, I still wouldn’t drink it.”
“You won’t drink?
Then shall I feed it to you myself?” A low, cold voice suddenly sounded right beside her ear.
Shen Lang’s eyes snapped open.
She saw the young man’s divinely handsome face.
He was still in his court robes, so he must have rushed over the moment the session ended.
He was holding the jade bowl.
A cold shiver ran down Shen Lang’s spine.
The moment she saw him, her legs went weak of their own accord.
She had no doubt what this bastard meant by “feeding it to her himself.”
“No need…
I’ll do it.” Shen Huoshui surrendered.
She struggled to sit up, reaching for the jade bowl.
Jiang Yu waved a hand, dismissing everyone from the room.
He sat right on the edge of the bed, filled a spoon with the broth, and brought it to her pale lips.
Meeting his dark gaze, Shen Lang couldn’t help but swallow.
But her pride as a femme fatale warned her not to back down.
“Put it down,” she said stiffly.
“I’ll do it myself.”
Jiang Yu slowly lowered the spoon.
His pitch-black eyes stared at her, unblinking.
Those eyes, once so alluring and gentle, were now bottomless pits where a savage beast lay dormant, ready to spring out and devour her whole.
Shen Lang raised an eyebrow.
“Your Majesty, what’s with the stare?”
Jiang Yu said nothing, his long lashes dipping slightly.
He took a thoughtful sip of the tonic himself.
Then, he pressed a hand to the back of her head, leaned in, and brought his lips down on hers!
The tonic’s bitter taste flooded her mouth.
Shen Lang froze.
‘Emotionally, I feel nothing.
In fact, this stuff actually tastes pretty good.’
But as he fed her, the nature of the “feeding” began to change.
‘It’s just feeding me some soup, so why is he kissing me with such passion in his eyes?’
Shen Lang immediately sensed something was wrong.
She moved her hands, trying to push him away.
But the hand on the back of her head only tightened its grip, and the kiss became rougher, more savage.
Shen Lang was completely pinned.
‘Fuck, now I’m getting pissed.’
Deciding to go all in, she bit down hard on his tongue.
Jiang Yu’s brow furrowed slightly.
He released her lips, his dark gaze fixed on her.
“…What?” His voice was low and husky, punctuated by warm, shallow breaths.
“What do you think?” Shen Lang shot him an irritated glare, shoved him away, and grabbed the jade bowl.
“Get lost.
I’m hungry.”
Instead of getting angry at being shoved, Jiang Yu’s lips curled into a fond smile.
“Now, *this* is the you I know,” he chuckled.
Shen Lang took a sip of the broth, then suddenly asked, “Why did you drag me to the palace?”