“Presumptuous! How dare you!”
Following the Emperor’s majestic and infuriated roar, the woman sitting atop him did not scramble off in fear. Instead, she became even more insolent, bold, and shameless.
“Does Your Majesty not like it?”
The woman, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. “But why do I feel like Your Majesty seems to quite enjoy being treated this way by me?”
Her voice was cold and pure, like a handful of sacred snow atop the peaks of Mount Kunshan, untainted by even a hint of desire.
Yet, the act she was committing was high treason, an offense punishable by the execution of her entire clan.
Lu Yao desperately wanted to tear off the silk scarf covering his eyes to see exactly who this audacious woman was.
However, his hands and feet were bound. The knots were incredibly intricate; the more he struggled, the tighter they gripped him. He could only remain still, forced to endure her taking whatever she wanted from his body without restraint.
The humiliation, something he had never experienced as an emperor, made him growl in a deep, angry voice, “When I catch you, I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!”
“Your Majesty won’t.”
The woman let out a light chuckle, her tone certain. “Your Majesty wouldn’t have the heart to.”
Lu Yao was about to retort.
But suddenly, he felt the woman’s soft, fragrant arms wrap around his neck, pulling their bodies even closer.
She leaned into his ear, her orchid-scented breath taunting him. “Besides, with so many people in the harem, how could Your Majesty possibly catch me?”
So, she is someone from the harem?
Lu Yao’s heart chilled.
A palace maid? Or was she saying that deliberately to deceive him?
One had to remember that today was the Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration, and many female relatives of court officials and noble families had entered the palace.
This “torture” lasted for over an hour.
It wasn’t until the final moment that the woman’s cold voice finally betrayed a hint of the charm stirred by passion amidst her heavy breathing.
Outside, all was quiet.
“Your Majesty, this servant shall take her leave now. This was merely a fleeting affair; I was harmed by another and had no choice. I hope Your Majesty forgets this matter. After all, you have so many delicate and beautiful women in your harem waiting for your favor; you won’t miss one like me.”
After finishing, she raised her hand and stroked his brow, her fingertips lightly grazing his veiled eyes. “As for this scarf, I’ll leave it to Your Majesty as a memento.”
With that, the sweet-scented female body that had been entangled with him for so long left him without a trace of lingering attachment.
A long while later.
Chen Yu’an, the Head Eunuch serving the Emperor, felt that time was getting late. He plucked up his courage and entered, only to see his sovereign bound by hand, foot, and eye, looking thoroughly ravaged and disheveled. The sight so terrified him that his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees with a thud!
“Em—Emperor! You… you’ve been… by someone…”
The word “ravished” simply would not come out of his mouth.
He didn’t dare!
“Untie—Me—At—Once!”
Lu Yao spoke each word through gritted teeth.
“Your servant obeys!”
Chen Yu’an hurriedly crawled forward on his knees, his hands trembling violently as he unraveled the various restraints on Lu Yao’s body.
The moment Lu Yao regained his freedom, he kicked Chen Yu’an over!
“Useless trash! I was trapped here, why did you take so long to come to my rescue!”
“Your servant has been wronged, Your Majesty! I heard Your Majesty… attending to business here and thought Your Majesty was favoring one of the consorts. I didn’t dare enter to disturb you, and… and I even thoughtfully moved the serving maids further away…”
Chen Yu’an’s voice grew smaller and smaller as he spoke, realizing he had been a fool and caused the Sovereign to suffer.
“Idiot! How did I end up raising such a stupid thing!”
Lu Yao cursed him again in a cold voice before asking, “The woman who just left this place—did you see her? Was she a palace maid, or one of the relatives who entered the palace today?”
“Em—Emperor… your servant didn’t see any woman pass by just now!”
Chen Yu’an was practically on the verge of tears, wondering if the head on his shoulders could still be kept.
Suddenly, a flash of insight hit him. Remembering something, he hurriedly added, “Your Majesty! I remember now! A small eunuch passed by here just a moment ago!”
“A eunuch?”
Lu Yao’s sword-like brows furrowed as a sliver of suspicion crossed his heart.
Considering that woman’s cunning—being able to arrange everything and force herself upon him right under the nose of his personal attendant—she certainly possessed some means of disguise. His expression darkened further, and he kicked Chen Yu’an again, shouting, “Then what are you standing there for? Go and search! Every palace maid, every eunuch, and even the noble ladies who came for the Empress Dowager’s birthday today—search them all!”
Chen Yu’an leaned in to take two more kicks. Only after Lu Yao had vented enough of his anger did the eunuch hurry out to find the person.
Not long after he left.
The palace servants waiting upon the Emperor received their orders and hurriedly brought clean clothes to serve him in washing and changing.
As Lu Yao was dressing, he suddenly let out a sharp hiss of pain, frightening the maid into kneeling and begging for mercy.
He reached back to touch the spot.
He remembered that this was a scratch left on his back by that woman’s nails during the height of their passion.
Among the many concubines in the harem, none had ever dared to wound his dragon body!
Lu Yao’s expression darkened once more. He vowed to find that audacious woman and repay the humiliation she gave him today tenfold—no, a hundredfold!
At the same time.
Yun Wu had just boarded the carriage to leave the palace when her legitimate elder sister, Yun Liao, immediately stared at her with an unfriendly gaze.
Seeing that Yun Wu’s clothes were neat, her hair wasn’t messy in the slightest, and there wasn’t a trace of panic on her face, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in Yun Liao’s eyes. She mocked her snidely, “You certainly came out in one piece, perfectly fine!”
“What did Sister expect to happen to me?”
Yun Wu looked toward her, her expression feigning confusion.
“What are you pretending for? You know exactly what I mean!” Yun Liao snapped, her brows arched in cold hostility.
“I truly do not know. I ask Sister to please speak plainly.”
Since the other was unwilling to break the silence, Yun Wu continued to play along.
Yun Liao felt as if she were punching cotton; she had nowhere to vent her anger, leaving her feeling frustrated and stifled.
She was just about to lash out with her usual harsh words to release some of the heat.
However, she suddenly remembered that Yun Wu still held the leverage that could ruin her reputation…
The biting words hovered at the tip of her tongue before she sheepishly swallowed them back down.
Pretending to be impatient, she waved her hand and ordered the driver to hurry home.
Seeing this, a trace of casual mockery curled at the corners of Yun Wu’s lips.
She recalled that although the Emperor had been bound and seemingly suppressed by her, he had refused to be at a disadvantage when it came to matters of the flesh. After several rounds, her body was indeed left feeling somewhat weak and exhausted.
At this moment, she closed her eyes to rest, reflecting on the events of the past few days.
A few days ago, she discovered that her fiancé, who had just become the top scholar in the imperial examinations, had slept with her sister Yun Liao. Her sister had even secretly conceived a child.
Then, Yun Liao begged their parents to take charge and stole the marriage that originally belonged to Yun Wu.
From that moment on, a faint suspicion had taken root in her heart.
And then there was today.
During the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, a maid had “accidentally” soiled Yun Wu’s Mamian skirt. Her sister, who had always been at odds with her, suddenly became kind-hearted and insisted on taking her to a palace building to change.
In the end, as soon as they reached the door, she was pushed inside by Yun Liao with great force, and the door was slammed shut and locked.
Inside the hall, the young, drunken Emperor was resting with his eyes closed, seemingly in a deep sleep.
The thick scent of calming incense filled the air, making Yun Wu’s head spin. What was difficult to voice was that a certain medicinal property within her body seemed to awaken along with it.
Thinking back to the cup of wine her sister had handed her during the banquet, Yun Wu knew her suspicions were correct.
Outside the hall, the servants who had briefly left for some reason were returning.
Seeing the silhouette of a eunuch about to push the door open, Yun Wu’s reason surfaced. She quickly let out a fake, flirtatious moan: “Your Majesty, be gentler—”
Upon hearing that, the silhouette immediately retracted its hand. Understanding the situation, the eunuch dismissed the servants again, telling them to stay far away so as not to disturb the Emperor’s business.
As for Yun Wu, knowing she had been drugged and could not escape, she chose the dangerous path to save herself. She swayed as she walked to the long couch, looking at the noble and handsome young Emperor who resembled fine jade, and reached out to touch his beautiful, serene face.
Then, she covered his eyes, bound his hands and feet, and forced him…
At this point in her memories.
Yun Wu opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping languidly over her elder sister. The suspicion in her heart was now a clear realization.
—As expected, her sister had also been reborn.