Grand Tutor Lu had developed a peculiar habit after his last bout of anger-induced unconsciousness: he would drool uncontrollably when he spoke.
The physician had advised him to avoid any further agitation, warning that a relapse would have more severe consequences.
He had to keep a handkerchief on hand at all times and also control his temper.
Yet, there were always so many things that made his heart ache with anger.
For instance, the profitable businesses he had secured were being systematically targeted. He was certain the First Prince was behind it, leveraging the power of the Ghost King Sect. That traitor, Zong Bu!
Then there was the matter of his eldest son divorcing his daughter-in-law. The Right Prime Minister had been in a furious dispute with him. Fortunately, the daughter-in-law was not one to be trifled with either; she had been caught in the act of adultery, which finally silenced the Right Prime Minister, though the relationship between the two families was now irrevocably broken.
This rebellious son wouldn't be satisfied until he was dead. Today, he had the audacity to propose marrying Princess Ling Yao.
That was impossible, unless he himself were dead!
They shared a deep, ancient enmity.
"It's fine if you don't agree, I'll ask the Emperor myself!" Lu Yanmo said, walking out with a grim expression.
Grand Tutor Lu was not worried. He knew his son wouldn't be able to see the Emperor. He even darkly mused that if Ling Yao hadn't killed his youngest son, he might have actually wanted his son to marry her, to make the Emperor watch as his most beloved daughter continued the Lu family line.
It was a pity the Emperor had gone mad.
He was the one who had done it.
Only this stubborn and foolish son still harbored the fantasy of marrying the daughter of his enemy.
"Do you know who killed Yan Qing?" Grand Tutor Lu wiped his mouth and said slowly.
Lu Yanmo stopped in his tracks. "I'm not interested in his death. Such a scoundrel deserved to die."
Grand Tutor Lu nearly collapsed again from anger.
"It was Princess Ling Yao! Prince Ru Nan and the Emperor used the name of Princess Ling Yin to protect her! The real Princess Ling Yin died long ago! You say she would marry the brother of her enemy? Would the Emperor allow you to marry her? Don't dream! Lu Yanmo, you are enemies!"
"You say, what?"
Lu Yanmo felt as if struck by lightning. He couldn't believe it, but he was merely stubborn, not foolish.
In his shock, he began to recall.
From their first meeting, the wariness in her eyes towards him, the deception, her colluding with the Ghost King Sect to escape like a cicada shedding its shell, and then her appearance at the First Prince's mansion.
And in the palace, her cold mockery, the hatred in her eyes.
It all came back to him clearly, and the illogical parts now had explanations.
So, that was it.
She had known him from the very beginning, watching him with utter clarity and annoyance as he pursued her like a fool.
A fool, truly a fool.
It was all a joke.
"Lu Yanmo, where are you going!" Grand Tutor Lu, in his fury, smashed a teacup.
Lu Yanmo paid no heed, leaving the mansion as if in a daze.
"That vixen, I will never let her go!" Grand Tutor Lu's eyes were as vicious as a viper's.
.............
Night fell, and a new moon hung in the night sky, reflecting on the pond. In the quiet room of the side palace, the air was hazy with steam. Inside a large bathtub made of huanghuali wood, two bodies, one black and one white, were positioned one before the other. The clear sound of water splashing was pleasant to the ear, cascading from above, flowing over the blooming red lotuses and fair skin.
The room was filled with a fragrant scent that made one intoxicated and unable to extricate themselves.
"So beautiful."
The man's hot breath sprayed onto her neck. His dark hair was pushed forward, barely concealing the vast scenery of her mountains and ravines.
"Okay, okay, you should get out. Your wound... you can't soak for too long."
The woman's voice was soft and tender, sweet and delicate, making one wish to make her cry, scream, and shriek right away.
After an unknown amount of time spent lingering, the man finally carried her out amidst the woman's repeated, pitiable pleas.
"How do I apply this?"
Xiao Shan held the essential oil, sniffed it, and found it had no scent.
"I'll do it myself." Ling Yao snatched the small bottle and put it away. "Let me apply medicine to you first."
"Alright."
The wounds on his body were all superficial, merely looking frightening. Yet, those small hands were so careful, barely daring to touch, making him feel ticklish.
After applying the medicine, Ling Yao, with her back turned, began to apply essential oil to herself. Xiao Shan lay beside her, gazing at her with deep eyes. Her damp hair spread across her back, her graceful curves faintly visible.
Xiao Shan took a cloth to dry her hair, occasionally pinching her arm and touching her leg.
Ling Yao turned around, her face flushed from the steam. She extended a finger and poked Xiao Shan's chest.
"Oh~" Xiao Shan sighed, as if unable to bear the force, and fell backward.
His thick arms and legs were sprawled out, completely unreserved. Ling Yao's eyes darted around, daring not to look down, but her movements were bold as she flipped herself over.
This, this again?
Xiao Shan was startled. "Xue Niang, this won't do. Your stomach, your stomach..." He reached out to support Ling Yao's round little belly. "Get down quickly."
"I asked. It's like this."
"Xue... uh..."
The next moment, Xiao Shan was speechless. His body was slightly raised, looking at the delicate figure above him, like a beautiful canna lily swaying slowly in the breeze. His eyes gradually turned red, filled with both joy and pain.
His hands still had to carefully support her stomach. The violent beast within him wanted to break free from its cage, but it was restrained, pacing frantically within the bars. In the end, it could only glare with bloodshot eyes, howling powerlessly.
It was killing him.
At first, Ling Yao felt like she was walking barefoot on gravel, difficult and painful. But gradually, the gravel became smooth and rounded. She felt comfortable, no longer walking on tiptoe, but landing fully.
She walked, paced, and even began to dance and leap.
Until she was exhausted.
Just as she lay panting, Xiao Shan's lust-filled eyes suddenly sharpened. He looked towards the window through the layers of gauze curtains, his ears twitching. He gently stroked Ling Yao's back, until he heard her panting subside.
Only then did he withdraw his gaze, his eyes once again burning with affection.
"My darling, look, who is that?"
He lowered his voice, sounding like a traveler who had been thirsty for a long time. He pulled a hand, and the bed curtain on the wall side fell. Ling Yao lazily looked up.
Opposite them, a woman appeared. Her eyes were languid, as if tipsy, her red lips glistening. She was intimately entwined with a man... The scene, exquisitely decadent, caused a fiery blaze to erupt in Ling Yao's mind.
This, this woman, she was...
There was a mirror here!
"Ah—" she cried out and threw herself into Xiao Shan's arms, afraid to look directly.
She looked so... wanton.
Xiao Shan sat up, helped Ling Yao turn around, and cupped her face with both hands, forcing her to look. Opposite them was the mirror.
"Look at you, how beautiful."
They were entwined, she in front, completely unclothed. She glanced once and closed her eyes.
"Beautiful, truly beautiful, my treasure..."
"Stop talking, don't say it."
"Don't say it, don't say it, don't hide... be careful of your stomach..."
Although this time he was more restrained and less unrestrained, there was more tenderness and sweet affection than before. Xiao Shan, satisfied, held the exhausted person in his arms and lightly kissed her tired face.
The little one was truly enthusiastic today.
When Ling Yao's breathing became even, Xiao Shan put on his clothes and got up.
Outside the palace, Yu Liu, Yu Shan, and over a dozen guards he had summoned were waiting.
"What happened just now?"
"Master, a group of guards came just now, trying to break into the palace. Your subordinate interrogated them. They were Grand Tutor Lu's men, ordered to assassinate the Mistress."
The air instantly froze, as if solidified.
"Lu Jiang Tian, you're seeking death!"