Chapter 237: He Knew He Would Get It

"I wish to serve you tonight."

Xu Xingchen was a man of immense learning. Though not silver-tongued, his mind was sharp and meticulous. He could see through people’s schemes, yet he only knew how to be brutally direct.

This was true for others, and it was true for Your Majesty.

If he wanted something, he said so. And he knew he would get it.

Before Xiao Yang could agree, Xu Xingchen had already taken her injured hand and gently kissed the pink scar on her palm where the wound had healed.

His robes were impossibly slick. The moment he moved, they’d start to slide. As he stood up, they slid completely to the floor.

A youth’s beauty needs no adornment; it is the world’s most beautiful temptation.

He looked like a little fool, but in reality, he was scheming through and through.

Xiao Yang lowered her head and took a light sniff. The scent of camellia.

"You bathed?"

Xu Xingchen nodded obediently. "Mhm, I washed twice."

"Heh!"

Xiao Yang’s soft laugh was filled with indulgence for this scheming little puppy. She bent down, reached out, and actually lifted him into her arms.

Xu Xingchen was slightly surprised, but he quickly settled obediently in her arms, tilting his head up to offer a kiss, accepting the situation quite well.

Xiao Yang bit him playfully, making no attempt to hide her predatory nature. "Later... try to cry a little quieter..."

Rong Yin and Mu Yunlian might enjoy being dominated, but as quintessential controllers, they always wanted to take back the initiative.

Xu Xingchen, however, was different. He preferred to be taken from. So he let himself be dominated, his eyes reddening and tears streaming, yet he never resisted. It was as if Your Majesty could do anything to him.

His pitiful appearance made Xiao Yang worry her inner beast would run wild and she’d take it too far. But just when her heart ached for him, he would become insatiable, clinging to her madly and giving her no chance to retreat.

In the end, it was hard to say who the real predator was.

After a night of debauchery, Xiao Yang almost suffocated when she woke up in the morning.

Most of Xu Xingchen’s body was sprawled on top of her, his entire person clinging to her tightly.

Xiao Yang: "..."

’My mind is filled with the frenzy of last night. It’s a miracle I’m still alive.’

’Who would have thought the one who looked youngest and most obedient would be the most lethal?’

She shifted, realizing she was naked under the covers, and Xu Xingchen, not even fully awake, was already starting to demand kisses.

Xiao Yang yanked the blanket and rolled him up in it like a caterpillar, finally managing to get up.

"Your Majesty."

"Mmm."

"Your Majesty."

"Mmm?"

"Your Majesty~~"

Xiao Yang, almost fully dressed, finally turned around. Looking at Xu Xingchen, who was just a head poking out of the blankets and staring at her pitifully, she couldn’t help but laugh. "If you have something to say, just say it."

Xu Xingchen looked like he wanted to speak but hesitated, pursing his lips several times without managing to get the words out.

It was rare for Xiao Yang to see him this shy. She finished dressing and walked over. "What is it?"

Xu Xingchen bit the blanket, his eyes darting away. "Your Majesty... were you satisfied last night?"

Xiao Yang nearly choked. Before she could answer, Xu Xingchen added, "It was my first time. I didn’t perform well... I will study more in the future."

His brilliant eyes dimmed a little, as if he truly felt his performance had been lacking.

Xiao Yang, who had nearly been pestered to death by him last night, took a deep breath. ’If that was a "bad performance" for a first time, what is he aiming for?’

Xiao Yang leaned down and kissed the spot between his eyebrows, sighing helplessly. "I was very satisfied. You rest up."

’Such a troublesome little rascal.’

Only after placating him could Xiao Yang finally leave. But waiting at the entrance of Zichen Palace were Rong Yin and Mu Yunlian. The two stood side by side, their faces now ice-cold, having stared at the palace gates for who knows how long.

They lived on either side of her, yet they’d let that punk Xu Xingchen sneak in and get ahead. The mere thought of it was infuriating.

However, upon seeing Xiao Yang, they both schooled their expressions. They greeted her as usual and accompanied her to the Imperial Study Room, not mentioning a single word about Xu Xingchen.

But not mentioning it didn’t mean it hadn’t happened.

Before noon, Xu Xingchen went to find Mu Yunlian.

Mu Yunlian’s temper flared the moment he saw that face, which had clearly been thoroughly loved.

Xu Xingchen paid his anger no mind and stated his purpose directly. "The sterility medicine. Lord Mu, please give this humble official a dose."

Previously, when Mu Yunlian had given Rong Yin the sterility medicine, the Emperor had sent people to both their households to inquire. Xu Xingchen knew about this. He also knew that Your Majesty had once been poisoned with the Mandarin Duck Knot.

He was well-read and sharp-witted. As long as he caught the slightest whisper, very few things could be hidden from him.

He understood the state of Your Majesty’s body, and he understood Mu Yunlian’s intentions.

Mu Yunlian snorted coldly. "You’re certainly self-aware. Aren’t you afraid I’ll poison you for real?"

Xu Xingchen said with certainty, "You love Your Majesty. You wouldn’t cut off your own path."

Xu Xingchen didn’t know how much Your Majesty liked him, but he was betting on Mu Yunlian’s affection for Your Majesty.

If Mu Yunlian were to poison him, it would surely anger Your Majesty. If he died, Your Majesty would remember him forever, love him forever. But for Mu Yunlian, the opposite would be true. He would fall out of favor with Your Majesty, drifting further and further away.

Xu Xingchen drank the medicine in front of Mu Yunlian and handed the bottle back to him.

"Thank you."

They weren’t allies. They were enemies, of a sort. And yet, not really.

Mu Yunlian’s gaze returned to the medicine bottle, and he clicked his tongue.

’There’s a reason Xu Xingchen managed to rise. He looks young, but that’s just his age. In every other respect, he’s not the least bit inferior to Rong Yin or me.’

’Most importantly, the brat is shameless. I could hear the noises he made last night from so far away.’

’Li Wei looks so big and intimidating, but he’s really just a simple-minded brute.’

’Xu Xingchen looks young and well-behaved, but his heart is wild.’

’He’s true to his nature, decisive, and shameless.’

’A formidable rival!’

Mu Yunlian wanted to get rid of them all.

’They should all just die!’

"Lord Mu, Your Majesty invites you to lunch."

Mu Yunlian put down his brush. "I’m coming."

The Emperor was a player. She seemed to dote on everyone, but in reality, she doted on no one.

She never took the initiative with any of them. And though she hated politics, she was always immersed in them. When she was busy, she could have someone standing right in front of her and only see matters of the court.

No matter how indulgent she was in bed, once they left the bedroom, the monarch was the monarch, and the subject was the subject.

It is said that in all things, scarcity is not the problem, but inequality is.

The Emperor maintained this balance perfectly—by giving nothing to anyone.

None of them needed to fight, because none of them would ever truly win her.

None of them had an official title, so none could stand tall and speak with authority.

The courtiers looked upon the three of them with pity.

As for Li Wei, he didn’t even get pity, because everyone believed his relationship with Your Majesty was completely innocent.

So innocent that even the rumors had died down.

After another report on state affairs, it happened to be noon, and Li Wei was asked to stay for a meal.

The Emperor was generous and often had her ministers stay for meals. They would discuss future arrangements while eating. It was all very cordial—so cordial that there wasn’t the slightest hint of intimacy.

It was as if everything she had said before was inconsequential. As if that kiss had been his imagination.

Li Wei knew he should be proactive. He should pursue her like the others did to get what he wanted.

But he was also afraid. Afraid that Your Majesty didn’t truly like him.

That all her compromises were only because of the military power he held in his hands.

’If she forces herself to accept me, if I pressure her, will she resent me one day?’

He didn’t want her resentment.

If she didn’t like him, then he would be content to simply stand guard like this.

A thousand words surged in his heart, but in the end, he swallowed them all down with a single gulp of strong liquor and bitterness.