The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Wei Shao opened his eyes and discovered he was still curled up in that same corner of the bedchamber.

He was still a cat.

The scene from just a moment ago had felt so real.

His heart was thumping wildly, and his entire body was drenched in a cold sweat—no, rather, the pads of his four paws were soaked with sweat. It was hot, damp, and extremely uncomfortable. Instinctively, he raised a paw, wanting to lick it. But the moment his tongue stretched out, he remembered he was a human—an Emperor! How could he possibly do something like licking his paws?

He resisted the urge with all his might, opting to wash his face instead, and then tucked his paws back in.

It was nearly the fifth watch. Candles had already been lit in the bedchamber, and silhouettes flickered behind the curtains in the lamplight.

The Emperor was about to leave for the morning court.

Wei Shao peeked through a gap in the curtains, watching as Xiao Qiao saw the Emperor out of the bedchamber.

He had absolutely no interest in monitoring how that version of himself from the previous life went about being an Emperor.

That guy was a fanatical workaholic of an Emperor; he was obsessed with war and had little interest in women. The sheer extent of his diligence made Wei Shao—who constantly sought opportunities to slip away and share the bridal bed with his beautiful Empress—bow in inferiority.

He wasn't the least bit worried that the guy would start messing around with wars again upon arriving here. Even if Gongsun Yang and the others couldn't manage to knock some sense into him with a brick, his grandmother was still around.

The only thing he wanted to do right now was to follow his beautiful Empress, not leaving her side for even a single step.

After the Emperor left, Xiao Qiao returned and sat alone before her dressing mirror. She propped up her chin, lost in thought, appearing to have something on her mind.

Wei Shao watched her back silently for a moment. He couldn't help but emerge from the corner, walk behind her, and gently nudge her foot.

Xiao Qiao lowered her head, a hint of joy appearing on her face. "You’re awake so early too?"

Wei Shao meowed and leaped onto her lap.

Xiao Qiao held him, stroking him gently.

Wei Shao enjoyed it immensely.

Although he was desperate for everything to return to normal immediately, being held in her arms and enjoying her caresses felt truly wonderful.

Even though the cat food consisted of cooked meat every single meal, it was so bland it could make a bird lose its appetite—because the Empress had once said that cat food must not contain salt, let alone any seasonings, so the attendants responsible for feeding him followed this strictly. When he took his first bite, he had almost spat it out.

The only comfort after becoming a cat was perhaps being able to be this close to his beautiful Empress.

Wei Shao didn't go anywhere all morning; he just stuck by Xiao Qiao's side.

The palace was quiet and soundless in the afternoon.

With summer approaching, the days were growing longer, and Xiao Qiao had the habit of taking an afternoon nap. While she slept, Wei Shao crouched on the floor at the corner of the dragon bed, watching her.

Before he became Emperor, he was constantly occupied with military affairs, and he and she were always separated more than they were together. Even when Feifei was born, he hadn't been able to be by her side.

After he became Emperor, he was busy with state affairs, leaving early and returning late. The time he could spend with her was very limited.

She had never uttered a single word of complaint. She served the Empress Dowager, raised Feifei, lived without arrogance or extravagance; she led the noblewomen in the spring to encourage sericulture and in the autumn to sacrifice to the god of agriculture. When he and Gongsun Yang or others disagreed on state affairs and his foul temper flared up beyond control, she would be the one to step forward and mediate...

She had truly done everything an Empress could possibly do.

Through the gossamer-thin shark-silk curtains, Wei Shao stared at Xiao Qiao sleeping on the dragon bed. He watched and watched, gradually becoming dazed. Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind, causing a surge of excitement. He looked back and, seeing that the attendants were all outside the hall, leaped with a "whoosh" onto the dragon bed. He parted the curtains and, with silent, cat-like steps, arrived at Xiao Qiao's feet.

Wei Shao held his breath, raised a paw, and quietly lifted the corner of the quilt, revealing one of Xiao Qiao’s snow-white feet, which had been slipped out of her silk stockings.

Wei Shao leaned in and took a whiff—it smelled fragrant. He couldn't resist extending his tongue to lick her tender toes gently. Seeing she didn't react, he emboldened himself and licked again. After licking every single toe, he moved to lick the top of her foot. After finishing the top, he moved on to lick the sole of her foot.

The more he licked, the happier he became, and his courage grew accordingly. After finishing one foot and still feeling unsatisfied, he simply dove under the quilt and began licking her other foot, finding endless joy in it.

Xiao Qiao was in a deep afternoon slumber, and in her hazy state, she felt an itch on the sole of her foot, so she couldn't help but draw it back slightly.

Wei Shao was startled and hurriedly stopped, lying motionless beneath the quilt, not daring to even let out a deep breath.

Fortunately, she hadn't woken up. She turned over and went back to sleep.

Wei Shao laid under the quilt for a while before finally poking his head out. He stared at her sleeping face, as delicate as a begonia blossom, and a wave of lust surged in his heart. He stepped lightly across the silk quilt to her pillow, leaned in, and extended his tongue to lick her bosom, which was exposed at the corner of the quilt, through the layers of thin silk clothing.

Fragrant and soft, Wei Shao was intoxicated. He shivered with excitement and leaned in to savor it more closely when suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the hall.

"Empress, Empress—"

Through the layers of curtains, a lowered voice from an attendant filtered in.

Xiao Qiao let out a soft, sigh-like murmur from her throat. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she finally struggled out of her spring slumber and woke up.

Wei Shao "whooshed" away, flying off the dragon bed with lightning speed and hiding beneath it.

"What is it?" Xiao Qiao’s voice still carried the (delicate lethargy) of someone who had just woken up.

"Reporting to the Empress, General Jia sent word that the Empress Dowager and the little Princess are returning to the palace one day early. They are already on the road and should be arriving soon."

Xiao Qiao replied with an "Oh." "Has the Emperor been informed?"

"The message has already been sent."

Xiao Qiao slowly sat up, still feeling a bit dazed.

She had been asleep, and in her haze, she felt an itch on the sole of her foot, as if a brush had been sweeping across it. Now that she was awake, she felt her foot was damp, and her chest as well...

She looked down and saw that her chest garment was also damp in a patch.

She thought for a moment and asked the attendant, "Did anyone enter just now?"

The attendant rolled up the pearl curtains, "Reporting to the Empress, no one has."

Xiao Qiao was puzzled and quite confused. Suddenly, she remembered the cat. She looked around but didn't see it, so she asked again.

The attendant hurriedly searched, and after making a round, said, "It seemed to be in the bedchamber earlier, but I don't know where it has gone now."

Xiao Qiao pondered it, assuming it was just from her sweating in her sleep. She worried more about the cat running around and getting into trouble, so she urged the attendants to go look for it while she herself rose to prepare to welcome her grandmother.

...

The Emperor personally went out of the palace to welcome the Empress Dowager’s carriage outside the Suzaku Gate. After she was brought into the Jiade Palace, the Emperor kept his eyes wide open, staring unblinkingly at the Empress Dowager’s kind and gentle face. His expression held a suppressed agitation. Finally, as if he simply couldn't restrain it anymore, he "thumped" to his knees before the Empress Dowager without a word. Under the stunned gazes of Zhong Ao and the crowd of palace attendants, he crawled on his knees toward her and gripped the Empress Dowager’s hands tightly.

That wasn't all; what was most shocking was that while the Emperor held the Empress Dowager’s hands, tears streamed from his eyes, and finally, he buried his face in her lap, refusing to lift it for a long time.

Lady Xu was very surprised. She had only been out of the palace for half a month, yet upon returning, the Emperor was so agitated, as if they were meeting again after many long years of separation. She pushed down her confusion, patted his shoulder gently to show comfort.

Seeing this, Zhong Ao hurriedly led the palace attendants out.

Xiao Qiao thought for a moment, took Feifei’s hand, and led her out as well.

Feifei kept looking back at her father who was huddled on her great-grandmother’s lap. After being led out by Xiao Qiao, she asked softly, "Mother, what is wrong with Father?"

Xiao Qiao suppressed her doubts and smiled, "Your father must have something he wants to say to your great-grandmother."

Inside, Lady Xu said softly, "Shao’er, what has happened to you? Is something wrong?"

Hearing that long-missed, loving "Shao’er" from his grandmother, the Emperor could hold back no longer. He choked out, "Grandmother... Grandmother... You are still here... This is truly wonderful... It is Shao’er who was wrong... so wrong..."

Lady Xu was surprised: "Shao’er, what have you done wrong?"

The Emperor, however, did not speak again; he only shook his head continuously, still gripping her hands tightly, his face buried in her lap, unmoving, like a traveler who had been lost for a long time and had finally returned home today.

Lady Xu still did not understand the situation. But seeing her grandson suddenly like this, it seemed his emotions had erupted to the point of being uncontrollable. From childhood to adulthood, even when he suffered the pain of losing his father, she had never seen him show such intense emotion in front of her. She stopped asking, simply leaning down slightly, embracing her grandson’s broad shoulders, and patting his back with her palm, silently soothing him.

Wei Shao was crouching brazenly on the windowsill. Seeing from afar that the Emperor wouldn't let go of his grandmother, his shoulders and back heaving slightly, looking as if his emotions had spiraled into sobbing, he was startled, then secretly snorted coldly in his heart, "Fortunately, I am brilliant and martial in this life. If I were like you, what face would I have to remain in this world? Fine, I’ll let you have this, you fool. Just let you get close to my grandmother for a while longer; I’m going to go coax my daughter instead."

He cast a look of disdain at the Emperor’s back and jumped off the windowsill.

...

After a long while, the Emperor’s emotions finally calmed down, and he lifted his head.

Lady Xu scrutinized his slightly reddened eyes, a kind smile on her lips, and did not pursue the matter further.

The Emperor knew he had lost his composure.

In his life, from the moment he lost his father and brother at the age of twelve, his grandmother was not only the beacon lighting his path forward but, in his heart, an irreplaceable loving relative.

In the year he turned twenty-two, unprepared, while he was still away at war, he lost his grandmother.

By the time he rushed back, it had already been over a month, and his grandmother had long since been laid to rest.

From that moment on, there was no longer anyone who could suppress the beast of hatred in the depths of his heart. He was driven, magnifying his desires and ambition to infinity, using the conquest brought by war to obtain the continuous thrill that accompanied him until he reached the end of his life.

At the moment that stray arrow pierced his throat and he fell backward, he realized that he was actually tired.

Those things he had once wanted were perhaps not truly what he desired; in the end, it was merely due to habit.

He couldn't stop his steps, and in that world, there was no one who could make him stop his steps.

He was a solitary man.

Now, the grandmother who should have been separated from him by heaven for many years had appeared before him, alive and well, with a loving smile on her lips and calling him "Shao’er" in that familiar tone. The feeling of longing erupted from his heart, which had hardened like stone, and the shell that had imprisoned it shattered and fell away. How could he not weep bitterly because of it?

He was familiar with the taste of blood, but for many, many years, he had not tasted the flavor of his own tears.

Today, he finally savored it again. It turned out that all the mountain delicacies in the world could not compare to the taste of tears entering one's heart.

The Emperor suddenly felt his mood lighten. For one brief moment, he even had an illusory feeling, as if everything he had experienced in his previous life were just a dream.

Now that he had awakened from that nightmare, all of this was the true present world.

"Grandmother..."

He struggled to calm his emotions, pondering before explaining, "In the days you were away, grandson had a nightmare. I dreamt that Grandmother left me and we could not meet again for years. Grandson also did many wrong things and regretted it deeply... When I woke from the nightmare, seeing your kind face just now, I could not help myself, and thus lost my composure before you."

Lady Xu gazed at him and smiled: "That is good. Grandmother is fine, everything is fine."

...

Wei Shao was playing with Feifei.

To amuse his daughter, he used his fat body to jump up and down and roll on the floor, making Feifei laugh continuously. When he suddenly heard her call out, "Father."

Wei Shao subconsciously answered with an "Ah," but all he heard come out of his own mouth was a "Meow—." He turned his head and saw that his daughter had already abandoned him and turned to run away.

Not far away, the Emperor’s figure emerged from the Jiade Palace.

Wei Shao stopped in his tracks, his mouth open, panting heavily. He watched with jealous eyes as Feifei happily called him "Father" while running toward him.

"Father!"

Feifei ran up to the Emperor and stopped.

After running for a distance, she was slightly out of breath, but her eyes were bright, and a sweet smile hung on her cute little face. She looked up at the Emperor, "Father! When I was at Daming Temple, I thought of Mother every day, and I thought of Father too!" she shouted in her tender, soft voice.

The Emperor looked at this powdery, jade-like little girl who had run toward him. He hesitated for a moment, then squatted down and opened his arms toward her.

"Father!"

Feifei threw herself into his embrace. After the Emperor picked her up, her soft little arms wrapped around his neck, and she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

The Emperor was stunned by this kiss from the fragrant, soft little person.

Feifei, however, did not notice the Emperor’s abnormality at all.

Mother kissed her cheek and said this was a way to express affection. She often saw Father kissing Mother’s face. That was because Father loved Mother.

She loved Mother, and Father too.

"Father, I saw you crying just now..."

She had been worrying about her father’s appearance from earlier and couldn't let it go. She looked up at him, her large, beautiful eyes filled with worry, "Father, why were you sad?"

The Emperor couldn't speak for a moment.

"Father, Feifei doesn't want you to be sad..."

She stretched out a small hand and gently touched his cheek as if to comfort him. Her eyes suddenly brightened, "Mother said the name Great Grandmother gave me means to forget sorrow. Mother often says I am Princess Wuyou (No-Sorrow). Father, if you have something you are unhappy about, just tell Feifei, and Feifei will help you."

The Emperor stared intently at this little person who was hugging his neck and comforting him in such a serious manner. His heart gradually became filled with an unfamiliar, soft, and sour sensation.

This was his daughter, Wei Shao’s daughter in this life, Princess Wuyou.

He blinked his eyes, forcing back the sour heat that had been gradually overflowing to his eyelids, and smiled at her, slowly tightening his arms to hold the little person in his embrace tightly.

...

At nightfall, the Emperor returned to the bedchamber. Xiao Qiao, as usual, personally helped him undress.

"Where is Feifei?"

The Emperor lowered his head slightly, watching her face in the lamplight, listening to the soft rustling of fabric as she removed his clothes. He suddenly felt the surroundings were so quiet it made him restless. He steadied his mind and asked as if offhandedly.

"Feifei has already gone to sleep," Xiao Qiao replied.

Feifei had been playing wildly with the cat in the Imperial Garden during the day. By the time she was brought back by Chun Niang in the evening, she was covered in sweat. After taking a bath when it got dark, she grew sleepy early and went to bed.

The Emperor said "Oh." He wanted to say something else, but didn't know what topic to bring up.

Xiao Qiao helped him take off his outer robe, looked up, and smiled, "Has Your Majesty gone to bathe?"

The Emperor did not move but just gazed at her. Suddenly, he slowly raised his hand and reached toward her cheek. Just as his fingers were about to touch her skin, a white shadow flashed behind him. The cat, appearing from who-knows-where, leaped out, colliding with and knocking over a meiren gu (a delicate vase) standing on the cabinet.

The vase crashed to the ground with a bang. The Emperor stopped his hand and turned his head, seeing that fat cat squatting between him and the Empress, blocking the Empress. Its eyes were wide open like copper bells, all its fur stood on end, and it was glaring at him like a tiger, as if ready to pounce and scratch him at any moment. He was stunned.

After the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, the cat should have slept back at Jiade Palace. But today, it stuck to Feifei and refused to leave, and Feifei was also clamoring for it to sleep with her. Xiao Qiao couldn't refuse, so she ordered the attendants to move its cat bed to Feifei’s bedchamber.

She had thought it was already asleep. She didn't expect it to pop out now and knock something over, giving them quite a scare.

Compared to before, this cat seemed to have more spiritual intelligence, but its behavior was also strange. It always seemed as if it wanted to express something to him.

Unfortunately, it couldn't speak human language.

Xiao Qiao was stunned.

The Emperor suddenly sneezed. Following that, he shrugged his shoulders slightly, his expression looking a bit strange.

Xiao Qiao understood immediately; she knew the cat had been too close to him, triggering his allergies again. She hurriedly leaned over to pick up the cat and loudly called for the attendants to come in. She handed the struggling cat to them and ordered them to close the hall doors and not allow it to sneak in again.

The cat was forcefully dragged out, meowing incessantly the whole way.

Xiao Qiao hurried to wash her hands, took out some anti-itch ointment, and told the Emperor to sit down and remove his clothes.

Sure enough, in just a short while, small red bumps had appeared on his neck and chest.

He seemed very itchy, hissing softly, unable to stop himself from reaching out to scratch.

"Don't scratch."

Xiao Qiao stopped him, applied some ointment, and spread it evenly over his skin where the red bumps had appeared.

"There, hold on for a moment, it will stop itching soon."

As she said this, she picked up the small jade bottle containing the ointment. When she rose, her other hand was suddenly gripped from behind by the Emperor.

Xiao Qiao stopped and turned to look at him.

The Emperor remained silent, just looking up at her, holding her hand in his palm, rubbing and kneading it slowly and gently.

Xiao Qiao was slightly startled, then tried to pull her hand away, "I’m going to put the medicine bottle away..." she smiled.

The Emperor suddenly applied a slight force and pulled her, and Xiao Qiao fell into his arms, landing on his lap.

Their faces were close now; his breathing was a bit rapid, and waves of heat washed over her face.

"What is wrong with you?"

Xiao Qiao was startled, and the smile slowly faded from her face. She asked.

The Emperor gazed at her without speaking. Suddenly, he gently pressed her down onto the dragon bed, his lips touching her forehead, and then moving to her eyelids.

"You are truly beautiful... truly beautiful..."

Accompanying the cautious, tentativeness of his kisses, his murmuring voice sounded in her ear.

Xiao Qiao’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

His lips gradually moved downward, finally kissing her lips. It was as if a string of desire had been hooked, his strength gradually increasing. When he finally tried to part her lips and teeth, Xiao Qiao suddenly opened her eyes and raised a hand to block his mouth.

The Emperor then took the opportunity to kiss her delicate hand lightly, lifted his face, and looked at her. In his gaze, a trace of almost imperceptible joy revealed itself.

"Empress," he paused, "Manman..." he softly called out her name, with a slight, pedantic sense of earnestness, "what is the matter?"

"You are not that husband of mine." Xiao Qiao stared into his eyes, "Who are you?"

The Emperor was stunned, and the joy that had been in his eyes slowly disappeared.

He let her go and sat up. Silence fell.

"I am myself," the Emperor finally said, his voice a bit strained.

"But you are not the 'you' who is my husband."

The Emperor lifted his eyes, looked at her for a moment, and finally nodded: "Yes. I am myself, yet I am not the 'me' from this life." "I had originally died, pierced through the throat by a sharp arrow. But I awoke from the chaos, and the first thing I saw was you." He said slowly.

Xiao Qiao widened her eyes.

Ever since that terrifying thunderclap that had nearly shattered one's soul, Xiao Qiao had keenly sensed the strangeness in the person beside her on the pillow.

She felt as if her husband had been replaced. He was still Wei Shao, yet he was no longer the Wei Shao she was familiar with.

Doubts had slowly settled in her heart, and finally, she couldn't hold it back anymore and asked.

Hearing him answer in this way, all the previous suspicions finally became clear.

She slowly sat up.

"Then where is my husband?" she asked, her voice already trembling slightly.

The Emperor watched her.

"I do not know what happened to him. When I awoke, I became this 'me' in this present world. Grandmother is living well, I have you, and we have Feifei. Looking back on my previous life, it was like a nightmare. In this life, I know how I should continue to live."

"Manman..."

He called her name and reached for her hand again. But Xiao Qiao pulled her hand away rapidly.

"You are not my husband." She shook her head, "Where is my husband? Where did he go?" She repeated.

The Emperor’s eyes rested steadily on her face, his expression slowly turning rigid.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked her, his voice extremely gentle, "Do not fear me, I will not harm you in the slightest."

"No. I do not fear you." Xiao Qiao shook her head.

"Then, are you blaming me for not letting go of my hatred in the past and killing your Qiao family members? Do not worry, I will never do that again in this life. In the last life, I killed everyone I wanted to kill, but I never attained true happiness, nor did I know what the feeling of letting go was like. Only now do I seem to understand a little. I regret, I admire, and I even envy the 'me' of this life. We are the same person, yet why are our fates so vastly different..."

His tone gradually became agitated. He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath.

Xiao Qiao looked at this handsome face she was familiar with, one she could draw even with her eyes closed, and said softly: "It is good that you understand. Since you understand, you should return to where you came from..."

He, however, turned a deaf ear. "I know I like you," he said, "The first time I saw you, I felt this way. I want to be close to you. Wherever you are makes my heart feel joyful and satisfied; this is a feeling I never had before... He perhaps will never come back, or perhaps he has merged into one with me. Because I am him, and he is me!"

When he said this, the Emperor’s tone suddenly deepened.

"You might be him, and his life has also carried your shadow. But you are not the husband I love. All of this is just an illusion of yours; when the illusion disappears, everything will return to normal."

Xiao Qiao said.

The Emperor gazed at her steadily, suddenly pulling her into his embrace and kissing her lips again.

"I am him, and he is me. You must believe..."

He repeated it in her ear, over and over, carrying an irresistible power.

He held her tightly, as if he wanted to embed her into his own body.

Xiao Qiao, surrounded by his familiar scent, felt her body trembling slightly, unable to resist.

...

Wei Shao had gone through the greatest of efforts, finally trembling and climbing onto the southern windowsill of the bedchamber. He poked a hole through it, only to see this scene on the dragon bed. His fur stood on end, and he was struck by a fit of blind rage.

Stealing his grandmother was one thing, and stealing his little princess was another.

Although he was very unhappy, he had managed to endure it.

And now, to think he was even trying to steal his beautiful Empress!

Damn it!

Wei Shao let out a sharp, piercing meow. He suddenly used all his strength, and with a single headbutt, he broke through the window frame. Following the scattering wood chips, he leaped out, covering a distance of several zhang (about 10 meters). After landing and rolling, he lunged forward like a fierce tiger, springing toward the Emperor, who was still tightly clutching Xiao Qiao.

...

"Husband! Husband!"

He heard Xiao Qiao’s voice, each and every word calling out to him. His blood boiled even hotter. With claws outstretched and teeth bared, his throat growling, just as he was desperate to risk his life for a fight, he suddenly felt his cheeks being patted a few times, and heard two soft "Ah, ah" sounds.

"Let go of Manman!"

He roared and suddenly opened his eyes, springing up from the bed.

Xiao Qiao, who had been leaning by the side of the bed, was startled by him and trembled, almost falling off the dragon bed.

She patted her chest, crawled over to kneel beside him, and went "Ah," her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly furrowed: "What is wrong with you? 'Let go of me'? You were grinding your teeth while you were asleep, and you even kicked me several times!"

Wei Shao’s heart was beating so hard it almost popped out of his throat. He gasped for air in deep, labored breaths, slowly returning to his senses. He met Xiao Qiao’s gaze, stared at her for a moment, and suddenly lowered his head to look at his own hands and feet, his voice still trembling: "Manman! Am I a human, or a cat? Am I still here? Touch me, am I still me?"

Because he had been too intense earlier, Xiao Qiao was extremely exhausted. She had collapsed and fallen asleep as soon as she lay down. Just as she was sleeping soundly, she had been caught off guard and kicked awake by him, almost flying off the bed. Upon opening her eyes, she saw him lying there, closing his eyes, waving his hands and legs, his expression ferocious, growling in his throat, and gritting his teeth—looking very terrifying—so she had called him awake.

Originally, she felt a bit angry in her heart, but seeing him awake, his face pale and his forehead and body covered in sweat, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. She hurriedly grabbed a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, asking while she wiped: "What exactly did you dream about to be scared into such a state?"

"What day is it today?" he asked, his eyes still a bit unfocused.

"The eighth day."

"Was Mo Ya just sent to Daming Temple last night?"

Xiao Qiao nodded.

"Is Grandmother still at Daming Temple?"

"She won't return until tomorrow."

"Were we... sleeping the whole time just now?"

Xiao Qiao rolled her eyes at him, "Isn't it because you came back in broad daylight and insisted on..."

She stopped, seeing him suddenly raise his hands and pinch himself repeatedly. Finally, he closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them and leaped off the bed. Regardless of the fact that he was still naked, he burst into wild, hysterical laughter.

Xiao Qiao was given another huge fright and said angrily: "Wei Shao! If you go crazy like this again, I will be annoyed!"

"Manman! Manman! That's great! I am still me! You scared me to death!"

Wei Shao lunged toward her fiercely, tackling her back down onto the dragon bed.

Xiao Qiao swatted at him, but he didn't care. He held her tightly, kissing her face incessantly, rolling around on the dragon bed with her.

"Manman, hit me, hit me hard! The harder the better! Hit me until I wake up!"

Xiao Qiao let out two "Ahs" before her mouth was blocked by him.

...

The Emperor and Empress remained locked in the bedchamber from the afternoon on and did not come out.

Until it was dark, even the evening meal was sent in only because the Emperor had ordered it.

The Chancellor and other ministers sought him to discuss some matters. After waiting for a long time in the Xuan Room without seeing the Emperor, they couldn't hold back anymore and had the attendants relay a message to the Guanghua Palace.

"Pass on my command: I have received quite a shock today and must rest properly for an entire night to recover! No matter how big the matter is, discuss it tomorrow!"

The Emperor, whose good deed had been interrupted, pushed aside the curtains and roared toward the outside.

The attendant was startled, hurriedly bowed and acknowledged, and was about to retreat when the Emperor seemed to suddenly remember something.

"Also, watch that cat of the Empress Dowager’s carefully for me! It is not allowed to appear in Guanghua Palace! If it gets even one step closer, I will hold all of you responsible!"

The Emperor’s roaring voice echoed in the Guanghua Palace, buzzing incessantly for a long time.