Chapter 141

No one knew how the National Master had done it. He took a pearl from his robes and tossed it into the eye of the formation. Countless jade plaques began to tremble violently, chiming with a clear, tinkling sound. Then a flash of light passed through the air, and Du Luoling and her treasured chests vanished from where they stood.

The National Master’s face went pale for a moment. He yawned and lazily waved a hand behind him. “My business is finished as well. I’m going to rest for a while. You can attend to yours.”

With that, he headed toward the sleeping quarters. The wind lifted the hems of his white robes, and he gradually disappeared at the end of the road.

The palace attendants and the Dragonshadow Guards also withdrew of their own accord, leaving the two of them alone.

Yun Yaoyao and Tu Shanjin exchanged a knowing glance. The heavy burden weighing on their hearts had finally been lifted, and at last they could take each other’s hands without a care, smiling as they gazed at the person beside them.

“I’m taking you somewhere,” Tu Shanjin said, his eyes glimmering with amusement.

Yun Yaoyao raised an eyebrow. “Where? Don’t you have memorials to review and state affairs to deal with today?”

Tu Shanjin gently squeezed her palm. “I’ve been the tyrant and I’ve been the Benevolent Ruler. At this moment, I only want to be a Foolish Emperor with a beauty at my side.”

The two of them passed through the palace corridors and crossed pavilions and waterside terraces. Like an ordinary married couple, they strolled hand in hand, chatting about the trivialities of daily life.

After wandering, pausing, and admiring the scenery along the way, they finally stopped before a palace.

The plaque above it was engraved with the three bold, sweeping characters: “Cloud’s Peak.” As its name suggested, it was the palace situated at the highest point in the imperial palace. From the viewing tower, one could overlook the entire capital, as though truly standing atop the clouds.

Yun Yaoyao had heard of this place long ago, and curiosity immediately took hold of her. She was just about to go and see the viewing tower when, without warning, her body suddenly left the ground.

She let out a startled cry and hurriedly wrapped her arms around Tu Shanjin’s waist. “Why did you suddenly pick me up?”

She pretended to glare angrily at him, while the hand at his side took the opportunity to give his abdominal muscles a hard pinch.

Mm. Not bad. The feel was even better than before.

“Of course, I’m doing what a Foolish Emperor ought to do.” Carrying her in his arms, Tu Shanjin strode toward the sleeping quarters inside.

He had been holding himself back for far too long. After the first time they had made love, the rebellion in Shu had broken out. For the sake of the greater situation, he had continued to restrain himself, allowing himself no more than a taste of sweetness.

After finally returning to the capital, they had been troubled by the matter of her origins and where she truly belonged. He had devoted himself to finding the National Master and resolving it as quickly as possible.

Now that everything had finally been settled, he naturally intended to express his longing and affection properly.

Words were too feeble a way to convey how much he had missed her. Only action could truly show it.

Tu Shanjin refused to admit that he had remembered her saying he would turn from cheese into rice-washing water, and that he simply wanted to prove himself thoroughly today.

“Hey, aren’t you afraid that we’ll switch back after we sleep together this time?”

“No.”

“Once we switch back, I’m going to bully you mercilessly.”

“Do as you please.”

“Even if we don’t switch back, I’m still going to ravage you.”

“As you wish.”

No matter how Yun Yaoyao threatened and intimidated him, Tu Shanjin remained utterly compliant, the smile at the corners of his lips growing even wider.

This time, Yun Yaoyao truly felt a little nervous.

Oh no. This man was clearly saving something big for later. He was probably going to wear her out completely!

Yun Yaoyao tugged at his collar and softened her voice. “My dear Tu, why don’t we discuss matters of the people and the state first?”

Tu Shanjin looked down at the person in his arms and smiled. “Producing heirs is an important part of matters concerning the people and the state.”

Yun Yaoyao poked him hard in the chest and put on a stern expression. “How dare you, mortal! Do you want to hear about your three lifetimes again?”

Tu Shanjin’s expression softened. “When the red curtains are thrown into disarray, I ask that the Goddess lean close to the mortal’s ear and personally recite those three lifetimes.”

“You!”

Yun Yaoyao was incensed by the man whose mind was filled with nothing but filthy thoughts. She was just about to punch him when she suddenly met a pair of dark, shifting eyes.

Tu Shanjin’s features were exceptionally handsome, blessed with both perfect bone structure and striking looks. Normally, with his face set in a stern expression, he appeared cold and imperious, while the dignified authority in his eyes—deep as an abyss—was enough to inspire fear.

But whenever he faced her, the frost and indifference in his eyes melted away. When he smiled, his eyes shimmered, and his beauty became almost bewitching.

The tyrant was infuriating, but he was simply too beautiful.

Yun Yaoyao, lacking all dignity in the face of male beauty, let her descending fist transform into a claw that slipped into his robes and wantonly stirred up trouble, igniting his desire.

She gave a cold snort. “We’ll see who ends up on top.”

By now, the sun had begun to sink in the west. In the palace corridor, the emperor wore a golden robe embroidered with clawed dragons, while a streak of vermilion cloud-colored silk spilled from his arms. The phoenix hairpin in her hair swayed gently. The splendid colors of the sunset draped them both in a warm glow, creating a scene of intimate, dreamlike tenderness.

The door to the sleeping quarters quietly swung shut.

Tu Shanjin gently carried her onto the bed. He brushed the strands of hair beside Yun Yaoyao’s ear away, and then the oppressive sensation of his body covering hers descended.

“Bold mortal, enamored of the Goddess—today, with Heaven, earth, and human hearts all in harmony, may this mortal overstep his station and profane the Goddess?”

His deep, husky voice murmured and grazed against Yun Yaoyao’s ear.

Yun Yaoyao’s little face instantly flushed crimson.

This… this… this was far too daring!

Were they really playing at being a Goddess and a mortal in bed?

But… she liked it!

Behind the red curtains, passion surged and refused to subside.

Before long, a sweat-dampened, pale hand reached shakily toward the screen beside the bed.

The screen had been painted by Zhuang Xun, the greatest artist of the age, who had poured the entirety of his life’s skill into it. Depending on the angle from which it was viewed, it revealed a different scene.

At first glance, the screen depicted kittens frolicking in spring.

A small kitten leaned against the branch of a peach tree, mischievously stretching out one white paw to bat at the tender shoots emerging from the branch. Its other paw pressed down on various parts of the branch again and again, each movement full of force, making the branch tremble. A breeze passed by, and the dense leaves rustled with a soft, murmuring sound.

Look again, and the scene on the screen became a picture of a kitten hunting.

A kitten was, by nature, a hunter. Once it had played enough, it fixed its gaze upon the tender shoot on the branch and suddenly pounced. But how could such a slender branch bear the kitten’s weight? It swayed precariously and began to tremble up and down.

After some time, if one looked again, the scene on the screen had changed once more.

The wind had stilled, and all intent had ebbed away. The satisfied kitten rubbed itself contentedly against the branch before curling up beside it once more.

The courtyard was lush with green. Orioles and swallows murmured softly. The kitten and the branch awakened, raged, and finally rested, immersed in the season’s lingering springtime mood.

No one knew how many times the scenes on the screen changed.

So much time passed that, outside the hall, Niu Xiu’er and Xiao Wuzi went from excitedly discussing who would look after the little princess and who would look after the little prince in the future, to wondering curiously what that particular activity actually felt like.

Why ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍had it gone on for so long? Were they not afraid the ox would collapse from exhaustion and the plowed field be ruined?

Inside the hall, the two of them finally came to a stop and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

They slept until the setting sun had vanished below the horizon and the bright moon hung in the sky.

Yun Yaoyao let out a soft moan. Instinctively, she tried to burrow deeper into the other person’s embrace, only to vaguely realize that she was the one holding him.

“Mm…” Yun Yaoyao mumbled indistinctly. Her consciousness gradually returned. Her lashes trembled, and she opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the other person’s beautiful, radiant face, half veiled in moonlight.

Wait…

Beautiful and radiant?!

Yun Yaoyao came fully awake in an instant. Her eyes widened slightly as she gently pushed the person in her arms.

“Tu Shanjin.”

“I… I think we’ve switched back again!”