Chapter 332: Just Like That... Announced to the World?

SLAP!

A crisp slap echoed from the carriage, loud enough for the nearby guards to hear.

Perched on the edge of the carriage, Wang Wanqing and Hong Yue exchanged a glance. There was a hint of schadenfreude in their eyes, but they weren’t particularly pleased either.

Her Majesty’s interactions with that man were always a bit... perverse.

You’d think that when Her Majesty struck someone, she was furious and that person was in for a world of hurt, wouldn’t you?

In reality, inside the carriage, the one who’d been hit—Lou Yan—was hugging the Empress’s waist, practically bubbling with happiness.

The moment he’d boarded the carriage, he had started clinging to Xiao Li. They hadn’t seen each other in half a year, and his longing had overflowed. Now that he finally had her, he was shamelessly smothering her with kisses and affection, even more brazen than that wolf cub outside.

"Your Majesty was gone for half a year without a word. Did you ever think of your servant?"

"Your servant guarded Longxi, never taking a single step away. Does Your Majesty have a reward for me?"

"Your Majesty..."

Xiao Li had told Lou Yan he didn’t need to call himself ’your servant’—’your subject’ or even ’I’ would be fine. But Lou Yan insisted. To him, the words ’your servant’ didn’t represent a debased status, but rather a part of the intimate dynamic he shared with Her Majesty.

It carried the forbidden thrill of insubordination, and every time he said it, he grew a little more excited.

He savored the Empress’s control over him, and he savored the thrill of constantly provoking her.

He stared at Xiao Li, his gaze burning as if flames of desire danced within it. He had the aggression of a wolf, but he was more like a snake—sinisterly eyeing his prey, wanting to coil around it, devour it, and become one with it.

The Empress’s stunning beauty, her supreme authority, her ruthless methods, her brilliant decisions—every single thing about her made him submit, body and soul. That was why he could unleash his desires without restraint, shamelessly pestering and demanding.

And then, for being too shameless, he got slapped.

When the Empress struck someone, it wasn’t the delicate, weak tap of a woman playing hard to get. On the contrary, when she decided to get physical, she did it with force.

A red mark instantly bloomed on Lou Yan’s pale, effeminate face, the spot tingling with a pleasant sting. But he wasn’t the least bit angry. In fact, his eyes grew even brighter.

If he weren’t afraid the Empress would find him repulsive, he would have offered her his other cheek.

Xiao Li kicked him irritably. "Get away from me."

She never should have let her guard down just because he’d behaved for a few months and sent the order for his early release.

This man wasn’t a puppy; he was a giant python, coiling around her so tightly she could barely breathe.

Lou Yan caught Xiao Li’s kicking foot, gripping her ankle and guiding it, still clothed, to press against his increasingly firm abs. While gently massaging her foot, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

His eyes smoldered with an unquenchable dark fire, and his voice was husky, like that of a demon tempting a mortal. "Your servant has been researching many new instruments of torture. If Your Majesty is angry with me, you can try them out. I guarantee they’ll help you vent your anger."

’Are you sure it’s to vent my anger and not to get him off?’

Lou Yan looked eager to try. Xiao Li’s scalp tingled. ’He’s definitely a masochist!’

It wasn’t that Xiao Li couldn’t play along. But a man like Lou Yan was already inwardly passionate despite his reserved exterior. After so long as a eunuch, his mind and body had become a little twisted. Once he’d been "unleashed," he’d become openly debauched. Having experienced it firsthand, Xiao Li could say that he was so intense that a single glance was enough to make one feel drained and weak at the knees.

It wasn’t that Xiao Li didn’t enjoy it, but she had no desire to be an Emperor who couldn’t get out of bed. Therefore, she absolutely could not let this man run wild.

But while Lou Yan was clingy, he didn’t dare to truly let loose. After all, when Her Majesty hit someone, she meant it, and when she was ruthless, she was truly ruthless.

If he genuinely angered her, he would be the one to regret it.

So, during the half-day journey, he simply held the Empress, sneaking a few sweet moments while reporting on the spies uncovered at Longxi Manor and the progress of its affairs over the past six months.

Assigning Lou Yan to Longxi Manor was, without a doubt, the best decision Xiao Li had ever made.

After being conquered by the Empress, Lou Yan had lost any strong ambition for power. He had no desire to control the armaments, so he never touched those core components.

He wasn’t even curious. He knew where the Empress drew the line and never tested it.

He was even clearer on his main purpose: to use his status as the Empress’s favored courtier to intimidate others, while employing the skills he’d honed in the palace to capture spies and torture them for information.

In short, with Lou Yan there, any spy sent to Longxi Manor was a spy broken. The place was as impregnable as an iron fortress.

And as long as he did everything the Empress asked, he could shamelessly demand praise. Even if he occasionally went a little too far, the Empress would tolerate it.

He had it all figured out.

When the procession reached the Capital City, they could see a large crowd waiting at the city gates from a distance.

Countless commoners lined the sides, held back by a cordon of soldiers, while in the middle, the civil and military officials stood in neat formation.

Yang Jun raised his hand. The Silver Armor Guards parted to either side, and the carriage in the middle slowly moved to the front.

The moment the curtain was lifted, Song Junzhan led the officials in a bow. "Your subjects greet Your Majesty."

"Your subjects greet Your Majesty!"

Lou Yan disembarked first, offering his hand to help Xiao Li down from the carriage.

His gaze swept over Song Junzhan, who stood at the very front. He still disliked the man, but his hostility wasn’t as intense as before.

Song Junzhan’s competence was beyond question, and Her Majesty valued him greatly.

But as for Her Majesty’s favor, that was something each man had to win on his own merits.

"You may rise."

Xiao Li walked over and extended a hand to help the bowing Song Junzhan up, studying his face. He had lost a lot of weight.

After a grave illness that had nearly claimed his life, losing weight was normal, but his spirits seemed quite good.

"You’ve worked hard, Prime Minister."

A gentle smile appeared on Song Junzhan’s jade-like face. He gazed at Xiao Li, his eyes shimmering with a mixture of joy and longing.

"Seeing Your Majesty makes everything I’ve done worthwhile," he said.

As he spoke, he gently squeezed Xiao Li’s hand.

His temperament was cool and aloof—a proper gentleman, self-restrained and devoted to etiquette. Even if he missed her desperately, he could never be as brazen as Lou Yan. But after a brush with death, his perspective had shifted slightly. So now, he secretly held her hand in public, a small act to soothe his overflowing affection.

Xiao Li raised an eyebrow, amused to see her proper and dignified Prime Minister making such a subtle move right under everyone’s noses.

She recalled how his spirit had sought her out when he was on the verge of death, and she tightened her grip on his hand just as he was about to pull it back.

She led him by the hand toward the carriage.

In broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of all, Song Junzhan was being led by the hand by the Empress. Forget everyone else—even Song Junzhan himself was stunned.

"Your Majesty..."

’How can she lead me by the hand on an occasion like this?’

’The Empress and the Prime Minister... how can we act like this?’

But the Empress’s grip on his hand was firm and strong. Though she said nothing, it was as if Song Junzhan could hear her resolute and domineering declaration.

She was making it perfectly clear to the world that her relationship with the Prime Minister was more than just that of a ruler and her subject.

Song Junzhan was still in a daze by the time he was pulled into the carriage and seated.

’Just like that... she announced it to the world?’

The surprise was so sudden, the excitement almost too much for him to bear.

Then, in his daze, he looked up and saw Lou Yan sitting opposite him, a dark scowl on his face, practically radiating black smoke.

The sight snapped Song Junzhan out of his stupor for a moment. Seeing Lou Yan’s jealous and displeased expression—which he clearly didn’t dare to act upon—made him feel as if spring had returned to the earth. A sense of profound satisfaction washed over him.

What goes around, comes around. It was turnabout is fair play.

Of course, more than getting back at Lou Yan, he was happiest about Her Majesty’s attitude toward him.

His long wait was finally about to be rewarded...