Chapter 73 One Family’s Joy, Several Families’ Madness

“I’m happy, I’m very happy.” Qin Qing stared fixedly at Yue Guanyi’s provocative eyes.

Yue Guanyi laughed coldly: “Since Your Majesty is also happy for your subject, why not make a marriage agreement between your subject and Madam Qiu? It just so happens that the Mid-Autumn Banquet is coming up soon. Her Majesty will be inviting officials and their families to the palace to feast in the Imperial Garden. Why not announce our engagement then and let the whole world know?”

Qin Qing’s face was gloomy, covered in dark clouds, his silver teeth nearly shattered from clenching: “Fine.”

“Then your subject thanks Your Majesty.” Yue Guanyi’s expression carried the joy of a victor as he lightly pulled Qiu Shuzhi and left the oppressive Qingning Palace.

Coming out of Qingning Palace, Qiu Shuzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief. But thinking of Qin Qing’s resentful gaze, her heart still felt uneasy. Perhaps in Qin Qing’s mind, he already saw her as a heartless person toying with his feelings.

But the Empress Dowager was still the Empress Dowager after all. She must prioritize the stability of the court and was unlikely to let emotions sway her, especially since Yue Guanyi’s power rivaled hers. She also had twenty thousand Yulin troops in her hands. It was just that the two of them were destined to go their separate ways from now on.

Before she knew it, she had already followed Yue Guanyi to Fengyang Pavilion. Their intimate behavior along the way drew many sidelong glances from the palace servants, privately discussing their relationship.

The weather in August was unbearably hot, the cicadas’ cries noisy and clamorous, a scene of midsummer. Yue Guanyi held her hand, nervous sweat beading, making her palm wet and slippery. Only the lush green bamboo planted in Fengyang Pavilion could bring her a hint of cool shade.

“Your Highness, let’s rest here for a bit.” He pulled her to sit down in a hidden bamboo grove.

Palace servants rarely came here, and it was too hot inside the palace halls. It was better to hide here where it was cool and undisturbed.

“Madam Qiu… I…” His chest heaved rapidly, fingers red like cinnabar berries from nervousness. Just now he was sharp-tongued and at ease facing Qin Qing, but now alone with her, he was so tense that he suddenly didn’t know what to say.

“Let me re-tie your jade pendant for you.” He seemed to have a lot he wanted to say, a lot he wanted to ask, but in the end didn’t say anything. Even witnessing that scene between her and the Empress Dowager with his own eyes, he didn’t utter a single hurt question, instead kneeling submissively at her feet to tie their love token.

“…Alright.” She softly agreed.

Today he was still wearing his Embroidered Uniform Guard official robes. The fierce beast embroidered on his chest bared its fangs and brandished its claws with an imposing air. Anyone who saw it would feel overwhelmed, wanting to kneel and beg for mercy. But he was wearing this status-symbolizing uniform while prostrating himself at her feet.

She lowered her gaze and smiled, fingers toying with the pearl tassels hanging from his official hat: “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Your Highness wear the jade pendant I gave you?”

Yue Guanyi’s hands suddenly froze: “No, that’s not it.”

He urgently reached into his bosom, wanting to take out the jade pendant he always carried close to his heart. But in his haste, it got caught on the inner lining’s silk threads, cutting his hand. A drop of blood seeped from inside to outside.

Yue Guanyi paid it no heed, anxiously panting as he explained: “The jade pendant you gave me, I always carry it on my person. Day and night, I never dare forget…”

He even put it over his heart to warm it with his body temperature when sleeping.

Qiu Shuzhi lifted his hand, wrapping his wound with a handkerchief: “Then why haven’t I seen you wear it?”

“Because…” Yue Guanyi lowered his gaze, dappled bamboo shadows falling over his slightly reddened eyes, making them appear dim and lusterless. “Because I thought you didn’t want outsiders to know about our relationship.”

What?

Qiu Shuzhi was stunned. She never imagined Yue Guanyi would think of her this way.

She was being intimate with him in secret while not wanting to acknowledge their relationship in public. Wasn’t that just like a scumbag woman who only slept around without commitment?

The key was that Yue Guanyi thought of her this way, yet he still willingly and obediently went along with her.

She suddenly didn’t know what to say, only feeling some strange emotion taking root and sprouting in her heart, but she couldn’t express it in words.

“If not for me requesting marriage from the Empress Dowager today, would Your Highness have been content to keep hiding like this? Getting held and kissed by me, losing your purity, yet wholeheartedly concealing it for me, swallowing all the bitterness by yourself?”

Yue Guanyi shook his head, an indescribable light shining in his slightly darkened eyes: “No… this isn’t bitterness.”

How could being compassionately embraced and kissed by Madam Qiu be considered bitterness? Everything related to Madam Qiu was a blessing!

“…” Qiu Shuzhi lowered her eyes, silent for a long time. Suddenly, she grabbed his collar, forcing him to raise his head as her cool lips ravaged his mouth.

“Mmph—” Tears of utmost joy welled up in Yue Guanyi’s eyes, a hazy mist covering them, but unable to conceal the obsession in their depths.

He held her slender waist, knees kneeling on the cold ground, raising his body so Madam Qiu could kiss him more comfortably without bending down. His soft sweetness wildly plundered her mouth as he tried his utmost to comply with her, to please her, until a hint of ambiguous moans spilled from his lips. Only then did Qiu Shuzhi barely stop.

“Does this count as lewdness in broad daylight?” She traced his slightly reddened eyes with her slender fingers.

Yue Guanyi was endlessly abashed, his ears bright red.

She laughed softly and placed another wet kiss on the corner of his eye, gently asking: “Doesn’t Your Highness have anything you want to ask me?”

Yue Guanyi raised his head, eyes still a bit red-rimmed. He was silent for a long time before obediently shaking his head.

He didn’t want to ask anything. Right now, his only fear was that she would suddenly change her mind and not want to marry him, not allowing him to cherish the joy of being on cloud nine before plunging into the abyss of hell.

Qiu Shuzhi caressed the loose strands of hair on the back of his neck, sighing softly as if chanting: “Don’t you want to know what the Empress Dowager and I did in the room just now? What is our relationship?”

Was there even a need to wonder? Judging from Qin Qing’s smug look just now, it was clear what they did inside. But Yue Guanyi knew it was all that old widower’s coquettish seduction of Madam Qiu. Otherwise, Madam Qiu wouldn’t be interested in a man at such a tofu-dregs age.