Chapter 216 -
Wenzhe carried Yueqing straight through the quiet, lantern-lit hallways of the palace.
He held her securely against his broad chest. His face remained calm, but a small, amused smile danced on his lips.
Yueqing, still pretending to be thoroughly wasted, let her head flop against his shoulder. Inside, however, her mind was racing at maximum speed.
[Nine!] Yueqing called out in her head. [Are you still there?!]
[Unfortunately, yes,] Nine groaned in her mind. [My virtual ears are still ringing from Madam Jin’s screeching. Host, you just blew up a senior minister’s marriage in front of the entire imperial court!]
[He deserved it for calling me a street beggar,] Yueqing snorted internally. [Anyway, listen up. We don’t have time to celebrate. Go find Xiao Chen right now.]
[Xiao Chen? Why?] Nine asked, surprised.
[Because the Crown Prince just tried to trap Wenzhe tonight,] Yueqing explained seriously. [Xiao Chen is probably brooding somewhere in his quarters right now, feeling bitter about losing the race and thinking the Xi family is siding with his rival. Go tell him that I urgently need to speak.]
[Got it, Host. On my way,]
Meanwhile, Wenzhe carried Yueqing all the way back to their assigned palace guest room. He pushed the heavy wooden door open with his foot, stepped inside, and kicked it shut behind them.
He walked over to the large bed and gently set her down on the soft silk mattress.
The moment her feet touched the bed, Yueqing instantly sat up straight, completely shedding her drunk persona. She smoothed down her crumpled dress and straightened her hair.
Wenzhe stood right in front of her, leaning against the wooden bedpost with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked down at her with sharp, dark eyes, his lips curving into a faint, knowing smirk.
"Your recovery is truly miraculous, Lady Su," Wenzhe said, his deep voice filled with quiet amusement. "One second you cannot walk, and the next you are exposing court scandals and curing your own drunkenness."
Yueqing looked up at him, forcing a polite, totally innocent smile onto her face.
"The night air cured me," Yueqing lied smoothly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Besides, I saved you from a boring conversation with the Crown Prince and gave Lord Jin some well-deserved family bonding time. You should be thanking me."
Wenzhe let out a quiet, breathless chuckle—a sound so rare and soft that Yueqing almost thought she imagined it.
"Is that so?" Wenzhe asked softly, taking a step closer to the bed. He leaned down slightly, his dark eyes locked onto hers. "And here I thought my wife was simply desperate to get me all to herself tonight."
Yueqing’s heart did a sudden, chaotic flip against her ribs.
Wenzhe did not move back. Instead, he leaned down further, his dark eyes locking onto her lips. Before Yueqing could even think, he placed his hand behind her head and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss.
Yueqing’s mind went completely blank. She gasped in shock and pressed her hands hard against his chest, trying to push him away.
"Wenzhe... wait!" she managed to mutter against his lips.
Wenzhe did not let go. He simply smirked, his eyes full of sharp desire. With one swift, easy move, he grabbed her by the waist, sat down on the edge of the bed, and pulled her right onto his lap.
"Hey!" Yueqing gasped, trying to pull away.
But his strong arm wrapped around her waist like iron, holding her tightly against his chest.
[Is this block of wood crazy?!]
He leaned in again, capturing her mouth in another hot, slow kiss.
This time, Yueqing did not push him away. His lips were surprisingly soft, and the warmth of his body pressed so closely against hers made her head spin. She felt her strength fading. Slowly, her gripping hands softened against his chest, and her fingers reached up, curling into his dark hair as she gave in to the kiss.
Wenzhe pulled her even closer, deepening the kiss as the quiet room filled with their heavy breathing.
CREAK.
The wooden door suddenly swung open without a warning.
"Yueqing, why did you call me to—"
Xiao Chen stopped dead in his tracks at the doorway.
The Third Prince froze, his eyes going wide with complete shock as he saw Yueqing sitting on Wenzhe’s lap, wrapped tightly in his arms.
Yueqing’s eyes snapped open. She gasped, her face instantly turning bright red. In pure panic, she violently shoved Wenzhe’s chest, scrambling off his lap so fast she nearly tripped over her own dress.
Wenzhe slowly sat up on the bed, adjusting his robes with total calm. He glared at Xiao Chen with cold, annoyed eyes, furious that his moment with his wife had been ruined.
"Do you ever learn how to knock?"
Xiao Chen stood frozen by the doorway. His face went from shock to deep anger, his hands tightening into hard fists.
"I was told Yueqing needed to see me urgently," Xiao Chen said, his voice cold and dripping with venom. "I did not know I was walking in on... this."
Yueqing’s face burned like hot fire. She quickly smoothed down her dress and stood right between the two giant, glaring men.
"Okay, everyone stop!" Yueqing gasped, holding her hands out. "Xiao Chen, I did call you here. And Wenzhe, stop glaring at him like you want to chop off his head!"
Wenzhe stood up slowly from the bed. He stepped beside Yueqing, his massive frame towering over her as he glared down at the Third Prince.
"Why is he in our private room, Yueqing?"
"Because you two are idiots!" Yueqing snapped back, completely fed up with both of them.
She turned to Xiao Chen first. "The Crown Prince tried to trap Wenzhe tonight into giving him the Xi family army. If Wenzhe joins him, you lose your shot at the throne. But if Wenzhe refuses, the Crown Prince will target his family."
Xiao Chen frowned, his dark eyes shifting slightly. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Everything!" Yueqing shouted, throwing her hands in the air. "You two have been hating each other for years because of what happened in the past! Xiao Chen thinks Wenzhe betrayed him, and Wenzhe is too proud to explain what really happened!"