Mercenary Princess - Chapter 36
"As long as you obediently go back, your royal brother will immediately help you find it! Now hurry back!"
"Oh." Nodding reluctantly, Dongfang Yao handed the drawing paper to Dongfang Lie with great reluctance: "Brother, you must take good care of it. Don't damage it or get it dirty! Um, when you have the painter paint it, have the palace maids wash their hands and hold the painting away from them, so they don't..."
"Your Majesty understands. You should return now!" Dongfang Lie instructed with a stern face as he took the painting.
Pouting, Dongfang Yao slowly let go of the drawing paper, reluctantly gazing at it that had now changed hands. He slowly turned and walked towards the door, turning back to look at it again and again...
As Dongfang Yao was about to step out the door, Dongfang Lie and Chu Xuyao both breathed a sigh of relief, while Rongyue was caught in a mix of anger, regret, resentment, and disappointment.
But just then, a shrill, hoarse voice pierced the sky—the Empress Dowager has arrived!
The situation took a complete 180-degree turn. Dongfang Yao, who had already stepped out of the door, suddenly pulled his foot back, turned around quickly, and rushed towards Dongfang Lie and his group like a rocket!
Before anyone could react, Dongfang Yao, like a cat playing hide-and-seek, darted behind Dongfang Lie in a flash!
Two pairs of astonished eyes met in a flash. After a few seconds of stunned silence, Dongfang Yao exclaimed in delight, "Wife!!"
Volume One, Pear Blossom Courtyard, Melting Moon, Chapter Forty-Three: Blood Jade Necklace
Upon noticing the two large hands around Rongyue's waist, Dongfang Yao roared, "Let go of my wife!" He lunged forward and suddenly wrapped his arms around Rongyue's neck, pulling her tightly against him with possessive force, glaring angrily at the two men with unfriendly expressions.
The tug-of-war between the three was causing Rongyue immense suffering. Because her acupoints had been sealed to silence her, she couldn't express her pain verbally, so she could only cast pleading glances at Dongfang Yao, who was engaged in the intense struggle.
"Don't be afraid, my dear wife, your brother Yao will definitely win you back!" With Dongfang Yao's resounding vow, Rongyue's neck was suddenly pulled forward by a brute force, and a tearing pain instantly spread from her neck to all parts of her body.
"Brother Yao, let go! Your wife..."
"I won't let go! If anyone's going to let go, it'll be you! Let go now, don't try to steal my wife!"
"Brother Yao!"
"My wife is mine! Let go! Let go!"
...
"What kind of behavior is this! Pulling and tugging like this, what kind of manners are these!" After the phoenix-headed cane slammed hard on the floor, making several sharp thuds, an old and fierce voice pierced the air above the palace, shocking the three men who were in the middle of their struggle.
"Greetings, Mother."
"May the Empress Dowager be blessed."
Dongfang Lie and Chu Xuyao gave a perfunctory nod, but their bodies remained in the same position, their strong and powerful hands motionless, showing no intention of pulling Rongyue away from her waist.
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's voice, Dongfang Yao bury his head in Rongyue's neck like an ostrich, holding her without saying a word or moving, pretending to be a deaf person and a wooden statue, as if he had no idea that his mother had already entered.
On the other hand, Rongyue was rolling her eyes in discomfort, clearly exhaling more than inhaling! Her whole body was already weak and she couldn't muster any strength. If it weren't for the two large hands supporting her waist, her body would probably have already turned into a limp puddle of mud, and she wouldn't have been able to stand up even a fraction of an inch. But Dongfang Yao was just adding to the chaos. This dignified seven-foot-tall man was like a boneless person, with almost all his weight hanging on her thin and delicate body. How could she, in her weakened state, bear such a heavy burden?
With a chilling glance over the group of people in the palace, each with their own distinct expression, the Empress Dowager's shrewd old eyes narrowed as her gaze swept over Rongyue, who was surrounded by three people. In that instant when her brown eyelids lowered, a fleeting glint of shrewdness flashed across her face.
"Who can tell me what exactly is going on?" Leaning on her golden cane and supported by a palace maid, the Empress Dowager strode toward the four people in the hall with a cold, pale face painted with white paint.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that his mother's gaze towards Rongyue was strange, as if it were full of scheming and conspiracy... Suddenly, the memory of the poisoned wine incident unexpectedly popped into his mind. Dongfang Lie was startled and quickly released his hand from Rongyue's waist, stepping to the left to block his mother's view: "Your Majesty, my cousin suddenly felt unwell. Your Majesty and I were just about to find an imperial physician to examine her when, unfortunately, my brother Yao came to visit, which led to a misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding? Another misunderstanding?" The Empress Dowager gave a few cold laughs, glanced at the nervous Dongfang Lie, and her cold, aged voice revealed no emotion: "Since my son says it's a misunderstanding, then forget it! Guards, take the Princess Consort to my palace!"
As soon as the words were spoken, apart from the bewildered Dongfang Yao, the other three's expressions changed drastically, all looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy. Rong Yue rolled her eyes, thinking to herself, "She's dead!" Chu Xuyao's face turned pale, his iron grip on Rong Yue tightened defensively, full of protective intent. Dongfang Lie's expression wasn't much better; his fair and strong hands once again encircled Rong Yue's waist, as he struggled internally with a fierce internal conflict.
"What are you waiting for! Hurry up and escort the Princess to my palace! If you delay, I will take your lives!" Seeing the guards who had entered from outside the door with knives stop in front of Dongfang Lie, the Empress Dowager immediately turned stern and shouted.
The guards looked troubled. Seeing that Liu Rongyue was being protected so tightly by their emperor, they didn't know what to do and could only look to their emperor for answers.
Rongyue's trembling stirred a pang of tenderness in Dongfang Lie's heart. He gently stroked her trembling waist to comfort her, his handsome face filled with determination: "Mother, my cousin is unwell. Please forgive me for not allowing you to take her away!"
"Is she unwell? I will have the imperial physician treat her! Take her away!" The Empress Dowager's eyes flashed with a fierce light as she issued an ultimatum to the guards.
Left with no other choice, the guards on both sides had to bite the bullet and step forward. However, Rong Yue, who was wrapped up tightly by the three men, made it impossible for them to make a move, and they dared not make a move either, because the cold, knife-like glint of Dongfang Lie and Chu Xuyao made them tremble with fear.
"My son, are you defying your mother?" The phoenix-headed cane struck the ground again, the chilling tone sending shivers down one's spine.
Dongfang Lie hurriedly bowed and apologized: "Your subject dares not! But Mother, my cousin's body simply cannot withstand any more torment..."
"Very well, my son, you're quite the emperor now, you don't even respect your mother!" The Empress Dowager laughed angrily and shouted at the guards, "Go and fetch the imperial physician! I'll wait here. I'll take her away when the princess's body is strong enough to withstand any more treatment!"
"Mother..."
"You dog of a servant, get to work now!"
...
Because the dragon bed died prematurely due to special circumstances, Rongyue had no choice but to rest on a soft couch nearby.
After having her pulse checked and taking the medicine, Rongyue felt the pain lessen considerably, her breathing became much smoother, and she felt refreshed and invigorated. Of course, this was all on the condition that she ignored the gaze fixed intently on her eight points.
"Wife, is your body still in pain?" Squatting in front of the bed, Dongfang Yao held Rongyue's hand and pressed it against his furrowed face, his brows filled with deep concern.
Feeling a pang of fear at the warm touch under her palm, Rongyue looked into Dongfang Yao's clear eyes and smiled gently: "Don't worry, I'm much better."
"But wife, why is your face still so pale?"
"It'll be fine in a few days..."
"Really?"
"real."
"You're not lying to me?"
"without……"