First of all, thank you for the warmth in summer and for Gui Gui's diamonds~ Mwah~
Also, everyone, please trust the male lead! Tomorrow's climax chapter—hehe.
Chapter Eight: The Only Empress! (A Must-Read, Full of Fantasy)
On one side, Shen Qianmo was galloping wildly on horseback. On the other side, the court officials were in a state of panic. It was because their emperor was wearing a bright red wedding robe, but he wouldn't let the princess of Linwei wear her wedding dress.
"You are not worthy to wear this wedding dress!" Situ Jingyan's eyes held a hint of disdain, and his lips curled into an arrogant smile. He paid no attention to Princess Anya's expression of shame and anger, nor did he care about the objections and dissuasion of all the court officials. He simply smiled and looked ahead, as if the person he was waiting for was there.
"Giddy up!" A clear yet anxious voice rang out. A woman and her horse charged into the palace outside the main hall like madmen. Guards tried to stop them, but were all whipped aside by the woman's sharp whip.
"Those who block my way shall die!" These simple and decisive words came from the woman on horseback, whose beauty was unparalleled. Even though she had been traveling day and night for seven days and nights and was in a sorry state, her unparalleled beauty could not be concealed.
Her eyes were fixed intently on the main hall, radiating a chilling aura. The guards were terrified and dared not approach to stop her.
"Situ Jingyan!" When Shen Qianmo saw Situ Jingyan's bright red wedding dress, that eerie red pierced her eyes. In that instant, she lost her mind and didn't notice that Princess Anya standing to the side was not wearing a wedding dress.
A whip lashed down on Situ Jingyan, leaving a bloody gash. Blood flowed down his wedding robes, a gruesome sight.
The ministers were all startled, staring at the strange woman who had rushed in. They knew their king was a peerless warrior. Yet, this woman had lashed him with a whip?! And she remained completely unmoved, her eyes filled with a tender, indulgent smile. It was as if she didn't care at all about the whip that had struck him. She simply gazed intently at the intruding stranger, as if trying to see into her very heart.
Shen Qianmo was slightly taken aback when she saw Situ Jingyan take her whip without dodging or avoiding it. Seeing the blood flowing from the wound, she felt a pang of heartache.
Why did she strike Situ Jingyan?! She was furious, but why didn't Situ Jingyan dodge? The whip struck hard, but she didn't use her internal energy; she should have been able to dodge it easily. Why didn't Situ Jingyan dodge or avoid it?!
When Shen Qianmo came to her senses, she noticed Princess Anya standing to the side with a look of grievance and resentment, as well as the Empress's phoenix coronet and wedding gown that had been placed aside.
"Mo'er, you're back." Situ Jingyan greeted her with a smile, ignoring Shen Qianmo's struggles, he raised her hand, and with an air of dominance and arrogance, said to the court officials of Tianmo, "She is my Empress. My only Empress in this life. The Queen Mother of Tianmo!"
The words had barely left his mouth when the ministers began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Where did this woman come from?! How did she become the Empress of my Tianmo?!"
"Exactly! What is His Majesty up to?!"
"Yes, yes! Princess Anya of Linwei is right here. What if we anger Linwei!"
"Exactly! This woman of unknown origin even injured the Emperor. We absolutely cannot let her become the Empress of Tianmo! What do you say, Prime Minister?!" A minister turned his gaze to Haoyue.
Haoyue glanced at Shen Qianmo, then at the assembled officials, and said in a calm tone, "Do you really think you can stop the Emperor?!"
With that one sentence, the court officials had no further objections. Their king's decisive actions were absolutely wise and insightful, and he was absolutely not subject to their influence.
"What on earth is going on?!" Shen Qianmo frowned, looking at the dramatic scene before her, and asked.
Situ Jingyan stroked Shen Qianmo's hair and said affectionately, "Yan Xiuling went to Li Kingdom in person. Li Kingdom is not safe. I want you to come back."
Shen Qianmo stared at Situ Jingyan in shock. So, he did all this just to force her to return. He knew that if he directly told her that Li Kingdom was in danger, she would definitely refuse to come back, so he used this method to force her to return. Jingyan, oh Jingyan, you really understand me, and you've really gone to great lengths for me!
"But what's going on with this Princess Anya?!" Shen Qianmo didn't forget the beauty standing to the side and asked with some displeasure.
Situ Jingyan reached out and ruffled Shen Qianmo's hair again. "My silly Mo'er. The only person I want to marry is you. Only you can wear this phoenix coronet and wedding robes."
Upon hearing this, Princess Anya immediately shouted, "You, Situ Jingyan! So you wouldn't let me touch this wedding dress just so you could marry her?! Don't forget, I'm the princess of Linwei, sent for a political marriage! Do you want to offend Linwei?!"
Princess Anya's words, though somewhat unreasonable, struck a chord with the Tianmo court officials. Indeed, if they didn't marry Princess Anya, wouldn't they be offending Linwei at this crucial juncture?! They'd heard that Linwei and Li Kingdom were on very good terms; if they were forced to join forces against Tianmo, that would be disastrous!
"Then why didn't you dodge that whip?!" Shen Qianmo completely disregarded Princess Anya's words, treating her as if she were invisible. She pulled Situ Jingyan's arm with concern and asked him with heartache.
"I told you. If I hurt you, do whatever you want with me, I won't fight back." Situ Jingyan glanced indifferently at his still bleeding arm. Shen Qianmo's whip was laced with anger, and she lashed out hard. She hadn't expected Situ Jingyan not to dodge, so she used all her strength. Although she didn't use internal force, it still hurt a lot and left a deep wound.
Shen Qianmo looked at Situ Jingyan's wound with heartache and said reproachfully, "But you didn't do anything wrong to me!"
"No. I made you worry for seven days and seven nights. I made you travel for seven days and seven nights." Situ Jingyan looked at Shen Qianmo, who looked somewhat haggard, with some self-reproach. He touched Shen Qianmo's cheek and said, "Don't mention one lash, even if you were to lash her a few more times, it would be justified."
"Situ Jingyan!" Shen Qianmo called out reproachfully. Was this guy deliberately trying to make her feel guilty?! This one lash had already broken her heart; if he could endure a few more, she couldn't.
Fortunately, she was holding a whip, not a blade. Fortunately, she only lashed out angrily and didn't use her inner strength. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
She understood Situ Jingyan's character. He would always keep his promises. Even if that whip might have hurt him more, he wouldn't have dodged it.
It's her fault. He treated her so devotedly. How could she let anxiety cloud her judgment and make her doubt him? It's all her fault, all her fault.
"Silly Mo'er, don't blame yourself. I took this whipping willingly." Situ Jingyan reached out and stroked Shen Qianmo's cheek, speaking with deep affection.
Chapter Nine: Palace Farce
Situ Jingyan raised his eyes with slight displeasure, a hint of annoyance flashing in his obsidian-like eyes. His lips were tightly pursed as he coldly looked at the woman who had disturbed him and Shen Qianmo, Princess Anya.
Princess Anya is Yan Xiuling's cousin. She has an extremely cunning and mischievous nature. Although she is not inherently bad, she is still quite annoying. If it weren't for Yan Xiuling's sake, he would have had her thrown out of the palace long ago.
"Why isn't the princess staying in her own courtyard? What are you doing here?!" Raising his eyebrows, the smile on his lips vanished, replaced by a cold stare at Princess Anya. His words carried a natural pressure, forcibly suppressing Princess Anya's anger.
Princess Anya looked at Situ Jingyan and Shen Qianmo with a wronged expression. She had met Situ Jingyan before the marriage alliance. He was such a handsome and charming man that she was deeply moved at first sight. She had longed for him for a long time after hearing that she would marry him, but she never expected it to turn out like this.
This man treated her like trash, not even bothering to glance at her. Princess Anya was one of the most beautiful women in Linwei, and thanks to Yan Xiuling's care, countless men wanted to marry her. But this Situ Jingyan actually abandoned her on their wedding day and wouldn't even let her touch the phoenix coronet and wedding gown, all for the sake of the woman beside him!
Even when she faked hanging herself, Situ Jingyan ignored her completely. When she heard the eunuch report that Situ Jingyan said he would let her go, she couldn't hold back any longer and rushed to the Imperial Garden, just to settle the score with him!
"I...I came to find you! I'm a princess sent for a political marriage, you can't treat me like this!" Princess Anya pouted, her voice tinged with a mixture of grievance and anger. Even if she wasn't the empress, she would still marry Situ Jingyan; she was determined to marry Situ Jingyan!
"I've said it before. I only have one wife, Mo'er." Situ Jingyan's eyes remained unchanged as he coldly glanced at Princess Anya, his hand still tightly holding Shen Qianmo's hand, never letting go.
Princess Anya's eyes flashed with hurt upon hearing Situ Jingyan's words, but she said stubbornly, "I don't care! You must marry me! Even if Brother Xiuling comes, I won't go back!"
Just as Situ Jingyan was about to speak, Shen Qianmo tugged at his hand. Shen Qianmo had a haughty smile on her lips, a lazy expression, and a faint look between her brows. "Stay as long as you want."