Смертная любовь в эпоху Северной Сун

Глава 44

Such a childlike heart!

Mysterious winked at him, and Rongyue broke free from his embrace, walking towards the elephant with its wary eyes.

Gently touching its massive body, Rongyue smiled and met its elephant-like eyes, speaking softly and gently to it, occasionally humming an unknown tune...

Seeing this, all three men cast envious glances at the elephant, which was squinting its eyes and seemingly enjoying itself. Perhaps they didn't realize how strikingly similar their expressions were…

Seeing that the elephant was getting used to her touch, her voice, and her scent, Rongyue boldly placed her hands on its proud trunk, gently and carefully stroking it back and forth. Unsurprisingly, the three men blushed simultaneously, turning their faces slightly away in embarrassment.

A sudden, piercing 'crack' snapped the three from their aimless reverie. Turning their heads, they saw the elephant abruptly lift Rongyue from the ground, then toss her high into the air! This horrifying scene made their hearts stop beating for a moment—

"daughter in law!"

"Liu Rongyue!"

"moon!"

Before Dongfang Lie and Chu Xuyao could rush to her rescue, Rongyue, who was falling from the sky, was caught in mid-air by the elephant's long trunk, lifted up, and then tossed aside...

"Brother Yao, did you see that... Hehe--" Accompanied by her silvery laughter, the three men knew that her life was not in danger, and only then did they recover from their shock.

Unclenching his tightly clenched hands, Chu Xuyao realized his palms were covered in cold sweat. Why was that woman so restless! He glared resentfully at Rongyue, who was having a great time playing not far away, and silently blamed her in his heart, unaware that his blame contained a doting affection that even he was unaware of.

Throughout history, countless men, kings, generals, and even emperors have lost their kingdoms and families for the sake of a beautiful woman's smile. Yet now, this woman has reversed everything, risking her life to please his younger brother! He couldn't describe the feeling in his heart. At this moment, he suddenly understood. For the person she loved, she would risk her life to win his favor. However, for someone she didn't like, she probably wouldn't even bother to glance at him even if he died right before her eyes! He just wondered what place he truly held in her heart.

Dongfang Yao ran towards the elephant with shining eyes, stamping his feet anxiously and shouting, "Wife, I want one too! I want to play!"

With amusement, Rongyue glanced at the impatient Dongfang Yao on the ground, patted the elephant's trunk, and gestured for her to be put down. Then, she lay down on the elephant's flapping ears and murmured softly, affectionately patting its head and pointing to Dongfang Yao beside her.

It glanced disdainfully at Dongfang Yao, whose face was full of longing, then reluctantly picked him up and tossed him into the blue sky.

"Ah—my wife..."

"Wow--"

"Honey, this is really fun!"

...

The animal trainer, standing far to the side, was speechless with astonishment, muttering in disbelief, "So this is how exotic beasts can be tamed... I've seen it all, I've seen it all..."

"Liu Rongyue, how many secrets do you still have that I don't know about?" Dongfang Lie quietly approached her, leaned down, and whispered in Rongyue's ear, his breath hot against her skin.

The sudden approach of Dongfang Lie caused Rongyue, who was smiling, to freeze instantly. She moved away uncomfortably, and Rongyue replied nonchalantly, "Your Majesty is joking! What secret could this servant have? I'm just a little clever! This servant believes that since it's a strange beast, it will naturally be different from others, and perhaps it can understand human speech, right? So, this servant..."

"Stop calling yourself a servant! I don't like that tone of voice that sounds like you're just paying lip service!" Dongfang Lie pressed his warm, firm chest against Rongyue's back once more.

A faint scent of ambergris wafted from behind her, and feeling his body heat, Rongyue felt a surge of revulsion: "Then what should we call it?"

"I am the sovereign, my brother is my subject, and you are my brother's woman. What do you think you should call yourself?"

"My wife..."

A deep, pleasant laugh rang in Rongyue's ears: "Hehe, do you think you're even worthy of the title 'wife'? Yue'er should call herself your concubine."

The words "Moon" sent shivers down Rongyue's spine! What had gotten into this emperor? Why was his behavior so strange? "Your Majesty"? Is that so? If she remembered correctly, that was how his concubines addressed themselves.

A look of suspicion flickered across Rongyue's face, and she bit her lip, remaining silent. To make her address herself as "your humble servant" would be worse than a quick death!

"Moon, call out to me..." Warm, moist lips touched Rongyue's round earlobe intentionally or unintentionally, causing Rongyue's spine to tremble again and again.

Why, why did she feel that this emperor was seducing her? "Call me 'Your Majesty'?" This sounded so off! It inexplicably reminded her of a lewd phrase used to harass respectable women—"Little girl, give me a smile!"

"As a servant awaiting punishment, I dare not overstep my bounds..."

Dongfang Lie scoffed lightly, and Rongyue felt the body behind her getting closer and closer: "Dare not overstep the bounds? That's easier said than done! Isn't your current act of defying my will an act of insolence?"

Quickly dodging Dongfang Lie's aura, Rongyue bowed slightly to him: "This servant dares to ask, but I wonder if Your Majesty would allow this servant to leave first?"

Rongyue's rapid speed startled him, and his peach blossom eyes narrowed again and again. Dongfang Lie approached Rongyue step by step: "Tell me, what is your purpose in approaching me? As long as you answer honestly, I promise I will forgive and forget!"

A profound sense of helplessness surfaced on her face: "If I were to say that I truly had no ulterior motives, would Your Majesty believe me? Furthermore, if I remember correctly, it was Your Majesty who abducted me into the palace to serve you. How can Your Majesty now twist the truth and falsely accuse me of having ulterior motives in trying to get close to you! If Your Majesty truly believes that I have any disloyal intentions, then I request permission to be exiled! I beg Your Majesty to banish me from the palace, from the capital, and even more so, from the Eastern Dynasty..."

"Don't even think about it!" She actually wanted to escape from him! How could he let her have her way!

Dongfang Lie's unequivocal refusal infuriated Rongyue: "You accused me of harboring ulterior motives for staying in the palace, and you had me watched every moment of every day. You don't find it troublesome, but I find it humiliating! I voluntarily requested to be exiled, but you refuse to release me! In the Emperor's eyes, I am wrong no matter what! I dare to ask Your Majesty, what exactly do you intend to do!"

"Hehe," Dongfang Lie's mood improved inexplicably upon seeing Rongyue, who was as angry as a little leopard. "Asking questions? In my opinion, it's more like an interrogation. Hmm? Yue'er, you really surprise me. You even managed to sense my secret guards. You little woman are truly remarkable!"

Dongfang Lie's teasing tone made her extremely unhappy. She pursed her lips and turned her face away, but unexpectedly met Chu Xuyao's hawk-like eyes, which were full of anger and warning.

What's going on?! The way he looks at me, like a husband who's caught his wife cheating! What's wrong with everyone today?! Why are they all acting so strangely?!

She rolled her eyes at Chu Xuyao as if to say, "Are you crazy?" and turned her face to Dongfang Lie again: "Your Majesty has not yet answered my question. What exactly does Your Majesty intend to do!"

"What do you intend to do?" Dongfang Lie stroked his chin with one hand and smiled wickedly. "I like to keep things that I can't control under my watchful eye. Hehe, is this answer satisfactory, Yue'er?"

"Don't call me Yue'er!" Rongyue roared angrily. What a weird way to address someone! It's so cheesy!

The smile on his handsome face vanished inch by inch, replaced by a surge of anger! Leaning close to Rongyue's ear, Dongfang Lie lowered his voice, his questioning words squeezed out through gritted teeth: "You can let Xuyao call you Yue, but why won't you allow me to call you Yue'er? Could it be that there's some unspeakable secret between you two? Hmm?"

Chu Xuyao addressed her like that? When did this happen? How come she didn't know? Her gaze swept back to Chu Xuyao, who was still venting his anger on her from a distance. Rongyue raised an eyebrow, her puzzled expression seeming to ask: Is what this dog emperor said true?

Completely bewildered, Chu Xuyao was utterly dumbfounded by Rong Yue's questioning gaze. After a moment of stunned silence, he finally couldn't contain himself any longer and strode quickly toward Rong Yue and the others.

"You really know how to seduce men!" Dongfang Lie bit Rongyue's tender neck in a fit of anger, then straightened up as if nothing had happened, glancing indifferently at Chu Xuyao who was gradually approaching.

Ouch—that really hurts! Damn it, is she a wolf or something?! With her eyebrows raised, Rong Yue stared at Dongfang Lie, who was pretending to be completely unaffected, her bloodshot eyes filled with contempt—a hypocrite with a sanctimonious air!