Chapter 123: The Abandoned Little Emperor (27)
The pent-up desire, having reached its peak, now had nowhere to go. The blush on Xiao Miyun’s face and neck deepened, whether from heightened arousal or anger at Su Mingxiu’s sudden “revenge,” it was hard to tell.
Furious, she grabbed Su Mingxiu’s hand and bit down on her wrist, leaving a clear mark.
But the Prince of Zhenbei merely glanced at the bite, as if it were a scratch from a kitten, not even bothering to acknowledge it.
She continued to watch Xiao Miyun’s frustrated expression with amusement.
The little emperor, experiencing her first taste of passion, was still embarrassed. Unable to bring herself to beg, she glared at Su Mingxiu with wide eyes, then buttoned her clothes, saying haughtily: “No means no—”
“You should rest properly. Don’t come begging Zhen next time.”
Oh?
Su Mingxiu hadn’t expected such arrogance from the little emperor. Accepting the implied “impotence” with a playful smile, she looked at Xiao Miyun, who was struggling to stand up straight, her clothes still disheveled. “This minister is already looking forward to next time.”
Dream on!
The little emperor, clutching her loose robe, returned to the small table where she had been working on her gift, determined to improve her theoretical knowledge, so that next time, it would be Su Mingxiu begging her. Then, she would see how arrogant Su Mingxiu could be.
But she was so distracted that she accidentally cut her hand with the carving knife, the blood dripping onto the jade pendant in her palm.
The blood landed on the floor, staining it red. She stared at the stain, her first thought, Did I ruin the jade pendant?
“Someone,” she called, wanting to ask the experts from the Bureau of Imperial Supplies if blood on a jade pendant was a bad omen. The maid who entered, seeing the blood dripping from her palm, was startled. “Your Majesty! Summon the imperial physician!”
Su Mingxiu, who had been reading a military strategy book some distance away, put down the book and walked over, coughing slightly. “What’s wrong, Your Majesty?”
Xiao Miyun, whose anger was easily distracted, had already forgotten about their earlier encounter. Seeing Su Mingxiu get out of bed without even putting on a robe, she quickly stopped her. “It’s nothing, Zhen just accidentally cut my finger, you don’t have to come over.”
Su Mingxiu knew that she was making a gift, and she had intentionally not asked what it was, just like Xiao Miyun hadn’t asked about her own gift.
But now, seeing the blood on the floor, she walked over and, ignoring Xiao Miyun’s protests, pressed on her pressure points to stop the bleeding, then examined the wound.
“Although it’s not deep, it’s still quite a cut, we should have the imperial physician take a look.”
It was too late for Xiao Miyun to hide the object on the table. Seeing Su Mingxiu’s gaze shift towards it, she sighed. “The most important thing when carving a Buddhist amulet is sincerity. Zhen has been working on it for days, now that it’s stained with blood, it must be a bad omen—”
“Does Your Majesty believe in such things?”
Su Mingxiu didn’t seem to mind. While waiting for the imperial physician, she picked up the bloodstained jade pendant, its translucent surface now tinged with red, and asked with a smile.
Xiao Miyun gestured for a palace maid to bring a robe for Su Mingxiu, then sat down beside her, leaning against her. “No,” she replied calmly.
She had never believed in fate, otherwise she wouldn’t be on the throne today.
Under Su Mingxiu’s questioning gaze, Xiao Miyun looked at her frail figure beneath the wide robes and whispered: “But I hope you can stay with Zhen a little longer. For this, even a little superstition is fine.”
If the gods and Buddhas could protect Su Mingxiu and grant her a long life, she would fill the capital with temples and even invite monks into the palace as imperial advisors.
The amulet was almost finished, the carving lines showing a beginner’s clumsiness, but the Buddha’s expression was serene, a decent piece of work.
Su Mingxiu examined it, then wrapped it in her handkerchief, wiping away the blood, preserving the stained jade. “I like this gift very much, Your Majesty. How can a gift from the emperor be inauspicious? I shall accept this year’s birthday gift in advance.”
“No!”
The little emperor was suddenly superstitious, insisting that the bloodstained, unfinished amulet couldn’t be given away. She tried to take it back.
Su Mingxiu, holding her hand, was amused by her persistence. She pulled Xiao Miyun into her arms, laughing, then, regaining her composure, said to the frowning little emperor: “Have I ever told you…”
“What?”
“It’s better to pray to me than to the gods.” Su Mingxiu said this casually, then, taking advantage of Xiao Miyun’s momentary distraction, she held the amulet out of reach and leaned closer. “Now that I’ve accepted your gift, you can tell me your wish.”
Xiao Miyun froze, her gaze meeting Su Mingxiu’s deep black eyes. After a long moment, she finally spoke: “Can you… grant any wish?”
“As long as you wish for it.”
“Zhen wishes for you to stay with Zhen, for a hundred years,” she said without hesitation.
Su Mingxiu was silent. She knew that her time in this world was limited, not nearly enough for the hundred years the little emperor spoke of.
So she chuckled softly. “Has Your Majesty considered that perhaps… I can stay with you for even longer than a hundred years?”
Xiao Miyun frowned. “What do you mean?”
“A hundred thousand years into the past, a hundred thousand years into the future,” Su Mingxiu looked at her intently, her voice filled with an emotion Xiao Miyun couldn’t understand, “in the times you’ve forgotten, I’ve always been by your side.”
Now it was Xiao Miyun’s turn to be silent. She could tell that Su Mingxiu’s words were sincere, that these deep emotions were for her.
But just as she was about to believe her, she suddenly remembered that the Prince of Zhenbei had loved someone else before.
She wasn’t the only one.
How could there be a companionship spanning millennia?
Finally, she looked away, no longer asking for the amulet back, nor mentioning the unanswered question. She simply teased: “Have you been secretly reading those storybooks outside the palace?”
Xiao Miyun sighed inwardly, I’m not the protagonist of those exaggerated stories after all.
No one would come to this world just for her, no one would stay with her until the very end.
That night, after the imperial physician’s visit, the Qian Yuan Palace was quiet.
Su Mingxiu knew that the little emperor was feeling down again. She was thinking about how to cheer her up, but before she could speak, she felt a warm presence against her jawline, then a gentle touch tracing her chin upwards.
She accepted the offered kiss.
Xiao Miyun seemed to be holding back something, rolling over and pressing down on her, a rare display of dominance. Su Mingxiu, having regained her memories, understood her even better now. She could read Xiao Miyun’s thoughts from her kiss. She had initially wanted to resist, but her heart softened, and she let the little emperor have her way.
But perhaps it was just bad luck. Xiao Miyun’s hesitant, gentle movements prolonged the moment, and in the darkness, her elbow accidentally pressed against Su Mingxiu’s abdomen, cutting off her breath and triggering a cough.
The cough intensified, making Xiao Miyun, who had been lost in passion, stop and bite Su Mingxiu’s collarbone. “Are you doing this on purpose?”
Not coughing when teasing her, but coughing when being teased?
Su Mingxiu felt slightly wronged, chuckling softly. She pulled Xiao Miyun back down. After the coughing subsided, her voice still hoarse, she said, “Continue.”
Xiao Miyun was silent for a while. Just as Su Mingxiu’s patience was wearing thin, about to take the initiative, she felt movement under the covers.
The warm air in the palace was even warmer at night. The little emperor, not afraid of the cold, discarded the extra layers of clothing and reached for Su Mingxiu’s wrist. Touching the prayer beads, she asked in a muffled voice: “Why are you wearing them again?”
“It’s a gift from Your Majesty, I cherish it, so naturally, I wear it all the time.”
The little emperor’s heart warmed at her words, but touching Su Mingxiu’s fingertips, she found that her hand was still icy cold. The quilt was warm, even the prayer beads were warm, yet Su Mingxiu’s body was like ice.
It was only now that the little emperor truly understood how terrifying the cold poison within her was.
But without hesitation, she pulled Su Mingxiu’s wrist downwards. Until, after a long moment, sensing something strange, she reached out to touch it, only to have her wrist caught by Su Mingxiu, who pulled her closer. “Shh, be good, wait.”
She didn’t use her internal energy, afraid of chilling the little emperor.
But the touch under the covers had already revealed Xiao Miyun’s desires. Since she couldn’t satisfy them yet, she would… offer a temporary substitute.
Realizing what she was touching, the little emperor’s eyes widened. She struggled to break free from Su Mingxiu’s embrace. “You… you scoundrel! How can you desecrate the prayer beads?! Take them out—”
“Is it cold?” Su Mingxiu interrupted her with a smile, preventing her from struggling too much, yet also not giving her a chance to pull the beads away.
“Su Mingxiu!”
“Yes, I’m here. Do you like it?”
“No!”
“Is that so?”
Su Mingxiu pretended to help, her fingers reaching out, then touching the damp fabric beneath. She feigned surprise. “You dislike it so much? Crying so hard?”
“Let this minister wipe away your tears.” She took out a handkerchief and reached under the covers.
What tears?!
What nonsense!
Xiao Miyun was both embarrassed and angry, but she couldn’t resist Su Mingxiu’s strength. In the end, she could only let Su Mingxiu wipe her “tears.” But soon, she heard that hateful voice again, feigning concern: “Why are you crying even harder?”
“Ah!” Mortified, the little emperor buried her face in Su Mingxiu’s chest, not knowing how to explain herself. After a while, her body suddenly tensed, her lips parting slightly. Su Mingxiu, as if anticipating it, lowered her head and swallowed her moan.
Feeling the wetness on Xiao Miyun’s eyelids, she trailed kisses upwards and asked with a sigh: “I just stopped it, and now you’re crying again?”
Xiao Miyun bit her lip hard, her voice choked with a sob: “Hot.”
What kind of monsters were these martial artists?
Why were they either icy cold or burning hot?
Was there no normal temperature?
Wasn’t this deliberate torture?
Su Mingxiu let her bite, not even flinching, until she felt Xiao Miyun’s body trembling, her strength gone. She chuckled softly, her nose nuzzling against Xiao Miyun’s cheek. “So sensitive.”
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