Chapter 19: Shock and Doubt.

Third Brother was actually acquainted with Lu Yunjian…

They were chatting and laughing.

A Wu couldn’t believe it!

She had followed Nie San to escape from Lu Yunjian, but Nie San proved unreliable. 

In her desperation, she stumbled into the arms of this so-called Third Brother, thinking she had found a lifeline.

Little did she know, she had never really left the wolf’s den!

Or perhaps, this Third Brother was actually in cahoots with Lu Yunjian, maybe even sent by him?

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. 

After all, Third Brother’s appearance was too coincidental. 

He must have been colluding with Lu Yunjian all along!

Was this all a ploy to deceive her and take advantage of her?

A Wu recalled the events of last night, how Third Brother had been so brazen, and how she had endured it, all in the hope that he would protect her. 

But if he was one of Lu Yunjian’s men, then…

She felt like dying! 

How could they deceive her like this?

What should she do? 

Should she run away?

Yes, run, run… Amidst the chaos in her mind, she seized on this thought and was about to bolt.

But just then, someone blocked her path and whispered, “Fifth Lady?”

A Wu turned to see Futai, his shrewd eyes looking at her with a smile.

She shuddered, suddenly realizing that escape was impossible.

The people around Third Brother were no ordinary folk. 

Where could she even run?

If Lu Yunjian and Third Brother were in league, then they must have laid a trap for her. 

There was no way out!

But… Third Brother’s dignified demeanor, how could he possibly be taking orders from Lu Yunjian? 

It was impossible.

At that moment, Emperor Jingxi, seated in the pavilion, raised his eyes and cast a calm but authoritative gaze on A Wu.

The look was light but commanding, and A Wu, already anxious, felt her heart skip a beat. 

Her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed. 

Lu Yunjian also sensed something amiss and instinctively turned to look.

But Emperor Jingxi spoke first: 

“Yunjian, you’ve been working hard these past few years dealing with the pirates.”

The Emperor suddenly bringing up this topic made Lu Yunjian refocus. 

“Your Majesty, it is my duty. I dare not say it’s been hard work.”

In this dynasty, how one addressed the Emperor depended on one’s status. 

Court eunuchs and palace maids usually addressed him as 

“Long Live the Emperor” or “Your Majesty,” while court officials referred to him as “Your Majesty” in formal settings. 

Those close to the Emperor would address him as “Emperor” in private.

Lu Yunjian and Emperor Jingxi had known each other since childhood and were related by marriage, so their interactions were naturally more casual.

Emperor Jingxi: 

“Last month, the Empress mentioned that you are nearing thirty and still have no one in your household. It’s not proper. You should consider taking a wife.”

He smiled gently: 

“But I wonder, which lady has caught your eye?”

Lu Yunjian would turn thirty next year, three years younger than the Emperor. 

They had been companions in the palace since their youth and were now related by marriage, so they were naturally close.

Hearing the Emperor’s words, Lu Yunjian knew there was an intention to arrange a marriage. 

He quickly replied, 

“Your Majesty, I lost my wife early in life and have no intention of remarrying. Besides, I already have a child in my household, who serves as my comfort.”

Emperor Jingxi looked up and gave Lu Yunjian a deep, meaningful glance.

Lu Yunjian felt a chill run down his spine as the autumn mountain breeze blew.

Emperor Jingxi smiled: 

“Yunjian, your reluctance to remarry shows your deep affection for your late wife. I won’t force you then.”

He then casually asked, 

“How is Guanglan doing?”

Lu Guanglan was the young son in Lu Yunjian’s household. 

Though he was a child of a concubine, Lu Yunjian cherished him as his only heir.

Lu Yunjian: 

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s blessings, he is now six months old and can sit steadily.”

Emperor Jingxi nodded: 

“Very good. Bring him over one day; I’d like to see him.”

Mentioning his young son, Lu Yunjian smiled warmly: 

“I will have him kowtow to His Majesty the Emperor one day.”

As the two men chatted casually, A Wu, under Futai’s cover, stumbled back to her room.

Futai saw her face pale as paper, like a petal drained of moisture, and even as a eunuch, he couldn’t help but feel pity.

He asked with concern, 

“Fifth Lady, what’s wrong?”

A Wu raised her hand, covering her face with her sleeve.

She felt a deep sorrow and desolation, realizing that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape Lu Yunjian’s grasp. 

Overwhelmed by these emotions, her frail body trembled uncontrollably.

When Futai asked, she could only say, 

“I saw Third Brother talking with a guest and was curious, so I looked over. But Third Brother seemed annoyed and glanced at me. I don’t know why, but I felt frightened.”

Futai sighed, 

“Fifth Lady, you don’t know our Third Young Master’s temper. In the past, someone like you would have lost their head a hundred times over!”

A Wu, already distressed, felt even more uncertain after hearing Futai’s words: 

“Third Brother doesn’t seem like someone with a good temper.”

Futai stomped his foot: 

“Fifth Lady, you can’t just say things like that. Our Third Young Master’s affairs are not something ordinary people can discuss. You should be careful.”

A Wu absentmindedly replied, 

“Is that so?”

Futai looked around and, seeing no one, lowered his voice: 

“Fifth Lady, I warned you not to disturb the Third Young Master, but you didn’t listen and insisted on approaching him. Now look-“

He gave A Wu a helpless look: 

“Now you’ve caused trouble. In the future, you should listen to what I say.”

A Wu thought to herself that if she hadn’t gone to see, she would still be in the dark. 

So from now on, she definitely won’t listen to Futai. 

Futai, seeing A Wu’s indifference, said, 

“Fifth Lady, isn’t that right? We who serve the Third Young Master always have his best interests at heart. Since he favors you, we naturally want what’s best for you.”

A Wu didn’t want to hear Futai’s ramblings and wished he would leave so she could have some peace.

But considering the Third Young Master’s status, she decided to probe further: 

“Yes, of course, I’ll listen to you. But who was that guest Third Brother met today? He seemed quite handsome and distinguished.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a voice said, 

“Oh, who is handsome and distinguished?”

Futai was terrified.

Such words, if heard by the Emperor, would be fatal!

A Wu was also stunned.

Indeed, when luck is against you, even drinking cold water gets stuck in your teeth.

She looked despairingly at Third Brother, who stood with his back to the light, hands behind his back, tall and imposing, exuding an overwhelming aura.

She stammered, 

“I didn’t say anything…”

Was it too late to take it back?

Emperor Jingxi walked into the room, signaling Futai to leave.

Futai, pale with fear, didn’t dare say a word. 

He held his breath, bowed, and retreated, exiting the room as quickly as possible.

Emperor Jingxi observed A Wu, who avoided his gaze, clearly guilty.

He raised his hand, his strong fingers gripping her chin, forcing her to look up.

A Wu was instantly drawn into those deep, unfathomable eyes.

The light brown pupils were wise and restrained, showing no emotion, yet they were intimidating.

At that moment, A Wu deeply realized that his status was extraordinary.

Futai’s words were not an exaggeration.

She felt increasingly anxious, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Emperor Jingxi leaned down slightly, his thin, sharp lips close to her cheek, and whispered, 

“Why are you so scared?”

The man’s low breath was close to her ear, and A Wu felt aggrieved: 

“Why are you so mean…”

The young lady, in the prime of her youth, had a soft, sweet voice, full of grievance, which was very endearing.

Such a girl would naturally evoke pity.

But Emperor Jingxi suppressed his tender feelings and said calmly, 

“What are you afraid of? Are you guilty?”

A Wu: “Why should I feel guilty?”

Emperor Jingxi’s expression turned dangerous: 

“Who were you calling handsome and distinguished?”

A Wu cautiously replied, 

“Of course, it’s Third Brother. Third Brother is handsome and distinguished.”

Her voice was sweet and flattering: 

“As for that guest, how could he compare to Third Brother? He’s not even worthy of carrying your shoes!”

Emperor Jingxi was slightly pleased.

He looked down at the girl before him, her clear eyes now glistening with tears, her long lashes fluttering.

It reminded him of a morning in his youth when he passed through the imperial garden during martial arts practice. 

In the mist, he saw a peony, graceful and radiant, with crystal-clear dewdrops trembling on its petals.

He did like this young woman, but deep down, there was a thorn in his heart.

The way she had looked at Lu Yunjian earlier had caused that thorn to stir.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at A Wu with a cold expression: 

“There’s a question you must answer truthfully.”

A Wu quickly replied, 

“Third Brother, please ask.”

Emperor Jingxi remained silent, watching her.

A Wu was puzzled: “Third Brother?”

Suddenly, Emperor Jingxi spoke: 

“The child you gave birth to, was it a boy or a girl?”

The question was like a sharp blade, piercing A Wu’s heart, leaving her mind blank.

Child? 

What child?

Had Lu Yunjian told him something?

Did Lu Yunjian know she was with Third Brother?

Had he told Third Brother about her past, that she had once been pregnant by Lu Yunjian and given birth to a stillborn child?

A Wu’s heart turned cold.

Lu Yunjian, was he determined to drive her to death?

Emperor Jingxi, seeing A Wu’s pale face, grew more suspicious and increasingly irritated.

He said coldly, “Speak.”

In her desperation, A Wu decided to take a gamble and gritted her teeth: 

“Of course not! Third Brother, I don’t know why you’re thinking this way, but it’s not true!”

After saying this, she knew better than anyone that she had to bury the past and never speak of it to anyone.

If she told this man the truth, he would surely kill her.

After all, the baby had been stillborn. 

She would deny it to the end!

Emperor Jingxi naturally didn’t believe her.

He raised his long hand, his cool fingertips brushing over her flat abdomen through the soft fabric.

Her body was too beautiful, flawless like white jade.

He wanted to possess her completely and could not accept that she had once belonged so deeply to someone else.

He was fastidious and would never accept leftovers!

In this complex emotion, he lifted his thin eyelids: 

“Really, nothing?”

A Wu keenly caught the sharpness in Emperor Jingxi’s eyes.

Did he want her life?

A Wu was filled with fear and doubt.

She couldn’t believe the kind of people she had gotten involved with!

Lu Yunjian, the Crown Prince, Nie San, and now this Third Brother-they were all dangerous!

She had no choice but to cry.

She bit her lip, tears streaming down her face, and shook her head: 

“No, nothing… I still want to find my parents… How could I have a child?”

Her words were sincere. 

She felt no attachment or regret for that child.

She had been too young to understand motherhood, and the whole incident had brought her much trouble. 

When the baby was born dead, she hadn’t even seen it, let alone felt any affection. 

To her, it was just an illness.

Emperor Jingxi watched her coldly.

She cried incessantly, her soft hair damp and clinging to her jade-like cheeks, making her appear even more pitiful.

How could such a delicate and helpless girl have borne someone else’s child?

Emperor Jingxi stared at A Wu, his large hand slipping under her clothes, his fingers gliding over her slender waist.

Her waist was too soft, her skin tender. 

Even through the thin fabric, he could feel the silk-like smoothness and the trembling of a leaf in the wind, so fragile and pitiful.

This only deepened his pity, but intertwined with it was a strange, unfamiliar emotion.

He didn’t want this woman to belong to anyone else. 

He wanted to possess her completely, so she would only remember him!

This sudden, intense emotion was something he had never experienced before, causing his fingers to tremble.

He had always been rational and composed, whether in court or in the harem, firmly in control, allowing no one to overstep.

Not the Empress, the Crown Prince, or the Princess.

Because he was the Emperor of Dahui, his power and virtue extended over all, and he held the power of life and death over everyone.

But now, the tightly strung string that had been taut since he was three years old seemed about to snap. 

He could hear his blood rushing and his

heart pounding wildly.

He was filled with a primal urge to act on his desires.

At that moment, A Wu’s slender waist twisted slightly under his hand, her watery eyes looking at him innocently as she murmured, 

“Third Brother…”

The string in his heart snapped.

In that instant, he let go of all restraint.

With a powerful motion, he pulled the jade-like woman into his arms. 

In a frantic breath, he lifted the vibrant, fragrant woman like a beast seizing a tender prey and carried her to the bed.

A storm of pleasure surged through him, an intense satisfaction that he had never felt before.

The majestic Emperor, usually draped in the heavy, ornate dragon robes, now trembled uncontrollably. 

His deep, authoritative voice turned into

hoarse, labored breaths.

A man in his thirties had never experienced such intensity, and when the violent tremors subsided, his gaze was dazed, his expression slightly dull.

After a moment of stunned silence, he gave up resisting and buried his face in the soft, snow-white bosom.

It was fragrant, soft, and so comfortable that he never wanted to rise again.

Outside, the faint chirping of autumn cicadas stretched on.

Emperor Jingxi smiled: 

“Little lady, you shouldn’t have provoked me.”

A cold, fierce emotion flashed in his eyes, and then he said word by word, 

“If you dare deceive me, I will tear you to pieces and devour you bit by bit.”