The next day, just as dawn broke, Su Qianqian slowly opened her eyes.
Morning light streamed through the window, spilling over the beautiful face before her.
The pair of apricot eyes, no longer sharp and resolute as they were in the court, now held a hint of gentleness.
Her black hair was yet unbound, a few loose strands trailing down her cheeks, making her lips appear even more vibrant than the first blossoming begonia…
Luo Wuhen, seeing Su Qianqian awake, gently tucked the stray hair behind her ear, the corners of her eyes carrying a subtle, fleeting smile.
“Awake?”
“Uh, yes… awake…” Su Qianqian had been staring in a bit of a daze, only snapping back to reality when Luo Wuhen spoke.
“Did I fall asleep? What happened yesterday…” Su Qianqian was still somewhat groggy, trying to recall the events of last night.
But before she could remember, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Luo Wuhen sat up slightly, her face moving closer to Su Qianqian.
“What are you doing…?”
Luo Wuhen said nothing. She merely swept away a few stray strands by her ear, leaning down.
The elegant fragrance of her hair mingled with the morning light as it drifted over.
Then her lips softly touched Su Qianqian’s, gentle and supple, carrying a faint aftertaste of freshly brewed spring tea…
Su Qianqian was still frozen when Luo Wuhen’s fingertips lightly covered her eyelashes, the warmth brushing over her brow. That kiss trailed from the corner of her lips down to her jaw and neck…
Very soon, Luo Wuhen straightened up. Only then did Su Qianqian’s mind start working again. She touched her lips, her face flushing like morning clouds.
“What was that for, all of a sudden!” Su Qianqian glared indignantly at Luo Wuhen, who had already started getting dressed.
“Was it soft?” Instead of responding, Luo Wuhen asked another question.
“What?”
“Were your lips soft?”
“Ha—? They were pretty soft, but why did you do that all of a sudden?!”
“From now on, this will happen once every day. This was the first time, so I didn’t go deeper. Tomorrow, I’ll take it a step further, and after that, you’ll take the initiative…”
“Can you listen to me for once? Don’t just make decisions on your own! I haven’t agreed to anything! Once a day? And you still want to go further?!”
“What? Heh…” Luo Wuhen let out a light chuckle, leaning down once more and pressing Su Qianqian beneath her.
“This is what I mean…”
Luo Wuhen bent down again. Su Qianqian tried to push her away with both hands, but it was useless; soon, those soft lips were on hers again. Only this time, it wasn’t just lips touching lips…
“Mm…!” Su Qianqian’s eyes flew wide open as she felt something part her lips and teeth!
“Mm, mmm mmm—” At first Su Qianqian resisted fiercely, but it was useless, and before long the light faded from her eyes, her struggles weakening…
But soon, Luo Wuhen willingly stopped this “exchange” and slowly straightened up.
She took out a handkerchief, gently wiped her own lips, then wiped away the saliva from the corner of Su Qianqian’s mouth under her furious glare.
“Now you know what you’re supposed to do every day? If you don’t, I can demonstrate again.”
“I got it, I got it, no need for another demonstration! As the ruler of a nation, don’t you have anything better to do than flirt with me?”
“You’re my Heavenly Emperor, isn’t this perfectly normal? But you’re right, I should take care of state affairs. Feel free to wander around the Palace. Shun and Ying are at your disposal.”
With that, Luo Wuhen continued her preparations. Soon, she’d regained the dignified presence of an Emperor.
But before leaving, she went to Su Qianqian once more, lifted her bangs, and planted a kiss on her smooth forehead.
“Don’t wipe it off. If I come back and find the kiss mark gone, be prepared to await my favor in bed.” With those words, Luo Wuhen flicked her sleeve and left.
Su Qianqian summoned a Water Mirror, lifted her hair, and saw a bright red lip print on her forehead.
“What a twisted hobby, giving me a mark before leaving.” Su Qianqian complained helplessly, but there was nothing she could do. Once her hair was down, it was out of sight.
She had just finished dressing and was tying up her hair when there was a knock at the door.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
“Heavenly Emperor, we’ve brought your breakfast!” came Shun’s lively voice from outside.
“Come in, come in. I just needed to talk to you.”
Hearing Su Qianqian’s resigned voice, the two entered. Both were dressed as palace maids and carried several trays of breakfast.
“Eh? How did you two become palace maids? Did Luo Wuhen demote you for failing a task?”
“Hehe, we’re your personal maids now! I’m not sure if that counts as a demotion, but the pay is higher than before, and we don’t have to do dangerous jobs. All we have to do is take care of you. I like it!”
“Heavenly Emperor, please enjoy your breakfast—” The sisters set the food on the table and gave a respectful bow.
“Alright, alright, forget the formalities. Eat with me, and then show me around afterwards.”
“We wouldn’t dare, we can’t eat your food.”
“And if I order you to eat, or say I’m giving it to you?”
Shun and Ying exchanged a look. After giving their thanks, they relaxed and started eating.
Only when Su Qianqian saw them drop the formalities did she feel at ease, picking up a rice cake.
“I don’t get why you’re so polite with me. Even though you tied me up and almost got my chastity ruined, I’m not blaming you—”
“Heh, haha, thank you, Heavenly Emperor.” Shun could clearly sense Su Qianqian was still a little resentful.
After that came a quiet breakfast. Su Qianqian ate as she pondered her plans. She soon noticed Shun and Ying both staring at her forehead.
“What, curious?”
“Mm-hmm!” Shun and Ying nodded vigorously.
“Your Emperor did this, and I’m not allowed to wipe it off. What a twisted hobby, don’t you think?” Su Qianqian asked the sisters seriously.
“Ha, it’s… kind of nice looking.” Shun squeezed out a sentence awkwardly. This was a dangerous question—badmouthing Luo Wuhen behind her back was out of the question, and this sounded like playful complaining, which they dared not respond to. They still wanted to live, after all.
“Sigh… forget it. Of course you’re on her side. But Ying, fix your expression. Shun is one thing, but you’re out of character right now.”
“Sorry, Heavenly Emperor.” Ying quickly corrected her expression and bowed her head.
Su Qianqian propped her chin up, waved her hand helplessly, and finished her meal. Shun and Ying efficiently cleared the remaining dishes.
“Let’s go, show me around. Though I’m actually pretty familiar with this place…”
“Heavenly Emperor, please come with us. Where would you like to go?”
“Just want to have a look around…”
……
As she strolled through the vast Household, Su Qianqian found there were far more people than she’d expected.
Every now and then, palace maids passed by, bowing respectfully and greeting her as Heavenly Emperor.
If she didn’t reply, they’d look terrified. The first time, a maid greeted her and she, out of spite, didn’t respond—the girl fainted on the spot and only came to with great difficulty.
After that, Su Qianqian had to nod and acknowledge each greeting of “Heavenly Emperor” she received.
“Shun, Ying, were there always this many palace maids here?” Su Qianqian asked through gritted teeth.
“After you left, the Emperor increased repairs in the Household and recruited many more maids.” Ying replied calmly.
“Really…” Su Qianqian touched her chin, suspicious. She’d thought Luo Wuhen hired so many maids just to get her used to being called ‘Heavenly Emperor’. Had she misunderstood?
She didn’t notice Shun and Ying exchanging a secret glance behind her—Su Qianqian had guessed right. These maids were brought in after Luo Wuhen learned Su Qianqian’s identity.
Besides normal chores, Luo Wuhen’s strictest order to the maids was absolute respect for the future Heavenly Emperor.
If the Heavenly Emperor felt slighted, the offender would be harshly punished. That’s why those Su Qianqian ignored would be scared enough to faint.
“Heavenly Emperor!”
“Mm.”
“Heavenly Emperor, may you be well!”
“Mm.”
“Heavenly Emperor…”
“Mm, mm, mm-hmm…”
After walking for a while, Su Qianqian got used to all the greetings. Let them call her whatever they liked—just being called a few times wasn’t going to make her accept it for real, was it?
Soon, she reached the edge of the Household. Looking at the tall walls, she fell into deep thought:
“Do you think I could climb over these?”
“Heavenly Emperor, could you not tell us your plans? We really can’t respond to that!”
“True. Just show me the other boundaries, then.”
Watching Su Qianqian walk ahead as if plotting something, Shun couldn’t help but warn, “The whole Palace, including the Household, is covered by a Formation. With your current cultivation, it’s impossible to escape.”
“Is it so bad to stay here? The Emperor may be a bit forceful, but you can feel she truly loves you. Here you want for nothing, you’re loved—something we sisters could only dream of in this life…”
“But my sister and parents aren’t here. I have to find them.”
“You’re missing your family?”
“Who wouldn’t? I’m sure they miss me, too. Like if you two were separated, wouldn’t you miss each other?”
Seeing Su Qianqian’s forlorn figure, Shun and Ying sympathized, but they couldn’t help her escape. They simply didn’t have the power…
“Maybe you could ask the Emperor to bring your parents and sister here.”
“Heh, she doesn’t even dare let Lin Muxue find me. If she could, she’d probably keep me under control for life—how would she let me see my parents and sister from the Sword Sect?”
“……”
“Alright, let’s go. Even if it’s pointless, it’s better than doing nothing. You should know, if I hadn’t relented, you’d both be reunited in the Deity Realm right now. So, come help me out…”
……
After a busy day, on her way back, Su Qianqian used her divine sense to overhear several palace maids chatting…
“Did you see the Heavenly Emperor?”
“I did, I did. She’s so cute—I never thought the Emperor liked that type.”
“And did you see the kiss mark on the Heavenly Emperor’s forehead?”
“I did, I did! The Heavenly Emperor and the Emperor are so loving~”
Su Qianqian was speechless. Wandering around today, gossip about her was clearly inevitable.
“Heavenly Emperor, should we…” Ying made a throat-slitting gesture toward Su Qianqian.
“Hey, hey, don’t you dare. I’m not about to start killing people just because they gossip about me—watch this.”
Su Qianqian crept up on the group of chatting maids and coughed a few times as she drew close, making them spot her.
“Heavenly Emperor?!!”
The maids immediately dropped to their knees in terror. Did the Heavenly Emperor overhear their gossip just now?!
But Su Qianqian didn’t scare them any further. She just nodded and led Shun and Ying away to her chambers.
She didn’t need to look back to know the maids were behind her, gasping in fright—consider it their punishment for gossiping.
On the way, she came across a few more groups of gossiping maids. Su Qianqian made a game of sneaking up on them to give them a scare!
Behind her, the sisters both had the same thought in their hearts:
“The Heavenly Emperor is a little mischievous…”
……
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