As Xie Qichi concluded his speech, an eerie silence fell over the teahouse.
The air seemed to have solidified. Every breath Qu Yue took felt like a heavy weight squeezing her lungs.
She had been kneeling on the ground for so long that her calves were aching and trembling.
Sweat, whether from exhaustion or fear, seeped through her back, sticking the coarse hemp mourning clothes to her delicate skin and rubbing it raw.
So, was he waiting for her to show her loyalty now?
Or was it Xie Qichi who was there in the mourning hall that night? Had he heard her boastful oath and was now going to execute her?
Qu Yue was on tenterhooks. She wanted to turn around quietly to sneak a peek at Xie Qichi's expression.
But as soon as she turned her head, she happened to meet his cold, black eyes.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Frightened, she quickly turned her head back and closed her eyes tightly.
Xie Qichi watched the trembling figure on the ground and then turned away, walking back to the desk and sitting down. "If you keep kneeling like this, I might misunderstand that your loyalty is to me."
His tone was not pleasant, even sarcastic.
It took Qu Yue a long time to process his words before she stammered a flattery. "My husband is loyal to the emperor, so naturally, I am also loyal to the emperor."
"Absolutely."
She propped herself up on her elbows and slowly straightened her upper body.
Her soft, sweet voice was like a gentle breeze wafting into Xie Qichi's ears.
He paused slightly as he dipped his brush in the ink. Without realizing it, the frown on his forehead relaxed a bit.
A great sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart, and he couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
There was a hint of excitement in that laugh.
The wolf - hair brush, saturated with ink, dripped some ink, splashing around the inkstone.
He stretched out his free hand and gently beckoned to Qu Yue.
"Be truly loyal to me."
"Come here."
Qu Yue stood still, stunned.
Was he calling her?
But there was only enough space for one chair on either side of the desk. There was no place for her to stand!
Moreover...
When it came to promises, the memories of the past flared up like fireworks, revealing the extraordinary connection between them.
It was like the crispy paper wrapping the mung - bean cake. With a gentle tear, the false flattery between them would be torn apart.
Qu Yue was unsure. She slowly straightened her body that was only half - upright and nervously scratched her ear.
The slightly hard scar on her ear reminded her that there used to be an earring hole there.
After enjoying the continuously dripping ink for a while, Xie Qichi looked up again and impatiently asked,
"Aren't you coming?"
Qu Yue shivered in fear. She didn't dare to hesitate any longer and quickly scrambled towards the desk.
But she really couldn't figure out what Xie Qichi was thinking. So she stood straight in front of the desk with her hands sticking to her sides.
Xie Qichi felt a shadow fall over him. He looked up and saw Qu Yue trying hard to look calm despite her panic.
Her beautiful eyes were wide open, just like a cat on high alert.
She was small in stature but still tried not to be bullied.
Xie Qichi let out a soft laugh. "Are you here to serve in the army?"
"Come beside me."
Qu Yue looked left and right. There were potted plants on both sides of the desk. Where could she stand?
After some consideration, she chose the left side.
Only then did Qu Yue see clearly what he had written.
On the smooth rice paper, the freshly written ink was still glistening with moisture. The wild and unruly font showed the writer's flamboyance.
She read out the words on the paper. "A Promise?"
Xie Qichi hummed in response.
Although he was sitting, his aura was overwhelming. The kingly presence emanating from him was intimidating.
Qu Yue was in a complete mess. After reading those three words, her mouth went dry.
Her beautiful eyes were trembling uncontrollably, and the tears welling up in them were so pitiful. Her lips, pale from panic, still retained a hint of softness.
Her legs were so weak, whether from being numb from kneeling or from fear.
Seeing her fear, Xie Qichi happily put down his brush.
He slowly looked up, his eyes flickering with a strange flame. "What are you thinking about, Yuanyuan?"
He pushed his chair back and suddenly approached Qu Yue.
The creaking sound of the chair legs rubbing against the ground was just like the torn crispy paper.
Was it finally coming...
Qu Yue's face turned deathly pale. She subconsciously took a step back, and her rapid breathing echoed in the quiet air.
Xie Qichi was tall. The shadow he cast brought a great sense of oppression. On his overly fair face, there was only a faint look of numbness.
The stifling atmosphere was almost suffocating Qu Yue.
In this cramped environment, she was like a prey trapped by a python.
The moment her back hit the potted plant, her heart skipped a beat, and she let out a weak cry.
"I... I don't know what the emperor is talking about."
Xie Qichi's cold fingers touched Qu Yue's face again. "Do you really not know, or are you just pretending not to know?"
He seemed to have a great fondness for her skin.
He just couldn't get enough of it.
Xie Qichi's approach made Qu Yue feel like she was entangled by vines. In order to create some space between them, she had to stand on tiptoe.
The tip of the plant in the potted plant was poking the back of her head. Qu Yue was almost crying from fear. "I... I really forgot."
"Then let me help you remember?"
Xie Qichi got close to Qu Yue's earlobe, which was round and plump, like a soft sweet cake.
Qu Yue's long eyelashes were trembling violently. The cool breath he exhaled froze half of her body.
She didn't dare to answer.
If she was just nervous when she came to the teahouse earlier, now she was terrified.
Only she knew that the once - powerful Emperor Chenji had been a poor little boy cornered and forced to eat leftovers when he was young.
She had once promised this poor little boy that she would always be by his side.
But she had been forced to break that promise.
Xie Qichi shook Qu Yue's head. "Why aren't you talking?"
She tightened her palms suddenly, and the pain from the wound made itself felt again. Even when she said something tough, her voice was still so soft. "Your Majesty, I hope you won't take the words of my youth to heart."
"Not take it to heart?"
Xie Qichi's lowered voice was bone - chillingly cold. His suddenly raised voice was like a heavy hammer hitting Qu Yue's heart hard.
Qu Yue nodded as if she was ready to face death. "Yes, forget about that experience."
She could feel the hand that was holding her slowly moving down and gripping her neck.
The cold fingers gradually tightened, cutting off her breathing.
The lack of oxygen made her vision blur with water mist. The tears wet her long eyelashes and slowly trickled down her beautiful peach - blossom eyes, dropping onto Xie Qichi's hand.
It was like a drop of water splashing into magma, instantly causing a boiling reaction.
His eyes were fixed on her overly beautiful face, which was so delicate and vulnerable but also extremely charming.
Xie Qichi's breathing became rapid. The strength in his hand that had been tightening was gradually loosened again and again, and finally, he let her go completely.
As soon as Qu Yue got a breath of fresh air, she started coughing violently. "Cough, cough, cough..."
Xie Qichi's face was ugly, and his jaw was tightly clenched.
The hand that had pinched her kept closing into a fist. He coldly spat out a few words. "Am I really not as good as Mu Yuan to you?"
Qu Yue coughed violently. She was both scared and annoyed.
The emperor really cared that she knew about that experience. Forgetting wasn't enough. He even wanted to kill her to silence her!
It was better for her to stay away from him.
Considering that he had called her here to test her loyalty to Mu Yuan, Qu Yue answered softly with red and swollen eye sockets.
"The husband is the husband, and the emperor is the emperor. You are different."