Qu Yue, who had thought she would have to kowtow and plead, was surprised when he agreed.
Just like that? He agreed?
Maybe he also thought he had gone too far just now.
Qu Yue's eyelids were so thin that the blood vessels were visible. She blinked nervously. "Then, thank you, Your Majesty."
She held her breath lightly and waited for Xie Qichi to get up.
But his extremely dark eyes were fixed on Qu Yue and didn't move away from her for a moment.
Their breaths intertwined, creating a rather charming atmosphere.
In fact, Xie Qichi was very good - looking.
His three - dimensional features, upturned eyebrows and eyes, the red mole on his left eye, the sharp jaw, and the almost transparent white skin all showed his superior looks.
No wonder the princesses would deliberately avoid his face when they bullied him when they were kids.
Qu Yue stared at him intently. Her heart was beating extremely fast, she didn't know if it was out of fear or shyness. Even the tips of her ears turned pink.
Xie Qichi's scrutiny was equally intense, as if he wanted to brand his own mark on her face.
Qu Yue felt like a prey targeted by a poisonous snake. Her limbs were cold. She didn't dare to think Xie Qichi was good - looking anymore. She quickly turned her head to avoid his gaze. "Your Majesty, it's about time. You can get up!"
Xie Qichi ignored her as if he hadn't heard.
Qu Yue felt uncomfortable. She wasn't missing any features compared to others. What was he staring at her for!
Outside, Mu Qing's concerned inquiry came again. "Your Majesty, has Qu Yue offended you?"
Urged by the two voices one after another, Xie Qichi finally responded.
He frowned slightly. "Tsk."
He was unhappy that his enjoyable time alone with her had been interrupted.
He got out of bed. "Let's go out."
Qu Yue kicked the edge of the bed and quickly got out of bed and left.
The fragrance the woman carried when she ran away wafted over Xie Qichi's face and penetrated into his heart and lungs.
His eyes darkened. He couldn't help but whisper softly, "Qu Yue."
There seemed to be a kind of magic about her.
Even though he hated her so much, once he got close to her, all he could think about was how to possess her.
He stroked his neck where Qu Yue had left a mark.
She also had his mark on her body.
But this obviously caused quite a bit of trouble for Qu Yue.
Mu Qing saw Qu Yue running out of the teahouse in a hurry and sternly stopped her.
Qu Yue stopped in her tracks. She lowered her head and turned around to salute Mu Qing. "Father."
"You're so unruly!" Mu Qing blew his beard and glared, scolding her dissatisfiedly. "What did the Emperor say to you?"
Qu Yue was still dazed. She honestly answered the question. "The Emperor asked me what I thought of the heir of the marquis."
Mu Qing's gaze fell on her face. The woman kept her head down meekly, but couldn't hide the redness on her fair skin. Her slightly upturned lips made Mu Qing swallow the harsh words in his mouth. "Anything else!"
Qu Yue quickly shook her head. Her long eyelashes fluttered like a flying butterfly. "No more!"
Stupid as she was, she still knew that the fact that the Emperor had grabbed her neck and made her sign a promise must not be known to others.
Mu Qing pointed his index finger at her as a warning. "Don't even think about lying to me!"
Qu Yue thought he had seen through her lie. She buried her head even lower. "I wouldn't dare."
Mu Qing originally wanted to let her go, but suddenly felt something was wrong. "Why do you keep your head down all the time?"
"..."
Caught off - guard, Qu Yue didn't know how to answer.
She stared at the bluestone bricks on the ground, and her vision became dizzy.
When Mu Qing saw her reaction, he immediately knew something was wrong.
"Lift your head up!"
Qu Yue trembled. She took a small step back and pursed her lips tightly.
He called her name, with an obvious tone of interrogation. "Qu Yue—"
Sweat of panic oozed from Qu Yue's back, but she still didn't lift her head.
Mu Qing hated it most when things got out of his control. Wrinkles piled up when he squinted his eyes. "I think you need a good beating!"
Suddenly, he raised his arm high and swung it towards her head.
Qu Yue quickly closed her eyes and subconsciously shrank back.
The expected pain didn't come.
She nervously opened a slit of her left eye. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure in black.
Then, a cold voice came to her ears. "It seems that the Marquis of Zhaoping is very interested in the conversation between me and the wife of the General of Zhenyuan."
It was Xie Qichi.
He had grabbed Mu Qing's hand before his slap landed.
Mu Qing's strength was blocked. He glared and turned his head, about to scold whoever had ruined his good deed. But he didn't expect to meet Xie Qichi's dark eyes.
Instantly, he felt a chill all over his body.
The pain in his pinched wrist brought him back to his senses. He quickly groaned and apologized. "Your Majesty, I wouldn't dare."
"I was just concerned about why my daughter - in - law kept her head down. You've wronged me!"
He bent over because of the pain and looked up obsequiously with a smile.
Xie Qichi didn't loosen his grip. "Marquis of Zhaoping, when did you learn such a trick of beating and scolding?"
Mu Qing's obsequious smile froze on his face. His loose eyelids twitched nervously. "I had no choice but to do this to manage my family."
"Heh."
Xie Qichi let go of his hand.
Mu Qing quickly rubbed his wrist bone to relieve the pain.
Xie Qichi took a step and left. The guards and attendants behind him walked past the two of them in an orderly manner.
Qu Yue listened to the gradually fading footsteps, feeling even more nervous.
Mu Qing had dared to beat and scold her when Xie Qichi was still in the teahouse. What if Xie Qichi wasn't around...
Darkness shrouded her future, and she couldn't see any light.
But the next second, all the footsteps stopped. Only Xie Qichi's faint inquiry came, mixed with the rustling sound of bamboo leaves.
"Aren't you coming?"
Qu Yue's eyes suddenly lit up. "I'm coming right away!"
Compared with Mu Qing, she naturally trusted Xie Qichi more.
Although both of them hated her to the core, she had an intuition that Xie Qichi wouldn't harm her.
The teahouse had been bustling because of Xie Qichi's arrival and became desolate after his departure.
Everyone went to the main hall.
Mu Qing bowed and followed behind Xie Qichi. There was a glint of cunning in his shrewd eyes.
Suddenly, he stopped.
"Your Majesty, I suddenly remembered that I left something in the teahouse. I'd like to go and get it."
Xie Qichi blinked his phoenix eyes slightly as a sign of consent.
Mu Qing immediately turned around and rushed towards the teahouse.
He walked excitedly, wishing he could teleport inside the teahouse!
He had really been scared out of his wits just now. Qu Yue's behavior just showed that something had happened between her and the Emperor!
As long as he found the evidence and reported it to his master, he would surely be rewarded!
In the quiet teahouse, the thin gauze fluttered gently, and the fragrance filled the air. Mu Qing searched carefully and finally stood in front of the writing desk!
On the inkstone, the cold ink reflected the light spots, indicating that someone had used it not long ago!
But when he scanned the rice paper, there were no traces left.
This could only mean that Xie Qichi had written something and taken it away!
Mu Qing picked up the writing brush and turned it cunningly. "Qu Yue..."
It's a pity for such a pretty face.
If she had nothing to do with the Emperor and didn't receive any rewards, maybe he could really give her some benefits.
Mu Qing made up his mind and planned to find an opportunity to question Qu Yue in detail.
But he didn't know that all his actions at this moment were being watched by someone outside the window.