At this moment, a steady and powerful voice sounded forth; it was Pei Qianhao. “This Prince’s maidservant is not an object that can be passed around lightly. Even if this Prince wanted to give her away, the temperament of this Prince’s maidservant is different from other women. Should she be unwilling, it would be useless even if this Prince were to push her towards Nanzhao’s Emperor.” This time, he didn’t ask Su Xi-er if his words were right.
He was afraid that she would nod her head and tell him, “This servant wishes to serve the Emperor of Nanzhao.”I haven’t forgotten that this woman went to the repose palace of Nanzhao’s young emperor all alone last night!
We had just cleared that debt yesterday, and now she’s at it again. Could it be that she wants to sleep with me again tonight?
Hearing Pei Qianhao’s words, Ning Lianchen looked at Yun Ruofeng, his eyes filled with streaks of sarcasm. “Prince Hao is right. Regardless of their status, women are not objects. You can’t decide that they ‘belong’ to someone with a casual remark. Prince Yun, this Emperor has always taken your teachings to heart, but I cannot agree with what you have just said.”
Su Xi-er watched as Ning Lianchen took a clear and logical stance, as though he was giving Yun Ruofeng a lesson in morals and ethics. She felt elation in her heart as the corners of her lips raised slightly.
Just as Su Xi-er was feeling extremely pleased, a large hand reached out and yanked her into her seat. Pei Qianhao leaned towards her as though there was no one else around, and lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear. “Do you like Nanzhao’s young emperor very much?”
If she dares to say yes, I will immediately order someone to take her away!
Su Xi-er softly replied, “This servant is just doing it out of politeness, what has it got to do with liking him or not? This servant doesn’t like the Emperor of Nanzhao.”
Lianchen and I are siblings from the same father and mother. I have watched him grow up, and even if I like him, it would be the feelings of an elder sister towards a younger brother.
Pei Qianhao let out a snort. “You are not allowed to like him; you can only…” He abruptly paused, his expression changing as he realised what he wanted to say.
For the first time in his life, he felt that he was a little… shameless.
“Prince Hao, do you mean to say that I can only like you?”
Pei Qianhao didn’t expect that Su Xi-er would dispense with any formalities, directly exposing him.
He looked at her, but was unable to bring himself to say the word ‘yes’. He was used to being cold and aloof, having others obediently receive his orders. He had never been on the other end of things before.
In the eyes of Pei Qianhao, Su Xi-er had to obey him. Since I have taken a fancy to her, she has to do the same. That’s just how it works!
Su Xi-er softly continued, seeing that Pei Qianhao didn’t respond. “This servant will not like someone else. Moreover, Prince Hao treats this servant well. This servant likes this red dress very much.”
At the state banquet, only the Eldest Imperial Princess was allowed to wear a red dress. Pei Qianhao had given her a red dress, but nobody knew if it was deliberate.
“If you like it, wear it. When you were presenting the dance on the high stage last night, this Prince was thinking that you might look even better in red. After seeing your appearance today, this Prince can see that I was right.”
The corners of Su Xi-er’s lips raised into a smile. “Many thanks, Prince Hao.”
“Thanks? Gratitude is meaningless if it’s just lip service.” Pei Qianhao’s intonation rose as he raised an eyebrow. “Why not sleep with this Prince again, like last night?”
“Of course…” Su Xi-er smiled and then shook her head, “not.”
His arms had never left their place last night. Halfway through the evening, his hands had even begun to caress her in various places. Luckily, he didn’t do anything else, and just startled her before she fell asleep again.
“This Prince doesn’t care what you think. Today, you drank with the Emperor of Nanzhao without this Prince’s permission. That alone deserves a punishment, and your punishment this time is to sleep with this Prince.”
Strangely enough, Su Xi-er could tell that he really meant sleeping and nothing else that would be out of line.
“This servant likes to sleep alone, and doesn’t like to be pinned down or cuddled.” Su Xi-er confessed, her eyes shining bright.
“Fine, then this Prince shall be cuddled by you as we sleep; how about that?” He smiled and whispered before returning to an upright position.
