Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“It is of the highest honor to pick firewood for the Empress herself, and even more to light the fire to cook the deer that will fill Her Grace’s stomach,” responded Zhangsun Wuji solemnly. “No matter what, picking is better than throwing away.”
‘Double meaning! Someone is playing with puns again, who was thrown away? Clearly, he was the one who threw me aside, alright? Why was the one complaining always him first? The pot calling the kettle black? Why did he always have to make me feel guilty of every little thing?’
Angered, Meng Fuyao put her hands on her hips and turned around. “I!” She announced loudly.
Zhangsun Wuji smiled as he watched her, his eyes slightly moist.
“—will go pick the firewood…”
Meng Fuyao got off her horse and hadn’t straightened herself when her vision went dark. In an instant, she had been swept into a warm embrace.
That person still carried the faint fragrance, but it seemed to have become stronger, carrying a faint snow or jade-like coolness, striking and noble, yet his embrace was hot like the spring sun.
Meng Fuyao sighed and held onto his shoulders, then turned to lean against him quietly, not saying a word.
She heard him say, “When will you learn to behave?”
Meng Fuyao retorted, “I’ve always known how to behave.”
Zhangsun Wuji chuckled exasperatedly and reached forward and leaned against her forehead, suddenly feeling that it felt artificial. He then pulled off her mask before leaning his own forehead against hers again contentedly.
With their foreheads pressed against one another, both of them could feel the soft smoothness of each others’ skin, silky-smooth and sliding right into their hearts. Their lashes brushed each others’ faces slightly, tickling them and making them want to laugh, yet neither of them wanted to ruin this quiet warmth. Both of them closed their eyes, unmoving, hearing the faint noise of breathing, and the trees rustling in the wintry wind. In the distance, Meng Fuyao could hear a search party looking for her, or perhaps even further in the distance, she heard the joyful cries of birds returning to their nests. The evening sun was a brilliant vermillion.
After a long time, Meng Fuyao pinched his shoulder and said bitterly, “What’s with this scrawny body, have you gotten thinner? Did your master starve you?”
“Would he simply starve me?” Zhangsun Wuji laughed lightly and continued, “He also made me kneel, beat me…”
“Seriously?” Meng Fuyao’s eyes widened in shock.
“I’m just kidding, you’re really getting dumber as you age.” Zhangsun Wuji brushed a finger over her lips and added, “Do I look like someone who would be asked to kneel?”
“That’s true.” Meng Fuyao let out a breath of relief and smiled. Honestly, this guy was way too good at lying, making her worry for nothing and forget how clever and talented he was. How would a master ever have the heart to lay a finger on their protege?
She glared at Zhangsun Wuji and snapped. “Liar! I curse you to only download files to 99%!”
Zhangsun Wuji smiled slightly. He did not ask what her strange sentence meant, but instead gently caressed her, tousling her naturally flyaway hair.
Meng Fuyao could only glare, feeling as if his expression felt rather strange, yet she couldn’t tell why he seemed rather moody. Suddenly, she felt something in her sleeve struggle, and she remembered the black-rabbit version, Lord Yuan Bao.
‘Damn…’ She couldn’t let Zhangsun Wuji see Lord Yuan Bao in this state!
‘It’s not virtuous to let the original owner see his pet being abused!’
Meng Fuyao stuffed Lord Yuan Bao in as deep as she could as Lord Yuan Bao screeched incessantly in her sleeve… “Eep eep! Eep eep! Eep, eep, eep, eep, eep, eep!”
Zhangsun Wuji suddenly said, “Let’s change a location.”
“Ah?”
Meng Fuyao hadn’t had the chance to react when Lord Yuan Bao sprung out of her pocket and clambered up to her neck. It turned around and smiled happily at Zhangsun Wuji.
Meng Fuyao broke out in a cold sweat as she touched her inner robe… A certain damned rodent had bitten a huge hole in it…
Lord Yuan Bao squatted on Meng Fuyao’s shoulder proudly and waved its paws flamboyantly in the air, its pose strikingly like Tarzan, its expression telling.
Zhangsun Wuji stared at his unrecognizable precious pet. After a moment, he finally said, “I never knew you were twins with a black pearl.”
Lord Yuan Bao collapsed into tears—this was the harshest criticism it had ever received in its life…
Meng Fuyao smiled sheepishly and offered the tear-stained pet with both hands. “Er… You told me not to show anyone its true abilities, so I disguised it…”
Zhangsun Wuji sighed. “You really did a great job at the disguise, it looks like it was born this way.”
Lord Yuan Bao looked around frantically for water… who said that it looked better black? Who said that its black fur was like a black pearl, it was the scoundrel burning firewood over that side. It naturally was supposed to be black; besides, black had its charm, a certain purity, and nobility, cold and alluring, mysterious, noble, charming, it really wanted to wash its body…
Meng Fuyao watched unapologetically as Lord Yuan Bao rushed off to wash itself. She glanced towards the foot of the mountain and remarked, “Those bunch of idiots still can’t locate me? Ah, how do I get down?”
Zhangsun Wuji glanced at her and sat down comfortably on the pile of leaves. “Why are you so urgent to go back? Is being an empress that addictive?”
“Only the dead will like it.” Meng Fuyao felt a sourness in her nose. “It’s the most boring plan alive.”
“I guess it’s fine to let you continue acting for now,” Zhangsun Wuji looked deep in thought as he added, “I feel rather sorry for Xuanyuan and the other concubines.”
Meng Fuyao snorted and lay on a pile of leaves, both hands forming a pillow under her head as she replied lazily, “They have so much time to play mind tricks, they might as well take the time to learn some life skills. I’m actually doing this for their own good.”
“It’s enough for you to poison one nation’s concubines.” Zhangsun Wuji searched around her carefully for a moment before selecting a leaf, then flicking it into the air skillfully. “I won’t give you the chance to poison anyone anymore.”
Meng Fuyao paused, suddenly understanding what he meant. Was he suggesting that, if she became his empress, there would be no one in the harem for her to poison?
Meng Fuyao thought for a while, deciding that this promise was too good to be true. It was better to pretend she hadn’t heard.
Zhangsun Wuji suddenly moved forward and lightly plucked off the pair of gold phoenix earrings dangling from her ears—as the Empress, it was imperative to wear earrings at all times. Hence, Meng Fuyao had pierced her own ears in the spirit of self-sacrifice. She would often remove other accessories or simply not wear them, but she was lazy to put on and remove her earrings all the time. And now, her earrings seemed to have annoyed a certain someone.
Meng Fuyao thought that Zhangsun Wuji would return her the earrings after removing them, yet who knew that with a flick of his finger, he flung the earrings into the air into some unknown, far away corner.
“What a pity! What a pity! That was ten years’ worth of food for regular folk!” she cried out, unable to save it.
Zhangsun Wuji raised his eyebrows and chuckled. “The Crown Prince’s handmade earrings are the only ones of true value,” he said lazily, turning around and grabbing her earlobe gently.
Meng Fuyao only felt his hands move, and something went through the hole in her ear. A soft, thin leaf was sticking through her ear, slightly itchy. She laughed and remarked, “What an ugly thing.”
Zhangsun Wuji opened his palm to reveal another small leaf “earring.” The soft, green blade had been rolled into a round shape with various intricate and beautiful patterns cut out. When the sun shone on it, the leaves reflected the light in all directions just like gold. It was the purest and most exquisite form of beauty.
The leaf “earring’s” elaborate and natural design clearly featured great workmanship and thought.
Meng Fuyao coughed slightly and thought, ‘Is this person in front of me really a person? He really exists to land blows on people’s confidence; why the hell is he able to make something this amazing out of a single leaf? He’s putting all the master jewelers to shame.’
It truly was worth an entire city, and in comparison, those golden phoenix earrings should really be thrown away…
Meng Fuyao stared at the entirely natural yet brilliant earring and felt slightly unwilling to put such a delicate thing on her ear. She reached out to remove it, but Zhangsun Wuji smiled and reached out to put on the other earring for her.
He leaned against Meng Fuyao’s right and put on the earring. Half of his body was on hers, his jet-black hair falling lightly on her cheek. Meng Fuyao breathed in the faint misty, snowy scent and felt something hot on her lips. After putting on the earrings for her, Zhangsun Wuji had turned around and pressed his lips on hers.
In that moment of heart-moving warmth, Meng Fuyao was stunned. Zhangsun Wuji smiled as he cupped her face and carefully appraised the earrings. “This is the most suitable color and design for you,” he said.
Meng Fuyao wrinkled her nose and smiled. “Narcissistic, short-tempered, even owns a country, yet refuses to send me jewels or gold.”
Zhangsun Wuji buried his head in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. “I give myself to you,” he murmured.
Meng Fuyao fell silent, thinking that after a few months, someone had increased their sweet-talking skills, and she could only relish in it, raising a hand to stroke his earlobe, her hand extremely gentle and sensual.
She ran the other hand through Zhangsun Wuji’s hair and sighed, saying, “How pitiful I am, lacking the love of friends or brethren, I’ve already sacrificed so much…”
Zhangsun Wuji chuckled and flipped her over. “Then let’s sacrifice you all the way!” he responded.
Meng Fuyao moved away hastily and snapped. “Scoundrel, I’ll defend against you till I die.”
