—

When Teng Shang went out of the tea house, he saw Xue Houyang standing at the side of the street holding his horse"s reigns.

Xue Houyang also saw him and called out, “Are you going home, or do you still want to have a walk?”

Xue Houyang purposefully waited here for Teng Shang, showing that he knew Teng Shang had gone for tea with Xue Yu. But he didn"t say anything, and Teng Shang didn"t comment of his knowing either.

Teng Shang said, “Would you like to have a walk with me?”

The two men walked along the market and continued along the small river. The sky was promising to send snow, the water surface was covered in a thin layer of ice.

The two men was silent the whole time, until Teng Shang opened with a laugh, “You don"t have to treat me so cautiously, or is it because I"ve saved you once? Well, you"ve saved me twice already.”

Xue Houyang opened his mouth to say something, but in the end he didn"t say it.

Teng Shang said, “You"re treating me like this makes me feel cautious, too. This way, I cannot repay your kindness because I"m not sure I"m allowed to say things openly. There are so many things I want to mention to you, but…”

Teng Shang paused. He stopped walking and turned towards the river before whispering, “Lord Marquis, be careful of Xue Yu.”

“What did he say to you?” Xue Houyang unconsciously stepped forward, wanting to hold Teng Shang"s arm, but then he took back his own hand.

Teng Shang smiled, “Xue Yu is not a simple man. But I don"t think I can do anything about him… I can only warn you, but I don"t know if Lord Marquis wants to listen.”

Xue Houyang said, “You can tell me.”

“Lord Marquis is favored by Xue w.a.n.g, but there is a saying that accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. If I"m not mistaken, His Majesty wants to take over Xue Yu"s military power. Wanting to seize other people"s troops usually means wanting to incorporate those troops into one"s own power. This is like Xue w.a.n.g"s signal… After dealing with Xue Yu, I"m afraid it won"t be long before it"s your turn.”

Teng Shang noticed Xue Houyang"s expression changed, and added, “I know you won"t like this, but thank you for listening anyway. I"m not saying this to create a rift between you and Xue w.a.n.g, it"s just a heartfelt concern.”

Xue Houyang thought for a moment, then unhurriedly said, “I understand… Other people might think Minister Shang is good at manipulating people"s mind, but Houyang will never forget Minister Shang"s kindness in saving my life that year.”

Teng Shang glanced at Xue Houyang and smiled, “Lord Marquis, you"re still thinking you"re owing me for saving you? You"ve already repaid it.”

Xue Houyang stared intently at Teng Shang"s smiling face, seemingly infatuated. Then his face heated up and he coughed, “That time… That time happened because of Houyang"s own fault, I"ll be happy if we won"t ever mention it again.”

Xue Houyang was a man used to live in battlefield, but when it came to talking about feelings, he was too honest and straightforward; very unlike Xue Junliang who had many wives and was an expert in flirting. This made Teng Shang inwardly snorted in amus.e.m.e.nt.

Teng Shang didn"t insist they discuss the matter further, instead said, “Let"s go back, it"s too cold outside.”

—

Jiao Shui was hugging Teng Yun"s ankles and crying miserably, “Empress, this is all Jiao Shui"s fault. Jiao Shui was threatened by Teng-fei into helping her to harm you… This servant cannot be forgiven!”

Teng Qianyi was so shocked she immediately stood, her whole body was shaking as she shouted, “You lowly servant, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Xue Junliang glanced at Teng Qianyi and scolded, “Impudent.”

Jiang Yu was quick to give order, “Push her down.”

Guards came forward and pushed Teng Qianyi back on the floor.

Jiao Shui continued as if not afraid of her own mistress, crying, “Empress, please spare this servant"s life, this servant was forced into doing the crime. Teng-fei had already had a few people killed to cover the crime, accusing them of stealing. If this servant hasn"t been serving Teng-fei for a long time, this servant would have already been dead, too… This servant cannot apologize enough even if this servant were to die, but this servant is willing to die to prove my innocence.”

Teng Yun who had been looking down at Jiao Shui, looked up towards Teng Qianyi; his hands were shaking. Although Teng Qianyi could never know that Teng Yun had been occupying the original Empress" body, but they were still blood-relatives. He could not believe Teng Qianyi had wanted to harm him.

True that, in the Imperial Harem, it was a common thing a wife used every dirty tricks available just to climb up to the highest position, because if she succeed she would receive the greatest favor from the king, and if she didn"t she would be ignored or even be banned to the Cold Palace.

But for Teng Yun, he might not be close with Teng Qianyi, but he still considered her a blood-relative; a family member in this Xue Country where he had no one he was familiar with.

Teng Yun felt his faith started to crumble. Teng Qianyi"s action only create one crack, but for so many years, all of his brothers had cheated and mistreated him; his father had been harboring suspicions and envy towards him. Every betrayal created a crack, and those cracks had become a big fracture.

And to think that the ones who treat him so badly were his own relatives; not his enemy, Xue Junliang…

Teng Yun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Instead of become calmer, his heart began to beat even more rapidly. Teng Qianyi"s action would be considered a huge offense, but the problem was; she wasn"t just implicating her own position as a consort, but also Teng Country where she came from. Based on what he knew of Xue Junliang"s cunning nature, he would definitely seize this incident as an excuse to destroy Teng Country.

Xue Junliang thought the Empress would be happy knowing she could get rid of one rival; at the very least, he thought she would be as calm and indifferent as always. But then he noticed the other person"s pale face and could not understand why she looked so.

For a time, no one said anything other than Jiao Shui"s cries. Not knowing what would be done about this case, Jiang Yu started to get anxious. In the end, he pulled up his courage and said, “Da w.a.n.g, it"s almost time. Isn"t it better to go first?”

Xue Junliang nodded, “Jiang Yu is right. For the time being, Teng Qianyi is not allowed to go anywhere. Gu will deal with you later. As for Jiao Shui… You"ve done good by confessing, Gu hasn"t had idea to whom you"ll be re-a.s.signed, so for now you"ll follow Gu.”

Jiao Shui"s eyes widened as she took a sharp breath. Pretending to shed one or two drops of pitiful tears, she kowtowed to thank Xue w.a.n.g.

The trip could not be delayed any longer. Marquis Zhenjiang, Xue Yu had arrived in the Palace and was waiting for Xue w.a.n.g and the Empress to be ready.

Xiu Yao supported her mistress and said, “Empress, what"s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Teng Yun shook his head. Xue Junliang had just climbed into his carriage but he heard Xiu Yao"s question. A servant was holding the curtain open, but Xue Junliang didn"t enter his carriage, instead he turned and said, “Empress can ride with Gu.”

n.o.body was surprised by Xue w.a.n.g"s order. After the human-shaped puppets incident, no one could doubt Her Majesty"s importance in Xue w.a.n.g"s eyes. She had already reached the level where Xue w.a.n.g would believe everything she said. Maybe even if the Empress did something wrong, His Majesty would turn a blind eye.

On the way, Teng Yun"s mind turned a thousand directions. He"d tried to escape and failed. The Imperial Harem was heavily guarded, it was impossible to run without being noticed. But now, Xue Junliang would definitely use this opportunity to hara.s.s Teng Country. Teng Yun"s heart was in a mess and he could only think of one idea. This idea was too stupid and might not be done easily.

He was thinking of murder…

Other people had no chance, but Teng Yun might, because Xue Junliang had let a lot of his guard down in order to appease the Empress. Even if Teng Yun could no longer use swords, he could still use sharp gold and silver jewelries. Teng Yun was well-trained in weapons and martial art, he knew how to take a person"s life with any means available.

But Xue Junliang"s cautiousness forced Teng Yun to think maybe this idea was too stupid.

He"d been Xue Junliang"s empress for too long now, he felt enough was enough. He was feeling like he"d been kept in a sealed cage and it was driving him crazy.

As the carriage swayed gently, Teng Yun recalled a lot of things. In his previous life, he"d been killed personally by Xue Junliang"s hands. Xue Junliang didn"t only owe Teng Yun a debt of one life, but also the life of every Teng Country soldiers who died in war.

Teng Yun thought this time he would be the one to collect payment from Xue Junliang. In battlefield, if someone killed another, then they should expect to be killed too; Xue Junliang killed Teng Yun, it was understandable if Teng Yun did the same to him.

Xue Junliang grabbed Teng Yun"s waist, “What are you thinking so seriously?” He said the question right in Teng Yun"s ear, startling him. Teng Yun immediately fought to calm himself.

Xue Junliang using Teng Qianyi"s case as an excuse to send troops to Teng Country, it was a sure thing to happen. If Teng Yun wanted to kill Xue Junliang, there was no other opportunity better than today. After the Ancestor Worship Ceremony, they would be camping outside for a night and then returning to the Imperial Palace the next day. Inside the Palace, the guards were strict and impa.s.sable, so Teng Yun could only do it this very evening.

When Teng Yun didn"t answer, Xue Junliang smiled and pinched the other person"s earlobe before saying, “Is Aifei feeling jealous?”

Being touched by a flirting expert like Xue Junliang, Teng Yun couldn"t help shuddering in disgust. But when he thought back how he was going to kill this man, it was necessary to act more pliant and docile. He needed Xue Junliang to put his guard down in front of him.

[T/N : Ooh, but I love flirty men. Just not my man, though. LOL.]

Xue Junliang found the person in his embrace was very welcoming; didn"t even push him away like usual. This made him so pleased.

“Why? You"re a little unusual today, are you really feeling jealous? Are you mad at me for taking Jiao Shui in?”

Xue Junliang"s lips was right next to Teng Yun"s ear; warm and moist breath blew in his ears with every word.

Teng Yun said nothing as he tried his best at acting obedience. Xue Junliang noted the other person"s ear had turned bright red and suddenly he felt a fire ignited in his heart. He reached out and pushed the other person onto the couch.

The couch was very soft. It wasn"t big enough for two people laying on it side by side, but enough if one person was lying on top of the other.

Pressing the other person on the couch, Xue Junliang"s hand gently caressed the other person"s cheek and then slid down to the neck.

Teng Yun wanted to dodge. In the end, he only closed his eyes and lips firmly.

Xue Junliang could feel the other person"s throat was slightly trembling with tension. This little movement echoed all the way to his heart, making it feel itchy.

Xue Junliang lowered his head and give the other person a chaste kiss on the lips. Teng Yun opened his eyes to look at Xue Junliang but didn"t push him away.

“What a strange day. You even changed your temper. Why is that? I took Jiao Shui in and you felt anxious?”

Teng Yun said nothing and just stared. Xue Junliang laughed, “Or are you willing to consummate with me now?”

Then he leaned down and kiss the other person again.

Teng Yun closed his eyes. At first, he also tightly shut his lips. Xue Junliang was still kissing him gently. Then, with his heart beating a drum in his chest, Teng Yun slowly unlocked his jaw and opened his lips.

Xue Junliang felt the other person"s lips opened and immediately deepened the kiss. He was still gentle, observing the other person"s reactions, as if he really wanted to impress. If the receiving party was the real Feng Country"s Grand Princess, she would have been deeply impressed by this pa.s.sionate king.

Teng Yun had never had a deep kiss with anyone. He was inexperienced and his posture was clumsy. Being teased by Xue Junliang like this, at first he could only feel disgust, but then his mind blanked, he couldn"t even think of anything. His two hands unconsciously clutched Xue Junliang"s sleeves.

Teng Yun felt numb and his body turned soft under Xue Junliang"s hands. Suddenly his waist felt cold; apparently Xue Junliang"s hand had been busy untangling Teng Yun"s belt and was now gently stroking along his waist.

In panic, Teng Yun gasped loudly.

Xue Junliang rose, his thumb wiping the silver thread no one of them had managed to swallow. Smiling, he said, “Aifei tastes so good… Unfortunately I cannot eat more of you, because then you will be uncomfortable for the rest of our journey.”

Teng Yun"s face was so red he could squeeze blood out of it, his chest was rising and falling rapidly, and his eyes were still staring at Xue Junliang.

Xue Junliang covered the other person"s eyes with his palm and laughed, “If you keep looking at me like that, I won"t be able to hold myself back… Let"s rest for a while, we were up quite early this morning.”

[T/N : Oh, thank G.o.d! I was not ready to translate x-rated scenes.]

He bowed down to kiss Teng Yun"s forehead and helped him rearranging his messy clothes.

Teng Yun turned to lie sideways facing the inner part of the couch; hands clenching tightly into fists. For the rest of the journey, he could not sleep. His mind was too preoccupied.

When they arrived at their destination, Xiu Yao helped Teng Yun to get off the carriage. When she"d made sure they were alone, she giggled, “Empress, you were too loud.”

“What?” Teng Yun could not understand.

Xiu Yao"s face had turned red and she smiled, “I mean, that. You and His Majesty"s love-making… Your voice was too loud, even I could hear it from outside the carriage. Fortunately I only heard once.”

Teng Yun"s own face turned bright red, then quickly turned pale white. Seeing the expression on his face, Xiu Yao didn"t dare to tease anymore. Xiu Yao had learned her mistress was sensitive to topics like this; she should not make such jokes.

Although Teng Yun was still as astute as always, Xue Junliang could feel the other person"s att.i.tude was more agreeable. As a king, Xue Junliang felt proud of himself. He was sure what had happened this morning had caused the Empress to realize her own situation. After all, which person didn"t want to monopolize the king"s favor? It was definitely the greatest honor one could have.

When Xue w.a.n.g and the Empress got off the carriage, the officials all had been waiting. The mausoleum"s stewards were also present and had stood by according to their official positions. When Xue Junliang stepped a foot away from the carriage, the officials all knelt and prayed Long Live the King.

Xue Junliang warmly said, “Xue Yu, you will walk next to Gu.”

Xue Yu"s head was still bowed. When he heard Xue Junliang"s instruction, he thanked Xue Junliang and walked at a respectful distance behind him.

Xue Yu was clever, how come he dared walking side by side with Xue Junliang. He knew Xue Junliang only said that just to let people think he was a friendly king.

They had walked for a few minutes when the snow started falling. The falling snow wasn"t very heavy but Jiang Yu tactfully ordered someone to fetch him a warm outer robe for Xue w.a.n.g.

Xue Junliang said, “It"s cold, give it to Marquis Zhenjiang instead.”

Xue Yu thanked him. Xue Junliang said, “Is it often snowing in the north?”

“Answering to Your Majesty, the snow had already started to fall a few days before Chen-di left for the capital city.”

Xue Junliang idly asked, “When it"s snowing, the road would be covered in it, hindering the distribution of supplies. Do you have enough provisions in your region?”

“The distribution of provisions has been very timely.”

“That"s great. You are Gu‘s brother, Gu has always been worrying about you, cannot bear thinking what if you and your army have no food and are starved. Gu knows you don"t like to ask anything from anyone, but if you have any needs or difficulties, you must immediately talk to Gu, or at least talk to Houyang. You are the only brothers Gu has left.”

[T/N : Yeah, they"re the only brothers you have left, and why is that?]

He turned to Xue Houyang and inquired, “Is that alright?”

Suddenly being called, Xue Houyang respectfully bowed, “Yes, will do as Your Majesty ordered.”

When he heard Xue Houyang"s reply, Xue Junliang smiled gratefully. Then he turned to Xue Yu and said, “You see, this is where you"re different than Houyang.”

Xue Yu couldn"t comprehend why Xue Junliang suddenly said that. Xue Junliang continued, “You are Gu‘s younger brother, but you"re also a Marquis Zhenjiang. You hold the northern border in your hands. You might be too far away for Gu to count on you…”

Before Xue Junliang finished speaking, Xue Yu had already knelt and said, “Chen-di doesn"t dare. Chen-di truly will do anything.”

Xue Junliang looked surprised, “Oh? Why are you kneeling? Gu only said ‘might", it was just a theory and not the truth. Quick, get up.”

Xue Yu said thanks but inwardly he was aggravated. He reckoned Xue Junliang was deliberately putting him in a difficult situation but he couldn"t complain.

Xue Junliang slowly added, “You act like we"re strangers. What was Gu talking about just now?”

He looked around but no one dared to speak, they could not figure out which mood Xue w.a.n.g was in. Teng Yun swallowed a laugh then prompted, “Your Majesty, you were talking about ‘being too far away".”

“Oh,” Xue Junliang nodded, “You are a marquis, but there are many officials whose power seems stronger and grander than yours, such as those low-ranking county magistrates who like to show off. You drove from a very far-away place bringing ten thousand soldiers. That is improper.”

He laughed coldly, “Were you afraid Gu will detain your soldiers and take away your power?”

—