Autumn passed, and the harsh winter arrived.
Ever since the Empress gave birth to her son, the Empress Dowager, who had been living in seclusion in the Qianfo Mountain, would return to the palace every year to celebrate the Spring Festival with the Emperor, Empress, and her grandchildren. However, this year, the Empress Dowager was unable to make the trip due to her poor health.
After the Emperor and Empress presided over all the Spring Festival events, they remembered the Empress Dowager who was alone on Qianfo Mountain, so they deliberately issued an imperial decree for a half-month holiday and took their children to visit.
The arrival of the children put the Empress Dowager in a good mood, and she seemed to have grown ten years younger. There was no sign of illness.
After settling down in the royal villa in Qianfo Mountain, and meeting Li zhaoyi, Consort Li, and the two princes, Meng Sangyu was about to collapse from exhaustion. She returned to her room, took a bath, and collapsed into bed.
When Emperor Zhouwu came in, she was sleeping soundly, her face flushed, her mouth slightly open, looking very tempting. Staring at her for a moment, the man lifted the quilt and wanted to sleep with her, but when he saw the clothes she was wearing, he froze immediately.
“Meng Sangyu, get up quickly and take off that outfit!” The man’s tone was somewhat depressed. Why did she have to wear a monk’s robe? It was fine for his old mother to wear one every day, but how could he bear it if his wife wore one too? Thinking of the nightmare that had often tormented him over the years, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
“No, the monk’s robe is simple in style and loose in size, more comfortable than wearing pajamas!” Meng Sangyu woke up in a daze, didn’t see the man’s face clearly, muttered and turned over, ready to continue sleeping.
“If you won’t take it off, I’ll help you!” Emperor Zhouwu gritted his teeth and reached out to undo her robe.
Meng Sangyu slept soundly, letting him do as he pleased. Her robe was pulled open, revealing half of her fair, round shoulder and full, perky breasts. Against the backdrop of the light blue monk’s robe, it presented a strange beauty that was half-sacred, half-demonic. Emperor Zhouwu’s pupils constricted, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
For a moment, he was reluctant to take off the monk’s robe, and instead untied the underpants inside the robe. The underpants were easily taken off, and the slender and straight jade legs were faintly discernible, which was a hundred times more tempting than the completely naked body lying horizontally! Among the holiness, there was a hint of obscenity. This was a brand-new experience. Emperor Zhouwu was fascinated, and there was a raging fire burning in his lower abdomen. (This is the charm of uniform temptation!)carpreads.pages.dev
He swallowed hard, lowered his head, and used his lips and tongue like a pilgrim to leave a trail of crimson marks on the woman’s shoulder and neck. Meng Sangyu gradually regained consciousness, her eyes still closed, but her pink lips parted slightly, letting out a series of high and low moans. Her raven hair cascaded down like a waterfall, her lips were as red as blood, and her face was full of charm, but she was wearing a monk’s robe, creating a contrasting and visually impactful image that made the man’s blood boil.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he stared at the picture for a long time, as if he wanted to engrave it in his mind. Today, he was determined to turn the nightmare that had been tormenting him into a wet dream! With that in mind, he couldn’t wait to unbutton his pants, pull out his already purpled monster, rub it twice at the woman’s wet hole, and penetrated all the way in.
Meng Sangyu groaned and immediately regained consciousness, but was quickly lost in another wave of passion.
“Sangyu, you are so beautiful!” The man exclaimed as he thrust, nibbling on the woman’s earlobe, his voice hoarse as he asked, “I love you, do you love me? Hmm?”
Meng Sangyu looked at him in a daze, not wanting to deceive him, but also not wanting to disappoint him, so she had to squeeze his strong waist hard, letting him enter deeper.
The man buried his face in her neck to hide the immense disappointment on his face, using even wilder possession to fill the bloody void in his heart. After thirteen years of effort, he still had nothing to show for it. How many thirteen years could a person have in their life? He closed his eyes to stop himself from thinking any further, because it would make him feel hopeless.
The Emperor and Empress did not leave their room until nightfall. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was too impatient to discipline them and had already taken her grandchildren down the mountain to enjoy themselves. Today was the Lantern Festival, and there was a grand lantern festival in the city that was well worth seeing.
“Let’s go find them and take a stroll through the lantern festival at the same time.” Sensing that the man was feeling a bit down, Meng Sangyu hooked her arm through his, trying to cheer him up.
“Hmm.” Emperor Zhouwu smiled slightly, beckoned Chang Gui to prepare the carriage, and subtly pulled out his arm.
Meng Sangyu was stunned. She watched the man’s solitary departing figure, and her heart ached faintly. She was very uncomfortable with the man’s indifference, which made her feel very uneasy.
In the carriage, the two sat opposite each other, silently, until they reached the brightly lit, bustling night market, when the situation improved slightly.
“Hold my hand, don’t get lost!” The man tightly grabbed the woman’s small hand, half-hugging her in his arms. Seeing the crowd squeezing over, he quickly reached out to block them, not letting them touch a single hair on the woman’s head.
Nestled in the man’s broad embrace, feeling his faint body temperature, Meng Sangyu’s restless heart finally calmed down. She quietly wrapped her arms around his waist, rubbed her cheek against his chest, and quickly pulled away.
Her movements were as graceful and adorable as a cat’s, revealing a deep affection. Emperor Zhouwu’s empty heart was instantly filled, and he chuckled with pleasure. Sangyu was not heartless towards him; she just didn’t say it! In that case, why should he stick to formalities?
The two of them returned to their original deep affection, holding hands as they lingered in front of various stalls, not in a hurry to find the Empress Dowager and the children.
Someone in the crowd fell down, causing several people to be implicated and fell over as well. A young woman wearing a white veil was pushed and fell straight into the two people.
Emperor Zhouwu hurriedly shielded Sangyu behind him. Chang Gui took a few steps forward, supported the young woman’s arm, and immediately let go after she steadied herself.
“Thank you both for your help.” The young woman bowed slightly, her slightly curved almond-shaped eyes were very charming.
The girl’s maid squeezed out of the crowd and also quickly bowed to express her thanks.
It was clearly Chang Gui who saved her, but she stubbornly insisted that it was her man! Meng Sangyu sized up the girl a few times without revealing her intentions, then smiled and waved her hand, saying, “It was nothing, not worth mentioning.”
“Let’s go, let’s go somewhere else to look.” She turned her face to look at her own man, and seeing that he was not moved by the young girl at all, she was very satisfied in her heart.
The two left together, leaving the girl behind. The girl’s eyes kept changing color, and she finally gritted her teeth and followed.
The two came to a lantern riddle stall. Meng Sangyu saw a very unique revolving lantern and tugged on Emperor Zhouwu’s sleeve, determined to have him show off his talent and win the lantern for her.
Emperor Zhouwu agreed wholeheartedly and handed the vendor two copper coins. He stepped forward and took the note.
“There are still sparse plum blossoms by the pond.” Meng Sangyu read the riddle to the man, one word at a time. This was not a difficult riddle; it was a piece of cake for the two of them.
Emperor Zhouwu smiled and was about to reveal the answer to the riddle when, unexpectedly, a clear female voice came from behind him, “It’s a crabapple blossom.”
The veiled girl handed two copper coins to the stall owner, stepped forward to take down the lantern, and handed it to Meng Sangyu, her almond-shaped eyes slightly curved as she said, “This lantern is a gift to you both, as a token of my gratitude.”
This lamp was something I had my eye on, so how could you take it and give it to me? Meng Sangyu laughed in anger and glared at the man before turning to the young woman and saying bluntly, “Second Miss Jin, I’ve already recognized you, so you don’t need to pretend anymore.”
Second Miss Jin was the younger sister of the Fourth Princess’s husband. Meng Sangyu had met her once and remembered her hostile gaze. The Fourth Princess had already married, but her hatred for her had not diminished. She was keen on finding all sorts of beautiful women to give to Emperor Zhouwu to share her favor, but she had never succeeded.
Second Miss Jin fell in love with Emperor Zhouwu at first sight on the day of her brother’s wedding. At this time when she reached fifteen years old, she received news from her sister-in-law and came to pursue him. She thought that both of them had only seen her once, and it was from a distance, so they must not recognize her. However, it turned out that she had already exposed herself. Seeing the emperor’s sinister gaze, her body trembled slightly, and she was about to kneel down and plead guilty.
“Leave! Go back and tell the Fourth Princess that if she dares to reveal my whereabouts again, I will punish her according to the law!” Emperor Zhouwu said coldly, tired of his daughter’s endless pestering. Chang Gui quickly grabbed her arm, preventing her from making any conspicuous moves.
Leaking the emperor’s whereabouts was a capital crime, and the entire Jin family, including the Fourth Princess, could not escape. Second Miss Jin’s face was pale, and she struggled to stand with the support of Chang Gui and the maidservant.
After sending Second Miss Jin away with two guards, Meng Sangyu pinched the man hard and said angrily, “I have to deal with these wild bees and butterflies all year round for you. It’s really a pain!”
Wild bees and butterflies? What kind of description was that? Emperor Zhouwu laughed and cried, and was about to reach out to pull his beloved wife into his arms to comfort her, but unexpectedly, there was a sudden riot in the crowded street. Someone’s lamp suddenly caught fire, igniting his robe, and he was so anxious that he ran around the street.
The surrounding crowd scattered to avoid being affected. The two were separated by a surge of people and quickly lost sight of each other. Meng Sangyu was petite and was practically swept along with the crowd. By the time she came to her senses, she was already on an unfamiliar street, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
Several men in black appeared silently beside her, pushing aside the crowd that was surging towards her, parting the crowd like Moses parting the sea. She knew that they were the secret guards that the man had sent to be by her side. As long as she stayed where she was, the man would always find her.
Her panicking heart gradually calmed down. She slowly walked down the riverbank and stood on the shore, watching the young women on the opposite bank release flower lanterns. Although they were only a dozen meters away, the myriad lights on the sparkling waves and the hustle and bustle of the market seemed far, far away. She opened her left hand in a daze. This hand should have been held in someone else’s palm. She should have been nestled in someone else’s arms, not standing here alone.
The river wind blew past, icy and piercing. She shivered and hugged herself tightly with both hands. At this moment, she realized how much she could not live without that person! He had long since become a part of her life!
The girl on the other side of the river was driven away by several men in black. To prevent archers from ambushing them from the surroundings, Meng Sangyu knew that the man was coming soon. She looked up, gazing intently at the riverbank, experiencing the feeling of eagerly looking forward to something for the first time.
Moments later, the man appeared in her field of vision, his robe in disarray, a few strands of hair escaping from his hair crown, his chest heaving violently, looking very disheveled.
Meng Sangyu had never seen such a man losing his composure, and she burst out laughing.
Seeing her bright smile, the man’s anxious face relaxed, and he quickly ran down the riverbank.
Meng Sangyu suddenly had a mischievous thought, rolled her hands into a tube, and shouted loudly, “Gu Shaozhe, I like you!”
It was unknown if it was the slippery steps on the riverbank or the woman’s declaration that was too shocking, but the man staggered and hurriedly grabbed the willow branches beside him so as not to fall into the river.
The secret guards who surrounded the riverbank hypnotized themselves in unison: I didn’t hear anything! I didn’t see anything!
Meng Sangyu laughed so hard that she fell backward and shouted again, “Gu Shaozhe, I like you!”
The man’s expression was fierce. He ran down the riverbank in a few steps, scooped the mischievous woman into his arms, and lowered his head to kiss her rosy lips with force. The kiss was too hasty, and their lips were bruised. A faint metallic taste spread in their mouths.
Meng Sangyu felt the man trembling all over. His bloodshot eyes were filled with confusion, excitement, and deep fear. He was afraid that this was another beautiful dream, and when he woke up, everything would be gone, just like every time before!
Her eyes darkened, and Meng Sangyu sighed inwardly, taking the initiative to put her arms around his neck, using a deeper, more gentle and lingering kiss to comfort his restless heart. Once the words were spoken, the emotions suppressed in her heart surged like a tide. Under the starry sky, amidst the river lanterns, the two embraced, their figures intertwined, indistinguishable from each other.
The secret guards had already turned away, not daring to look again. In the distance, colorful fireworks bloomed in the sky, reflecting the beautiful couple by the river, creating a breathtaking scene.