Suzhen secretly smiled, though her words weren’t entirely false. Her waist was indeed aching and sore.

She leaned against Lian Yu’s embrace, enjoying his service while quietly observing his features. His hair, which she had disheveled earlier in her passion, now cascaded loose—three thousand strands of black silk, dark as ink, flowing over his shoulders. Combined with his clear sword-like brows and starry eyes, he looked devastatingly handsome.

Lian Yu glanced at her. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing, I just feel like I’m the one taking advantage of you.”

Lian Yu had been cold-faced, but upon hearing this, the corners of his mouth twitched. “Good that you know.”

Suzhen couldn’t help laughing, growing bolder as she reached out to touch his brows and eyes. The hands that had been massaging her waist so comfortably suddenly withdrew. Suzhen startled, watching as Lian Yu sat up, reached across her to grab his inner garments and pants from the other side of the bed.

Without a word, he stood up to put on his pants and outer robe. During this time, the room was quiet except for the faint crackling of the lamp flame on the table. Suzhen’s eyes widened, her heart pounding.

Earlier, when he had pressed her down tightly, she hadn’t been able to see his body clearly. Though she had accidentally glimpsed parts of him while serving his bath before, this was the full view. Even after Lian Yu walked to the door, her mind was still filled with images of his broad shoulders and narrow waist, his naked form, his lean and well-proportioned muscles, his long and firm calves. Her mouth went dry at the sight.

Clearly she was the one at a disadvantage, yet now she found herself lusting after him.

Lian Yu suddenly turned around, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Have you seen enough? Do I look good?”

Suzhen denied it flatly. “I wasn’t looking.”

Lian Yu stared at her for a moment, then walked out. Only then did Suzhen become anxious. “Where are you going?”

“It’s none of your concern.”

His indifferent words came as he closed the door behind him.

From her quick glance, the night outside was so thick it seemed impenetrable—probably around the third or fourth watch, still far from dawn. Suzhen hugged the bedding, feeling a trace of disappointment rise in her heart.

Where was he going?

She really missed the Lian Yu from after the palace banquet.

Did he still think everything she did tonight was impure? Did he still not trust her?

She sighed softly, then picked up her undergarments from beside the bed to put on. Her pants and outer skirt were torn, so she had to pick them up and put them down again.

The door creaked, and she quickly looked up. Lian Yu pushed the door open and entered, his dark hair unbound, carrying some items in his hands. He walked back to the bed and sat down, speaking coolly: “Extend your hands.”

Only then did Suzhen notice what he held—apparently a bottle of medicinal salve, scissors, and a roll of gauze.

Understanding immediately dawned in her heart, and her lips curved upward secretly as she obediently extended her hands.

His slender fingers worked carefully on her hands, occasionally looking up to scold: “You could have made them look even worse. What kind of young lady covers herself in scars like you do?”

His gaze carried a trace of severity. Suzhen was both happy about his concern and slightly hesitant. She tilted her head slightly. “Lian Yu, tonight… was this outfit very ugly?”

Li Zhaoting had said she wasn’t suitable.

Lian Yu remained silent. She waited until her heart felt slightly bitter, finally unable to resist looking up, only to see him gazing at her coolly. “For doing that sort of thing, I wouldn’t stoop to compromising myself.”

Suzhen’s heart felt as if someone had poured honey into it. She reached out to hug his neck, nuzzling lightly against it, but he seemed unwilling to touch her, pulling her down and completing the final bandaging. He turned to throw all the items onto the table in one motion, then said to her: “Move in a bit. I need to sleep. When Xuanwu and the others come looking, I still have to attend court at dawn.”

“What a diligent and people-loving good emperor.”

Suzhen snorted lightly, obediently moving inward to lie down properly, turning her back to him and ignoring him just as coldly, waiting for him to soften first.

After waiting for a long while, he lay down on his own. Far from embracing her, he didn’t even let his clothing touch hers. Suzhen was furious and turned to face him. There he was, lying flat on his back, hands elegantly folded on his abdomen, eyes closed in sleep, breathing evenly—he wasn’t even sharing the same blanket with her.

How could this person be like this! As if he hadn’t been the beast just moments ago.

Indeed, the road was long and arduous. Suzhen smiled bitterly and closed her eyes.

She had decided to be with him. She would definitely make him trust her, love her as he had before.

Li Zhaoting had endured all these years, so why should she fear these three years?

Though tired, she didn’t want to sleep. She threw off the covers and got up, reaching out to push him. “I’m hungry.”

He paid no attention, completely motionless, as if truly sound asleep.

Suzhen didn’t care whether he was truly or falsely asleep. When he didn’t respond to her call, she used her foot this time, kicking his foot. “I’m hungry, Lian Yu. Let’s go out for a late-night snack.”

Still no response.

But with her sharp eyes, she saw his brows furrow slightly.

So he was pretending to sleep. Her lips curved upward, but she also felt somewhat dejected—he’d rather pretend to sleep than pay attention to her.

Her eyes rolled, and she lowered her head to cover her eyes, remaining silent with a look of dejection.

In a moment, there was a soft rustling beside her, and a cold voice sounded above her head: “If you’re rude again, the agreement is cancelled.”

She moved her hands away to find he had indeed sat up, his long legs slightly bent, looking at her with some impatience.

Knowing she was only pretending now, he still got up. Her eyes curved slightly. “I’m really hungry. I didn’t eat dinner before coming out tonight. While waiting for you there, I only drank some wine and had no mood to eat.”

Lian Yu thought to himself, no wonder her mouth reeked of alcohol earlier.

He really didn’t want to deal with her, but her pair of snow-white tender legs rubbed against each other slightly, and beneath them on the bed sheet was a stain of white turbidity and crimson red. His lower abdomen suddenly tightened, his heart also constricted. After a moment, he still got out of bed, saying coldly: “Put your clothes on. I’ll have some food brought to you.”

Suzhen smiled inwardly, following his gaze downward, only to discover that her undergarment only reached her thighs, boldly exposing both legs. Her face flushed—he wouldn’t think she was trying to seduce him, would he? She quickly pulled the blanket over herself, while Lian Yu had already gone out.

When he returned, he brought a set of women’s clothing—from undergarments to outer skirts, everything was there. There was no wine or food in sight; presumably he had the waiter bring it over.

Suzhen stared at the clothes in his hands, her face reddening again, finding it strange. “Where did clothes come from in the middle of the night?”

“I asked the innkeeper’s wife for new clothes. Put them on.” He tossed the clothes to her.

Suzhen was surprised. “You went to find the innkeeper’s wife?”

In the middle of the night, he had knocked on the couple’s door. She could imagine the innkeeper and his wife’s dumbfounded expressions, but inwardly she was secretly pleased. However, though they had shared the most intimate physical contact, she wasn’t like him—she still didn’t dare change clothes in front of him. “Could you turn around? I—”

He interrupted her coldly. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t interested in watching to begin with.”

Even “I” came out, and saying this, he really did turn his back. Suzhen was so angry her seven orifices were smoking, but she quickly and efficiently put on the clothes in a few motions, wrapping herself up tightly, then asked fiercely: “No interest is best. Where’s the food?”

Lian Yu had already sat down at the table, slowly pouring himself a cup of tea. “The inn only has one waiter on night duty, but he can’t cook. The chef doesn’t live at the inn. The innkeeper’s wife usually helps with cooking, but she’s currently pregnant and will give birth in two months, so it’s not convenient for her to work. Go to sleep—it’ll be fine when dawn comes.”

He raised the cup to sip his tea, remaining motionless for a long time, apparently having no intention of returning to sleep.

Suzhen was stung by his increasingly cold and distant attitude. She walked up to him in a few steps and also sat down.

The tea was somewhat cold. After drinking a few sips, Lian Yu frowned and put it down, bending his fingers to tap lightly on the table, as if thinking about something, paying her no attention.

Suzhen took his cup and drank from it, smiling as she suggested: “Lian Yu, let’s go to the kitchen and make food ourselves.”

Lian Yu didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Not going.”

Suzhen exploded in anger, slapping the table as she stood up. “Fine, I’ll go myself. These hands aren’t even afraid of hot water, so a little cold water won’t matter.”

“I cut my hand, it hurts so much…”

A short while later, pitiful cries echoed from the inn’s kitchen. When the innkeeper was accompanying his six-months-pregnant wife, who had to visit the privy several times each night, past the back courtyard kitchen, they thought thieves had broken in.

“Old Shi—” The woman looked at her husband in terror. The innkeeper made a shushing gesture, thought for a moment, then whispered: “Probably not thieves. Have you ever seen thieves who steal from kitchens? And dare make such a ruckus!”

Supporting his wife, he tiptoed over, and the two pressed against the wall to peek through the window.

The scene inside was as follows: In the center were several tables grouped together as storage area, with the back area filled with melons, vegetables, rice, grain, and preserved meat. In front was a cutting board with kitchen knives, rolling pins and other tools nearby. To the left was empty space with several small vats containing fish and shrimp. Further forward was the large stove with several pots and all the necessary ladles and utensils.

A young woman had dragged a chair to sit at the table, occasionally calling out complaints, while a white-robed man silently washed rice and cut meat at the table.

“Wrong, wrong, that’s not how you cut it. Do you even know how? Look, you cut your hand, didn’t you? Does it hurt?”

Walking closer, the voices became clearer. The couple looked at each other again. The woman had a triumphant look, covering her mouth as she laughed and spoke, while the devastatingly handsome man—so handsome one couldn’t look directly at him—had furrowed brows, his robes splattered with stains, his hand cut by the knife, yet still patiently continued working.

She recognized this gentleman—the one who had come to borrow clothes from them in the middle of the night. Elegant and refined, cold and aloof, yet extremely polite.

The woman let out an “oh my” and cursed: “What sin is this?”

Ignoring her husband’s attempts to stop her, she went in. A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen—she couldn’t bear to see such a divine person doing such menial work. With her big belly, she appeared before the two, opening warmly: “Please rest, sir. Let this humble woman do it.”

Rolling up her sleeves, she was about to go wash vegetables and cut meat.

How could Suzhen let a pregnant woman do this? Startled, she jumped up from her chair to stop her, but Lian Yu was faster, his face showing the first smile of the night: “Please don’t trouble yourself, madam. My wife is just hungry in the middle of the night, so I came in to cook some rice for her. If I can’t even do this much, I’d be a poor excuse for a husband.”

The innkeeper secretly cursed his wife for being tactless and pulled her over. “Sir and madam are so loving. Let’s go back.”

“Yes,” the woman sighed helplessly, then glared hard at Suzhen before being helped out by her husband.

“I feel like I’ve seen that young lady somewhere before.”

As they walked, the innkeeper suddenly spoke, frequently looking back.

“Hmph, you find every young lady familiar. I think that gentleman looks familiar too. All these years I’ve lived, when have I ever enjoyed a meal you cooked? Starting tomorrow, you can cook for me too.” The woman grabbed his ear and scolded.

Innkeeper: “Ah?”

The two gradually moved away.

Suzhen smiled inwardly. She had stayed here before. The innkeeper was surnamed Shi, called Jianshang. But now Li Huaisu was quite famous, well-known throughout the capital. Having changed to women’s clothing, he naturally wouldn’t make the connection. The woman didn’t know that she actually felt sorry for Lian Yu too, but since he treated her with such an attitude, she could only use this to encourage things along. Of course, she hadn’t actually expected him to be willing to cook for her.

Originally she had planned to go back to sleep after making a fool of herself.

She secretly glanced at Lian Yu. He was still dealing with various things, but she had to praise him—intelligence really determined everything, as he was becoming more methodical.

She propped her chin to watch quietly, hoping all time would stop at this moment.

Half an incense stick’s time later, Lian Yu placed one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one soup before her. Suzhen’s eyes curved, but after taking one bite, she realized her mistake. Intelligence and cooking really weren’t proportional—or he was deliberately tormenting her. Seeing him find soap beans from some corner to wash his hands, she tried to sneak out with the food in her mouth, but just as she reached the door, someone grabbed her collar from behind. A sinister voice whispered in her ear: “If you dare not finish it all, I’ll tie you up and feed you bite by bite. No difference.”

Suzhen gritted her teeth. “The setup in novels isn’t like this—you’ve got it backwards.”

Lian Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. “Tell me, how should it be?”

Suzhen said: “When the female lead cooks terrible food and tastes it herself, she goes ‘bleh’ and spits it out, but the male lead enjoys eating it and says it’s very delicious. If it’s the male lead cooking, he’s usually naturally gifted and the food is truly delicious. Let’s do it over—I’ll do the cooking.”

Lian Yu: “No good.”

When Suzhen had “enjoyed” finishing all the food, Lian Yu finally showed his second smile of the night and carried her back.

Suzhen decided to temporarily give up on cultivating feelings with him and angrily went to sleep under the covers.

Lian Yu watched her by the bedside and blew out the lamp.

When the first trace of dawn light filtered through the window gauze, Suzhen turned over and embraced empty air. She sat up holding the blanket, drowsily rubbing her sore eyes.

Her voice alerted the person in the room, who came to the curtain and asked quietly: “Miss is awake?”

“Eunuch Ming?”

Only then did Suzhen realize the bed curtains had been lowered at some point, and a figure stood before the bed, blurry and unclear.

“Where is His Majesty?”

Suzhen’s face grew somewhat hot, and disappointment seeped into her heart again.

Ming Yanchu replied: “In response to Miss, His Majesty returned to the palace for morning court. Before leaving, he saw Miss sleeping soundly and ordered us servants to guard without disturbing her.”

Suzhen thought—couldn’t he skip morning court for one day? But she knew this thought was wrong; his diligence was a good thing. She heard Ming Yanchu ask: “Does Miss need someone to attend to her washing? His Majesty didn’t bring any female officials on this trip, so he left White Tiger behind. If needed, this servant will have her come up to serve.”

Suzhen found it amusing—this really was the treatment of an emperor’s woman. She wasn’t so precious, nor was she used to being served. However, she was still somewhat puzzled. Since Lian Yu had left White Tiger behind, why didn’t he have her come directly to relay messages? After all, though Ming Yanchu was a eunuch, it would be more convenient between women.

Ming Yanchu was astute and seemed to know what she was thinking, smiling as he explained: “White Tiger has a very stubborn temperament. It’s more proper for this servant to attend to Miss. But His Majesty also considered that Miss might need a woman’s care for inconvenience, so he still left her behind.”

He paused slightly, then said quietly: “This shows that Miss is also her master’s meaning. His Majesty’s intentions—I hope Miss understands.”

If Ming Yanchu hadn’t said this, Suzhen truly wouldn’t have thought of it. But White Tiger’s hostility toward her was something she clearly understood as a woman. She lowered her head slightly, and the bitter feeling in her heart gradually dissipated. Lian Yu…

She didn’t want to make things difficult for herself. She didn’t summon White Tiger, thanked Ming Yanchu, and had him go down first. After simply washing up, she saw dozens of dresses and matching jewelry neatly arranged on the table, all in the most fashionable styles worn by noble ladies in the capital. Her eyes couldn’t help but grow moist.

She knew that with his status, preparing these things wasn’t difficult. The difficult part was this thoughtfulness.

——

There will be more later.