With one sentence from General An, the hall suddenly fell silent.

Shi Zhenlang quickly glanced at Di Yiqiu and said sternly, “General An, do not be presumptuous!”

General An clearly hadn’t expected Shi Zhenlang’s attitude to change so drastically. He quickly said, “Please rest assured, Jianzheng. This humble general has not yet married. If granted this beautiful woman, I will certainly treat her sincerely. Moreover, I swear that for the rest of my life I will never again…”

Before he finished speaking, the Jianzheng said with a low laugh, “Since General An’s intentions are sincere, then let’s call her in and ask her.”

The last four words, he spoke through gritted teeth.

Outside the hall, Huang Rang had only walked a few steps when palace servants caught up with her.

She had intended to go to the medical office to ask Qiu Shengbai about Di Yiqiu’s physical condition. The palace servant stopped her and said, “Miss, His Majesty and the Jianzheng order you to return quickly.”

“What for?” Huang Rang was baffled. The palace servant wouldn’t say more and only urged, “Miss, please hurry!”

Huang Rang had no choice but to follow him, returning to the hall. She saw that in the great hall, Emperor Shi Zhenlang’s eyes looked skyward, Di Yiqiu’s expression was sinister, and that handsome young general from earlier looked over at her. Their gazes touched and separated instantly. He seemed… somewhat shy.

Huang Rang frowned slightly. She came carefully to Di Yiqiu’s side. The Jianzheng gave a low laugh and said, “She’s here. General An might as well ask her own opinion.”

What opinion? Huang Rang was confused, but seeing Di Yiqiu smile ambiguously, she had an ominous premonition.

The General An before her slowly flushed red. With a bashful expression, he asked, “Miss… would you be willing to marry me as my wife?”

The expression on Huang Rang’s face froze. She quickly glanced at Di Yiqiu. After a long while, she began shaking her head like a rattle drum. General An said urgently, “Miss may not understand this humble one, but I fell in love with you at first sight and am willing to…”

“No need, no need, no need…” Huang Rang glanced at Di Yiqiu again. This was truly absurd. She quickly said, “I’m grateful for the General’s kind regard, but… this humble woman only wishes to serve the Jianzheng for life. In this life and this world, I have no other heart.”

Upon hearing this sentence, the Jianzheng finally gave a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and left the hall.

Huang Rang turned to look at Shi Zhenlang. Seeing him holding back laughter without speaking, she could only hurriedly take her leave and follow after.

“You…” She jogged to catch up and explained, “I didn’t do anything at all!”

“Didn’t do anything?” The Jianzheng spoke in a sarcastic, sour tone: “Miss Ah Ran can hook young General An’s soul without doing anything. If you did do something, I’m afraid General An wouldn’t have many bones left, would he?”

Huang Rang stopped in her tracks. The Jianzheng walked for a while, then noticed she wasn’t following and couldn’t help but turn back. Huang Rang also smiled ambiguously and said, “If the Jianzheng is going to speak like that, then I really must try it out. This General An has excellent looks—his bones must taste quite good too!”

Having said this, she huffed in anger and turned to walk away!

However, she hadn’t walked two steps when someone grabbed her wrist.

She turned her head to meet the Jianzheng’s sinister eyes directly.

Huang Rang said coldly, “What are you doing?”

Di Yiqiu didn’t answer. He merely gripped her wrist and pulled hard. Huang Rang’s entire body fell into his embrace.

“What are you doing?!” Huang Rang’s pink fist pounded on his back as she said urgently, “Someone will see!”

But the Jianzheng paid no heed. He lowered his head and kissed her.

Lips and teeth met. Huang Rang’s mind rang with a buzz. In the distance, guards on patrol approached, their footsteps very orderly as they came this way. Huang Rang tried to push him away at once, but Di Yiqiu’s arms were like a thousand pounds, completely immovable.

His breath puffed against her face, thread by thread of scorching heat. Huang Rang’s heart softened too. She said quietly, “You don’t need to force yourself. I know your body… actually, I don’t mind. As long as I can stay by your side, I don’t care about anything.”

Her cheeks bloomed like flowers, and her words were very sincere too.

The Jianzheng’s heart wavered. His voice hoarse, he asked, “Even if it’s this terrifying, you don’t mind?”

Beside them, a group of guards in neat armor passed by at an even pace. As for the commotion here, everyone kept their eyes straight ahead, pretending not to see.

Huang Rang still felt too embarrassed to speak sweet words in such a public place. She took Di Yiqiu’s hand and walked quickly for a few steps to arrive behind a decorative rock formation.

It was quiet and secluded here. Beside them was a cluster of green bamboo. Around them was only the murmur of flowing water. She shook her head and said, “Having experienced the storms of those dreams, I’ve come to see worldly desires clearly. The pleasures of the bedchamber and such—they’re all base interests.” She raised her head with tender affection and said, “So whatever you’ve injured or whatever you’re lacking, it doesn’t matter. That General An or whatever—even if his face is handsome and his vigor robust, how could he compare with you…”

Uh, under her consolation, waves of murderous intent rippled through the Jianzheng’s gaze.

“What has this venerable one injured?” He slowly drew closer to Huang Rang. Huang Rang involuntarily wanted to retreat—this was truly a deadly distance! Di Yiqiu enunciated each word, his tone sinister: “What is this venerable one lacking?”

Huang Rang wanted to retreat, but his arms circled her. Behind her was a green bamboo stalk—she had no way to retreat.

“I said, those things don’t matter…” Her voice grew smaller and smaller.

The Jianzheng was so angry he laughed. He swept Huang Rang up horizontally in his arms. Looking left and right, he saw a stone cave on the decorative rocks in the pond. His toes lightly touched down as he carried Huang Rang into the cave!

The daylight suddenly darkened. Huang Rang was a bit panicked: “What… what are you doing?”

The Jianzheng pushed her deeper into the stone cave, then began loosening his clothing: “This venerable one will let you see where I’m injured. Compared to your young General An, what am I lacking…”

By the end of his words, each word dripped with resentment!

Huang Rang was actually a bit afraid of the dark, but at this moment, seeing his murderous aura overflowing, she didn’t dare provoke him again.

Outside the stone cave, flower vines hung down, shadows dancing. Huang Rang was pressed against the corner by him. His kisses were like a violent storm, carrying a fierce flavor. Then Huang Rang was slightly stunned—he, he wasn’t lacking anything… This was still quite… functional!

At this moment, her fingertips touched his back, but she only felt a patch of icy, hard surface. Huang Rang carefully touched it, then clearly felt Di Yiqiu’s tension. He gripped her hands and pinned her firmly against the cave wall made of Taihu stones.

Borrowing the dim light, Huang Rang finally vaguely saw clearly that on Di Yiqiu’s body, a layer of jade-green serpent scales covered half his body. The serpent pattern on his forehead was bewitching, and his pupils gradually transformed into dark golden vertical pupils.

“Don’t look at me.” He covered Huang Rang’s eyes but found the motion inconvenient. He simply tore off a clothing tie and covered her eyes. Huang Rang’s vision was unclear. By her ears, she could only hear the progressively deepening sounds of water and his increasingly heavy breathing.

The constitution of a serpent made him difficult to satisfy. He forcefully sucked on her lips, and toward the extreme end, it was almost biting. Huang Rang moaned in pain, her entire body ignited by his scorching heat.

Outside, footsteps sounded—palace maids walking past the pond. Huang Rang was afraid someone would hear the sounds and tried hard to push and block, but ultimately her entire body was powerless, her hands weak and legs soft. Outside, a palace maid said quietly, “Young General An is truly heroic and extraordinary!”

This… Huang Rang’s delicate body stiffened slightly. The Jianzheng felt it. Then he responded with even more frenzied “heroism”!

Huang Rang’s entire body softened into spring water. By the pond, another palace maid said, “Then why don’t you petition His Majesty to grant you to him? That waist inside his armor… if you married him, you’d certainly enjoy endless blessings!”

“Naughty girl, what are you saying! Truly shameless…” The two giggled and jostled. Huang Rang was suffering beyond words.

You… two little slips of girls, where would you know what it means to enjoy blessings?

I’d like to tell you, except I can’t get up…

Also, in the future when you say such things, could you pay attention to the setting…

Huang Rang thoroughly “enjoyed blessings” once. The palace servants searched everywhere without success and found it very strange—the Jianzheng had clearly entered the palace but hadn’t left, yet he was nowhere to be found. Wouldn’t that be strange?

When Huang Rang woke again, she was already lying inside the painting.

She turned over and suddenly saw that she was sleeping on a wide, transparent white jade bed. She immediately sat up in alarm. Outside the curtains, Di Yiqiu’s voice sounded: “What’s wrong?”

Huang Rang hurriedly climbed up and pointed at this white jade bed: “Don’t tell me Shi Wenyu slept on this too?!”

The Jianzheng was in the middle of crafting some magical artifact. Hearing this, he said, “This was the longevity bed the palace prepared for him, originally meant to be placed in his mausoleum after his death. Later it wasn’t used. So I moved it here. He never slept on it.”

“Oh!” Only then did Huang Rang feel relieved and lay back down.

She turned over, her dark hair spreading across half the pillow: “What are you making?” Each word carried seduction, her voice full of satisfaction and shyness.

The Jianzheng didn’t turn his head: “This place still lacks a bronze mirror. Earlier when I was carrying you back, I saw a discarded bronze bell in the palace, so I brought it along.”

“You really… make full use of everything.” Huang Rang muttered as she jumped off the bed and hugged his neck from behind, pressing her face against his. The Jianzheng didn’t turn around: “Not sleeping anymore?”

Huang Rang bit his ear: “With you here, how can I sleep?”

So the Jianzheng put down the bronze object in his hands and wiped his hands clean. He said lightly, “Since you can’t sleep, then let’s go again.”

“Wha…” Huang Rang only said this one word before he swept her up horizontally and threw her onto the wide white jade bed!

Wait a moment! Huang Rang braced against his chest and said, “Even if I can’t sleep, we can still talk, right?”

The Jianzheng pulled off a clothing tie, still covering her eyes, then replied with two words: “No talking!”

Huang Rang lightly touched the smooth, even serpent scales on his body. For a moment, she truly couldn’t distinguish—Heaven above, is this my blessing or my karma?

Young General An has harmed me!

Of course, young General An didn’t fare well either. The very next day, the Jianzheng recruited him into the Si Tianjian.

Huang Rang was actually quite fond of beauty. Whether male or female, as long as they were good-looking, she couldn’t help but look a few more times. So over the past few days, she had intentionally or unintentionally made her way to the training grounds.

Young General An came from a military background. He often practiced shirtless. Hey, it was quite worth watching.

Huang Rang truly feasted her eyes for several days. However, young General An was studying under Baowu. He trained daily and was quickly tanned into a black charcoal head.

Thus, though Huang Rang had been calling him “young General An” just days before, before long, the address changed to “Old An”!

The Jianzheng observed coldly and snorted through his nose.