Lian Yu quickly departed.

Watching Lian Yu’s retreating figure, Shuangcheng almost couldn’t resist chasing after him to ask once more: Why did you bring me into the palace?

Was it because of A Luo?

But she couldn’t—she had made an agreement with someone, and the time hadn’t come yet. She could do nothing.

She slowly slid into a chair, clenching her hands.

She then smiled gently. No matter what, her heart was very firm. She could endure, but would definitely not let anyone slaughter her at will.

The next evening, at a suburban estate.

In the room, Suzhen sat restlessly. Lian Yu would arrive soon.

She had told White Tiger she agreed to Lian Yu’s demands.

Even though she was still agonizing over what to do, she could only deal with this answer first.

If Lian Yu didn’t agree, she had no way to leave this place.

In one day and night, she had already surveyed the surroundings. Not to mention one White Tiger—she couldn’t defeat ten of her.

Dozens of guards outside the estate had fortified the walls like an iron barrel. She couldn’t escape even with wings.

She wanted to go outside the courtyard for fresh air. White Tiger, knowing her intentions, said: “Master Li, this estate is Ninth Master’s property, located in the extremely remote outskirts, precisely to be far from human noise for quiet rest. Not only are there master’s guards watching, but even without them, it would take you all day just to walk back to your residence on foot. Besides, you don’t know the way—even if we let you go, you couldn’t get out. Don’t attempt to escape.”

Hearing this, Suzhen laughed dryly.

White Tiger helped her walk around a bit.

This place was surrounded by connecting mountain ranges with green barriers. Vaguely visible in the distance was a waterfall like silver-white silk cascading down from the mountainside, water droplets splashing into a green pool.

It was extremely pleasing to the eye.

Nearby were unknown flowering trees clustered in pink clouds and mist, with clear, quiet fragrance.

But the more Suzhen looked, the more desperate she became. This place seemed to have no human habitation for miles around.

This waiting time suddenly passed in a flash.

Now, seeing half the night pass with Lian Yu still not arrived, and with her wounds already healing while she hadn’t closed her eyes for a full day and night due to this matter, she couldn’t resist fatigue. She told White Tiger at the door “Wake me when your master comes” and returned to the room, leaning against the bed to doze.

She desperately fought against sleep, her mind full of thoughts about how to plead with Lian Yu when he arrived. Half-asleep and half-awake, someone gently grasped her ankle. She woke with a start to see a white-robed man standing on the bed step, his face elegantly serene with a calm expression, one hand holding her foot, the other touching her embroidered shoe.

Seeing the man’s face clearly and what he was doing, she was even more surprised, her face flushing hot with unbearable shyness. This person was the Son of Heaven—how could he do such things?

For a moment, instead of the anxiety and panic of the past two days, she was replaced by confusion and blurted out: “Do you… do you often do these things for your consorts?”

The man on the bed step was undoubtedly Lian Yu.

“Naturally not.”

He looked at her flatly, but his voice carried a slight deepness.

Suzhen choked, wanting to slap herself—why mention exactly what shouldn’t be mentioned!

She quickly pulled back her foot: “No need to trouble Your Majesty, your subject will do it herself.”

“Don’t move. Is this how you sleep? Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?”

Lian Yu was not easily provoked. He spoke somewhat sternly, his eyes flashing with darkness. Suzhen was still rational and didn’t dare resist, fearing to anger him, so she could only stare at him as he acted.

Lian Yu quickly removed her shoes, then slowly removed her silk stockings.

When those warm, rough large palms completely wrapped around her small feet, Suzhen’s mind went “boom” with boiling blood. She struggled free and pulled both feet under the brocade quilt: “Your Majesty, your subject hasn’t said whether she agrees to your demands yet. What are you doing…”

Lian Yu looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes: “Oh, is there something I’m doing to you now?”

“I’m not a beast.” He smiled coldly.

“Naturally, naturally. Your Majesty has three thousand beauties in the rear palace—what beauties don’t you have? If anyone’s a beast, it’s your subject who’s the beast.”

Suzhen immediately smiled ingratiatingly.

Lian Yu’s lips twitched, but he couldn’t help himself and laughed with a “chi” sound.

Suzhen’s heart, which had been hanging like the high waterfall outside the courtyard, settled slightly. These past two days, remembering many things about their previous interactions, Lian Yu had actually been… extremely good to her.

When she asked for wild game, initially he acted as if he hadn’t heard. But after she begged several times, he would walk one or two hours daily into the deep forest to catch rabbits and deer, prepare them well, and roast them for her to eat. He had originally intended to leave but accompanied her until the jade flute was finished…

Now, if she pleaded properly, perhaps… perhaps there was room for negotiation.

At this moment, she saw Lian Yu glance at her and sit down somewhat lazily at the head of the bed, his eyes holding an unfathomable depth, also seeming to wait and see what she would say. She gritted her teeth and poured out everything she’d prepared like beans from a bamboo tube.

“Your Majesty, look—how about this: give me some time to fall in love with you, then we… Would you rather have a body like a dead fish, or true pleasure between fish and water?”

As Suzhen spoke, she felt like a female hero among women. Damn, these words were so difficult. But unexpectedly, she was immediately interrupted: “Enough. In the palace, I taste nothing but fish-and-water pleasure. Changing to a dead fish would be just right.”

Suzhen choked, a breath stuck in her throat as she coughed violently.

“Serves you right.”

Slightly mocking, laughing words, but behind them a hand patted her back gently.

Suzhen looked up at him intently, not knowing what to say. Feeling humiliated, wronged, and angry yet not daring to scold, she gritted her teeth, her chest rising and falling slightly. Just as her eyes were turning red with urgency, she heard Lian Yu say softly: “How about this—I’ll take a step back. But for me to agree, you must agree to one condition. Adding the case reversal, you owe me two conditions total. As you said, cultivate feelings. So condition one: when I cultivate feelings with you, you cannot refuse. Condition two: I’ll tell you when the time comes.”

Hearing this, Suzhen was stunned. She had prepared for tonight’s negotiations to fail and was planning to try killing him in bed, fighting to mutual destruction. She hadn’t expected him to actually agree.

She immediately nodded repeatedly without thinking, feeling she’d gotten an enormous bargain.

Clever all her life, confused for a moment—the type who helps count money after being sold perfectly described someone like Suzhen.