As she spoke, she froze. Before her, Lian Yu wore only an inner garment and simple pants, with ordinary black boots on his feet.

Stripped of his outer robes, he remained handsome and elegant.

His lips curved upward in a half-smile as he examined every expression on her face. Suzhen’s heart beat somewhat heavily. Well, even though she liked Zhaoting in her heart, everyone had an appreciation for superior goods.

She felt somewhat uncomfortable and lowered her head slightly. Lian Yu keenly noticed this, slowly sat down, and said: “Remove my boots.”

Suzhen was startled, remembering what he had done to her earlier. Her mouth felt somewhat dry as she instinctively stepped back: “I can’t.”

“Why can’t you?”

Lian Yu’s voice carried slight hoarseness: “I’ll simply have my subordinates make a trip back to say morning court is canceled today.”

Suzhen knew he was provoking her, but had no choice. Grinding her teeth, she crouched down to remove his boots.

The man’s legs and feet were somewhat heavy. She struggled to lift them and remove his boots.

She also took off his socks. His feet were much larger than hers, well-shaped, pale and clean.

She suddenly thought: if the person before her were Zhaoting, that would be good…

Her face slightly burned, but before she could think much longer, Lian Yu suddenly rubbed his foot lightly against her palm. Suzhen was caught off guard, cried out in alarm, and fell backward. Lian Yu quickly caught her, one hand supporting her back as he pulled her toward himself. Suzhen looked up, her gaze tangling with his slightly dark, burning deep eyes.

“What were you thinking?” he asked.

They were close together. Suzhen smelled the faint tea fragrance from his lips, making her even more uncomfortable. Biting her lip, she couldn’t speak.

Lian Yu sighed softly, helped her up, and also stood barefoot, instructing: “Remove my clothes.”

Suzhen took a deep breath. Seeing him slowly spread both arms, she fumblingly helped remove his inner garment.

She immediately drew in a sharp breath. Before her eyes were strong arms, a narrow waist, several well-proportioned muscle groups on his abdomen, as if everywhere was full of power, yet there were also some scars scattered across his chest, abdomen, waist and back. They looked old, those deep red indentations still suggesting how terrible the original injuries had been.

This person looked tall but somewhat lean. It turned out his figure under clothes was like this.

She was somewhat dazed, wanting to ask about the wounds but ultimately restraining herself. Lian Yu studied the expression in her eyes, his lips slightly sinking with some disappointment, but he didn’t make things difficult for her, only slowly reminding: “And… the pants.”

This time, Suzhen’s scalp tingled. Seeing Lian Yu staring at her with ill intent, this time he didn’t even speak much, actually wearing her down. Steeling her heart, she closed her eyes and acted…

Until he stepped into the wooden tub, she stumbled around to his back, fumbled for the cloth by the tub’s edge, and resignedly began washing his body. Everywhere she touched was hard muscle…

She heard Lian Yu humming something softly, seeming to be in a very good mood. But she was depressed. With a thought, she scrubbed vigorously. Lian Yu’s muscles seemed to tense further, but he didn’t scold her or tell her to stop.

Instead, Suzhen’s actions somewhat affected her wound. Though not very painful—after all, she had been unconscious for over ten days previously—at this moment she suddenly had an idea. She quietly opened her eyes, threw the cloth hard onto his back, then moaned softly: “The wound… hurts so much… hurts so much…”

But Lian Yu immediately shuddered. His hands gripped the tub edge as he stood up. Suzhen screamed and quickly shut her eyes. This made her performance even more vivid. Water droplets splashed onto her. With closed eyes, she only saw Lian Yu grab clothes that had been placed on a nearby couch with a sweeping gesture…

In the confusion, she had barely crouched down when she heard a splash of water. She was already lifted by Lian Yu around the waist, her body touching something soft—she had been placed back on the bed.

Burning heat mixed with slight coolness rushed toward her—the heat was the man’s body temperature, the coolness was moisture from his body. Her pores contracted as his hand covered her chest, an anxious, rough voice ringing in her ear: “Where does it hurt? Don’t be afraid, let me see.”

Fearing he would actually remove her clothes to look, and not caring that he wasn’t dressed, Suzhen immediately opened her eyes and said urgently: “Don’t, no need—it’s nothing, just a little pain.”

Lian Yu saw her biting her lip and staring at him. These days’ heartache, slight anger, those emotions he’d forcefully suppressed almost all exploded at once.

Li Huaisu.

After A Luo, the second person who gave him strong feelings.

He had originally thought that after A Luo, he would never love another person in this lifetime.

But he had almost fallen for this person five years ago.

Five years ago, not bringing him back but choosing to stay there and accompany her until things were finished wasn’t just because he thought she was a boy—the biggest reason was A Luo.

He actually didn’t believe in reincarnation.

Even though he had wondered if she might be A Luo.

But he hadn’t treated her as A Luo.

Her eyes held something indescribable that he deeply yearned for, as if burning with something hot and brilliant. At that time, even though he was already the Crown Prince, he had an inexplicable sense of inferiority.

A Luo had said: “Of three thousand weak waters, would you be willing to take only one ladle?”

He held her in his arms, smiling: “What’s wrong with that?”

Having her like this, he was already satisfied.

But actually, months after A Luo’s death, he fell in love with another person.

He was sorry to A Luo.

So even knowing that youth was full of lies, he suppressed himself and never asked more, because knowing where she was, he might seek her out later.

That way, he would be too sorry to A Luo, if she truly wasn’t A Luo’s reincarnation.

But five years later, when she appeared again, he could no longer let go.

Five years of thinking made him understand his desires.

Perhaps he was truly a fickle person, because he was an emperor.

Returning to the palace these years, he had been secretly investigating A Luo’s death.

Like Handsome said, that was his responsibility. As for whether it was his mother Xiao’an’s doing, how to handle it when the time came—he had no answer now, but he knew he would know what to do then.

He was no longer the Lian Yu of years past, nor was he Stone—he was the Son of Heaven of Great Zhou.

If there truly was reincarnation, he would use any price to bring A Luo back!

And now, this second most beloved woman before his eyes always lied to and provoked him.

Earlier he was confused by concern, but now how could he not know she was deliberate? She didn’t know that her cry of pain would make his heart ache too.

His anger slightly bloomed. Earlier when she helped him wash, he had already become aroused. Once this desire was ignited, it was terrible, because it was somewhat… unfamiliar to him. But since the alley and wine house… he had begun reminiscing. He had barely gritted his teeth and endured earlier, but now, with them close together, seeing her so dishonest, biting her lips, tender and dewy, his lower abdomen tightened. He couldn’t help lowering his head to kiss her lips fiercely…

Suzhen was startled, dodging to the side, but couldn’t push him away no matter what.

She whimpered softly, lifting her foot to kick at his feet. But she saw Lian Yu’s eyes darken, his lips curve, as he pressed down on her body.

One hand supported himself beside her, bearing most of his weight to avoid pressing on her chest wound. But his legs completely dominated her legs, pressing down hard—

His lips and tongue roamed in her mouth, sucking her saliva. One hand easily restrained her wildly moving hands. Gradually, no longer satisfied with her lips, he slowly moved down, biting her earlobe.

“Your Majesty… Lian Yu… Lian Yu… broken stone… let go… let go…”

When that burning tongue tip swept into her ear to lick, that wet, hot feeling… having this place licked and sucked was such a shameful thing… Suzhen felt she was going crazy. After calling “Your Majesty” once, she directly cursed the name of the person on her body…

But he seemed deaf, still moving. His pair of dark amber eyes clustered with burning fire, staring at her tightly, with cruel desire in his gaze.

Her voice, containing anger yet hoarse, seemed to stimulate him further. He turned slightly, rolling from on top of her to lie close beside her, still binding her hands tightly together, his leg still pressing on her legs. This way, the hand supporting his body could be freed. He bent down to kiss her already swollen lips again, his free hand covering her uninjured breast through her clothes, kneading heavily.

Soon, he felt it wasn’t enough. His hand slipped under her bellyband from beneath her clothes, directly covering her softness, kneading and rubbing.

Suzhen’s mind was almost blank. He roughly scraped across the tip of her breast—she only felt hot liquid slowly seeping from below, and felt something burning like iron between his legs pressing hard against her thigh root. That strange, hot feeling made her twist her body uncomfortably, trying to break free.

Little did she know that Lian Yu was ten times more uncomfortable than her at this moment. Her sweet, soft lips, her soft, full breasts, the faint bloody scent from her biting his lips… actually made his desire harden at once, aching in waves. Only by grinding hard against her body could it be less unbearable… He didn’t want to frighten her—it was still early, and she was injured. He had only wanted to kiss her—how had it become like this?