Ruyi Island was a small island that protruded from Qingliang Lake. The island was lush and covered with all kinds of rare flowers and trees.
Usually, there would be people assigned to watch over the Ruyi Continent, but it was late at night. There were only shadows of trees on the Ruyi Continent, but not a single person.
Chu Yunzhang and Tong Caiyi avoided the patrolling guards and the eunuchs who were on duty at the palace gates. They crossed the water and arrived at Ruyi Continent as if they had entered a deserted place.
Seeing Chu Yunzhang bring her to the Ruyi Continent in the middle of the night, Tong Caiyi felt uneasy. She hit Chu Yunzhang." Let go of me, let go of me!"”
Chu Yunzhang held her in his arms and stood in a bush. The moonlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the earth, making his handsome face look especially charming.
"I can let you go, but you have to tell me first, are you the Emperor or my Cai 'er?" he asked in a soft voice.”
Tong Caiyi looked at him nervously." What do you want?”
He smiled slightly." If you are the emperor, then I have to turn the emperor into a real son first. Otherwise, how can I love you?”
Tong Caiyi turned pale with fright and tried to push him away." Don't do anything rash, or else I'll…Wuu, no, no!”
She reluctantly turned her head away to avoid Chu Yunzhang's passionate kiss." No, I beg you, don't do this…"
Chu Yunzhang held her waist with one hand and pinched her chin with the other, making it impossible for her to escape. She could only face him." No? Cai 'er, you still refuse to acknowledge me at this time?”
Tong Caiyi shook her head." I told you I'm not the person you're looking for. Can you let me go?"”
Chu Yunzhang narrowed his eyes." No? Could it be that there were really two people who looked exactly the same in this world?”
"The world is so big, there are all kinds of strange things. How do you know that there are no two people who look exactly the same?"”
"Is that so?" He pursed his lips." It doesn't matter. I'll verify if you're the person I'm looking for in a while!”
After saying that, Chu Yunzhang suddenly put Tong Caiyi down on the ground. Before Tong Caiyi could resist, he had already pulled off her belt and untied her dragon robe, revealing the cotton cloth stuffed on her shoulders and the clothes tied around her waist.
"Don't, don't do this!" Tong Caiyi was so frightened that her face turned pale. She hurriedly tried to stop him, but there was no time.
"Two identical people?" he asked hoarsely. So there really were two identical people in this world, huh? Moreover, even the moles grew in the same place.”
"And here, I remember that I personally helped Cai 'er put it on, so why do you also have it?”
Chu Yunzhang hugged her and pointed at the lifelike phoenix on her snow-white right shoulder. Chu Yunzhang did it for her. Of course, there was also a phoenix tattoo on his body.
He cupped her face and stared at her." You still don't want to acknowledge me?”
"I…"
"It doesn't matter. Whether you recognize me or not, in my heart, you are Tong Caiyi, my little Cai 'er.”
She turned her head away with difficulty, avoiding Chu Yunzhang's scorching hot lips." No, don't do this. We can't do this. No, no!"”
"Why not? Although we didn't get married, we're already husband and wife. Have you forgotten?”
"I'm not. I'm really not the person you're looking for. The person you're looking for is here, she's here…"
"She's right here, in my arms. Hmm?"
"No, no, I really can't…Ah!”Tong Caiyi cried out in alarm, her words of resistance suddenly stuck in her throat.
"Don't, don't!"
Chu Yunzhang was somewhat surprised," Cai 'er, you…"
"Don't come over, don't come over!" Tong Caiyi panted as she retreated, her foot already in the water.
Chu Yunzhang's eyes were sharp, and seeing her step into the water, he hurriedly tried to pull her back," Cai 'er, come back, you stepped into the water..."
Tong Caiyi jumped up like a frightened bird, and staggered backward, almost falling into the lake.
Fortunately, Chu Yunzhang was quick enough to pull her back in time, so she didn't really get drenched. However, she didn't get much better. Her hair was wet, her pants were wet, and her snow-white skin was covered in water. She looked really miserable.
Chu Yunzhang was angry and amused at the same time. He took off his outer shirt and thoughtfully wanted to help her dry her body so that she would not catch a cold.
Tong Caiyi jumped up again, as if she had been scalded." Don't touch me! I beg you, don't touch me again, okay?"”
Chu Yunzhang's hand froze in mid-air, and the smile on his face froze." You, you really don't want to acknowledge me? You really don't want to acknowledge yourself as Tong Caiyi?"”
Tong Caiyi wrapped her arms around herself, her long, wet hair draped over her chest. She did not look like she was the ruler of the world, but rather, she looked so delicate and lovely that it made one feel pity for her.
"If, if you promise not to touch me again, then I…I'll admit that I'm the one you're looking for."”
Chu Yunzhang's brows furrowed slightly, and his beautiful eyes flashed. He continued to move forward." Why?”
Seeing that he was about to approach her again, Tong Caiyi retreated nervously and threatened,"If you don't agree, not only will I not admit that I'm the person you're looking for, I'll even jump into the lake and commit suicide.”
Chu Yunzhang was slightly taken aback. He did not understand why this girl had suddenly become shy and reserved. She had already been his woman a year ago, hadn't she? Besides, was there anything on her that he didn't know or was unfamiliar with? Therefore, Chu Yunzhang instinctively wanted to shake his head, but when he saw that she was really going to step into the water again, he could only nod.
"Alright, I promise I won't touch you. Come here and don't step into the water again!”
Tong Caiyi glared at Chu Yunzhang and carefully grabbed her clothes. She then sat down three to four feet away from Chu Yunzhang and covered her naked body with her clothes.
Seeing this, Chu Yunzhang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was he a lecherous lecher, a rapist, or was he so ugly that he couldn't be seen? Otherwise, why would she avoid him like she was afraid that he would eat her?
His sharp eyes were fixed on the little girl, trying to see what she was up to.
Tong Caiyi bit her lip, her face resting on her knees, not daring to look at Chu Yunzhang." I…Brother Yun, I…Actually, there's a reason why I don't want to acknowledge you, because I…"
"Because you're the emperor of Nan Liao, you can't recognize me, and you don't care to recognize me, right?”Chu Yunzhang said coldly.
"No, of course not!" Tong Caiyi denied anxiously. How could I not acknowledge you just because I became the emperor?”
"But you really don't recognize me. Not only do you not recognize me, but you also locked me in the imperial prison? Cai 'er, you're so ruthless. I didn't expect that in just a year, you've completely changed into a different person.”
"I admit that I've changed, but there's a reason for it.”
"What's the reason?"
Tong Caiyi opened her mouth to say something, but swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth. No, she couldn't let him or her brother the emperor be in danger. The fewer people who knew about this, the better. The fewer people who knew, the safer it was.
She shook her head." I'm sorry. I can't tell you yet.”
Chu Yunzhang's face turned cold." Oh? Can't say? Since we can't talk about it, what else is there to talk about? Just take it that I've mistaken you for someone else and never knew Tong Caiyi!”
He immediately turned around and wanted to leave.
"Brother Yun, don't go!" Tong Caiyi shouted.”
Chu Yunzhang had already reached the water's edge.
"Brother Yun, don't go! I beg you, please don't go!" Tong Caiyi shouted again.”
Chu Yunzhang didn't even bother to turn his head around, and coldly retorted,""I wouldn't dare. You are the emperor of the Southern Liao Dynasty. I, Chu Yunzhang, am just a commoner. How dare you beg me? Don't kill me! If you have anything to say, just say it!"
"I…I can't go back. I don't know martial arts. There's no boat on such a wide lake. I can't go back at all. Please, Brother Yun, take me back, okay?”She lowered her head and pleaded softly.
Chu Yunzhang slapped his forehead, and a complex mix of love, hate, anger, and annoyance instantly filled his chest. Didn't this little thing refuse to acknowledge him? Didn't she not want him? Why was she begging him now?
"I remember you're a good swimmer," he said gruffly."You can swim back, can't you? Why did you come looking for me again?"
Tong Caiyi played with her fingers guiltily." I can swim back, but the guards and eunuchs will see me. I…I can't let anyone see me now, so I…"
She stared at him." Brother Yun, I beg you, I beg you."”
Chu Yunzhang didn't say anything else, but Tong Caiyi knew him well. She understood that his silence meant that he had agreed.
She hurriedly put on her clothes and walked behind Chu Yunzhang." I'm done."”
Chu Yunzhang turned around and saw her disheveled hair and disheveled clothes. There were still water droplets on her forehead and cheeks. Her delicate body was trembling slightly from the cold. Her small shoulders were slightly raised, like a lotus flower out of the water, and more like a peony full of dew. It was really pitiful and heartbreaking.
Chu Yunzhang couldn't help but pull her into his arms. His hot lips covered hers without any explanation and sucked heavily.
"You damned little thing, what do you want me to do to you?”He cursed in a low voice, but his hands hugged her even tighter, as if he wanted to rub her into his body.
Tong Caiyi panted heavily in Chu Yunzhang's arms, biting his full lips with her pearly white teeth as she said,""I don't want any of them. I just want you to not acknowledge me as your own, and not treat me as Tong Caiyi.”
"Don't acknowledge you? How was this possible? You are clearly…"
She tiptoed and took the initiative to kiss him." Don't ask, okay? I know this is difficult, but this is my only request. Please promise me, don't reject me, okay?”
"Aren't you going to chase me away?"
She snuggled into his embrace and sniffed the pleasant scent of a man on his body." I never asked you to leave. Even if I really chased you away, would you leave?”
Chu Yunzhang pulled his lips and kissed her again." What do you think?”
Tong Caiyi raised her head and smiled sweetly at him." I'll make you a First Grade Imperial Guard with a sword. That way, you can stay with me openly." In addition, I'll give you a golden token arrow so that you can enter and leave the palace freely. What do you think?”
He pinched her nose lovingly." Do you want me to kneel down and apologize to you for my personal revenge?”
She wrapped her arms around him. Her cheeks were as white as snow, and her eyes were like stars. She was innocent and beautiful." When there are others around, you have to follow the rules. When there is no one else, I will bow to you, okay?"”
He picked her up meaningfully." How can I be polite?”
She leaned close to his ear and shyly said something that only the two of them could hear.
Chu Yunzhang chuckled and kissed her on the lips." I'll listen to you, my little emperor."”
Chu Yunzhang had become a First Grade Imperial Guard with a saber. He followed Tong Caiyi to court, to the southern study, to the imperial garden, to the lake, to the scenery, and to the flowers. He was like a big follower, following her wherever she went. He was just short of visiting the harem with Tong Caiyi.
Tong Caiyi was already used to this, and she was still enjoying it. In the past, she always went to court alone, facing all the civil and military officials alone, and dealing with the old and young ministers alone. She also had to be careful not to give herself away and let the truth be seen through, so she was always nervous.
However, it was different now. Now that Chu Yunzhang was by her side, she felt that she was no longer alone. Even if Chu Yunzhang did nothing but stand by and watch quietly, she still felt at ease. She knew that no matter what happened, Chu Yunzhang would protect her and take care of her.
As for Chu Yunzhang, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. To think that he, the dignified Nine Phoenix of Dunhuang, had always regarded the etiquette of the world as nothing, and wealth and fame as dirt. Now, he had actually become a follower? Furthermore, he was following a little girl who was pretending to be the emperor? What was this?
However, it was also because of this that Chu Yunzhang discovered Tong Caiyi, whom he had never known before. He saw her intelligence, decisiveness, resolution, and even kindness.
Just like now, Tong Caiyi was in the southern study discussing a matter with a few ministers. Chu Yunzhang could only stand guard at the door due to his rank as a first-grade guard. However, this was more than enough. With Chu Yunzhang's martial arts skills, even if he did not enter the room, he could still hear every word spoken by everyone inside.
The Minister of Justice, Peng Zhen, said,"How does the emperor think we should deal with Zhang Wuyan's case? He killed the tenant late at night with a knife. According to the law, he should be sentenced to be cut in half. However, I saw that he was a filial son and believed that there must be a reason for this, so I suppressed the case and asked the emperor to give an order.”
Tong Caiyi nodded and said after a long time,"Is he a filial son?"
" Yes, I heard that he was very filial to his mother. He would rather starve himself to give his mother good food and a good place to live. He even carried his mother on his back and walked for a day and a night to the city to see a doctor on a cold day in the twelfth month. The reason why this happened this time was because the tenant increased the rent and forcefully snatched the grain, causing his mother to fall to her death. That was why Zhang Wuyan made a big mistake in a fit of anger.”
Tong Caiyi frowned and said calmly,"Forcibly snatching food? Zhang Wuyan was from Liuhe County, right? I remember that last year, when the Six Directions flooded, they had already been exempted from two years of money and grain. They even transported 100,000 stone grains from Yiyang to relieve the victims. Could it be that some natural or man-made disaster had happened in Six Directions again?”
Peng Zhen could not answer for a moment." This…I don't know either…"
Tong Caiyi tossed Peng Zhen's memorial to the front." Go and find out where the 100,000 dans of grain went." Why would they snatch food? If they did not investigate thoroughly, a second, third, or even fourth Zhang Wuyan would appear in less than a month.”
"This subject obeys the decree!"
"Emperor, this is the repair plan drawn up by the Ministry of Works.”The Minister of Works, Huang Long, presented a construction map. After the earthquake last month, many houses in the palace had collapsed, so the Ministry of Works worked overnight to draft a repair plan.
Tong Caiyi took it and looked at it. She frowned again." How much money would it cost to finish all of this? Let's take it slow for the time being and move this silver to help the victims first. After the autumn harvest, this year's taxes will all go into the treasury!”
Then, the Minister of War, Ling Xiong, stepped forward and bowed."It's getting late, shouldn't the emperor rest?”
As soon as he said this, the other ministers also echoed,"That's right! The Emperor had just recovered from his illness and should think about the world. It was not good to overwork himself. The remaining memorials could be discussed tomorrow.”
Tong Caiyi shook her head and smiled." No, I have some left today, some left tomorrow, and some left every day. I'll have a lot left in ten days." If you are tired, you can go back first. I will give instructions after reading it.”
"If the Emperor doesn't rest, how can we dare to rest?" Ling Xiong's eyes flickered. It's just that there are some rumors in the streets now. I didn't care about it at first, but as I listened, I couldn't help but feel anxious for the emperor.”
Tong Caiyi's heart skipped a beat. Another rumor? "What rumors?" she asked.
"Those rumors are unbearable to hear. In order to avoid humiliating the emperor, it is better not to say it.”
"Just tell me what I told you. Why are you so wishy-washy?”
Ling Xiong cupped his hands, but his eyes were fixed on Tong Caiyi's beautiful face." They say that the Emperor only favors Concubine Ying and neglects the other consorts in the palace, not because Concubine Ying is beautiful, but because Concubine Ying can help the Emperor cover up.”
"Conceal? Hide what?"
"They said…"
"Say what?"
"They said that after the emperor was injured, he no longer had any interest in sex, so he wanted Consort Ying to cover it up. What was even more outrageous was that there were people who said that the Emperor was a woman, so he had no interest in the concubines in the harem.”
Tong Caiyi seemed to have been struck by lightning, and she almost jumped up. The other ministers couldn't help but burst into laughter, but when they saw Tong Caiyi's ashen face, they all stopped laughing.
Ling Xiong smiled mysteriously. He turned around and took a bunch of purple fruits that looked like grapes from a tray carried by a eunuch.
Tong Caiyi's eyes were filled with wariness." What is this?”
Ling Wang stepped forward and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, but just enough for everyone to hear,"This official obtained this by accident from a divine monk of the Western Regions. It has endless magical uses and remarkable effects. This official has specially presented it to the emperor to clarify the rumors and restore his glory.”
Tong Caiyi blinked and stared at the strange fruit." What miraculous effects?”
"The emperor had eaten this before and was full of praise. Could it be that the emperor has forgotten? "Moreover, he's a minister of the Emperor…" Ling Xiong chuckled, but did not continue. His face was filled with an ambiguous expression, his two sneaky eyes staring straight at Tong Caiyi, as if he had already seen through her identity as a girl, and wanted to see her make a fool of herself.
Tong Caiyi immediately understood that Ling Wang was doing this on purpose! What rumor? What divine monk of the Western Regions? It was all nonsense! This was an aphrodisiac, an aphrodisiac that Ling Xiong had obtained from somewhere. He had deliberately used it to test Tong Caiyi, to see if she was the real Tong Hao.
Tong Caiyi was trembling with anger." Ling Xiong, you…"
Ling Xiong bowed and said," Your Majesty, this thing is regarded as a treasure by the people of the Western Regions. They don't easily spread it out, so it wasn't easy for me to get it." Does the emperor want to try? As long as the emperor tried, those rumors would automatically disappear and no one would say that the emperor was a girl. Someone, immediately invite Consort Shu to accompany you.”
Without waiting for Tong Caiyi to speak, Ling Qiong clapped his hands together, and a fragrant breeze blew past. Ling Piaohong walked in with a charming expression." Your concubine greets Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"”
Ling Kong said to Ling Piaohong,"This subject has just presented the divine fruit bestowed by the divine monk of the Western Regions to the emperor. Please serve the emperor, this subject will take his leave!”
After saying that, he dismissed all the eunuchs and guards, and slammed the door shut, locking Tong Caiyi and Ling Piaohong in the large southern study.
Tong Caiyi almost wanted to run away. This woman again? Why was it this woman again? She could discuss matters with the officials alone without batting an eyelid, and she could also ride on a horse majestically to patrol the drill ground. However, she could not do it with this woman, because she was really afraid of Ling Piaohong's lewdness and shamelessness.
Just like now, before she could even reach her, her clothes had already fallen to the ground. Her entire body was swaying, and Tong Caiyi was at a loss whether to sit or stand. Goosebumps slowly crawled up all over her body.
Ling Piaohong came to Tong Caiyi's side and sat down in her arms. She picked up a small purple fruit and placed it by Tong Caiyi's lips." Your Majesty, please!"”
Tong Caiyi shook her head vigorously." No, I don't want to eat this. You can eat it!"”
Ling Piaohong snuggled into Tong Caiyi's arms, her ample breasts rubbing against Tong Caiyi's chest, intentionally or unintentionally, making Tong Caiyi feel like vomiting!
"This is something for men to eat," she said coquettishly."ChenQie is a woman, how can she eat it?" Emperor, eat! After eating, let ChenQie serve you well. If the emperor feels that ChenQie alone is not enough, you can call Consort Ying jiejie to come. ChenQie won't mind.”
Tong Caiyi wanted to dodge the attack, but Ling Piaohong was sitting on her lap, so she couldn't get up, slip away, or dodge. She was so anxious that she couldn't speak without thinking." No, no, no. I haven't recovered yet. I can't eat this. If I eat it, my liver, heart, spleen, stomach, and even my teeth will be on fire. I'll also suffer from deficiency of Yin and Yang, imbalance of water and fire, and lack of Qi and blood…"
Ling Piaohong let out a cry of pain and hugged Tong Caiyi tightly. She pouted and stuffed a small purple fruit into Tong Caiyi's mouth while she was trying to push her away." Why are there so many fires?" Chenqie can help the emperor extinguish the fire now. Emperor, let Chenqie serve you! Your Majesty!"
As she said that, she also took the initiative to kiss him.
Tong Caiyi turned pale with fright and quickly retreated. But this way, she swallowed the deadly purple fruit. She screamed in her heart. How could she eat it? If she ate it, wouldn't she…
Ling Piaohong didn't give Tong Caiyi any chance to hesitate. She picked up another purple fruit and was about to feed it to Tong Caiyi.
Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky and pounced at Ling Piaohong at lightning speed.
However, Ling Piaohong let out a scream and her delicate body went limp. She fell backward with her limbs in the air, looking extremely pathetic.
When she was crying out in pain, she suddenly saw a handsome figure standing in front of her. She recognized him. He was the Emperor's newly appointed First Imperial Guard with a saber. His name was Chu Yunzhang, right?#
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]