Chiyou thought as she steadied herself against the door, trying to enter the hall.
But she couldn’t hold on any longer. A needle-like pain surged through her body. Her delicate face was incredibly pale and contorted horribly, especially her eyes, which flickered between scarlet and black, emitting an eerie aura.
Liu Rongruo watched her with a detached gaze. Suddenly, he grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and flung her back into the hall.
With a loud thud, she landed on the floor.
But the pain of the impact was nothing to Chiyou. The internal agony had overwhelmed all other sensations. The sharp, stinging torment was so intense it almost sent her into a swoon.
The bloodthirsty craving surged, threatening to consume her reason.
Liu Rongruo walked towards her softly, the sound of his boots on the floor echoing in Chiyou’s ears, each step striking her heart.
He crouched down and grasped her jaw.
Chiyou looked at his face, inhaling the scent of him. Her scarlet eyes twisted in agony. Unable to restrain herself, she lunged forward, biting into his neck and beginning to drink his blood.
A sharp pain shot through Liu Rongruo’s neck. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, but the exquisite pleasure of being fed upon made him pause, his hand stopping halfway as he’d intended to strike her.
Her lips are quite soft.
The copper bells under the eaves of the hall chimed merrily as a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of flowers, causing petals of peach blossoms to fall, scattering their beauty.
After an unknown amount of time, Chiyou’s consciousness slowly returned.
“Have you drunk enough?”
His clear voice drifted into her ear. Startled, she released him and quickly retreated.
Liu Rongruo raised an eyebrow and brushed off his robes before standing up.
He looked down at her, the light from outside casting shadows and highlights in his eyes, making his emotions impossible to discern.
Chiyou slumped onto the ground, the pain that had wracked her body slowly subsiding.
She gazed at the boots before her, taking a deep breath. If only she had a knife now, she would stab it into him herself, killing him.
But she couldn’t. Absolutely not.
Her martial arts had not yet fully recovered. She would be killed before she could even get close to him.
She suppressed her desire for revenge, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and put on her usual alluring smile. Adjusting her robes slightly, she stood up.
“Prime Minister, why are you here in my chambers so late at night instead of enjoying the company of beauties?”
A beast with a human face, a scoundrel who kept a harem full of concubines, and yet he had deceived that fool’s affections.
She simply couldn’t understand what that fool saw in this scoundrel to be deceived into ruin.
An unbearable hatred welled up within her, and her smile threatened to falter.
She gritted her teeth and forced herself to endure.
Liu Rongruo glanced at her disheveled clothes, then sat on a round stool. “Even courtesans in brothels don’t possess the seductive charm of Consort Qing.”
Chiyou lowered her gaze, re-buttoned her clothes, and smiled meaningfully. “Then how is it that I cannot capture the Prime Minister’s heart?”
A moment of silence hung in the air.
He held his teacup, casually glancing at her, and pulled at his lips.
“Chiyou, those who scheme against me rarely meet a good end.”
Cunning and treacherous, she hadn’t even made a move, and he had already perceived her intentions.
Chiyou concealed her crude tactics and looked at him.
“Prime Minister’s reminder is most pertinent.”
What he said was indeed true. When she had tried to use him before, she had failed and suffered such terrible retribution, being relegated to serving the old emperor as a consort and enduring endless humiliation in this palace.
His insistence that she come for a political marriage likely meant he had no intention of letting her go. Her path in this Great Liang would be fraught with difficulty.
“If the Prime Minister has no further business, please depart. If someone were to see us, they might assume you and I have a clandestine affair, which would tarnish your reputation.”
The sight of him made her want to lunge forward and kill him.
Liu Rongruo, holding a handkerchief, wiped the blood from his neck.
“Your teeth are quite sharp.”
Hearing his words, Chiyou pursed her lips, a surge of regret rising within her. Why hadn’t she bitten his carotid artery just now?
“Bai Ze, come in.”
Upon hearing Liu Rongruo’s voice, the attendant waiting outside strode in.
Chiyou frowned, not quite comprehending the situation.
Suddenly, with a wet thud, a bloody head was tossed at her feet.
Chiyou stared at the familiar face, and her entire body instantly plunged into an ice-cold abyss. Terror, grief, and indignation surged through her, the pain nearly drowning her.
Her feet felt rooted to the spot; she was stiff and unable to move.
It was her maid.
He had actually killed her maid.
Ever since she had been brought here, her companions had been dealt with one by one. He hadn’t even spared her last remaining maid.
Liu Rongruo sat on the stool, sipping his tea leisurely.
He raised his eyelids and glanced in her direction.
She kept her eyes downcast, her expression unreadable, but her hands, hanging at her sides, were clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white.
He chuckled lightly. “As expected of the Saintess of the Southern Frontier, remaining unfazed even when Mount Tai collapses. Your heart is truly hard.”
His deliberately mocking tone brought Chiyou back to her senses. She desperately suppressed the hatred and killing intent churning within her, and subtly took a step back, a smile on her face.
“Prime Minister killed my maid. What is the purpose?”
Liu Rongruo said, “Since you have married into Great Liang, do not presume to return to the Southern Frontier.”
As he spoke, he took out a letter and gently unfolded it.
“Xuan Qing!”
His cold eyes flickered towards her, tinged with displeasure.
“Isn’t this the Young Sacrificial Officer of your Southern Frontier? Consort Qing has married into Great Liang, why are you still seeking him?”
Chiyou hid her surprise and smiled. “Prime Minister, why are you putting on such a ferocious face? I was merely writing a letter home.”
Without their Southern Frontier’s special methods, one could not see the true content of the letter.
She had not expected that this scoundrel would have so many spies, and that the letter had not been sent.
Liu Rongruo raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression clearly indicating that he did not believe her words at all.
Chiyou didn’t expect him to believe her anyway. She watched as he burned the letter, the flames inch by inch consuming it in his hand.
She viciously wished the fire would burn his hand as well.
The pungent smell of blood mixed with the scent of burning fire made her nostrils tingle unpleasantly.
She rubbed her nose and again urged him to leave.
Liu Rongruo stood up, slowly approached, and grabbed her jaw.
“Behave yourself.”
Looking at his indifferent face, perhaps influenced by that fool, a strange ache surged within her, making her want to weep.
She desperately suppressed it, her eyes sparkling, and looked at him with a playful gaze.
“Prime Minister has already caused the ruin of my nation. Of course, I wouldn’t dare to act recklessly again. I will obediently be a consort in the harem, but—”
She gently moved his hand away.
“Prime Minister is an official of the previous dynasty. Although the Emperor is gravely ill, he has not yet passed away. You should also behave yourself and not come to my Qutai Palace.”
She feared that if she lost control, she might kill him.
Liu Rongruo casually shook off her hand and gave her a cold glance.
“If you wish for him to die sooner, I can fulfill that desire for you.”