A few days later, they returned to the capital by boat.
Chi You expected to be sent to the palace and receive her due punishment. However, she was instead taken directly to the Prime Minister’s mansion and housed in the main courtyard.
She glared at the people coming and going, so furious she couldn't speak.
“Where is Liu Rongruo? I want to see him.”
The maid blocking her path lowered her head and respectfully replied, “This servant does not know.”
Chi You did not trouble her further and went directly to the study in the front courtyard.
Bai Ze was guarding the entrance.
Upon seeing her, he stepped forward to block her path.
“Master is busy.”
Chi You looked at him coldly. “Does the Prime Minister intend to defy heaven and earth by harboring a consort?”
“Tell him I want to return to the palace.”
Bai Ze remained silent and glanced inside.
Chi You pushed his hand away, intending to go in.
Seeing that there was no sound from within, Bai Ze dared not let her pass and stepped in front of her again.
“Master is handling official business. Saintess, you can wait until Master is finished.”
Chi You did not speak and reached out to push him.
Bai Ze blocked her, and they stood in a stalemate. At that moment, a voice came from inside.
“Let her in.”
Lanterns burned within the room. He sat at his desk, the warm light casting his face in shifting shadows.
Chi You lifted the beaded curtain and entered. Seeing his eternally icy expression, she felt a surge of anger.
She suppressed the emotions in her heart as much as possible and spoke.
“I want to return to the palace.”
Liu Rongruo casually flipped through the scrolls on his desk and glanced at her.
His expression was so calm, so indifferent, that she couldn't decipher his thoughts.
‘As the two nations are allied by marriage, I should be in the palace attending to His Majesty. If the Prime Minister acts for his own selfish reasons, the Censors in court will know, and he will lose face.’
“Your own selfish reasons?”
Liu Rongruo smiled, twirling his pen, his gaze at her filled with unspoken meaning.
“When you secretly fled the palace, did you consider the consequences for Southern Xinjiang?”
Chi You calmly replied, “At that time, due to my health, I didn’t consider things too deeply. The Prime Minister knows this in his heart.”
“Oh, due to your health, you didn’t consider things too deeply.”
His tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
Chi You: “----”
“So now that your health has recovered, you want to kick me aside with one foot.”
Upon hearing his words, Chi You laughed.
“What does the Prime Minister mean by that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
He sat in his chair, tall and slender. The eyes looking towards her were piercingly cold, yet they made her feel like a snow wolf on the Tianshan Mountains was stalking her – tight, heavy, and making her scalp tingle.
Chi You looked at him without speaking.
This scumbag, vengeful and greedy for lust, would ruin himself sooner or later.
Inside the room, a moment of deathly silence descended, so quiet that only the sound of the wind outside could be heard.
“Liu Rongruo, don’t forget, there is a blood feud between us.”
She looked at him, meeting his deep gaze precisely.
His lips suddenly curved into a smile, and he slowly said, word by word, “A blood feud?”
Chi You paused, her hands hidden in her sleeves trembling involuntarily.
“Is there not?”
“Victory and defeat are common in warfare. Our positions are different, and you know this very well.”
He slowly rose and walked towards her.
The distance between them instantly became a mere breath.
They looked at each other, the familiar scent entering her nostrils. She recoiled sharply, but he seized her waist and pulled her into an embrace.
He leaned in, burying his head in her neck, sniffing, like a greedy beast desperately sucking on delicious meat.
Chi You instinctively wanted to kick him, but her limbs were instantly restrained.
She struggled, but he pressed her even tighter.
“You are correct. In warfare, life and death are matters of fate. I was not as skilled as you, and I was wrong to trust you, leading to the deaths of over a hundred thousand soldiers in Southern Xinjiang.”
“Now, I have obediently married into Da Liang for a peace alliance. The Prime Minister should also fulfill his duty as a subject and allow me to return to the palace.”
He remained silent, his lips buried in her neck sucking and biting.
Chi You’s eyes instantly turned red, complex emotions surging within her, causing her pain so intense she couldn’t breathe.
She struggled forcefully, but he swept her up and pinned her against a red pillar behind her. Their bodies pressed together with no space between them, his aura tightly entwining her.
The heat of his lips felt like it was burning her heart.
“Liu Rongruo, you are too disgusting.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, his hand gripping her waist seemed to want to crush her.
He raised his bloodshot eyes, his gaze filled with ferocity.
“What, you want to return to the palace to serve that old man, to find a way back to Southern Xinjiang, or to find a way to kill me?”
Chi You listened to his words, her face twisting into a sarcastic smile.
“I am married to the Emperor of Da Liang. Is it not permissible to serve him?”
Liu Rongruo smiled, staring directly into her eyes, his gaze filled with intense desire and a hidden, bloodthirsty wildness.
“Then you might as well serve me. When I grow tired of you, I can send you back to Southern Xinjiang, and as long as I live, I will ensure the peace of Southern Xinjiang.”
Hearing his beast-like words, Chi You thought of her own foolish infatuation from before, the pain washing over her like a tidal wave.
She stared at him indifferently. “The Prime Minister doesn’t happen to be reluctant to part with me, does he?”
“Heh.”
He reached out and cupped her chin, gazing at her face, a hint of barely perceptible possessiveness in his eyes. That was truly the gaze of a snow wolf on the Tianshan Mountains, the primal wildness of a predator stalking its prey.
“There’s no need to test me. Even if I’m just curious for a while, I won’t show mercy when I want to kill you.”
Chi You let out a cold laugh. “The Prime Minister doesn’t need to remind me. Someone like you, who detests love and emotion, how could I harbor even a shred of hope? Also, I don’t wish to serve you. If the Prime Minister still has any dignity, let me return to the palace.”
“Do you think you can survive in the palace after your private escape?”
“If you have the ability, then let me die in the palace.”
Liu Rongruo said, “You are so plump and tender, the eunuchs love that the most.”
Chi You grabbed his hand and flung it away.
“Is the Prime Minister so lewd? I thought I only attracted beasts.”
He was truly a shameless beast.
As soon as the words left her mouth, her chest was suddenly grabbed.
“Beast or not?”
Chi You let out a soft groan of pain and reached out to pull him.
“The Prime Minister of Da Liang is so decadent in private. Truly eye-opening.”
“I’m decadent? Then solve it for me.”
Saying that, he moved to tear at her clothes.
Chi You was so enraged that the corners of her eyes turned red. This beast could do anything disgusting, say anything lewd.
“Master, the person is here.”
At this moment, Bai Ze’s voice suddenly came from outside.
Liu Rongruo paused, stopped his actions, and walked to the basin stand to wash his hands.
Chi You immediately tidied her clothes and turned to look at him. His expression was calm, and she found it ironic.
Getting off the bed, he truly put on a presentable appearance.
Just as she was about to say something, the door was pushed open, and Qilin entered with another person.
She looked at the newcomer and stood there in shock.
Identical. In build and appearance, she looked exactly like her.
“Your servant greets the Prime Minister.”
Liu Rongruo said, “Rise.”
“What is the meaning of this?”
Chi You clenched her fists tightly, her fingernails digging into her flesh. She felt no pain.
Liu Rongruo chuckled. “Can’t you see? Let her enter the palace in your stead. You will remain here from now on.”