Chapter 34: The Splendid Country Part 1

Xiao Luo and several guards rushed to the scene immediately. There on the snow were dragged traces and scattered bloodstains.

The location in her mind was moving. Xiao Luo quickly pointed in a direction. “Surround them!”

The guards hurriedly ran toward the shadows in the woods.

Xia Wuheng had intended to drag Lin Qiao’er there and kill her, but he hadn’t expected someone to discover them so quickly.

“Prince Heng, let’s go. Don’t ruin your future over a mere palace maid. Important matters come first, and it looks like she won’t survive anyway,” the black-clad man beside Xia Wuheng said quietly.

Seeing the guards about to arrive, the black-clad man said nothing more and pulled Xia Wuheng away.

Xia Wuheng glanced back unwillingly just as Xiao Luo arrived at Lin Qiao’er’s location with the guards.

A hint of coldness surfaced in his eyes.

Xiao Luo, and Xia Lingyu as well, just wait. Once he ascended the throne, he would repay the humiliations he had suffered a thousandfold, ten thousandfold…

When Xiao Luo reached Lin Qiao’er, she saw a dagger embedded in Lin Qiao’er’s abdomen, blood flowing everywhere. Lin Qiao’er lay in the snow, her face as pale as the snow itself.

“Your Highness…” Lin Qiao’er was still struggling to keep her eyes open, her breathing faint, her gaze unfocused.

System: 【Host, the female lead’s vitals are weakening. If the female lead dies, the mission in this world will be deemed a failure, and you will be forcibly expelled.】

At that point, Xiao Luo’s body would also lose its life signs, and to the people of this world, she would have inexplicably died.

Xiao Luo felt a little panicked. She quickly ordered people to gently move Lin Qiao’er to the nearest palace and sent for the imperial physicians.

However, even if the physicians arrived as fast as possible, Lin Qiao’er would already be dead from excessive blood loss by then.

Xiao Luo said to the System: 【I want to use one of my opportunities.】

The System replied: 【I cannot directly help you preserve the female lead’s life. You must be mindful of the limits.】

The System’s abilities were also limited. In each world, it could assist the host three times, but it couldn’t directly complete the mission for the host, so Xiao Luo could only make some auxiliary requests.

Xiao Luo understood this and asked: 【How long can you preserve Lin Qiao’er’s life signs at most?】

System: 【A quarter of an hour at most.】

Xiao Luo said: 【Fine, then a quarter of an hour!】

Now she could only pray that the imperial physicians would arrive immediately. Fortunately, before the quarter hour was up, they did come. Xiao Luo sighed in relief, gave the physicians space to treat her, and walked out.

System notification: 【Mission completed. Mission progress 80%. Host, keep it up!】

When she reached the doorway, she saw Xia Lingyu standing outside, her back to Xiao Luo, her silhouette tinged with melancholy.

Another ripple of guilt rose in Xiao Luo’s heart. With what she had just done, Xia Lingyu, with her temperament, must be feeling miserable again, right?

But she had no choice; she had to save Lin Qiao’er.

“Why has Your Majesty come personally?” Xiao Luo slowly walked to Xia Lingyu’s side.

Xia Lingyu gazed at the snowy scenery outside, her eyes gradually deepening. Then she turned her head and said to Xiao Luo, “Naturally, to see what exactly is going on.”

Besides her frustration, Xia Lingyu’s thoughts had turned elsewhere—for instance, who exactly had stabbed Lin Qiao’er? There must still be spies hidden in the palace. What were they plotting?

She had just ordered the imperial guards to tighten security everywhere in the palace and report any suspicious individuals immediately.

“Was it Your Majesty who sent for the physicians?” Xiao Luo smiled slightly and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Thank me?” Xia Lingyu’s gaze sharpened, and her voice deepened. “Luo’er actually thanks me for her sake? It seems this palace maid holds an extraordinary place in your heart.”

The emotions she had struggled to suppress surged back up. Why was Xiao Luo thanking her for a mere palace maid?!

Xiao Luo sensed her displeasure, a look of alarm on her face. “Your Majesty, I just…”

She was only doing it for her mission, which determined whether she could remain in this time-space.

But the System had placed a restriction seal on her, and she couldn’t tell Xia Lingyu the truth.

“Just what?” Xia Lingyu pressed step by step, her hands gripping Xiao Luo’s shoulders tightly, her eyes cold. “Luo’er, I treat you so well. You must also be devoted solely to me. Otherwise, I really don’t know what I might do…”

“Of course I am devoted to Your Majesty!” Xiao Luo exclaimed.

“Is that so? Then explain why you treat that palace maid so specially. You said she resembled a departed old friend of yours—that was a lie from the very beginning, wasn’t it?”

Xiao Luo listened to her interrogation and, for a moment, didn’t know what to say.

Seeing her silent, downcast expression, Xia Lingyu’s anger flared even hotter. “You really have been deceiving me, haven’t you? Fine, then I’ll kill her right now!”

Xiao Luo blocked her path, her voice tinged with exhaustion. “Your Majesty, please don’t.”

“Move aside.” Xia Lingyu pushed her away, but Xiao Luo lost her footing and accidentally tumbled down the steps.

Xiao Luo lay in the snow, her face pale, her expression so blank that Xia Lingyu’s heart seized with terror.

In an instant, Xia Lingyu’s anger vanished entirely, replaced by panic and regret. She rushed down and helped Xiao Luo up. “Luo’er, are you alright? Where are you hurt?”

Xiao Luo remained as lifeless as a puppet, letting Xia Lingyu move her however she pleased, saying nothing and not even looking at her.

Xia Lingyu checked her over. Xiao Luo had no injuries from the fall, only her hands and feet were ice-cold and numb. So Xia Lingyu directly scooped her up and carried her back to Azure Phoenix Hall, ordering the palace attendants to add more charcoal braziers.

Xiao Luo sat quietly on the bed. Now it was Xia Lingyu who was filled with unease.

She rubbed Xiao Luo’s hands and whispered, “Luo’er, I’m sorry. Just now… I let my emotions get the better of me.”

Xiao Luo ignored her.

Xia Lingyu lowered her head and said, “I was jealous, truly, painfully so.”

Xiao Luo stared at her with a pair of cold, beautiful peach-blossom eyes, still silent, which made Xia Lingyu feel even worse.

Xia Lingyu felt so aggrieved she wanted to cry. She suddenly understood how Xiao Luo had felt earlier. Just now, she had spoken to Xiao Luo in that same way; Xiao Luo must have been just as hurt as she was now.

She truly deserved it, but…

“Luo’er, I was wrong. I didn’t mean to push you. I just… I used a little too much strength. And saying I would kill that palace maid was just in the heat of the moment…”

No matter what she said, Xiao Luo remained unmoved. Xia Lingyu hugged her and pleaded, “Tell me, what can I do to make you forgive me?”

The dignified Empress was nearly on the verge of tears.

Only then did Xiao Luo move her arm, trying to push her away.

“Luo’er, please don’t. You said you loved me.” Xia Lingyu’s phoenix eyes brimmed with tears, the corners reddening.

Now she finally understood how deep her obsession with Xiao Luo was. She loved Xiao Luo so much that she could even abandon her dignity as sovereign.

“I said I love you, but you don’t believe me.” Xiao Luo met her gaze, her voice completely flat.

Xia Lingyu immediately said, “I believe you. Of course I believe you.”

“But you yelled at me, and you pushed me. So you don’t love me, do you?” Xiao Luo raised her misty eyes, and tears suddenly streamed down her face. The sight of her tear-streaked, pitiful beauty tore at Xia Lingyu’s heart.

“No, Luo’er, I really didn’t mean it. I just… I just couldn’t control my emotions. Give me a chance.” Seeing her cry, Xia Lingyu was at a loss, reaching out to wipe away her tears.

Xiao Luo pushed her away and buried her head in her hands, sobbing loudly. “Go away. I don’t want to see you.”

Xia Lingyu was utterly miserable. Though pushed away, she still tried desperately to get close, speaking incoherently. “I love you. Nothing is more important than you… I’m sorry, I truly know I was wrong. I’ll never yell at you again, alright? Tell me, what can I do to make you forgive me?”

“Anything?” Xiao Luo looked up, sniffling, and gazed at her.

Hearing this tone, Xia Lingyu’s heart leaped with joy. She nodded hurriedly.

“Are you sure?” Xiao Luo asked again.

Xia Lingyu sensed something was off, but she didn’t hesitate. She immediately nodded once more.

As long as Xiao Luo didn’t cruelly demand her life, she would do anything she could to satisfy Xiao Luo.

Xiao Luo’s tears stopped at once. The corners of her eyes lifted slightly, like a smug fox. She pressed Xia Lingyu down and said, “Just sit right here.”

Then she jumped off the bed, went to a cabinet, and pulled out a set of thin, light clothing. The fabric was far too sheer, as if wearing nothing at all, and the style was rather peculiar.

“I want to see Your Majesty wear this.” Xiao Luo tossed the garment in front of her, a mischievous smile on her face.

Seeing her smile, Xia Lingyu immediately felt much more at ease. “Alright, I’ll change into it now.”

She quickly stripped off her clothes, then picked up the strange outfit, intending to put it on. But the garment was simply too odd—there were no buttons. How was she supposed to wear it?

Xia Lingyu fumbled with it clumsily but still couldn’t figure it out. She looked up at Xiao Luo with a look of desperate entreaty. “Luo’er, this…”

Xiao Luo couldn’t help but laugh, saying softly, “Your Majesty is really dumb.”

Xia Lingyu’s cheeks flushed. In all her life, no one had ever called her dumb, yet now Xiao Luo had done so. But she actually found being scolded rather pleasant…

Xiao Luo told her to raise her hands, then slipped the dress over Xia Lingyu’s head, threading her arms through the two sleeves, and finally her head popped out through the neckline. After much fuss, Xia Lingyu finally got the outfit on.

Xia Lingyu thought it was extremely strange. The dress clung to her body, the chest area cut out, her navel exposed, and on the sides of her hips, there was no fabric at all.

So bizarre!

Xiao Luo looked her up and down, a satisfied expression on her face. “Your Majesty looks quite good in this. Even more alluring than a dancing girl.”

Xiao Luo was comparing her to a dancing girl. Xia Lingyu felt a twinge of shame, but more than that, a subtle thrill of excitement.

“Luo’er…” Xia Lingyu leaned in to kiss her.

Xiao Luo covered her mouth with her hand and whispered close to her ear, “Not allowed, Your Majesty. Now I am your master. You can only do what the master tells you.”

After saying that, she gently bit Xia Lingyu’s earlobe.

Xia Lingyu couldn’t help but let out a startled cry. She closed her eyes to compose herself and said softly, “Alright, Luo’er is the master.”

Satisfied, Xiao Luo pushed Xia Lingyu onto the bed. “Close your eyes.”

Xia Lingyu obeyed and shut her eyes.

Xiao Luo found a few bells and tied them to Xia Lingyu’s wrists and ankles, even carefully tying them into pretty bows. Xia Lingyu lay on the bed like an exquisite doll, completely at her mercy.

“Your Majesty mustn’t move recklessly. If you do, there will be punishment.” Xiao Luo bent down and bit her neck.

Xia Lingyu trembled, and the bells on her wrists jingled.

She instinctively opened her eyes and met Xiao Luo’s sly gaze. Then she understood everything: Xiao Luo had done it all deliberately, setting a trap for her to fall into. But she fell willingly…

“Luo’er.” Xia Lingyu said, her voice quivering.

“How can Your Majesty be so disobedient? You must be properly punished.” Xiao Luo kissed her lips…

Xia Lingyu was blindfolded with a strip of black cloth. Her senses were magnified infinitely. Every move Xiao Luo made sent shivers through her body.