Chapter 195
Xin Yao stood in the dim room on a rainy night, looking at the person opposite her by the candlelight. Her heart felt as if it had been soaked in a pool of gentle water, tightly embraced and enveloped in warmth.
She wasn’t afraid. She could have held on by herself, but after seeing her wife, she subconsciously became dependent. Her tense heart suddenly calmed and relaxed, and her limbs went soft and slightly numb.
As she looked, she couldn’t hold it in anymore and ran towards the person at the door like a joyful yet flustered little bird.
Because of this eager movement, the outer robe she was wearing slipped off and fell to the floor, leaving her in only a thin, snow-white inner shirt in the candlelight-illuminated room, looking even more fragile and beautiful.
When she reached the person and smelled the cold fragrance of cool rain and faint blood on A-Yu’s body, Xin Yao seemed to become a little timid. She slowly stopped, not pouncing into her arms, but looked up at her with her bright eyes, which were like a pool of gentle water.
“A-Yu, you’re back! The Yellow River is so far from Shengjing. How did you get back so quickly? You, you’re not hurt, are you!”
Hearing her rarely call her A-Yu, so intimately and dependently, Jiang Zhanyu thought that Xin Yao was frightened. She put away her blood-stained long sword and looked down at her intently.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“But you, you must be scared, right? I came back too late. My fault, my fault.”
I shouldn’t have left you in Shengjing, by Emperor Xia’s side, to the point where you encountered such danger.
Jiang Zhanyu was really gritting her teeth, and was filled with a crazy fear. She thought, I should have snatched her away back then, and protected her by my side.
This damned little emperor of Great Xia is completely incapable of taking care of anyone.
Xin Yao didn’t know that when Jiang Zhanyu heard that the imperial city was besieged, that she was in danger, and that various forces were trying to enter the capital to seize power and snatch the empress, Jiang Zhanyu had gone mad with fear.
On her way back, she had killed so many people, and her heart had been stained with so much darkness. After this ordeal, she was on the verge of turning to the dark side, almost crazily thinking that this time, she had to snatch Yao Yao and keep her by her side to protect her. Even if it meant using despicable means to imprison her, she would not hesitate.
Even if Yao Yao was unwilling and hated her again, she had to hate her safely.
Xin Yao was still immersed in the joy of finally seeing her wife. After a few more words of concern, she was completely relieved to see that Jiang Zhanyu was really uninjured.
Little did she know that the person opposite her had already prepared the golden cage to imprison the little bird.
After worrying about her wife, the much-relieved Xin Yao quickly became nervous again. Seeing Jiang Zhanyu covered in blood, and hearing the earth-shattering shouts of killing outside, she quickly asked about the situation outside the palace.
“A-Yu… General, what is the situation outside?”
“Have the rebels been dealt with? Will they attack again?”
The general with eyes like cold stars looked at the nervous and delicate empress and slowly shook her head.
“The situation is not good.”
“The ones surrounding the city are not to be feared. Xia Ning’an’s rebellious imperial uncle has already been killed by me. The people outside are just a plate of loose sand. But rebels have risen up all over Great Xia around the imperial city and are attacking Shengjing.”
“One move affects the whole body. With the chaos in the capital, the demons and devils will surely take the opportunity to cause trouble. Not to mention the Yellow River, the overall situation will not be good.”
Xin Yao hadn’t rested for a long time and had only slept for a short while before being woken up. Her mind was very muddled now. After seeing Jiang Zhanyu, the tense string in her mind had relaxed, and her whole person was now soft and dizzy.
And the person in front of her was her wife, so of course, she instinctively relied on her wife.
Hearing this, Xin Yao quickly grabbed Jiang Zhanyu’s wrist and asked with great trust: “Then what should we do?”
“With the situation so chaotic, is there still room for recovery?”
“And little Ning… Your Majesty is missing. Your Majesty disappeared in the palace. I’ve been looking for Your Majesty for two days, but Your Majesty ‘s nowhere to be found in the palace.”
(T/N: I just want to mention that in many cases, the author doesn’t use pronouns to clarify the characters’ genders, even for readers lol. Because of that, I have to add them based on the context, but it’s still confusing. For example, the title “The Emperor” would suggest using “He,” but it could also be neutral, Also Your Majesty can be His Majesty or Her Majesty according to context or the characters perspectiv. However, the protagonist knows the Emperor’s gender, so sometimes the author uses “she” and other times “he” from different perspectives… Also the pronoun He has the same pronunciation as the pronoun She in Chinese so one character can be using “She” and the other person thinking is “he” or viceversa… Ahhh, it’s dizzying haha. I’m just saying this in case there’s a slip-up on my part :()
“A-Yu, General, can Great Xia still be saved? Your Majesty, can you save Your Majesty ?”
“You, you must have a way, right?”
Jiang Zhanyu: “Huh?”
Even Jiang Zhanyu, who was cold-faced, cold-hearted, and usually had a murderous and expressionless presence, was full of question marks after hearing this, and was stunned for a moment.
What do you mean Your Majesty disappeared in the palace?
The Yellow River had fallen, and she had gone to the front line to support the Yellow River. Shengjing was besieged, and she had immediately turned back to support the capital. Although all this was done for Yao Yao, it was not without the intention of saving Yao Yao’s incompetent beloved.
She was running back and forth between the front line and the capital, fighting her way there and back, exhausted. And now she was being told that the emperor was lost in the middle of a fight?
Jiang Zhanyu took a deep breath and closed her eyes, only feeling her temples throb.
She knew that the imposter little emperor was a good-for-nothing, but she had never expected him to be so useless, to be able to get himself lost while squatting at home.
Jiang Zhanyu only hated that she had been too soft-hearted back then, afraid that Yao Yao would cry, and couldn’t bear to see Yao Yao sad, so she hadn’t forcibly snatched her back and protected her by her side.
Before she left, she had been thinking that since Yao Yao often said that that person also had her in her heart, she would believe her for once and leave Yao Yao in the palace while she went to defend the front line.
She had even expected Xia Ning’an to protect Yao Yao, but that person had gotten herself lost first, and had even made Yao Yao come out to defend the imperial city.
She was also at fault. It was her fault. She was crazy to have kept Yao Yao by such a person’s side.
It was she who had put Yao Yao in danger.
It wouldn’t happen again.
This time, she had made up her mind. No matter what method she used, even if Yao Yao cried and made a fuss, she was determined to have her.
She would absolutely not allow Yao Yao to be sad, hurt, or even in danger by the incompetent little Emperor Xia’s side anymore. She would snatch her over and dote on her for a lifetime, protecting her well by her side.
By the faint candlelight in the room.
Jiang Zhanyu looked down at the beautiful face of the empress before her, then looked down at the slender white fingertips that were holding her hand. She slowly turned her hand over, held Xin Yao’s wrist, and clasped her hand in her own hot palm.
She answered softly.
“I do.”
“Of course I have a way.”
“Yao Yao can do whatever you want. As long as you ask, I will do it for you, even if it means risking my life.”
“I can suppress the rebellion, I can cross the Yellow River and kill the demons and devils, and I can also turn the imperial palace upside down and rescue Xia Ning’an.”
“But, this subject has a condition.”
Xin Yao asked without thinking: “What condition?”
Jiang Zhanyu didn’t answer immediately. She held Xin Yao’s hand, slowly bent down, and leaned in front of the peerless empress, looking at her gently and carefully.
When she finally spoke, her voice was even softer.
“Lady Yao, what else could I possibly want?”
“You were intimate with me, and I let Emperor Xia go and went to defend the land of Great Xia. I did it. I didn’t expose Xia Ning’an’s secret, I held the Yellow River front, and I immediately rushed to support the capital. I have saved Xia Ning’an’s life several times. I have done everything you asked me to do.”
“But this time, with rebellions rising up everywhere and the demons and devils watching covetously, Great Xia is really on the verge of collapse, and Xia Ning’an has even gotten herself lost in the imperial palace.”
“Yao Yao wants me to suppress the rebellion, fine. You want me to protect Great Xia, fine. You want me to save Xia Ning’an, also fine. It’s all fine.”
“But this time, what will Yao Yao give in return?”
Xin Yao was a little dazed by these words.
She looked down at the hand that Jiang Zhanyu was holding, only feeling that it was so hot, so hot, and at the same time, so tight, as if a chain made of fire had wrapped around her, and would never let go in this life.
Then, Xin Yao, who had been immersed in the joy of finally seeing her wife, became dizzy, and then suddenly calmed down, realizing something.
The rebel army was causing trouble outside, and everyone outside was saying that the beautiful empress, famous throughout the world, was trapped in the palace, becoming a coveted piece of soft flesh. Whoever broke through the city first would get her.
In the end, it was Jiang Zhanyu who entered the city.
And it could only be Jiang Zhanyu.
She had also come for the empress.
When Xin Yao saw her, she had thought that her savior had come, and had even happily run towards her.
It wasn’t until this moment, when the dagger was revealed at the end of the map, that Xin Yao finally realized that the one she had been waiting for was indeed a savior, but even more so, a hungry wolf that coveted her.
And it was the most greedy, most ferocious wolf in the world.
Xin Yao wanted to pull her hand, which was held tightly by Jiang Zhanyu, away, but she couldn’t. Instead, it was held even tighter.
She had to look up at Jiang Zhanyu, her gaze fixed on the person who had bitten her and was unwilling to let go.
“What do you want now?”
“What else do you want? What part of me have you not gotten? My body has already been kissed by you thousands of times. I have already given you everything, Jiang Zhanyu.”
Before answering, Jiang Zhanyu herself became agitated.
“No, no.”
“I want all of you, all of you, Yao Yao. Your person and your heart are not completely mine now.”
Looking at Xin Yao, a scorching flame ignited in her deep black eyes. Her chest heaved as her breathing grew rapid, and the fingers on Xin Yao’s wrist slowly tightened a little.
When she spoke, her voice was hoarse with eagerness and excitement.
“This time.”
“I want Her Majesty the Empress to marry me. From now on, we will be together every day and every night, and be intimate every night, forever united in heart and never separated.”
“You marry me, and I will save Great Xia and Xia Ning’an. I don’t want any other conditions. I only want you.”
“Yao Yao, you can call me despicable or shameless, you can call me a beast or an animal. This time, I will be a little more forceful. I can’t let you have your way anymore.
Even if you cry and are unwilling, I will still marry you. I can no longer stand you being slighted, tormented, and put in danger by that little Emperor Xia.”
Jiang Zhanyu was taking advantage of the situation to seize her.
Taking advantage of the fact that Great Xia was in danger, the emperor’s life was unknown, and the empress was powerless and had no other choice, she was using all these things as a threat to force the beautiful and delicate empress to submit to her.
This time, she greedily wanted everything.
And at this moment, the rebel army had been cleared out, and the ones guarding the imperial city, and at the same time, surrounding the imperial city, had become the Lu Yu Army.
Inside and outside the palace, it was already full of Jiang Zhanyu’s people.
How was this not another jackal or tiger?
She was still talking to her nicely now, but if Xin Yao said “no,” then Jiang Zhanyu might really forcibly seize her.
Whoever entered the city first would get the empress. She had entered the city, so the empress was naturally hers.
The empress was surrounded in the imperial palace by her large army. She was the soft flesh in her palm, her forbidden treasure. She could never let go.
Xin Yao was very speechless, and very annoyed. Here we go again, here we go again! Forcing her and wanting to snatch her again!
Her wife was good in every way. Heavens knows how moved she was when she woke up and saw her wife walking towards her from the wind and rain.
But A-Yu’s possessiveness and desire for control were too strong, and she was too paranoid. She couldn’t stand not being with her for a moment.
But that was also true.
If their positions were reversed, and she were in A-Yu’s position, she would also not be able to accept A-Yu being a superficial couple with someone else, and having someone else in her heart.
She understood A-Yu’s grievance, sadness, and madness, and even her use of coercive means to try to force her. If it were her, she would also go mad.
But this person, Jiang Zhanyu, really couldn’t be warm for more than three seconds.
The atmosphere was so good just now. She was so moved she was on the verge of tears. But in just a few words, this person had started to play the forced love game, forcing her and wanting to forcibly marry her.
As happy and moved as Xin Yao had been when she saw her, she was just as helpless when the atmosphere was broken.
She thought for a moment and still felt that Jiang Zhanyu was a big scoundrel. She hadn’t slept well for two days and two nights, and as soon as this person came back, she was forcing her.
And so, her little temper inevitably flared up.
Xin Yao quickly pulled her hand away from Jiang Zhanyu’s tight grip.
“Scoundrel! Do you know what you’re saying!”
“You want me to marry you? I am the empress. How can I marry you!”
“Of course I know!”
Jiang Zhanyu took a sharp step forward, approaching the empress.
Looking down at the person before her, her eyes, reflected in the dark night and the faint candlelight, were full of possessiveness and obsessive love, so terrifying that she was like a mad dog.
“Great Xia is about to fall. What’s wrong with the empress marrying me? I am powerful and influential. It is easy for me to make the empress remarry me. If you want to continue being the empress, that is also possible. I will just become the emperor.
As long as you nod, there are plenty of ways.”
“Jiang Zhanyu, are you crazy?”
“Yes,” Jiang Zhanyu chuckled lightly. “I am indeed crazy. Didn’t I tell you I was crazy long ago?”
“Yao Yao, I miss you so much day and night that I’ve gone crazy.”
Jiang Zhanyu took Xin Yao’s hand again, brought her fingertips to her own brow bone, and said in a low voice with her eyelids slightly lowered.
“Xia Ning’an’s imperial uncle has reached a cooperation with the demons and devils. The demon and devil races are holding me back on the Yellow River front, while Xiangning is taking the opportunity to attack Shengjing and seize the throne. After it’s done, Xia Ning’an’s imperial uncle has promised to cede the Yellow River to the demons and devils.”
“Knowing that I, Jiang Zhanyu, am not to be trifled with, why did they reach this cooperation just when I had left Yong’an and was in Shengjing? Because the demons and devils want to hold me back, and even more so, to kill me. After I die, there will be no one in Great Xia who can stop them.”
“I finally got out of Yong’an, so of course they had to seize the opportunity. The commotion at the Yellow River was a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain, and also an ambush specifically for me.”
“Yao Yao,” Jiang Zhanyu looked at Xin Yao’s face through the gaps in her fingers, in the flickering candlelight. “On the Yellow River front, ten thousand demons surrounded and tried to kill me. That fox demon’s claw grazed my brow, and almost blinded me.”
“I killed them all, not a single one left. But standing there, covered in blood, I was actually scared. It was the first time in my life that I was afraid of death, afraid that I would never be able to return to your side, afraid that my eyes would really be blinded and I would never be able to see you again.”
“How can I not see you?”
“After this battle, I deeply feel that life is really too short. A mere few hundred years, and the time we can be together is already not much. It can’t withstand any more delays.”
“I can’t let you suffer by her side anymore. This time, I will never let you go.”
Jiang Zhanyu, who was usually taciturn in front of outsiders, always had endless sweet words for Xin Yao.
After saying all this, Jiang Zhanyu, who had been a little excited, gradually calmed down. She held Xin Yao’s hand preciously in her palm and leaned in close to Xin Yao’s ear.
“Yao Yao, just treat me as a madwoman.”
“Whether you’re annoyed with me or hate me, I have to protect you by my side.”
“Now that the army is at the city gates, my empress seems to have no choice but to choose me, this mad dog.”
“Yao Yao, only I can help you now.”