Such an excessive demand made the gratitude Pei Qing initially felt turn cold in an instant.
This humiliating and degrading act was something Pei Qing was unwilling to endure. The two of them were locked in a standoff. Xiao Yuan enjoyed watching her resist with all her might, but he enjoyed it even more when she, in the end, had no choice but to obey him, her spirit broken.
Once, he had protected her, cherished her; now, he wanted nothing more than to degrade and torment her.
"Either you lick it now, or I'll drag that little bastard over here to watch you do it. Which does the Empress prefer?"
Pei Qing's eyes widened in shock, her body trembling with rage.
"Oh, feeling protective again? You really do play the stepmother role well. I suppose you’ll do anything for that adopted son of yours. Without him, you’ll never become Empress Dowager. What a pity."
Pei Qing turned her head away from his hand, and Xiao Yuan watched her coldly. After a moment of silence, she slowly inched closer to him, and only then did he raise an eyebrow in satisfaction.
Her long lashes fluttered, her nose was delicately shaped, and her lips were a deep, inviting red.
Xiao Yuan's body tensed, and the veins in his hands stood out even more prominently.
Pei Qing didn’t notice his reaction; all she could smell was the fresh scent of his bath, and the taste on her tongue was bitter from the wine. She furrowed her brow slightly; the taste was sharp and unpleasant.
"Don’t stop," came his slightly raspy voice from above her. "Continue."
She knew there was still wine to clean up, so she didn’t stop.
"Uh…" Xiao Yuan couldn’t help but let out a low groan.
Startled by the sound, Pei Qing looked up at him, momentarily frozen. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead, his eyes were dark and intense, and his eyelashes seemed to be veiled by a mist. His sharp, almond-shaped eyes were fixed on her, the usual fierceness replaced by a lustful gaze that was almost hypnotic.
Her dazed expression frustrated Xiao Yuan. She had only begun, and already she was acting innocent and naive. Who was she trying to fool?
"I told you to continue. Why do you keep stopping?" His voice was laced with impatience, though his expression remained controlled.
Pei Qing snapped out of her daze and quickly lowered her head, eager to finish the task.
But as she glanced down, she was taken aback. Instinctively, she tried to pull away.
Naturally, Xiao Yuan wouldn’t allow that. He swiftly grabbed her slender shoulder, pulling her back. "What are you trying to avoid?"
He glanced down at himself, seeing nothing wrong. In fact, it would have been strange if there hadn’t been a reaction.
"Now that you’ve seen it, is the Empress planning to ignore it?"
Pei Qing still wanted to retreat, but Xiao Yuan pulled her closer, whispering into her ear, "If you’re unwilling to give me even a taste of submission, I’ll have no choice but to withdraw my troops and return to Nanchuan. And then… what do you think those people waiting outside the palace walls will do?"
Pei Qing was well aware of the current situation. Earlier, at Yangju Hall, she had learned not only that Xiao Yuan had eliminated the remnants of Prince Yu's faction but also that other powerful officials and royal relatives were using the opportunity to recruit soldiers, under the guise of "restoring justice" against the King of Nanchuan, whom they accused of holding the Emperor hostage.
If Xiao Yuan left, those forces would have every excuse to enter the palace. Even if they didn’t dare to openly seize the throne, they would at least force the ailing Emperor to abdicate and install Xiao Ji'an as a powerless puppet.
As for her, the inconvenient Empress, she would certainly not become Empress Dowager—more likely, she would be stripped of her child and banished.
Seeing that she no longer tried to retreat, Xiao Yuan released her shoulder.
"Undo it."
Pei Qing’s ears turned a deep shade of red.
Her pale, delicate hands hesitated as they reached his leg, but she found herself unable to continue.
The next moment, Xiao Yuan's hand covered hers.
When she finally saw what she was supposed to do, Pei Qing's wide eyes filled with disbelief. This was nothing like the small, modest depictions she had seen in the illicit books she had secretly glimpsed.
It was large, rough, and ugly, completely at odds with Xiao Yuan’s handsome, refined face.
Pei Qing knew what she was supposed to do. She avoided looking directly at it, trying to reach out to grasp it and finish the task. But before she could, Xiao Yuan brushed her hand aside, causing her to pause and look up at him, confused.
Xiao Yuan met her gaze and spoke in a low, commanding tone: "Open your mouth and take it in."
Author’s Note:
This chapter has been heavily edited...
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