The Scholar's Wife in the Emperor's Court 16

"No, please let me go."

The young woman's voice trembled, faint as the brush of a feather. Xiao Mingting sighed inwardly.

His fingers relaxed slightly—in the end, his heart softened and he released her. The man's tall figure stood in place, as if frozen.

Chen Yao kept her head bowed low, her slender fingers clutching at her skirts. She was practically fleeing toward the stairs.

Her mind was filled with a single thought: as long as she stayed where people were, with others around, he wouldn't dare do anything like this again.

But she had barely turned around, taken only a few steps, when a force seized her wrist from behind.

Xiao Mingting's thoughts churned behind his eyes. He stared at the gold phoenix hairpin in the young woman's bun, and in the end, he couldn't overcome the wanton desire that grew like vines in his heart.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he reached out instinctively and grabbed the young woman who was about to run from his sight. In a way she absolutely could not resist, he locked her firmly in his embrace from behind.

"Forgive me," Xiao Mingting said with a calm sigh.

The man's long, slender fingers pinched the young woman's cheek, forcing her to turn her head. Before Chen Yao could react, he bent down and kissed her full, rosy lips with force.

"No—"

Chen Yao's almond-shaped eyes flew wide in an instant. She instinctively tried to struggle, but her back was pressed firmly against him—her entire body was trapped in his embrace, and she couldn't move an inch.

Xiao Mingting couldn't help but grunt as the young woman squirmed against him. The pad of his thumb pressed harder against her chin, and he kissed her even deeper.

His kiss was restrained at first, though the posture was bold—he simply pressed his lips against Chen Yao's, as if unsure where to begin.

But before long, he quickly learned on his own how to gently catch her lips with his own, tenderly nibbling and slowly teasing them back and forth.

Still, since it was his first kiss, he couldn't quite control the force.

Soon, Chen Yao felt a faint sting on her lips and couldn't help letting out a soft "mm" as she parted her red lips.

His breath was filled with the sweet fragrance of the young woman's mouth. Xiao Mingting almost unconsciously slid his tongue out and slipped it between her parted lips.

The sudden invasion of an unfamiliar breath into her mouth was too much for Chen Yao to bear.

The young woman's pretty eyes reddened. Flustered, she quickly pushed at his tongue with her own, trying to drive out the one that didn't belong to her.

When their tongues touched, Xiao Mingting felt a jolt run through his whole body. He exerted a little force with his hands, turning the young woman half-circle in his embrace until she collided face-to-face against his chest once more.

His lowered gaze was heavy with desire, and then, with a touch both awkward and commanding, he lightly hooked the girl's tongue with his own, licking and sucking at it again and again, as if savoring some delicacy.

Chen Yao gradually found it hard to breathe. The faint scent of ambergris clinging to him enveloped her like an invisible net, leaving her no escape.

After a long while, he finally let her go.

But by now, the young woman was utterly spent. Her eyes were rimmed with red, a misty layer of tears glistening in her almond-shaped eyes, and she leaned limply in his arms.

While catching her breath, Chen Yao still lifted her hand, straightened up, and slapped Xiao Mingting hard across his handsome face.

But the moment the slap landed, her face went pale.

She had thought he would dodge, or catch her hand. She never expected the blow to land so solidly.

Had he wanted to, Xiao Mingting could easily have avoided the young woman's slap. But in the end, lust had clouded his judgment.

His pitch-black eyes fixed on her. Chen Yao's strength was naturally meager—even when she thought she'd put all her force behind it, it only landed as a feather-light touch on his face.

And when she struck, the first thing he noticed wasn't the negligible impact, but the faint fragrance from her palm.

Xiao Mingting paused for a moment, then took the young woman's supple hand in his and lowered his head to press a kiss to her slender fingertips.

"I was too forward. Don't hurt yourself."

"You—" Chen Yao tried to pull her hand free, but she was still no match for the man's strength. She trembled all over with humiliation. "How can you face my husband? You two are—"

Before the young woman could finish, Xiao Mingting grabbed her chin again and leaned in for another heavy kiss.

This time, he didn't kiss deeply, only a brief taste. His tongue probed into her mouth, swept through it once, then he withdrew with restraint.

Then he raised his head, his warm thumb gently stroking the young woman's slightly swollen lips. His voice was low and hoarse, suppressed with effort. "Must you bring up someone else at a time like this?"

"He is my husband... not just someone else."

But the young woman still couldn't finish her words—the man pressed his mouth over hers again, silencing her.

"Every time you bring him up, I'll kiss you once."

Xiao Mingting leaned his forehead against hers. As he spoke, his lips brushed lightly over hers, his tone calm but heavy with possessiveness.

Chen Yao buried her whole face in his chest. Her bosom rose and fell unevenly, her breathing still ragged, and she dared not say anything more.

In the end, Xiao Mingting helped straighten her slightly disheveled hair and smoothed her rumpled clothes, then lowered his head to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Wait for me. I will take responsibility for you."

He deliberately used the emperor's self-designation, meaning to show that this was a promise made in his imperial name.

But Chen Yao only felt her heart sink. She neither said she believed nor disbelieved. She merely kept her eyes downcast, tucked the wooden box he'd shoved into her hands—the one with the gold phoenix hairpin neatly repacked—into her sleeve, and then lifted her skirts to hurry past him and down the stairs.

At the bottom, Yuan Wangshu and Qu Zhujun noticed her flushed face and swollen lips. They immediately asked with concern what had happened.

Chen Yao only hung her head lower, her eyes darting away, and then told a small lie: "It's... it's just that I saw a big rat on the second floor. I was so scared I bit my lip."

Fortunately, neither of them was married yet, so they didn't realize what her condition actually meant. They just comforted her a little more.

Behind the counter, Shopkeeper Wan's gaze flickered for a moment—she seemed to sense that something wasn't right—but as she was in business, she kept her mouth shut.

Her face still wore a smile, and she even smoothly covered for her guest. "That was our shop's oversight. I was just about to hire a cat, and now I've startled you, honored guest. As an apology, our humble shop would like to offer you a small token..."

Chen Yao quickly waved her hand. "That's not necessary."

This matter had nothing to do with the shop. She had only made up the story on the spur of the moment. Now, seeing how seriously Shopkeeper Wan took it, her face flushed crimson, and even her ears burned.

"It might just have been my imagination—I was seeing things," Chen Yao bit her lip and said, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I'm just too timid."

"But no matter what, we did cause you distress in our shop," Shopkeeper Wan said with a smile. "So whatever you three young ladies wish to buy, I'll give you a twenty percent discount."

Chen Yao murmured her thanks. "Thank you, Shopkeeper Wan."

She really didn't know how else to refuse—and if she kept declining, it would only make her look more suspicious.

Qu Zhujun, unaware of what had happened, gave a thumbs-up and praised generously, "Shopkeeper Wan, you're so generous!"

Yuan Wangshu, more observant, felt that something was off with Chen Yao, but since she didn't want to talk about it, she simply smiled along.

Having told one lie, Chen Yao decided to keep up the pretense. She claimed she was still frightened and begged to be excused to return home.

Yuan Wangshu and Qu Zhujun understandingly didn't press further.

They'd initially insisted on accompanying her back, but in the end, Chen Yao refused, not wanting to spoil their enjoyment. She promised to meet again another day.

After a long while—nearly half an hour—even after all three of them had left Treasure Pavilion, Shopkeeper Wan never saw anyone come down from the second floor.

At last, a woman entered the shop. She was dressed in ordinary servant's clothes, yet her bearing was clearly out of the ordinary. She calmly set a bundle on the counter.

"Shopkeeper Wan is a smart woman. Say nothing you shouldn't," Ren Jiu said coldly.

Shopkeeper Wan didn't even look up much, but answered with a smile. "Yes, my mouth is famous for being tight."

At the same time, she cautiously opened the bundle and was nearly blinded by the gold inside. She used her hand to weigh it carefully, and a delighted smile spread across her face.

That morning, the woman in servant's clothes had come to book her entire shop for the day and specifically instructed her to pay no mind to whatever happened upstairs.

Shopkeeper Wan had lived half her life; she understood these matters well enough. This was simply a case of "a graceful maiden is a gentleman's pursuit"—a little romantic entanglement among the powerful.

For someone in her trade, as long as the money was right, she would play deaf and dumb—or do far more outrageous things—without a second thought.