A Quiet Homecoming

But no matter how much she gritted her teeth inwardly, on the surface, she could only blush deeply and, embarrassed, lower her small hand.

The next second, Xiao Mingting swiftly leaned over, and his warm, thin lips covered hers without warning.

“Mmph.” Chen Yao's eyes were wide open, as if she were still dazed and hadn't reacted yet.

It wasn't until the man's palm gently cupped the back of her neck, and his tongue familiar-like slipped in, scraping and sweeping through her small mouth with fine, dense strokes.

The young woman's red lips were sweet and soft; no matter how many times he tasted them, they remained irresistible.

Xiao Mingting could only close his eyes and kiss even more forcefully, hooking her small tongue, licking, entwining, kissing again and again.

Faint sounds of moisture echoed in the room, her whole being's scent was stirred up, and even the surrounding air seemed gradually to grow hot.

Chen Yao's eye corners flushed red, and her amber-colored eyes were soaked with a watery sheen, veiled in a thin mist.

But she could only tilt her small face up passively, allowing him to suck and kiss at her lips wantonly.

After a long while, Xiao Mingting finally released her, lingering with satisfaction.

Looking at the young woman in his embrace, panting like a little kitten, he sighed secretly, his tone indulgent yet helpless. “We've kissed so many times, how is it that you still haven't learned to breathe?”

When faced with Xie Chenyao, his self-control was really getting worse and worse.

…It was clearly him who was too much!

Chen Yao held her breath, thinking she had secretly glared at him. But when the man looked over, she immediately, like a kitten caught in the act, nervously averted her gaze.

Xiao Mingting was utterly charmed by the young woman's occasional little displays of temper; just looking at her seemed to soak his entire heart in warm water, turning it soft and tender.

“Since Xilan isn't at the residence, you'll come back to the palace with me,” he suddenly said.

The man's originally deep voice was tinged with a faint hoarseness, but it still couldn't hide the certainty in his tone.

Chen Yao's eyes widened, her chest still rising and falling with her small gasps. She was full of shock, as if she couldn't believe her ears, staring at him in a daze.

“You heard correctly,” Xiao Mingting said.

He tightened the arm already around her waist slightly, drawing her closer to his chest. At the same time, he raised a hand and gently caressed her tender cheek with his fingertips, his movements full of affection.

“Once Xilan returns from the south this time, I will issue an edict promoting him to the position of Director of the Ministry of Revenue, a fifth-rank official. On the surface, you will acknowledge him as your adopted brother, which will silence those gossiping tongues.”

Xiao Mingting lowered his gaze, his voice calm but filled with a determined tone. “Then I will announce to the world that I will choose an auspicious day to marry you as Empress. I've already thought of the reason—I'll say that during your time in the palace attending to the Empress Dowager, you and I spent time together day and night, and gradually feelings developed.”

He had told the young woman in front of him all the thoughts he had secretly pondered and planned ever since he realized his own feelings.

Chen Yao's reaction was as if she had been struck by thunder. Her small face was flustered and panicked, and she shook her head vigorously. “No, it can't be like this.”

“You want to refuse?” Xiao Mingting's dark eyes narrowed instantly. He suppressed his tone, his gaze heavy as he looked at her. “Given the relationship we already have, if you don't want to marry me, do you intend to continue like this behind Xilan's back?”

His fingertips, which had been caressing her cheek, slid down slightly and instead gently pinched her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

“That's not it.”

Chen Yao's eyelashes trembled fragilely, like a startled fawn, her voice timid. “If… if you would stop coming to see me in private from now on, we…” could avoid having to continue like this.

But before she could finish, Xiao Mingting cut her off with an unyielding tone. “Don't even think about it!”

Startled by his resolute tone, Chen Yao trembled slightly in his arms, and her eye corners gradually reddened.

Seeing the young woman's pitiful, endearing look, Xiao Mingting sighed inwardly. Then he lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to her forehead, kissing her softly.

“Don't talk nonsense. You will definitely become my Empress, and I can't wait any longer.”

Xiao Mingting admitted that his patience was not good, but to accommodate the young woman's feelings, he had repeatedly lowered his usual bottom line.

But now, he was unwilling to waste any more time. His heart was filled with the desire to bring his beloved Empress into the palace, to have her by his side every day, to pamper her endlessly.

Chen Yao's apricot eyes were moist, and she bit her lip with some grievance, her accusing words coming out weak. “How can you be so overbearing?”

“If you want Xilan to know about what's between us…”

Seeing her drooping brows and eyes, still hesitant and unwilling to take a step forward, Xiao Mingting deliberately emphasized his tone.

“Are you threatening me?” Chen Yao's expression stiffened, and her soft voice instantly carried a sob.

Xiao Mingting's tone was helpless. “That's not what I meant.”

“You clearly did.” The young woman stared at him, and her beautiful apricot eyes quickly filled with crystal tears.

Before she could finish speaking, they fell like broken pearls, rolling slowly down from the corners of her eyes.

Feeling the tears splashing on the back of his hand, how could Xiao Mingting remain tough with her?

“…It's my fault. Don't cry.”

The emperor, who was always high and mighty, apologized in a low voice, and even his tone unconsciously became softer.

Then he reached out, gently wiping the moist corners of her eyes with his fingertips, his tone full of affection. “Why are you so fond of crying? You're just a little crybaby.”

Worried that if they kept arguing, the young woman would continue to shed tears pitifully at him, he simply bent down, supporting her soft thighs with his arms, and scooped her up horizontally, even deliberately giving her a light bounce.

The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Chen Yao let out a small gasp.

Startled, she quickly reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, the grievance in her eyes replaced by panic. “You—put me down quickly.”

“I'm not letting go.” Xiao Mingting's lips curled with a smile, his tone teasing but with a hint of seriousness. “Since Yaoyao isn't willing to marry me, I'll just hold you like this and carry you back to the palace, as if I'm forcefully taking a minister's wife.”

Chen Yao was stunned on the spot, her pupils slightly constricting. She shook her head vigorously. “No!”

Xiao Mingting sighed in mock helplessness. “Yaoyao, why is it that this isn't allowed, and that isn't allowed either?”

As he spoke, he exerted a little force in his arms and deliberately bounced her small body twice.

Chen Yao bit her lip, flustered, and could only cling even tighter to his neck with both hands. Her thoughts were in chaos, but she still instinctively refused. “Anyway, none of it works.”

“You have only two choices now: one, I'll make good on the reputation of forcefully taking a minister's wife; two, you acknowledge Xilan as your adopted brother, and I'll marry you into the palace in grand style.”

Xiao Mingting raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone teasing. “Could it be that Yaoyao prefers the first option? Indeed, compared to an ordinary marriage, it would be more thrilling.”

Chen Yao saw him holding her with one arm and seemingly about to use his free hand to open the door, and she was so frightened that her heart nearly leaped out of her chest.

“No! You can't go out.”

Like a startled little kitten, she kicked her little feet wildly, trying to struggle out of his embrace.

If Dou Kou, or any other servant of the Shen residence, saw her like this, how could she hold up her head in the future?

Chen Yao's strength was naturally nothing to him. Xiao Mingting withdrew his hand from the door, still holding the young woman steadily in his arms.

“Don't want the first option?” he asked deliberately.

A hint of triumph flashed quickly in his eyes, and then, as if suddenly realizing something, he curled his lips. “Then you've chosen the second.”

Chen Yao's lips moved as if to speak, but she hesitated and swallowed her words.

She wanted to say she didn't want to choose either option.

But seeing Xiao Mingting's expression, clearly set on having his way, she was afraid that if she objected again, he would really carry her out the door without a second thought, and then she truly wouldn't be able to show her face in public.

“But…” She lowered her eyelids, her long lashes hiding the unease in her eyes, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. “Everyone knows that my husband and I…”

“In front of me, you still call him husband?” Xiao Mingting's face darkened slightly, his voice clearly tinged with jealousy. “Yaoyao, hmm?”

Sensing the dangerous undertone in the man's voice, Chen Yao blinked, but obediently stopped speaking.

After a long pause, she continued in a small voice, “But the various households already know my identity. Even if I openly said that Yunxiu and I… were only sworn siblings, no one would believe it.”

It was obviously just a cover-up, Chen Yao thought to herself.

“I said Xilan is your adopted brother, so you are purely brother and sister, and they have no choice but to believe it.”

Xiao Mingting smiled, his tone full of the emperor's arrogance and flamboyance. “With me here, why do you need to worry about such things? It's just a public pretext. Since I dared to propose it, I naturally have ways to make everyone shut up.”

He recalled that when he had first ascended the throne, because he refused to select concubines or fill the harem, a group of idle old ministers began urging him repeatedly, day after day, submitting memorials in court with nonsense like “The state cannot be without an empress for a single day.”

When it came to matters of livelihood and governance, they had no worthwhile suggestions, but they watched over his harem affairs more closely than anyone else.

But he had only picked out the few who clamored the loudest, and charged them with “forming cliques for personal gain” and “senile and muddle-headed,” suppressing one batch and forcing another into retirement, and then they all fell silent.

Such ministers had the softest knees. As long as he wanted, there were plenty of ways to cut off any gossip before it reached his Empress's ears.

“Yaoyao, rest assured.” Xiao Mingting looked at her with gentle, doting eyes, his smile widening. “You only need to happily wait to become my Empress; you don't need any worries.”

Chen Yao pursed her lips, momentarily at a loss for words.

But seeing how stubborn Xiao Mingting was, if she kept refusing, she wouldn't be able to stop him anyway, and in the end, she'd probably implicate the entire Shen residence.

Moreover, the way he and she were entangled, always hiding it from Shen Yunxiu, who was supposed to be her husband, was already unfair to her.