Chapter 68: Bitterness
(苦涩)

Translators: Nyamachi & Silverylazes

TL assistant: 247Reader 

English proofreaders: 247Reader & Nyamachi

The Imperial Study was extremely quiet. The two of them sat side by side, each handling their own matters at hand. The ambiance between them had an inarticulate sense of sweet and warm harmony. Meng Sangyu finished reading the last account book and placed down the brush to take a break. It was a good thing that her knowledge had been exposed by that man, so she had no need to hide it while accompanying him today. She had no idea why, but she felt as if the man was acting calculatedly, for his bottomlessly deep pair of eyes had long seen through her.

As she thought about this, she turned her face to look at the man. It was the same as every time before; he would always be able to sense the moment she had her attention on him and would raise his eyes to give her a slight smile. His bright and clear smile paired with his unrivalled handsome face unfalteringly attracted others like moths drawn to a flame. Even though she had seen thousands of men in her life, Meng Sangyu was still unable to control her attraction and was left dazzled for a while.

Seeing the man lower his head and continue to review the memorials at hand, Meng Sangyu’s eyes flashed with a hint of inspiration as a thought came to her. She deliberately snuggled up to his side and asked in a murmur, "Your Majesty, is your honoured self tired? How about you stop for a while to rest for a bit? Shall this concubine massage your temples to help you relax a little?"

"Mm, alright." Emperor Zhou'wu cast her a profound look and set down his brush to take her into his embrace.

Meng Sangyu shifted uncomfortably. Feeling something rough and hard beneath her growing at a rapid speed, she hurriedly sat properly and placed a hand on either side of the man’s temples, rubbing them in a clockwise direction.

He let out a long, comfortable sigh. Placing his chin on top of the woman's shoulder, he gently bit her white and tender earlobe. He stuck out his tongue and licked the ridges of it. For a moment, she shuddered as if she had received an electric shock. Seeing her like that, he laughed silently. Do not support theft! Support the translator and read this free at Nyanovels.com! This cat bows in thanks.

Meng Sangyu gave the man a vexed glare while continuing to massage him. About fifteen minutes later, when she noticed that his eyes were slightly closed, his thick eyebrows had relaxed, and that his expression looked very content, she asked softly, "Your Majesty, is it comfortable?"

"Very comfortable." He opened his eyes. With a half-smile, he pecked her rosy lips and spoke with confidence, "Speak, what request do you have for Us?" Sangyu would never have taken the initiative to get close to him without having any sort of request. 

Meng Sangyu still wanted to beat around the bush and slowly bring up what she wanted to say, yet her carefully chosen words were stifled by his question. Her countenance changed a few times. This was rather embarrassing. Sure enough, she hadn’t been mistaken. This man had long seen through her, but just how much had he seen through?

"Your Majesty, when will Father be able to come back?" She did not put up any pretenses but lowered the hands which had been massaging his head and asked in a straightforward manner. 

"He's already on the way. In another seven or eight more days, he'll enter the capital, just in time to celebrate New Year’s here." Emperor Zhou'wu grabbed her hands and rubbed them gently, knowing that her fingers must have been sore from massaging him. Seeing her eyes sparkle eagerly with hope, he warmly added, "When Imperial Duke Meng returns, Zhen will let you have a good father-daughter reunion."

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Meng Sangyu’s phoenix eyes bent into crescent moons. They had a lustre like shining stars, causing the man’s breath to quicken and his heart to race. He was never able to resist when Sangyu gave him a genuine smile.

“In that case, how will you thank Zhen?” the man inquired hoarsely.

“Like this.” She cupped the man’s cheeks and blocked his cold lips, using the method from her memory, a passionate French kiss, to snatch away his soul. In both of her lives, she had been born into a good family and raised with the utmost care. 

As long as she had the intention, then she had more than enough capability to make the man at her side fall madly in love with her. Previously, she had never taken the initiative, nor had she responded, but that was only because she hadn’t felt that it was necessary. However, now that she could see through this man less and less, the uneasiness in her heart urged her to change her strategy accordingly. 

Emperor Zhou’wu opened his mouth to welcome her enthusiastic, sweet-tasting tongue. He reached behind her to hold the back of her head, deepening the kiss. The two of them shifted between multiple angles, breaths mingling without a care. The sound of intermingling tongues was loud in the Imperial Study.

Chang’xi’s ears were so red that they practically dripped blood. Brandishing the horsetail whisk in his hand, he ushered away all of the servants in the room. Seeing that the Emperor had already extended a hand inside Her Ladyship Virtuous Consort’s clothes, if they didn’t leave now, then it would be too late.

“Your Majesty, no! It’s still daytime.” Meng Sanyu said with a breathy moan, capturing the man’s wantonly moving hands.

Emperor Zhou’wu’s red eyes burned with passion upon hearing the woman’s coquettishly indignant voice. Not only did the passion in his eyes not extinguish, it burned even more fiercely.

“Little minx, are you trying to thank Zhen or torture Zhen? Hmm?” The man forcefully gripped her slender waist as his lower body shot upwards, using his scaldingly hot, stiff member to communicate his dissatisfaction. 

“Oh, then is it okay if we chat for a while to distract ourselves?” Meng Sangyu leaned against the man’s broad shoulders and blew into his ear. She was always the one being teased by him, couldn’t she also take the initiative?

Emperor Zhou’wu’s ears trembled. He sucked in a deep breath and rasped, “What should we talk about?”

“Why don’t we talk about bestowing this concubine’s elder brother a marriage, okay?” Meng Sangyu tilted her head. Her glittering eyes could suck in a man’s soul and make him want to satisfy all of her requests and only present to her the best that the world had to offer with both hands.

This little minx wouldn’t act unless it benefitted her! Emperor Zhou’wu gave a low chuckle, eyes squinted, as he pecked her slightly swollen lips and uttered throatily, “Okay, Zhen has a list of names here. Take a look and see which family’s daughter is suitable.”

Meng Sangyu raised her eyebrows, feeling somewhat flabbergasted, as she took the list of names and browsed it while nestled against his chest. The information on the list was quite thorough and detailed, so much so that there were even remarkably lifelike coloured portraits attached. It was easy to see how much trouble he had taken over this matter.

Originally, she had only wanted to get an imperial edict conferring marriage. She hadn’t thought that she would receive such meticulous attention in exchange. Meng Sangyu shot a fleeting glance at the man, her feelings complicated. No matter whether it was their background or their personality, all of these people suited her elder brother completely. They had definitely not been selected casually. 

Yet, it was precisely because of this that she found it even more strange. What was the man’s purpose in doing this? Was it to appease her father, or was it that he truly had taken notice of her brother’s talents?  Or maybe… There were some problems with these women?

As the saying went, “A virtuous wife will bring her husband less misfortune, while the opposite will bring disaster to the whole family.” If her brother wasn’t careful and married an unsuitable woman to become the future matriarch of the family who would manage the household, then the Meng family was bound to fall into ruin.

As she thought this through, fear began to emerge in Meng Sangyu’s eyes, and she began to look over the list anew, not daring to miss the slightest word. 

Emperor Zhou’wu secretly observed her reaction. Seeing her slight frown and the guarded expression in her eyes, the originally slightly raised corners of his mouth unconsciously pursed into a straight line. His expression appeared very solemn, without any of the happiness he had anticipated. It was as though someone had poured cold water over his blazing heart, as if someone had split his heart open, leaving a wound dripping wet with blood.

Why does Sangyu always interpret Zhen’s intentions in the most negative light? If Zhen wanted to scheme against the Meng family, what need would there be to use such clumsy methods? 

The hand holding Meng Sangyu’s waist balled into a fist. Emperor Zhou’wu’s fathomlessly dark eyes flickered with a gloomy light intermixed with fury, remorse, and panic. With this kind of Sangyu, whose heart was as strong as iron, he simply didn’t know where to start. How… How great would it be if time could roll back to three years ago? He would have definitely properly treasured everything that he had once possessed.

Letting go of Sangyu, he gave a bitter smile, placed a hand against his forehead, and said lightly, “Why don’t you go over to the side and look? Zhen needs to review memorials.” Even though he was hugging Sangyu, he also felt as though there was a silent, empty void in his heart. Do not support theft! Support the translator and read this free at Nyanovels.com! This cat bows in thanks.

Feeling that the man had a gloomy tone to his voice, Meng Sangyu hurriedly got up and obediently sat by the side. Though from time to time, she used the corners of her eyes to glance at his side profile, even so, she could not get a glance back from him. She was not sure whether it was her own intuition that was wrong or if she actually saw a trace of dejection in his furrowed brows and gloomy eyes. Had something happened just now? Or was it she herself that had upset him?

Meng Sangyu indulged her thoughts secretly as she closed the list of candidates and put it aside for the meantime, planning to send for someone to investigate the next time that her mother entered the palace.

As he took a glimpse of her actions, a sense of bitterness welled deep within Emperor Zhou'wu's heart. 

Forget it, let her check them out herself. If it passed through Zhen's hands, how would she be able to rest with peace of mind? At this moment, it was Zhen who had caused this situation to occur. This couldn’t be blamed on anyone else!  

Holding the imperial brush in his hand, he forced himself to focus on the government affairs written in the memorials.

The two did their own things, making the hall surprisingly quiet. The only difference from before was that the atmosphere that had been warm and harmonious was now indifferent and alienated. The more it was like this, the more panic rose within Emperor Zhou'wu's heart.  Unless her own interests were involved, he couldn’t expect Sangyu to take the initiative to get close to him. After all, Sangyu was just like a gust of wind. No matter how he gathered it in his fingers, he wouldn’t be able to hold her firmly within his grasp.

How should Zhen deal with this matter of wanting to hold her in his embrace but being unable to? 

His heart and mind were in turmoil, and thus he placed down his imperial brush.  Emperor Zhou'wu leaned on the back of his chair and rubbed his throbbing forehead.

“Let’s stop here for today, you can return.” Placing the reviewed memorials to one side, the melancholy in his expression slightly lessened, and his voice regained its earlier warmth. No matter how bad of a mood he was in, he was incapable of venting it on Sangyu.

“In that case, this concubine will excuse herself.” Meng Sangyu stopped writing, stood, and curtsied in respect. She could still sense the man’s turbulent emotions and it would be better if she left sooner rather than later. 

“Zhen meant that Zhen will return to Bi’xiao Palace together with you.” Emperor Zhou’wu frowned, stepped forward, and entwined his fingers with hers. 

After last night, he didn’t want to live alone in the cold, spacious, and empty Qian’qing Palace. He wanted to return to the previous lifestyle he had lived as A’Bao. 

Sangyu had treated him in a detached, estranged manner from the beginning. If he didn’t watch over her carefully, the panicky feeling in his heart would transform into a ferocious, devouring beast.

A split second later, they were in close proximity with one another and he gave a perfectly contented sigh. His negative mood was completely soothed by the faint warmth in his palm.

Sangyu stared blankly at him before giving a gentle and beautiful smile. She tugged on his hand and said, “Then let’s go back together.” 

The man seemed more alert and thus more pleasing to the eyes. Until her father was able to smoothly retire from politics, she needed this man’s favour, so naturally, she wouldn’t push him away.

“Okay.” Emperor Zhou’wu’s lips curved into a smile, and with steady footsteps, he led her outside into the snow.

Come night, inside the bedchamber that was as warm as spring, the man pressed the woman’s body below him. He moved roughly and wildly on one hand while capturing her chin with the other, making her hazy, mist-covered eyes meet his own fathomless gaze, not allowing them to separate for a moment.

“Sangyu, Zhen loves you…” His lips moved close to the woman’s ear as he repeated loving words in response to her uneven moans. He knew that she must have heard him because her body stiffened for an instant before rapidly falling into passion again. She didn’t believe him in the slightest, therefore not one word entered her heart.

The man gave a bitter smile. He turned to the side and ruthlessly bit the woman’s dark red lips, using even more force to temporarily ease the panic in his heart. Only when he was enveloped by the woman’s hot, moist softness did he feel that he truly possessed her. If it was possible, he wanted to carve his heart out and present it to her. He could only pray that she would give him the chance to make a fresh start.

He finally understood that the most bitter feeling in the world was being unable to obtain what one desired!