Huo Wei grew impatient and shot her a fierce look with his bloodthirsty eyes. "I'll ask you one last time. Where's the dagger?"
Du Gu Luanyue propped her elbows on the table and held her face in one hand. Her starry eyes were filled with a smile as she looked at him. "Answer my question first. I want to hear it."
Huo Wei tightened his lips. This woman was really something. He let out a scoff.
"Du Gu Luanyue, you'd better never fall into my hands. I know many ways to torture people."
Du Gu Luanyue gave a shy look.
"How do you want to torture me? That kind of torture?" With that, she stopped teasing him. She took out the mended dagger and was about to hand it to him, but pulled it back halfway.
Huo Wei's arm hung in mid-air. "What are you up to now?"
"Remember to come and see me on the first and fifteenth days of every month. Maybe you'll find a chance to kill me then." Du Gu Luanyue pushed the dagger across the table.
Just then, Mu Rong Min returned after changing his clothes. After a few words, Huo Wei took his leave and left the palace.
At night, when Yu Zan took her place to sleep with the emperor, Du Gu Luanyue finally felt hungry.
While she was staying in the side hall, she noticed a small bag wrapped in kraft paper on the table. She reached out and picked it up.
When she opened the bag, a strong fragrance of roses filled the air. The smell indicated that these were the roses produced in Baiyue Prefecture of Southern Chu, the Dark Red Roses.
She felt a warm sensation in her palm. The bag had been kept warm next to the stove and was still hot.
She took a bite with her snow-white teeth. The taste was sweet but not cloying, and the fragrance of roses filled her mouth. It was delicious.
She ate three in a row. Just then, Aunt Mei Jiang walked in and exclaimed, "Oh no! What if it's poisoned? Prince Yuzhang secretly gave this to me before dinner and said it was for Your Highness."
Huo Wei had said it was for the dogs, but somehow, she knew who it was really for.
Du Gu Luanyue blinked and slowed down her chewing.
"Right! He's always wanted to kill me. Poisoning the cakes would be the easiest thing to do. But I've already eaten three. If I'm going to die, there's nothing I can do about it."
Aunt Mei Jiang quickly snatched the cake from her hand. Her eyebrows were knitted in worry. "What should we do, Princess? How can you still eat it?"
Du Gu Luanyue smiled calmly.
"He won't. He knows I'm on guard against him, so he must think I'll test the food for poison. Even if he did poison it, he wouldn't be able to kill me. Huo Wei is a smart man. He never does anything unnecessary. So these rose cakes are safe."
Aunt Mei Jiang let out a sigh of relief.
"You've scared me to death. The cakes were still warm when Prince Yuzhang gave them to me. Are they cold now, Princess? Should I heat them up for you?"
Du Gu Luanyue turned to look at her. She had only been joking when she told Huo Wei to bring something into the palace. She hadn't really taken it to heart.
"Warm? It's winter. How could they still be warm after being brought into the palace?"
Aunt Mei Jiang replied, "He took them out from his bosom. That's why they're still warm."
Du Gu Luanyue's chewing slowed down. She said thoughtfully, "From his bosom? This dagger must be really important to him. He's willing to go to such lengths to please me."
She felt a little regretful. She should have made him work harder for the dagger.
Aunt Mei Jiang walked over and gently combed her long hair with a hairpin. She said softly,
"Do you think Prince Yuzhang has feelings for you?"
She had heard from others that Huo Wei was a cold and ruthless man. Apart from fighting wars and handling official business, he spent most of his time in his mansion. He rarely indulged in debauchery.
There were no concubines or maids in his mansion, which showed that he had no interest in women.
Du Gu Luanyue sneered. "Aunt, you must be mistaken. I don't think there's any special meaning behind his actions.
Huo Wei is a very calculating man. In the three times I've interacted with him, he's been both cautious and proactive. His thoughts are very complicated. It's not that simple."
Aunt Mei Jiang asked from behind, "So what's your plan, Princess?"
Du Gu Luanyue twirled a strand of hair around her finger. Her charming eyes were filled with determination.
"Of course, I'll continue to tame this wild beast. He's not an easy man to subdue. Now that the emperor of Northern Yan doesn't mind him entering the palace, I must seize this rare opportunity."
After Yu Zan finished sleeping with the emperor, she waited until Mu Rong Min fell asleep before quietly sneaking out of the side door of the bedroom and into the side hall. She bowed respectfully.
"Your Highness, you can go now."
Du Gu Luanyue nodded. She then ordered Aunt Mei Jiang, "Yu Zan is different from ordinary maids. Take good care of her. Give her the best food, clothing, and accommodation."
Aunt Mei Jiang agreed, but she didn't like Yu Zan. After all, Yu Zan's family had committed many crimes in Southern Chu.
If she didn't look a bit like Du Gu Luanyue, she would have been dead long ago.
Yu Zan wiped the sweat from her forehead and said softly, "Thank you, Princess."
When Du Gu Luanyue went to the bedroom and lay down next to Mu Rong Min, Yu Zan gave Aunt Mei Jiang a cold look.
"We're both maids. Why do you look down on me?"
Aunt Mei Jiang's wrinkles deepened. She said calmly,
"You'd better behave yourself. Don't let the cat out of the bag. Otherwise, your family in Southern Chu will have a hard time!"
Yu Zan lowered her head and didn't say anything. She quietly walked towards her own room.
Aunt Mei Jiang stared at her back. For some reason, Yu Zan always made her feel uncomfortable.
She let out a sigh in the hall. When she thought of Huo Wei's cold and bloodthirsty eyes, she couldn't help but worry.
Such a man, who had come through countless battles, was a cold and heartless man who didn't understand the ways of love. How could her princess ever subdue him?
Thinking of this, her heart tightened.
Du Gu Luanyue dragged her white silk nightgown with gold phoenix patterns into the bedroom. She lifted the curtain and got into the bed. She lay down next to Mu Rong Min. Mu Rong Min closed his eyes and asked in a muffled voice,
"Where did you go just now?"
Du Gu Luanyue leaned against his chest and placed her hand on his chest. She replied casually, "I went to have a cup of tea. I was so thirsty."
Mu Rong Min said, "Luanyue..."
The emperor called her name gently, not "Empress" like he did during the day. His tone was filled with tenderness and affection.
Du Gu Luanyue was alone in a foreign country. Whenever the emperor called her name, she would think of the days when she was loved and cared for by her parents in Southern Chu.
She replied obediently, "Yes, Your Majesty. What's the matter?"
Mu Rong Min hugged her tighter. "Do you still want to go back to Southern Chu?"
Du Gu Luanyue's long eyelashes fluttered in the darkness.
"Southern Chu is peaceful. What would I go back for? I have Your Majesty now. Northern Yan is my home."
Mu Rong Min was silent for a while before he said, "You're the only woman I've ever wanted to marry as my empress at first sight in the past ten years."
The middle-aged emperor's voice was deep and gentle. His broad chest was well-defined. Even at his age, his figure was no different from that of a young wolf soldier. He had an extra charm of a mature man.
He added, "Am I the man you've always wanted to marry? Do you treat me as your emperor or your husband?"
Du Gu Luanyue's heart skipped a beat. The emperor's tone seemed a bit off. He never asked such questions.
What did Yu Zan do and say when she was sleeping with the emperor?