Huo Wei walked up to her, his dark eyes looking down at her. "Thank you for what happened yesterday, both my poisoning and the impeachment."
Du Gu Luanyue glanced up at him. The words of gratitude sounded stiff and cold. Although they were no longer harsh, she didn't want to hear them.
She smoothed her bright red phoenix - patterned sleeves and said coldly, "You can go, Huo Wei.
I've actually tried many times to get along with you, but our personalities really don't match.
For the long - run, we'd better go our separate ways."
Go their separate ways? Huo Wei suddenly squatted down. Like a big, shiny - coated black dog, he stood in front of Du Gu Luanyue, his voice hoarse.
"We can get along. You lead, I follow."
Du Gu Luanyue's intoxicated, rosy jade - like eyes slowly turned to him. Her delicate and beautiful face showed a hint of mockery. "Are you talking nonsense again?"
Suddenly, Huo Wei snatched the wine bottle from her hand. He tilted his head back and poured the fruit wine straight down his throat. A powerful aura welled up from him.
But she didn't know that the torment in Huo Wei's heart had tortured him thoroughly.
Just as she was wondering what crazy thing Huo Wei was up to today, Aunt Mei Jiang walked in with a pastry box shaped like a little fox.
Meng Tan, a grown man, had begged her tearfully to carry it. He said being a guard was extremely stressful, and he might start losing his hair in a few years.
Aunt Mei Jiang didn't have a bad impression of Meng Tan. She couldn't bear to see a grown man pleading, so she had no choice but to bring the thing in. "Your Majesty, this is from the Prince."
Huo Wei glanced back. "It's not from me. Someone came to the mansion and left it before. I was going to throw it away, but I just brought it into the palace on a whim."
Aunt Mei Jiang put the pastry box into Du Gu Luanyue's hands and gave Huo Wei a reproachful look. She knew it was from him because Meng Tan had told her.
This Prince of Yuzhang really didn't know how to talk. A grown man acting so coy.
Du Gu Luanyue held the little - fox - shaped brocade box and looked at it. It was an irregular - shaped brocade box made of mahogany, with the fox's eyes dotted in gold paint.
She opened the box, and the aroma of roses filled the air.
Inside were all kinds of rose - flavored pastries. Some were in the shape of roses, and some were in the shape of a smiling little fox. They looked extremely delicate.
She looked at Huo Wei with a smile. "Okay, I'll assume it's from you."
Aunt Mei Jiang silently backed out. She glanced at Du Gu Luanyue again. Could it be that she was already coaxed just by a few pastries?
Seeing that she picked up a piece and ate it instead of throwing his gift away, the uneasiness in Huo Wei's dark eyes subsided a little.
Although these little things weren't very valuable, he had threatened the shopkeeper with a knife and scolded him to make them exquisitely carved.
Each pastry was made in a different shape, lifelike, and it had cost him an entire night of effort and words.
"The people who impeached me probably don't know about my private contacts with those officials. I think there's a mole.
I'll investigate this myself. You don't need to worry about it." Huo Wei started talking about the recent impeachment.
Du Gu Luanyue wiped the corner of her mouth with a brocade handkerchief and said calmly, "Well, in the court, it's quite normal for officials to switch sides.
If you want to win their hearts, you need to make achievements on your own. Let everyone see that there's hope following you, and they'll naturally depend on you whole - heartedly."
She took out a rose - filled sweet pastry in the shape of a little fox from the box and held it up to Huo Wei's mouth. "You should try it too."
Huo Wei stood still. His dark eyes fixed on the sweet pastry, and he leaned forward.
Unexpectedly, Du Gu Luanyue pulled her hand back. He bit into thin air. Huo Wei gave her a cold look, like a big dog that had missed its piece of pork belly. "Are you teasing me?"
Her eyes were full of spring charm as she smiled coquettishly. "How dare I? Your Highness, please have some."
She held out the sweet pastry again, and Huo Wei leaned in.
Du Gu Luanyue smiled slyly again, took back the sweet pastry, and put it into her own mouth. Then she looked at Huo Wei happily.
"You're just like the big wolf - dog I raised in South Chu. I used to tease it like this. It always fell for it and bared its teeth at me.
Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly your expression."
Huo Wei quickly grabbed Du Gu Luanyue's arm and pulled her over. He held her arm tightly and stuffed the remaining piece of the sweet pastry into his own mouth.
There was a hint of rascality in his deep, slanting black eyes. His usually cold and self - controlled eyes now burned with a feverish glow.
Du Gu Luanyue said coldly, "Let go."
Huo Wei's handsome face was sharply contoured in the spring light. His sharp, thin lips curled up.
"Do you think I'll let go just because you tell me to? Who do you think you are?"
He deliberately didn't listen. He pulled Du Gu Luanyue's hand to his waist, and her whole body was pressed against his chest tightly.
She wasn't like a timid girl. Instead, her other jade - like hand reached up to his chiseled cheek.
"Do you think you can coax me, the Queen, with just some little desserts?
Huo Wei, you should pay attention to your words and deeds. We're in a cooperative relationship now. Remember to call me Empress Dowager next time you see me."
The cold light in Huo Wei's eyes was intimidating. "Who wants to coax you? I'll do whatever I want."
He put his arm around Du Gu Luanyue's waist, pressed her against the deepest corner of the bedroom, and lowered his head to kiss her fiercely.
The sweet aroma of the rose pastries lingered between their lips and teeth. Every breath became hot. Huo Wei's sharp Adam's apple rolled slightly.
His tall, black figure loomed over her, submerging the bright red figure in the corner. The ambiguous atmosphere in the bedroom surged, and only Huo Wei's heavy breathing could be heard.
Du Gu Luanyue was a little distracted. She couldn't figure out what was wrong with Huo Wei.
What had gotten into him? He had said such hurtful things to her last night.
Suddenly, a sharp pain came from her lower lip. Du Gu Luanyue pushed Huo Wei away forcefully.
"Are you really a dog? Why did you bite me!"
Huo Wei reached out to wipe the blood - tinged corner of his lips. His ears were as red as blood.
"When he bit you, you weren't this angry, were you?"
Du Gu Luanyue left the wall and sat in front of her dressing table, looking at herself in the mirror.
"What biting? What on earth are you talking about?"
After she said that, she saw the red mark on her neck and then realized that Huo Wei was talking about Murong Min.
Was he jealous because of Murong Min's closeness to her?
Huo Wei straightened his robe and slowly turned around. "I'm leaving."
Du Gu Luanyue looked back at him. "Don't kiss me again next time, unless you say..."
Huo Wei: "Say what?"
Her spring - like, glistening eyes blinked at him. "Unless you say that you really like me."
Huo Wei tightened his narrow sleeves, put his hands behind his back. His dark eyes were full of rascality as he curled his lips and looked at her.