Du Gu Luanyue picked up a piece of fish and put it into his bowl. "No," she said.
Huo Wei leaned back slightly. His cold and fierce eyes turned gloomy. "Learned from taking care of His Majesty?"
Du Gu Luanyue glanced at him. "No."
Huo Wei said unhappily, "Then how did you learn it?"
Du Gu Luanyue's jade-like eyes grew calm. Her charming face was bathed in the lamplight, with a faint halo. She gently began to tell a story that she had never shared with outsiders before.
"It was because of my father and mother. I learned it from them. It's not really 'learning'.
My father only loved my mother in his whole life.
When he was still a prince, there were no concubines in his mansion. After he ascended the throne, he didn't even establish a harem.
As far as I can remember, they might have argued a few times about state affairs, but in daily life, they never got angry with each other.
My father wasn't a man with a particularly good temper. He was even overbearing. My mother used to be a general, so she wasn't mild - tempered either. But when they were together, they didn't seem like an emperor and an empress at all.
My mother never coaxed the emperor like I do, with flattery and smiles.
She and my father were more like an ordinary loving couple in the civilian world.
Sometimes they were like unmarried young lovers. Occasionally, they would even leave my younger brother and me behind and secretly go out of the palace to have fun.
When my father was young, people called him a tyrant. It didn't mean that he was tyrannical in governance. It was just because of his bad temper.
When faced with tough state affairs, he would fly into a rage. But as soon as he returned to the harem, he never brought outside troubles into my mother's bedroom.
My father would patiently comb my mother's hair. If he accidentally hurt her hair, he would be scolded. He would just listen silently and still comb her hair the next time.
My mother would also pick the fishbones for my father. Until now, my father still can't pick fishbones when eating fish, but he loves fish. So my mother picked fishbones for him for most of their lives."
Huo Wei listened to her quietly as she talked about her past. It was the first time he had heard about her history.
He thought, if Du Gu Luanyue's mother picked fishbones for her father, and Du Gu Luanyue picked fishbones for him, what did this mean?
Huo Wei lowered his head, hiding his smile, feeling delighted inside.
Du Gu Luanyue continued,
"When my father and mother were together, they were like one person.
My father, who was known as a tyrant, would become gentle and delicate. My mother, who came from a military family and was a general, would also become gentle and demure.
But once they stepped out of the bedroom door and stood in the court, one was a tyrant who held the power of life and death, and the other was a majestic female general, working hard for the Southern Chu Dynasty all their lives.
So, not all emperors and generals are just overbearing and powerful. They also have their delicate and gentle sides."
People in this world always have biases against women in high positions.
Most people think that women in high positions are strong, overbearing, and suppress those around them.
But Du Gu Luanyue didn't think so. The strong also have a gentle side for their loved ones.
As she was talking, her throat started to feel a bit sour, and she didn't want to continue.
It was impossible for Huo Wei not to be shocked. He said calmly,
"The deep affection between the emperor and the empress of Southern Chu is well - known to the world.
In the past, I had a lot of dealings with His Majesty. He had three palaces and six courts, with countless concubines. I always thought the legend of the emperor and the empress of Southern Chu was fake."
Du Gu Luanyue forced a smile. "It doesn't matter whether it's true or false in the eyes of the world. As long as they were truly happy, that's enough."
At this moment, Huo Wei understood everything.
Wild beasts only roar at the outside world. Their fangs are always aimed at the enemy;
But towards the people they love, they are extremely gentle and delicate.
Although Du Gu Luanyue was trained to be a female emperor, growing up beside the emperor and the empress of Southern Chu, she also learned how they loved each other.
Huo Wei looked at her with his deep - set eyes. "You may be the most special female emperor in the world."
Du Gu Luanyue asked, "What do you mean?"
Huo Wei pursed his lips but didn't know how to continue.
She was a woman with wisdom and courage, ruthless and domineering on one hand, and gentle and caring on the other.
How could such a beautiful and intelligent woman end up with that old man Murong Min?
His sharp eyebrows frowned, and a sense of resentment welled up in his heart.
When his black eyes slowly turned to look at her, the intention of taking her for himself was clearly written on his face.
Huo Wei stretched out his strong arm and pulled the wooden chair Du Gu Luanyue was sitting on in front of him. She lost her balance and fell into Huo Wei's arms.
Huo Wei smiled wickedly and grabbed her slender shoulders, pressing her hard into his half - opened shirt.
Du Gu Luanyue's cheek touched his burning chest, and she felt her own face getting hot. "Huo Wei, eat properly!"
Huo Wei refused to let go. "How are you going to reward this king for what happened at the South City Gate today? Tell me, and I'll let you go."
Du Gu Luanyue's weak strength was completely suppressed by him. She gradually gave up struggling and shrank in Huo Wei's arms, feeling the strong heartbeat under his full and broad chest muscles.
Her jade - like eyes shrank. For some reason, Huo Wei always had a special aura that made her heart beat faster several times, and even made her feel itchy inside.
She had an impulse to hug him and throw herself into his arms.
Du Gu Luanyue quickly suppressed such chaotic thoughts, swallowed hard, and said,
"To reward you, I need to know what you want first."
The room was so quiet that Huo Wei's pounding heartbeat could be heard.
He tightened his arms around Du Gu Luanyue. His Adam's apple rolled. "You promise first, and then this king will tell you."
Du Gu Luanyue looked up and could only see his firm chin. She said coldly, "It seems it's not a good thing. You tell me first. I'll promise if I can do it."
Huo Wei lowered his head. His black eyes deepened. His voice was as deep as a drum, and a warm breath came from above her head. "This king wants you."
Du Gu Luanyue's body trembled slightly. Thousands of troops seemed to run through her eyes, and then there was only blankness.
Huo Wei said such a thing so directly and shamelessly. She felt numb all over and realized that she had really provoked the most unprovokable person.
But she wouldn't explicitly reject Huo Wei. From the very beginning, this was actually her intention.
However, her state of mind had changed. She felt that Huo Wei was completely serious now, crazily serious, and this was what scared her the most.
She even wondered what she would do when she had to leave in the future.
"Are you scared?" He hooked his lips and smiled wickedly, fearless and not caring about the identity of the person in front of him at all.
"Are you afraid that Murong Min will find out after getting involved with this king?" Huo Wei looked at her with a smile.
Du Gu Luanyue said, "You have such a deep knife wound on your abdomen. Let's talk about it after you recover."
Huo Wei held her delicate face in his hands. His deep black eyes stared hotly at her sexy and charming lips.
Like a big wolf dog seeing a caramel - colored pork chop covered in honey, he licked his lower lip.
"Then let this king taste you briefly first."