Lin Qiao looked at the hand around her waist, then at Luo Nanchen's half - smiling face after getting his way, and finally at the poor frightened pony she had been riding not far away.
Lin Qiao: “......”
Luo Nanchen's proud voice came from beside her ear, low and ticklish. “Now will you let me teach you?”
Lin Qiao gritted her teeth. He's going astray now. When his heroine shows up, he'll surely regret it.
Just wait for the day when he has to desperately win back his love!
It seemed that Lin Qi had been convinced by Mo Xiujie. The two stopped fighting and followed behind at a distance.
Lin Qiao remained unmoved. “Put this empress dowager down.”
Luo Nanchen also stayed put. “Is the empress dowager planning to walk down the mountain on foot?”
Lin Qiao repeated, “Put this empress dowager down.”
Luo Nanchen let out a sigh. “How long did it take the empress dowager to climb the mountain just now? An hour?”
Lin Qiao: “……”
Finally, Lin Qiao gave up struggling and sat in front of the victorious Luo Nanchen on the same horse as they rode down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, most of the officials were waiting there, looking respectful.
Lin Qiao negotiated with Luo Nanchen. “Put this empress dowager down.”
Luo Nanchen refused. “Why should you get off?”
As their horse got closer and closer, Lin Qiao threw caution to the wind and didn't care about her image anymore. “Please, please! Let me get off!”
Luo Nanchen shook his head and deliberately brushed his lips against Lin Qiao's hair. “The empress dowager lacks sincerity.”
Lin Qiao gritted her teeth. “Then what counts as being sincere?”
Luo Nanchen leaned over to Lin Qiao's ear and became even more demanding. “Kiss me.”
Lin Qiao's ear was touched by Luo Nanchen's lips. Her scalp went numb, and so did her heart. She didn't know how to react.
Seeing that Lin Qiao didn't respond, Luo Nanchen sped up towards the officials. “Oh, so you don't want to get off...”
“Wait, wait. You have to let me get off first so that I can kiss you.”
Lin Qiao pouted, looking glum.
But from Luo Nanchen's angle, all he saw was Lin Qiao's puffed - out cheeks and the soft flesh on her face.
Luo Nanchen's heart softened, and he got off the horse with Lin Qiao in his arms.
As soon as they got off, Luo Nanchen immediately eagerly leaned his face over, waiting for the promised kiss.
Lin Qiao turned around and ran away.
Luo Nanchen: “……”
She ran all the way back to the camp before Lin Qiao finally let out a sigh of relief.
Anyway, all the civil and military officials were there. As an emperor, Luo Nanchen couldn't just run over like she, the empress dowager, without a care in the world.
Thinking about it, she felt so sad.
She, an advanced person from the 21st century and the current empress dowager, actually had to rely on the presence of civil and military officials to protect her innocence.
How pathetic...
When would Luo Nanchen wake up? When would Li Yingmeng finally appear? When would this wayward boy finally get back on the right track?
...
Lin Qiao had thought that once out of the palace, Luo Nanchen wouldn't dare to be as bold as he was in the palace and openly come to sleep with her.
Well, he wasn't being open about it anymore.
He was being audacious.
In the past, he would linger in the Changle Palace all day. Now, after the routine activities in the hunting ground, he would come to her camp. In the past, Mo Xiujie would come with a quilt in his arms. Now, he came empty - handed.
And he would use her quilt.
What could she do? Lin Qiao's only hope now was that Li Yingmeng would appear soon and pull this boy who was straying further and further on the wrong path back.
...
“Your ladyship, the emperor sent this servant to convey a message. There's a white deer being hunted outside today. Does your ladyship want to go out and have a look?”
It was Father Liu, the senior eunuch beside Luo Nanchen.
Lin Qiao stretched. “Let's go.”
During these days of hunting, except when they went deep into the mountains, Lin Qiao basically went with them.
There was no other reason. It was all because Luo Nanchen had called her along.
Father Liu led the way while introducing. “This white deer is said to be a descendant of the divine beasts from the era of the battle of Chi You. The grey wolves that used to fight against the white deer are already extinct.”
Lin Qiao curled her lip. “It can't be that mysterious.”
Father Liu led Lin Qiao and the others to the viewing platform and then retreated.
The viewing platform had a vast and unobstructed view, allowing one to take in all the distant scenery at a glance.
Luo Nanchen was leading a group of military generals to surround the white deer.
Although there were many brave and battle - hardened generals behind him, Luo Nanchen charged to the front without showing the slightest weakness. He looked imposing, lean and fit, and even more majestic.
This was the image of Emperor Nanchen in the book.
But Lin Qiao didn't know how she felt. Which one was really Luo Nanchen?
The one in the book, the one in front of her, the domineering one, or the obedient one?
Lin Qiao couldn't tell.
A maid brought in some washed and fragrant honey peaches. They were big and juicy. Lin Qiao said to Chunhua and Qiuyue, “You two divide them. I have no appetite.”
A person walked over under the viewing platform. He was fully armed and imposing. It was Meng Erliu.
She just remembered that she hadn't seen this ally from the 21st century for a long time.
Meng Erliu bowed. “Your subject pays respects to your ladyship.”
Lin Qiao also pretended to be formal. “General Meng, there's no need for so much courtesy.”
Meng Erliu looked at Chunhua and Qiuyue, then at Lin Qi, as if on high alert.
Lin Qiao felt a bit annoyed. “General Meng, if you have something to say, just say it. They're all not outsiders.”
“Your ladyship, some things are better known by fewer people,” Meng Erliu had a sly smile on his face, which was very out of place with his heroic appearance. It was rather greasy. “Your subject has something important to discuss with your ladyship.”
Lin Qiao remembered what had happened five years ago.
It was exactly the same scene.
The reason she had drifted apart from this only ally from the 21st century was that Meng Erliu had come to discuss something with her five years ago.
Meng Erliu had asked Lin Qiao to attend to state affairs behind a screen and cooperate with him. Taking advantage of Luo Nanchen's young age, they would bring Luo Nanchen down, and he would claim the throne himself. He even promised her the position of queen.
As soon as Lin Qiao heard this, she immediately cut off all ties with Meng Erliu.
Wasn't this exactly what the original character in the book and Meng Erliu had planned? And what had been the result?
Moreover, being a queen was not as pleasant as being an empress dowager.
Besides, even without this rebellion plot, Lin Qiao didn't plan to cooperate with Meng Erliu anymore.
Because Meng Erliu's tasks to gain prestige were just too excessive. He tried all sorts of ways to take advantage of her and even proposed to carry her to the bed.
Come on. If she had let him do that, would she have had a good ending?
... Luo Nanchen was different. He just had a rather serious Oedipus complex.
Lin Qiao said impatiently, “General Meng, I've already cooperated with you as much as I should. Moreover, I have no obligation to help you gain prestige, and now, I definitely have no obligation to help you with other things.”
Meng Erliu smiled. “Empress Dowager, we're in the same boat.”
In other words, if something happened to him, Meng Erliu, Lin Qiao wouldn't be able to live a good life either.
Meng Erliu continued, “Empress Dowager, what do you think the emperor will do if I tell him about our affairs?”
Lin Qiao was shocked. Oh no. Was she stuck with Meng Erliu?
“The emperor already knows everything about the empress dowager. There's no need for General Meng to add unnecessary details.”