SWDnovel Chapter 190 Empress, why don't you become my concubine too?
Chapter 190 Empress, why don't you become my concubine too?
Zhao Qingxue withdrew her gaze and said calmly:
"no."
Qin Mu smiled.
"Really not?"
"no."
"Then let me rephrase my question," Qin Mu sat up slightly, his gaze lingering on her with interest, "What does Your Majesty think of this little girl?"
Zhao Qingxue remained silent for a moment.
Then, she looked up at Qin Mu.
Those deep purple phoenix eyes shone like two dark stars in the dim light, calm and undisturbed, yet seemingly able to see through everything.
"What do you want to hear?" she countered.
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow.
"Listen to the truth."
Zhao Qingxue looked at him, and after a moment, slowly spoke.
"Your feelings for her," she said, "were just a passing fancy."
Qin Mu didn't speak, he just listened quietly.
Zhao Qingxue continued:
"A fisherwoman you found by the river, helpless and ignorant, is nothing more than a novel plaything in your eyes."
"Give her new clothes, take her back to the palace, and ensure she never has to worry about food or clothing again—"
"In her view, this was an immense blessing."
"But in your eyes, how is this any different from when you took Xu Fenghua as your concubine?"
She paused, her gaze sharp as a knife:
"They're all the same."
"It is you who strip a woman from her original destiny and then reshape her according to your own wishes."
The only difference is—
"Xu Fenghua knows what she is losing."
"And she," Zhao Qingxue's gaze swept over Xiao Yu's tear-streaked face, "doesn't know yet."
A brief silence fell over the carriage.
There was only the sound of horses' hooves and the rustling of the night wind through the jungle.
Xiao Yu couldn't understand what Zhao Qingxue was saying, but she could feel the weight of her words and the chill that was emanating from them.
She instinctively shrank closer to Qin Mu.
Qin Mu looked at Zhao Qingxue for a long time, then suddenly smiled.
The laughter was soft, yet it carried a strange meaning.
"Your Majesty," he said, "is this to speak out for that girl?"
Zhao Qingxue said calmly:
I will not speak out against anyone's injustice.
"I only told you because you asked."
"As for whether you listen or not, and how much you take in—"
She paused, then turned her gaze to the endless night outside the car window.
"It has nothing to do with me."
Qin Mu looked at her straight back, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
I appreciate it.
It's intriguing.
He suddenly realized that this Empress Li Yang was indeed very interesting.
Even in such a situation, even as a prisoner, she maintained the dignity and composure befitting an emperor.
She will not flatter, will not show weakness, and will not change her stance because of changes in circumstances.
She is still the same Zhao Qingxue who looked down upon the lights of thousands of homes from the observatory and made the vow to "unify the nine provinces".
Qin Mu carefully examined Zhao Qingxue sitting to the side.
She sat with an elegant posture, her back straight, like a plum blossom standing proudly in the snow.
Her moon-white dress gleamed with a cool light in the dim light, and her long hair was loosely tied up with a single white jade hairpin, with the rest cascading down to her waist like a waterfall.
She didn't look at anyone; her gaze was fixed on a spot on the car wall, her face expressionless.
Moonlight streamed through the cracks in the car window, casting a distinct line of light and shadow on her face.
The light and shadow swept across her brow, down her nose, and cut her stunning face in two.
Half of it is in the light, pure and aloof like an immortal; the other half is in the dark, deep and mysterious like an abyss.
Qin Mu looked at that face and suddenly smiled.
Then, he moved.
He stood up.
His movements were casual and unhurried; the hem of his moon-white robe gently brushed against the brocade cushion with each movement, without making a sound.
Xiao Yu suddenly felt empty beside her. She subconsciously looked up and saw that the moon-white figure had left the seat and was walking towards the depths of the carriage.
Her eyes widened slightly, and her lips moved, but she dared not make a sound.
Zhao Qingxue's eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.
She could sense the figure approaching.
You can feel that faint ambergris scent becoming clearer and clearer.
I could feel those deep eyes fixed on me.
Her fingers tightened slightly inside her sleeve.
But she didn't move.
He remained seated, his gaze fixed on a spot on the car wall, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.
until--
The figure stopped in front of her.
Very close.
She was so close that she could see the cloud patterns embroidered with silver thread on his moon-white robe, so close that she could feel the warmth of his body, so close that she could hear his steady and long breaths.
Zhao Qingxue's breath hitched slightly.
But she still didn't look up.
Qin Mu stood in front of her, looking down at her.
From this angle, he could see every detail of her.
Those long, thick, drooping eyelashes cast two trembling shadows beneath her eyes.
Those tightly pressed lips, devoid of color, still formed a stubborn curve.
The slight rise and fall of her chest betrayed that she was not as calm as she appeared.
and also--
A blush crept up to the base of his ears.
It's very faint, so faint that it's almost invisible.
But under the moonlight, on that snow-white skin, it was like a red plum blossom quietly blooming in the snow, dazzling and startling.
Qin Mu's gaze lingered on that blush for a moment, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Your Majesty, I am growing to admire you more and more."
Zhao Qingxue paused slightly.
She finally raised her head.
Those deep purple phoenix eyes, like a pair of dark stars in the dim light, were coldly staring at him.
"appreciate?"
Her voice was cold and clear, like jade striking against jade, devoid of any warmth. "Qin Mu, are you humiliating me?"
"humiliation?"
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "I genuinely admire her. For a woman to maintain such composure and dignity after losing all her cards and becoming a prisoner—isn't that spirit, that pride, worthy of admiration?"
Zhao Qingxue looked at him without saying a word.
But his gaze had grown even colder.
Qin Mu smiled, and then—
He raised his hand.
The movements were slow and gentle, yet carried an air of undeniable authority.
His fingers gently landed on Zhao Qingxue's chin.
In that instant, Zhao Qingxue's body stiffened abruptly.
Then her breathing became erratic.
My heart skipped a beat.
The blush that had initially crept up to her ears suddenly spread outwards.
From the base of the ear, to the cheek, to the neck, the fire burned deep into the collar.
Her face, under the moonlight, was like a piece of white jade scorched by a raging fire, a breathtakingly red.
Zhao Qingxue subconsciously turned her head away.
Hard.
Very hard.
But those two fingers seemed to have taken root, firmly fixed to her chin.
Her face was still forced to be raised.
Forced to meet his gaze.
Forced to endure all his scrutiny and gaze.
That feeling of powerlessness was stronger than ever before.
Her fingers were clenched tightly inside her sleeve, her nails digging deep into her palms until they bled.
The pain kept her barely conscious, but she couldn't suppress the surging humiliation in her heart.
Qin Mu's smile deepened as he looked at her.
In the moonlight, her face was very close.
Her skin was as delicate as white jade, and it was now flushed with a faint blush.
Those deep purple phoenix eyes were staring coldly at him, but there was a barely perceptible layer of water in their depths.
The chin he held in his fingers had rounded, beautiful lines and gleamed with a warm glow in the moonlight.
His thumb gently stroked her chin.
The movement was very light and slow, with a tenderness that bordered on pity.
But when it fell on Zhao Qingxue, it was like the sharpest blade, stripping away all her pride and dignity piece by piece.
She suddenly turned her head, trying to break free from his fingers.
But those fingers still steadily supported her chin.
Not moving.
Her face was still forced to be raised.
Her gaze was still forced to meet his.
Her breathing became more and more rapid.
The rise and fall of his chest became increasingly larger.
A genuine, undisguised anger finally surfaced in those deep purple phoenix eyes.
"Qin Mu," her voice trembled slightly, yet still carried a stubborn coldness, "that's enough."
Qin Mu smiled.
"Is that enough?" He leaned down slightly, getting closer, his warm breath brushing against her cheek. "Not nearly enough."
His gaze fell on her face, meticulously tracing her eyebrows, her nose, and her lips as if they were real objects.
Then he spoke.
"Your Majesty," his voice was soft, yet each word was clear, "why don't you become my beloved concubine?"
Zhao Qingxue's pupils suddenly contracted.
"In this way,"
Qin Mu continued, his tone as casual as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner.
"The Li Yang Dynasty and the Great Qin can then be united as one. The territories of the two countries will be connected, and their military forces will be integrated. From the East Sea to the Northern Desert, from the Lancang River to the Tianshan Mountains, the entire Nine Provinces will submit to our feet."
He paused, a playful smile curving his lips:
"What do you think? Isn't my suggestion excellent?"
Inside the carriage, a deathly silence fell.
There was only the sound of horses' hooves and the rustling of the night wind through the jungle.
Xiao Yu huddled in her seat, completely stunned.
Her brain was racing, trying to understand everything she had just heard.
Li Yang... Empress?
The woman before me, with her aloof demeanor and unbelievable beauty, is actually the Empress of the Li Yang Dynasty?
The legendary Empress Li Yang, who ascended the throne as a woman, purged eight princes in five years, and became a powerful figure in the Eastern Continent.
That legendary figure, whom she had heard countless times from the village storyteller since childhood, a figure that inspired both awe and fear in countless women?
Xiao Yu's mouth was slightly open, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She just thought this woman had a good temperament and was beautiful; even sitting there without saying a word, she made people afraid to approach her.
But to my utter surprise—
The other party was actually Empress Li Yang!
And His Majesty actually captured Empress Li Yang!
And you even want her... to be your concubine?!
Xiao Yu's brain completely shut down, and she could only sit there blankly, her eyes wide open and her mouth agape enough to fit an egg.
At this moment, Zhao Qingxue, whose chin was being supported by Qin Mu's fingers, finally spoke.
"snort."
A cold laugh.
It was very light and very cold, like the fragments that flew out when a thousand-year-old ice shattered.
"wishful thinking."
She spoke slowly and deliberately, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth, carrying a chilling edge.
Then, she tried again to turn her head and break free from his fingers.
But those fingers still steadily supported her chin.
Not moving.
Her face was still forced to be raised.
Her gaze was still forced to meet his.
True anger finally surfaced in her eyes.
Those deep purple phoenix eyes, now burning with a dark flame, were fixed on the man before them.
Qin Mu, however, seemed completely unconcerned about her anger.
His fingers were still firmly supporting her chin.
With the other hand, he slowly raised it.
His fingers gently touched her cheek.
The touch was warm and delicate, as my calloused fingertips gently grazed her smooth skin.
From the cheekbone, to the cheek, to the jawline.
The movements were slow and gentle, as if caressing a priceless piece of porcelain.
Zhao Qingxue's body trembled violently with anger.
But her body seemed to be frozen in place, unable to move an inch.
She could only let that hand slowly roam over her face.
Qin Mu looked at her, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
"Your Majesty the Empress,"
He spoke, his voice as gentle as if he were coaxing a ruffled kitten, "You should know what your fate will be."
His fingers lingered on her cheek, gently caressing her burning skin.
“When we get back,” he said, “I won’t be treating you to good food and drink.”
His tone was very calm, as if he were stating a perfectly ordinary fact.
"I will use any means necessary to make you submit."
His fingers slid down her cheek and lifted her chin again.
"so,"
He leaned down slightly, getting even closer, until their breaths almost mingled.
"Compliance is your only option."
He paused, his gaze falling on the burning flame in her eyes, and his smile deepened.
"To avoid suffering and torment."