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For a man in his prime, this was far more enticing than mere seduction. Even a steel-hearted man like Xiao Luo felt a slight stir in his heart while expressing disdain for Mei Shuang's actions.
Especially her demeanor of being a cat in front of others and a tiger behind closed doors made Xiao Luo chuckle for a moment.
"Are you just going to leave like that?" Xiao Luo said calmly.
Mei Shuang, who had reached the door, trembled slightly, stopped in her tracks, and forced herself to ask, "Um, is there anything else?"
Xiao Luo looked down at the back of his hand, where several crescent-shaped nail marks were deeply imprinted, quite noticeable against his fair skin. If she hadn't been trembling and clinging to him earlier, he would have almost thrown her to the ground.
He walked over slowly and stood in front of Mei Shuang.
Mei Shuang quickly withdrew her hand from the door, feeling immense pressure from his tall figure. Time was limited; if this continued, her plans for the night would surely fall through.
She steeled herself and said, "Um, don't worry. I didn't bring enough money tonight, but a man keeps his word. I will definitely pay you back."
"A man keeps his word?" Xiao Luo was speechless; how could a man pretending to be so confident be so pathetic?
Xiao Luo extended his hand, presenting the injured back of his hand before Mei Shuang's eyes, his tone laced with evident doubt and mockery. "Are you really a man? So timid?"
Mei Shuang first felt confused, then embarrassed. Upon hearing Xiao Luo's words, she instinctively covered her chest with both hands as if trying to protect herself after being exposed. In an instant, she realized it was inappropriate and quickly lowered her hands.
With this series of actions, Mei Shuang noticed the more pronounced mockery on Xiao Luo's face. Moreover, his gaze seemed to follow her hands as they moved to her chest, as if there were gold there; he stared for several seconds before finally looking away.
"Hey, hey! What are you looking at?" Mei Shuang said, extremely displeased.
The legitimate daughter of Mei Manor must have been blind; how could this man, who she had crazily pursued as a towering hero, be nothing more than an ordinary man? Moreover, every man present here was driven by lust. His earlier gaze had already revealed his impure intentions.
Thus, disdain filled her heart for the emperor she had once revered and looked up to. What kind of normal behavior was it for him to appear in a place like this in the dead of night?
No, no, she reminded herself that she was currently disguised as a man, yet the way he looked at her sensitive areas made her uneasy. Could it be—had he already seen through her disguise?
Mei Shuang was taken aback!
She couldn't stay in this wretched place any longer. Clutching her bundle tightly, she prepared to bolt when suddenly, with a flick of his wide sleeves, she felt herself lifted off the ground before she even realized what was happening. It wasn't until her backside met the earth with a thud that she lamented in shock that her escape plan had gone awry. All she could do now was hope he wouldn't recognize her; perhaps she could lie low for a while and pretend to be injured and pitiful.
Xiao Luo stepped forward, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes. His voice was cold and hard as iron. "Knowing you are to enter the palace tomorrow to meet the emperor, yet you dare to defy the order and wander about at this hour—Deposed Empress Mei Shuang—what is your intention?"
The situation in the Eastern Kingdom had yet to be clarified.
Mei Shuang felt darkness cloud her vision; this time, she was truly doomed.
Not only did he know that she was disguised as a man, but he also clearly called out her identity—Deposed Empress Mei Shuang!
The Deposed Empress Mei Shuang from the Cold Palace! An identity even Mei Shuang herself had long forgotten.
She climbed up from the ground, gritting her teeth as she dusted herself off. Then, with a serious demeanor, she knelt down and said, "This guilty woman Mei Shuang pays her respects—"
"Enough." Xiao Luo interrupted her impatiently. It was better this way; there would be no need for tomorrow's interrogation. Seizing the day was better than waiting for another. He coldly continued, "Zhao Prince has quite the audacity to defy orders and allow you free passage... I ask you, how did the spy from the Eastern Kingdom escape?"
"It was I who let him go..." Mei Shuang lowered her head and admitted honestly.
She had to clear herself of this matter; otherwise, it would be too much to involve others...
Upon returning to the inn, Nangong Nuo found Mei Shuang was not there. When he asked around, no one knew where she was, and he immediately lost his temper.
He beat up the assistant who had been spouting nonsense under Mei Shuang's influence until the assistant revealed all of his conversations with her. Only then did Nangong Nuo darkly instruct his guards to find Mei Shuang before dawn; if they couldn't locate her, they would have to face severe consequences.
The guards were also flustered. How could a perfectly fine person just disappear?
Nangong Nuo carefully considered the assistant's words and combined them with Mei Shuang's characteristics. He guessed that she must have run outside the city, and there was still some distance from here to the carriage outside the city. In this icy weather, no coachman would be willing to make the trip, so there was only one possibility.
When he rode to Miaochun Tower, he overheard a burly man boasting to his companion outside the main entrance about having killed a young man from out of town that night. He claimed to have pocketed a hundred taels from a deal worth two thousand taels—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“That young man was as tender and delicate as a big girl, but who would have thought he had a preference for men? I’m not into that,” the man laughed, his face jiggling with mirth.
Nangong Nuo frowned. Could it be that she was disguised as a man? But what did this preference for men mean?
After dismounting, Nangong Nuo pulled out a hundred-tael silver note, and the man immediately confessed everything.
Without a doubt, it was Mei Shuang. She was quite capable; she had really managed to get here.
“Which direction did she go?” he asked darkly.
The man scratched his head and replied awkwardly, “I didn’t pay attention; it seems she hasn’t come down... She might be sleeping upstairs.”
"Sleeping?" Nangong Nuo beckoned to the man with a finger, a gentle smile curving his lips. "Well done."
Nangong Nuo hurried upstairs, and seeing his grim expression, Madam quickly stepped forward to attend to him.
By the time the two reached the room at the very end, it was already empty.
Nangong Nuo, furious, kicked a stool against the wall and turned to question, "Where is he?"
Madam was taken aback, thinking to herself that they had really stirred up trouble this time.
A seemingly unremarkable young man had actually attracted Prince Lao Zhao's personal attention—what kind of background did he have?
Feeling frustrated, she shot a fierce glare at her subordinates and pointed at them, scolding, "Where is this person? Are you all blind?"
At that moment, it even seemed like Zhao Prince was jealous. Madam's mind raced as she pondered whether Zhao Prince had a penchant for men. Why else would he come here to compete for a man?
Nangong Nuo searched the room but found nothing.
Who would target an unarmed man? Moreover, from Madam's words, it seemed she had been close with another man? Very intimate?
Such bizarre happenings were hard to fathom.
——
After Mei Shuang completely confessed, Xiao Luo branded her with the charge of "deceiving the emperor and committing an unforgivable crime." Immediately, a group of plainclothes Eunuchs escorted her to the palace, awaiting tomorrow's confrontation with Chancellor Mei to determine whether he had colluded with enemies. If so, his entire family would be executed.
The result was unexpected for Mei Shuang.
Kneeling in the brightly lit and solemn Hall of Governance, Mei Shuang stared at the stern-faced Sovereign before the dragon throne, listening to his disdainful judgment. She could hardly believe that just moments ago, in the brothel, he had saved her.
His moods were unpredictable, and he held absolute power; who in the world would dare to say "no"?
She had thought that by speaking of the Kuranami Miyako family's difficulties and their indomitable spirit, even this indifferent emperor would feel compassion and spare them. Little did she expect that it would involve her own family, and a charge of Treason could cost the lives of one hundred eighty members of her household.
Mei Shuang desperately argued, "Your Majesty is wise! This matter arose because of me, so I should bear the responsibility alone. How can I implicate my innocent old father?"
"You bear the responsibility? What will you use to bear it?" Xiao Luo lowered his gaze while casually sharpening a Fire Stick, lightly saying, "If you were confident you could bear it, would you need to disguise yourself as a man and flee in the middle of the night?"
The cold wind blew in through the long window, and as the candlelight flickered, it illuminated his face—now bright, now dim—his expression inscrutable.
His words dripped with sarcasm, leaving Mei Shuang utterly speechless.
When Xiao Luo raised his gaze slightly, he caught a glimpse of Mei Shuang's helpless expression and suddenly found it amusing.
This woman insisted that only Eastern Kingdom people were causing her trouble, yet even she couldn't answer why they had singled her out.
After a round of questioning from Xiao Luo, Mei Shuang realized that this emperor was indeed not to be underestimated; he was highly intelligent, cunning, and adept at manipulation. Ordinary lies would not deceive him.
Thus, whether today or in the future, she had to make this emperor understand one fact: she was no longer the original Mei Shuang. With that understanding, everything that followed would have a reasonable explanation.
Of course, if these methods failed, she wasn't worried because she still had a trump card up her sleeve.
"Your Majesty, it is not that I intended to escape; it is just that this matter, Zhao Prince is well aware of it. I believe he can report to you alone. Furthermore, to speak a word that goes against your will, I do not wish to return to the palace..."
As Mei Shuang spoke these words, her head bowed and her demeanor submissive, her small face expressed a silent truth—she was unwilling and had no choice.
Xiao Luo raised an eyebrow at her words, pausing his brush in thought. After a moment of scrutiny, he suddenly asked with interest, "Why do you not want to return to the palace? Wasn't entering the palace your greatest wish before?"
Before? That was in the past! Now is now!
Mei Shuang knelt again, her tone deep and serious. "Your Majesty, there are rumors outside that I would stop at nothing to become Empress. You are wise; indeed, that was true before... Now I have awakened and realize how absurd my previous actions were. To become this Empress, I have implicated my father, tarnished my reputation, and lost my freedom... Looking back now, it feels like a fleeting spring dream; I truly regret my past decisions..."
At this moment, Mei Shuang resembled a criminal who had committed many wrongs yet had turned over a new leaf. Her words were sincere and heartfelt, moving enough that she could almost shed tears. Even she was touched by her own sentiments.
What a good child—one who corrects her mistakes! There is no greater virtue than this! Of course, moving herself was trivial; what mattered was making the Sovereign before her feel her sincerity.
As she delivered her heartfelt reflection, Xiao Luo's brow gradually furrowed.
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