Chapter Twenty Entering the Palace

  He heard her say 'no', and his rationality told him to stop, but the fragrance on her body, the softness of her skin, and the warmth of her touch all deeply stimulated his desire, an irresistible longing. Her sweetness was unmatched by anyone, and this he knew better than anyone else.

  Liu Er

  Tender and lingering kisses sank into the soft skin, careful yet scorching and profound.

  "No. Don't..."

  Her small hands unconsciously pushed him away, with a soft force, her eyebrows were tightly knitted, her eyelashes trembled, and she shifted her body uncomfortably to stop his advancing movement.

  She shifted to one side, the quilt wrapped more tightly around her, separated by a layer of brocade, stopping his further movements. Mo Yunxuan stood there at the bedside, dazed, then lifted his body and hooked up a pampered smile, greedily gazing at her satisfied expression. Due to the brazier's warmth, the room temperature wasn't particularly low; in the gentle, even breathing, a faint flush appeared on her cheeks.

  He no longer had the heart to bully her, his gaze was shallow and lingering, until the maid came in to ask about bathing, he suddenly came back to himself and stood up straight, revealing his tall figure as he walked out with big strides.

  The sky cleared, and the Wang Fu was as peaceful as ever. The snow on the corridors had been swept clean by the servants, revealing the bright red color of the pillars after being washed by the snowmelt. The winding corridors were adorned with lanterns, and outside, a large area of empty space was piled high with snow. Delicate laughter echoed throughout the courtyard, beautiful dresses fluttered, and tiny footsteps left prints on the clean ground. The maidservants ran around, their faces flushed with sweat, and their handkerchiefs occasionally fell to the ground.

  "Hurry up, Zǐěr... Hurry up..."

  "Miss, catch it——"

  A snowball flew over and hit Xia Ziyu directly

  A snowball hit the tip of her nose, icy and cool. Xia Zi Li caught a big one in her arms, a small snowball landed in her hand.

  "Miss, quickly throw it over there."

  Xia Zi rushed over and shouted at him across the way

  "Winter plum blossoms, winter chrysanthemums. I've abandoned you..."

  As soon as the voice fell, Dongmei and Dongju immediately ran to both sides, and the snowball flew through the gap and happened to hit a servant who was sweeping the floor on one side, causing the maids to burst out laughing. The servant was covered in snowflakes and turned around wanting to scold, but when she saw it was the princess, her eyes narrowed and she swallowed back the curse that was about to come out of her mouth.

  Not far from the side, in a pavilion at the end of the corridor, behind which is a patch of bright red plum blossoms, as intoxicating as a drunkard's flush in March, fragrant as the ancient wine, on the jade steps, thick snow covers

  On the stone bench, tea utensils were placed, elegant and simple, fragrant and intoxicating. Boiling plums and brewing tea, several officials sat around, among them a man with a python robe, strong and majestic, with a wide forehead, was the Seventh Prince of the State of Mu Xuan, Rui Wang.

  "The Jiangnan Su family, the Bianliang Chen family, overnight, heavily indebted. The governor of the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau has been replaced, and the saltworks that we have always tightly controlled have appeared to be broken. Eighth brother, if this continues..."

  "Seventh Prince, don't worry, our situation in Jiangnan is still very stable. Ning Wang's move was really ruthless, not only did it cause the entire Cao family to be destroyed, but also implicated two major families in Jiangnan with evidence of bribery. All their wealth was confiscated, and at the same time, they were defeated and we regained control of the sea transportation and salt trade."

  "Who do you think is most worried about Ning Wang's growing strength?"

  "Your Majesty——?"

  "In fact, what Ning Wang is doing now may not be all bad for us either—"

  In conversation, Mo Yunxuan picked up the banana leaf cup in his hand and occasionally took a light sip, without saying a word.

  The housekeeper came forward with quick steps

  "Your Majesty, the Emperor is summoning you to the palace now—"

  A moment of silence

  Much faster than expected, thin lips curled up a slight arc, seems can't wait anymore.

  "There's also a girl outside who is desperately trying to see you and was chased away by that servant—"

  "What girl?"

  "That girl's surname is Cao——"

  After a long time, she got up and put her hands on the tea set, looking at the children who were still playing in the snowy ground.

  "Take good care of the princess, don't let her play in the snow for too long, I'll be right back—"