A-Wu shook her head hurriedly, her voice filled with a tearful plea:
“No, Your Majesty, A-Wu did not elope with the guard. A-Wu only wanted to leave. That guard set a trap for A-Wu. It was the Crown Princess who wanted to harm A-Wu. Your Majesty is wise, you can investigate this…”
Emperor Jingxi gritted his teeth and roared: “Silence! You’re spouting nonsense!”
Even if Nie San had intentions, why would she so easily fall for it?
Did she think her little tricks could deceive him?
She had eloped, abandoning the Crown Prince, running off with a guard, clutching a pile of gold to escape!
If he hadn’t personally led the imperial guards to Nanqiongzi, blocking their path, they would have long disappeared to who knows where, living carefree and happy!
His heart felt as if it were being pounded by a stone, the pain unbearable: “Liar! Could any man take you away? Could any man have you?”
The thought of this possibility gnawed at him with jealousy: “You just happened to meet me. You would have gone with any man you encountered…”
She nestled into his embrace, and if it were someone else, it would be another man holding her.
If fate had played a different hand, it wouldn’t be him, but another man-
His voice trailed off abruptly, his mind going blank.
Because Awu, like a delicate vine, had entwined herself around him.
She was fragile and helpless, her figure delicate, yet her eyes looked at him with a soft, dependent gaze.
Emperor Jingxi had never seen such clear and complex emotions in anyone’s eyes before-reverence, affection, love, and pleading.
It was as if he was the anchor of her soul, the one thing she sought in her entire life.
She trembled as she wrapped her slender arms around his shoulders, trying to melt his masculine rigidity with her softness.
She faced his fury without fear, like a fragile moth drawn to a flame.
At this moment, the empire, wealth, and power seemed distant, like fleeting clouds.
The entire world vanished, and Emperor Jingxi could see nothing but Awu.
In this world, there was only one woman, and her name was Awu.
Awu clung to Emperor Jingxi’s shoulders, her slender arms pressing against the embroidered patterns of the sun, moon, and stars on his imperial robe.
She gazed devoutly into his cold eyes and whispered softly,
“Your Majesty, I don’t want any other man in the world. I only want you, I only love you. Hold me, please, don’t be angry with me… Save me, only you can save me. If you abandon me, I’d rather die…”
The Crown Prince, Princess Dening, the Empress, the Crown Princess-all of them had received his favor, all of them had been elevated by his grace.
He stood at the pinnacle of power, overlooking the world.
Yet here she was, pleading with him, begging for even the slightest scrap of his attention, enough to let her stand before the world again.
Emperor Jingxi lowered his eyes, silently watching this helpless woman.
A beauty in tears, like a weeping begonia, she was a lost fledgling with no branch to cling to, willing to give everything for his pity and protection.
But she was also a soul-devouring demon, dragging him into an abyss from which there was no return.
He was on the verge of falling, but he still wanted to struggle.
So he spoke, “Do you know what you’re saying?”
Awu replied, “Your Majesty, either kill me or hold me.”
She raised her trembling, thick lashes, her watery eyes boldly meeting his. “Awu is yours, in life and in death. My fate is in your hands.”
Emperor Jingxi gazed deeply at Awu, for a long time.
In the time it takes for a leaf to fall, a person’s fate can be decided.
Awu waited.
Finally, Emperor Jingxi raised his hand, his fingers slowly extending to the back of her slender neck, gripping her cervical spine as if clutching a dying swan.
Awu closed her eyes, resigned.
She had lost the bet.
Then, she heard a hoarse yet powerful voice whisper in her ear, “I want you, but from now on, you can only belong to me. Every strand of your hair, every beat of your heart-they must be mine. You must worship me as your heaven.”
Awu’s eyes flew open, and she saw the madness in Emperor Jingxi’s gaze.
His former calm had shattered completely, replaced by an uncontrollable possessiveness.
Jealousy and bitterness surged within him.
He had long been moved, but his pride had kept him from descending to the mortal realm!
Awu tilted her head back, her soft and long hair cascading over her slender shoulders, gazing up at him with unwavering devotion:
“Awu swears, in this life, Awu’s heart belongs only to you . Every strand of hair belongs to you. Awu regards you as her heaven. Awu is willing to kneel before you for all eternity.”
Emperor Jingxi stared at her intently, his heart aching with a mix of pain and admiration.
She was truly skilled at this.
She knew how to push boundaries, how to manipulate a man’s heart.
She no longer addressed him as “Your Majesty.”
She called him “Lang.”
With a soft, lingering voice, she murmured that word, as if it were the sole anchor of her existence.
“Get up.”
No man could escape such a web of emotions, not even him.
A sharp, intense emotion surged from the left side of Emperor Jingxi’s chest, making his nose tingle, his eyes burn, and his chest feel both numb and swollen.
He had been emperor for eighteen years, believing he had everything firmly under control.
But now he realized it was only because he had never encountered someone like her.
He liked her, liked her deeply, so much so that he wanted to hold her and never let go.
He found fault with her, but only because he hated her casualness, hated that she had once belonged to another man!
He hated her attitude toward fleeting relationships!
He even occasionally recalled that day when he had shared with her the struggles he faced before his marriage in his youth.
For a brief moment, his heart had opened a small door to her, but she had averted her gaze.
Everything was subtle, almost imperceptible unless one paid close attention, but Emperor Jingxi felt it felt her indifference toward him.
She was merely humoring him, and deep down, he knew it.
He was the emperor, standing above all others, and he would never stoop to begging for affection from a lowly woman!
His eyes darkened with resentment as he commanded through gritted teeth, “You are mine, born to be mine. You must always look at me, only at me!”
Awu listened, her heart filled with satisfaction, as if she had just devoured the most exquisite dessert.
Emperor Jingxi’s voice was fierce as he said:
“If anyone dares to look at you, if anyone dares to touch even a finger of yours, I will make sure they meet a gruesome end!”
Awu burst into tears.
Large drops fell, tears of overwhelming joy.
This man, who had recklessly ridden out from the depths of the palace, had finally given her a glimmer of hope!
She opened her slender arms to him, timidly pleading, “Lang.”
Her eyes were tinged with red, her skin flushed, as radiant as a seductress yet as fragile and lost as a child without a home.
No one could refuse such a plea.
A fierce desire erupted in Emperor Jingxi’s tea-colored eyes.
He abruptly reached out, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly.
Awu was actually a little afraid, afraid of this storm-like demand, but she still trembled as she wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders, embracing his back, opening herself to him.
No matter the method, she wanted to survive.
The ornate dragon robe was thrown violently to the ground, the jade belt clashing against the marble floor with a sharp, clear sound.
Awu’s heart raced, her scalp tingling.
If she wanted, she could have a hundred men, but none of them could offer her the protection she sought.
Only this man could!
This was her only chance in this life, and she would seize it.
She would use every means at her disposal to keep him, to make him utterly infatuated!
Finally, Awu burst into tears, crying freely.
Yet, amidst her sobs, she felt a strange sense of vengeful satisfaction.
Look, you, the supreme ruler, still crave me.
You know full well that I am the Crown Prince’s concubine, yet you still indulge in my tenderness!
As she wept, the man unexpectedly lowered his head, embracing her and kissing her cheeks.
His movements were gentle, almost as if he were coaxing her.
Awu sensed the man’s pity, and she had always been one to push her advantage.
She tightly gripped his arm, her tearful, misty eyes brimming with accusation as she brought up the Crown Prince, comparing Emperor Jingxi to him in every way.
Such innocent, pitiful words would melt any man’s heart.
Emperor Jingxi’s jawline tightened abruptly, and his fingers dug into her slender waist. “Where did you learn to say such things?” he demanded, his expression dark.
“Did you say the same to him?”
Awu gazed up at the man with wet eyes, her voice filled with grievance.
“But Awu is only speaking the truth…”
Emperor Jingxi commanded in a deep voice, “From now on, you are not to speak such words or mention him. If you do, I will punish you severely.”
Awu trembled at his words.
Had she made a mistake?
Emperor Jingxi spoke each word deliberately, “Forget him. Forget him completely.”
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