Chapter 322: Chapter 319: Coveting

Qi Wuya’s whole being froze. “She really threw up? How could this happen? What acting skills!”

“Sang Yan, you did this on purpose!”

He roared angrily, grabbing her arm and yanking her in front of him.

Sang Yan knew she had made a mistake, covering her mouth with one hand while trying to wipe the filth from his clothes with the other.

“I’m sorry. I really didn’t do it on purpose. I swear.”

She was flustered, raising her hand to take an oath, but the urge to vomit surged again, and she quickly covered her mouth.

She swore she had not intended to vomit, but upon seeing him, she couldn’t help it.

Perhaps it was the child in her belly protesting?

Qi Wuya looked at Sang Yan’s abdomen, furrowing his brow tightly, and also thought–was this child going against him?

“Ugh–”

Sang Yan struggled to suppress her urge to vomit, her pretty face turning red with the effort, sweat dripping down.

Qi Wuya could see this clearly and found himself unable to utter any harsh words.

After all, she looked very much like a victim.

His heart was pleased by her; how could he bear to chastise her?

“Sang Yan, you, you just wait for me!”

With that fierce warning, he strode away.

It was hardly a quarter of an hour.

He came hastily and left just as hastily.

It was almost as soon as he had stepped out of the Phoenix Palace that Sang Yan’s urge to vomit disappeared.

Qi Wuya heard a noise and turned back to look–

Sang Yan also looked over, their eyes met, and the next moment, the feeling of nausea returned: “Ugh–”

Qi Wuya: “…”

Angered, he returned to Taian Palace.

Inside the bathhouse of the palace

The palace attendants had already prepared hot water.

He undressed, stepped into the water, leaned against the edge of the bath, closed his eyes, and soaked.

There was a faint sound of water being entered.

The ripples gradually reached in front of him.

He immediately opened his eyes and saw a beauty with her clothes half-off.

After his coronation, he had symbolically taken a few concubines.

But he had no interest in them.

No interest in his heart, nor in his body.

Just like now, even though the beauty was naked and making enticing moves, he remained unmoved.

“Get out!”

He coldly commanded, his brows lowered and his demeanor weary, with a world-weary despondency.

The beauty did not leave.

She gazed at the Emperor’s handsome face, his robust body, revealing a lustful look, and then dived into the water like a white fish swimming up to him, clinging to him like an octopus.

“Emperor, your concubine has longed for you for quite some time.”

She was a concubine from the Han Family, sent with instructions from Han Mo to attend the Emperor’s bed.

In Han Mo’s view, Sang Yan’s presence was bound to stir Qi Wuya’s sexual desires, but with Sang Yan pregnant, he naturally couldn’t act recklessly, so that excess energy naturally needed an outlet.

Qi Wuya, being young, indeed had an abundance of energy.

His previously calm body began to stir with the soft touch of the woman’s body.

However, he did not do anything with her.

Having risen from an unloved Prince to the height of power, his self-control was impeccable. A woman who didn’t capture his heart could not seduce him.

Even though his body reacted, his heart had no reckless impulses.

If it wasn’t what he wanted, then indulging would only result in emptiness.

Just like those absurd erotic dreams, upon waking, all that remained was endless emptiness.

Moreover, Sang Yan was within his reach.

He had no need to waste his energy on other women.

What he needed to do was wait.

Wait for Wu Youzhi to find a way to erase her memories.

Then, she would throw herself into his arms.

“Emperor, please take your concubine.”

The beauty murmured softly, still tempting him.

Qi Wuya was furious, yet instead of dousing his anger, he let the fire rage, making him irritable: “Get out! Don’t make me say it twice!”

He glowered and gritted his teeth, even grabbing the beauty’s slender throat.

It was only then did the beauty become frightened, trembling and begging for mercy: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your concubine was wrong. I dare not anymore. Please spare my life, Your Majesty.”

Qi Wuya did not spare her life.

As he squeezed her slender throat, he felt a thrill of execution.

Look how slender her throat was.

Look, how fragile life is.

Why did she dare to say those words to him?

She was really asking for death!

Then he would grant her wish!

His grip tightened.

His hand was constricting.

“Ugh–ugh–”

The beauty’s face turned red from strangling, her breathing halted, and her eyes began to roll back.

At the critical moment–

“Han Mo, Han Mo is my brother–”

The beauty shouted this sentence with all her strength.

And that sentence saved her life.

Qi Wuya, out of mercy for Han Mo’s sake, reluctantly let go of his hand.

“Get out! Don’t let me see you again!”

As he spoke, he began to wash his hands in the pool water.

He washed very thoroughly,

scrubbing vigorously, not missing the spaces between his fingers.

As if he had just touched something filthy.

“Cough cough–thank Emperor–mercy–thank Emperor–spare my life–”

The beauty’s voice was hoarse and harsh, almost ruined.

She was crawling towards the edge of the pool while speaking.

Apparently frightened, her hands and feet shook violently, and as she scrambled halfway up, she fell back into the water, choking close to death.

“Cough cough cough–”

She floundered in the water a few times, then her eyes started to roll back again.

Qi Wuya saw this and roared with utter disdain, “Someone come! Drag her out!”

He called the palace attendants in to clean up the mess.

He himself lost the desire to bathe.

After getting out, he changed into his nightclothes, and began to account, “What’s the deal with that woman? Is this how you handle things? You dare to let anything in?”

“Emperor, spare our lives! Emperor, spare our lives!”

The palace attendants knelt down all over the floor, banging their heads.

Some even knocked so hard that their foreheads bled.

But Qi Wuya was not moved, “Drag them all out, fifty strokes of the cane!”

“Yes.”

The guards quickly dragged people out to carry out the punishment.

The thudding of the caning sounded for a long, long time.

This was destined to be a night difficult to fall asleep.

Sang Yan was the same.

She stopped retching after Qi Wuya left and lay down on the bed, but she couldn’t sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw He Ying.

How was he?

Was he out of danger yet?

She had wanted to ask Qi Wuya, but because she annoyed him and combined with the morning sickness, she had forgotten.

Now remembering, she was too annoyed to sleep.

And then there was the child.

She so wanted to tell him in person that she was pregnant, that his empire had an heir.

But reality was too cruel.

Once separated, they were thousands of miles apart, and she couldn’t even see him in her dreams.

He Ying, oh He Ying…

*

He Ying had a dream.

In the dream, Sang Yan was crying.

His heart ached as he hugged her, asking her why she cried.

She said she was pregnant, the child made her suffer, she couldn’t eat well, sleep well, and she missed him so much.

He was confused, am I not by your side?

“No, you are not by my side,” she said.

Then she cried even more sadly, “How come you’re not by my side? I need you so much. Please come and save me. Xinyuan, save me…”

He Ying was startled awake by the dream.

He opened his eyes to see the warm and bright room and shouted, “Sang Yan! Sang Yan! Someone go call the Empress! I want to see the Empress!”

He wanted to see his Ah Yan right away.

He needed to make sure she was by his side.

His emotions were too intense, and as he struggled to get out of bed, his wound split open, bleeding profusely.