Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 527: Staying Overnight in the Imperial Noble Consort's Palace

A flash of white light and Zhao Changhe appeared outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Feeling a bit awkward, he glanced back, trying to step onto the teleportation array again, but it was unresponsive. He could not go back in.

There were still some things he wanted to ask, like the nature and purpose of that sky in the secret realm.

Xia Longyuan can’t just be sitting there for the aesthetics, right?

But he probably wouldn’t be willing to explain it to me, though I feel like there’s a good chance he’ll privately tell Chichi... and that wouldn’t be much different from telling me.

Oh well, I’ll just head back for now. It feels like Chichi might gain some insights this time.

While Xia Longyuan had been smiling throughout the conversation, Zhao Changhe could still sense the killing intent coming from him, especially when he had first started scolding him. When Xia Longyuan said that he could kill him a thousand times over with a smile, Zhao Changhe felt a chill that made all his hair stand on end.

But it quickly passed. Zhao Changhe did not think it was just their “hometown” connection that saved him. Maybe that played a small part, but the key reason was clearly Xia Chichi.

No matter how detached Xia Longyuan was, it was clear he still had some familial affection for Xia Chichi—at least a bit of guilt. Or perhaps he just felt embarrassed?

He was the self-proclaimed best in the world, and he boasted of this all the time, yet his daughter had been bullied since growing up and, even now, had not surpassed her peers like Yue Hongling, while Zhao Changhe even overtook her. Even if Zhao Changhe’s rapid progress was discounted, the fact remained that the reason that Xia Chichi failed to surpass Yue Hongling was not due to a lack of talent or effort, nor because the Four Idols Cult lack of support for her, but due to the setbacks she faced in her early years. By the time she made her debut, Yue Hongling was already famous. She had a late start.

This was why when Xia Chichi pointed at his nose and said he was not even worth cursing at, Xia Longyuan had nothing to say.

He even ended up asking Zhao Changhe to persuade her for him.

For just that moment, his lost humanity returned... People are complex, especially figures like Xia Longyuan. It’s difficult to simply attach a label to someone like that.

Zhao Changhe did not know whether Xia Longyuan genuinely had fatherly love filled with guilt and a desire to make amends or if he was trying to make up for things just enough to feel like he could sever his attachments afterward. Fortunately, he was not some demonic figure, so there was not any need to worry that he would kill Xia Chichi to sever emotional ties and advance his cultivation. After all, he had even taken the time to explain the reason for the crown prince’s death. Who was that explanation meant for? Definitely not to the rebellious lad.

Lost in his thoughts, Zhao Changhe reached the imperial noble consort’s palace, where the lights were brightly lit. Suddenly, Huangfu Qing appeared behind him.

Zhao Changhe paused and turned to look at her. He noticed Huangfu Qing’s gaze shift away from his back, and she scowled at him, “Your back is soaked in cold sweat... If you’re so scared, don’t pretend to be a hero. What’s the point of getting mouthy? If you really got yourself killed, I’d be left as a widow!”

Uh... The way you’re saying that seriously doesn’t sound right... Officially, isn’t your husband the person I just scolded...

Zhao Changhe swallowed the retort he dared not speak out loud, knowing very well that the imperial noble consort was one to get jealous. He realized that the last time he had sweat pouring down his back from facing a powerful enemy was probably the trigger for her feelings toward him. Who was that enemy again? Ah, Wang Daozhong... Another awkward thought to swallow.

Zhao Changhe could not help but feel amused as he reached out to embrace her. “I’m not trying to be his enemy. I just wanted to make a final effort to persuade him. I knew it probably wouldn’t work, but I couldn’t just do nothing, right?”

Huangfu Qing struggled and refused to let him hug her. “So you risked your life just for a slight chance?”

“Alright, alright, my bad.” Zhao Changhe wisely decided not to argue with her. Her concern was genuine, after all. In a gentle tone, he continued, “You should know that I’m quite impulsive...”

Seeing him relent, Huangfu Qing did not scold him any further. She relaxed, leaning softly against him. In a soft voice, she said, “I don’t know what connection you have with him beyond Chichi. It’s clear he treats you differently, and you also seem to hold onto some hopeful fantasy about him... But remember, he is a ruthless emperor, a god-like figure. He isn’t someone you can see through the lens of an ordinary person. If this experience makes you let go of those fantasies, then perhaps it was for the best...”

Zhao Changhe nodded, recalling that fleeting moment of killing intent earlier, and sighed. “I understand.”

Huangfu Qing looked around, biting her lower lip. “Doesn’t he make you mad? He’s such a lousy emperor.”

“Yeah... If I could beat him, I’d have already done it.”

“Actually... there’s another way you could teach him a lesson...”

Zhao Changhe paused, then looked down to meet her mischievous gaze. He glanced around, following her gaze to see a few palace maids standing at the entrance of the palace. Seeing the two look over, the maids covered their mouths, giggling as they lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact.

Zhao Changhe’s neck stiffened as he looked down, realizing he was holding onto the imperial noble consort. Seeing as the girls from the Four Idols Cult had such a reaction...

He suddenly understood what Huangfu Qing was implying and instinctively gulped.

Huangfu Qing blinked. “What’s wrong? He ruins the nation, harms your father-in-law, and was even just thinking about killing you. Do you really only dare to curse him and not do anything else?”

Without another word, Zhao Changhe picked her up and rushed into the chambers.

The young maidens giggled as they closed the doors behind them.

The demonic cult truly lived up to its reputation. From Huangfu Qing to these little witches, each one was more devilish than the last.

Zhao Changhe burst into the chambers, caught sight of the large bed, and immediately rolled onto it with Huangfu Qing in his arms.

Though he knew full well there was no real cuckoldry going on here—Huangfu Qing was a fake consort, after all, and Xia Longyuan had obviously allowed her to be here for his own reasons—at this moment, in this place, the psychological experience was inexplicably different. It felt as though he was desecrating the sanctity of the Great Xia’s most sacred place. All the frustration he had towards Xia Longyuan seemed to be vented in this absurdly satisfying way.

Huangfu Qing let Zhao Changhe ravish her, panting slightly, yet she still had the nerve to add something even more provocative at that moment: “Don’t rush, Your Majesty, let your consort help you disrobe...”

The experience was unparalleled.

Not long after, the palace maids outside could hear the faint sounds of the bed shaking and creaking from within. They exchanged glances, their faces flushed as they clicked their tongues in disbelief.

The lights had not even been turned off, and from the right angle, they could even see shadows moving inside.

* * *

“Alright... alright, you’re... too much for me... I can’t take it any more...”

After who knows how long, just when the maids outside were wondering if the bed might collapse, a plea for mercy finally came from within.

The sounds from within gradually subsided, whether because the pace had slowed or they had stopped altogether, it was hard to tell.

Inside, Huangfu Qing lay in Zhao Changhe’s embrace, her body flushed with satisfaction. She traced circles on his chest with her finger like she was teasing a cat. “So, who’s better? Me or Tang Wanzhuang?”

Zhao Changhe hesitated. “Uhhh...”

“Hmph.” Huangfu Qing muttered lazily, “Next time, if you go see Tang Wanzhuang before coming to see me, you won’t get this treatment again.”

Zhao Changhe felt there was more to her intense seduction this time than just jealousy over Tang Wanzhuang.

It seemed as though she was also trying to provoke Xia Chichi.

Seeing his expression, Huangfu Qing realized that her intentions had been seen through, but she did not blush. Instead, she said, “The empress has been deposed.”

Zhao Changhe was momentarily stunned, not quite grasping why she brought that up suddenly, and he responded absent-mindedly, “That was inevitable, right? There’s no way she could keep that position, and the officials wouldn’t allow it either. Whether she lives or dies is just up to Old Xia.”

“Is that what you got from that?” Huangfu Qing’s playful gesture on his chest turned into drawing circles. “Haven’t you thought about... who will become the new empress?”

Zhao Changhe’s eyes widened.

“And also...” Huangfu Qing, like a demoness, whispered even more tempting words out of her red lips, “Now that Chichi and Xia Longyuan are having a private conversation, it’s clear they’ve acknowledged their father-daughter relationship. It’s no longer ambiguous, right?”

Zhao Changhe nodded blankly. “Right... so?”

“According to the rules, once I become empress, any prince, no matter who gave birth to him, must call me Empress Mother.” Huangfu Qing smiled sweetly, “Which means I’ll soon be Chichi’s Empress Mother.” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Zhao Changhe’s eyes widened in shock.

Huangfu Qing laughed like a little fox. “Now that things are like this between us, you can forget about getting together with Chichi~”