Chapter 69: “Perhaps, This Is What Jealousy Feels Like.”…

Chapter 69 "Perhaps this is jealousy..."

Tuo Baxiao looked over and saw her standing at the entrance of the king's tent, her slender figure silhouetted by the soft golden glow behind her. She stood gracefully in a bright crimson silk dress, radiant and breathtakingly beautiful.

His gaze instinctively paused on her face, a glimmer of light flickering in his jade-green eyes. But then, as if remembering something, his eyes cooled, and he pursed his lips, turning away.

"Your Majesty," Jiang Congyan called again, then said, "May I come in?"

He didn't respond.

Facing her, the man who had been so resolute couldn't bring himself to say "no," though his displeasure was clear, his expression cold.

His imposing presence, sharp features, and natural dominance made it rare for anyone not to feel intimidated when he turned cold. However, Jiang Congyan had spent enough time with him, and having shared intimate moments, she was different from others. She wasn't afraid of him and stepped forward, entering the tent and standing before him, about two arm's lengths away.

"I have something to discuss with you."

"What is it?" he asked indifferently.

"About the wheat seedlings in Tumochuan."

Tuo Baxiao turned his head sharply, his phoenix eyes widening briefly before returning to normal. His jaw moved slightly, as if he were clenching his teeth, his skin taut.

"Speak!" he hissed through clenched teeth, his chest heaving.

Ruo Lan sent a letter reporting that the wheat seedlings in Tumochuan had improved under her care and had even begun to sprout. However, she discovered that someone was secretly sabotaging the fields by flooding them. She uncovered the truth—it was the Yuwen Tribe. They pretended to comply with your orders, feigning cooperation with Ruo Lan, but behind the scenes, they acted deceitfully. The wheat seedlings are crucial to the Xianbei's development, especially at this critical time. The Yuwen Tribe's actions are clearly hostile. If we don't punish them severely, promoting wheat cultivation in Tumochuan will be extremely difficult in the future.

"So, I came to seek your approval. Could we send General Modolou to assist with troops?" Jiang Congyan spoke clearly and calmly, without haste.

Hearing her calm tone, Tuo Baxiao felt his anger rising, barely contained, his entire being exuding a dangerous tension.

He was tall and strong, his presence overwhelming, while she was slender and fragile. Their situation resembled a helpless rabbit and a ferocious wolf ready to pounce, yet the rabbit stood wide-eyed, seemingly oblivious to the wolf's threat.

"Fine. It's admirable how much you care about my affairs. Let it be as you say!"

"Someone!" he turned and shouted, his voice unusually loud.

A Long, hearing the call, entered immediately. He glanced surreptitiously and noticed the king seemed even angrier.

Wasn't the Khatun here to apologize and make amends?

Ah, when the king was angry, his own days became difficult.

Tuo Baxiao ordered him, "Summon Modolou."

A Long didn't dare to look further and quickly left to carry out the order.

Once he was gone, only the two of them remained in the tent. Tuo Baxiao glanced at her, seeing that she remained silent, and he too sat back down on the throne without a word.

Jiang Congyan didn't sit, standing still and gazing at him.

The man was clearly suppressing his emotions, but she could sense his anger. And rightly so—she had gone too far, and his anger was justified.

In truth, the best time to apologize would have been when he stormed off earlier. If she had chased after him and said something conciliatory, he might have forgiven her. But at that moment, her mind was in turmoil, and it was the first time she had seen him so angry with her. She hesitated, and as time passed, her courage waned.

She had rarely been so indecisive before, yet in this matter, she kept delaying. Even now, she still didn't know how to begin.

The words "I'm sorry" were simple, but saying them was a challenge.

Tuo Baxiao noticed her gaze fixed on him. Though she hadn't spoken a word and her eyes didn't feign any particular sorrow, her entire demeanor seemed pitiful, enveloped in a faint aura of melancholy. To an outsider, it might seem as though she were the one who had been wronged.

Especially since she was naturally beautiful, with snow-white skin and dark eyes, her slender and graceful figure exuded a delicate charm.

He knew that she preferred simpler attire except for some formal occasions. Now, coming to see him, she had deliberately dressed up, which itself carried an effort to please him.

But she didn't mention the earlier disagreement at all, instead talking about the wheat seedlings and asking for his help!

If it weren't for what happened earlier, she probably wouldn't have come to apologize until tomorrow!

But even if she did apologize later, he couldn't let her off the hook so easily. He wanted her to know that he was the king, and no one could cross him lightly.

The couple stood and sat in silence, neither speaking, the silence lingering until the sound of hoofbeats outside the tent broke the stillness like a stone dropping into a calm deep pool.

General Modolou showed up within half an hour. Hearing the summons, he didn't waste a moment, rushing over on horseback, his face dusted with dirt and his breath still a bit hurried.

"What does the king require of me?"

Tuo Baxiao shifted his gaze from Jiang Congyan's face to him and said, "The Khatun's people are overseeing the wheat seedlings in Tumochuan. The Yuwen Tribe has the audacity to ignore my orders, secretly flooding the wheat. I order you to lead three thousand cavalry to Tumochuan immediately to back them up."

Modolou understood—he was to provide backup. "What if the Yuwen Tribe has plans to rebel? Should I..."

At this, he drew a finger across his throat.

"Kill! Spare no one!"

"Understood!" Modolou saluted.

Seeing that the king had no further orders, he left to muster troops at the camp.

Once he left, Tuo Baxiao turned slightly and shot her a look. "You got what you wanted. Anything else?"

She remained silent.

Tuo Baxiao suddenly stood up and turned to walk toward his private quarters. As he brushed past her, he abruptly froze—

A pair of soft hands encircled his waist.

The fading glow of the sunset gradually dimmed, and the light inside the king's tent grew darker, accentuating the snow-like paleness of her hands.

Tuo Baxiao froze. He looked down at the arms around his waist—so slender that he could easily push her away without much effort, yet he couldn't move, as if she had bound him with a fragile thread.

Tuo Baxiao's throat constricted, emotions churning in his eyes.

"Tuo Baxiao," her voice came from behind him, so soft it was almost inaudible, "I'm sorry."

With just those words, the anger in his chest dissipated by half, but he didn't want to show it. Otherwise, wouldn't she think he was easy to appease?

"Just an apology?"

Hearing his still cold tone, Jiang Congyan wasn't sure if her apology had worked. She could only tighten her arms further around his lean, strong waist, pressing her body against his back.

The summer clothing was thin, and with his fiery temper, he only wore one layer. Tuo Baxiao felt the softness against him, his body growing even more rigid, even reacting. He was deeply annoyed, his face expressionless, but his entire body tensed further.

"I don't know what else to say to you besides 'I'm sorry,'" Jiang Congyan's cheek lightly pressed against his broad back.

Tuo Baxiao snorted, not giving a clear response, but Jiang Congyan sensed his attitude softening slightly. He didn't push her away. If she apologized properly, he might still forgive her.

She had prepared some words before coming, but now she didn't want to say them.

"I shouldn't have acted like that this morning. You clearly refused last night, and I shouldn't have tested you again. I just don't know why I did it. Even my maid said it wasn't like me."

Her voice was soft and slow, with occasional pauses, sounding less like an explanation and more like a kind of introspective reflection, which made Tuo Baxiao's heart soften further.

"I thought you were really going to give me a woman," he said, still feeling that this matter couldn't be easily dismissed.

Did she know how angry that sentence had made him, especially when she said it with a smile in such a calm tone, not caring about him at all? He had almost wanted to tear her apart and devour her.

Jiang Congyan had no retort. She also wished she could turn back time and cover her own mouth. After thinking about it, she could only say:

"Perhaps, this is what jealousy feels like." Her voice was as faint as a whisper.

Upon hearing this, Tuo Baxiao finally turned around.

The anger on his face vanished completely, and his green eyes gleamed with an astonishing brightness.

"What did you say?"

He gripped her shoulders, forgetting to hold back his strength. Jiang Congyan winced in pain but didn't resist, shaking her head, "Nothing."

"Say it again."

"If you didn't hear it, forget it."

"Say it again for me."

At this moment, the man was as persistent as a child begging for candy, refusing to let it go until she spoke.

Jiang Congyan was growing annoyed by his persistence, but she couldn't break free. He was so excited that he couldn't hear anything else.

Her shoulders were gripped by his iron-like hands, and it was really starting to hurt. She couldn't take it anymore, so, after a moment's thought, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

She kissed him on the chin.

She had originally intended to kiss his lips, but unfortunately, the height difference between them was too great. Without him lowering his head, she couldn't reach.

The man was stunned, his usually commanding green eyes now frozen in place.

It took him a moment to realize what had just happened. In the next instant, he reached out with his long arm, scooped her up, and strode straight toward the bed in the back tent.

As soon as Jiang Congyan saw the man's stance, she knew what he intended. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a surge of panic.

The man placed her on the bed and then pressed down on her.

"It's been several days, you're clean now, right?"

Jiang Congyan: "..."