Chapter 23 Coaxing

Chapter 23 Pacifying

The Jingxi Emperor stopped before A Wu and turned his wrist deftly, waving his fingers in front of her face.

To A Wu, this man had once been merely San Lang, a temporary dalliance—someone who could protect her if he wished, or cast her aside if he couldn’t. Thus, she had been bold, playful, and spoiled, employing petty schemes when needed.

But now, this was the Emperor of Great Hui, the father of the Crown Prince.

Faced with such a man, all her usual wiles melted away, leaving her staring blankly.

The Jingxi Emperor grew even more puzzled. He leaned down, meeting her gaze dangerously close.

A Wu had been staring dazedly, but suddenly, that handsome face filled her vision, his piercing, detached gaze right in front of hers. Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively tried to pull away.

The Jingxi Emperor grasped her wrist firmly.

He raised an eyebrow. "What’s wrong with you?"

Clearly, he had noticed her unease.

The grip on her wrist was steady yet powerful. Remembering his identity, A Wu felt fear.

This was the hand that wielded the imperial brush and held the empire’s reins—a single glance from him could end her life.

During her exile from her village, she had seen the solemn retinue of imperial envoys, knowing they acted on his decree.

She had also witnessed the distribution of alms porridge, granted by the court—bestowed by the Emperor’s grace.

She had jostled through mobs, desperately fighting for a single bowl, nearly losing it to others.

After surviving by clinging to men and enduring displacement, by divine fortune, she now stood before him.

She had no idea how to respond, how to face this man who held dominion over all things.

She understood all too well—whether it was disaster relief or charity porridge, these were but one of countless edicts issued from his study, perhaps forgotten by him already.

What weighed as heavily as a mountain to her was but a trivial matter to him.

As for taking her life—it would be easier than crushing an ant, requiring no more than a glance.

Thus, at this moment, A Wu’s thoughts became unusually clear. She knew she had to pull herself together, to fool the gods themselves.

Biting her lip, she faked a quavering, weepy tone. "San Lang… you startled me…"

The Jingxi Emperor only grew more baffled, finding her behavior today utterly strange.

Seizing the opportunity, A Wu feigned a pout. "I was just admiring the gold, and then you suddenly appeared—startled me!"

She clutched her chest. "My heart almost stopped! I could barely breathe!"

The Jingxi Emperor asked, "Did I startle you? Are you really that timid?"

A Wu nodded like a sparrow pecking grain.

The Jingxi Emperor chuckled. "Or perhaps you were clutching all that gold, afraid I’d snatch it from you?"

A Wu turned beet-red. "Must you say it so bluntly? Let me save face!"

The Jingxi Emperor laughed softly.

A Wu pouted, "You're laughing at me! Stop laughing! I won't talk to you anymore!"

With that, she deliberately turned away, finally no longer having to face him or look upon that emperor’s face.

The Jingxi Emperor hadn’t expected this little girl to be so petulant.

No one dared to act spoiled or sulk in front of him. His own children, raised with strict discipline, knew to observe decorum and etiquette in his presence—for he was a ruler first, a father second.

Yet at this moment, he felt no anger, only amusement. With surprising patience, he stepped closer and asked, "Are you upset?"

With her back to the Jingxi Emperor, A Wu finally managed to catch her breath.

Before, she hadn’t known, but now that she realized this was the emperor, she felt oppressed by his imperial presence, weighing her down.

She had to use this moment of relief to think of how to respond.

Just then, the Jingxi Emperor approached, his large hand resting on her slender shoulder. "Why so temperamental?"

As he spoke, he leaned down, his breath warm against her ear.

Held from behind, A Wu felt the solid heat of his chest against her back, her senses filled with the subtle, heady fragrance of ambergris.

She bit her lip. "You called me greedy! You didn’t even spare me any dignity!"

Her voice was whiny and childish, like a little girl throwing a tantrum.

The Jingxi Emperor glanced down.

The fair-skinned young woman ducked her head shyly, her rosy lips lightly bitten.

Faced with such a sight, it would soften even the sternest man, patience returning anew.

She was someone to be pampered and cherished.

And he, as it happened, needed someone like her—to indulge, to spoil, to watch her cry and laugh.

Not because she needed it, but because he did.

So he gave in entirely. "My mistake. I scared you, A Wu, and I shouldn’t have said things to upset you."

What?

A Wu was stunned. She hadn’t expected the Jingxi Emperor to speak to her like this—so gentle, so tender.

Was this really the same aloof and distant emperor?

This didn’t seem like the man she knew.

The Jingxi Emperor turned her around, tucking her head against his chest. His long, powerful fingers traced the delicate curve of her spine, vertebra by vertebra, then settled at her slender waist, drawing her tightly to him.

Holding her closely, he murmured in her ear, "Don’t be angry with me, A Wu."

The voice of a man in his thirties was deep and smooth, like fine whiskey.

Pressed so closely, even through the fabric, A Wu could feel the unyielding strength of his chest, searing against her trembling heart.

She melted against him, afraid but strangely eager.

She knew this was the greatest of men—any woman in the world would be swept away in delight to be held like this by him.

Excitement, trepidation, anticipation, and disbelief—all these emotions clashed within her chest, leaving her body limp and numb, clinging to him like ivy.

Breathing in his rich, musky scent, she trembled and said, "San Lang, you’re being mean! You have to make it up to me."

The Jingxi Emperor held her even tighter. "How can I make it right?"

A Wu shivered, her slender shoulders trembling as she murmured softly, "San Lang has to hold me, embrace me..."

The Jingxi Emperor lowered his thin eyelids, watching her playful antics.

Honestly, she was laying it on thick.

But... he was willing to indulge her.

She was young—letting her fuss a little couldn’t hurt.

After all, she was still young.

So he whispered in her ear, "Alright, I'll hold you, embrace you."

A Wu pressed on, "And you have to be good to me!"

Jingxi Emperor: "Mm, I'll be good to you."

A Wu pushed further, "Hold me all night! Don’t leave!"

Jingxi Emperor: "...”

Wordlessly, he embraced her, his large hand gently stroking her soft, long hair.

He had been emperor for eighteen years, and the strict imperial protocols were etched deep into his mind.

In the past, when he summoned concubines to his chambers, it was always preceded by the issuance of a formal summons plaque. The eunuchs of the Office of Imperial Household Affairs and the female palace official (Tong Shi) responsible for recording palace affairs would meticulously document the time, frequency, and details in the *Imperial Records* and *Inner Court Diaries*.

The sheer intricacy of these rituals and procedures was something A Wu, an outsider to the palace, could never fathom.

He would never share a bed with any woman—not even the empress.

He was like a god among men, bound to the throne by the century-old palace regulations and inner court protocols of Great Hui, looming above the mortal world.

Between him and the empress, between him and his concubines, lay the space of three formal bows.

Seeing his silence, A Wu looked at him in confusion, her wide, puzzled eyes blinking innocently.

The Jingxi Emperor could not explain. Instead, he lowered his head silently and brushed a kiss to her forehead, offering reassurance.

A Wu studied the man before her—his sharp, solemn features, his overly serious expression, the clumsy tenderness in the way he kissed her.

Had he ever kissed anyone this way?

His silent refusal told her enough. She didn’t belong here. Probably, emperors feared such intimacy.

So she backed off wisely, settling for a smaller ask: "San Lang, there’s one more thing you’d better promise, or I’ll sulk."

Jingxi Emperor: "Oh?"

A Wu’s eyes gleamed with excitement: "All those things you had delivered today belong to me now!"

Jingxi Emperor: "They were always yours."

A Wu: "Really? What if you change your mind and, in a fit of anger, take them back a few days later?"

Jingxi Emperor chuckled: "Do I strike you as that kind of man?"

A Wu shot him a suspicious glance: "What if you regret it and, in a fit of anger, decide to kill me and snatch these jades back?"

Jingxi Emperor sighed helplessly: "Have you been reading too many romantic tales?"

A Wu: "Huh?"

Jingxi Emperor ruffled her hair: "Too many stories fill your head with nonsense."

His palm was warm and broad, and A Wu playfully rubbed her head against it. If not for her worries, she would have felt as content as a cat by a warm hearth.

She looked up: "San Lang, answer me now, or I’ll get angry! I’ll ignore you!"

Jingxi Emperor lowered his gaze, taking in the willfulness in her dark, glimmering eyes. With a soft smile, he replied gently: "Very well, I promise."

A Wu pressed deliberately: "Promise me what?"

Jingxi Emperor: "Not to take your life, not to steal your jades."

A Wu: "You’d best remember your words."

Her heart eased slightly—after all, the emperor’s word was law. If he said so, he must mean it, right? At least he wouldn’t kill her...

Not that she could stop him if he chose to.

Jingxi Emperor smiled: "My word is bond. What I say, I fulfill."

A Wu’s worries melted away.

Yet unease still lingered—she needed to figure out what to do next.

—He should leave soon.

Resting lightly against the emperor, she murmured sweetly: "San Lang, it’s raining. The night chill bites, and of course, A Wu wishes you’d stay with her... but you seem busy with official matters, so—"

Her wide, shining eyes feigned sweet concern.

But the message was clear: San Lang, you should go.

Jingxi Emperor had intended to leave, yet hearing her words, he felt a twinge of irritation and longing.

Glancing at the drizzling autumn rain outside, he said: "I’ll grant you half an hour."

A Wu detected the condescension in his tone. Only royalty could be so casually magnanimous, she thought.

She hadn’t noticed it before—how careless of her.

With a coy tilt of her head, she rewarded him with a dazzling smile.

Jingxi Emperor gazed at her intently, as though watching blossoms unfold in the autumn mist.

The wind died, the rain let up, and the room grew profoundly quiet—holding only the sound of their breathing.

He observed him impassively: "Hm?"

A Wu opened her moist eyes and spoke softly, yet with lingering seduction: "With San Lang's prowess, is an hour enough?"

*************

An hour was indeed not enough.

After A Wu's words, the Jingxi Emperor gazed at her deeply for a long time, then said nothing further, demonstrating with deeds.

He labored in silence, but A Wu deliberately moaned loudly, lascivious and wanton.

She hadn't known before, but now she understood—this was an emperor.

She had been taken by an emperor.

He was the father of the man she had once served, a scandalous and transgressive reality that filled A Wu with a secret, shameful pride, setting her blood boiling.

Yet he was still the ruler of a nation.

He possessed the world, with myriad women craving his favor and countless officials seeking his approval.

He was this world's deity, where all bowed in reverence wherever his divine light touched.

But now, she had ensnared this saint with her liquid body, deliberately teasing him, feeling his movements grow ever more savage and unrestrained beneath his seemingly composed exterior.

Suddenly, he rose, lifting her and flipping her over.

A Wu's delicate, graceful form was easily manipulated by the man, her strength failing as she lurched forward under his force—only to be abruptly pulled back by her arms just before she could fall.

Fractured moans escaped A Wu's lips as she knelt there, her slender neck stretched forward like a water-bending swan, while her arms were drawn back and held firmly by the man. Her slender yet ripe body was thrust forward again and again under his relentless rhythm.

Yielding weightiness trembled and swayed with each movement.

Helplessly tilting her face upward, tears brimming in her eyes, A Wu found unexpected pleasure amid the torment of being caught between heaven and earth.

The man behind her was claiming her with all his strength, each thrust fiercer than the last, his breath ragged, his eyes ablaze.

And so, amidst that overwhelming, frenzied presence, A Wu thought vengefully—he was just a man after all.

She had made his son obsessed and crazed for her, and now she would make him kneel before her as well!

She would be the siren who ensnared a sovereign!

As long as he didn't kill her, she would make him lose himself in her, drive him to madness!