Chapter 269: The Brainless Empress in the Arrogant Stallion Novel (19)

Chapter 269: The Foolhardy Empress in the Arrogant Stallion Novel (19)

The Empress's words were blunt and harsh—if the lips are gone, the teeth will be exposed to the cold. Especially the final remark questioning whether he even had a brain left Wang Hongjun, a dignified Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat of the third rank, feeling utterly humiliated.

His expression darkened. Before the Imperial Guard could even act, he slinked off in shame.

Sweet!

So damn sweet!

Chang Yongshou stood nearby, watching Wang Hongjun's humiliation with immense pleasure.

Those Wu Kingdom lapdogs, barking because their master allows it—they were tolerable in earlier years, but in recent times, seeing Lin State on the decline, they’ve repeatedly provoked us!

Not long ago, under the pretense of flood control, they built new embankments, might as well have built it inside Lin’s borders!

They’re pushing it too far!

Look who’s come crawling now!

The more Chang Yongshou thought about it, the more his mood soared.

Unable to resist, he stole another glance at the Empress—that devastatingly handsome young lord was currently hand-feeding her sweets.

"Your Majesty, this one tastes good. Let Shang feed you..."

Wei Shang claimed to be feeding her, but he was clearly doing it on purpose, ‘accidentally’ smearing pastry on Her Majesty’s chin.

The freshly delivered imperial pastries crumbled all over the Empress’s robes.

Wei Shang hammed it up further: "Oh dear, how could Shang be so careless?"

"Your Majesty, Shang isn’t good at this. Let me feed you mouth-to-mouth instead!"

Right in front of everyone, to Chang Yongshou’s utter shock, he watched as the delicate young lord leaned in for a kiss!

What a disgraceful spectacle!

Chang Yongshou, who had always been the most rigid about etiquette and propriety, wanted to claw his own eyes out right then!

The Empress was perfect in every way—except for this weakness for pretty boys. It was truly unacceptable...

"Cut the act. He’s gone."

The moment Chang Yongshou left, Tang Qing pushed Wei Shang’s face away and asked, "Got a bone to pick with Chang Yongshou? Why provoke him on purpose?"

"He’s gone?"

Wei Shang glanced back to confirm before huffing, "Tch!"

"Your Majesty, that man is the Vice Minister of Rites, isn’t he?"

"Yes. Do you know him?"

Wei Shang, still petulant, wiped the remnants of the plum blossom pastry from his fingers. "I refuse to know that damnable old coot!"

"I heard it was this very Chang Yongshou who strong-armed Your Majesty into taking concubines?"

"And he dared say Your Majesty’s harem stood barren..." As he spoke, Wei Shang grew indignant again. "Do I not count?" "Your Majesty!" Wei Shang whined.

"You don’t need a harem—you’ve got me!"

Tang Qing knew full well that Wei Shang's words were nothing but lies. No matter how beautifully that person smiled, there was likely little sincerity behind it.

A shadow briefly darkened the Empress's gaze.

Before Wei Shang could react, the Empress yanked him into her arms!

Frozen in hesitation, he could only watch as her lips inched closer…

What was this?

Was she going to kiss him?

Wei Shang instinctively closed his eyes. His heartbeat pounded so loudly it nearly drowned out his thoughts. Wei Shang, usually so composed in battle, was now uncharacteristically flustered by this strange anticipation.

His eyelids fluttered uncontrollably, and he mentally scoffed at himself—

Why was he so nervous? It was just a damn kiss…

But…

The kiss he braced for never landed. After a long pause, Wei Shang abruptly snapped his eyes open!

"Your Majesty!"

"You’re messing with me!"

His striking eyes flashed with irritation, especially as he recalled his earlier inexplicable tension and anticipation. His voice rose as he protested, "Your Majesty, were you just trying to embarrass me?"

Scowling, he tried to wrench free from the Empress, but before he could move, a soft, cool press of lips brushed against his…

Stunned, Wei Shang met the Empress's smiling gaze.

The gentle kiss felt like a balm, easing the turmoil inside him in an instant.

She spoke softly:

"I wasn’t trying to mock you."

"Wei Shang…"

"It's just that, a moment ago, the way you shut your eyes was… cute."

Before Wei Shang could even respond, the Empress had already taken his wrist, dusting off the stray crumbs from earlier with care.

Her touch was feather-light, her attention unwavering.

Yet, just looking at her like this, that restless heat flared up in his chest all over again!

A sudden rush of warmth had Wei Shang tugging at his wrist on instinct. "Your Majesty—"

Tang Qing: "Stay still."

"Just a little longer."

Her fingertips brushed lightly, sending little tremors through him.

A whisper, so soft it was almost lost, reached him—the Empress said: "Wei Shang, I only need you."

"Only you."

The usually indifferent person was now speaking loving words, tender beyond belief.

Between feigned and genuine feelings, Wei Shang momentarily lost track of what was real...

System alert: "Detected Wei Shang's Love Points increase. Current Love Points: 33."

Mu Zimo climbed over the wall and was met with the sight of the two pressed up against each other.

Sweet and loving, utterly devoted.

The oddly intimate mood was abruptly shattered by Mu Zimo's cough!

"Ahem... broad daylight..."

"You two... at least wait till dark..."

As he spoke, the master thief couldn't help but steal another glance at the pair, especially the Empress.

Accustomed to her calculating demeanor, seeing her so gentle... that was new.

Secretly, Mu Zimo felt a pang of jealousy: Their relationship seems quite good?

"You again?"

The tender moment disrupted, Wei Shang turned and glared at the intruder, even more displeased. "You're bothering Her Majesty again!"

"Hey! This is official business!"

Mu Zimo lifted the object in his hand and announced, "Your Majesty, I've brought what you requested."

Truly the world's greatest thief—in such a short time, the mission was already accomplished!

"I searched for a long time inside. These must be the seeds you wanted."

Seeds?

Wei Shang leaned in for a look but couldn't quite make out what Mu Zimo had brought.

Noticing Wei Shang's confusion, Mu Zimo suddenly got cocky.

"This is called sweet potato."

"Two crops a year, with huge yields." Waving the seeds, Mu Zimo envisioned his soon-to-be reputation as a heroic outlaw, beaming with pride. "This very item can save countless of Chu's people from famine."

With that explanation, Wei Shang understood the seed's significance.

"Why does Your Majesty wish to save Chu?"

Why should Lin State care about Chu's famine?

Moreover, Lin State itself is struggling to stay afloat.

The Empress took the seeds, examined them carefully, and smiled faintly before speaking slowly, "They're numerous."

The mountain barbarians are strong and robust, born with natural strength.

It would be such a waste for a group like this to perish in famine or die before Guo Kai's path to domination.

More crucially, if the Mountain barbarians were to die out, Guo Kai, the Divine Martial Emperor, would become unstoppable, making him far more troublesome to deal with.

"More people?" Wei Shang echoed, roughly grasping Tang Qing's intent but still cautiously reminding her, "The Chu region is untamed, its people largely unenlightened..."

"If Your Majesty seeks to win their hearts, the task will be far from easy."

The empress's smile remained unchanged as she calmly replied, "Then we’ll educate them, instill morals, and win them over."

System: "Whoo~ Empress Tang Qing’s cultural conquest starts now!"