lovenovelstory Chapter 112 What?! On the carriage?!
Chapter 112 What?! On the carriage?!
The atmosphere inside the carriage fell into an eerie stillness after Xu Fenghua said, "I understand."
The soft glow of the luminous pearl cast a hazy luster over Qin Mu's languid figure leaning on the soft couch and Xu Fenghua's sculpted figure sitting upright.
The rhythmic sound of wheels rolling over the official road, and the subtle metallic rustling of armor rubbing against each other outside the carriage, seemed to be the only living things in this enclosed space.
Qin Mu's gaze lingered on Xu Fenghua's calm and composed face for a moment.
That delicate face was now covered with a thin layer of ice, all emotions were frozen beneath it, leaving only an almost hollow obedience.
He suddenly smiled.
"Since my beloved concubine has agreed,"
Qin Mu spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the carriage and breaking the silence, "Then... we should get down to business."
Xu Fenghua's seated body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.
She slowly raised her eyelids, her gaze towards Qin Mu filled with a hint of doubt.
"Important business? Your Majesty, you mean...?"
She had a vague idea of what was going on, but the guess was too absurd and too unbearable, so she instinctively didn't want to think about it.
I'm even more unwilling to believe that Qin Mu would be on this moving carriage...
Qin Mu looked at the barely suppressed panic in her eyes and his smile deepened.
He sat up straight, and his wide, white sleeves slipped down with the movement, revealing his well-defined forearms.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead reached out and picked up the empty jade wine cup on the table, his fingertips casually stroking the rim of the cup.
"Aside from matters of state and family, the relationship between emperors and their concubines..."
Qin Mu's voice deepened, carrying a seductive magnetism, "What other important business could there be?"
"boom----!"
Xu Fenghua felt as if her brain had been struck hard by something!
Despite having suspected it beforehand, Qin Mu's words, spoken so bluntly and without any attempt at concealment, still surprised me.
A strong sense of humiliation mixed with unbelievable anger instantly overwhelmed all her psychological defenses like lava!
Here?!
Inside this moving, not entirely private, carriage?!
Outside the vehicle were two thousand fully armed guards and entourage!
Even if the imperial carriage was well soundproofed, and even if they dared not spy on it... it was still a ceremonial procession in broad daylight!
How could he... how dare he?!
Xu Fenghua's breathing suddenly became rapid, and her chest heaved violently.
That deep purple, magnificent palace dress symbolizing the status of a concubine.
At this moment, it felt as if it had turned into a red-hot branding iron, tightly wrapping around her and making her feel suffocated by the heat and confinement.
She clenched her teeth tightly, barely managing to suppress the gasp and angry shout that rose in her throat.
Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, the sharp pain keeping her sliver of consciousness.
Xu Fenghua's voice trembled slightly, carrying a weak pleading tone:
"Your Majesty...this time...this place...is perhaps...inappropriate?"
She spoke with great difficulty, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth.
"The carriage moved forward, surrounded by guards... If... if word got out..."
"So what if it gets out?"
Qin Mu interrupted her, his tone relaxed.
He put down his wine glass, leaned forward slightly, and his gaze swept unabashedly over Xu Fenghua's taut body, finally settling on her forced composure.
"This imperial carriage is my temporary palace."
He paused, a cold smile playing on his lips:
"As for it getting out... Do you think those people outside would dare to listen to a single word, or even glance at it?"
Xu Fenghua's heart sank deeper and deeper into an icy abyss.
She got it.
This is not merely debauchery, but also a form of protest and a declaration of submission.
Qin Mu intended to use this method to completely shatter all her pride and resistance on the very first day she entered the palace.
He branded her with his mark, inside and out.
Despair, like an icy tide, overwhelmed her.
Qin Mu stopped talking and slowly stood up.
The moon-white robe hung down, shimmering like flowing water under the light of the luminous pearl.
He walked up to Xu Fenghua and stopped.
The shadow cast by the tall figure completely enveloped her.
Xu Fenghua could smell a faint fragrance emanating from him, mixed with a hint of masculine, highly aggressive aura.
She instinctively tried to shrink back, but the chair back blocked her way.
She tried to stand up, but her legs felt as heavy as lead.
Qin Mu reached out and gently traced the contours of her cheek with his fingertips.
The movement was so light, like a feather brushing past, yet it sent chills down Xu Fenghua's spine.
The fingertips, carrying a slightly cool temperature, slid slowly down her jawline to her neck, finally resting on the high neckline of her palace dress.
There, intricate peonies embroidered in gold thread were depicted, and the collar was buttoned up tightly, symbolizing dignity and confinement.
"My beloved concubine, what a beautiful dress you are wearing..."
Qin Mu said softly, his breath almost brushing against her earlobe, "Beautiful. But... I feel something is still missing."
Xu Fenghua closed her eyes tightly, her long eyelashes trembling violently.
She knew what he was going to do.
But she was powerless to do anything about it.
"Sizzle—"
A very faint sound, yet clearly audible in the quiet carriage, was the tearing of fabric.
Qin Mu's fingers did not tear forcefully, but precisely pried open a hidden jade button on the side of the collar.
Then came the second one, the third one...
His movements were unhurried, even with an appreciative patience, as if he were unwrapping a carefully wrapped gift.
Xu Fenghua was as stiff as a stone.
The feeling of humiliation was like a poisonous vine, coiling around her heart, tightening more and more, almost making it hard for her to breathe.
She wanted to scream, to push him away, to escape the carriage at all costs...
But reason, like the coldest chains, bound her tightly.
She can't.
For her brother, for the Xu family, and for those unfinished schemes, she had to endure it.
We must... survive.
Qin Mu's fingers finally stopped.
He had opened the neckline a considerable gap, revealing a patch of snow-white, delicate skin and exquisite collarbones.
Qin Mu's gaze lingered on that exposed skin for a moment, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.
Then, he slowly bent down.
"Your Majesty!" Xu Fenghua finally couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.
His voice was hoarse and broken, filled with undisguised terror and pleading.
She suddenly opened her eyes, which were already filled with tears.
That look in his eyes was no longer a pretense, but a genuine fear of being driven to the brink.
"Please...not here..."
She was rambling incoherently, making a final attempt to cope:
"Your Majesty, I have not yet bathed or changed my clothes, and I am covered in dust... I am truly... truly unfit to serve Your Majesty... Once... once we arrive at the palace, I will... I will certainly treat you well..."
"I can't wait."
Qin Mu interrupted her again.
He reached out and grabbed her slender wrist.
The force wasn't strong, but it was enough to prevent her from breaking free.
"Right now, I want to see..."
His gaze, almost tangible, swept over her eyes, which were slightly reddened with fear, over her tightly pursed, bloodless lips, and finally landed on the collar he had opened.
"...Just how beautiful is my Consort Hua?"
The moment he finished speaking, he used his arm to pull her up from the seat!
Xu Fenghua gasped and unexpectedly bumped into his arms.
A warm chest, strong arms, and a masculine scent mixed with ambergris instantly enveloped her.
It was a completely unfamiliar and aggressive contact that made every cell in her body scream in resistance!
"Let me go..." She began to struggle seriously, trying her best to push him away.
But her strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree in front of Qin Mu.
Qin Mu easily restrained her hands, holding her firmly in his arms.
His other hand caressed her back, slowly sliding down through the thick fabric of her palace dress.
"Don't move."
He whispered commands in her ear, his warm breath tickling her sensitive earlobe, sending shivers down her spine.
"Everyone outside is listening."
These words were like the most vicious curse, instantly draining Xu Fenghua of all her strength.
She stopped struggling, her body completely stiffened, and she let Qin Mu pick her up horizontally.