Chapter 17: Her Majesty the Empress's Special Interest

  Su Qing was amused as well.

  To be honest, he knew that this live-in son-in-law wasn't doing it on purpose.

  It was just that Gu Qingzhou had never experienced anything like this before, which made him look utterly clueless.

  A completely oblivious straight man is unbearable to anyone, regardless of gender.

  But now, it was different—he found this straight behavior surprisingly adorable.

  On top of that, considering the unique identity of his counterpart, Su Qing felt like a prime minister possessed him, and his combat strength skyrocketed!

  His motivation to cultivate surged, and he became more focused on improving himself!

  "S-Stop messing around... If we get caught, it’ll be a disaster... At least leave me some dignity!"

  Just as Ye Xueyi was about to respond, she turned her head, her face flushed with embarrassment as she spoke in a hushed tone.

  She tried her best to put on a fierce front, but her eyes were full of pleading.

  Begging for mercy was nothing new to her at this point, so it didn’t weigh much on her conscience anymore.

  "Oh, come on. If you really want him to leave, just make him go away."

  Su Qing chuckled.

  Of course, he said this purely to tease her.

  "Hah… What do you think? Go away! I don’t want to hear your voice!"

  Ye Xueyi took a deep breath and shouted toward the door, her tone as cold as ice, as if rejecting someone from a thousand miles away.

  "Madam, I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just wanted to talk to you!"

  "I know my status is low and unworthy of you, but I can prove myself. Please give me a chance..."

  Gu Qingzhou's voice carried urgency.

  Su Qing nearly burst out laughing.

  Look at this—this was a textbook rookie move.

  The moment a guy senses a woman’s impatience or even irritation, rookies have no concept of personal space.

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  They only think, "She’s mad, I have to coax her! How can I just leave?"

  Unless they hear a clear-cut rejection, they won’t give up.

  Listening to Gu Qingzhou’s relentless chatter from outside, Ye Xueyi was on the verge of tears.

  She didn’t expect him to understand her meaning and instead clutched Su Qing’s hand tightly.

  The divine maiden looked at the smiling young man and shook her head in a silent plea.

  Her pitiful expression could soften anyone’s heart.

  "Alright, alright. You’ve had it rough. I won’t make it harder for you. I’ll give you a chance to control the pace yourself, but there’s one condition—you’re not allowed to stop. Otherwise, I’ll take over."

  Seeing her reaction, Su Qing sighed dramatically.

  Truly, he was just so kind-hearted—it was touching!

  "W-What do you mean?"

  Ye Xueyi instinctively sensed something off about his words, her eyes filled with confusion.

  Su Qing didn’t respond, only giving her a deep, meaningful look.

  The room fell silent for a few seconds.

  Ye Xueyi finally realized what he meant, biting her lip as rage surged in her eyes.

  Unbelievable. This was utterly outrageous!

  Not only did this bastard treat her this way, but now he was making such an insulting demand to humiliate her!

  How could there be someone this shameless in the world?!

  She was shaking with anger.

  There was no way she would accept such an unreasonable request. She would rather die than—

  "If you don’t agree, then I’ll just take it as you giving up. I won’t force you."

  Su Qing met her blazing gaze and kindly reminded her.

  The divine maiden: "..."

  She felt like this boy was a devil in human skin.

  If Gu Qingzhou weren’t still outside rambling endlessly, she wouldn’t even consider agreeing to this.

  But now, comparing the two evils, the lesser one was obviously the better choice.

  You… You’re really killing me here!

  After a long-winded apology, Gu Qingzhou finally turned around and left, satisfied.

  He believed that a fairy-like wife, as understanding as she was, even if she didn’t say a word, must surely have understood him!

  Next time, he would definitely talk more and strive to make her open up to him!

  Exhausted, Ye Xueyi listened as the noise outside faded into the distance, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

  Finally, it was over.

  "Madam, your composure was truly impressive. You didn’t let a single slip-up show."

  Su Qing’s voice carried pure admiration.

  Honestly, if it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have handled it as well as she did.

  Ye Xueyi said nothing.

  Such admiration only made her feel a deep sense of shame.

  She had felt guilty since her wedding night, and now, that guilt only grew stronger.

  She wanted to refute and lash out, but when the words reached her lips, they felt weak and powerless.

  Before, she could claim she was being forced, but this time, there was no denying it—she had taken the initiative.

  For a proud divine maiden like her, this was a devastating realization.

  Su Qing admired his handiwork, feeling completely satisfied with this round of training.

  If he wanted to tame this divine maiden, the key was making her take the initiative.

  His dear brother Gu Qingzhou’s interference was actually a blessing in disguise, delivering exactly what he needed!

  Many things, once they happen for the first time, naturally lead to a second. The hardest part is always the beginning.

  And this was the perfect beginning.

  What the young man didn’t know was that throughout this whole exchange, a third person had been secretly watching.

  From start to finish, not missing a single detail.

  The imperial beauty was hidden in the shadows, her face flushed as she watched the scene unfold.

  Out of concern… Concern that this treacherous minister might mess things up, she had decided to spy on their battle.

  The reason was simple—she was worried that despite having help, Su Qing, this little fledgling, still wouldn’t be able to handle Ye Xueyi.

  After all, this was the most talented divine maiden in the history of the Heavenly Dao Sect!

  And yet?

  She had overestimated the situation!

  This wasn’t just about handling her—he had outright dominated her, making her tear up like a helpless kitten.

  The techniques the young man displayed made the Empress, who had seen it all, blush.

  Now she understood why Su Qing had been so pleased that night.

  So this was the source of his happiness!

  At first, she thought he was just easy to satisfy, but now it was clear—his appetite was far from small… Huh?

  What was he doing now, putting his hands on her shoulders again?!

  Clicking her tongue, the Empress turned away, about to leave.

  Such a shameless rascal, full of energy.

  However, just as she took a few steps, she suddenly halted.

  Her gaze drifted far away, seemingly lost in thought.

  If… If she left now, what if that treacherous minister enraged Ye Xueyi to the point of killing him?

  Hmm, it was necessary to keep watching, just for a little longer, to make sure.

  It wasn’t for any other reason, of course—she couldn’t afford to let anything mess up her grand plan!

  Silent as a ghost, the Empress crept back a few steps, once again peering inside.

  The sight before her stirred something unusual within her.

  Tsk tsk, this treacherous minister sure knew his way around, switching positions like a seasoned expert...

  The imperial beauty watched with fascination, occasionally letting a small smile slip.

  I don’t like this, she told herself. It’s all just for the plan!