Chapter 1193 - 864: Desire

Chapter 1193: Chapter 864: Desire

Lu Xiao’s slightly curled right hand fell on the door, not wanting his abnormality to be noticed, and he used great concentration to suppress the tremor in his voice.

It was so late, he thought she should be asleep, but unexpectedly a somewhat surprised voice quickly came from inside, "Ah Xiao? Come in quickly!"

Lu Xiao hesitated for a moment, just pushed the door and walked in, and was embraced by the female.

A gentle and concerned voice sounded in his arms, "Why did you come over so late? You didn’t notify me in advance, or I would have gone to find you earlier."

Lu Xiao touched her head, "I passed by and saw that your study was still lit, and since it’s so late, I came by to check."

His voice seemed even hoarser and deeper than usual, but still as gentle as always.

Shen Tang didn’t think much of it, she just held his strong and slender waist, able to smell the moist vapor on him, as if the tips of his hair were still somewhat damp... Had he just taken a bath?

"I’ve accumulated quite a lot of paperwork over the past few days, all waiting for me to deal with! There’s still a whole pile unfinished, how can I sleep?" Shen Tang sighed deeply, being a monarch isn’t all that easy, with various conflicts and cases awaiting decision, going out to fight would be much easier than this!

Lu Xiao comforted her, "If you encounter any troublesome matters, you can tell me."

Shen Tang pulled his hand to sit down, and opened the documents on her right hand side, "Look at this, there’s a tribe called the Rock Hoof Clan migrating in whole due to a volcanic eruption in the south, and they’ve clashed with the local tribes over land and water resources several times."

"The Rock Hoof Clan are citizens of the Empire and have the right to seek refuge, they are willing to cultivate wasteland and pay heavy taxes, they are a labor force. But the local tribes believe the Empire should protect their ancestral lands from being invaded by outsiders, or it would dishearten the local tribes."

Lu Xiao looked at the memorial, understood its intricacies, and nodded, "If you favor the Rock Hoof Clan, the affiliated tribes at the borders might harbor resentment. If you favor the local tribes, you’d face civilian gossip and dishearten the disaster victims."

"Both sides are fighting for their tribe’s survival, but resources are ultimately limited, this kind of conflict happens all the time. If the local officials can’t solve it, they all present it here, needing me to decide." Shen Tang rubbed her brow, her headache intensifying.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Xiao replied, "These disaster victims must be properly settled, or it will cause turmoil in the south and affect your public support... Why not establish a joint management area in the name of the Empire, directly controlled by the Empire for distribution? This area receives priority allocation for more resources and relaxed policy subsidies, gaining local people’s support while providing both tribes with more equitable and ample resource distribution, thus not neglecting either side."

Shen Tang’s eyes lit up suddenly, indeed, it can be solved this way!

She originally felt like a wilting grass in the sun, suddenly revived as if after a spring rain, excitedly hugged Lu Xiao’s neck and kissed him hard on the face, cheerfully said, "Ah Xiao, fortunately I have you, or I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight!"

Then she quickly picked up her pen, writing remarks on the memorial.

But after only a few documents, she cursed lowly, "It’s the same every day, never-ending affairs."

Lu Xiao curiously looked over, only to have Shen Tang quickly close the memorial, embarrassingly said, "Ahem~ don’t look, just some trifling matters."

"To elicit such an expression from you, it mustn’t be trifling." Lu Xiao took a glance at the document, understandingly said, "The Tiger Clan minister hopes to leave his youngest son to serve by your side?"

"Not surprising, you see these memorials every day." Shen Tang rubbed her brow, "However, what’s troublesome is this minister is an elder of two dynasties in the Empire, quite advanced in age. Besides his youngest son, the rest of his family died in battle on the battlefield. He hopes to entrust his youngest son to me before he passes, only then will he be at ease."

Lu Xiao looked at her troubled expression, his heart stirred slightly, but he said, "Such things are difficult for any monarch to avoid. Your Majesty can soothe the Empire’s ministers by bringing his son into the palace... I heard his son just came of age this year, young and valiant, he also greatly admires you..."

"What nonsense! No matter how good he is, I don’t want him to stay, having you all by my side is enough, my heart can’t hold so many people." Shen Tang didn’t discern the man’s veiled meaning, she shook her head, insisted, "Besides, if I really agree, other ministers will definitely push harder to have me take people, wouldn’t I become a complete tool for alliances? If I can’t even decide who I like around me, what meaning is there in being Emperor?"

Lu Xiao froze for a moment, seemingly taken aback by her words, then laughed lightly, the laughter seemed to hide a hint of self-deprecation.

Indeed, he had forgotten, she has always been a person who loves and hates boldly, vivid and intense.

Lu Xiao closed his eyes, discarded all the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

He held Shen Tang in his arms, his voice seeming more relaxed, "You can’t reject this matter directly, nor can you agree, you can take this old minister’s son in as an attendant to nurture, both giving enough face to him and regaining control."

Shen Tang joyfully said, "That’s a compromise solution!"

Not only does it show the monarch’s appreciation for the minister and his family, it’s also a disguised refusal.

Those ministers are all old foxes, they naturally understand her meaning, and won’t be pushing people into the palace further.

Shen Tang leaned against Lu Xiao’s chest, breathing in the calming scent from him, as she slowly went through the documents.

Lu Xiao didn’t disturb her, just quietly stayed by her side, occasionally offering a few pointers.

His words were few, yet every comment hit the nail on the head.

Shen Tang thought to herself in admiration: As expected of the Lu Family’s heir trained from childhood, he not only excels in battle but also has a keen insight into navigating the court’s noble intrigues. He’s much better than me.

Perhaps Shen Tang herself wasn’t aware of how much she depended on Lu Xiao. Being by his side, she felt incredibly at peace, a calmness different from passion, as if no problem in the world was too daunting, he would always gently accompany her through it.

The moonlight gradually shifted westward, and it was already the latter half of the night.

Shen Tang finally managed to get through most of the piled-up documents, her wrist aching, yawning repeatedly.

Lu Xiao massaged her wrist, his handsome face showing a trace of tenderness, "Be good, go rest now."

"These documents need to be processed sooner or later, the more they pile up, the more there is, better to finish them early." Shen Tang shook her head, opening a new document, "Qingchuan City has a mine that’s been under their control for decades, neighboring Pingchuan City claims the mine originally belonged to them, was lent out a hundred years ago and not returned, so they want to claim ownership back... Ah, what a mess!"

Shen Tang’s eyes were filled with weariness, so many matters to handle, who knows when they would be done, every day brings new issues, never-ending.

Being a monarch is just too exhausting!

No wonder so many emperors end up becoming a lost cause, seeking pleasure is so much easier, this work is truly not for humans.

Lu Xiao knew how hard she worked, his throat choked up, yet he didn’t say anything, kissed her forehead tenderly, and softly said, "If you’re tired, these matters can be left to me, go rest first."

Shen Tang shook her head, "I can’t, you’re also working hard, can’t always trouble you to share these burdens."

"Easing your burdens is my responsibility, there’s no need for you to worry about many trivial matters, I’ll inform you of those needing a monarch’s decision." Lu Xiao’s expression was tender and affectionate, how could she bear such a heavy load on her own? As a Beast Husband, it’s his duty to help her with these trivial matters.

When she’s not in the Empire, he helped handle those matters too.

But the Beast Husbands around her are few, coming and going, now only two remain by her side, Xiao Jin is good at fighting but not at administration, which makes her so tired.

Lu Xiao gave Shen Tang no chance to refuse, lifted her in his arms, carried her to the bedroom next door to the study, placed her gently on the bed, carefully covered her with the quilt, "It’s very late, have a good rest, your health is important."

"With me here, you don’t need to worry."

The man’s long, rough fingertips touched her forehead, Shen Tang suddenly felt a trace of heat, surprised in her heart.

As Lu Xiao turned to leave, she reached out and held him, "Ah Xiao, stay with me."

Lu Xiao sat back on the edge of the bed, allowing her to press his hand against her cheek, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, just want you to stay with me, it’s been a while since we stayed together like this." Shen Tang whispered.

Looking at the man, his expression was as calm and gentle as always, with no signs of difference, yet she felt that Lu Xiao was somewhat different tonight, though he said nothing.

She was indeed very tired, a little puzzled in her heart, but didn’t think much of it, lying on the bed soft as clouds, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Xiao gently smoothed her hair, wanting to stay with her a while longer, but smelling the scent of the female, he felt a boiling heat inside nearly uncontrollable...

Dammit...

When he came over, he soaked in the cold water of the moat for two hours, only slightly relieved, but the potency of the drug was too strong, hard to suppress.

He knew he couldn’t stay any longer, hastily got up and went to the study.

[Host, Lu Xiao’s desire levels are high, showing signs of mental disturbance, Host, please provide immediate comfort!]