Chapter 242: "This subject is guilty of deceiving the sovereign, and I beg Your Majesty for punishment!

Li Wei had never indulged his desires so freely. He kissed her deeply, again and again, unable to get enough.

It was only when he had kissed her until she was pliant as water in his arms that he realized the truth: this was not a hallucination. It was really Your Majesty.

Li Wei’s palms were burning, but Your Majesty’s clothes were soaked and cold.

He swept her up, pulled his cloak over her, slipped past the guards, and headed for the hot spring.

This time, he didn’t hesitate. He carried her directly into the spring and lowered her until the warm water enveloped her.

Xiao Yang was indeed a little cold, but she didn’t want to soak in a hot spring.

The moment the hot water enveloped her, she felt uncomfortable.

"Have someone bring my clothes. Shouldn’t I be getting back to drink my medicine?"

Li Wei tensed instantly. "Your Majesty, where do you feel unwell?"

Xiao Yang replied, "I’ve been over-remedied. I’m flushed with heat."

Hearing this, Li Wei let out a soft chuckle, his chest vibrating.

Knowing Your Majesty was fine, he was naturally unwilling to let her go so easily. He lifted her out and set her on the bank, then took her hand and kissed it, his lips trailing from her chest downward.

Only after steeling himself did he speak, his voice husky. "This subject has studied the Fire Avoidance Map. I can help Your Majesty feel more comfortable."

His gaze was scorching, as if it would melt her. He lowered his head to kiss her. "I beg for Your Majesty’s favor."

Xiao Yang hooked his chin, gave him a deep kiss, and then shoved him away. "Come back and tease me when your wounds have healed. I don’t pick on the injured."

Xiao Yang stood up. Xiao Ziling brought her fresh clothes, and she changed before walking back.

As everyone knows, Chinese medicine for reducing internal heat has only one flavor—bitter!

The taste was so dreadful that Xiao Yang felt it might kill her. If she were any kind of tyrant, she would have had the Imperial Physician seized and flogged.

’How is this not a form of murder?’

’Why should an Emperor have to suffer like this?’

But despite the bitterness, the relief that followed was incredible. It took her from burning with desire to a state of pure asceticism; she even felt like she could renounce the world and become a monk on the spot.

Without another word, she fell into bed and went straight to sleep.

After a restless night, she slept until noon the next day.

After washing up, eating, and dealing with urgent dispatches from the Capital, it was already afternoon.

Fortunately, she wasn’t someone who had to hunt every day. She had gotten her thrill hunting the tiger yesterday; today was purely for relaxation.

Li Wei, having killed a tiger with his bare hands the day before, had become a legend in the army. A crowd surrounded him, their eyes filled with reverence and admiration.

Li Wei was never one to put on airs. He mingled freely with his men and was generous in teaching them a few moves.

The moment he saw Xiao Yang appear, Li Wei immediately broke away from the crowd and came over.

"Your Majesty."

Xiao Yang looked him up and down, her gaze finally resting on his hands. "How are your injuries?"

Li Wei replied, "They’re already starting to heal. It’s not serious."

Li Wei’s powerful healing ability was no joke. Minor wounds would close on their own in a day or two, and even more serious ones healed just as quickly with a bit of medicine.

Unless it was a fatal wound like the one he’d received in Xirong, most injuries weren’t a major issue for him.

Xiao Yang had only been making a casual inquiry upon seeing him, but Li Wei was clearly different from the day before.

The hesitation and humility in his eyes were gone, replaced by a steady gaze that was filled with nothing but her.

Having received an affirmative answer—and a kiss—he was naturally no longer the same man he was before.

Xiao Yang chuckled softly. ’His reaction is understandable.’ She gestured for Li Wei to sit beside her and instructed Lin Yi, "Bring General Li a bowl of the medicine I drank last night."

’He needs to cool down too, acting so restless while covered in injuries.’

Half an hour later, Li Wei was served that incredibly bitter medicine.

Xiao Yang had felt like drawing a sword and killing someone after drinking it, yet Li Wei downed it in one go without a change in expression. He didn’t even rush to drink water afterward, as if it had no taste at all.

Xiao Yang suspected he had drunk a fake concoction. She took the bowl and sniffed it—it had the same smell as last night’s medicine.

"Isn’t it bitter?"

Li Wei replied, "It’s bearable. This subject is used to drinking medicine."

Xiao Yang was filled with sympathy. ’Poor thing.’

Li Wei couldn’t help but smile. ’Her Majesty’s expressions are so vivid.’

When the Empress sat down to rest, Li Wei accompanied her. When the Empress went for a ride to clear her head, Li Wei acted as her guard. When the Empress waded into a stream to catch fish, Li Wei personally helped her, even catching her when she nearly slipped and carrying her all the way to the bank before setting her down.

The people around them slowly began to realize something.

"Could it be that the Great General and Her Majesty are also..."

With the precedents set by the Regent King and Minister Mu, it wasn’t so shocking to think that General Li and Her Majesty might be involved.

There had been rumors about Her Majesty and General Li before, but with no public displays of intimacy between them, the gossip had eventually died down. Her Majesty was close with the other three, but with General Li, she maintained the proper distance of a ruler and her subject.

Now, however, looking at them through that lens, it seemed there really was something going on.

The Empress was poised and graceful, and General Li’s expression was unreadable.

They didn’t appear overtly affectionate or clingy, but General Li’s gaze constantly followed Her Majesty, his eyes filled with tender affection.

That was not the innocent gaze a subject should have when looking at their Emperor.

And while Her Majesty didn’t display the same attitude, she didn’t resist General Li’s proximity. Their hand-holding and other intimate touches seemed completely natural.

Li Wei was already a formidable figure, the ultimate idol of the soldiers. After killing the tiger yesterday, his prestige was at an all-time high.

Now, seeing his closeness with the Empress, they were all happy for him.

The Great General is the only one worthy of our Empress! A perfect match!

In that moment, stock in the "General ship" skyrocketed!

Li Wei remained relatively restrained during the day, but by night, by the hot spring pool, he kissed her deeply, inch by inch.

His tall frame enveloped the Empress like a beast savoring its most delectable prey, taking his time, not missing a single delicious spot.

Once a twenty-seven-year-old man had a taste of the forbidden, there was no stopping him.

Xiao Yang liked to be in control and had a penchant for teasing her partners.

But with Li Wei injured, she couldn’t fully indulge herself.

She’d finally managed to catch her breath and was about to use her imperial authority to command him into submission, but in the end, she was the one who lost her nerve first.

’This... is a bit beyond the scope of my studies...’

But how could Li Wei give her a chance to retreat? His large hand grasped hers and pressed it down.

"This subject has committed lèse-majesté. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

He spoke the words of apology, but the act of lèse-majesté did not stop.

The Empress lost all her strength and was ultimately carried off by the beast back to his den.

Xiao Yang glanced around blearily. It wasn’t her room, but it was exquisitely and neatly decorated. Even the teacups had a peony pattern and a pink glaze. She couldn’t help but tease, "I never would have guessed. You actually have some taste."

Li Wei attended to the Empress, who was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open. As he helped her get ready for bed, pulling off her socks, he had to answer her. "I just had them changed yesterday."

He had meticulously prepared every detail because he knew she might come.

He could be rough around the edges when he was alone, but Your Majesty could not be neglected.

And now, he had brought her back here and laid her on his bed.

’Your Majesty... is in my bed...’

The mere thought was enough to make his heart burst with fulfillment. And yet, he had done so many treasonous things to Your Majesty...

Gazing at the Empress’s sleepy, enchantingly languid face, flashes of her charm and wickedness ran through his mind. Li Wei suddenly understood the other three men. Having experienced this side of Her Majesty, he felt he was about to go mad himself.