The Female Alpha Consort Mistakenly Marks the Empress - TFACMME Chapter 24

Several people arrived at the flower hall to discuss matters.

The seating was arranged very cleverly. Sitting together were not the couple who appeared united in name only, but Qi Yingzhu and Mu Lanshi instead. Xu Yuan and Qi Zhongxuan sat far apart. Though on the same level, the division between them was clear.

Between the two women and Mu Lanshi was a long table.

“Ahem,” Qi Zhongxuan cleared his throat first and began, “Madam, today I personally came to invite Young Lady Mu Lanshi.”

Xu Yuan had already reluctantly exchanged greetings with Mu Lanshi once.

This young lady might not be Qi Zhongxuan’s ally, but certainly held no benefit for Xu Yuan.

“Mm.” Xu Yuan answered lightly, forcing a smile. “I heard that soon after alpha’s rise, she should begin her official career, right?”

Though implying she was idly wandering about, this was true: especially for children from prominent families, at the proper age they could rely on family status to enter government. Mu Lanshi in her previous life started as a secretary but within three to five years held power in the central government.

Mu Lanshi’s expression was calm as she said, “Entering government service is important, but the marriage with the Young Lady is more important.”

Both Xu Yuan and Qi Zhongxuan fell silent.

Qi Yingzhu’s eyes darkened as she turned her head to see the dazzling paired lotus emblem on Mu Lanshi’s clothes.

“Yes, yes, marriage is very important!” Qi Zhongxuan glared at Xu Yuan irritably and flattered, “A good mate determines one’s whole life.”

Xu Yuan retorted, “That’s right, a good alpha makes things easier.”

Their quarrel left little impression on Mu Lanshi’s mind.

Qi Zhongxuan, thinking himself magnanimous, did not argue with Xu Yuan but spoke to Mu Lanshi, who was also an alpha: “Young Lady, since your mother has already sent the letter and you also think this matter important, why don’t we discuss it today?”

The Minister Mu held a high position and was hard to invite; he dared not act rashly. That he had managed to bring Qi Yingzhu to the Mu residence had been pure luck.

What pleased him most was that Mu Lanshi had actually agreed to come with him.

Qi Yingzhu said seriously, “Yes, I came today for this very matter.”

Hopefully not to covet anything, thought Qi Yingzhu.

“May I ask what opinion the Minister holds?” Qi Zhongxuan asked expectantly, “This marriage should be hosted by the Mu family, right?”

Though late last time, the scene at Mu Lanshi’s coming-of-age ceremony was magnificent. He wondered how grand the wedding banquet would be if they married.

Xu Yuan clenched her fists angrily but said nothing for the moment.

This bastard came to make things difficult for her, trying to use the Mu family’s power to pressure her! The Qi family could not oppress the Xu family, so it borrowed power instead!

She would take revenge on this grievance sooner or later, but the fact that Qi Yingzhu and Mu Lanshi’s involvement was a real headache.

Unexpectedly, Mu Lanshi said regretfully, “Lord Qi, though I do want to marry the Young Lady, this matter cannot be rushed.”

Xu Yuan’s expression softened slightly. Qi Zhongxuan was stunned, “Ah, what happened? Why can it not be rushed?”

Why not now? Qi Yingzhu listened calmly, recalling the loneliness that flashed in Mu Lanshi’s eyes when she had agreed earlier.

“To be precise, it lacks a proper reason,” Mu Lanshi said softly, “After all, the MU family is large. Although this marriage has your mother’s approval, the elders of the family must be informed. For those in the capital, it is easier, but some elders are still away and have not returned.” Mu Lanshi patiently explained.

Qi Zhongxuan paused, then quickly understood: Qi Yingzhu wanted to hold a more grand wedding. Not only did she want her mother’s approval, but also the whole family to know.

In other words, the Mu family was well-connected with officials all over the country. If the entire family knew, the world would likely know as well.

She was a very responsible alpha.

Xu Yuan suddenly said, “Yes, an omega getting married must marry an alpha like Young Lady Mu.”

Qi Zhongxuan’s face heated but he ignored her and asked Mu Lanshi, “Young Lady, what do you think? When is a suitable time?” Scratching his head, he finally said with difficulty, “I won’t hide it from you. This matter… I have never told anyone before, but today I will tell you.”

He then revealed the “secret” Qi Yingzhu already knew: Qi Yingzhu was originally a Qi family daughter destined for the palace.

She was originally supposed to enter the palace and become the empress! Mentioning this was also a warning to Qi Yingzhu: don’t think the Qi family is just climbing up. Once this chance passes, there is no other.

Xu Yuan added, “That said, His Imperial Majesty’s health is not good now, entering the palace may not be a good thing.”

“You don’t know anything! Saying that could get you executed!” Qi Zhongxuan stiffened his neck, wanting to scold but afraid. That woman’s hits really hurt. “His Imperial Majesty will certainly recover.”

Mu Lanshi said calmly, “Madam, what you said reminds me. When Mother returned from court, she mentioned a few things to me. Nowadays, various elixirs and medicines are being sent to the palace like a stream. His Imperial Majesty has not attended court for several months. Many matters are entrusted to others.”

This was subtly speaking up for Xu Yuan.

Qi Zhongxuan was stunned and didn’t know what to say at first. He hadn’t expected Mu Lanshi to speak for Xu Yuan, even citing her mother, the minister of education, as proof.

In today’s world, noble families and imperial power restrain each other. He could accuse Xu Yuan of nonsense, but not Mu Lanshi.

She was the heir of the top noble family. Qi Zhongxuan could only wear a bitter face and stammer for a while: “Then, what do you think should be done?”

“It ultimately depends on the young lady’s opinion.” Mu Lanshi suddenly turned the question to Qi Yingzhu.

Qi Yingzhu sat to the side, but her heart felt like it was being cooked in hot oil, unable to calm down.

She instinctively turned her head to look at Mu Lanshi’s expression. It was the same as that night, trying to see some pretense or calculation in her eyes.

But she was disappointed. Those phoenix eyes were genuinely sincere and terrifyingly honest.

Qi Yingzhu was stunned, lowered her gaze, fidgeted her fingers absentmindedly, then finally stood up and said she was tired and would leave.

In the past, the couple would definitely not let her go. But now, neither dared to stop Qi Yingzhu. To their surprise, after Qi Yingzhu left, Mu Lanshi also stood and took her leave.

Helpless, Qi Zhongxuan added, demanding that Qi Yingzhu accompany Young Lady Mu.

Watching Mu Lanshi follow Qi Yingzhu out, both of them had the same thought —

This matter would definitely succeed.

Xu Yuan clenched her fist deeper in her sleeve. If this succeeded, it would not be entirely good for her.

But now she had few relatives in the capital. Nianian was still lying in bed. She had to find a way out for her and her daughter.

The last time she fought with Qi Zhongxuan, Nianian was frightened and had stayed in bed since, with Xu Yuan personally caring for her food and clothing.

If Nianian were healthy, she would have taken her back to the Xu family in Jiangnan.

But now, what else could she do?

Yingzhu had a good place to go. Her downcast eyes finally lifted.

She thought, after all, they were mother and daughter; maybe Yingzhu could still help her.

***

“Young Lady Mu, why are you following me back to my room?” Qi Yingzhu walked ahead without turning her head. Feeling the movement behind her, she finally asked, “What, are you really still thinking about that shawl?”

Better not fear the thief stealing, but fear the thief coveting.

Mu Lanshi thought for a moment and said, “That shawl was always mine.”

Her words obviously had deeper meaning.

“Then it’s not stealing.” Qi Yingzhu said calmly, turned around, and stared into those burning phoenix eyes. “Close the door.”

Mu Lanshi obeyed.

The click of the door latch startled the birds under the eaves. Their flapping wings sounded like a suddenly irregular heartbeat.

After locking the door, Qi Yingzhu asked her, “What do you want?”

Her question was straightforward, but her voice trembled with uncertainty.

Qi Yingzhu was after all the ruthless empress dowager. Mu Lanshi had fulfilled her promise and agreed, but not now.

So she had to repay her.

That was why she asked what she wanted.

Mu Lanshi did not speak at first. She slowly pulled out a chair, sat down, faced her across the round table, and said deliberately, “I want to marry you.”

In her dark eyes was a brilliant hidden fire, a sincerity that could not be extinguished.

Qi Yingzhu took a deep breath and remained standing. “If that is so, you could have just agreed with Qi Zhongxuan’s words earlier.”

She could not refuse that.

Mu Lanshi stared at her light brown, amber-like almond eyes and softly repeated, “Yes, I could have said it directly.”

Her words were light but struck like water hitting hot oil, making Qi Yingzhu’s heart burn hotter.

That statement was truly provocative and made her unsure how to respond.

She wanted to marry her, but said not now, so she did not force it—Mu Lanshi did not use her parents’ will to coerce her.

Clearly, she was only one step away from her desire.

But she did not do it.

Something seemed to sprout in her heart.

Qi Yingzhu suddenly stepped closer to Mu Lanshi, looking down on her.

Mu Lanshi still sat and looked up at her as she wished.

“You really make me like you a little.” Qi Yingzhu stared for a long time before finally saying a few words.

Mu Lanshi remained serious but smiled self-mockingly: “Just a little?”

A mischievous wave rose in Qi Yingzhu’s eyes. “Then I thank Young Lady Mu for her kindness. I will repay it one day.”

She held back tears but could not stop her eyes from reddening.

“I am not someone who repays kindness with kindness,” Mu Lanshi still looked up at her, “I don’t want you to repay me. I only want…”

Only want to repay feelings.

Only want a marriage contract she agrees to, not a bond forced by parents, and also…

Before she could finish, Qi Yingzhu suddenly bent down, pressed her forehead against hers, blocking her words.

Qi Yingzhu almost used all her strength to look into those phoenix eyes, repeatedly trying to find some calculation there.

But it was all in vain.

“Mu Lanshi, what if I want to stay in the capital?” she directly asked.

As she bent down, Mu Lanshi wrapped her waist and pulled her close.

Qi Yingzhu sat on her, looking down on her.

Qi Yingzhu asked plainly what would happen if she stayed in the capital.

She knew where her real family was—she had planned to sever ties with Qi and Xu and find her birth mother.

But Mu Lanshi’s actions today suddenly stirred a frenzy in her heart—after all, her life had always been this way.

Like that night in the previous and this life, when she risked everything on her future fate.

Qi Yingzhu’s face pressed closer, about to kiss. Her hand fearlessly touched Mu Lanshi’s nape—the location of her alpha gland.

Also her weakness.

She was too helpless. If she did not hold onto something, such loneliness would cost her everything.

Her slender fingers rubbed over a red mole on her neck.

Long ago, that face had been the only scenery in her eyes.

Qi Yingzhu tore open Mu Lanshi’s headpiece, letting her black hair cascade over her shoulders.

Her movements were tinged with some frustration: Mu Lanshi should have followed that old man’s words and forced her into marriage with all the formalities.

That would have stopped all her restless thoughts.

— Lanshi, springtime. Like her name, she brought a whole spring valley, ready to break through Qi Yingzhu’s dark, dull life.

So shrewd, so relentlessly interfering with her life.

Mu Lanshi was pressed tightly by her, but gritted her teeth and replied firmly, “Young Lady Qi, no one can stop you.”

“Including you?” Qi Yingzhu pressed for a more specific answer.

Tears suddenly filled her eyes.

She forced her to say more precise words, like spitting out morsels to feed.

How could one return with a heart after giving up day after day?

She should have hated. Hated being left alone in endless sleepless nights, tormented and restless.

But now she did not hate. More than that, she was confused and helpless.

Mu Lanshi thought she was asking if she would stop her. As she was about to answer, the weight on her body increased.

Qi Yingzhu’s thin lips pressed against her ear: “Then will you help me?”

Mu Lanshi was stunned for a moment. When she turned to look, she saw in those amber eyes a lingering sea of flames.

It was an extreme emotional outburst. Indeed a sea of fire.

But that fire had only two colors:

Black or white. She either helped or didn’t.

“As long as you are willing.” Mu Lanshi said.

The sadness blocking her chest for who knew how long surged up suddenly. Qi Yingzhu gritted her teeth, climbing over Mu Lanshi’s supple young skin, her teeth licking inch by inch.

Finally, near the gland.

The omega’s mark on the alpha was another matter. Only after mutual marking was the bond truly formed.

“Mu Lanshi, you said this.” She said, her teeth almost at Mu Lanshi’s gland—the most vulnerable spot of an alpha.

Many alphas in this world never get marked by an omega because they know if marked, they are tied to that omega forever. The world still favored alphas; omegas who could mark alphas were very few.

First, alphas guarded their glands carefully; second, many alphas didn’t want to lose ambiguous relationships with other omegas.

But Mu Lanshi did not move. She just held her, letting her lips and tongue lick her skin.

Young bodies pulsed and intertwined, a closeness almost without barrier.

Bite as hard as you blame me, bite hard enough that I can never leave you, Mu Lanshi thought, pursing her lips, her cheeks trembling involuntarily.

But Qi Yingzhu suddenly stopped, biting hard just half an inch away from her gland, leaving a bite mark.

Mu Lanshi was stunned, enduring the sharp pain like an outburst on her neck.

At that moment, all she could think of was the fire in her eyes and the madness of black or white.

…But she still did not bite her gland.

Yes, Qi Yingzhu just said so.

— If she’s like this, she might really start to like her.

Only a little, though.

But Mu Lanshi wasn’t some emotionless puppet either. She easily lifted the soft flesh at the base of her buttocks, slowly moving up; she could uncloth her anytime.

It was just that Qi Yingzhu’s kiss came faster.

She tilted her head from her neck, kissing her lips.

In the clash of lips and teeth, Mu Lanshi was completely overwhelmed.

She let Qi Yingzhu run wild.

Even though Mu Lanshi was holding back, Qi Yingzhu kissed fiercely, each breath broken, like shattered leaves.

Falling, but unwilling to cling.

She embraced her increasingly sweaty body.

They both restrained the urge to undress each other, but the spreading scents had already brought them to another peak of desire.

Bruises and fingerprints, imprinted vividly on each other.

“No wonder the door is closed,” Mu Lanshi curled her long lashes, rather lazily, “It turns out the thief is someone else.”

Qi Yingzhu half-nested in her embrace, a flash of cunning in her almond eyes: “So, I’ve tarnished Young Lady Mu’s purity?”

She hadn’t marked her back.

But those words provoked Mu Lanshi. Of course, she knew; she stopped at that spot, just under an inch, and bit her without reason.

Yet she still asked her that.

So, Mu Lanshi tilted up Qi Yingzhu’s chin, and gradually, following the superior jawline, moved back until she held Qi Yingzhu’s earlobe, rubbing it, and said:

“Yes, so, do you dare take responsibility for me?”

Marry her, or marry her?

If you’re going to go wild, then go all the way. I’ve already put my chips down—do you dare to take the bet?

TL/Note: 

司徒/Sī tú=minister of education (history)