The Female Alpha Consort Mistakenly Marks the Empress - TFACMME Chapter 31

When those words came out, it was like thunder striking level ground—everyone startled.

A woman in the crowd stammered: “Wh‑what? Did I hear wrong?”

The male servant seated near her gently tugged her hand: “Mate, you didn’t hear wrong. I heard it too. That Lady Xu said just now that she demands a divorce.”

The woman glared at the servant and protested repeatedly: “Of course I didn’t hear wrong! Divorce is hardly strange!”

But divorce wasn’t the shocking part—what was shocking was that Lady Xu declared her husband a treasonous traitor collaborating with enemies!

The man finally stammered a few times before uttering a cautious “oh.”

Everyone heard that explosive proclamation, and gossip spread instantly, like oil hitting hot fire.

Head Constable Chen’s face darkened. He cleared his throat: “Lady Xu, what exactly are you saying? I must remind you, our yamen is right on this street!”

Their office, besides maintaining public order, handles spies. If this divorce claim drags them in… Originally they came just to observe, but Lady Xu’s words have seriously implicated the yamen too!

Qi Zhongxuan, flustered, looked at Xu Yuan in disbelief: “Yuanyuan, what are you saying? If you are unhappy with me, we can talk it out. If you resent my keeping a concubine and feel hurt—if that’s so, I’ll dismiss her. Why stir up such public commotion?”

For him, having the people of the Capital laugh at him—and should it spread back to Jiangnan, he wouldn’t know where to put his face. He remembered that before coming here, he promised the clan elders he would prove the Qi family’s prestige in the Capital.

Alas, if being disgraced counts as attaining fame…

A few officials in the crowd chimed in: “Yes, yes, it’s a family matter, right?”

Head Constable Chen’s expression turned rigid. Others might brush this off, but as a detective he could not afford to. The Capital had been leaking like a sieve lately. He dared not let down his guard.

He abruptly ordered the crowd to be silent and addressed Xu Yuan: “Lady Xu, do you have any evidence for these accusations?”

Xu Yuan’s expression turned calm: “Of course I have evidence.”

“Evidence that Qi Zhongxuan is colluding with enemies?” Head Constable Chen pressed.

Qi Zhongxuan grew increasingly flustered, stuttering: “Xu Yuan, you should not behave so ungraciously! If you want a divorce, fine—we divorce. I can give you some wealth, I don’t mind that. Please don’t shame me in public like this.”

“Ha,” Xu Yuan sneered at him, mockery at the corner of her lips: “That paltry silver you offer—I don’t want it!”

Did he think the Xu family lacked resources?

“How rude you are!” Qi Zhongxuan was completely bewildered. He tried to placate Head Constable Chen, offering a flimsy excuse with forced politeness: “Captain, my wife is surely upset—she’s speaking nonsense all day…” To prove it, he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a bruise. He pointed at it and said decisively: “She hit me—see? As a woman, how could she strike me? Correct?”

“I should beat you to death twice over!” Xu Yuan snapped back, “You man, I’m thinking right now how to smack you!”

They were bickering in public again!

“Stop—both of you!” Head Constable Chen’s frustration grew. He wished he could shut their mouths permanently.

But he didn’t care about their petty marital drama. He only wanted to know: was there any truth to the espionage allegation?

Xu Yuan seemed furious, but she still remained vigilant. She glanced toward a high roof in the distance—and finally saw a white dove take flight.

Good. She no longer needed to stall.

Turning to Head Constable Chen, she said: “Captain, you asked me for evidence—here it is.”

***

Not far away in the tea house, the sounds of flesh sliding across silk persisted while warm breaths blew into the deeper cleavage.

Mu Lanshi said: “I just saw—the person who released the white dove was the very one Qi Yingzhu seduced with a night’s embrace from me.”

Despite the itch across her waist, Qi Yingzhu grunted and mildly chided her: “Who said you bartered for that? She’s not dead yet. Or did Lord Alpha expect her followers to die? How disheartening that must be to them.”

Clever words. Mu Lanshi hummed twice softly—but she, too, had sharp wit.

A breath of satisfaction whispered into her ear, and that made Mu Lanshi content.

Qi Yingzhu patted her hand: “Enough—put me down. It’s my turn to throw more fuel on this fire.”

Mu Lanshi loosened her grip: “Need my help?”

Maybe because she felt victory assured—or because she was taller—she raised her chin victoriously: “No need. I fear Alpha might notice something unrelated about me.”

Sunlight filtered through the lattice, casting noon‑time rays. Sweat beaded at Qi Yingzhu’s nose, shimmering like tiny golden drops. Light danced at her eye’s corner in gilded flutters.

Her rose‑colored earring glowed translucent under the sunshine, revealing the faint powder stain at her neck.

Mu Lanshi clucked softly: “If this were the last life, Qi Yingzhu might have had some innocence.”

Perhaps provoked by her leisurely attitude, Qi Yingzhu suddenly lowered her head, her light brown eyes staring directly into Mu Lanshi’s clear phoenix eyes. “In that sense, Alpha Mu has never been innocent in either lifetime. The last was disgusting—this one, at best, a respectable woman. Not even the River of Forgetfulness could cleanse Alpha Mu’s past debauchery,” Qi Zhongxuan sneered. Unable to meet her gaze, she crossed her arms and stood. Suddenly she leaned forward and bit Mu Lanshi’s bodice, words muttered through clenched teeth: “…there’s still fragrance at the tip of your tail.”

Mu Lanshi fell silent. She was jealous again.

“That scent is from you, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm.” Qi Zhongxuan snorted angrily and stormed off. She had urgent matters to attend.

Mu Lanshi, sitting in the zitan wood chair, belatedly realized her face was warm. She replayed the sensation of Qi Zhongxuan’s breath against her face—tingling.

Sharp.

She lowered her head and laughed softly, unbecomingly.

But she noticed something keenly: Qi Yingzhu had just admitted the past life.

…That person truly reacts to tenderness, not force. Previously at the Qi residence, during confrontation, she dared not acknowledge the term “Your Majesty.” Now? Just because of this inscrutable idea of “innocence,” she gets furious.

And that’s just the start—if their relationship deepens further, who knows if she’ll not flood her with eight hundred miles of sourness?

Well, nothing to do—her Mu family is so vast and established, opening a vinegar factory would be perfectly normal.

After laughing a bit, she rose to check progress outside.

***

“I have proof!” Xu Yuan said clearly, drawing a sapphire-blue sachet from her sleeve. Its embroidery was ordinary—patterned lotus vines.

Head Constable Chen frowned, asking: “What is that? Is that Qi Zhongxuan’s property?”

Xu Yuan smiled coldly and seemed relieved: “Is and isn’t. Captain, just look at Qi Zhongxuan’s expression.”

Indeed, when Head Constable Chen glanced over, Qi Zhongxuan’s face turned pale. He stammered: “Y‑you, why are you showing that? This belongs to your female side—it has nothing to do with me! I’ve never carried such a sachet!”

“Yes, you’re unworthy of carrying such a sachet!” Xu Yuan added deliberately, provoking him. She continued: “But your concubine gave it to you—weren’t you about to use it?”

At her words, Qi Zhongxuan’s heart clenched. He stammered harder: “What nonsense! She’s a woman—using a sachet is normal. What does that have to do with your baseless social media slander? Xu Yuan, I advise you to come home with me.” He added: “If you don’t want to, fine—we’ll leave now.”

Seeing how awkward he looked, Head Constable Chen sensed suspicion. He motioned for Xu Yuan to continue: “Lady Xu, please explain. What’s special about this ordinary sachet?”

Qi Zhongxuan was simple, but not stupid. Based on his years of experience, he knew that the concubine was connected to the sachet. Otherwise, why would Xu Yuan offer it as evidence?

“May I examine it?” he asked.

Xu Yuan nodded and handed the sapphire sachet to Head Constable Chen. Before Qi Zhongxuan—misplaced confidence—could react and try to snatch it, Head Constable Chen, ever cautious, blocked him swiftly. He wouldn’t let this sachet be contaminated or accessed by Qi Zhongxuan.

“Let go!” he commanded sternly, pushing Qi Zhongxuan aside.

Qi Zhongxuan, being older, cried out pathetically and collapsed to the ground clutching his old waist—but not a single person rushed to help him!

What kind of situation was that—he was still their elder!

“Lady Xu, please explain the significance of this sachet,” Head Constable Chen asked directly.

Xu Yuan’s face turned somber: “Captain, if you open this sachet, you’ll understand…but take care—there’s no ordinary herb inside, don’t harm yourself.”

If Xu Yuan’s allegations were true, Head Constable Chen understood her warning: the Northern Rong used a poison disguised as fragrance, capable of killing via long-term inhalation.

He had learned this while investigating spies recently.

Complying, he gently opened the sachet—and a strange fragrance wafted out.

It began sweet and floral, reminiscent of a rare blossom. Then it turned subtly rancid, a faint metallic tang mixing in—numbing the nose, clouding the mind.

He snapped it shut, stepped back, face paling: “This is it!”

His voice was low and urgent—he clearly recognized the scent. It was the poison fragrance commonly used by Northern Rong spies: “Yulan Bone-Eater.”

This fragrance smelled normal, but after prolonged inhalation, it would erode the internal organs and eventually cause death. The symptoms of poisoning were usually hidden and difficult to detect.

Qi Zhongxuan, who had just been lying on the ground groaning pitifully, panicked when he heard Head Constable Chen’s words.

He scrambled up, ignoring the pain in his waist, waving his hands to protest: “It has nothing to do with me! This sachet isn’t mine! I’ve never seen it before! You can’t falsely accuse me!”

However, the more anxious his expression and tone, the more guilty he appeared.

Xu Yuan glanced at him coldly, a mocking smile on her lips. “Lord Qi, why so flustered? If it truly has nothing to do with you, why are you this scared? Could it be… you already knew what this sachet contained?”

Her words caught Qi Zhongxuan off guard. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he stammered: “I—I don’t know! How would I know what kind of poison fragrance this is? I’m not some wandering physician, and I’m certainly not a Northern Rong spy!”

“You don’t know?” Xu Yuan’s sneer turned to sorrow. Her expression shifted into one of weeping grief. “Then do you know, Nianian is bedridden because of you!”

Qi Zhongxuan was stunned. “What?! What does Nianian’s condition have to do with this sachet?”

“Heaven and earth can testify!” Xu Yuan cried bitterly, her tears falling like rain. “I’ve cried about this in the street many times. I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing it. My daughter Nianian—how healthy she once was. In Jiangnan, she could swim and play. But now…” Her voice broke, her hands clenched inside her sleeves until her knuckles turned white.

The crowd murmured. Xu Yuan was telling the truth—she had indeed cried on this street many times. Some idle bystanders could already repeat her story word for word, even adding embellishments of their own.

“Didn’t think this old bastard would harm his own daughter so badly she couldn’t get out of bed…” someone whispered.

Another person chimed in: “Yeah, and didn’t they say the Qi family was some second-rate noble clan from Jiangnan? Looks like that title should go to that merchant Qi family instead, huh? Hahaha!”

“You’re full of it. Even a merchant family can’t compare to a real noble household, not even a hair.”

The noise of the crowd flooded into Qi Zhongxuan’s ears, making him feel even more ashamed.

It’s over. It’s really over. His reputation—gone. He’d never face his ancestors again.

“T-this sachet belongs to that concubine!” Qi Zhongxuan made a last-ditch effort, forcing a smile as he pleaded with Head Constable Chen. “Sir, please, listen to me—it belongs to that woman!”

Before Head Constable Chen could reply, someone in the crowd shouted: “He took the poison sachet from his young lady and ended up poisoning his own daughter so she couldn’t get out of bed?!”

One stone stirred up a thousand waves. Nothing stirs up a crowd faster than righteous outrage.

Cold sweat poured down Qi Zhongxuan’s face. His hands trembled uncontrollably. He stammered desperately: “That’s not how it happened! I love my daughter! I have two daughters—I treat them both very well!”

“Really! Really!” He looked around pathetically, searching for a sympathetic face. Anyone willing to believe he had the heart of a loving father.

But that fragile hope was shattered by a crisp, piercing voice: “Please make way. I, Qi Yingzhu, have brought my bedridden sister to witness the truth!”

Qi Zhongxuan’s face went pale as dust. He looked up in disbelief, mumbling, “W-what? Qi Yingzhu? You—what?”

The crowd had heard Xu Yuan talk about the Qi family nonstop over the past few days. Everyone knew them like the back of their hand—Qi Yingzhu, she was the second daughter of that heartless man.

They turned around with indifference, expecting little—until they were struck dumb by the sight.

Good heavens! No one expected this!

Qi Yingzhu wore plain clothes. She had transformed a long pushcart into a bed and wheeled her sickly sister Qi Nian forward.

As she pushed, she politely said: “Excuse me, please make way.”

Everyone stood frozen in shock.

Qi Nian, lying on the makeshift bed, had a face like gold paper, cheeks sunken as if eroded by wind. Her lips were a pale gray-blue, like dying snow on a withered branch.

Under her disheveled black hair, her eye sockets were sunken like cold pools. Her lashes trembled with each shallow breath, beads of cold sweat clinging to them. Her thin neck was webbed with blue veins. Her withered fingers hung outside the brocade blanket, the fingertips tinged with ominous cyanosis.

Xu Yuan burst into tears the moment she saw her. Crying, she dropped to her knees beside the small bed. “Nianian! Nianian! Wake up! Mama finally brought you to see your father today—please, wake up!”

Though it was just a performance, seeing her daughter in such a state made Xu Yuan weep genuinely. Her tears blurred her vision. After others comforted her, she choked out: “Nianian became like this because she inhaled the poison fragrance from the Northern Rong sachet!”

Qi Zhongxuan was completely ashen. He numbly repeated: “You’re lying… you’re lying! How could I harm my own daughter?!”

Even now, he still believed himself a loving father? What a joke. A father who sells out his daughters for gain.

Qi Yingzhu gave a cold laugh. “Pardon me,” she said softly, then gently pulled up Qi Nian’s sleeve.

A shocking whip scar appeared. It was still scabbed over, faintly pink and purple, disturbing to look at.

“Father, you were drunk when you did this. Do you remember?” Her voice was cold, like a blade in winter, cutting to the bone.

Qi Zhongxuan felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him. He opened his mouth to argue but couldn’t get a single word out. Sweat soaked his forehead. His hands trembled. His mind went blank. Shameful memories surged forth.

The onlookers were convinced.

The crowd erupted. Whispers turned to gasps, gasps to curses. “Kept a young lady.” “Abused his daughter.” The accusations came like crashing waves.

Then Qi Yingzhu dropped the final bomb: “Father, if you didn’t intend to harm your daughters, why were you willing to marry us both to some old widower?”

The crowd collectively sucked in a breath.

The whole street exploded.

“Beast!”

“Worse than an animal!”

“He’s not even human!”

The curses were deafening, threatening to drown Qi Zhongxuan completely.

He broke down.

He dropped to his knees, grabbed his head, and let out a heart-wrenching wail. “No! It’s not like that! I didn’t harm them! I didn’t!”

But no one believed his pleas. Everyone believed he was a hypocrite—an old bastard who sacrificed his daughters for his own gain.

“Qi Yingzhu, what are you saying? Are you saying I wanted to marry you to an old—” His thoughts were scrambled. His mouth moved before his brain caught up.

What nonsense was he spouting?! Was he saying the emperor was an old widower?

Driven mad with panic, Qi Zhongxuan blurted out: “What nonsense! Are you saying His Imperial Majesty is an old widower?!”

The already riled-up crowd exploded further.

Someone shouted: “How dare you insult the emperor!”

All heads turned. The speaker was a woman with a square face and commanding presence. Her sharp gaze held authority. She exuded silent power.

It was none other than Wang Ru, Prefect of the Capital District.

Qi Zhongxuan was stunned by her booming voice. Cold fear gripped him. He finally realized he’d said something unforgivable—and his mind went blank again.

Xu Yuan seized the moment, stepping forward with tearful resolve: “Qi Zhongxuan, today I, Xu Yuan, am divorcing you! In the past, you were disloyal and unjust to us, and I endured it. But the young lady you kept was a Northern Rong spy—I will not endure that any longer!”

This was treason—a crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan.

Qi Zhongxuan’s lips trembled. After a moment, he managed to say: “J-just a sachet isn’t enough proof…”

It was all he had left—his final shred of logic. He might not be a good father, but surely that wasn’t enough to convict him. At worst, he’d be shamed.

Though for someone from a noble house, public disgrace was as bad as death.

If only death were the end of it. Now he was facing the charge of treason.

“Qi Zhongxuan,” Head Constable Chen suddenly approached the sickbed and took a deep sniff. Then he raised his voice. “The scent from your sachet matches the sickly scent around your eldest daughter.”

Qi Yingzhu added: “Exactly. Father wore the sachet given to him by that young lady, and made our whole family inhale it. My sister is more sensitive and fell ill. My mother and I searched every doctor and couldn’t find the cause. Then, during one of Father’s beatings, Mother accidentally tore the sachet from his waist—and only then did we realize the truth.”

Sorrowfully, Xu Yuan rolled up her sleeve, revealing a horrifying scar. “Yes! He hit me! He beat me for the sake of that Northern Rong woman!”

As she spoke, she began to sob again.

Truthfully, she and Qi Zhongxuan had fought each other evenly—he had even been the one screaming in pain. But with all these people watching, putting on a weak and pitiful act would surely win her some sympathy.

Wang Ru frowned. She had long been aware of this domestic mess, but since it didn’t break any laws, she had planned to turn a blind eye. After all, even a fair judge can’t settle a household quarrel.

But the current developments were even more unexpected to her—Northern Rong spies.

The capital wasn’t peaceful today. As the Prefect of the Capital District, she of course knew this—she had just spoken with Head Constable Chen and others a few days ago.

“There are still suspicious points in this case…” she began, when suddenly a flustered minor official rushed in, legs trembling, and stammered, “P-Prefect Wang!”

Wang Ru’s brows instantly furrowed. Her expression turned stern as she said in a low voice, “Speak clearly, stop stammering.”

The official held a set of outer robes in both hands and said, “Prefect Wang, it was Captain Zhang of the Yulin Guard from the Imperial City Garrison. During his patrol, he found a woman who had committed suicide. He found it suspicious and investigated—turns out, the woman was a Northern Rong spy!”

“Captain Zhang immediately ordered me to report this to you…” The official stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. “Captain Zhang is currently searching everywhere for the woman’s two children!”

Captain Zhang was known for his integrity and had made several contributions in maintaining order and capturing spies. If even he said this, then the matter was almost certainly true. Wang Ru made a silent judgment in her heart, then noticed the crowd’s voices were growing louder and louder. She feared the incident would escalate—this was the imperial capital, and no mistakes were allowed.

Head Constable Chen suddenly recalled the wolf fang Xu Yuan had delivered earlier. After considering it, he leaned in and instructed someone to retrieve it for Wang Ru to see.

Wang Ru glanced at it and made her decision.

She immediately ordered the crowd to disperse and had Qi Zhongxuan arrested.

Qi Zhongxuan’s eyes widened in terror. He struggled to argue in his defense. Two constables stepped forward—one held his arms tightly, while the other quickly folded a thick white cloth and stuffed it into his mouth, silencing his cries.

Qi Zhongxuan could only let out muffled groans. His body thrashed desperately, but he could not break free.

Xu Yuan’s eyes flashed with determination. Seizing the moment, she covered her face and began to cry. With a loud thud, she knelt before Wang Ru, her voice trembling with sobs: “Prefect Wang, please! I can no longer live with this heartless man! I beg you to grant our separation! Let me take Nianian and leave the Qi household.”

Wang Ru nodded and waved her hand. “Granted. I will see to it.”

In truth, this wasn’t entirely easy for her to approve—after all, Xu Yuan was a native of Jiangnan, and as Prefect of the Capital, her authority didn’t extend that far. But the governor of Jiangnan happened to be her colleague. A single letter would suffice. Otherwise, if Xu Yuan were to go on her own, who knew what kind of scandal she might stir up again?

Relief flickered in Xu Yuan’s eyes. At last, the day she had waited for had come.

She quickly thanked Wang Ru, then turned and pointed a trembling finger at Qi Zhongxuan’s nose, her voice brimming with fury: “You old bastard! All these years I’ve been your mate—it’s the greatest shame of my life! From now on, Nianian will take my surname. You don’t deserve to be a father! Go be a father to those two Northern Rong spies instead!”

Qi Zhongxuan’s mouth was tightly stuffed with cloth. He couldn’t utter a word in defense. His insides felt like they were burning. A furious heat surged to his head.

He was the master of the Qi household, yet this woman dared to treat him like this! Thinking of the reputation he once had, the oaths he made before leaving to bring honor to his ancestors—all of it now in ruins—he felt the world spinning. His blood surged. Even with the cloth in his mouth, a mouthful of blood still sprayed out.

Immediately after, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed straight to the ground.

***

After arranging everything, Qi Yingzhu changed out of her mourning clothes and returned to the second floor of the teahouse.

After all, there was still someone up there—someone who had been paying attention to everything that happened.

Besides, without her help today, they wouldn’t have been able to deal that old man such a devastating blow. Thinking of that made Qi Yingzhu feel even more pleased.

She ascended to the second floor.

Light filtered through the carved lattice windows, scattering in patches across the floor. The air was filled with the delicate aroma of tea. In the corner, a few green bamboo stalks stretched freely from a blue-and-white porcelain vase, adding a touch of freshness and liveliness to the otherwise heavy atmosphere.

Mu Lanshi was sitting calmly by the window—but the curtains had long since been drawn, which meant she had simply remained in that position.

Seeing this, Qi Yingzhu laughed. “Looks like you’re quite self-aware.”

Mu Lanshi turned her head in surprise. Her hand paused mid-sip as she asked, “Self-aware about what?”

Qi Yingzhu, feigning mystery, lifted her skirt gracefully and slowly walked over to her, looking down from above. “Knowing that your mate isn’t on the street anymore, so you closed the curtains tightly.”

Mu Lanshi chuckled. Seeing how smug she looked, she didn’t have the heart to ruin the moment. She suddenly reached out and pulled Qi Yingzhu into her arms, her breath warm against her ear: “Yes, but not just for that reason… like right now.”

Her hand slid to her waist. Even through the fabric, waves of sensation rippled outward.

Qi Yingzhu’s cheeks flushed red, like a boiled shrimp.

“Your Majesty really made Lanshi wait. Only after settling everything did you come take care of this homeless one.” Mu Lanshi said lazily, her slender fingers brushing against Qi Yingzhu’s soft earlobe.

Qi Yingzhu tried to push her away with restraint, but knowing she wasn’t really resisting, her awkwardness only grew. She murmured, “I didn’t even change my clothes before coming over. Aren’t you disgusted?”

Clearly, she was in a very good mood—she had dealt with that group.

Mu Lanshi’s eyes dimmed slightly. She lowered her head again, her hot breath mingling with the scent of alpha pheromones, making Qi Yingzhu’s neck tingle. “When has Lanshi ever been disgusted by Your Majesty? But last time, Your Majesty said Lanshi was dirty, said something about not being able to wash it off?”

“Ugh, you remember everything I say so clearly!” Qi Yingzhu chided, hooking her hand around Mu Lanshi’s and interrupting, “That Captain Zhang… you sent him, didn’t you?”

Mu Lanshi smiled at her, her phoenix eyes brimming with spring water.

“Yes.”

Qi Yingzhu smiled too, then suddenly leaned in and kissed the corner of her lips. “A reward for you.”

“That’s not enough of a reward.” Mu Lanshi gazed at her, clearly dissatisfied. She knew full well how critical Captain Zhang’s appearance was. And this wasn’t the only thing she’d done for Qi Yingzhu.

Qi Yingzhu murmured and leaned in again, this time parting Mu Lanshi’s lips, kissing her deeply.

—She was the one taking the lead, yet her cheeks flushed bright red.

Mu Lanshi quietly accepted her clumsy improvement. But after the kiss, Qi Yingzhu tilted her head and asked, her lips pink and wet, “Do you think I kissed better this time than last?”

“It was okay. Could be better.” Mu Lanshi said, then took over, her lips and tongue weaving a passionate rhythm.

As their desire grew, clothing was peeled away, and the sound of water echoed.

Both of their body temperatures rose. Their eyelashes trembled, drops of moisture falling like spring rain.

Qi Yingzhu had to admit—Mu Lanshi really was good at this. Though she was being well-pleasured, the moment she thought about it, her mood soured—Mu Lanshi had memories from her past life, didn’t she? That’s why she was so skilled now.

Turning it over in her mind, Qi Yingzhu reached a conclusion—this woman must’ve had all kinds of romantic debts in her previous life, and now she was using them to bully her.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Even though most of her clothes were already off, and her bare shoulder was exposed, and Mu Lanshi was still moving atop her, she remained unhappy.

Her face was flushed. She gasped for breath and suddenly pushed Mu Lanshi away—just as the other remained calm and unbothered. The scent of roses drifted out, mingling with the alpha’s orchid fragrance.

Mu Lanshi glanced at her in surprise, confused about what she’d done wrong. But judging by the earlier reaction, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Still, Mu Lanshi was beginning to understand some of Qi Yingzhu’s “moods.”

“You’re bullying me… Who’s as impure as you?” she said between gasps.

Mu Lanshi was speechless.

Her ankle was trembling, yet she still had the breath to be jealous.

Mu Lanshi thought for a moment and loosened her grip. “If Your Majesty finds it so distasteful, then I’ll just—”

But before she could finish, another moan escaped her lips—one from herself, and one from Qi Yingzhu.

The entanglement grew fiercer.

Qi Yingzhu bit her earlobe in frustration. “No.”

Disgust or not—still not allowed.

Spring flowed to the brim.

Mu Lanshi looked at her reddened ear and asked softly, “Your Majesty demanded shadow guards from Lanshi, but didn’t spare even one… so what should I do?”

Every shadow guard lost meant a night of spring bliss.

Bodies still trembling, Qi Yingzhu hadn’t recovered yet. She mumbled, “So you don’t want me to keep you company anymore?”