Every movement You Rong made outside the palace doors was heard clearly by Lin Qinghe, who had been eavesdropping with pricked ears.
Seeing You Rong enter the inner hall, Lin Qinghe deliberately furrowed her brows and pretended to be displeased, saying, "Prime Minister You, you've arrived. Wait outside for a moment. I'll have someone come in to help me change first. We can talk later when I come out."
You Rong remained still, his gaze fixed on Lin Qinghe with a somber expression. He asked word by word, "His Majesty had someone attend to him last night, did you not?"
Lin Qinghe was not foolish. She could see the suppressed rage in You Rong's eyes, and she felt a flicker of joy because of it.
*Hmph! Little brat!*
*So you finally can't keep your cool anymore!*
Lin Qinghe feigned impatience on the surface, saying, "My harem matters do not require reporting to Prime Minister You one by one, do they?"
You Rong's heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it almost impossible to breathe. He let out a bitter laugh, "Heh heh… His Majesty is right. His Majesty's harem matters indeed do not require reporting to your subject one by one…"
Lin Qinghe narrowed her eyes, subtly appraising You Rong. Seeing how angry and hurt he was, she thought he must be about to confess his feelings.
Lin Qinghe inquired, "Prime Minister You came to see me first thing this morning. You must have something very important to tell me. What is it? Why don't you just say it?"
Lin Qinghe waited with anticipation for You Rong to speak. You Rong's eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if lost in thought.
You Rong answered a question he hadn't been asked, "Does His Majesty still remember? You said you liked your subject. You said even if your subject never liked you, you wouldn't force him, and would always like him… do you still remember?"
Still playing hard to get, unwilling to say you like me?
Lin Qinghe frowned, "I did say that, but has Prime Minister You forgotten that I also said I would never like you again!"
You Rong chuckled softly, "Indeed. His Majesty said she would never like your subject again…" You Rong took two steps forward, his heart filled with grief and indignation. He stared at Lin Qinghe, asking, "That male consort who just left, what do you like about him? His looks? Or his gentle disposition? Or something else?"
Lin Qinghe felt that something was very wrong. You Rong was walking towards her step by step, and the powerful aura of pressure emanating from him made her involuntarily take half a step back.
Lin Qinghe steadied herself and pretended to be calm, saying, "Prime Minister You, what exactly do you want to say?!"
"Heh heh…" You Rong smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. He stopped less than three feet away from Lin Qinghe, his tall figure engulfing her. "Your subject simply wants to ask His Majesty what exactly you like about him?"
Lin Qinghe unconsciously took another half step back, swallowed, and said, "What I like about him, what business is it of Prime Minister You? Even if I only liked his appearance, what's wrong with that!"
You Rong's gaze darkened, and he blurted out, "You like his appearance? Then does His Majesty think… my looks are inferior to his?!"
Lin Qinghe instinctively replied, "Of course not, you…" Lin Qinghe realized her slip of the tongue and immediately stopped herself. She regretted it so much she wanted to slap herself.
She had to admit that You Rong was absolutely hundreds of times better looking than Fu Qingyu, but she couldn't admit it now, or it would be boosting others' morale and dampening her own!
Lin Qinghe was contemplating how to retract her statement and say she didn't like Fu Qingyu's appearance but his disposition, when before she could speak, You Rong suddenly unfastened his belt and removed his outer court robe, standing before her in his white inner garment.
Lin Qinghe's eyes widened, her feeling that something was amiss growing stronger. "You… Prime Minister You! What exactly do you want to say?"
You Rong's sharply defined features were inscrutable. He strode forward, grabbed Lin Qinghe's wrist, and with a forceful tug, pulled her into his embrace, his long arms encircling her.
Lin Qinghe pushed against You Rong's chest, resisting, "You Rong! What exactly do you… Mmph!" Lin Qinghe's eyes flew open in shock as You Rong lowered his head and kissed her. Before she could recover, her lips were bitten fiercely.
"Mmmph—" Lin Qinghe let out a muffled groan of pain. In pain, she tried desperately to push You Rong away, but he remained unmoved. Only when Lin Qinghe was about to suffocate from the kiss did he release her.
Lin Qinghe leaned against You Rong, her body weak, gasping for breath and glaring at him.
*Bastard!*
*You almost suffocated me!*
You Rong's gaze was inscrutable. He pinched Lin Qinghe's chin and lifted it, saying in a low voice, "His Majesty also thinks your subject's looks are better than those male consorts. Since they can climb into His Majesty's bed to attend to you, His Majesty shouldn't dislike your subject attending to you either, right."
"No, you… Ah! You Rong, put me down quickly!" Lin Qinghe had only spoken half a sentence when You Rong suddenly swept her up into his arms. Frightened, she cried out and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
You Rong did not pause at Lin Qinghe's scolding. He carried her to the bed and tossed her onto it, then pounced, pinning her beneath him.
Lin Qinghe glared at him irritably and said, "You Rong, you clearly… Mmph…" like me! Would it kill you to say you like me!
Unfortunately, before Lin Qinghe could finish her words, You Rong covered her mouth. No matter how much she struggled, he refused to let go. Enraged, she could only make muffled sounds.
You Rong lowered his head and kissed Lin Qinghe's eyes. Their gazes met, his filled with bitterness.
"Your Majesty, I like you. My greatest regret in this life was harboring rebellious thoughts and colluding with Yang Tianhao to ambush you on your way back to the capital… but since then, I have had no disloyal intentions towards you. The invitation to Yin Yuan Lake was not sent by me. It was Princess Chang An, seeing how much His Majesty cared for your subject, who, together with Master, forged your subject's handwriting and bribed a servant in your subject's mansion to deliver it to you…"
Lin Qinghe's anger intensified. "Mmph mmph— Mmph mmph—"
She knew all of this!
If you want to express your feelings, stop talking to yourself and let me speak!
The bitterness in You Rong's heart deepened.
She no longer liked him. Now, no matter how many explanations he gave, she wouldn't care. His current actions were insubordination, so her anger was perfectly normal.
But he couldn't let go… and he didn't want to let go!
Heaven knew how jealous he was of that male consort just now, wishing he could kill that consort!
Since other men could attend to her in bed, why couldn't he? Was he inferior to them in looks? Or in any other way?!
You Rong's expression turned mournful as he kissed Lin Qinghe's eyes. Tiny kisses landed on her cheeks, then moved to her ears. His breathing was uneven as he whispered, "Your Majesty, I will do better…"
Lin Qinghe watched helplessly as her belt was untied and her snow-white inner garment was discarded on the floor. She wanted to struggle, but she was no match for You Rong's advances. Her body went limp, and she glared at him with no power to harm.
You Rong gazed at the enticing scene before him with obsession… Their clothes were both tossed onto the floor outside. You Rong hugged Lin Qinghe tightly, whispering over and over in her ear, "Your Majesty, I like you. Your Majesty… will you like your subject? As long as you're not angry, I'll do anything. Will you still like me?"
Lin Qinghe let out a muffled groan of pain, her brows knit tightly in agony… You Rong froze in disbelief, then his face broke into ecstatic joy as he asked, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty… you haven't had anyone attend to you, have you?!"