Chapter 13: Going to Liang Shangjing

At this moment, Qingyuan turned around and lay on the bed, closing her eyes. "Your Highness, you already know everything you need to know. The things you want are already in your hands. I'm tired and want to sleep."

The room fell silent.

Suddenly, she heard Suyutian lightly chuckle, "Li Luoyao, do you really not recognize where you are?"

Before she could answer, she felt a shadow looming over her head. Immediately, a deep kiss pressed onto her lips.

Qingyuan was shocked and almost instinctively tried to slap him in the face. But before her hand could reach him, he firmly held it down.

Suyutian's face carried a smile, but she had never seen a man smile so terrifyingly.

He smiled, "Do you still think you are Princess Qingyuan? It's me who let you live until now. Without me, you would have died who knows how."

Before she could react, he tore her flimsy robe apart. The silk and satin fell from his hands like shredded paper. Qingyuan's face turned pale. His cold, emotionless eyes stared at her without any pity.

Before long, the curtains fell, and the two were laid bare. Her delicate body was like a blooming lotus in the night, pure and white, exuding an otherworldly aura.

She was truly the most beautiful woman in the world. Perfect in every way. His slender hand gently traced the scars on her body, all the way to her abdomen, and her long, slender legs...

Qingyuan couldn't help but tremble in his hands. The man in front of her was a demon. He could be gentle and massage her feet one moment, and the next moment, he would forcefully claim her body without hesitation.

"Suyutian, how dare you?" Her voice trembled.

He chuckled, "Why wouldn't I dare? After tomorrow, you will become the queen of that old man. But that old man is no longer humane. After tonight, the princess will probably have to thank me again in the future."

"Thank me for making you a complete woman."

He laughed wickedly, his eyes burning with intensity. She was almost immediately embraced by him, and a sharp pain shot through her body, as if it were being torn apart in an instant.

She widened her eyes, and his deep kiss followed, sealing off her every breath.

"Qingyuan..." he sighed softly, thrusting deeper into her.

The candlelight flickered, casting a disordered shadow in the room, stirring up a scene of passion.

...

Qingyuan drifted in and out of sleep, not knowing where she was, feeling her body rise and fall with the strength of a powerful arm all night long. Suyutian seemed tireless and insatiable, constantly taking from her.

At first, she could struggle, but in the end, she had no strength left and could only let him have his way until dawn.

In the dim light of dawn, Qingyuan finally passed out. When she woke up again, she was already in a carriage.

"Princess, you've finally woken up," came the surprised voice of Taoxiang. "I thought you wouldn't wake up until we reached the capital."

Qingyuan opened her eyes wearily, feeling as if every bone in her body had been crushed, aching all over.

"Are we almost in the capital?" Her voice startled even herself with its hoarseness.

Taoxiang hurriedly helped her up. "Princess, we're just a hundred miles away from the capital. Are you hungry?"

As she moved, the blanket slipped off, revealing the red and purple marks on her body. She was stunned, only then recalling the events of last night. Taoxiang's face blushed, pretending not to have seen anything.

Had he carried her into the carriage?

Qingyuan's eyes flashed with a mix of embarrassment and anger. He had carried her into the carriage in front of everyone! And she had been asleep. Undoubtedly, this scene had been witnessed by countless eyes and would spread throughout the entire Liang Kingdom.

As a princess of a fallen kingdom, she had no one to rely on. Now, with her relationship with Suyutian, whom the Liang Emperor feared, she could imagine how difficult her life would be in the Liang palace. Suyutian had clearly intended to let the Liang Emperor know that she was already his woman.

With these thoughts, her eyes darkened.

Unaware of her thoughts, Taoxiang timidly asked, "Princess, would you like some water?"

Gathering her thoughts, Qingyuan coldly ordered, "Prepare my bath and change my clothes!"

Taoxiang was taken aback and quickly nodded, "Yes!"

As she went to fetch towels, Qingyuan suddenly felt a sharp pain in her arm and firmly grabbed Taoxiang, her eyes as cold as frost. "Keep what you saw and heard in your heart. Because your fate is now tied to mine. If I live, you live. If I die..."

She smiled, a hint of venom in her coldness. "If I die, you will wish you were dead. Because no one will pity the fate of a worm. Do you understand?"

Taoxiang shivered, "Yes, I understand."

Only then did Qingyuan release her cold grip. Taoxiang quickly busied herself nearby.

Looking at the marks on her body, deliberately left by him, Qingyuan's heart raced. His fierceness and passion from last night were still vivid in her mind. It was her first experience of physical intimacy, so new and mysterious. The pleasure that rose from the depths of her heart was like a drug that could engulf one's soul, irresistible...

Unconsciously, a blush spread across her pale face. Suddenly, the carriage jolted, and she snapped back to reality. No, all of this was just his manipulation, a means to conquer and scheme for the future.

Lost in thought, she gazed at her own body with a deep sense of disgust in her eyes. It was just a mere vessel, to be taken by him as he pleased. She would no longer have any lingering attachment.

…

By the time they reached the capital, night had fallen. It had been a relentless journey, with the horses pushed to their limits day and night.

Qingyuan drifted in and out of sleep during the journey. When she finally awoke, the dimly lit capital was already looming before her.

The procession ahead began to slow down. Qingyuan's carriage inched forward and finally arrived at the city gate.

"Princess, please step out of the carriage," a eunuch's soft voice came from outside the carriage.

The surrounding carriages and horses suddenly fell silent. After a while, all eyes focused on an exquisitely slender hand resting on the carriage curtain. The hand was as fair as the finest sheep-fat jade, unfolding like pure lotus blossoms, immaculate and flawless.

The collective breaths were held. A palace maid reverently lifted the curtain, and a woman in dark purple palace attire gracefully stepped down from the carriage.

The palace attire she wore was in the style of the Tang dynasty, with a wide and elegant skirt trailing behind her. The neckline was wide open, revealing skin as fair as snow, tempting onlookers to catch a glimpse of the hidden grace within.

She slowly lifted her head, revealing her countenance in the lamplight. It seemed as though everyone present was momentarily mesmerized. Describing her with the word "beautiful" would barely do her justice. She stood quietly and proudly beside the carriage, her long robes billowing in the night breeze as if she were about to ascend into the sky.

Her eyes gleamed like snow, sweeping over everyone, causing each person to feel as though all their secrets would be revealed to her gaze.