Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Tang Zhuozhuo was so startled that her body went rigid. Slowly, her lotus-like face was flushed crimson. Her back was pressed against the cold wall, causing fine goosebumps to rise on her skin.

The maids and eunuchs who had been following behind them stopped at a distance. Huo Qiu was dressed in his Crown Prince ceremonial robes, his profile bathed in the golden waves of light. He looked like a peerless god of war from a painting—imposing and cold—leaving brilliant golden glints reflected in Tang Zhuozhuo’s eyes.

She was dazed for a moment.

“Your Highness!” When she came to her senses, she was filled with shy annoyance. She pressed both hands against Huo Qiu’s chest to push him away, then glanced around vigilantly. The palace path was empty of others, leaving only the sunlight to spill down unscrupulously.

Her voice was sweet and soft, carrying a few hints of unspeakable shyness. Huo Qiu let out a low laugh. His gaze swept over her face so close to his own, and his well-defined fingers brushed against her delicate, exquisite chin.

“You know how to be afraid now?”

Goosebumps broke out everywhere his fingers touched. Tang Zhuozhuo’s eyes flickered as she said, “Your Highness… people are watching.”

Huo Qiu found her current appearance incredibly adorable, but he also knew the timing was wrong. He sighed inwardly and unobservably lowered his hand. Tang Zhuozhuo’s stiff body relaxed, and she gave Huo Qiu a fawning smile.

A dim, faint fire suddenly ignited in Huo Qiu’s eyes. His fingers hanging by his side twitched, and his voice became low and husky.

“If you dare provoke me again, I’ll deal with you when we get back.”

Consequently, by the time Tang Zhuozhuo and Huo Qiu reached the gates of Changchun Palace, her face was still hot. The man ahead walked with the wind in his robes, his back as straight as a bamboo stalk, showing not a single trace of an unusual expression.

Tang Zhuozhuo gritted her teeth. This man was simply putting on airs on the surface; in reality, he was utterly shameless.

In this palace, there were people everywhere, yet he truly wasn’t afraid of damaging his heroic reputation as the Crown Prince.

After leaving Cining Palace, Tang Zhuozhuo felt her body grow light. For some reason, that hall always gave her an oppressive feeling that made it hard to breathe, as if her body were floating in the clouds while a heavy stone weighed down her mind.

“Your Highness.” Seeing a turn ahead where the gates of Changchun Palace were tightly closed, Tang Zhuozhuo suddenly thought of something and softly called out to Huo Qiu, who was a few paces away.

When he looked back, Tang Zhuozhuo walked to his side and asked in a low voice, “Will Father be attending the palace banquet tonight?”

Huo Qiu raised an eyebrow. “All officials of the fourth rank and above, as well as those with titles of nobility, will attend.”

He paused, his gaze turning somewhat complex. “Are you homesick?”

Tang Zhuozhuo nodded slowly, her bright eyes dimming. She pursed her lips and said, “I haven’t seen them for a long time.”

“Your Highness, are you and the Sixth Prince on bad terms?”

The moment the question left her mouth, Tang Zhuozhuo wanted to slap herself. It was a question the whole world knew the answer to, yet she had actually asked it.

She knew clearly in her heart whether they were on good terms; she had only asked to lead into her next words.

Huo Qiu’s footsteps paused. The chill on his face intensified, his thick sword-like brows knitting tightly. His gaze fell into her clear eyes as he said, “He has an improper heart. Stay away from him in the future.”

He still remembered how this woman had stared at Huo Qi without blinking in Cining Palace.

Tang Zhuozhuo nodded understandingly and muttered to herself, “No wonder the Sixth Prince’s wife was so hostile toward me today. That explains it.”

She then tugged on Huo Qiu’s sleeve embroidered with dragon patterns, her face showing both grievance and anger. “Your Highness, that Lady Liu said she would show us something ‘impressive’ tonight to make us lose our reputations!”

Where Huo Qiu couldn’t see, Tang Zhuozhuo hid the ripples in her eyes; the profile she showed was still one of grievance and daintiness.

She still felt a bit lacking in confidence when lying in front of Huo Qiu. He remained silent for a long time, and her palms began to sweat, dampening his noble robes.

“Your Highness?” She tilted up her pink little face, her eyes black and bright, as if a moon pearl had been embedded in them.

Huo Qiu endured the impulse. Mindful that they were still in the palace, he stared at her intently for a while before suddenly turning around, his voice restrained and deep: “I told you not to provoke me again.”

Tang Zhuozhuo was dazed for a moment, then her eyes widened and her face flushed red. “Your Highness is being so unreasonable. I was clearly speaking of a serious matter. Regarding the Sixth Prince’s wife…”

One truly had to be on guard!

Huo Qiu abruptly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the area of his palm near his thumb had quickly turned a bruised purple-black from his own grip. He frowned, suppressing the pain, and interrupted her: “Do not worry about the palace banquet. I have arranged everything.”

How could he not know the character of Huo Qi and Yan Guifei? He could guess with his eyes closed that they would cause trouble at the banquet.

He naturally had a way to deal with them, he would make them “swallow their broken teeth along with their blood.”

But this could not involve his woman!

Tang Zhuozhuo’s acting was too clumsy; she was clearly finding a roundabout way to warn him. This made his heart feel both full and angry.

She was supposed to be that arrogant, overbearing, and innocent young girl, ignorant of the world and its sophisticated ways. When he had forced the marriage, Huo Qiu had already made up his mind.

She would not be a “qualified” Crown Princess, but if the Tang family could protect her, why couldn’t he, Huo Qiu, do the same?

Tang Zhuozhuo didn’t understand why his face changed so quickly. Just as she was grumbling in her heart, she saw him turn around. His expression was dark and ominous, yet he spoke very seriously: “If Lady Liu provokes you again, just strike back. There’s no need to worry so much; Imperial Grandmother won’t blame you.”

Tang Zhuozhuo lowered her head in thought for a moment before nodding gently. “I understand.”

She could roughly guess Huo Qiu’s thoughts, and for a moment, her nose felt a bit prickly.

Layers of golden halos stacked one by one upon the lacquered red palace gates. Tang Zhuozhuo closed her eyes, but what flashed through her mind was the desolate, empty Cold Palace of her past life.

She had once lived in this magnificent Changchun Palace, but the place she was most familiar with was the Cold Palace!

During those three years, Huo Qiu had visited her several times, reeking of alcohol and stumbling drunk. Yet the strength in his grip on her wrist had been terrifying. He had pulled her out of the Cold Palace gates, saying he wanted to take her back to the main palace.

She had refused him with flat obstinacy.

In her view, living in the Cold Palace was equivalent to severing all ties with Huo Qiu; it was the only way she could feel at peace.

Tang Zhuozhuo unobservably tightened her grip on her handkerchief. Huo Qiu, thinking she was nervous, said, “Mother is a good person. You needn’t be anxious.”

Li Desheng stepped forward and knocked on the closed gates. Before long, the gates were opened from the inside. A pleasant-looking maid saw Huo Qiu, and her face filled with a gentle smile.

“Slave pays respects to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.”

“Aunt Ruo, no need for ceremony.” Huo Qiu pursed his lips, his cold face softening significantly, a rare sight. “Is Mother awake?”

“Her Ladyship has been feeling a bit better these past few days and woke up a bit earlier. This morning, she even told me Your Highness would be coming.”

Huo Qiu let out a low laugh. “Mother is indeed as wise as a god.”

As he spoke, he strode into the hall.

Tang Zhuozhuo was somewhat surprised, but she didn’t show a trace of it.

In broad daylight, at the Changchun Palace of the Mother of the Nation, why were the gates kept tightly closed?

She frowned in thought, only to discover with a start that this successor Empress was extremely low-profile. In her past life, she hadn’t seen her even once. Even on her and Huo Qiu’s wedding day, while the Empress Dowager and Emperor Qiongyuan had accepted their bows with smiles, the phoenix throne beside them had been empty.

When they reached the small garden, Empress Guan was picking a delicate red peony. Glistening dew clung to her slender nails, shimmering in the sun.

“This son pays respects to Mother. Golden peace to Mother.”

The Empress’s eyes lit up when she saw them. She walked to Tang Zhuozhuo and helped her up. Her delicate jade-like hands carried a warm, elegant fragrance that was just right—not too strong.

“Old Fourth, is this your beloved ‘Jiaojiao’ from the Tang family?”

Tang Zhuozhuo was held and inspected by the Empress for a good while. Hearing the Empress’s voice full of mirth, her face instantly turned bright red.

Even Huo Qiu turned his gaze away and let out a light cough. His voice was as cool as a mountain spring, carrying a hint of warning: “Mother.”

Empress Guan, however, seemed used to this. Her face was full of smiles as she said, “Last time at your wedding, I happened to fall ill. What’s wrong with taking a good look now?”

A shimmering light moved in Tang Zhuozhuo’s glazed, almond-like eyes. This Empress didn’t seem to overlap with the image she had imagined at all.

“Mother, how is your health?”

Huo Qiu unobservably stepped forward, pulling the dazed and dizzy Tang Zhuozhuo behind him before frowning at the displeased Empress.

“Now that there are no outsiders, you call me Mother?” Empress Guan arched a brow, her peach-blossom eyes dancing with laughter, but her gaze stayed on the small section of Tang Zhuozhuo visible behind him.

What was the point of hiding her away before the marriage? Now that you’re married, don’t you still have to bring the Tang girl to pay respects to me?

Huo Qiu rubbed his aching brow. Under Tang Zhuozhuo’s stunned gaze, his face darkened as he said, “Aunt.“

The Empress finally burst into a smile, her delicate skirt rippling at her feet. She placed the freshly picked peony into Tang Zhuozhuo’s fair palm, her smile even more radiant than the flower. “This is perfect. A delicate flower for a delicate person—truly the ‘Jiaojiao’ Old Fourth keeps at the tip of his heart.”

Huo Qiu’s brow twitched.

Tang Zhuozhuo bit her lip and performed a graceful bow. “Thank you, Aunt, for the flower.”

Since Huo Qiu called her Aunt, following suit couldn’t be wrong, right?

By the time the three of them were seated in the cool pavilion and maids were serving dishes of snacks, Tang Zhuozhuo truly came to her senses.

The Empress was sitting across from her, peeking at her. When she saw Tang Zhuozhuo looking back, she gave a playful wink, looking as spirited as a young girl in her prime.

Tang Zhuozhuo had just bitten into a soft, fragrant red date cake. Suddenly, she could neither swallow nor spit it out; it was stuck right in her throat.

Huo Qiu handed his teacup to her and lightly patted her back twice with his warm palm. He then turned a dark face to the Empress and said, “Aunt, you’re scaring her.”

The Empress felt a bit slighted and rolled her eyes at Huo Qiu. “I wasn’t mean to her.”

“Jiaojiao, how did you ever take a liking to such a boring block of ice?”

Tang Zhuozhuo couldn’t help but laugh, but with Huo Qiu’s expression right there, she didn’t dare be too wild. She took a sip of tea before saying, “His Highness is a good man.”

Huo Qiu said coldly, “Aunt, her name is Zhuozhuo.”

The Empress arched an eyebrow. “Can I not call her Jiaojiao?”

Huo Qiu didn’t even lift his eyelids and refused coldly, “No.”

Tang Zhuozhuo felt a bit awkward and lightly tugged on Huo Qiu’s sleeve under the stone table.

A flash of helplessness moved in Huo Qiu’s deep eyes, but his expression remained stern and unmoving.

If I let Aunt call her ‘Jiaojiao’ all the time now, how will I be able to bring myself to call her that in the intimacy of the night later?