TSFLIP Chapter 828

Fengguang lifted a hand to her forehead. Her body wavered weakly, and she had to steady herself against a pillar. Her breathing quickened, her mouth dry and burning.

Zhou Li let out a low laugh. “As expected… Watching a beauty unconscious on a bed is far less interesting than watching her lose control and beg for affection.”

“You…” She glanced at the incense burner on the table, gripping her collar tightly. Her voice turned icy. “Despicable coward.”

“Go on, curse me. In a little while, you won’t even have the strength for that.” Zhou Li walked up to her. When he reached out to touch her cheek, she dodged, but he didn’t grow angry. “Xing’er still thought he could hide you away, but who am I? Did he think he could deceive me so easily? I truly didn’t expect that a small place like Tong County could produce such stunning beauty. If Jie’er’s mother were still alive, even she would fall short of you.”

The world always said the Emperor adored his favored consort—but an emperor’s affection was always for beauty alone. Once a beauty grew old and faded, how many times would he look her way again?

Fengguang edged to the side, bracing herself against the table. She looked toward Zhou Li’s back and called, “A-Xing…”

Zhou Li turned—no one was there. But as he faced her again, the incense burner came crashing down onto his head. He staggered back a step. The dizziness only lasted moments; when he touched his forehead, his fingers came away warm with blood. As the burner swung toward him again, he grabbed her wrist. The pretense of elegance evaporated, replaced by cold fury. “Refuse a toast and be forced to drink a penalty instead. I was planning to take my time with you, but you’re the one seeking death!”

Again, she shouted past him, “A-Xing!”

“Trying to trick me again—”

“Father.”

Zhou Li’s words stopped abruptly. His body went rigid. As he began to turn, a flash of steel cut through the air—blood sprayed.

Fengguang cried out because the hand gripping her had separated from its owner, falling to the floor. An arm wrapped around her, pulling her into a firm embrace.

Zhou Xing held a sword in one hand, his other arm around her waist. He pressed a kiss to the shell of her ear and murmured, “Don’t be afraid, Fengguang. It’ll be over soon.”

Zhou Li, seasoned by years on the battlefield, endured the agony of losing a hand with stoic discipline. Pressing hard on the wound, he didn’t lose an ounce of imperial composure as he shouted, “Guards!”

“No need to shout.” Zhou Xing’s cold gaze swept over him. “If I made it here, Father should already realize—your men are gone.”

Zhou Li quickly understood—they’d been killed. Looking at the tall, white-robed figure before him, he could only gasp, disbelief coloring his voice. “Your leg!”

“If I hadn’t let Father believe I was crippled, how could I have made you lower your guard?”

Fengguang looked up at him, stunned—because even she hadn’t known his leg had healed. And that meant… every time they were in bed… those times he—she—!

She bit down hard on his hand out of sheer frustration.

Zhou Xing simply stroked her head gently. “Be good. I know you’re uncomfortable right now. Your husband will take care of you soon.”

“Zhou Xing!” she yelled, using her volume to hide her very real and overwhelming physical need.

He kissed the space between her brows and whispered, “Don’t rush.”

She was so furious she couldn’t even form words.

Zhou Li growled, “Zhou Xing, I am your father—your Emperor! Do you understand what your actions mean?”

“No matter what they mean,” Zhou Xing replied, drawing out the imperial seal, “I only need to ask Father one thing. A nighttime assassination attempt—the Crown Prince rushes in to save the Emperor, his legs miraculously regaining strength in the struggle… but tragically, Father succumbs to the attack. With his dying breath, he passes the imperial seal to his loyal son. Tell me—how believable does that story sound?”