The Queen’s Husband Chapter 48

Outside the Imperial Garden, Xing’er quickly approached Yuxin Ruo, who was walking out looking dejected, and asked with concern, “Miss, what’s wrong? I just saw Young Master Qu leave with a dark face. Did you two quarrel?”

“No!” Yuxin Ruo said indignantly, “You don’t know how outrageous he is. When he saw me coming, he stayed close to that damn princess. Doesn’t he know that would make me angry? Hmph! So I decided to make him mad on purpose, but who knew he would leave because of it.”

“Oh, my miss, how can you be like this? I heard people saying that the princess from Sakura Country was clinging to Young Master Qu, but he didn’t seem to care about her at all. That shows he still cares about you. If you cause such a fuss, what if he becomes indifferent?” Xing’er looked at her with frustration.

“So what should I do?” Yuxin Ruo rolled her eyes.

“Of course, you should go explain things to him and try to make him come back and pacify him.”

“Hmph, if he’s mine, he won’t run away. If he’s not mine, I can’t catch him! I don’t need a man who is easily swayed!”

Although she said this, deep down she still believed in Qu Yan. She just couldn’t let go of her frustration.

As for that Princess Ying Lan, she had to find a way to deal with her. How dare she try to seduce Yuxin Ruo’s man? She was practically asking for trouble!

Four days later, the female candidates for the palace selection were arranged to stay in the South Palace.

When the female attendant Peiling came to report to Yuxin Ruo in the Queen’s residence, Fengluan Palace, she was shocked to find Yuxin Ruo asleep at a desk piled with portraits of the candidates, with a trail of drool on her lips.

Peiling’s mouth twitched as she approached and called out a couple of times before Yuxin Ruo finally woke up. With bleary eyes, she glanced at Peiling and said impatiently, “What is it?”

Peiling curtsied and said, “Miss, I’ve arranged all the candidates into the South Palace and came to report to you.”

“Got it,” Yuxin Ruo yawned and stretched, “I’ve been looking at portraits all morning. I’m exhausted. You can leave now.”

Peiling was dismayed to see that the former queen seemed to have treated this important matter with such disregard. It looked more like she had been sleeping all morning than actually reviewing the portraits.

After hesitating for a moment, Peiling mustered up the courage to say, “Tomorrow the emperor will select the candidates. Does Miss have any suitable choices? Would you like me to help you?”

“Suitable choices? Not yet. They all look the same. How can I choose?” Yuxin Ruo picked up a portrait with drool on it, flipped through it listlessly, and said, “I’m not interested in women. If these were portraits of handsome men, I wouldn’t be falling asleep.”

All these women looked like fox spirits. She had originally planned to select some ugly ones to make Jun Yilie uncomfortable, but there were no such choices.

Peiling’s face twitched as she looked at Yuxin Ruo. “Miss, how can you choose men when selecting a concubine for the emperor?”

“I was just joking. I hope I didn’t scare you,” Yuxin Ruo said with a raised eyebrow and a smile as she threw the portrait on the ground and opened another one. Peiling watched in dismay.

At that moment, Xing’er entered with a cup of tea, greeted Peiling, and then approached Yuxin Ruo. She glanced at the opened portrait, cleared her throat, and couldn’t help but laugh, “Miss, you’ve turned the portrait upside down. You’re not supposed to select a concubine by looking at their feet.”

Yuxin Ruo realized she had the portrait upside down, felt embarrassed, and corrected it. She blamed Qu Yan for causing so much confusion in her mind.

Upon closer inspection, Yuxin Ruo found the woman in the portrait somewhat familiar. After a closer look, she said, “Wait, isn’t this woman Yang Fei’er, the Seventh Prince’s cousin?”

Xing’er leaned in to see, “Yes, that’s the same Yang Fei’er who was holding hands with the emperor and showing affection. She looks like a seductress.”

“Xing’er is right. I immediately thought she was a scheming person. If she enters the palace, she will stir up trouble,” Yuxin Ruo said, even though she hadn’t spoken to Yang Fei’er, she had noticed a look of jealousy in her eyes, which made Yuxin Ruo realize her sweet appearance was just an act.

“Miss is right. Should we keep this seductress or disqualify her?”

“Of course, she should be disqualified. I must consider the emperor’s well-being and not allow this fox spirit to disrupt the palace,” Yuxin Ruo said, tossing Yang Fei’er’s portrait to the ground.

Jun Yilie seemed to like this woman, but she wouldn’t let him get his way.

Peiling was almost in tears as she listened to the master and servant repeatedly call Yang Fei’er a seductress and saw Yuxin Ruo toss the portrait like trash. She couldn’t hold back any longer and said, “Miss, Yang Fei’er is the Seventh Prince’s cousin. The emperor specifically instructed to keep her. Please reconsider.”

Yuxin Ruo’s eyes shifted as she smiled and said, “So she has a special arrangement with the emperor. Fine, for the sake of the emperor, we’ll keep her. Do you have any other matters? If not, please leave. After I finish reviewing these portraits, I’ll have someone bring the selected candidates to you.”

After Peiling left, a palace maid came in and announced, “Miss, Young Master Qu from the Qu family requests to see you.”

Yuxin Ruo’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly straightened her clothes, assuming a proper posture. She commanded, “Let him in.”

She had been waiting for him to come, and it was frustrating that he had taken so long.

Xing’er, seeing this, covered her mouth and laughed secretly, then stepped out to keep watch.

Qu Yan entered slowly, still looking as aloof as ever, but with a trace of unspoken sadness in his eyes as he gazed at the young woman before him.

Yuxin Ruo deliberately maintained a cold expression as she looked at him, but her heart tightened at the sadness in his eyes.

“Xinyue,” he said softly as he reached a distance of about ten feet from Yuxin Ruo, but then he stopped.

“What does Young Master Qu want?” Yuxin Ruo asked coldly, intentionally ignoring the sadness in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Qu Yan said, looking deeply at her. “Xinyue, I’ve missed you a lot these past few days. I’ve missed you very, very much.”

“……..”

Yuxin Ruo stared at him in disbelief, nearly slipping off her chair. This cold guy, when did he start saying such sweet things? Seeing his serious and aloof demeanor, she thought he was going to discuss serious matters.

In the next moment, she found herself in his warm embrace. He buried his head in her neck and murmured, “Xinyue, please don’t be mad at me anymore. Don’t ignore me, okay? I’m really afraid of losing you.”

Yuxin Ruo’s heart softened immediately, but she remained silent. After a moment of holding each other, she coolly asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be with Princess Ying Lan all the time? How do you have time to come see me?”

Qu Yan looked at her with a slight smile, “Are you jealous?”

“Go away!” Yuxin Ruo rolled her eyes. “I don’t get jealous! Can’t you see I’m busy? Let go of me. If you’re bored, go accompany your princess. She’s prettier than me anyway.”

“I’m not letting go. I want to hold you for a lifetime.” Qu Yan tightened his embrace, sighing helplessly. “I don’t want to deal with Princess Ying Lan. She clings to me, and the emperor ordered me to keep her company to expedite the alliance between our countries. I had no choice.”

Yuxin Ruo’s worries were eased when she heard this. Seeing his pleading look, she pouted and said, “You barely paid attention to me when you were with the princess. I thought someone had completely bewitched you.”

“How could that be? My heart and eyes can only hold you, forever and only you,” Qu Yan said tenderly.

“But you still made me angry. Hmph, I’m going to punish you.” Yuxin Ruo pouted, unwilling to back down.

“You can punish me however you want, as long as it makes you feel better.”

Yuxin Ruo mischievously rolled her eyes and said, “That’s what you said.” With that, she turned and pushed Qu Yan onto the floor, reaching for his robe.

Qu Yan’s face turned red immediately. He grabbed her hand and said shyly, “We’re in the palace. If someone finds out, it will damage your reputation. We should…”

“What are you afraid of? Don’t worry, Xing’er is keeping watch outside.” Seeing his blushing and bashful appearance, which was almost as innocent as a newlywed, only stirred Yuxin Ruo’s passion further. She smirked wickedly, quickly undressing both of them. After some tender foreplay, they engaged in a passionate embrace in the Queen’s chamber.

Afterward, Yuxin Ruo lay contentedly in Qu Yan’s arms, drawing circles on his firm chest. She said leisurely, “Brother Qu Yan, I have a question for you. You must answer honestly.”

“Mm,” Qu Yan inhaled the faint fragrance from her, smiling.

“I want to know why you’ve been so sweet-talking today. Is there some scheme, or did someone give you advice?” Yuxin Ruo looked at him with a playful smile.

Qu Yan’s face turned slightly red as he avoided her gaze, saying, “No, what I said was from my heart. Don’t you like it?”

“I do, but I don’t like it when you lie to me.” Seeing his expression, Yuxin Ruo became slightly suspicious. Could there be something more?

Qu Yan awkwardly cleared his throat. Realizing he couldn’t avoid it, he confessed, “Last night, my mother told me that women like to hear sweet words and advised me to flatter you a bit.”

Yuxin Ruo’s face darkened. She pinched his arm hard and said angrily, “You brat, you need your mother to teach you this? Don’t you want me?”

Qu Yan, wincing in pain, lowered his eyes and smiled without speaking, though a flush of embarrassment crept up his neck.

At that moment, Xing’er’s voice came from outside, “I greet the emperor! Long live the emperor!”

“Rise! What is the miss doing now?” It was Jun Yilie’s voice.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the miss has been looking at portraits of the candidates all morning and is now resting. She has instructed that no one is to disturb her. If the emperor wishes to see her, it would be better to come back in the evening.”

“It’s fine. I just want to see her for a moment and will leave soon.”

“Your Majesty, please wait…” Xing’er’s anxious voice was followed by the sound of footsteps approaching the door.

Yuxin Ruo and Qu Yan exchanged glances, quickly getting up and dressing. By the time they were finished, Jun Yilie’s angry voice was already booming, “Cousin, didn’t Xing’er say you were napping? Why is Qu Yan here too?”

Yuxin Ruo cleared her throat and slowly sat down on a chair, “I’m not very discerning, afraid of choosing an unsuitable concubine for the emperor. So, I specifically asked him to help me review the candidates. Why is the emperor so agitated?”

Jun Yilie looked at Qu Yan’s unnatural blush and his doubts intensified. He sneered, “I don’t think it’s that simple.”

Just as Qu Yan was about to speak, Yuxin Ruo’s next words made him wince, unable to speak: “Cousin is right. There’s more to it between Qu Yan and me than meets the eye. Do you know what we were doing? We were having an affair.”

Seeing Jun Yilie’s face darken, Yuxin Ruo blinked her beautiful eyes, stood up, and took Qu Yan’s hand, smiling sweetly. “Cousin, please don’t be angry. It’s normal for men and women to be affectionate. Besides, Qu Yan and I are in love, and marriage is just a matter of time. So, I hope cousin can understand and no longer force Qu Yan to accompany Princess Ying Lan.”

Jun Yilie looked at their intimate display with growing fury. Why did this girl keep crossing his limits? As the ruler of a nation, how could he tolerate such disrespect? He couldn’t stand it any longer! He would take action to claim what he wanted!

“Yuxin Ruo, my patience has limits. Don’t force me!” Jun Yilie’s gaze was sharp. “I’m issuing two edicts now. The first, to fulfill Sakura Country’s request, is to marry Qu Yan to Princess Ying Lan and set a wedding date. The second, to reinstate Yuxin Ruo as my empress, to oversee the harem, and not leave the palace without my command!”