Chapter 65

Hearing that Chu Tiankuo would execute Helian Jue the next day, Tang Xia flushed angrily with her beautiful eyes wide open and thought,

“I did it for you! How could you irritate me like this?!”

Tang Xia fixed her eyes on Chu Tiankuo,

“I have told you not to kill him! What do you mean?!”

As Chu Tiankuo turned his back to Tang Xia with his hands behind, he composed himself and said with deep eyes to a servant who lowered his head, “Don’t you see that my empress is tired now? Hurry to send her back!”

“Chu Tiankuo, what do you mean by saying so? Are you imprisoning me?” Tang Xia questioned Chu Tiankuo loudly with an unconvinced appearance.

Chu Tiankuo did not respond to Tang Xia’s words. He just squinted at the servant who just stood aside. At this moment, his eyes were filled with extreme coldness, which was quite terrifying.

That servant was so frightened by Chu Tiankuo’s coldness that he trembled for a while and immediately walked towards Tang Xia, saying, “Your Grace, please do not wrangle with His Majesty any more! Take care of yourself! Please go back to your palace with me! Do not embarrass me!”

Looking at the servant who knelt on the ground and kept on begging for mercy, Tang Xia felt a little sorry for him. However, when she looked at Chu Tiankuo, who turned his back to her, she became angrier, so she turned around and left with Lyuyou.

After Tang Xia went back to her palace with Lyuyou, she became angrier and angrier and could not help walking around in the room.

Having walked around in the room for a while, Tang Xia thought it would be of no use to stay in the room. So she summoned Lyuyou, “Lyuyou, take one of your clothes for me.”

Lyuyou was a little confused about her words and asked Tang Xia, “What do you need my clothes for, Your Grace?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just take the clothes for me quickly.”

After Lyuyou took the clothes for her, Tang Xia asked Lyuyou to leave and put on Lyuyou’s clothes.

As it was getting dark, Tang Xia opened the door secretly to check if there was anyone and sneaked out of her palace. She wanted to go to the prison to help Helian Jue out.

When Tang Xia walked on the road, pondering her plan, Chu Tiankuo’s voice came suddenly from her back, “It is so late, where are you heading wearing Lyuyou’s clothes?”

As Tang Xia turned around, she found that Chu Tiankuo was standing behind her with his servants. And his voice seemed calm with nothing special.

However, as Tang Xia scrutinized Chu Tiankuo, she found that he was fixing his eyes on her and that his charming face fell as if it would drip black ink.

Tang Xia was shocked by Chu Tiankuo’s voice at first and shut up her mouth at the sight of his angry appearance as she was about to explain.

After a long time, Chu Tiankuo spoke again.

“What’s wrong? Why don’t you talk, my empress?”

Chu Tiankuo walked slowly towards Tang Xia and raised her chin, his thumb rubbing it gently. “Let me think it over. Are you going to the prison?”

As Chu Tiankuo finished his sentence, Tang Xia froze for a moment, which let Chu Tiankuo know the answer.

Chu Tiankuo pinched Tang Xia’s chin tightly and forced her to look directly into his eyes which contained strong feelings that Tang Xia could not bear.

“Let go!” Tang Xia pushed Chu Tiankuo away, stroked her chin gently and thought, “There must be a bruise on my chin as it hurts so badly!”

“I… I just needed to get some fresh air. I didn’t plan to go anywhere!” Tang Xia said with embarrassment to Chu Tiankuo.

Chu Tiankuo fixed his eyes on Tang Xia, “Hm? Is that true? Then why do you wear Lyuyou’s clothes? Didn’t the Garment Department make clothes for you, my empress?”

“Oh crap! I forgot that!” Tang Xia thought regretfully, “I should have put on my own clothes!”

“I… I just thought her clothes were pretty, so I put it on. What? Can’t I do that?”

Chu Tiankuo laughed as he was angry at Tang Xia’s chicanery,

“That’s enough! Someone! Send my empress back to her palace and make sure of her safety.”

Then Chu Tiankuo paused for a while and said, “You should follow the empress closely to protect her. Do you understand?”

Hearing Helian Jue’s words, Tang Xia replied immediately, “I don’t need their protection, I can protect myself.”

“My empress.” Chu Tiankuo looked at Tang Xia with an evil smile. “Their job is not only to protect you.”

Tang Xia understood what Chu Tiankuo meant immediately and became quite angry. Before she could say something, Chu Tiankuo stopped her.

“Are you deaf? Why don’t you move!” Chu Tiankuo said to the servants behind him, looking directly at Tang Xia.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The two servants stepped forward immediately and walked towards Tang Xia. “Your Grace, please!”

Not hearing Tang Xia’s reply, Chu Tiankuo walked away. Tang Xia had no choice but to go back to her palace reluctantly.

As Tang Xia arrived at her palace, Lyuyou ran to her immediately. “Your Grace, where have you been? I was looking for you everywhere. And many soldiers sent by His Majesty appeared around our palace just now.”

“What! How could he!” Tang Xia said angrily.

As Lyuyou looked at the dress Tang Xia wore, she thought it was familiar. “Hm? Isn’t the dress I took for Her Grace just now?”

Seeing the dress Tang Xia wore and thinking of the increased soldiers, Lyuyou knew the whole story.

“Your Grace, why should you do that? You don’t need to antagonize His Majesty for the emperor of the former dynasty! His Majesty will be so mad at you!” Lyuyou said to Tang Xia discontentedly.

Tang Xia just remained silent, bypassed Lyuyou and went back to her room.

As Tang Xia tasted tea quietly in her room, it occurred to her mind that Helian Jue had told her something about the Xingyue Tower, which made her annoyed.

“Now that that matter will threaten Chu Tiankuo’s safety and Helian Jue knows it clearly, I cannot let Helian Jue die so easily.”

As Tang Xia thought so, she summoned Lyuyou, “Lyuyou, come here. Change my clothes for me.”

Hearing Tang Xia’s words, Lyuyou came in. “Your Grace, where are you heading now?”

Lyuyou wore a look that she would risk her life to prevent Tang Xia from meeting Helian Jue again.

Tang Xia smiled reluctantly. “Change my clothes for me. I will meet His Majesty.”

Hearing Tang Xia’s words, Lyuyou thought Tang Xia would get back together with His Majesty and chose a beautiful dress for Tang Xia happily. As Lyuyou was about to do the makeup for Tang Xia, Tang Xia dodged with a smile.

“That’s enough, it is OK now.” Tang Xia said to Lyuyou.

Lyuyou was a little dissatisfied, but she could not say anything further as Tang Xia had said so.

After Tang Xia walked through the arched door of the palace, she arrived at the outside of Chu Tiankuo’s study and asked Little Orange who was standing outside the door,

“Is His Majesty there? Is he busy with official business?”

Little Orange bowed to Tang Xia and replied, “His Majesty is just sitting alone. I will tell him that you are here if you want to see him.”

“Please.”

Little Orange bowed to Tang Xia again and turned around into the study. After a while, he came back.

“Your Grace, His Majesty asks you to go inside.”

After Tang Xia went into the study, she found that Chu Tiankuo was dealing with affairs of state, not looking at her for a while. Tang Xia just stayed where she was silently.

After a while, Chu Tiankuo finally raised his head. Finding that Tang Xia was dumbly standing there, he raised his eyebrows as he said banteringly, “Why don’t you tell me you are here so that you don’t need to wait for such a long time?”

“It’s all right to wait as you are busy with state affairs,” Tang Xia replied obediently.

“That’s enough.”

Chu Tiankuo said impatiently,

“Just be honest with me!”

“Do you know why I told you that Helian Jue cannot die, Your Majesty?” Tang Xia asked, looking at Chu Tiankuo’s face.

Chu Tiankuo sneered, “It is known to all that my empress still loves Helian Jue. How shameless you are to ask me now.”

“That is not true!”

Tang Xia said immediately, “Do you know what Helian Jue told me?”

“Hm?”

Chu Tiankuo looked directly at Tang Xia, “Tell me why you need Helian Jue to be alive?”

“Do you know something about Xingyue Tower, Your Majesty?”

Tang Xia asked looking at Chu Tiankuo’s eyes.

“Helian Jue told me that Xingyue Tower would threaten your safety but did not tell me the reason that day. I think Helian Jue must know the whole story, so he cannot die before we know the truth.”

Hearing what Tang Xia had said, Chu Tiankuo pondered for a while and became quite angry,

“That’s enough! How ridiculous that I would be threatened by the Xingyue Tower! Besides, Helian Jue has coveted my empress for such a long time, and how can I keep him alive!”

Chu Tiankuo stood up, walked down from his throne and comforted Tang Xia. “Don’t give it a second thought, I’ll handle it. You just need to stay in your palace.”

After he finished his sentence, Chu Tiankuo left.

Tang Xia knew that Chu Tiankuo did not take her words seriously and went back to her palace sulkily.

As Lyuyou knew the whole story, she brought a dish of desserts favored by Tang Xia when she saw Tang Xia sitting there unhappily. She comforted her,

“You don’t need to be so worried, Your Grace. His Majesty may think that you care too much about Helian Jue, so he is unhappy. Take it easy. His Majesty is magnanimous, so he will forgive you anyway.”

Tang Xia still felt worried, pondering how she could keep Helian Jue alive.