curled in mockery as he pulled his mask off; it didn’t matter if Qi Lin couldn’t see clearly at night. He leaned close to her ear, and she immediately smelled a strong scent of wolf blood. "That perso...Chapter 34 Things Should Not Have Developed This Way

The furry thing rubbed against her face, forcing Qi Lin to open her eyes.

But when she saw the little white tiger sticking out its tongue at her, Qi Lin instantly perked up and sprang up from the ground. The little white tiger also came over gently to rub against her.

A bit agitated, Qi Lin hugged the little white tiger tightly; it had been so long since she last felt this way. She couldn't help but hug it even tighter.

Wait a minute...

Qi Lin suddenly looked up. There were more important things to do now. However, looking around her, Qi Lin realized that she was on White Tiger Mountain, where there was nothing except the chirping of insects and birds.

How did I end up here Shouldn't I be at Drunken Flower Building

Right, someone knocked me out. Then what happened

I was left here again.

Puzzling questions assailed her; Qi Lin slowly lowered her head and pondered deeply but was instead drawn to the white stone beneath her feet.

This white stone she remembered, yet after so long, that spot of rosy red had still not faded. She slowly squatted down and stretched out her fair hand lightly covering it, as if caressing an infant's skin.

"Do you miss this"

A familiar voice sounded beside her ear; though soft and magnetic, she found it extremely hateful now. Qi Lin instantly reddened her eyes in anger, staring at the man’s gentle smile, wanting to vent all of her anger but discovering that she couldn't speak, only able to watch him smugly.

Suddenly, Qi Lin saw his unguarded long arm and curled up her lips; she bit down...

"Hn" Feng Changqing frowned slightly and looked down at the sleeping Qi Lin. Even though she was asleep, her brows were furrowed tightly. That glib mouth had clenched onto his shoulder so firmly that it didn't let go, and two rows of teeth kept rubbing against each other as if trying to bite off a chunk.

"Your Majesty" Qin Xiao looked worriedly at Feng Changqing; the joints in his hand holding the sword crackled. If Feng Changqing gave him a nod, he would certainly decapitate Qi Lin.

However, all that Feng Changqing did was shake his head slightly and興致勃勃地看著齊琳，輕聲道：“朕還是第一次被人咬呢，原來就是這種感覺。”

Huh Qin Xiao hesitated in embarrassment as he slowly backed away.

Tasting a faint metallic taste of blood, Qi Lin twitched her eyebrows, slowly opening her eyes but was forced to look back by the setting sun's rays. She raised her hand to rub her eyes and waited for them to adjust before slowly reopening them again.

But what did she see

A handsome man bathed in the golden hues of sunset, smiling at her with a gentle smile; she should have smiled back gently too. But when this face overlapped with Feng Changqing's, Qi Lin felt as if she had fallen into an abyss.

"Emperor... Your Majesty..." The voice was almost trembling. Qi Lin looked at Feng Changqing fearfully, wondering what was wrong.

But she saw Feng Changqing squint his eyes and smile as he said, "You're awake I originally wanted to let you rest in your room, but I thought you might wake up soon, so I brought you here. They say it's quite lively over here."

Really Qi Lin turned her head and looked at the two sides filled with soldiers. Beads of sweat slid down her forehead; how could anyone be there Wouldn't everyone have run away in fear

Wait a moment, bring her here She had just opened her eyes, so... Qi Lin lowered her head and looked at the moving ground. No wonder she felt something was off.

She wanted to struggle but suddenly thought it wasn't good. So Qi Lin tried her best to lift her corner of her mouth and said, "Your Majesty, can you let this commoner down"

To her surprise, Feng Changqing burst out laughing when he heard that; Qi Lin could only open her mouth again with many questions and crows in mind.

Feng Changqing finally stopped smiling and looked at Qi Lin with interest. "How many women have tried to get close to me Let alone carrying a woman like this, it's the first time for me. Why don't you stay here for a bit longer This is a great blessing."

A black line appeared on her face; how could she forget that the Emperor had so many first times How could someone of such high status do these things She was really foolish.

"Thank Your Majesty's grace, this commoner is afraid. Your Majesty blesses and protects all under heaven, a mere mortal like me cannot bear such great imperial favor." In an instant, she said everything she thought about flattering him, then lowered her head.

Feng Changqing frowned slightly; was this disdain or fear

No matter which one, he disliked it.

So without any warning, he let go of her.

"Ah!" Before she could react, she fell heavily on the ground, her bottom instantly bruised.

Qi Lin didn't dare to be impolite; making a sound was already impolite enough. She quickly knelt down and lowered her head respectfully, saying, "Thank Your Majesty."

Feng Changqing snorted coldly and ignored Qi Lin as he raised his foot to leave. But after taking two steps, he paused and said coldly, "I heard you've been getting very close to that woman named Peony recently"

Qi Lin was stunned; she calmly replied, "Your Majesty, when I was still a maid, I had a few encounters with Miss Peony. She's the lady I interacted with the most."

"So it is." He smiled slightly, dispelling the gloominess from before and continued, "Follow me then, I'm heading to the Peony Garden."

The Peony Garden Qi Lin suddenly raised her head in alarm; how could she forget this What should she do

But she still had no choice but to follow him.

Arriving at the Peony Garden, she initially thought it would be quiet or solemn because Feng Changqing was coming. But as soon as they reached the entrance of the garden, she could hear constant discussions inside and even intermittent sounds of Peony pleading for mercy.

Qi Lin's heart jolted; what happened She hadn't done anything yet!

But she couldn't quicken her pace And Feng Changqing seemed to be deliberately tormenting her, walking extremely slowly. She could not run forward.

After much effort, she finally reached the inner courtyard and saw Mu Dan lying on the ground, two people pinning down her slender hands while others were viciously beating her with sticks. Blood stains had already appeared on Mu Dan's body, looking very terrifying; Mu Dan’s expression of pain was almost twisted, to the point where she could no longer beg for mercy.

Qi Lin was frightened by this bloody scene and involuntarily took two steps back. Suddenly her hand was grabbed; it wasn't as cold as wood but a warm large hand. Unfortunately, Qi Lin did not have the mind to look.

What exactly happened during the time she was gone

"Your servant greets His Majesty." Zi Yin walked up to greet him. Upon seeing Qi Lin's pale complexion, he was slightly surprised; it seemed unexpected that Qi Lin would be with Feng Changqing. However, after a brief moment of thought, he continued his speech: "This is Mu Dan, one of the candidates for Jade Woman. But she has committed the crime of defiling a jade woman and I am preparing to cane her fifty lashes before delivering her to His Majesty for judgment."

Defiled a jade woman Who did she defile Qi Lin quickly scanned around and only felt slightly calmer when she saw Qiao'er and Lvzhu. But when she saw the kneeling Liuxi, her heart that had just stabilized rose up again.

Bu Yao, right This time, Qi Lin could not maintain composure anymore. She lifted her skirt and ran quickly to Mu Dan's bedroom, pushing open the door forcefully. When she saw Bu Yao in Lord Long Ye’s arms, still startled, the worry that had been gnawing at her became a reality.

Lord Long Ye was also somewhat surprised when he saw Qi Lin. He was just about to call out to her when Bu Yao tightly grabbed his arm; looking down, he met with Bu Yao's hateful eyes aimed right at Qi Lin standing dumbfounded outside the door.

Oh my god! What happened How could it be like this

He wanted to walk over and ask but found that his legs were as heavy as lead, unable to move. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a single word.

"Haha, did you come here to laugh at me" Bu Yao looked coldly at Qi Lin while getting up from Lord Long Ye's arms.

Qi Lin saw that Bu Yao’s clothes were cut into tatters by scissors and could barely cover her body. The light blue outerwear she was wearing belonged to Lord Long Ye, with messy hair and makeup removed as if by kisses. It perfectly complemented those angry eyes.

Bu Yao took a step closer, Qi Lin remained still in place; when Bu Yao approached her, she braced herself for being slapped or kicked.

But it seemed the development wasn't like that.

"Your Majesty! You must protect this wronged woman!"

Suddenly, Bu Yao knelt and cried out; Qi Lin looked at her tear-streaked face in astonishment. She already knew who the shadow covering her was.

"Your Majesty, I, Bu Yao, have been framed by a villain and almost...

Her words were drowned out as she sobbed loudly. Suddenly, someone pinched her chin, forcing her to look up; she met Feng Changqing's handsome yet deep eyes directly. She choked on a sob: "Your Majesty..."

Feng Changqing smiled slightly and wiped away the tears from Bu Yao’s face gently, saying softly, "Framed by someone Isn't it Mu Dan"

Bu Yao blinked her eyes; big drops of tears fell continuously onto Feng Changqing's hand. She did not say who but shifted her gaze to the side.

Feeling Bu Yao’s gaze, Qi Lin turned around slowly; if this could make up for it, then so be it, she was prepared to die.

But she also knew very clearly that she wouldn't die because Zi Yin would protect her.

Qilin slowly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I originally had an appointment to taste tea with Miss Buxiao. However, due to my absence from the meeting, this happened..."

"Oh" Feng Changqing looked at Qilin's calm eyes and then at Bu Xiao's large, very cute and lovable eyes, slightly lifting his corner of his mouth, saying, "Is that so"

"Your Majesty!" The speaker wasn't Bu Xiao but Liu Xi. She knelt down next to Feng Changqing and grabbed the hem of Feng Changqing’s robe, saying, "Your Majesty, Miss was harmed by Hongxue. Although she had arrived earlier, she left halfway without telling anyone. Our mistress suddenly felt dizzy and fell asleep, which led her to suffer such a punishment. We hope Your Majesty will investigate clearly."

Hearing Liu Xi's testimony, Qilin didn't refute it, but she could feel the icy killing intent emanating from Feng Changqing. She looked up at Feng Changqing with a faint smile on her lips, but it did not reach her eyes.

She remembered Zi Yin saying that Feng Changqing had an obsession with cleanliness. Qilin worriedly glanced at Liu Xi's hand grabbing onto Feng Changqing’s robe and knew he was angry.

"Then do you know where the Hongxue you mentioned went after she left" Feng Changqing narrowed his eyes, staring straight into Liu Xi’s eyes, in which he saw a shy adoration for him.

Liu Xi was slightly stunned and shook her head woodenly. Realizing this wasn't proper, she hurried to add, "I don’t know."

"She just said that she went to see someone very important," Bu Xiao seized the opportunity to add a sentence with a glance at Liu Xi.

Understanding what Bu Xiao meant, Liu Xi replied, "Surely it was to meet an important man and engage in illicit activities."

"Liu Xi, you've gone too far!" Qilin raised her hand to slap Liu Xi across the face, saying, "What qualification does a mere maidservant have to guess at my whereabouts"

She had no choice but to do this, yet she saw tears welling up in Liu Xi's eyes.

"Then why are you so anxious If you haven’t done anything wrong, right..."

Before Liu Xi could finish speaking, her neck was fiercely gripped by a large hand, causing her body to slowly rise. She looked at Feng Changqing in bewilderment.

Bu Xiao was also shocked by this scene and wondered why it had happened like this.

"Setting aside your act of defying the emperor with your status as a servant, disregarding the fact that you dared to touch me," Feng Changqing still kept a slight smile on his lips but spoke coldly. "You say 'illicit activities.' Do you know who she met Your meaning is that she engaged in illicit activities with me Then what about her lover, am I the man"

Feng Changqing's words were like beheadings orders; Liu Xi and Bu Xiao could hardly believe it.

"Emperor...!" Liu Xi was at her limit, barely squeezing out a word as she desperately held onto Feng Changqing’s arm with both hands, seemingly wanting to say something.

Unfortunately, Feng Changqing gave her no chance to speak; he used just a bit of force and Liu Xi's gaze froze in astonishment, her head helplessly tilting to one side.

Releasing his grip casually, Liu Xi fell onto the ground with wide-open eyes.

This was Qilin’s first time seeing someone being killed; she dazedly looked at Liu Xi's almost protruding eyeballs and closed her eyes weakly.

How could things have turned out this waya hint of bashfulness that was rather appealing.The woman curtsied respectfully; as she raised her eyes, they met Feng Changqing's smiling ones, and a blush immediately spread across her cheeks. "It's...