Blood-Sucking Empress

Dinner was presented in an auspicious hexagonal pattern with a variety of cold appetizers, piping hot dishes, warming soups and pastries, a total of thirty-six delicacies, all exquisitely placed on a large sandalwood table. Only two figures sat at the table, one indifferent and one restrained. It was Qianhe Liyou and her King Consort.

The Empress" dinner was naturally the best and finest the Imperial Palace could offer, and were perhaps the most exquisite delicacies in the entire world. But even so, after eating with the Empress for three consecutive days, Luo Weiqing could not taste these luxurious dishes, instead spending every meal trembling in anxiousness. There was a sense of tastelessness.

Qianhe Liyou observed Luo Weiqing, who violently and quickly finished the rice in his porcelain bowl. Threads of dissatisfaction gradually emerged from her heart. How could he gain any weight from these unhealthy eating habits? She was the source of his food, and if he were to lose weight, she would have to take the responsibility for his poor health. Wouldn"t this reflect badly and indicate that she was not doing a good job as the owner?

Thinking of this, Qianhe Liyou swiftly picked up some succulent goose and crab meat with her chopsticks and placed it into Luo Weiqing"s bowl, saying: “Eat more, don"t leave any leftovers!”

Looking at the delicacies in his bowl, Luo Weiqing was flattered by the Empress" actions. Although this person"s tone was indifferent and frigid, the meaning behind them made him want to cry! He was not a person who easily shed tears. No matter what he had experienced from childhood to adulthood, he had sworn to never cry. Even after entering the treacherous harem of the Imperial Palace, facing the disgust of the Empress, facing the ridicule of the servants in the palace, these kinds of grievances had not made him cry. At this time, the Empress" words seemed to release and relieve all the pent-up grievances buried in his heart…..

Luo Weiqing"s eyes became rimmed red, filling up with tears. Although he didn"t shed a single tear, his stubborn expression made people feel that it was not much better than if he just let it all out by crying.

“What are you doing? If you don"t want to eat what zhen gave you, there"s no need to cry over it!” Qianhe Liyou slowly became angry, her tone dropping several degrees in temperature, a glacier in the middle of a winter lake. She had already witnessed the frightened and anxious expression of the man several times these past few days and had tried to reduce her coldness, not wanting to scare him. She had wanted him to adjust and adapt eventually, but she didn"t expect that this man was not only ungrateful but instead became even more afraid and began to cry! She hated crying men the most. If this man were to shed a single salty tear in front of her, she couldn"t guarantee that she wouldn"t squash him to death!

“No, not it"s not that this consort doesn"t want to eat, this consort, this consort just…” Sensing the Empress" anger, Luo Weiqing anxiously explained in a panic but didn"t know how to express what he was feeling.

“Just what?” Qianhe Liyou"s pale white arms slid like a slippery snake onto Luo Weiqing"s neck and dragged him over. Luo Weiqing didn"t dare to resist nor did he have a chance to resist, his body moving out of his control. His body was uncontrollably thrust forward into a warm embrace, a feeling he had never felt before and he became stunned at the sensation. Then, after realizing where he was, his face suddenly turned a bright red.

“Maj-, Your Majesty, it"s not that this consort doesn"t want to eat, it"s just that this concubine was touched, the Empress has never…never been so kind to this consort…the concubine feels very moved.” Luo Weiqing spoke quietly, his voice becoming smaller and smaller, his expression becoming redder and redder by the second.

Qianhe Liyou blinked, feeling a little surprised, and relaxed the strength in her hand, carefully a.n.a.lyzing the man in front of her under a cold, scrutinous gaze. A faint fragrance was floating in the air. Qianhe Liyou felt that she was becoming hungry again.

Generally, the feeding period for zombies was every seven to ten days. As the previous 10,000-year reigning zombie sovereign, she only needed to feed every month to half a year and would only feed for three days. Why was it time for her to eat again? Could it be that transmigrating had consumed too much spiritual power?

Qianhe Liyou sunk into deep thought, a strangle look rippling through her limpid eyes.

Luo Weiqing didn"t hear any sound from the person in front of him for a long time. He raised his head timidly and observed a weird expression on the Empress" face. He didn"t dare to bother her and let the Empress half-embrace him, his body feeling stiff and uncomfortable as he was afraid to even move an inch.

When Qianhe Liyou returned to her senses, the first thing she saw was the man"s cautious and timid expression, her heart skipped a beat and a glint of gold flashed in her eyes.

If food was delivered on a golden platter, what fool would ignore it? Qianhe Liyou leaned forward and bit onto Luo Weiqing"s neck fiercely, the delicious taste of sustenance instantly pouring into her mouth…

The familiar feeling did not scare Luo Weiqing, but the pain of being bitten made him almost scream. Fortunately, he did not forget what the Empress had previously said. She didn"t like someone yelling in her ear. He abruptly bit his lower lip and the smell of blood filled his nose.

Entering into a muddy and drowsy stupor, Luo Weiqing thought curiously, was this the smell of his own blood? It didn"t smell very good. Why was the Empress doing this?

And this question was the only lingering question he had before falling into darkness.

After Qianhe Liyou laid the comatose Luo Weiqing on the bed, she stood alone quietly, looking at the pale and sickly-looking person on the bed, her eyes complicated and a little confused.

Zombies required little sleep and Qianhe Liyou almost never needed sleep. However, zombies would become lethargic and drowsy, especially after a meal. Usually, after a meal, zombies rested or fell asleep in a quiet, calm place. Qianhe Liyou tried to think about what had changed regarding her const.i.tution and cultivation, but she couldn"t come up with any clues. After a moment"s hesitation, she lay down beside Luo Weiqing and gently fell asleep.

The next morning, Qianhe Liyou woke up early to attend morning court and Luo Weiqing also got up to help her freshen up and change clothes. His face was still pale, but he was wise enough not to mention yesterday"s events. Qianhe Liyou was pleased and had a very good att.i.tude towards Luo Weiqing. Satisfied, she nodded with an expression of slight approval and headed to court.

And just after Qianhe Liyou"s departure, the King Dowager"s decree was sent over, indicating that Luo Weiqing should pay a visit and greet her in accordance with palace etiquette. Luo Weiqing didn"t dare to dally, so he rushed over after making the proper arrangements. While he walked towards King Dowager"s palace, he speculated about King Dowager"s intentions, but he could only come up with the reason that it was because the Empress had only allowed him to serve her these past few days.

“Greetings to the King Dowager, this consort pays respect to the King Dowager.” Luo Weiqing was actually one of Luo Yu"s descendants. Although they were distantly related, these people emanated the same aura of tranquility and peace, but Luo Yu"s presence was stronger. Luo Yu was more mature, most likely due to his experience and acc.u.mulated wisdom as the older one of the two. The King Dowager was the idol of every man in the country and the fantasized dream lover of every woman in the empire.

“Please rise, accompany bengong* (*TN: just a t.i.tle that Luo Yu refers to himself; usually used by the royal family members, Empress or high-rank consorts) for breakfast first.” Luo Yu was dressed in swarths of luxurious-looking white robes, looking elegant and n.o.ble, a refined aura floating about him.

“Understood!”

The two quietly finished their light breakfast, the palace servants serving a pot of fragrant tea. Luo Yu calmly took a sip and then slowly asked: “Does the Empress favor you?”

Luo Yu"s words were too straightforward, sending Luo Weiqing into a blushing daze. He replied with some intonations of embarra.s.sment, “In response to the King Dowager, the Empress does not favor this consort, just allows this consort to care of the Empress" daily needs.” Although he felt embarra.s.sed to be discussing such a matter with the King Dowager, Luo Weiqing still answered respectfully and truthfully.

“No? I heard that the Empress dismissed the other servants when she was with you, and you stayed in the Empress" bedroom all night, how is it not favoring? What does the Empress mean to you?” Luo Yu was puzzled, he had been the one to witness his own daughter mature into adulthood. He had personally watched as she turned from an ignorant, naive baby into a cruel and mediocre Empress. He believed that he knew everything about the Empress, but ever since the rebellion, he was surprised by the Empress. The Empress" style of dealing with matters differed from her usual tactics of brutality, instead actually becoming unfathomable and restrained. The Empress" personality had also changed, becoming more withdrawn and introverted, leaving him feeling like he no longer understood this daughter of his. The spy he sent to secretly protect Huang"er* (*TN: Huang"er is an affectionate term used to refer to Qianhe Liyou. The King Dowager simply instead of saying huangdi which means Emperor, or Empress in our case, he has omitted the more formal parts of it and is using a nickname instead) had actually been discovered and sent back to him. Huang"er had always possessed average material art skills, but she suddenly developed such advanced martial art prowess. Luo Yu could not believe that Huang" er could hide this from everyone in the world, moreover her own father!

“This consort cannot fathom the Empress" intentions. When the Empress dismisses the servants, this consort stays behind to serve her royal Majesty. Normally, the Empress reads books and doesn"t interact with any other consorts or concubines.” He truly did not understand the Empress" recent actions, but he was nonetheless puzzled. He was reminded of the aching pain on the nape of his neck. Maybe this was the reason the Empress had commanded him to serve her, but this…he couldn"t tell the King Dowager. But it was not just the King Dowager, no one else should know of this information.

Hearing Luo Weiqing"s answer, Luo Yu fell into deep thought and Luo Weiqing dared not utter another word. The two of them sat in silence, each too deep into their own thoughts to continue on the conversation.

TN: Happy New Year! Hope you guys enjoyed this surprise gift as you guys are celebrating with family or friends. Wishing you guys good fortune, success and happiness for 2021, this next year is going to be full of blessings and joy, I can feel it!