Flower Stealing Master

Song Qingshu was stunned. ‘What’s going on here?’

Looking closely, he saw that Li Yuanzhi’s eyes were dazed—clearly, she was in a confused, disoriented state.

Questions flooded Song Qingshu’s mind. ‘Wasn’t Li Yuanzhi sent by her father to form a marriage alliance with the Southern Song? How did she end up here?’ But he quickly realized: calculating the time, Li Yuanzhi should have arrived in Lin’an long ago. Since Li Kexiu had sent her to compete for the position of Empress, it wasn’t surprising to find her in the imperial palace.

What ‘was’ strange was her being here, at this time and place. ‘Didn’t Consort Jia summon me to the palace?’

His thoughts raced through countless possibilities, but he rejected every single one.

While he stood there stunned, Li Yuanzhi had already pulled off her palace dress, leaving only her undergarments. Song Qingshu quickly stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and checked her pulse. His brow furrowed. Her internal energy was chaotic—she had clearly been drugged with something foul.

In his previous life, Song Qingshu had watched plenty of TV dramas about palace intrigue. He knew that the inner palace was a war without smoke. But those were just TV shows. After coming to this world, although he had many lovers, his own strength had kept chaos at bay. This was the first time he truly experienced the horror of palace scheming firsthand.

Though he didn’t know the full story, Song Qingshu could already guess that Li Yuanzhi’s current situation was certainly the result of inner-palace infighting. Her father commanded a massive army—arguably the most powerful figure in the Southern Song court at present. With the support of Chief Minister Wan Qili, even if she were ugly, people would still take her seriously. But she was also beautiful and sweet-natured, and many in the court saw her as the most likely candidate for the new Empress.

‘Who is targeting her?’

Given their history, Song Qingshu couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Especially since Li Yuanzhi had made such a great sacrifice to save him not long ago.

Turning it over in his mind, Consort Jia seemed the most likely culprit. Before Li Yuanzhi arrived, Consort Jia had been the strongest candidate to succeed as Empress. Li Yuanzhi’s arrival would impact her the most. It made perfect sense for her to take action.

But something didn’t add up. ‘If Consort Jia wanted to strike, why choose her own nephew to carry out the scheme? If it were discovered, she’d be implicated as well…’

Just as Song Qingshu was racking his brains over this, Li Yuanzhi, feeling the masculine presence of the man beside her, couldn’t help but cling to him. Her eyes seemed to shimmer with an unusual light as she murmured in a honeyed voice, “Brother Song~”

Song Qingshu’s heart skipped a beat. ‘She can recognize me even with this disguise?’ But he quickly realized he was overthinking. Li Yuanzhi was far from lucid—she was just mumbling aimlessly.

He had thought that Li Yuanzhi’s greatest love was Yu Yutong. Who would have guessed that at a moment like this, she would be calling out ‘his’ name instead? Deeply moved, Song Qingshu subconsciously replied in his natural voice, “Yuanzhi—”

“Brother Song! You’re all right! That’s wonderful.” Li Yuanzhi’s eyes were misty with moisture—clearly, she wasn’t fully conscious, merely responding from her subconscious. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know my father would do that.” Her voice cracked with tears as she threw her arms around Song Qingshu and held him tight.

Song Qingshu tried several times to break free but couldn’t. Afraid of hurting her with too much force, he finally gave up and let her hold him, patting her delicate back gently to comfort her. “I know it wasn’t your fault…”

Suddenly, Li Yuanzhi lifted her head, her glistening eyes fixed intently on him. “Brother Song… for my sake… can you forgive my father?”

Song Qingshu frowned slightly but didn’t answer immediately. ‘Li Kexiu went too far this time. If I forgive him after all that, how can I maintain authority in the future? Worse, my enemies would think they could do anything to me, knowing that even if they fail, they’ll be forgiven.’

In the chaotic final years of the Sui Dynasty, heroes rose like clouds across the land. In the later period, the most powerful force in the west was Li Tang, and the most powerful in the east was Dou Jiande. Whenever Dou Jiande captured a Tang general who refused to surrender, he would praise them profusely to his subordinates and then set them free.

This won Dou Jiande great renown—so much so that after his death, many people still missed him. But Song Qingshu scoffed at Dou Jiande’s approach. Dou Jiande had thought that by being so magnanimous, the Tang generals would appreciate his sincerity and flock to his side. In reality, because he was excessively lenient, Tang generals fought him to the last man, knowing that even if captured, they wouldn’t lose their lives. So they resisted desperately—both to show loyalty to Li Tang and to win Dou Jiande’s admiration.

In contrast, when the Mongols and the Qing swept across the land in history, they were brutally ruthless. If a single person in a besieged city dared to resist, they would slaughter the entire city after breaching its walls. In the end, most cities surrendered at the mere sight of their banners.

‘Leniency bought him defeat and death. Ruthlessness easily won everything. History is ironic that way.’

Song Qingshu had no desire to be Dou Jiande. So when faced with Li Yuanzhi’s plea, he remained silent.

Seeing him refuse to respond, Li Yuanzhi burst into tears. “Brother Song, I know my father wronged you…”

Song Qingshu sighed and was about to comfort her when Li Yuanzhi suddenly said, “I’ll make it up to you.” With that, her sweet lips pressed against his.

Feeling her clumsy, inexperienced movements, Song Qingshu didn’t know whether to laugh or be exasperated. He gently pushed her back and said softly, “You are you. Your father is your father. I can tell the difference. What he did won’t affect how I see you…”

“But I can’t tell the difference!” Li Yuanzhi suddenly cried out, then bit her lip and stared blankly at him. “But he ‘is’ my father after all!”

Song Qingshu could only remain silent.

Seeing his lack of response, Li Yuanzhi seemed to lose all strength. She collapsed against his chest and wept—heartbroken.

Feeling her trembling shoulders, Song Qingshu could only gently pat her back, trying to soothe her.

After crying for a long time, Li Yuanzhi suddenly spoke. “Brother Song… can you promise me something?”

“This…” Song Qingshu looked troubled.

Li Yuanzhi gave a bitter smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to forgive my father.”

“All right. I promise you.” Song Qingshu said solemnly. Given how she had saved his life in Yangzhou, any condition was owed to her.

Li Yuanzhi lifted her head. An unnatural flush had spread across her face—whether from the drug’s effects or embarrassment, he couldn’t tell. “Take me.”

“Ah?” Song Qingshu had been expecting something difficult. Hearing her words, he didn’t process them at first.

Li Yuanzhi sat up straight. Instead of speaking, she acted. Her hand reached to the side and undid the ties of her undergarment…

“What are you doing? Put your cl0thes back on.” Song Qingshu immediately turned his face away. It wasn’t that he was immune to temptation—but Li Yuanzhi was clearly not in her right mind. How could he take advantage of her?

He picked up the clothes she had taken off and tried to help her put them back on. But Li Yuanzhi grabbed his hand and pressed it directly against her chest. “Brother Song, I don’t want to marry the Southern Song Emperor, but I have no choice. The only thing I can do now is give my body to the one I love first.”

Deliberately ignoring the soft sensation in his palm, Song Qingshu said firmly, “Don’t you love Yu Yutong?”

“I loved him before. But not anymore.” Li Yuanzhi was indeed one who loved and hated boldly. Even in her dazed state, she showed no coyness.

Song Qingshu’s heart stirred. He asked subconsciously, “Then who do you love now?”

Li Yuanzhi didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she bit her lip, lowered her head slightly, and gestured toward the hand pressed against her chest. Her shyness was boundless. “Isn’t it obvious?” Then her burning body pressed against his.

Song Qingshu’s mind exploded. He couldn’t help but kiss her back. In that moment, his thoughts churned. ‘How am I supposed to figure this out? Someone in the shadows wants to defile Li Yuanzhi with a stranger. But because I’m disguised, she’s outwardly mistaken—yet in truth, she’s not mistaken at all…’

The truth was, he had other ways to neutralize the aphr0disiac in her system. But after much deliberation, he chose the most direct and effective method.

On the surface, losing her virg!nity would throw Li Yuanzhi into crisis. But in the long run, it would actually protect her. Clever and mischievous as she was, she was young and inexperienced. How could she possibly match the battle-hardened women of the deep palace? What happened today was proof enough. He could save her once, but how likely was it that he would appear every time she was in danger? Rather than guard against thieves every day, better to make the thieves lose interest. Once Li Yuanzhi was no longer a virgin, the women of the Southern Song palace would no longer see her as a threat. She would be safer.

Li Yuanzhi’s father commanded a massive army. Even if this happened, Zhao Gou, weighing the pros and cons, would likely do nothing to her. He would probably suppress the whole affair. Of course, the marriage alliance would be out of the question. No man wanted a green hat on his head—least of all an emperor.

All of this, of course, had a prerequisite: that Li Yuanzhi herself was willing. If he hadn’t heard her heartfelt words just now, Song Qingshu would never have made such a decision for her.

The youthful, vibrant girl in his arms writhed incessantly, and soon Song Qingshu could no longer think clearly. Not that reason was needed from this point onward—following a man’s instincts was enough.

He gently lifted Li Yuanzhi and carried her toward the phoenix bed. The girl in his arms felt as if all her bones had turned to water. Song Qingshu’s breathing grew heavy.

The bed’s decorative patterns were exquisitely crafted, clearly belonging to someone of high status. Song Qingshu knew that Li Yuanzhi had just entered the palace—she wouldn’t have such lavish treatment. This bed must belong to a very favored consort. But at this moment, Song Qingshu had no mind to wonder who its original owner was. Holding the girl in his arms, they fell onto the bed together. As they fell, he casually dropped the bed curtains.

Soon, the creaking of the phoenix bed and the girl’s soft m0ans wove a beautiful melody. The entire garden was deserted, making the ethereal music drifting from the room all the more enchanting.

But the unusual stillness outside seemed to herald an approaching storm…

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