Chapter 165: The Empress' Black Silk Foot Massage—A Truly Groundbreaking Progress (1)
The severely injured body couldn't endure such torment.
The physical pain intertwined with the mental anguish, causing Tang Xuan to completely break down.
Like the final straw that broke the camel's back, a sharp crack echoed in his spiritual core.
Crack!
His Dao Heart began to show signs of shattering at that moment!
The once-clear sky had, at some unknown point, turned into a churning mass of thunderclouds.
Lightning danced among the clouds, and fierce winds howled through the sky.
Clearly, this was the Heavenly Dao's fury at its favored child suffering such torment!
In the dead of night, the sky over the capital once again changed.
But... since no one had directly harmed Tang Xuan, the lightning couldn't strike.
The Heavenly Dao, after all, didn't have a mechanism to judge spiritual torment.
Su Qing glanced outside and didn't feel even a hint of crisis.
This was practically... setting the mood for her enjoyment!
The night passed without incident.
Although the sky had changed suddenly last night, there was no rain.
One particular protagonist lay sleepless all night, staying awake even after the lights in the opposite courtyard went out.
Some, however, slept extremely soundly, even reluctant to get out of bed.
Ye Xueyi wasn't someone who normally slept in—her routine was very disciplined.
But after last night's exertion, no matter how regular her schedule, she wasn't getting up.
The divine beauty had completely let down her guard, sleeping soundly on the villain's bed.
Her face had none of its usual coldness, replaced by a hint of charming drowsiness.
Her eyes were tightly shut, lips slightly parted, soft breaths escaping.
Sunlight shone on her face, lending this mature woman an unexpectedly girlish charm.
The beautiful dress she had worn last night was nowhere to be seen.
Her fair skin still bore traces of the night's ravishing, the red hickeys stark and visible.
Only her silk stockings remained on those long, stunning legs, gleaming seductively.
Under moonlight or sunlight, that shine had a completely different allure—like a work of art.
Worth noting, the stockings didn't go above the knees.
And those knees were now faintly red, showing signs of poor circulation.
Clearly, it was from kneeling too long the night before.
If not for that, she would've already recovered.
When Su Qing woke up, he took his time admiring the divine beauty's allure.
That increasingly heated gaze finally roused Ye Xueyi from sleep.
Her crimson eyes blinked at the smiling youth. First came confusion, then a silent, resentful glare.
After an entire night of torment, she was utterly exhausted.
But compared to before, there was some good news.
The good news: with her skill, she avoided a completely humiliating defeat.
The bad news: she still felt like she'd gotten the short end of the stick.
At the very least, it seemed that bastard had enjoyed himself more after feeling her skills…
Thinking of this, the divine beauty's eyes brimmed with even more grievance.
Yet overall, her mood wasn't bad.
After last night's brief heart-to-heart, she had a much clearer sense of her next goal!
To avoid being helpless again, she needed to handle the present better!
And the most urgent matter was still the life and death of the Heavenly Dao Sect!!
With that thought, Ye Xueyi felt a surge of determination, shaking off the last of her sleepiness.
"Don't laze around. Look at the time—get up and eat."
Su Qing pinched the divine beauty's soft cheek as he spoke.
Waking up next to a beauty like this in the morning really wasn't bad.
Of course, that's assuming she's fully loyal and wouldn't try anything in the middle of the night.
"Mm..."
Feeling the natural gentleness of that touch, Ye Xueyi gave a soft reply.
Her face now held a sweet, obedient look, like a newlywed bride.
By the time she realized something was off, she had already started serving him breakfast without thinking.
Such a scene—any observer would think it was a couple in love, no trace of coercion at all.
The divine beauty's face turned beet red. She cursed herself for being so spineless.
But her hands didn't stop. Quietly, she added this debt to her mental ledger.
One day, she'd make him repay her double—serving tea and meals every day!
Su Qing, of course, had no idea what she was thinking.
After enjoying breakfast, he didn't bother checking on the imprisoned captive and went straight to court.
After all, as the protagonist, his fate was tough—no need to worry about dying from heavy injuries.
Golden Throne Hall.
At this moment, officials were gathered, all with respectful expressions.
Compared to usual, the court was much sparser.
After the purging of the past two days, most of those remaining were clean and upright.
Of course, some had committed minor offenses and were pardoned exceptionally.
These pardoned officials were even more respectful toward the Empress than the others.
They were desperate to prove themselves and atone for their mistakes.
Now, the entire court was united in purpose.
The Empress' prestige had reached a peak—no one dared raise objections.
Not just because of the recent purges, but the miraculous sign above the capital that day.
Heaven itself had confirmed her as the chosen one—how could they defy that?
By the Empress' side stood a figure.
A middle-aged man whose age was indiscernible, hunched over, eyes lowered, posture humble.
From his posture, it was clear—he was a eunuch.
Most of the officials didn't recognize him, but a few older ministers looked on in horror.
Who else could it be but the Grand Eunuch of three reigns, Eunuch Cao?
With this old veteran present, everything was already made clear.
The Empress' authority—none would dare question it again from this day forward!
After a while, just as court was underway, a handsome youth walked in from outside.
Instantly, every minister's gaze shifted to him.