Why does Yue Ran want to do this kind of thing? Why do this when he could give her the world? What is his is also hers.

    "Brother Yu, can you do it or can you not?" Yue Ran raised a brow. "If you can''t, then... what is the use of you?"

    Yue Ran''s eyes turned ferocious, and she looked at the man with a little disgust.

    The girl''s sudden change in expression caused Rong Yu to have momentary heart palpitations. And when she stood up from the bed, intending to get away from him, there was only endless panic in his heart.

    "Ran Ran, Ran Ran, I will do it." Rong Yu took a heavy and deep breath, then firmly held Yue Ran''s petite hand in his. "I will do whatever you want, hm?"

    Yue Ran''s eyes fell on the hands they held.

    After a short pause, Yue Ran suddenly laughed and said, "Okay, I will trust Brother Yu."

    She laid back down on the bed, and they went back to their original positions, with Yue Ran''s head resting intimately on the man''s shoulder.

    However, even if Yue Ran was in his arms, Rong Yu did not feel any calmer. There was just a feeling inside him that said that he would never catch Yue Ran in this lifetime.

    Fearing the gains and losses in this relationship, Rong Yu hugged the girl tighter into his arms. He desperately needed to feel Yue Ran in his arms to make him feel safe.

    Yue Ran can never leave him!

    …

    The next day, it was quickly announced that "Yue Ran" had offended the emperor and was thus punished to stay in the temple, the same temple where the original body had gone to shave her head, as a nun.

    The Yue family''s reputation was implicated by this, and many court officials talk to (mocked) Prime Minister Yue with kind words (ridicule).

    Prime Minister Yue was so angry, but he could not do anything about it. He could not even gain an audience with the emperor. He felt as if his life had already been shortened by ten years when faced with such a predicament.

    After "Yue Ran''s" head was kindly (forced to be) shaved, she was immediately sent away (tied away) in an old wooden carriage, then taken away to the north by General Xia, Xia Zhan.

    Xue Lu, who everyone now thought was Yue Ran, tried to shout and struggle out of the tight ropes on her body to no avail. When the strong wind blew the curtains open, she glanced outside the window and met Ming Ze''s eyes.

    It was so cold and chilling that it made Xue Lu shiver in fright.

    She subconsciously looked away and tried to bend her neck as if to make herself look smaller and hide from such a sight that looked at her with undisguised disgust.

    Xue Lu was immediately splashed by a bucket of ice-cold water. She now realized that she was no longer "Xue Lu" to others but "Yue Ran".

    But she still did not understand why. Why did she become "Yue Ran," and why would Yue Ran want to exchange her identities with her?

    Yes, she had guessed that her current predicament was all caused by Yue Ran.

    Does Yue Ran want her to suffer? But it did not make sense to trample on her own name and reputation.

    Xue Lu did not know how long she stayed in the carriage, but once the door was opened, she met Xia Zhan''s figure.

    Xia Zhan was one of her admirers. No, he was her former admirer.

    It was just like yesterday when she remembered him confessing his love for her. She still remembers him saying that he did not like Yue Ran at all and that he only liked her. He fell in love with her at first sight. sea??h thё n??el Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    But what was this? What is this now?

    He did all this to her for Yue Ran.

    "Xia Zhan, do you really have to do this?" She tried to ask in what she thought was a gentle and friendly tone.

    Xue Lu did not have the arrogance or confidence of the past. She looked like a defeated person.

    Xia Zhan glanced at Xue Lu with a flat gaze and tone and said, "So what? You have never liked me even a little bit in the first place. Moreover, I am not interested in you anymore."

    Xue Lu stared at the man in anger when she heard those words.

    "Men are not good things. Men are cheap!" she scolded.

    Her entire body was trembling. She narrowed her eyes at Xia Zhan with an indescribable look of resentment and fear.

    But just as she thought that everything could not go any worse, Xia Zhan indifferently threw her into a tent. Inside, she saw eight women who were so skinny that they only showed skin and bones. All they had in common were their numb and empty eyes, which scared Xue Lu witless.

    In addition, she also noticed that all the women lacked cover in terms of clothing. Some were even naked, and there were black, blue, and purple bruises on their bodies. A few of the women were also covered in blood.

    The more she understood her situation, the paler her face became.

    She was sure that she was now a military prostitute.

    …

    A few days have passed—almost a week—and Xia Zhan has finally arrived in the capital from the northern border.

    The first thing he did when he returned was go back to the Xia Mansion to take a bath and freshen himself up before going to the imperial palace.

    When he arrived in front of Yue Ran''s palace, he was easily allowed in when he passed on a message saying that he had done what was asked.

    "Yue Ran, I have already done as you asked," were Xia Zhan''s first words when facing the girl who was lazily lying down on a recliner.

    Yue Ran, who was eating pastries, curled her bright red lips charmingly. She sat up, and her hair fell to her back and in front of her shoulders like a waterfall. Her slender waist was partially covered by her long, thick, black hair like algae, and the slender waist that was looming looked even smaller.

    The girl''s snow-white face was without makeup, but she looked surprisingly tender. Her brows and eyes were especially gentle and beautiful, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly like the little wings of a butterfly.

    The clear and bright eyes blinked, and the eyelashes followed. Her every blink sent ripples straight into the bottom of his heart.

    She looked at him generously with a pure smile and said, "You have done a very good job, Xia Zhan."

    Xia Zhan looked at her, then lowered his eyes calmly. Yue Ran would have thought that he was really calm if not for the man''s reddened ears, which he could not hide.

    Yue Ran cracked a smile, rested her hand lazily on the palm of her hand, and said, "What are you standing so far for? Come closer." She beckoned the man over.

    Xia Zhan raised his head and blinked a few times at Yue Ran''s slender figure, which looked frail enough to be blown away by the wind. She was a beauty that could not be absorbed all at once.

    He walked closer but was cautious enough to leave some distance between them. After all, it would be bad if Yue Ran''s reputation was ruined because of him.

    "A bit closer," Yue Ran said.

    It was only when Yue Ran could lean over Xia Zhan''s ear and his warm breath was mixed with the light and sweet fragrance of peonies that she raised a hand to turn him over.

    Xia Zhan now had his back on the recliner, while Yue Ran was lying on top of him.

    He froze stupidly, like a silly little dog that did not know what to do.

    Yue Ran threw her head back and burst out laughing. Her current expression resembled a red peony on the cusp of blooming.

    "You are so silly," she said, leaning her head down. The tip of her nose was touching the tip of Xia Zhan''s nose.

    The two people were so close together that their breaths were entangled.

    He just had to lean over to touch those bright red lips of Yue Ran.

    It was so close, yet so far.

    "A Zhan," she said.

    The sudden change in name that Yue Ran called him instantly caught Xia Zhan''s attention.

    Yue Ran slowly brushed the back of her hand on Xia Zhan''s neck, then traced the man''s Adam''s apple.

    "I want you to go to battle, okay?" She said it with a smile.

    Rather than saying that her words were a question, it sounded more like an order. But Xia Zhan knew that he would never refuse her requests, and thus he found himself simply saying "okay".

    "You are so kind to me." Yue Ran leaned closer to Xia Zhan''s ear and whispered to him.

    Her tone was rather ambiguous, and Xia Zhan felt that his whole body was hot all over.

    "Yue Ran," he called out the girl''s name hoarsely.

    "You must win the battle and bring me honor, okay?"

    "Okay."

    "I want to be an empress, so you must be my biggest support."

    "Okay."

    "You will do whatever I say, right?"

    "Yes, I will."

    "And if you do not bring me any honor..." Yue Ran looked into Xia Zhan''s eyes, and a menacing glint flashed in her eyes.