C82

Her body was slender and well-proportioned, her skin as smooth and exquisite as a virgin. On her fair skin, there were a few faint scars. The firm and strong muscles bulged slightly, and the lines were soft and beautiful.

The hot spring water was flowing smoothly. Shang Qiuyuan entered the hot spring, maintaining a distance not too far away from the reverse scale of fire. The reverse fire scale's muscles bulged with explosive power, looking very dangerous. The muscles of Shang Qiuyuan were supple, and his body did not have as many shocking wounds as the Fire Inverted Scales.

He was a Confucian general and was adept at using strategies. Even though he had fought many battles, he rarely personally acted.

An eye-catching wound appeared in front of him, and his hand gently caressed the wound. On Shang Qiuyuan's body, only this wound was especially obvious. That was what he had obtained on the battlefield before surrendering to the Southern Champion, and also the one time in many years that he had suffered the most serious injuries.

His eyelids drooped down. Since ancient times, the heart of the Emperor was the most unpredictable. Today, when the laws of the world were set against him, he was forced to act and even gave him the authority to send troops. He had no choice but to guess in his heart what this cold-blooded Emperor was thinking.

Giving him a bath along with such favoritism and honor was also the only thing he could do in the Southern Champion Kingdom, and it would definitely push him to the heart of the struggle. There were already many voices in the imperial court objecting to him being conferred the position of a great general and sweeping away the position of a northern duke. This was because the Southern Champion had long wished for nothing more than to eat his flesh and sleep with him.

However, he remained motionless in the face of all kinds of suspicions, jealousy, and rumors. His only goal was to seek justice for the fallen soldiers, the living soldiers, and those who had been killed.

His sword was only aimed at Feng Yuan, the place where he and his father had once wholeheartedly supported him.

The warm spring water slightly scalded his skin, immediately relaxing him. Relaxing his body didn't mean relaxing his heart. Opposite him was the Five Kingdoms' most famous cold-blooded monarch, the temperamental Southern Champion Sovereign.

Huo Ni Lin narrowed his eyes as he looked at Shang Qiuyuan. This official had never shown any signs of being flattered, always being so calm and tranquil. Only when he mentioned Feng Yuan would his eyes shoot out a piercing killing intent. He was always dressed in white, waiting for his orders in silence.

This was a satisfactory subject, wise and calm, able to grasp the best measure.

"My beloved has fully recovered from her injuries. Are you ready to set off?"

"Your Majesty, this humble subject is waiting for Your Majesty's orders at any time."

His gaze swept past the Fiery-Scaled Sword and rested on the edge of the pond. In his heart, he felt an indescribable respect for this Sovereign King. As the sovereign of a country, he would often personally lead troops to war, and the wounds on his body were his medals and achievements. The kings of the five empires, and only this emperor, would personally lead their troops to the battlefield, not fearing the presence of swords at all.

Huo Ni Lin patted the steps beside him and said, "Sit next to me."

Shang Qiuyuan slowly walked to the front of the stairs. Huo Ni Lin was sitting on top of the steps, only his head above the water. He hesitated for a moment. He wanted to sit on the steps underneath the reverse scale. But that way, he wouldn't be able to expose his head above the water surface.

Sitting with the Emperor on a flight of steps at the same height, it was tantamount to being rude and disrespectful.

A wisp of a smile appeared on Fire Inverted Scales' face. He pointed to his side with a slight smile, indicating that Shang Qiuyuan should sit beside him.

Shang Qiuyuan bowed slightly. "Thank you for your grace, this humble subject is extremely fearful."

Her elegant face was still expressionless as she slowly sat beside the reverse scale, bowing her head slightly to show her respect as a subject.

"This is not the imperial court, so you don't have to be restrained. Otherwise, you'll lose the smell of bathing in a hot spring."

He leaned against the steps behind him and stretched out his limbs in pleasure. His expression was gentle and there was no trace of the usual coldness in his eyes. Shang Qiuyuan was also leaning on the steps behind him, there was only a distance of three feet between him and the Fiery-Scaled Tiger. He relaxed his body and slightly narrowed his eyes. Since the king was going to show kindness, he had better obey the decree.

"Today, something has happened in my imperial harem that truly infuriated me."

Shang Qiuyuan did not speak, he already knew what that matter was. Ji Tian Ning had once told him that the prince had been killed. However, from the way he looked at the reverse scale of fire, he knew that the prince was unharmed. Otherwise, the harem would have already started a bloody storm, and the Flaming Scales would not be quietly bathing in the hot spring.

"She really did have a good method to control the emperor's illness?"

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the head of the reverse fire scale. The silk scarf definitely wasn't wrapped around its head for no reason. However, he very quickly lowered his eyes. It was extremely unwise to investigate the secrets of the Emperor. The less he knew, the better.

"I only have one prince, and that's the prince that Ji Tian Ning saved a while ago. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even have a son." "Today, someone is plotting to murder my only son."

Killing intent surged in his eyes, and the killing intent from his entire body made the water in the hot spring seem to become cold.

There was not a single trace of emotion on Shang Qiuyuan's elegant face. He knew quite a lot about the merits and demerits of the Southern Champion. He listened quietly but did not express any opinions. He did not know if this master wanted someone to listen to him and emit anger and killing intent, or if he had other orders.

The matters of the harem shouldn't have been left to him, a subject, or a vassal.

"As the ruler of the nation, I can't believe that I can't keep my beloved son safe. This is the reason why I hate him so much." Do you know that my mother is the empress of my Six Palaces, the daughter of the King? "

"I know a bit about it."

Huo Ni Lin stared at Shang Qiuyuan, his gaze seemingly filled with pain and helplessness. Shang Qiuyuan's gaze was indifferent, respectful but not humble.

"Does the emperor want to express his favor by being honest with me?" Or did he want to tell me about those things he didn't want to talk to others about? Although there were many ministers in the Southern Champion Kingdom, how many could gain his trust? I am only a courtier, why would he give me a bath and tell me about it? "

He had never thought that he would receive such a favor, nor did he ever want such a favor. Maintaining the respect and duty of a subordinate was what he wanted to do. Maintaining the distance between him and the Fiery Infinity Fiery Gilt Steel was what he wanted to do. He no longer wanted a thick seat. Even though he was still in a high position, he couldn't be compared to when he was in Fengyuan before.

"I also have a lot of helplessness, you should understand."

"As the ruler of a nation, His Majesty has many things."

Every time this monarch speaks in such casual words, it means something important and a moment of decision. Shang Qiuyuan had already grasped this characteristic. The emperor didn't call him his beloved, but 'you' instead. This was a sign of his favor, and also a message for him to pass on.

"The empress still has not appeared. This has always been the palace's greatest regret. She can't tolerate my concubine giving birth to her son first. "I can't change an empress because of certain things."

This was not something that a king of a country should say to a subject, especially since this subject had once been his greatest enemy. The issue of the harem and the position of Empress was not something that he should participate in, nor was it something that he could express his opinion on.

Nine days in the palace. The King shoulder of the Southern Champion and the sworn brother of the Southern Champion late emperor. In the past, when the late Emperor was still alive, he had to address Gong Jiu as big brother. At that time, the Southern Champion had yet to establish a kingdom, and the late emperor was not the emperor.

Currently, the Zhi Zun of the Southern Champion Kingdom also had to call him Royal Father, who had once called him "Emperor Uncle". He was called "Royal Uncle," and he was the only prince with another surname in the five nations.

Even now, although the nine days of the palace rarely appeared in the imperial court, they still held half of the military power of the Southern Champion, including a portion of the military power within the Ancestral Dragon City. It was a sharp sword that hung above his head, preventing him from sleeping at all hours of the day and night. However, he was powerless. He was powerless to weaken the authority of the palace's Nine Heavens. Doing so would cause the newly stabilized Southern Champion to instantly collapse.

The five citizens all knew that if the Nine Heavens Palace was willing, they could support themselves as emperors at any time, and they wouldn't have to respect Huo Tieniao as their sovereign.

Perhaps it was because the slaughter was too heavy, but the nine heavens of the palace were also suffering from the same mental illness as the fire reverse scale. He had no son, only a daughter, and that was the empress dowager, Huan Feng.

Within the Prince's Mansion, there were countless concubines, but the Nine Heavens Palace was unable to obtain a single child.

"My only prince is in constant danger, and if I leave this place, no one can guarantee his safety at all times. "Qiu Yuan, what do you think I should do?"

He was too tired, and no one could tell him what was in his heart. In the entire imperial court, how many people were direct descendants of the palace nine days ago, how many were his trusted aides, even he could not know.

Perhaps, only the subject in front of him was absolutely not someone from the Nine Heavens Palace, nor someone anyone in the Southern Champion City could bribe him.

His gaze fell upon Shang Qiuyuan's elegant and refined face, his silver hair was still as dazzling as ever.

"This subject belongs to Your Majesty's family, this humble subject doesn't dare speak out."

"The Son of Heaven does not have a family background. These words are said by Ji Tian Ning and are extremely wise. "Speak your mind. There are no eyes or ears on this place. The Fifth De is my confidant."

His gaze swept across the hot spring bathroom. When he came in, he already saw that there was only Wu De waiting in the room. He also knew that this general director was his master's most favored person. However, he didn't want to involve himself in the mess of the harem, and even more so, he didn't want to be embroiled in the struggles for power in the imperial court.

The Nine Heavens Palace was not someone he could afford to offend. Even until now, he had only seen that prince once.

Even the Southern Champion Kingdom's Zhi Zun was wary of those with ten thousand points, so he could only keep his distance and maintain the highest respect and caution.

However, he couldn't avoid the words of the reverse scale of fire. Giving him a bath today would surely shock the entire imperial court, and he would be regarded as the favorite subject of the Emperor.

He calmly gazed at Huo Ni Lin. This Emperor was determined to push him to the heart of the matter, in order to test the hearts of the court officials. He also could not avoid it. This was his fate.

"Your Majesty, the empress wants a son, while Your Majesty only has one son. Why don't you ask the empress to raise this child? You can calm your heart, both internally and externally."

Huo Ni Lin's eyes suddenly brightened as he looked deeply at Shang Qiuyuan, "You are indeed a fool to be in the wrong. I care too much about this child. This is the best. Qiuyuan has deeply impressed my heart."