Empress: Your Majesty, please respect yourself, I don't want to be promoted

Luoyang, the Purple City.

Zichen Palace.

Under the cover of night, a sumptuous feast was laid out in the brightly lit hall.

Lu Chen and Jiang Chengwan sat facing each other.

Ding~
The jade wine cups made a crisp sound when touched lightly.

After clinking glasses, the two simultaneously downed their drinks.

"Good wine!"

Lu Chen exhaled and said with a cheerful expression.

Jiang Chengwan smiled slightly.

"Since it's good wine, then Lu Qing, you should drink more. The Imperial Household Department has plenty of this kind of top-quality wine; enough for us to drink to our hearts' content tonight."

As she spoke, a blush inexplicably appeared on her fully grown face, adding a touch of charm to her already stunning beauty.

Breathtakingly beautiful.

Undeniably, among all the women Lu Chen knew or even met, Jiang Chengwan was definitely the most beautiful.

none of them.

This includes beauties who were enhanced by beauty filters before they traveled through time, as well as anime and manga beauties.

She seemed to be born to embody the word "perfect," and even the most renowned beauties in the world could only barely compare to her.

Lu Chen had never seen a celestial maiden, but he figured she was probably similar to Jiang Chengwan.

To sit alone at the table and enjoy a drink with such a stunning beauty is undoubtedly one of the greatest pleasures in life.

"Then I will not stand on ceremony."

Lu Chen smiled, picked up the wine pot, and filled his and Jiang Chengwan's glasses.

Jiang Chengwan picked it up and drank it all in one gulp.

At this moment, she shed the majesty of an emperor, and her perfect, delicate body was no longer oppressive, leaving only the purest beauty of a woman.

The two drank and chatted.

From the past chaos caused by empresses to the flood control in Yuzhou, the Pingding Canglan Rebellion, the Xingping Change, and the changes brought about by the implementation of new policies, the country's strength has increased rapidly.

They used half of their territory to contend with powerful families, sects, and other influential figures with a thousand-year history.

However, as they talked, Jiang Chengwan would occasionally reveal a solemn expression when Lu Chen wasn't paying attention.

Although it was supposed to be a casual conversation, Jiang Chengwan felt that Lu Chen was reminiscing about the past.

After a while.

For some reason, perhaps due to the alcohol, Lu Chen suddenly found Jiang Chengwan even more captivating under the lights. His terrifying self-control, which usually remained unmoved by any beauty, seemed to have inexplicably weakened considerably.

In the past, he could always remain calm and unmoved when facing Jiang Chengwan, but now a feeling of heat surged within him, making him feel somewhat thirsty.

I couldn't resist drinking a few more cups, and the more I drank, the thirstier I became, and the more intense the heat in my body became.

Before long, his face gradually turned red.

When facing Jiang Chengwan, his gaze would always unconsciously drift downwards.

Jiang Chengwan glanced at it, then, as if she hadn't noticed anything, proactively poured Lu Chen more wine.

"Speaking of which, Lu Qing is twenty-two this year, which is the age for marriage."

The sudden change of topic startled Lu Chen.

Moreover, there's a strange, subtle sense of déjà vu.

Jiang Chengwan raised her hand, gently grasped a small strand of hair, and began to gently rub it.

"Lu Qing, have you thought about what name you'll give your child when you get married and have children?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen immediately lost his composure.

"No... Your Majesty, why are you asking this too?"

"also?"

Jiang Chengwan was slightly taken aback. After realizing what was happening, she suddenly narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, and scanned Lu Chen up and down.

"Besides me, has anyone else discussed this with you?"

"Forehead……"

Lu Chen suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, as if some insect in his clothes had bitten him.

The slight stinging sensation brought him back to his senses, and he immediately realized that Fu Xian's matter could not be discussed openly.

In particular, Jiang Chengwan is very likely working with Gu Simiao and Chai Hongyu to find Fu Xian's location.

Their purpose is self-evident. And since they did this, it means they must have sensed something.

Lu Chen was not surprised by this. After all, these women were all outstanding figures of their time, incredibly intelligent. His abnormality would be noticed sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

In that case, we must be even less likely to arouse the Empress's suspicion.

With this thought in mind, his mind instantly became clear.

"I talked about it a bit when I was drinking with Xiao Yi before."

Fortunately, he had a close friend (a scapegoat) who would often ask Xiao Yi out for drinks whenever he had free time.

Although he didn't know why Xiao Yi suddenly stopped coming to see him and it was the Empress and the others who came more often, it was perfectly reasonable to blame it on Xiao Yi.

At worst, we can just coordinate our statements later.

Hearing Lu Chen say this, Jiang Chengwan nodded slightly.

"I see."

She didn't have much doubt, after all, she had been paying attention to the women around Lu Chen.

They are all virgins; there's nothing to doubt.

Although those women kept making small moves, they were generally well-behaved and did nothing out of line.

Although it's a bit strange for two grown men to talk about this kind of topic, it's not unacceptable.

After all, she's not a man and can't understand men's thought processes, so it's not impossible that she might suddenly bring up the topic of having children.

"Then how did you answer?"

Without hesitation, Lu Chen replied, "The boy's name is Lu Sheng, and the girl's name is Lu Qingwan."

“Lu Sheng…Lu Qingwan…”

Jiang Chengwan silently repeated it twice, and then inexplicably switched the surnames of the two names in her mind.

Jiang Sheng... Jiang Qingwan...?

After a moment of contemplation, she raised her head slightly and smiled at Lu Chen.

"What a nice name, very much in your style, Lu Qing."

"Uh...is that so..."

Lu Chen's expression was somewhat unnatural.

For some reason, he finds it hard to remain calm when facing Jiang Chengwan.

He had only smiled briefly, and it wasn't like they hadn't seen each other before, but for some reason, his heart started racing.

The restlessness deep within my heart grew stronger.

I subconsciously took a sip of wine.

The result was not only that it failed to suppress the restlessness in his heart, but it was like adding fuel to the fire, making the redness on his face even more intense.

"Lu Qing, what's wrong?"

Jiang Chengwan then "finally" noticed the strange look on Lu Chen's face and stood up with a worried expression.

"Your face is so red, are you feeling unwell?"

As she spoke, she reached out her small hand and placed it on Lu Chen's face before he could react.

"Hiss, it's so hot!"

The warm, smooth touch instantly left Lu Chen's mind blank.

At that moment, reason evaporated along with the alcohol.

All that's left is instinct.

Bang!
With a soft sound, Lu Chen suddenly grabbed Jiang Chengwan's wrist and pulled her forcefully towards himself.

"what!"

Jiang Chengwan let out a soft cry, and her delicate body instantly fell into Lu Chen's arms.

Boom! ! !

A thunderclap suddenly flashed across the dark night sky, and the earth-shattering thunder resounded throughout Luoyang in an instant, waking countless people from their sweet dreams.

The next second—

Hua Hua Hua...

Large raindrops fell from the sky, making the entire city that never sleeps appear hazy and dreamlike in the thick rain.

The sound of torrential rain drowned out everything.

(End of this chapter)