The Prodigal Son

"no……"

Qin Yu's face darkened. "Your Majesty, why are you using this trick again?"

Last time, he locked himself up and made himself write manuals and appoint officials.

This time, I locked myself up again to think about how to reward myself.

Can't she try something new?

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it! Who told you to be afraid of this one move?"

Zhao Luan raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Alright, I'll have someone take you down to bathe and change. You can dine with me and the Empress Dowager later! You can also use this time to think things through!"

Bathing and changing clothes?

Why didn't you help me bathe and change my clothes?

For a fleeting moment, Qin Yu even considered having her bathe and change his clothes as a reward for him.

The Empress personally bathed and changed his clothes; isn't that a generous reward?

Or perhaps, should I have her perform a erotic dance for me?

Or perhaps, she could show off her two-meter-long legs so she could admire them properly?

Qin Yu felt as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened, and in an instant, countless erotic thoughts flashed through his mind.

As he thought about it, a lewd smile involuntarily crept onto Qin Yu's face.

Zhao Luan stared quietly at Qin Yu.

Although she didn't know what Qin Yu was thinking, judging from his sly smile, she knew he was definitely not up to anything good!

"Cough cough..."

Zhao Luan's soft cough reached Qin Yu's ears. "Qin Yu, what are you thinking about now?"

Qin Yu suddenly snapped out of his daze, immediately suppressed his smile, and instantly transformed into a virtuous gentleman. "Your Majesty, I was thinking about what Your Majesty asked me to think about."

He certainly had a lot of erotic thoughts on his mind.

However, he only dared to think about it in his head.

If he dared to say it out loud, Zhao Luan would probably slice him into pieces and use him in hot pot.

"You're probably not thinking anything good, are you?"

Zhao Luan narrowed her eyes slightly, a playful look on her face.

No, no.

Qin Yu vehemently denied it.

Zhao Luan naturally didn't believe her. "Then what are you laughing at?"

Qin Yu replied in a serious tone, "I just suddenly thought of something happy."

"Oh?"

Zhao Luan's lips curled up, and he pressed on relentlessly, "What's making you happy? Tell me so I can be happy too."

"Your Majesty, you'd better not listen. Don't offend your ears." Qin Yu was too lazy to even make up a story.

"I knew you weren't thinking anything good!"

Zhao Luan glared at him, embarrassed and annoyed, and waved her hand impatiently, "Alright, hurry up and go bathe and change! I need to bathe and change too!"

Oh?

Qin Yu's eyes lit up suddenly, and he almost shouted "Together!"

After forcibly swallowing those two words, Qin Yu stood up and took his leave.

Led by a palace maid, Qin Yu arrived at the place where he had bathed and changed clothes last time.

Having had the experience of bathing and changing clothes here last year, and having enjoyed plenty of romantic encounters on his way back, Qin Yu was completely unmoved when the palace maids served him bathing and changing clothes again.

Qin Yu lay with his eyes closed in the large bathtub, with several palace maids attending to him.

Some people are scrubbing the back of their bodies, some are giving massages, and some are washing their hair...

But in his mind, he was still thinking about the problem Zhao Luan had given him.

Reward!

What kind of reward would be appropriate for this?

Ugh!

This is such a headache!

If I had known the female demon was going to play this game, I should have embezzled ten or twenty million taels of silver and then balanced out my merits and demerits.

Qin Yu thought and thought, but couldn't think of any suitable reward. He secretly pondered and decided to ask Zhao Luan for a first-rank official position.

However, it seems that Da Ning doesn't have any first-rank officials!

After a period of random thoughts, Qin Yu finished bathing and changing his clothes, putting on brand new everyday clothes.

It wasn't until he put the clothes on that Qin Yu belatedly realized that they fit him perfectly.

It's like it was tailor-made for me.

"Where did this come from?"

Qin Yu questioned several palace maids with suspicion.

The palace maid bowed and replied, "Lord Shangguan sent it here early this morning."

It was delivered first thing this morning?

Yoho!

They're quite well-prepared!

Does this mean the female demon had this planned all along?

Qin Yu pondered to himself as he left, his hair still slightly damp.

"Do you think Lord Qin is indulging in excessive sexual activity?"

"Yeah, last time there was such a big reaction, but this time there wasn't a single reaction."

"I heard that the imperial physician examined Lord Qin before, and it seems it was due to excessive indulgence in sex..."

"Alas, it would be such a pity if Lord Qin were so handsome but his health were failing!"

"You little slut, whether Lord Qin is healthy or not is none of your business..."

As soon as Qin Yu left, several palace maids started chirping about him in the room.

Fortunately, Qin Yu didn't hear what they said, otherwise he would have turned back and shown them what true manly prowess was.

When the palace maid brought Qin Yu to the outside of Zhao Luan's palace, Zhao Luan had just finished bathing and changing into casual clothes and came out.

Perhaps because she had just taken a bath, Zhao Luan's face had a captivating blush.

Having changed out of her black imperial robes, Zhao Luan exuded less of her imperial majesty and more of a woman's unique gentleness.

Zhao Luan noticed Qin Yu's gaze, but she was too lazy to say anything to him. Instead, she asked with a smile, "Have you thought it through?"

Qin Yu withdrew his gaze and said half-jokingly, "How about Your Majesty bestow upon me a first-rank honorary official position?"

"A mere first-rank official? You wish!"

Zhao Luan glared at her, "Why don't you let me appoint you as a leisurely prince?"

"That definitely won't do!"

Qin Yu chuckled and said, "I do have some self-awareness."

Are you kidding me?

Being a "king of the opposite sex" (a euphemism for being single or having no job) is a high-risk profession!

Did I read the history books from my past life for nothing?

"Let's take a stroll in the Imperial Garden!"

Zhao Luan greeted Qin Yu and walked towards the Imperial Garden.

Qin Yu caught up with Zhao Luan and sighed, "Your Majesty, I really didn't expect this! Please don't make things difficult for me."

"You really didn't expect that?"

Zhao Luan turned her head to look at her.

"I really didn't expect that!"

Qin Yu nodded with a wry smile.

Zhao Luan glanced at Qin Yu, then looked straight ahead again. "While I was bathing and changing, I suddenly thought of a reward. Would you like to hear it?"

Qin Yu's eyes lit up. "Your Majesty, please speak!"

Zhao Luan stared calmly ahead and said indifferently, "You're almost twenty. How about I bestow a marriage upon you?"

Qin Yu's eyes lit up. "Your Majesty intends to bestow marriages upon me and Que'er and the others?"

If that's the case, that would be great!

Ideally, he should bestow marriages upon himself and the other two women, Xu Wan and the others, all at once.

Having all three as legal wives is probably not feasible, but one legal wife and two concubines could be considered!

"no!"

Zhao Luan gently shook her head.

"..."

Qin Yu froze, then immediately refused, "If Your Majesty isn't going to bestow marriages upon me and Que'er and the others, then let's forget about it!"

"Oh?"

Zhao Luan was slightly annoyed, and asked with a half-smile, "You didn't even ask me who I'm going to marry?"

Qin Yuqian chuckled and said solemnly, "I dislike political marriages! I advocate free love far more!"

"Free love?"

Zhao Luan asked with great interest, "What does this mean?"

Qin Yu explained, "It's simply mutual affection. I want to marry her because I have feelings for her, and she's willing to marry me because she has feelings for me too! There's no consideration of interests from any party involved, and there's no such thing as arranged marriage!"