Subjected to his strange, scrutinizing gaze, Lu Liangwei could not stop her heart from hammering uneasily.

The Emperor was being so unpredictable.

What on earth was he trying to do?

Knitting her brows, she was about to break the silence when the man suddenly brought his face to hers. His cold breath skimmed across her cheek, tickly yet threatening at the same time.

Upon close inspection, Long Yang realized that her skin was fair and smooth and as unblemished as the finest suet white jade.

He had long heard about the phenomenal beauty of Second Miss Lu from the Grand Duke Mansion, and looking at her up close today, he could confirm that the rumors were indeed true.

When his gaze slid down and landed on her fiery red lips, he could not help swallowing.

Before he knew it, he had already pressed his lips to hers.

Lu Liangwei’s eyelashes trembled, and she stared at him in disbelief.

He had made his disgust for her so blatant that morning that she thought it would be difficult to change his opinion of her.

However, what was he doing now?

Lu Liangwei remained calm and allowed him to explore, but at the same time, she placed her fingers discreetly on his wrist.

However, before she could diagnose anything, the man pushed her away abruptly. Gone was his passion, and he now glared at her icily as if she had taken advantage of him.

Moreover, there was a faint pink tinge on his handsome face.

A corner of Lu Liangwei’s mouth twitched.

Wasn’t she the one who had been taken advantage of?

Why was he scowling at her?

Lu Liangwei glanced at him speechlessly before taking out her handkerchief and wiping her lips.

Anger flicked across Long Yang’s face, and he narrowed his eyes, his voice menacing. “How dare you scorn me!”

Lu Liangwei replied wearily, “I didn’t.”

“Then why did you wipe your mouth?”

“Your saliva was on my lips.” Lu Liangwei arched an eyebrow and answered honestly.

Long Yang, “…”

After a moment of stunned silence, he flushed bright red. “As a woman and the Empress, how could you be so immodest?”

Lu Liangwei, “…”

Who was the one being immodest here?

She took a deep breath. “Who was the one who initiated it just now?”

Long Yang, “…”

“There are people who pretend to be victims after gaining an advantage, and you’re exactly one of them, Your Majesty,” said Lu Liangwei bluntly.

“You!” Long Yang exploded with rage.

He had been relishing that wonderful experience just now, but how could this girl utter such unpleasant words with that pretty mouth?

If it were another day, anyone who dared to counter him would have already met their end.

Even if Lu Liangwei was his Empress, she was no exception.

He was supposed to deal out her punishment immediately, but when he met her sparkling black eyes, he found himself tongue-tied.

“If there’s nothing else, you should head back to the imperial study to work, Your Majesty.” Lu Liangwei shooed him away curtly.

Long Yang stared at her in disbelief. Was she seriously telling him to leave?

“I intend to work here today. Bring me all the Palace Memorials.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” a palace servant responded right away.

Soon, the Palace Memorials were all brought over from the imperial study.

Long Yang sat next to Lu Liangwei and resumed his work.

At first, he was doing it just to oppose Lu Liangwei, and he did not think that he could actually do any work.

However, to his surprise, after sitting down beside Lu Liangwei, he found himself marking the Palace Memorials one after another with remarkable efficiency.

The agitation in his heart gradually faded away, but he was so focused on his work that he did not realize it.

Lu Liangwei brought him a cup of ginseng tea, which he accepted and drank.