I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 420 Has the Tyrant Gone Mad?
His Majesty the Emperor stormed in, flung open the curtain. Zhou Yuande, his plump frame standing at the doorway like a guardian deity, waved for the others to stay away and not eavesdrop.

Inside the tent, Chu Liuzheng, disgusted by the smell of alcohol on his clothes, wanted to change. But just as he took off his clothes, the emperor barged in.

【Frog Fun!】

She hurriedly gathered her clothes together and stared wide-eyed at the uninvited guest.

[Knock on the door, you bastard!]

Xiao Jingfan hadn't expected to stumble upon this scene, and hurriedly turned around, clearing his throat awkwardly, "Why didn't you say anything when you were changing clothes?"

Chu Liuzheng rolled his eyes speechlessly.

I didn't know you were coming! Whose fault is it anyway?

She quickly put on her clothes, checked them over to make sure everything was in order, then ran her fingers through her hair, feeling that she was presentable enough before speaking: "What can I do for you at this hour?"

Xiao Jingfan then turned around, his gaze sweeping over her, and frowned: "These clothes aren't the ones Zhou Yuande bought."

Of course not. Grandpa Zhou buys only the expensive and good stuff; I wouldn't be willing to spend that much money myself!

The clothes Chu Liuzheng was wearing at the moment were ones she had bought herself from a tailor shop when she first learned of the emperor's feelings for her. Later, she came to terms with it and stopped feeling awkward, so she mixed the clothes that Zhou Yuande had ordered to buy with the clothes she had bought herself, and wore them only twice in total.

Everyone was on edge before, and no one paid attention to what she was wearing. Now that Xiao Jingfan suddenly asked, Chu Liuzheng was taken aback for a moment, looked down, and asked in confusion, "It doesn't fit?"

I haven't gained weight.

Hearing this thought, Xiao Jingfan's fingers, which were holding the folding fan, twitched slightly. He recalled the slender waist he had held in his palm last night. He thought to himself that this woman not only hadn't gained weight, but seemed to have even thinned a bit since leaving the palace.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat again, walked to the low table and sat down. "Pour some tea."

Chu Liuzheng: ? ?
[You rushed over here for tea this morning, are you out of your mind, you tyrant?]

She was grumbling to herself as she picked up the teapot, only to realize upon touching its icy surface that she had just gotten up and hadn't even been to the kitchen yet, so where would she get hot tea?
"The tea is from the previous day. I'll go boil water and make some tea right away."

"No need, I'll just drink this."

Xiao Jingfan desperately needed cold tea to cool down his temper, so he drank three cups in a row.

Chu Liuzheng increasingly felt that the emperor was ill and really wanted to bring Doctor Feng over to have the emperor examine him, wondering if he had accidentally eaten something bad last night.

Xiao Jingfan put down his teacup and looked up at her: "You drank too much last night. Do you have a headache when you wake up?"

Chu Liuzheng: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. The wine wasn't very strong, and I don't have a headache."

"Hmm." Xiao Jingfan responded lightly, pointing at the opposite seat with his folding fan. His face was icy cold, and he alone commanded the air of a three-way interrogation. "Sit."

Chu Liuzheng was both surprised and suspicious. He sat down, completely bewildered, staring blankly at the emperor.

What important news is going to happen?

[To be granted a noble title?]

[Wait a minute, didn't the tyrant say that the matter of bestowing titles would be discussed again upon returning to the capital?]

Her mind was racing with a jumble of thoughts when the person opposite her asked a question that was so unexpected it made her jaw drop. She wondered if she'd misheard, staring blankly at the emperor. "What did you just say?"

Xiao Jingfan repeated coldly, "Where is that male prostitute called 'Mozi'?"

Chu Liuzheng: !!!

A terrifying thought flashed through her mind.

[Holy crap! Could it be that last night wasn't a dream, and I didn't actually use a mold, but instead mistook the tyrant for a mold and pounced on him?] The thought sent a chill down Chu Liuzheng's spine. He dazedly thought:

【Chu Liuzheng, Chu Liuzheng, you've got some nerve! You actually dared to pounce on the tyrant, and even wanted to see his abs! You're incredibly audacious!】

Xiao Jingfan secretly raised an eyebrow.

His Majesty the Emperor doesn't actually mind that Chu Liuzheng has such audacity, or rather, he allows Chu Liuzheng to have such audacity.

However, he persisted in asking, "Who exactly is the mold?"

[The mold-making is from a past life, how can I explain this? Even if I did explain, the tyrant wouldn't believe me.]

"Hehe." Chu Liuzheng grinned dryly, choosing to play dumb. "What mold? Is it a mold for making pastries?"

Xiao Jingfan narrowed his eyes: "What do you think?"

Chu Liuzheng shuddered: There's a murderous aura!
Her smile grew increasingly forced. "This servant does not know; please enlighten me."

Xiao Jingfan actually made it clear. He recounted in detail what Chu Liuzheng had done while drunk the night before, embellishing the story and focusing on Chu Liuzheng's audacious behavior.

Countless exclamation marks flashed through Chu Liuzheng's mind; she was completely numb from listening. Her hands clenched tightly, her eyes fixed on the ground, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the earth.

Xiao Jingfan tapped the table with the tip of his folding fan. "What do you think I should do with you?"

Chu Liuzheng: "Demoted from the palace?"

"Hmm?" Xiao Jingfan's eyes widened, and Chu Liuzheng immediately became obedient, rising and kneeling down: "This servant has committed an act of disrespect, which is a great crime. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Sigh! Drinking leads to trouble! I'll definitely never drink so much again!

"Don't kneel so easily in the future." Xiao Jingfan opened and closed his folding fan, his expression unreadable. "Come here."

Chu Liuzheng stood up and walked over, but before he could even stand up straight, he was pulled into a strong embrace.

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

Here we go again!
She pressed on Xiao Jingfan's shoulder, trying to get him up.

But she was pulled back by the hand around her waist. Xiao Jingfan stroked her unbound long hair, his voice deep and gentler than usual, even with a hint of tenderness, "After we return to the capital, I will promote you to the rank of Imperial Concubine. How about that? The title will be... Hui, Imperial Concubine Hui."

Upon hearing this, Chu Liuzheng was so shocked that his mind went blank, his body stiffened like a stick, and his eyes stared straight at Xiao Jingfan.

[Holy crap! Has the tyrant gone mad? Appointing a powerless, lowly palace maid with no family background as a concubine? Does he want me to die sooner, or does he want my whole family to live too long, or does he want the whole world to call me a wicked concubine who brought ruin to the country?]

Wait a minute! Is the tyrant testing me? I remember in TV dramas, emperors would use rank to test whether the women in their harem had any ambition. Is the tyrant doing this too?

[Wait a minute, emperors are wary of their concubines' families, but a tyrant can't possibly be wary of my family's general store, can he?]

【Wait a minute! Who the hell wants to stay in the palace and fight with countless women for one man, becoming a resentful concubine? Isn't being single better? Even if I were to marry, I couldn't possibly choose someone with three harems, no matter how handsome he is!】

Chu Liuzheng felt so exhausted that she wanted to die just thinking about being forced to stay in the palace and being involved in various struggles every day.

[Waaaaah! Why did this have to happen to me? So many palace maids want to sleep with the emperor, why did they have to target me, Huo Huo, who doesn't want to?]

【Aaaaaah!! Tyrant, just kill me already!!】

A jumble of conflicting thoughts flooded his mind, and Xiao Jingfan's previously smiling face completely darkened. He tightened his grip on Chu Liuzheng's arm, as if he wanted to strangle him. "You're really that unwilling?"

He offered her the position of Imperial Concubine; what woman in the world wouldn't want that? Only this woman, taking advantage of his favor, doesn't know what's good for her!

(End of this chapter)