In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

As Gu Zhao began to undress, Zhu Qingyu's mind went blank, realizing that things had gone off track and that the immense danger she had just foreseen was now surging towards her with a destructive force.

At that moment, she clearly realized that the overwhelming anger had devoured Gu Zhao's pity for her, and the small, enclosed space under the covers could no longer protect her, but was about to become a cage that trapped her.

Words could no longer resolve the crisis, so Zhu Qingyu threw off the covers, jumped out of bed, and ran away.

Gu Zhao, his muscular upper body bare, stepped forward and stopped her, grabbing her around the waist. With almost no effort, he tossed her back onto the bed and walked towards her.

Despite the cushioning provided by the mattress, Zhu Qingyu was still thrown around in a daze, feeling as if she were about to be shattered. Before she could recover, Gu Zhao had already pressed down on her and torn open her clothes.

Since it was early autumn and the river was damp from the continuous autumn rain, Zhu Qingyu changed out of her gauze-like nightgown and into a plain brocade long-sleeved inner garment.

Brocade is naturally much denser and thicker than gauze, but against the furious Gu Zhao, it didn't even last a second. With the sound of tearing silk, the inner garment and the undergarment were torn into several pieces by Gu Zhao and thrown on the ground.

The two men's frank meeting came too suddenly, and the sight of soft, lustrous flesh was too alluring. It was a huge magical attack on Lord Gu, who had never experienced such things, causing his mind to go blank for a moment and even briefly forgetting his anger.

Taking advantage of the brief moment Gu Zhao was stunned, Zhu Qingyu pulled the blanket over herself and hid inside the bed.

The clothes people wear have many functions, one of the most important being to distinguish between humans and animals.

When a person wears various clothes that correspond to their social status, they may be able to remain rational due to the constraints of the social roles they play. However, once they lose the clothes that cover their bodies, their primal animalistic impulses and desires will naturally take over.

Things had already gone off track, but Zhu Qingyu still tried her best to remain calm, hoping to use words to rouse Gu Zhao's wavering sanity:

"Shouming, my period hasn't finished yet. It's not okay today. Wait a few days until I'm better..."

Gu Zhao stepped onto the couch, leaned down, pinched her chin, and pressed his fingers against her lips, stopping her sweet talk. He smiled and said:

"You planned this all along, didn't you? You knew I couldn't touch you right now? Zhu Qingyu, I'm very unhappy right now. I can't wait a few days. Tell me, how should I treat you? Treat you in the most despicable way, make you dirty, make you scared, make you cry and beg me, okay?"

His actions were forceful and rough, his intention being to stop her from using sweet talk again.

But that day, as soon as the servant moved those boxes of books into the study, some extremely erotic and vulgar scenes from the storybooks he had hastily flipped through suddenly rushed into his mind.

Popular folk tales are unrestricted, using extra material and featuring far more elaborate stories than the fire-avoidance illustrations my grandmother once sent me.

Zhu Qingyu was bound to the deepest part of the bed by one of his hands, with no room to escape from any direction.

His gaze towards her lips deepened, and his blatant desire grew increasingly unrestrained. His gaze seemed to materialize, penetrating the blankets she hastily wrapped around her body and almost enveloping her entirely.

Gu Zhao knelt down and approached her, his eyes never leaving her slightly parted lips, which were parted because of his punishment.

Through his undisguised gaze, Zhu Qingyu glimpsed a terrifying idea.

No, this is far beyond her imagination and beyond her capacity to bear. She can't do it!

Gu Zhao looked at her eyes, which were finally showing signs of panic, and his smile deepened:

"Oh? Now you're afraid of me? You know what I'm thinking, don't you, Qingyu? You're very perceptive. What, you've been with him? You can have him, but not me? Then you're going to suffer tonight, Qingyu. I'm really unhappy right now, and you have no choice. Of course, you can try running away again, but I don't have the patience to catch you again. You can try doing it in front of everyone, and see if anyone comes to your rescue."

Zhu Qingyu wasn't sure if Gu Zhao's increasingly terrifying words were true, and she didn't dare to gamble on whether Gu Zhao, in his rage, would really be so reckless and insane.

And there's no way she can run away. This ship is full of his men. No matter where she runs, no one will try to stop him or anger him. She can't possibly escape.

There is no escaping it, and no possibility of avoiding it.

So now, there's only one way.

The only way is to control the derailed situation as much as possible and minimize the damage.

Zhu Qingyu gave up on verbal persuasion, physical resistance, and even the futile attempt to escape. She reached out one hand from under the covers and grabbed Gu Zhao's other hand.

This fleeting glimpse of spring light once again caused Gu Zhao to lose her strength and become blinded, and she was pulled into the quilt by this soft, boneless, and harmless arm.

Who placed their hand on his waist and abdomen, slowly moving downwards? And who buried their face in his neck, whispering seductively?

"Shouming, don't be angry."

One moment he was burning with rage at her manipulation and torment of his heart, the next he was bewitched and lost his soul, completely captivated by her control and torment.

Gu Zhao flipped over and pinned her beneath him, leaving messy, haphazard red plum blossom marks on her soft, smooth skin.

The moonlight outside the window was so beautiful. Suddenly, a gust of river wind rose, and I pushed open the window, which wasn't closed quite a bit. I rolled up a book on the desk by the window, and on one of the pages, I saw the words:

"The two were seen playing in the water like mandarin ducks with their necks intertwined, and walking side by side like phoenixes among the flowers."

"Joyfully, the branches of the trees grow together; sweetly, their hearts are bound together."

"One pressed her crimson lips tightly together, the other nestled her rosy cheeks against him..."

The river breeze, oblivious to romance, blew obliquely and mercilessly, scattering the fragrant, vibrant pages of the book to the ground, obscuring the wind and moon.