Chapter 274: Chapter 275: Attending a Monarch is Like Attending a Tiger

Li Ji pressed her into his arms and kissed her for a good while before finally letting her go.

By now, both of them were breathing a little erratically.

Hua Manman’s collar had been pulled open slightly, revealing a small patch of snow-white skin and the faint outline of her delicate collarbones.

Li Ji stared at her collarbones, his mouth suddenly dry. He couldn’t help but lick the corner of his lips.

Meeting his aggressive gaze, Hua Manman felt her heart tremble. Even her words came out stuttered.

"Y-You... don’t do anything rash."

Li Ji laughed with abandon. "Getting intimate with my own princess consort is perfectly natural. How is that ’rash’?"

Hua Manman: "But... but..."

’But they haven’t even consummated their marriage. They aren’t truly husband and wife.’

A wave of guilt washed over her at the thought.

’I have the title of main wife, but I can’t be a real wife to him.’

’Isn’t this just deliberate torture?’

But Hua Manman simply couldn’t bring herself to tell him to find other women.

In the end, she "but"-ed for a long time without managing to finish her sentence.

She was utterly mortified.

Seeing her so hesitant and indecisive, Li Ji assumed she was still worried about getting pregnant.

So, as if performing a magic trick, he produced a small porcelain vial.

"This is a contraceptive specially prepared by Feihua Zhenren. If you take it, you won’t get pregnant for a short while. I’ve already asked Feihua Zhenren. He said the medicine is very mild and won’t harm your body, so you can use it without worry."

Hua Manman was stunned.

’The scoundrel actually went and prepared contraceptives behind my back!’

’He knows way too much!’

Li Ji pressed the small porcelain vial into her hand.

"As long as you don’t want to get pregnant, we won’t get pregnant."

The small vial felt scorching hot in Hua Manman’s palm.

She was so embarrassed her face turned bright red.

"Weren’t we talking about Princess Longzhu? How did we suddenly end up on the topic of pregnancy?"

Li Ji: "I don’t care about any Golden Pig Princess or Silver Pig Princess. They have nothing to do with me. I just want to know when we can consummate our marriage."

Hua Manman gave a strained laugh. "Let’s talk about that when the time comes."

As soon as she said it, she tried to flee, only to be held tightly from behind by the scoundrel.

Li Ji: "You have to give me a definite time today, or else I’ll..."

Hua Manman’s heart leaped into her throat.

"Or else you’ll what?"

Li Ji: "Or else I’ll double your schoolwork, forbid you from sleeping in, and only let you eat vegetarian food every day."

Hua Manman felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.

’How cruel!’

Li Ji urged her, "Hurry up and tell me. When can we consummate our marriage?"

’Sleeping in the same bed with my wife every day, being able to see but not touch... it’s just too much torture.’

’Besides, from the looks of it, Manman isn’t really against me being close to her.’

’We might as well give it a try.’

Hua Manman made a desperate last stand. "I haven’t been feeling well these past few days..."

Li Ji: "Then I’ll have Feihua Zhenren take a look at you. His medical skills are excellent. He’ll surely be able to cure you quickly."

Hua Manman stammered, "There’s no need for Feihua Zhenren. I... I just got my monthly visitor."

Li Ji exposed her lie on the spot.

"You used the same excuse to avoid consummating the marriage last time. You can’t use the same excuse twice."

No matter how Hua Manman tried to weasel her way out of it, she couldn’t make Li Ji change his mind.

Finally, with no other options, she had to voice the concern that had been weighing on her heart for a long time.

"Suppose... I’m just saying, suppose one day I suddenly disappeared. What would you do?"

Li Ji blurted out without a second thought.

"I’d go look for you, of course. Who wouldn’t be frantic after losing over a hundred pounds of pork?"

Hua Manman: "..."

’That scoundrel can drop dead!’

’I’m not over a hundred pounds!’

’No, wait.’

’I’m not a pig!!’

Hua Manman started struggling frantically again, her small hands flailing wildly.

"Let me go!"

Li Ji held her tighter, laughing.

"Alright, alright, don’t be angry. I was just teasing you."

"If you really disappeared, I would naturally do everything in my power to find you."

"No matter where you go, to the ends of the earth or the depths of the underworld, I will find you."

Hua Manman gradually stopped struggling.

She bit her lip. "What if you can never find me?"

Li Ji: "Then I’ll just keep looking forever."

Picturing that scene, Hua Manman felt a prickle in her nose.

She mumbled under her breath.

"Why are you so stubborn? If you can’t find me, just let it go. There are plenty of beautiful women in the world, why be so hung up on one?"

Li Ji: "There may be plenty of beautiful women in the world, but you’re the only one who can bloom in my heart."

Hua Manman fell silent.

’The scoundrel was always so good with sweet nothings.’

’I can’t fall for it!’

Li Ji nuzzled her ear, his tone intimate. "Just give it a try. I’ll be very careful. I won’t hurt you."

Not wanting to hear his lewd talk, Hua Manman raised her hands to cover her ears.

So Li Ji began to press his lips against the back of her hand, again and again.

The pressure was light, carrying a hint of tenderness.

Hua Manman couldn’t stand this kind of treatment.

In the end, she finally lowered her hands and said in a muffled voice.

"I’ll think about it one last time. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow."

Seeing that her stance had softened, Li Ji decided to quit while he was ahead.

He released Hua Manman, turned to look at the sky outside the window, and sighed with heartfelt emotion.

"Why isn’t it dark yet?"

Hua Manman was speechless.

’It’s still morning! How could it possibly be dark already?!’

She straightened her dress and steered the conversation back to business.

"You still haven’t answered my question. Why can’t you just feign civility with Princess Longzhu?"

Li Ji watched her with a grin. "I’m a married man now. How could I go around flirting with other women?"

Hua Manman: "I’m just asking you to put on an act."

Li Ji: "Even if it’s an act, you’ll get jealous."

Hua Manman flatly denied it. "I will not."

Li Ji was very dissatisfied with this answer.

"Why won’t you get jealous? Is it because you don’t love me anymore?"

Hua Manman felt suffocated.

’I never loved you in the first place, thank you very much!’

Seeing her puffing her cheeks in anger, Li Ji couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Besides not wanting to make you jealous, I also have to consider the Saint’s thoughts."

"If the Saint finds out that Xiliang is trying to turn me against him and that I didn’t refuse, there will be big trouble."

Hua Manman: "But there were only the three of us in the room just now. No one else should know about this."

Li Ji gave a meaningful smile.

"That’s not necessarily true. You shouldn’t underestimate the current Saint."

"Although he stays in the Imperial Palace, nothing that happens in Shangjing City can escape his eyes."

Hua Manman reacted quickly.

"You mean, there might be the Saint’s spies in our Prince Zhao Mansion?"

Li Ji: "The Saint himself bestowed this mansion upon me, and almost all the servants in it were arranged by him. As for spies, I’m afraid there are quite a few."

Hearing him say this, Hua Manman felt a chill run down her spine.

’So much for privacy!’

Li Ji patted her back. "Don’t be afraid. The Saint is just looking for peace of mind. If he wanted to harm me, I wouldn’t have lived this long."

Hua Manman sighed to herself.

’Serving a ruler is like living with a tiger. The ancients certainly weren’t lying!’