Long Yang

The two feared the emperor's serious illness had worsened and their expressions changed drastically. They left the doctor behind and immediately rushed into the study room.

When they flung the door open, they saw the Long Yang leaning back on the cushioned chair. His face was pale but he seemed to be in good spirits.

The man simply sat there, doing nothing, but he had a terrible and frightening aura that had accumulated over his many years on the throne. This natural aura radiated from him, urging people to involuntarily submit before him.

The study room was in pin-drop silence. The low air pressure surrounding them felt almost uncomfortable and suffocating.

Long Yang eyed the girl sitting on the chair opposite him coldly with his dark, deep eyes.

"From the way you're looking at me, don't tell me you're thinking that I'm taking advantage of you?" There was some irritation in the girl's tone but when she heard the sound of the door opening, she cocked her head to look.

"Weiwei, watch your words!" Lu Tingchen, who had recovered from the shock, frowned deeply and growled a warning at Lu Liangwei despite not fully understanding what was happening. His words sounded stern but they were not malicious.

Since her brother had returned, Lu Liangwei immediately got up and grabbed his arm, "Brother, you came back just in time. I'll leave the rest to you. I'll head back for now."

With those words, she swiftly headed for the door outside.

However, the moment she moved, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of her and blocked her way, fixing her with a blank stare.

Lu Liangwei gave the figure a glance. Seeing that it was just a very young child, she could not be bothered to waste time with words so she stretched out her hand to push past him. "Excuse me."

"Watch out!" Lu Tingchen called out, but it was too late.

Lu Liangwei felt her arm go numb all of a sudden and then she felt a powerful shock from an unknown force, causing her to fall to the ground.

She stared at Chu Qi in surprise.

Unexpectedly, this child was very talented in martial arts despite the young age.

While Lu Liangwei was still stunned, Lu Tingchen had already bent over to help her to her feet. He looked at Chu Qi and frowned unhappily. "Why did you do that?"

Chu Qi rose to meet his eyes and spoke in a monotonous voice, "Master did not allow her to leave."

Lu Tingchen frowned. He did not know what had happened here before he arrived—all he knew was that Lu Liangwei had talked back to Long Yang—so he turned to plead with Long Yang. 

"Your Majesty, my sister was clueless. If she had offended you, I beg you to forgive us."

Lu Liangwei was not surprised when she heard the way her brother addressed the man.

As the daughter of the Duke Mansion, she would naturally have to attend the banquets at the palace. Hence, from Lu Liangwei's memory, she already knew that the man in front of her was the current emperor, Long Yang.

He was in critical condition at the time so she did not have time to ponder his identity. She did not have time to have a closer look at him until he was saved.

Long Yang, the current emperor of the Great Shang Kingdom, was said to have become emperor during a perilous time when he was thirteen years old. He had been in power for 17 years, known to have outstanding ability and willingness to use forceful means to achieve his goals. The Great Shang Kingdom had reached unprecedented strength under his rule, which had drawn no shortage of envy from neighboring countries. It was even rumored that as long as Long Yang remained in power, any forces who were eyeing the Great Shang would never dare to invade.

Unfortunately, fate was jealous of the talented. Long Yang appeared to be tall and healthy but he was actually ill and did not have much longer to live. In addition to that, he had no children. As a last resort, he had made his brother's son, Long Chi, the crown prince...

Lu Liangwei gathered her thoughts and looked at the man sitting behind the desk.

The man was around thirty this year. His well-sculpted and deep facial features looked like they were carved by a knife. The gap between his brows exuded the charm and elegance of a mature man.

Ignoring the powerful aura in his eyes and the cold attitude that made him unapproachable, this man would undoubtedly draw plenty of attention from the women.