I will keep you!

".... and his royal highness the prince Wen Zhixuan' has fled the country. Due to this, his wife, Su Wuyan will hereby be crowned Queen of Ming Country in 5 days time. Everyone must attend the coronation. Any objections?"

General Su's cold voice rang through the council's hall where many old men were seated in.

But these old men weren't just a bunch of old men, they were the family lords of many noble clans. After hearing the speech, countless whispers began to travel within the room. But although everyone whispered, no one dared to stand and object at all!

After all, the person standing right in front of them was the most feared within the kingdom - Su Luochen!

As a General, Su Luochen was well known to be ruthless to his enemies, having a three thousand man army on his back, and having defended the kingdom from enemy forces for the past 20 years, he was not to be messed with.

The worst was that his family could be said to be his reverse scale, and if anyone so much as dared to speak badly of his family in his presence, heads would roll!

"Since no one has anything left to say, then please begin sending news of the coronation as soon as possible. This kingdom needs a ruler and so do its people. If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave, gentlemen." He stated, his voice remained as cold and indifferent as before when he left.

Seeing that the general had left, everyone in the room released the air that they had unknowingly been withholding.

Sigh~

Relief! They were all relieved he was finally gone!

"D-Do you think the prince left out of fear..?" A voluptuous fat man asked in one corner, his voice shaken from the earlier pressure. This fat man's name was Duke Zhuang, one of the top 3 powerful influences in Ming Country.

"Presumptuous! His Highness was probably threatened by that witch he married!"

An ancient yet high pitched voice replied to the fat man almost immediately. Resentment could be heard from his voice. This man was much older than the rest, and his gaze gave off an eerie, murderous aura.

"Careful with what you say! That's General Su's daughter you speak of, Duke Mu." commented a muscular man with a tone of warning.

"Ha! Please, that brat can reign as queen? That damned woman is a witch, just like her mother!" Duke Mu sneered in contempt.

"Besides Duke Li, are you really going to just let the general's house occupy the royal palace?"

Duke Li, the muscular man from earlier raised the corner of his mouth in a smile before saying, "Mu Yongxu, you sure love to turn every white into a black! I only serve whoever is fit to run the country. If that young brat isn't fit to run it then she better scram!" If she is, however...

The last part, Duke Li didn't say out loud. There were still many enemies in this council. He couldn't afford to disagree nor agree with them!

The top 3 influences, the Mu, Li and Zhuang families were the strongest besides the Su family. Any moment of weakness seen by these three families could be seen as an opportunity to strike for them!

...

At the Su residence's mansion, a young woman sat before a table in the courtyard. In front of her sat a handsome middle-aged man, staring at everything but her.

"Lin Wuyi, are you gay?" The young woman asked seriously.

This woman was none other than Su Wuyan, who sat at the table, calmly drinking tea.

"Gay?" Lin Wuyi asked in confusion. "What is Gay?"

It was then that Su Wuyan realised that the people here may not know the term 'gay'. Perhaps she might have to explain it...

"Do you not like women? Do you like men?" She asked in a much more simplistic way.

Hearing her question, Lin Wuyi's complexion went pale, then dark. Such a question was extremely offensive, and normally wouldn't be asked at all!

"Of course not!" He exclaimed. Some anger and annoyance were evident in his face.

"Then why won't you sleep with me?" She asked, a serious look in her face.

Hearing her question, Lin Wuyi's pupil's constricted and his eyes widened.

"M-miss, you want to sleep with me?" He asked in disbelief.

That's right, Lin Wuyi could not believe it. His mistress whom he had taken care of for the past 15 years had just asked him to sleep with her!

Thinking this far, Lin Wuyi tried to see if his mistress was teasing him, but when he looked directly at her face, he saw her staring straight at his eyes, not an ounce of joking around could be seen.

She was serious!

Lin Wuyi repressed his shock, and his heart which was previously calm once again became erratic. His mistress asked to sleep with him?! And so straightforwardly at that?

Lin Wuyi had remained quiet throughout this train of thought, and Su Wuyan didn't say anything either. She decided to wait and see what his response would be.

However, a reply never came, instead it was just Lin Wuyi staring at her with a blank look.

The previously confident Su Wuyan could no longer remain calm, and her previous calmness became anxiousness.

"Lin Wuyi...?" She asked.

"No." He answered coldly.

"What?" Su Wuyan's eye's stared in disbelief at Lin Wuyi.

"I said I won't sleep with you, Miss." He said, his voice remained calm and collected, while his eyes stared coldly at Su Wuyan.

Noticing the coldness in his eyes, Su Wuyan was perplexed. And in an impulse, despite being rejected, she still asked.

"Lin Wuyi, do you hate me?"

Hearing this question had caught the previously poker-faced Lin Wuyi off guard. He instantly denied such an instance.

"No! I would never!" He immediately replied, without a second thought. His previous facade of calmness was gone.

"Then am I ugly? Is that why you won't do it?" She asked, continuing the interrogation with a trace of insecurity in her eyes.

"No! Miss, you're beautiful! It's just-" Lin Wuyi tried to explain, but was quickly interrupted by Su Wuyan once more.

"Then what is it! Are you a man at all?" She asked in annoyance. "Which man wouldn't sleep with a woman like me? Is it that you don't dare?" Exasperation was evident in her eyes. Afterall, not only had she failed to conquer men in her past life, she had been killed for it! If she couldn't make this guy her man, then she better commit suicide right now!

After that question, there was silence. Neither Su Wuyan, who was waiting for a response, or Lin Wuyi, who sat there shocked, said anything.

"Miss... I-" he struggled to get the words out after remaining silent for a few seconds, before being interrupted once more.

"What then, Lin Wuyi! Do you think little of me? Is it because I'm a wife without a husband? Because I was discarded by my husband on the day we married? Is that it?" She complained, tears threatening to fall in her eyes as she stared at the man before her in anger. It's not like this fact bothered her, on the contrary, she didn't care. However, the failures of her past life were indeed wounds that would not easily heal.

"It's not-" he tried talking once more only to be interrupted by her again. This time, Lin Wuyi was starting to get impatient.

"Is it because I'm the general's daughter? Someone you can't touch? Or is it because of those rumours that say I'm a-" before Su Wuyan could finish her sentence, Lin Wuyi interrupted her.

"Su Wuyan, shut up!" He shouted fiercely.

Su Wuyan who had been complaining nonstop had immediately stopped talking.

"It's because I think you're too beautiful, because I don't dare to taint you, because I fear that you will think it's a big mistake after it happens, because I fear you're doing it out of spite, because... it's you! And I can't in good conscience, do such things to you, because I care too much, and I don't want to hurt you!" He said in exasperation.

Su Wuyan who had been complaining nonstop was shocked at Lin Wuyi's straightforwardness. It was a direct confession!

While she had previously perceived that Lin Wuyi was an honest and caring man, she never realised he could be so caring for her!

Originally, all she wanted to do was to bring him into bed... but now... she didn't want to anymore!

He's just too good!

Maybe... was it better for her to keep him instead?

Seeing that Su Wuyan had remained silent for a long time, Lin Wuyi realised what he had said, and immediately his whole face went as red as a tomato.

He may have been... a little too honest!

Just when he was about to ask her to forget everything he had said, Su Wuyan's eyes which were previously in shock, immediately became really bright, and her previously sad smile became a bright, happy one.

"Lin Wuyi! If you feel this way, then I can't possibly sleep with you now!" She said with excitement in her eyes.

"Eh?" Lin Wuyi was caught off-guard by his mistress' sudden decision.

"But considering you have been so honest and good to me, I've decided. I will keep you instead!"

"K-keep me?" He asked in confusion.

"Yes! Lin Wuyi, from today onwards, you shall become my kept husband!" She said, a smirk in her face.

"...Yes? Wait, what?!" Lin Wuyi's eyes went wide in astonishment while his face went pale.

Just... how did this happen?!