bayedsolid Chapter 182 All Previous Efforts Wasted
Chapter 182 All Previous Efforts Wasted
Chu Qingyin's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure: "Please be careful with your words, Lord Lu! If such presumptuous and rude remarks were to get out, neither of us would be able to bear the consequences."
Looking at her forced composure, Lu Zhiheng suddenly felt a pang of pity.
In the end, they didn't block the other person's way anymore.
Seeing this, Chu Qingyin hurriedly bypassed Lu Zhiheng and left quickly.
Lu Zhiheng was left standing there, gazing at her retreating figure, lost in thought.
After Chu Qingyin walked away quickly, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She did not return to the banquet, but instead sent a eunuch back to inform him that she was unwell and needed to rest.
During the banquet, Pei Yuanling paused in his wine cup upon hearing the eunuch's report, a complex expression flashing across his face.
"She dared to leave her seat before the Emperor and Empress had even left. It seems I have spoiled her."
His brows furrowed slightly, but his deep voice betrayed no emotion.
Empress Wang, observing the situation, smiled and said, "Your Majesty, perhaps Sister Qiao is truly unwell. Please don't take offense."
Pei Yuanling gave a soft snort and said nothing more.
Looking at the two empty spaces, and remembering that she and Lu Zhiheng had been wearing similar colors today, she felt inexplicably choked up.
Despite Chu Qingyin's repeated assurances that nothing had happened between them.
but……
A lone man and woman, stranded in the wilderness for many days, did nothing really happen?
**
On the other side, Chu Qingyin returned to her palace, already covered in a thin layer of sweat.
She simply took off her clothes and asked someone to bring her water to bathe.
Her snow-white body was immersed in warm water as she gazed at the wispy smoke, her thoughts in turmoil.
"When will this life in the palace ever end...?"
She muttered to herself, her eyes filled with exhaustion and helplessness.
When will she finally be able to rescue her brother, clear the Chu family's name, and return to the capital?
Xianglan massaged her forehead and gently comforted her, "Your Majesty, don't think too much. You should rest well."
Chu Qingyin nodded and slowly closed her eyes, but she couldn't calm herself down.
The most absurd thing was that Lu Zhiheng's usually aloof face suddenly popped into her mind.
Thinking about what happened in the artificial hill, her cheeks couldn't help but feel a little hot.
She never expected that the Grand Secretary would be so audacious...
How dare he harbor such lustful thoughts towards her right under Pei Yuanling's nose!
However, was Lu Zhiheng serious when he said those things, or was he just teasing or testing her?
She couldn't figure out what the man was thinking, no matter how much she thought about it.
At this moment, I feel extremely regretful. How did I end up provoking such a person?
Since Lu Zhiheng climbed to the position of Grand Secretary by stepping on the entire Chu State Duke's family, why would he help her investigate the matter of her being poisoned?
If I had known this would happen, I should have stayed far away from them back then.
Meanwhile, Pei Yuanling had already gone to Consort Li's palace.
Although Consort Li's rank is not high in the palace, she still lives in a separate courtyard, though it is not very large.
"Your Majesty, it is late. Let me help you change your clothes."
Li Die had already changed out of her dance costume and into a light gauze dress, her graceful figure faintly visible. Since her makeup had been removed, she no longer looked so much like Chu Qingyin.
The woman gazed at Pei Yuanling with affection in her eyes, her slender fingers carefully touching the belt around the man's waist.
Pei Yuanling remained indifferent, but did not stop her, allowing her to serve him.
Seeing that the man was distracted, Li Die couldn't help but feel disappointed. Even though she tried her best, she couldn't make him smile.
"Is something on your mind, Your Majesty?"
Li Die stopped what she was doing, looking somewhat aggrieved.
What normal man could remain unmoved by the constant flirting of a young woman? Is she not charming enough, or is His Majesty... not good enough?
Pei Yuanling saw through her thoughts, and his expression grew even more indifferent: "I suddenly remembered that there are still some government affairs that have not been dealt with. You should rest."
Having said that, he put on the robe he had just taken off, got up and left.
Li Die was left looking completely bewildered.
His Majesty has left just like that?
**
Pei Yuanling walked alone in the palace and unknowingly arrived in front of Chu Qingyin's bedroom.
Standing at the door, I hesitated for a long time before finally stepping inside.
The young eunuch guarding the gate was startled when he realized it was His Majesty. "Your Majesty..."
Just as he was about to bow and announce his arrival, Pei Yuanling stopped him, saying, "I'll just take a look and leave."
The young eunuch wiped his sweat sheepishly and said, "Yes, yes."
As the night deepened and the dew grew heavier, the moonlight fell on the bluestone ground, like a thin layer of icing sugar.
Pei Yuanling walked along the corridor and, as he passed the bamboo pavilion in the courtyard, he heard a soft humming song coming from afar.
After passing through a clump of bamboo that obscured the view, a woman dressed in a lilac-purple gauze robe appeared in the pavilion, swaying her hips to a casually hummed tune.
Her clothes fluttered, her figure was slender, and the tone of her soft humming was melodious, seemingly carrying a hint of sorrow.
Pei Yuanling stood still for a moment, and the agitation in his heart gradually dissipated.
The scene before my eyes seemed to transport me back to the first time we met.
She was only twelve years old at the time. To stand up for him, she got into a fight with the favored eldest prince. In the end, she broke her forehead and was forced by Chu Tianheng to go to the palace to apologize.
At that time, Chu Qingyin was truly radiant and captivating, proud as the sun, a true celestial beauty, someone no one dared to defile.
Yet that bright and proud woman was poisoned to death in her own cold palace, treated like a piece of trash.
The man's Adam's apple bobbed, and a bitter feeling welled up in his heart.
As she got closer, Chu Qingyin finally spotted him.
Her singing stopped abruptly, a look of surprise on her face, and she was about to bow.
"Your Majesty, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be..."
Chu Qingyin hesitated, her expression uncertain. Should she be in Consort Li's palace?
"It's so late, why isn't Yinyin asleep yet?"
Pei Yuanling took her hand, but instead of answering her question, he asked softly, "Are you angry with me?"
Chu Qingyin's eyelashes trembled slightly. She subconsciously tried to break free from the man's hand and lowered her head, saying, "This concubine dares not."
Pei Yuanling frowned and moved closer to her again: "Why are you being so distant with me?"
Chu Qingyin looked up at him, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
She said with a blush, "Your Majesty, I was simply unable to sleep because of the sweltering heat of the summer night, so I sought refuge in this pavilion to cool off."
She wasn't particularly bothered by what happened today.
But seeing her acting like this, Pei Yuanling thought she was having sleepless nights because of him, and felt even more sorry for her.
His long fingers gently caressed the delicate cheek of the person in front of him. His voice was right in front of him now, so why would he go to great lengths to find a fake?
"Yinyin, I did not touch her."
Pei Yuanling held her hand and said slowly, "The reason I did this today is just to put on a show for others."
His exclusive favor has already aroused dissatisfaction in the court. If this continues, it will inevitably be detrimental to Chu Qingyin.
That assassination was just the beginning.
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin took the initiative to step forward and hug the other's waist, burying her head in his chest and feeling the man's strong heartbeat. "Your Majesty, I know that Your Majesty has good intentions. I do not resent Your Majesty."
After a slight pause, she suddenly remembered something, tilted her head back, and her beautiful face, bathed in moonlight, was captivating.
"But if His Majesty arrives tonight, wouldn't all of this be for naught?"