Reborn into the palace, she seduces the emperor's heart, driving the chief minister to madness!

Chapter 57 The Question Behind the Artificial Hill

Chu Qingyin frowned.

Is Lu Zhiheng mentally ill? It's one thing to plant spies around her, but he also keeps an eye on her even during the banquet.

Why is she so worthy of his wariness?

After cursing under her breath, Chu Qingyin looked away and continued eating and drinking.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health and drink less alcohol."

Seeing that Chu Qingyin had downed several glasses of wine in a row, her fair face instantly flushed red, Qiuzhu worried that she might behave improperly while drunk and couldn't help but remind her.

Chu Qingyin snapped out of her daze upon hearing this, sniffed, and was immediately hit by the smell of alcohol, which made her cough twice.

Her previously muddled mind cleared considerably. She pressed her throbbing head and stood up. "Qiuzhu, come with me to the side hall to change."

Qiu Zhu responded with a "yes" and quickly bent down to help Chu Qingyin to her feet.

As you leave the main hall, the evening breeze of late spring blows in your face, and inside the Water Moon Pavilion, the lamplight flickers.

Qiu Zhu took out the moon-white gauze palace dress that she had prepared before leaving the house, intending to have Chu Qingyin change into it.

Chu Qingyin had just gotten drunk and suddenly felt a little dizzy, so she decided to lie down here for a while to calm herself down: "Let's leave it here for now, I need to calm down, you go outside and wait for me."

"Yes." Qiu Zhu glanced at her and respectfully withdrew.

After sitting for a while, Chu Qingyin felt the effects of the alcohol had dissipated considerably. She then got up, changed her clothes, and tidied herself up before coming out from the inner room.

She searched the area but didn't see Qiu Zhu anywhere.

Chu Qingyin frowned. Strange, where did this girl run off to?

From the moment she moved into Diecui Pavilion after entering the palace, she had always been suspicious of Qiuzhu's identity.

However, during this period, Qiu Zhu had always followed the rules and regulations of the palace and had never done anything sneaky, so she gradually relaxed her guard.

Chu Qingyin raised her eyes and looked at the hazy moon on the horizon, her gaze gradually turning cold.

Having just dealt with Xiao He, I only hope that Qiu Zhu, this maid, won't disappoint her again.

Chu Qingyin was quite familiar with the palace. After leaving Shuiyue Pavilion, she leisurely walked back to the banquet hall along the long corridor.

A gentle evening breeze rustled, and orange-yellow light spilled into the silent, deep hall.

The wind blowing in her face made Chu Qingyin even more sober. She raised her hand to pinch her brow and searched for the past according to her memory.

Suddenly, a thin eunuch in a gray robe hurried past from the opposite corridor.

Normally, it wouldn't be unusual for a eunuch to appear, but when Chu Qingyin looked at the man's figure, she suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

She frowned in thought, and the next moment, an extremely ferocious and terrifying pair of eyes suddenly appeared in her mind—the last memory she retained from her past life.

It's him!

The eunuch who forced her to drink that bottle of poison in the cold palace, causing her to die!

Chu Qingyin's face instantly darkened. After entering the palace, she had been secretly inquiring about his whereabouts. She never expected that the person she had been searching for in vain would appear right in front of her like this!

Thinking of this, she didn't think of anything else, and quickened her pace to walk to the other side, lifting her skirt.

Before she could even cross the courtyard after stepping down the jade steps, a pair of large hands suddenly appeared from behind and covered her mouth.

"Well!"

Before she could even cry out, she was dragged backward by a powerful force.

"Help—uh—"

Chu Qingyin struggled desperately, trying to break free from the shackles of those hands.

The person behind her was clearly much stronger and more powerful than her, especially with those strong, long arms that almost completely encircled her, leaving her powerless to resist.

She could only passively follow the movements of the person behind her and be dragged behind the artificial hill.

The figure of the little eunuch disappeared from sight, and the light in Chu Qingyin's eyes gradually dimmed.

She was filled with hatred. Why did God give her hope only to shatter it with His own hands?

Thinking of this, a trace of hatred flashed through her mind, and as if she used all her strength, she opened her mouth and bit down hard on the hand that was covering her mouth.

In an instant, a strong smell of blood filled my mouth.

"Ouch." The man let out a soft cry of pain, and immediately removed his large hand from her face.

After breaking free from her shackles, a familiar scent of pine wafted towards her nose, and Chu Qingyin almost instantly guessed who was behind her.

Lu Zhiheng, he ruined her plans again!

Chu Qingyin turned around and looked at the man in front of her, dressed in a scarlet official robe with peacock patterns. Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her eyes and glared at him: "Lord Lu, do you have some strange fetish?"

"I haven't even blamed Miss Qiao for having a biting habit, and you're already accusing her first?" Lu Zhiheng said, raising his hand and waving the bleeding teeth mark on his palm in the moonlight.

Seeing the mischievous glint in the man's eyes, Chu Qingyin's anger intensified: "That's because you attacked me first, and then shamelessly kidnapped me behind the rockery! Lu Zhiheng, do you even know what you're doing?"

A cool evening breeze wafted by, carrying with it the woman's faint fragrance. Lu Zhiheng's breath hitched, and his gaze involuntarily followed the moonlight to Chu Qingyin's face.

The woman's fair and delicate face was flushed with anger, and the bloodstains from his palm remained on her rosy lips, which seemed like lip rouge on her stunningly beautiful face, adding to her charm.

Lu Zhiheng's gaze seemed to be out of control, following her eyebrows and eyes, and finally landing on her cherry-like lips.

Her lips opened and closed, and the sweet scent seemed to drift on the breeze to his nose, causing his gaze to darken slightly.

Seeing that he remained silent, Chu Qingyin assumed he had nothing to say and couldn't help but snort coldly: "If Lord Lu has nothing else to say, please step aside quickly, otherwise if we attract attention, neither of us will be in a good situation!"

After saying that, she hurriedly prepared to leave.

Thinking that the little eunuch shouldn't have gone far, she followed that direction and thought she should be able to catch up.

But as soon as she turned around, the man grabbed her wrist. With just a little force, she uncontrollably crashed into his arms.

"Lu Zhiheng, you!"

"Shhh."

Just as Chu Qingyin was about to angrily question him, the man raised his finger to his lips and made a silencing gesture.

Chu Qingyin frowned, wondering what he was up to. She turned to look outside the artificial hill and saw two palace maids carrying teacups passing by.

Although Chu Qingyin did not want to be alone with Lu Zhiheng, she was afraid that if someone found out that she was alone with a foreign official, she would also get into trouble. Therefore, she had no choice but to suppress her resentment and temporarily put an end to her actions.

The two were very close, and a gentle breeze carried the man's deep, pine-scented fragrance, which lingered around their noses. It was a scent different from Pei Yuanling's, clear and mild, calming the mind.

"gone."

The man's deep voice sounded in her ear, and Chu Qingyin immediately came back to her senses.

Realizing that they were getting too close, she immediately took a step back to create some distance between them.

Lu Zhiheng watched her movements, his eyes flickering slightly.

Chu Qingyin steadied herself before looking up at Lu Zhiheng, her tone icy: "Why did you drag me behind this artificial hill?"

Even if he truly didn't care about her reputation, he should still care about his official career, since having an affair with a palace concubine was a capital offense.

Since we can't figure out what he's thinking, we might as well ask him directly.

"Oh, so you don't want to guess anymore?" Lu Zhiheng raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Lord Lu is the Grand Secretary of the current dynasty, wielding immense power. There are few in this world who can match your intelligence and wisdom, so why should I humiliate myself?"

Seeing the woman's fearless attitude, as if she had given up struggling, a faint smile flashed across Lu Zhiheng's eyes. However, he quickly composed himself and said in a low voice, "I have come to see Miss Qiao without asking her anything."

"What is it?" Chu Qingyin asked, puzzled.

What exactly is the relationship between Miss Qiao and Consort Chu?

After a slight pause, Lu Zhiheng narrowed his eyes and stared intently at her: "Or are you really the reincarnation of the Imperial Concubine?"