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

Chapter 208 So you resent me like this?

Xianglan quickly squatted down, wanting to help her mistress up.

They had all been dismissed by His Majesty and were unaware of what had happened inside the palace.

When they returned, the palace was empty, with only a mess on the floor.

"How could His Majesty..." Xianglan burst into tears, feeling indignant on behalf of her mistress.

Chu Qingyin waved her hand and said weakly, "Help me back to my palace..."

She slowly stood up, and a sharp pain instantly shot through her feet.

Chu Qingyin hissed, only then realizing that a shard of porcelain had embedded itself under her foot in the hall, and it was probably a bloody mess by now.

"Your Majesty, let me carry you on my back." Xianglan knelt down in front of her.

Chu Qingyin shook her head, "It's alright, I can walk by myself."

How can the slight pain in my feet compare to the heartache?

Despite the excruciating pain in her feet, she walked slowly and laboriously toward the palace.

"Your Highness, why torture yourself like this for a man?"

Unbeknownst to her, Lu Zhiheng, who had returned, was standing behind her.

The man wore a blue robe, spotless.

Chu Qingyin was startled and instinctively tried to back away. "Why haven't you left yet?"

This is in the palace, and His Majesty was just furious.

Lu Zhiheng frowned, then suddenly stepped forward and swept her up in his arms.

"Lord Lu!"

Chu Qingyin exclaimed, "Put me down!"

As she was lifted into the air, she instinctively gripped Lu Zhiheng's clothes tightly with both hands, her eyes filled with panic and shame.

Lu Zhiheng ignored him and strode towards the palace: "Don't be so cocky. Do you want to cripple these legs?"

Chu Qingyin was both angry and anxious. She lowered her voice and scolded, "Lu Zhiheng, this is extremely disrespectful! If someone sees this, we will both be in mortal danger!"

Lu Zhiheng seemed not to hear, and simply quickened his pace toward his bedchamber.

Seeing that Lord Lu was so audacious, Xianglan felt uneasy and hurriedly followed.

Chu Qingyin struggled but couldn't, and dared not speak loudly.

Fortunately, they did not encounter anyone along the way and quickly returned to their palace.

The mess on the floor hadn't been cleaned up yet, so Lu Zhiheng simply placed her on the soft couch by the window.

"Lord Lu, how could you act so impulsively?"

Chu Qingyin's heart pounded.

Their relationship has already aroused Pei Yuanling's suspicion. If he were to catch them together again, they would truly be unable to explain themselves.

"Didn't you act impulsively?"

Lu Zhiheng sneered, his handsome eyes lowered slightly as he looked at Chu Qingyin's bloodied and mangled feet.

"Your Highness, don't forget, I saved your life. Don't let others waste it."

He pulled a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and threw it at her, saying, "It's not worth it for a man."

He turned and left Feixue Palace, but his voice still echoed in my ears.

Watching the man's departing figure, Chu Qingyin held the porcelain bottle in her hands, gently stroking the bottle with her fingertips, a hint of emotion flashing in her eyes.

Xianglan hurried in carrying a basin of water, followed by a young eunuch carrying medicine for her injuries.

Seeing that only her mistress was in the hall, Xianglan finally felt relieved.

"Your Majesty, Lord Lu has been far too presumptuous..."

Chu Qingyin's expression hardened. "This matter must not be mentioned again. Just pretend you never saw it."

The voice, though soft, carried an undeniable authority.

Xianglan opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but seeing the other person's expression, she swallowed her words and silently nodded, continuing to focus on cleaning her wound.

Despite the pain, Chu Qingyin discreetly tucked the porcelain bottle into her sleeve.

***

After leaving the palace, Lu Zhiheng went directly to the brothels in the capital.

As the true owner of Qinlou, he rarely came here since its establishment.

Shen Ran had been waiting at the door for a long time. Upon seeing him, she immediately bowed and led him through a side door.

Qinlou is not only the largest restaurant in the capital, but also the highest intelligence network in the entire Daqing, with spies even infiltrating the capital of a neighboring country.

“Master, you have been far too reckless this time.”

As Lu Zhiheng's most trusted advisor, Shen Ran couldn't help but voice his concerns: "The palace is heavily guarded and has many eyes and ears. If there is the slightest mistake, everything you have worked so hard for over the years will be destroyed."

Lu Zhiheng remained unmoved by Shen Ran's words. He slowly sat down by the window, looked up at the bustling street outside, and said calmly, "I know what I'm doing."

"If we risk being suspected by Pei Yuanling and having our important plans affected by a woman, it would be a huge loss."

Shen Ran glanced at the man's handsome profile and said cautiously, "Master, you must not act so impulsively again."

"I see."

Lu Zhiheng said calmly, "Tomorrow, I will go to His Majesty to resign and try to dispel his doubts about me."

Shen Ran just kept sighing.

The good situation was almost ruined because of yesterday's farce.

"Is there any progress on Chu Tianheng's matter?" Lu Zhiheng asked.

"There is."

Shen Ran nodded and recounted the information he had gathered over the past few days: "Those letters of treason do exist, but the person who colluded with the enemy was not General Chu. The person who wrote the letters was extremely familiar with General Chu's handwriting, and every letter to the enemy country was written in General Chu's handwriting, which clearly indicates that it was premeditated."

Therefore, the letters of treason that were finally found in the Duke of Chu's mansion, written in black and white, left people speechless.

"Continue the investigation."

Lu Zhiheng said coldly, "Resolve this matter as soon as possible."

He certainly didn't want Chu Tianheng's case to still be unresolved by the time he regained everything.

"Yes." Shen Ran responded and withdrew.

Lu Zhiheng frowned as he looked at the pedestrians coming and going on the street.

Having endured humiliation and hardship for many years, and with his goal almost achieved, how could he possibly ruin all his plans for a woman?

***

Time flies, and autumn is just around the corner; the maple leaves in the palace have already turned red.

Chu Qingyin sat in the courtyard. The wound on the sole of her foot had scabbed over, but she still couldn't walk.

Since that unpleasant parting, Pei Yuanling has never come to her palace again.

Xianglan had been worried about this for many days. "Your Majesty, I heard that the Empress is now mostly recovered and can go to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the flowers."

It's the perfect time to appreciate chrysanthemums, and many imperial concubines enjoy relaxing in the Imperial Garden.

Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin simply nodded, idly teasing the snow-white dumpling in her arms.

Seeing that her mistress was not flustered at all, Xianglan became even more anxious.

"Your Majesty, it's not a good idea to keep things cold between you and His Majesty... Why don't you soften your stance and apologize to him?"

Xianglan hesitated for a moment, but eventually spoke her mind.

"No."

Chu Qingyin barely hesitated. She gently stroked the little snowball in her arms, her eyes calm and undisturbed.

Hearing her words, Pei Yuanling, who had appeared behind the artificial hill at some point, spoke in a deep voice—

"Yinyin, is this how much you resent me?"