HCB Chapter 150 Suspicion
Chapter 150 Suspicion
"The minister and concubine follow the order."
Empress Wang reluctantly accepted this task, inwardly groaning with distress.
A perfectly good welcome-home banquet was completely ruined by a few words from Prince Lu.
"As for Prince Lu, he shall immediately return to his residence and reflect on his mistakes in seclusion. He shall not be allowed to enter the palace without being summoned!"
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."
Upon hearing this, Prince Lu immediately knelt down to accept the order, daring not to be negligent in the slightest. It was merely a matter of returning to his residence to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors, which was already a very light punishment for him, and he dared not utter any further complaints.
Pei Yuanling was truly enraged this time.
He glanced coldly at the group of people kneeling on the ground, lost all interest in the banquet, and simply took Chu Qingyin and strode away.
"Your Majesty, we/your humble servants respectfully see you off..."
Lu Zhiheng raised his head slightly, watching their departing figures, his eyes unfathomable.
Chu Qingyin's eyes were red from crying. Pei Yuanling pulled her away hastily, and she only looked back when they turned the corner.
Inside the waterside pavilion, everyone else had already lost their composure, but Lu Zhiheng stood upright like a pine tree, his deep eyes shining with light. As the water shimmered, the two locked eyes.
With just one glance, Chu Qingyin turned her head away and refused to look back.
Pei Yuanling was furious and dragged her back to Xingyue Palace. Along the way, the palace servants hurriedly avoided them, and no one dared to step forward and risk this misfortune.
The moment Pei Yuanling stepped into the Moon Palace, he could no longer hold back and swept her up in his arms.
"Your Majesty!" Chu Qingyin exclaimed in surprise, clinging to the man's neck in a panic, afraid of falling.
Pei Yuanling ignored her exclamation and strode into the palace.
Kang Luhai, who was waiting inside the hall, was unaware of what had happened, but seeing Xianglan hurriedly following behind, he followed as well.
The next second, a loud "bang" was heard as Pei Yuanling slammed the bedroom door shut with tremendous force.
The two were frozen in place by the gust of wind generated by the slamming door, which shows that Pei Yuanling was extremely angry at this moment.
Pei Yuanling strode to the bed and threw the person in his arms onto it in an extremely rough manner.
"Your Majesty! You..."
Before Chu Qingyin could speak, the other party pressed down on her.
The next moment, the man's kisses fell like a storm, carrying a hint of punishment.
"Well……"
Chu Qingyin's eyes widened, and she instinctively placed her hands against his chest, trying to resist this sudden intimacy.
However, Pei Yuanling held her tightly, not giving her any chance to escape.
After an unknown amount of time, the man finally stopped the kiss, which was tinged with a hint of abuse.
He placed his hands on either side of Chu Qingyin, his gaze fixed on her, his eyes burning with anger and jealousy. "Yinyin, tell me, did you and Lu Zhiheng have any physical intimacy?"
A flicker of panic crossed Chu Qingyin's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Your Majesty, I and Lord Lu are truly innocent!"
"Besides, Your Majesty is the only one in my heart. How could I possibly tolerate any other man? These rumors are all slander against me. I have finally returned to Your Majesty's side. How could I possibly do anything to betray Your Majesty?"
Her voice was choked with sobs, and her eyes were filled with grievance and innocence.
Pei Yuanling's heart softened when he saw her tearful appearance, but he still had doubts: "Then why did Prince Lu say such things at the banquet? And how do you explain the rumors circulating in the palace these past few days?"
Chu Qingyin sobbed, "I don't know why there are such rumors. Perhaps it's because I've returned to the palace and blocked someone's way, and they want to frame and slander me."
"Your Majesty, you must believe me. My feelings for you are as clear as day."
Pei Yuanling remained silent, only gazing intently at her.
After a long while, he sighed and gently embraced Chu Qingyin: "Yinyin, you'd better not lie to me."
“I can tolerate you in other places, but I will never tolerate this matter.”
The man's long, slender fingers, with their distinct knuckles, caressed her slender neck. His gentle tone carried a hint of barely perceptible obsession and madness, "If I discover even the slightest sign of your betrayal, I will absolutely not spare you."
Chu Qingyin was held tightly in his arms, remaining motionless for a long time, but her heart was pounding like a drum.
Seeing her pale and frightened appearance, Pei Yuanling suddenly came to his senses.
"Yinyin, that's not what I meant."
He turned the person in his arms to face him, and their eyes met. "It's not that I suspect you're hiding something from me, it's just that I'm afraid..."
I'm afraid you really don't want me anymore.
Seeing her utterly despondent state, Pei Yuanling realized how outrageous his words had been.
"Your Majesty, I understand your thoughts..."
Chu Qingyin turned her face away, secretly shedding tears, and said defiantly, "If I had known that I would arouse His Majesty's suspicion so much today, I would have preferred to fall off the cliff and die, so as to leave behind a good name."
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
The thought of possibly losing her again made Pei Yuanling's heart ache as if it were being stabbed with a knife, an unbearable pain.
He raised his hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks, softening his tone, "I know I was wrong, I shouldn't have doubted you."
Chu Qingyin remained silent, but she couldn't stop her tears.
After a long while, she raised her red and swollen eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I am tired and would like to be alone for a while."
Although her tone had returned to calm, the disappointment in her eyes was impossible to hide, which was heartbreaking to see.
Pei Yuanling understood the implication in her words, and his raised hand froze in mid-air.
After a moment's thought, he slowly stood up: "Alright, then you should rest well. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
"Farewell to Your Majesty."
Chu Qingyin did not get up. She buried her head in the quilt, her shoulders trembling slightly, clearly still crying.
Pei Yuanling wanted to offer more comfort, but remembering what she had just said, he couldn't bring himself to do it and had no choice but to go out alone.
Kang Luhai and Xiang Lan remained guarding the door the entire time.
Hearing the commotion inside the house, the two looked at each other in disbelief, feeling a sense of dread. Now, seeing Pei Yuanling come out alone, they quickly knelt down and bowed, saying, "Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty."
Pei Yuanling took two steps, then suddenly stopped, glanced at the two of them, and said, "Take good care of your mistress."
"The slaves obey the order."
Xianglan accepted the order in a low voice, and only after the emperor and his entourage left Xingyue Palace did she stand up and hurriedly go into the room.
Upon entering, I saw my mistress sitting alone in front of the dressing mirror, her back slender and frail, a sight that evoked pity in me.
"Your Majesty, why did His Majesty leave..."
Xianglan was puzzled. Looking at her mistress's current appearance, apart from her red eyes, she didn't seem sad at all.
"Let's go then." Chu Qingyin didn't offer any further explanation.
Those rumors certainly didn't just start today; they probably reached his ears long ago. Tonight is just an opportunity to launch an attack.
Prince Lu was probably used as a pawn, walking headlong into the line of fire and incurring the emperor's wrath.
Chu Qingyin removed the gold hairpin from her hair bun, untangling the intricate bun until only a peach wood hairpin held her hair up, revealing a sickly frail appearance.
"Xianglan, go and do something for me."
There were many people in the palace who harbored resentment towards her, but only a few could think of using such despicable means to deal with her.
Consort De, being a devout Buddhist, never got involved in these disputes and mundane affairs. Consort Qin, on the other hand, disdained such things. If it wasn't Empress Wang who personally intervened, then it must have been done by someone close to her.
Now that Lu Mingzhu has been sent back to the palace to reflect on her mistakes, the only person around Empress Wang who would do such a thing is probably her good sister.
"Have someone scout out the situation in Consort Qiao's palace. My dear sister must be feeling like an ant on a hot pan right now."
Xianglan seemed to understand something, paused for a moment in astonishment, then bit her lip angrily, "Yes, this servant will go right away!"
On the other side, Pei Yuanling went straight to the Empress's palace as soon as he left the Moon Palace. When Empress Wang heard that the Emperor was coming, she was first surprised and hurriedly led a group of palace servants out to greet him.