Jinwei joins hands in rebirth: villains can also eat at the table

Chapter 224 Goodbye

"Do you really think you're so great just because you're the Empress's favorite? The most powerful person in this palace is the Emperor. Now you've been banished back to the cold palace. These past ten years have been in vain..."

The guards' words were filled with gloating and mockery. They looked at Ling Yunche as if he were a loser, their contemptuous eyes like sharp arrows, piercing Ling Yunche's heart.

"Bah, I hate his behavior the most. Why is he pretending? We're all from the lower three banners. Don't think that just because he's married to the Empress and a woman from the Zhenghuang Banner, he can become a phoenix..."

Their words became increasingly bitter, their jealousy and dissatisfaction evident between the lines. In this strictly hierarchical palace, background seemed to be an insurmountable chasm. They were unwilling to let Ling Yunche have such an opportunity, but they were helpless.

"A pheasant is a pheasant. No matter how hard it tries, it can never become a phoenix..."

"I'm different. I'm favored by the Empress, and one day I'll return to the Imperial Court. Let's go, let's go. If you don't leave now, I'm afraid she'll come back to settle the score with you..."

"Hahahaha, he's a useless person, I'm afraid he can't even return to the Imperial Court..."

This taunt was like a heavy hammer, hammering down on Ling Yunche's heart. He stood silently in front of the cold palace, listening to these harsh words, but his heart was calm.

The guards of the Forbidden City were assigned according to their birth, which seemed like an inescapable shackle.

They were all from the Lower Three Banners, and from the moment they stepped into this towering palace, their fate seemed sealed. Once inside, they were doomed to never climb higher. The lofty barriers to social status stood before them like insurmountable mountains.

Seeing Ling Yunche curry favor with the Empress in the cold palace, watching him walk all the way to the Yangxin Palace, and then seeing him fall into trouble. With the same background, she could only stay in this cold palace for the rest of her life, so naturally she was jealous.

Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and fawning on others are the prevailing trends in the palace.

Once he fell into poverty, these sarcasm and ridicule became part of daily life.

Ling Yunche sat in a corner, looking somewhat lonely. He silently listened to the voices of his colleagues arranging something nearby. Those words were like sharp thorns, piercing his heart. But his face remained calm, as if he had long been accustomed to it all.

Ever since he was demoted back to the cold palace, the sarcasm and ridicule surrounding him has never stopped.

In this palace, offending the emperor was practically equivalent to ending one's life. His colleagues both openly and covertly ostracized him, as if he were a plague god that everyone avoided.

He tried to fight back, unwilling to silently endure this unwarranted humiliation. However, his injuries were so severe that even the slightest retort would provoke a fight. His strength, weakened by his injuries, was so weak that no matter how hard he fought, he couldn't defeat them.

So, after so much time had passed, he no longer cared about the sarcasm. Perhaps it was the influence of the Empress, his state of mind had changed, and those words were now like a breeze passing by his ears, no longer stirring up any waves in his heart. His heart had become incomparably calm, like a deep pool of water, without a single ripple.

As long as the Empress was well, he would have no regrets even if he ended up in pieces. The Empress was a touch of warmth in his heart, his only concern in this cold palace.

For her, he can endure all suffering and give up his dignity and life.

He didn't know what this was, friendship? Love?

Or does it transcend the relationship between men and women?

Ling Yunche didn't care about anything else. As long as he could stay with her in the palace, everything would be fine.

He just has to do more work than them and eat less in the cafeteria, but he can handle it.

Being isolated in this cold palace, surrounded by cold walls and indifferent gazes from others, however, it didn't matter to him.

He pinched and squeezed his hands at his sides, the subtle movements revealing his inner uneasiness and entanglement. Finally, his eyes fell in a daze in the direction of Yikun Palace, and his thoughts drifted away.

Hearing that the Empress had been released from confinement, this news sent ripples through his heart. He wondered how she was doing now...

He is now a disabled person and can't help the Queen in any way.

After that incident, he developed a chronic illness and his lower back would hurt severely whenever it rained.

What happened in the palace can be hidden from others, but not from the person next to you.

Maoqian was very scared when she found out about this.

She was afraid of being implicated by him, and looked at him with disgust and aversion. The two of them slept in separate beds and were almost speechless at home. The warmth they once had was long gone.

Finally, fearing that she would be implicated by him, she simply packed up her things and fled the capital, escaping from him. Her departure was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, crushing the last glimmer of hope in his heart.

There was no trace of warmth in that cold home, only endless loneliness and desolation. He looked at the empty room, his heart filled with bitterness.

But he had no regrets. Even if he had to do it all over again, if the Empress was in trouble, he would still do the same thing. His unwavering belief was as unshakable as a rock.

Ling Yunche thought earnestly, and whenever she thought of that figure, a smile would appear on her face.

In his heart, the safety of the Empress was more important than anything else. He was willing to go through fire and water for her.

He stared, his eyes focused and intense, as if the entire world was reduced to the direction of Yikun Palace. The clamor in his ears suddenly faded, and everything around him became silent. In this tranquil atmosphere, a gray-purple figure gradually intruded before him.

The figure was dreamlike and mysterious. His heartbeat quickened involuntarily, and his eyes were filled with surprise and anticipation.

He didn't know if the figure was real or an illusion, but at that moment, he was willing to believe it was fate. The gray-purple figure seemed like a ray of hope, illuminating the darkness in his heart. He stared at it silently, afraid that this beautiful moment would be fleeting.

Ling Yunche stared blankly, his initial disbelief gradually replaced by emotion. He rubbed his eyes and realized that he had not seen the wrong person.

"Empress...Empress?"

Ling Yunche saluted somewhat awkwardly, feeling a sense of inferiority in his heart.

He didn't want the Queen to see him in such a miserable state.

Ruyi nodded and was about to move closer, but was pulled back by Zhu Yun.

Even though she was young, she could see that something was wrong.

"Empress? Why don't we go back?"

Zhu Yun thought she was just going to take a simple stroll in the Imperial Garden, but she never expected that she would end up in the cold palace. Zhu Yun was terrified and didn't dare to think too much about it. She just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

If other concubines were to find out and report it to the Emperor, the Empress would be the master and would just have to accept a few reprimands, but she, the servant, would be the one who would be taken advantage of!

"I'm going to talk to Guard Ling. Go and help me keep watch..."

Ruyi said these words subconsciously, her voice soft but with an unquestionable majesty.

She pushed Zhu Yun, and finally, she walked towards Ling Yunche step by step, each step was elegant and calm.