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

Chapter 275 A broken mirror cannot be mended, spilled water cannot be gathered up again.

Aunt Fang continued, "...As soon as the Netherworld Flower blooms, His Majesty will immediately have Chief Gu personally escort the Netherworld Flower back to the palace, and have the best physicians in the Imperial Hospital make an antidote for Young Master Lu."

"His Majesty has been feeding you blood for several days, and his body has been quite exhausted. He should have rested properly for a while, but he knew that Your Majesty would definitely ask about Young Master Lu's condition after you woke up, so he took you with him and rushed back to the palace as soon as possible."

"His Majesty is still handling state affairs in the Hall of Diligent Governance. The recent rebellion by Young Master Lu and General Chu has shaken the court and the public. Moreover, the Empress died that day, and the Wang family was raided... Alas, His Majesty is extremely busy and has no time to spare. He hasn't had a good night's sleep for several days."

Aunt Fang risked disobeying the imperial decree to say these things, simply to help His Majesty try to win back the Empress's heart.

It must be said that Chu Qingyin was indeed touched by what she heard.

But it was limited to gratitude.

Now, the man in her heart has quietly become Lu Zhiheng, and no longer belongs to Pei Yuanling.

A broken mirror cannot be mended, and spilled water cannot be gathered up again. Perhaps her fate with Pei Yuanling ended long ago on the day she was poisoned to death in the cold palace.

Now that she knew Lu Zhiheng had taken the antidote, Chu Qingyin felt a little relieved.

With Aunt Fang's help, she quickly washed up, ate some easily digestible food, and had a large bowl of nourishing astragalus, goji berry, and black-boned chicken soup.

With food in her stomach, she regained some strength and had the energy to ask about the recent situation in the capital.

Perhaps at Pei Yuanling's behest, Aunt Fang didn't hide anything from Chu Qingyin when she asked.

"His Majesty has publicly declared that the remnants of Zhang Xian's faction have been wiped out, and stated that Young Master Lu is not a descendant of the so-called Crown Prince Zhang Xian, but merely used the claim of being a descendant of Zhang Xian to start a rebellion. However, because of this charge, the entire Lu family has been imprisoned..."

Having been implicated in the heinous crime of treason, the Lu family is naturally to blame.

Chu Qingyin didn't say much about this, after all, Pei Yuanling was an emperor—

He was already giving Lu Zhiheng enough face by secretly sparing her life.

Otherwise, the crimes committed by Lu Zhiheng would be punishable by being torn apart by five horses or cut into a thousand pieces.

"As for those soldiers and officers, they have now been taken over by His Majesty. His Majesty has given them two choices: if they accept being incorporated into the army, they will be spared; if they refuse to surrender, they will be killed without mercy."

Chu Qingyin: "..."

This is also expected.

"And also..."

Aunt Fang hesitated for a moment, looked at Chu Qingyin, and whispered, "His Majesty has imprisoned General Chu again, and this servant does not know the specifics of his situation."

Chu Qingyin: "..."

After much back and forth, the elder brother still ended up in prison.

Whether in his past life or this one, the elder brother has suffered greatly for his younger sister.

Thinking of this, Chu Qingyin's eyes also felt sore and hot.

When Pei Yuanling finished his work at the Hall of Diligent Governance and rushed to the bedchamber, he saw Chu Qingyin with her eyebrows furrowed, her eyes red-rimmed, and looking melancholy.

He couldn't help but frown and look at Aunt Fang.

Aunt Fang immediately stood up awkwardly and bowed, then added an explanation: "Her Majesty asked about General Chu..."

After she said that, Pei Yuanling understood everything.

He sighed softly and said, "Alright, you may leave now."

Aunt Fang bowed and replied, "Yes."

After Aunt Fang withdrew, only Pei Yuanling and Chu Qingyin remained in the hall.

Chu Qingyin snapped out of her daze and tucked her eyes into her sleeve.

After composing herself, she looked up at the man in front of her, who was wearing a black brocade robe with dragon patterns, and said softly, "Your Majesty, thank you. If it weren't for your help in watering the Netherworld Flower with your blood, Ah Heng would probably be gone long ago."

Her voice still had a slightly muffled nasal quality, which made people's hearts soften.

Meeting her gaze, which was both grateful and somewhat distant, Pei Yuanling forced a bitter smile. "No need to thank me. I just... don't want to see you sad."

Chu Qingyin: "..."

She naturally saw the suppressed emotions in the man's deep, dark eyes.

But she could no longer respond; she only gave a soft "hmm" and said nothing more.

For a moment, the bedchamber fell silent.

After a long silence, Pei Yuanling spoke again, saying, "You don't need to feel embarrassed. This is all something I owe you and Lu Zhiheng. If it weren't for my arrogance and stubbornness back then, you two wouldn't have had to go through all this..."

The man's voice was low and filled with endless regret.

Chu Qingyin was slightly taken aback.

She never imagined that Pei Yuanling, who was always high above and in control of the world, would say such self-reproachful words.

She didn't know how to respond for a moment, so she could only remain silent.

Just then, Aunt Fang rushed in from outside the hall, her face beaming with joy, and reported loudly, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, a messenger from Qingzheng Hall just came to report that Young Master Lu's finger has moved!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin's previously dim eyes instantly lit up. "Really?"

Aunt Fang nodded emphatically: "This servant would not dare to speak nonsense."

Chu Qingyin could no longer sit still. She looked at Pei Yuanling, her eyes filled with urgency: "Your Majesty, I want to go see him."

Pei Yuanling: "..."

His breathing became heavy, but he still nodded. "Go."

Having received his permission, Chu Qingyin didn't waste any more time. She hurriedly put on an outer robe and headed out of the bedroom.

In the magnificent palace, gazing at that slender and graceful figure, Pei Yuanling felt that indescribable emotion surge through his chest once again.

There was reluctance, a sense of letting go, and a touch of indescribable loneliness.

He knew that he had completely lost his Yinyin.

And he could no longer accompany her on the road ahead.

***

As dusk settled in the palace, the bronze bells on the eaves fell silent in the evening breeze.

Chu Qingyin almost ran to Qingzheng Hall. As soon as she entered the hall, the bitter smell of medicine mixed with a faint smell of blood hit her face, making her eyes suddenly sting.

In the dim light, she immediately saw Lu Zhiheng lying quietly on the bed, like a sleeping sculpture, lifeless.

In that instant, Chu Qingyin disregarded all etiquette and rushed straight to the imperial physicians, anxiously asking, "Imperial physicians, why is he still unconscious? Didn't they say earlier that his fingers moved?"

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and said with a solemn and somewhat helpless expression: "Your Majesty, Young Master Lu did indeed briefly wake up just now, but he has been unconscious for too long, his qi and blood are deficient, and his internal organs are exhausted. He simply couldn't keep up and fell into a deep sleep again."

Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin bit her lower lip and took several deep breaths to calm herself down: "I hope everyone will do their best. If he can recover soon, I will reward him handsomely."

The imperial physicians all knelt down, repeatedly saying, "We will do our utmost to serve you."

After the imperial physicians filed out and the palace doors closed, Chu Qingyin dragged her heavy steps to the bedside and slowly sat down.

The hall was eerily quiet, with only the crackling of candlelight on the bronze candlesticks.

The tiny flames flickered, casting long shadows of her and Lu Zhiheng.

Looking at the emaciated man who had been unconscious for many days on the bed, Chu Qingyin felt a lump in her throat.

Her slender fingers gently stroked Lu Zhiheng's face, feeling its coolness to the touch.

His once handsome face was now deathly pale, and the flesh on his cheeks was deeply sunken...

"Aheng, please wake up soon."

Chu Qingyin murmured, her voice choked with emotion, "It wasn't easy to get the Netherworld Flower for you, and... Pei Yuanling is willing to let go of his obsession and grant us our wish... We've endured so much suffering, you can't give up now..."

"If you give up now, I will never forgive you."

"Didn't you promise that when you came back, you would marry me openly and honestly and be with me?"

"You can't break your promise. If you do, I will never forgive you for the rest of my life."

She chattered on and on, while outside the window, the night was as dark as ink, and the occasional night wind made the window frames creak.

Chu Qingyin got up, walked to the window, and closed it tightly.

Returning to the bedside, she picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped Lu Zhiheng's pale and thin face.

Her movements were extremely careful, as if the man before her were made of glass, precious and fragile.

Gradually, the water clock dripped in the silence, and Chu Qingyin's eyelids grew heavier and heavier as drowsiness washed over her like a tide.

But she forced herself to stay awake, her gaze fixed on Lu Zhiheng's face, afraid of missing the moment he woke up.

In a daze, she seemed to see Lu Zhiheng slowly open his eyes, his eyes full of tenderness and doting, smiling at her.

But when she suddenly regained consciousness, he was still unconscious in front of her.

"Lu Zhiheng, can you even hear me...?"

Chu Qingyin's eyes reddened, and she gripped Lu Zhiheng's hand tightly again, "If you don't wake up soon, I... I'll stay in the palace and continue being Pei Yuanling's concubine!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the man on the bed kept his eyelids tightly closed.

Chu Qingyin felt a sense of defeat, but there was nothing she could do. She could only pray silently in her heart, hoping that God would have mercy on her and let her wake up soon.

Before we knew it, the sky outside was getting darker and darker.

Chu Qingyin's body was also weak. Even though she tried her best to hold on, she could not resist the exhaustion and finally closed her eyes.

I don't know how much time passed, but the night outside the window quietly faded away, and a faint light began to appear.

In a daze, Chu Qingyin suddenly felt her finger being gently hooked.

For a moment, she thought it was her imagination.

Until the second time.

Chu Qingyin woke up instantly, her eyes snapping open.

Just as her eyes were still filled with a drowsy and confused look, she saw the man's hand, which she was holding tightly, twitch his slender little finger.

Chu Qingyin: "...!"

She unconsciously held her breath, and her gaze slowly moved upwards along her little finger.

Upon closer inspection, they saw that the man, who had been unconscious for many days, was slowly opening his eyes.

Those familiar eyes held a hint of confusion, but quickly focused on Chu Qingyin.