Phi-Fic Chapter 130 I Won't Abandon Her
Chapter 130 I Won't Abandon Her
Xishan Imperial Palace.
Pei Yuanling sat in the study of Chen'an Palace, surrounded by a large group of people kneeling before him.
"It's been three days, and you still haven't found them?" Pei Yuanling's voice was as cold as frost.
"Your Majesty, not yet... not yet."
The head guard answered tremblingly, "The cliff is steep and dangerous. My men have been searching along the edge of the cliff, but we have never found a place to go down the mountain."
The guards knelt on the ground in misery, wondering which damned bastard dared to commit such a heinous act, endangering their lives.
Upon hearing this, Pei Yuanling abruptly slammed the teacup in his hand onto the ground, shattering it with a loud crash.
"A bunch of useless trash!"
His face grew increasingly grim. "I'll give you two more days. I want to see him alive or dead! If you still can't find him, you'll all come back with your heads!"
The guards trembled with fear and immediately kowtowed in agreement.
Pei Yuanling waved his hand impatiently, telling them to leave immediately.
Yinyin, where are you?
Pei Yuanling rubbed his temples, feeling utterly exhausted.
"Your Majesty, Consort Gui is a lucky person and will surely be alright. Perhaps she and Lord Lu have already found a way out and are on their way back?" Chen Zhongliang brought over a brand new teacup to make tea for him. These were his true feelings.
He genuinely hoped that Consort Qiao could return to the palace safely.
Since the death of Consort Chu, His Majesty has stopped entering the inner palace and has been numbing himself with daily official duties, losing a lot of weight in just a few months.
Things only improved somewhat after Consort Qiao entered the palace.
"Yes, Lu Zhiheng is also there."
As if grasping at a straw, Pei Yuanling thought that Lu Zhiheng was quite skilled and not just a weak scholar. With him around, there might still be a glimmer of hope.
The most urgent task is to find a way down the mountain as soon as possible; otherwise, the only option is to lower ropes down the cliff face to search.
"Chen Zhongliang, have those assassins given in?"
Pei Yuanling's expression darkened. He already had a suspect in mind, but he had no evidence.
“Those men are suicide squad members; they’re incredibly stubborn. We tried every method in the interrogation room, but we couldn’t get them to talk.” Chen Zhongliang lowered his head, afraid that the emperor would be angry with him if he heard this answer.
"Don't let them die; I still have a use for them."
The assassin seemed to be targeting him that day, but his actions were clearly aimed at Chu Qingyin, with the intention of killing her.
In this palace, besides that person, who else could be so intolerant of her?
***
As the sun sets in the west, the rosy clouds resemble snow.
Empress Wang paced back and forth in the hall, her face filled with anxiety. She no longer cared about maintaining her composure; her hands were clenched tightly, her palms sweaty.
After a while, the chief eunuch Lin Qing walked in quickly from outside the door, carrying a lantern, and hurriedly closed the main hall door.
"Has His Majesty found anything?" Empress Wang asked anxiously, unable to hide her panic.
Lin Qing bowed, placed the lantern on the shelf, and then replied, "Those assassins are very tight-lipped. His Majesty has not yet found out who the mastermind is. Your Highness, please do not worry."
"How can I not worry!" Empress Wang suddenly raised her voice, her eyes filled with anxiety and unease.
"I only asked you to find a way to disfigure her, how did so many assassins end up here!"
The thought that the assassins were still alive made Empress Wang even more panicked. If they revealed anything, she might lose her position as empress... no, she might even lose her life.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, those...those assassins..."
Lin Qing's face turned pale. He gritted his teeth and knelt down with a thud. "Those assassins were not found by this servant!"
Upon hearing this, Empress Wang's expression changed drastically. Then, Lin Qing earnestly said, "This servant only tampered with Consort Qiao's horse, but before the medicine could take effect, Your Majesty encountered the assassin."
"But Your Majesty, rest assured, that horse has been dealt with by this servant. His Majesty will definitely not be able to find out that it came from here."
Lin Qing was Empress Wang's confidante, and she was extremely meticulous in her dealings with people, so she would never easily give anyone a handle to use against her.
"Who else could it be? Who else could it be?" Empress Wang felt uneasy, sensing that this matter was not so simple.
It's just a minor concubine rank, why would anyone go to such lengths?
Lin Qing quickly stepped forward and gently comforted her, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The fate of Consort Qiao is now unknown. Isn't this exactly what Your Majesty wants? Since someone has taken action, we just need to stand by and watch."
"Yes, yes...you're right."
Empress Wang took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but her worries did not diminish at all.
She walked to the window, gazing at the darkening sky outside, her delicate eyebrows furrowed. "Lin Qing, go and find out more information, see if His Majesty has any new developments."
Lin Qing responded and was about to leave when Empress Wang added, "Be very careful not to let anyone find out."
Lin Qing nodded in agreement and turned to leave.
Empress Wang was alone in the palace, still feeling lingering fear as she recalled what had happened that day.
If there is even the slightest mistake and His Majesty is accidentally injured, the consequences would be unimaginable.
She gazed at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, her eyes darkening. She gently stroked her lower abdomen, thinking how wonderful it would be to have a son.
At that time, it will be none of her business who Pei Yuanling favors. As long as she raises the child well, becoming the Empress Dowager will be her only way out.
My aunt is right. As a daughter of the Wang family, the most important thing is the honor of the family.
As for Pei Yuanling, since his heart is not with her and he is making things difficult for her at every turn, she will have nothing to do with him if anything happens to her when she goes out in the future.
By this time, it was completely dark, and the mountain path beneath their feet could no longer be seen.
Chu Qingyin held a simple torch, leaned on the man's broad back, and carefully put her arm around his shoulder to light the way ahead.
They had been walking for a whole day and didn't know how far they had gone, but the dense forest in front of them was still endless, and every step was extremely difficult.
During the day, you can use the position of the sun to determine direction, but right now you can't see anything at all.
"Lord Lu, how about we rest here for the night and continue our journey at dawn?"
The mountain path was extremely rugged and difficult to traverse, and he had been carrying himself for a whole day; he was probably already exhausted.
"Hmm." Lu Zhiheng didn't say much. He nodded and carefully put the person down in a relatively flat spot.
"Please rest here for a moment, I'll go gather some firewood to start a fire."
“Okay…” Chu Qingyin nodded, the torch in her hand becoming the only point of light in the darkness.
Watching his retreating figure, she shrank back, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Lord Lu, will you ever come back?"
The tall, receding figure paused.
After a moment, he did not turn around, but said, "Rest assured, I did not abandon you yesterday, and I will not abandon you again in the future."
After saying that, the man's tall and imposing figure disappeared into the darkness.