"Your Highness..." She was about to speak when Di Yunjian pulled her into his arms. She could feel the tremors of the man holding her, yet he carefully wrapped his arms around her. His warm, large hand rested on the back of her head, and his warm breath fanned across her neck.
"Let me hold you for a while," came the tired and hoarse voice by her ear, filled with the relief of surviving a catastrophe.
Qing Shu leaned on his broad shoulder and looked up at his face. A warm current welled up in her heart.
"Your Highness, it was I who had the clothes replaced after An Wu left," she said softly.
As soon as she finished speaking, she clearly felt the man holding her stiffen for a moment.
"Why?" Di Yunjian's throat tightened as he managed to utter these two words with difficulty.
"Weren't we supposed to play along with the plan? Why did you really take such a risk?
"Do you know how scared I was... If something had happened to you..."
A sob escaped his lips.
"What would I do..."
His voice choked with emotion. She felt the strength of the arms around her waist tighten. Qing Shu nestled in his broad embrace.
"Your Highness, I didn't want to distract you, nor did I want to leave any evidence for others to seize. I also didn't want to cause you unnecessary trouble. Besides, I'm fine," Qing Shu straightened up from his embrace. The gentle smile on her lips was like the clear spring water in spring, rippling with tenderness.
"Your Highness, I won't do this again."
Qing Shu sat up straight. Seeing the redness in his eyes and the glistening teardrops at the corners, she pursed her lips and reached out to wipe away his tears.
He would probably never forget this day for the rest of his life.
This was the bright future she had earned for her child and herself.
"Shu'er, there mustn't be a next time. Never again..."
"What if that imperial physician wasn't on our side and that woman had taken advantage of your weakness to kill you?" Di Yunjian didn't dare to think about it. He didn't dare to imagine that scene.
He had experienced it in his dreams. Watching the woman he loved die in front of his eyes, the pain was so intense that it made him tremble even in his dreams, let alone in reality.
"Your Highness is wise. You knew early on that the imperial physician had been bribed. The queen has been longing for my death... Cough, cough, cough... I don't know where I've offended the queen..." Qing Shu bit her lips and choked with sobs.
"I've always been punctual for the morning greetings..."
Di Yunjian pursed his lips. "She's feeling guilty. The Lin family has long - standing connections with her maternal family. After you were sent to the Cold Palace, the Lady Lin was willing to commit suicide. She was afraid that you would find out about her family's affairs, so she wanted to get rid of you."
Suddenly, he paused and said, "Since she's so scared, let's make her confess herself."
Qing Shu didn't say a word. Instead, she gently stroked his face with a look of pity.
He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. Qing Shu carefully shifted her position and patted the part of the couch still warm from her body.
"Your Highness must have a brilliant plan. Your Highness, lie down with me for a while. I'm a bit sleepy," she said, yawning.
Di Yunjian nodded. After feeding her the medicine, he got up to wash himself. Then he lay down on the couch and pulled her into his arms, as if he wanted to envelop her completely, but not in a suffocating way.
Soon, heavy breathing came from above her.
He was too tired. Since he had woken up early yesterday and returned to the palace with the entourage, and then this incident had happened, he had only just managed to fall asleep.
Qing Shu buried her head in his embrace, breathing in his familiar scent, and wrapped her arms around his strong waist.
Your Highness, the wind in my heart has always been blowing towards you, but I must make all the preparations before I can get closer to you.
Everything was subject to the harsh reality of serving the emperor was like being with a tiger.
Sleepiness overwhelmed her, and Qing Shu fell into a deep sleep in his arms.
In the harem, it was as if a violent storm had just passed.
The queen was under house arrest, the Noble Consort Shu had been poisoned, the Noble Consort De was in charge of the six palaces, and the Lady Tang was lingering on the bed. Although she had managed to survive, no one knew when she might never wake up again.
Only one candle was burning in the Fengyi Palace. The sunlight shone through the window lattice into the main hall. The once - luxurious Fengyi Palace now seemed a bit eerie and desolate.
The queen sat in the first phoenix - shaped seat for the morning greetings, shrouded in the dim light. She held a mirror and looked at herself in the weak sunlight. She lowered her head slightly, and the phoenix hairpin on her hairpin trembled slightly, emitting a glistening luster.
The phoenix hairpin, which she had once been so proud of, now seemed like a joke.
She held the mirror in her hand and sat upright, looking at the empty main hall. The grandeur of the past was gone, only the coldness rushed towards her.
With a creak, the heavy palace door was pushed open.
Qing Zhu walked in silently. Her figure was elongated by the rays of sunlight as she walked towards the main hall. Seeing the figure sitting like a statue in the dimness, her heart skipped a beat.
"Your Majesty..."
"How is it? Is she dead?" the queen asked faintly.
"Your Majesty, no..."
The queen gritted her teeth and threw the mirror out with a loud bang!
"She can't even die! Didn't the imperial physician do anything?"
"Your Majesty, after we left the Guanghan Hall, the Noble Consort Shu did suffer a relapse of the poison, but... she was saved. Now the Guanghan Hall has been tightly surrounded by the order of His Majesty. Everything, including food, drinks, and daily necessities, has to be thoroughly inspected before it can enter the Guanghan Hall," Qing Zhu pursed her lips.
The queen closed her eyes, her chest heaving.
"Your Majesty, someone sent a letter before the incident yesterday," Qing Zhu stepped forward and took out the envelope from her sleeve.
The queen's anger had nowhere to go. She impatiently took the letter and opened it. After reading the content, she waved her hand and knocked the teacup out.
Qing Zhu quickly lifted her skirt and knelt down. "Your Majesty, don't be angry."
"How can I not be angry? My father is really something! He's not satisfied with having me as the queen. He even wants to send someone into the palace for the imperial selection!"
"I'm under house arrest now. How can I let the people from my family enter the palace!"
Qing Zhu's eyes flashed. "Your Majesty, this servant thinks that this cousin from the mansion, if she enters the palace, might follow in the footsteps of the Noble Consort Xian and the Noble Consort Shu."
"We've seen this cousin before. She's extremely beautiful. Apart from the Noble Consort Shu, even the Lady Tang can't compare to her. If we let the cousin enter the palace to share His Majesty's favor, it might help you out of your predicament."
The queen fell silent and then said, "I'd like to, but I'm under house arrest and have no power now. Even if I want to make arrangements, I can't do anything!"
"Your Majesty, now the Noble Consort De is in charge of the six palaces. What if we..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the queen interrupted her.
"Do you think I'll flatter the Noble Consort De? Dream on!"
That bitch, the Noble Consort De, was once a candidate for the Crown Princess. Now that her seal and jade ribbon had been taken back and the Noble Consort De was in charge, did His Majesty mean to...
The queen clenched her fists tightly, and a fierce look flashed in her eyes.
The position of the queen that she had finally obtained would never be taken away by anyone!
"By the way... Could it be that His Majesty's sudden decision to take back the seal and jade ribbon is because something about the Huizhou incident has been exposed?!" the queen asked hurriedly.
"Your Majesty, no one in the mansion has received any news. Everything is calm."
"Calmness is the most suspicious. You write a letter back home and tell the people in the mansion to act low - key recently. They mustn't make any mistakes and draw His Majesty's attention."
"If there's any news from His Majesty, come and inform me immediately."
The queen's bright red nails dug deeply into the handle of the phoenix - shaped seat.
The crimes of the Prime Minister's Mansion were too serious. If they weren't discovered, it would still be her support.
If they were discovered, she would have to cut off her tail to survive. She would use the good name of punishing her relatives out of justice to protect her position as the queen.