HLnovel Chapter 248 The Lonely One
Chapter 248 The Lonely One
When only the emperor and his minister remained in the hall, Lu Zhiheng slowly spoke: "Your Majesty, this fire was caused by sparks from fireworks that landed on dry firewood in the backyard of Zuixianju. The firewood had been piled up for a long time, and the fire spread extremely quickly. By the time we discovered it, it was too late to save anyone."
"In this fire, Consort Liang was not the only one who perished in the flames."
"Your Majesty, as the ruler of the country, the people injured in this fire still need your presence to take charge. I humbly request Your Majesty to take care of your health and not to wallow in grief any longer."
Lu Zhiheng spoke each word carefully, and the other person was shocked when they heard the reason for the fire.
"What did you say?"
Pei Yuanling's eyes were bloodshot and filled with disbelief. "The fire started with fireworks?"
Last night's fireworks display was a surprise he specially arranged for Chu Qingyin...
Could it really be because of him that Yinyin perished in the fire?
Thinking of this, Pei Yuanling's mind became increasingly broken.
Just then, a high-pitched announcement came from outside the hall: "The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Empress Dowager Wang, supported by Empress Wang, walked straight in.
Upon entering the palace, the Empress Dowager frowned upon smelling the acrid odor permeating the air.
Seeing Pei Yuanling's distraught appearance, she feigned concern and said softly, "Your Majesty, I know you are heartbroken. But the matter of Consort Liang is already settled. You must accept this and move on. The people of the world are still counting on you."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Empress Wang quickly chimed in, "I hope Your Majesty will take care of your health and not be too saddened."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at the corpse, a wave of nausea rising in her heart, but she forced herself to suppress it.
Upon seeing the two women, Pei Yuanling instantly became agitated and shouted, "What do you mean it's a done deal? She's not dead at all! What nonsense are you all spouting!"
At this moment, Pei Yuanling was completely deaf to any words of comfort.
An unnamed fire burned fiercely in his heart. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the two people before him and said hatefully, "Empress, I knew all along that you harbored ill intentions towards Consort Liang. You must be overjoyed that she's dead!"
Upon hearing this, Empress Wang immediately looked aggrieved and said in alarm, "How could Your Majesty think that way? Consort Liang's death really had nothing to do with me."
"It's alright?"
Pei Yuanling was delirious and staggered: "If I had known that Zuixianju was owned by your Wang family, I would never have taken her there!"
"Your Majesty, as the ruler of a nation, how can you so hastily convict someone!"
Empress Dowager Wang frowned, clearly displeased. She said coldly, "The Empress is also worried about your safety. If His Majesty becomes despondent over a woman and neglects state affairs, how will the court officials and the people of the world view you?"
Empress Dowager Wang's words were like a sharp knife, piercing straight into the most sensitive spot in Pei Yuanling's heart.
"Abandoning state affairs? Heh..."
Pei Yuanling laughed in fury, his laughter filled with sorrow and mockery: "I only wanted to take my beloved woman to see fireworks to make her happy, and this is considered neglecting state affairs?"
His cold gaze swept over the Empress Dowager and Empress Wang, as if he wanted to etch their faces into his heart.
"You keep saying you're doing this for the country and for me, but how can you know what I truly love?"
Pei Yuanling's voice gradually lowered, filled with endless pain.
Love?
When the Empress Dowager heard this, she found it utterly ridiculous.
How could an emperor talk so much about love and romance?
"I think Your Majesty has gone mad."
The Empress Dowager's expression was icy, and her tone was devoid of emotion, as if this visit was merely a routine matter.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, Lu Zhiheng stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to comfort the people who perished in this fire. The fire last night has already caused a great deal of discussion among the people. If we do not comfort them as soon as possible, there is a risk of unforeseen consequences."
Pei Yuanling took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
He understood that Lu Zhiheng was absolutely right. No matter how grief-stricken he was, he couldn't let anyone take advantage of him.
"By imperial decree, do everything in your power to treat the wounded and give the dead a proper burial, so as to give the people an explanation."
Pei Yuanling gave his orders in a deep voice, finally regaining some of his imperial dignity.
Looking at the Empress Dowager before him, he seemed to have seen through her thoughts: "Mother, this is my empire, and I certainly cannot allow my ministers to make a fool of me."
It's even less likely that the Wang family will take advantage of the situation!
Seeing that Pei Yuanling had calmed down for the time being, the Empress Dowager's heart sank slightly, and her face returned to its previous worried expression: "It is truly a blessing for our dynasty that Your Majesty can take the overall situation into consideration."
Pei Yuanling pretended not to see her feigned sincerity and said calmly, "I will arrange the matter of Consort Liang myself, so there is no need for the Empress Dowager to worry about it."
After saying that, he turned and walked back, his straight back now revealing endless exhaustion.
"Lu Zhiheng," he called out.
"Wei Chen is here."
Lu Zhiheng followed him at a respectful distance, keeping his eyes down and pretending not to hear their conversation inside the hall.
Pei Yuanling turned around and looked directly at Lu Zhiheng. His tired eyes revealed his integrity: "Lu Zhiheng, I order you to temporarily take charge of the government. You must appease the people and thoroughly investigate the fire at Zuixianju. No matter who is involved, you must not tolerate them."
Lu Zhiheng was shocked and immediately knelt down to accept the decree: "Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to live up to your trust."
Pei Yuanling nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the palace.
His steps grew heavier and heavier, each step feeling like he was dragging a thousand-pound burden, and the regret in his heart almost overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.
Is this divine punishment?
He had finally won her back, finally reconciled with her, so why did fate have to play tricks on him again and take her away from him?
Is being alone his predetermined fate?
Half an hour later, Pei Yuanling arrived at the entrance of Feixue Palace in a daze.
Just as his hand was about to touch that familiar palace door, a strong sense of dizziness struck, and the scene before his eyes gradually blurred.
The next moment, his legs went weak, and he fell straight to the ground.
"His Majesty!"
Upon seeing this, Chen Zhongliang, who was following behind, turned pale instantly and rushed forward.
He caught Pei Yuanling's limp body, and the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs were also frightened by this sudden change and were in a panic.
"Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician immediately!"
Chen Zhongliang shouted at the top of his lungs, not caring about anything else at the moment. He immediately ordered the eunuchs to carry Pei Yuanling on their backs and hurriedly send him to Feixue Palace.
Before long, the imperial physician arrived in a hurry.
Chen Zhongliang was extremely anxious and hurriedly asked, "Quickly, look, what's wrong with His Majesty?"
He watched intently as the imperial physician treated Pei Yuanling, not daring to utter a sound.
"Chief Steward Chen, His Majesty fainted due to excessive anger and grief."
After the imperial physician finished his examination, he stood up and reported to Chen Zhongliang, "He needs to be well cared for, otherwise the Emperor's health is in danger."
Chen Zhongliang frowned, nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice, "We must do everything we can to save His Majesty. If anything goes wrong, none of us will be able to save our heads!"
"Yes Yes……"
The old imperial physician didn't dare to breathe loudly and quickly administered acupuncture to calm the emperor.
Pei Yuanling finally woke up around midnight.
At this moment, only Chen Zhongliang was guarding him.
The young emperor looked haggard and spoke in a hoarse voice: "Where is Consort Liang? Tell her to come see me."
"Your Majesty, Consort Liang has already..."
Chen Zhongliang hesitated, looking at his master's distraught appearance with heartache in his eyes.
"Don't talk nonsense. Yinyin is just still angry and resents me for not executing the Empress."
Pei Yuanling struggled to stand up, saying, "Once I've secured my throne and dealt with the Wang family, she will surely return to my side."
He stared at the empty hall, no longer seeing Chu Qingyin's figure. His chest felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on it, and he felt a suffocating pain.
"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences..."
Chen Zhongliang dared not say anything more and could only follow Pei Yuanling from a distance.
Pei Yuanling, however, wandered through the dark palace like a soulless zombie.
That silhouette truly lived up to the image of a solitary figure.