HLnovel Chapter 247 Her Corpse
Chapter 247 Her Corpse
When Lu Zhiheng returned to the capital, the incident at the lantern festival the previous night had already caused a great uproar in the imperial court.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, the emperor took his concubine Liang out of the palace to enjoy the lanterns. They encountered a restaurant on fire, and the concubine Liang perished in the flames.
Pei Yuanling slept soundly all night and finally woke up in the afternoon.
"Your Majesty, you've finally woken up..."
Empress Wang stayed by the bedside, sobbing uncontrollably. The woman's eyes were red and bruised, clearly indicating that she had not slept all night.
Pei Yuanling's voice was hoarse, "Where is Consort Liang?"
As soon as he spoke, he felt his throat being torn apart, and the pain was unbearable.
"Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance. The imperial physician said that you should not think too much these next two days."
Empress Wang avoided answering, but kept advising him to take care of his health.
"I ask you, where is Consort Liang?"
Pei Yuanling endured the pain in his throat, his sharp eyes fixed on the other person: "Where is Consort Liang!"
He seemed to have drunk a glass of wine last night, and quickly lost consciousness. Yinyin had also drunk that wine...
"Someone come here!"
He sat up abruptly, but a dull pain shot through the back of his head.
The eunuchs and palace maids inside the hall were so frightened by the stern shout that they immediately knelt down, trembling all over.
Where is Consort Liang?
Pei Yuanling's eyes were bloodshot, and he swept his gaze across the crowd with a fierce look. He roared, "Why isn't anyone saying anything? Are you all mute?"
"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. Consort Liang, she..."
The head eunuch, Chen Zhongliang, crawled forward on his knees, his voice trembling with sobs: "The Empress didn't make it out of the fire at the restaurant last night..."
Unable to get out?
What does it mean that I couldn't come out?
"No...it's impossible..."
Pei Yuanling shook his head, his gaze dark, and suddenly roared, "Nonsense!"
He suddenly stood up, overturning the table next to him in the process.
In an instant, the sound of porcelain shattering was particularly jarring in the hall.
"How dare you deceive me! Consort Liang accompanied me out of the palace. How come I returned safely, but she is dead?"
Pei Yuanling's face was ashen, and he said in a hoarse voice, "She is definitely still alive. You all go and find her, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!"
As he spoke, ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, he ran barefoot towards the exit, shouting, "Guards, gather all the Imperial Guards for me! I'll take them with me..."
But just as he was about to wake up, he suddenly became agitated, his vision went black, his body swayed, and he almost fell.
"Your Majesty, be careful!"
The eunuchs around him rushed forward to help him up, but he forcefully pushed them away, yelling, "Get out of my way—"
"Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"
He had just stepped out of his bedchamber when the ministers outside, hearing the commotion, knelt down to dissuade him.
Pei Yuanling ignored him, his mind filled with Chu Qingyin's voice and smile.
Every little thing about her has now become the sharpest knife, cutting into his heart again and again.
He was the one who led her out of the palace, he was the one who chose that restaurant, it was him…
I failed to protect Yinyin...
"Take me to the fire; I want to find her myself!"
Pei Yuanling repeated the same words, his dark eyes turning bloodshot as if he were a trapped beast.
Standing among the high-ranking military officials, Lu Zhiheng looked at the emperor's agonizing appearance, but inwardly he sneered.
But he quickly suppressed these emotions, his face remaining as composed as ever, and spoke slowly, "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. Consort Liang has passed away."
Pei Yuanling's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Lu Zhiheng, as if trying to find a flaw in his face. "Lu Zhiheng, even you are trying to deceive me?"
"Wei Chen dare not."
Lu Zhiheng bowed and raised his sleeve, saying, "Last night's incident happened too suddenly. The restaurant was filled with smoke. His Majesty and Consort Liang were drugged and fainted, and no one knows who tricked them."
"When His Majesty was rescued, the entire restaurant was completely engulfed in flames. The Imperial Guards desperately tried to go back and rescue Consort Liang, but the fire was too intense, and they couldn't get close at all..."
Before Lu Zhiheng could finish speaking, Pei Yuanling interrupted him sharply, "Nonsense! Yinyin is so smart, how could something happen to her so easily? It must be you, it must be you who deliberately harmed her!"
As he spoke, he rushed forward and grabbed Lu Zhiheng by the collar.
The young emperor raised his hand and punched the other man in the cheek.
This punch was delivered with full force, causing Lu Zhiheng to stagger back several steps, blood instantly seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Upon seeing this, the guards on both sides hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
"Lu Zhiheng! I knew long ago that you harbored ill intentions towards Yinyin! Who else could it be but you!"
"Your Majesty, I am utterly loyal. How could I have committed such a treasonous act?"
Lu Zhiheng remained calm, sidestepping Pei Yuanling's attack, and said unhurriedly, "The body of Consort Liang has been placed in the Ministry of Justice, but it has been burned beyond recognition by the fire, and it is truly unbearable to look at. I do not recommend that Your Majesty take a look, lest you add to the sorrow."
After a pause, he continued, "Your Majesty keeps saying that I harmed Consort Liang, but have you ever considered that your favoritism towards Consort Liang has made her many enemies in the palace? Those malicious villains took advantage of the lax security when she left the palace to plot against her."
Lu Zhiheng's expression was indifferent. He turned to look at Empress Wang, who was waiting to the side, and asked, "Your Majesty, what do you say?"
When she was suddenly called out by name, Empress Wang's face turned pale instantly, and her eyes became somewhat evasive.
"This Empress...this Empress..."
She instinctively took a step back, her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her dress. "I don't understand what Lord Lu means by that..."
"It doesn't mean anything."
Lu Zhiheng said calmly, "I have only heard that the Zuixianju restaurant that caught fire last night was originally owned by the Wang family and was recently sold to merchants from Jiangnan. I do not know if this is true or not."
"Lord Lu! Stop spouting nonsense! That Drunken Immortal Residence has already been bought by someone and has nothing to do with the Wang family!"
Empress Wang's cheeks flushed red with anger. She knew nothing about this matter; how could it possibly have been done by the Wang family!
Upon hearing these words, Pei Yuanling was struck dumb, and his tall body swayed slightly.
If it weren't for the guards supporting him, he would have almost fallen to the ground.
His eyes were vacant, and he muttered, "This isn't real, Yinyin, Yinyin..."
The young emperor wept uncontrollably, his body trembling uncontrollably, his heart-wrenching cries echoing throughout the palace.
Empress Wang watched from the sidelines, feeling a pang of reluctance but mostly a sense of satisfaction.
That despicable Qiao Qingyin is finally dead!
That's wonderful.
She suppressed her inner elation, slowly stepped forward, and said with a sob in her voice, "Things have come to this, I hope Your Majesty will take care of yourself and accept the situation. The court still needs you to take charge."
Pei Yuanling seemed not to hear, but when he saw the Empress's outstretched hand, he felt a sudden wave of disgust.
He abruptly shoved the Empress aside and strode quickly out of the hall—
"I need to see Consort Liang. Lu Zhiheng, take me to see her!"
Consort Liang's body was placed at the Ministry of Justice. When it was discovered, it was burned so badly that her face was unrecognizable. It was only because of the location of the body that her identity was roughly confirmed.
Pei Yuanling stumbled and staggered toward the Ministry of Justice as if he were possessed.
The guards and eunuchs on both sides wanted to stop him, but they were too frightened to approach him by his terrifying appearance.
When he stepped into the hall where Consort Liang's body was laid out, a strong smell of burning hit him.
He stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with fear and despair.
As he slowly approached the body covered by the white sheet, his hands were still trembling, and he hesitated to uncover it.
Finally, as if he had used all his strength, he ripped off the white cloth.
The sight before him made his vision go black, and he felt dizzy and disoriented.
The corpse was charred black, curled up in a small ball, its blurred outline making it impossible to connect with the bright and beautiful woman in my memory.
"Voice..."
Pei Yuanling's voice was hoarse as he slumped to the ground, clutching his head tightly with both hands.
"Why, why did this happen?"
At this moment, Lu Zhiheng waved his hand, signaling everyone to step back.