HLnovel Chapter 171 You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.
Chapter 171 You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.
After taking the medicine, Pei Yuanling carried the person to the bed.
"Yinyin, I will come to see you later these next few days, so as to avoid the Empress Dowager causing you any more trouble."
Pei Yuanling tucked the blanket around Chu Qingyin and asked softly, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey." Chu Qingyin nodded sullenly, her voice thick with a nasal tone.
Her eyes were clearly wet, but she still put on a pitiful act as if nothing was wrong, which made people feel sorry for her.
But since the Empress Dowager has already given her a warning, she will naturally keep an eye on things here these next few days, so Pei Yuanling can't keep coming over all the time.
Furthermore, since he had promised to visit the Empress often, he had to put on a show and make a perfunctory gesture.
After taking the medicine, Chu Qingyin quickly felt sleepy.
Pei Yuanling placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered, "Sleep now, I'll stay here with you."
Chu Qingyin nodded and soon fell asleep.
Pei Yuanling sat on the edge of the bed, gazing quietly at the woman's beautiful sleeping face, his worries growing stronger.
To what extent must we go to truly protect her?
After an unknown amount of time, Chu Qingyin gently furrowed her brows in her sleep and let out a soft moan.
Pei Yuanling quickly took her hand and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
As if sensing his presence, Chu Qingyin gradually relaxed her brows and fell asleep again.
As dusk fell and the candlelight flickered in the palace, Pei Yuanling looked at his sleeping beloved, reluctant to part, but knowing he could not stay any longer.
He summoned Xianglan and Yuyan, repeatedly instructing them to take good care of Chu Qingyin and to report any abnormalities immediately.
After Pei Yuanling left Xingyue Palace, the beautiful woman lying quietly on the bed had her thick eyelashes flutter gently. She opened her eyes, and her exquisite eyes were completely calm.
"Xianglan".
Chu Qingyin softly called to the maid waiting outside the door.
With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside, bringing in the chill of the night and causing the bed curtains to sway gently.
"How did Your Highness wake up?"
Xianglan looked surprised and said softly, "This servant will ask His Majesty to return immediately."
Pei Yuanling had just left, so he shouldn't have gone too far yet.
"No need."
Chu Qingyin quickly called out to her, and said softly, "Go and get some cold water, I want to take a bath."
Upon hearing this, Xianglan was somewhat confused. Shouldn't hot water be prepared for bathing?
Since her mistress had given specific instructions, she couldn't ask any more questions and could only step back to begin preparations.
Chu Qingyin threw back the covers, got up, and walked to the bronze mirror.
In the golden mirror, the woman's soft and beautiful face was vaguely reflected. She touched the cinnabar mole on her forehead, and the corners of her mouth suddenly curled up slightly.
She thought the Empress Dowager was a composed person, but she never expected that she would lose her temper in just three days.
Perhaps it was because of her exclusive favor that the Empress Dowager was reminded of Chu Qingyin, which is why she acted this way.
Before long, Xianglan, accompanied by several palace maids, carried several buckets of cold water into the inner room.
Xianglan's eyes were full of worry, "Your Majesty, are you sure...?"
She now understood her mistress's intentions, but doing so would be too harmful to her health.
"It's alright." Chu Qingyin shook her head, her beautiful hair already styled in a bun.
She dismissed everyone else, leaving only Xianglan to serve her.
Chu Qingyin took off her thin clothes and slowly stepped into the bathtub filled with cold water. Her fair toes touched the water, and the icy touch made her involuntarily step back a little.
But soon enough, she stepped inside.
The moment the cold water touched her skin, goosebumps rose almost instantly all over her body.
Chu Qingyin gritted her teeth and submerged herself completely in the cold water. The biting cold stung her skin, but her mind became increasingly clear.
Marquis Xianglan, standing to the side, felt even more distressed seeing his mistress mistreating herself like this.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty already harbors resentment towards the Empress Dowager, so why do you continue to degrade yourself like this?"
After holding back for a long time, Xianglan finally couldn't help but speak up.
It is important to know that women are most susceptible to cold. If they soak in cold water for a long time, they may develop a cold-related illness, making it even more difficult for them to conceive in the future.
"Not enough."
Chu Qingyin lowered her eyes. She didn't have many things to rely on right now, but Pei Yuanling's favor was one of them.
Her brother was imprisoned, the entire Chu State Duke's family was exiled, and she herself was poisoned to death in the cold palace. The people she could think of who were responsible were Lu Zhiheng, Empress Wang, the Empress Dowager, and even the entire Wang family.
Although His Majesty has now established a firm foothold in the court, he is still inevitably constrained by the Wang family. Although he has developed some resentment towards them, he was raised by the Empress Dowager and still holds her in high regard.
Perhaps only when he himself is truly hurt will Pei Yuanling care about her safety.
This was also her final test of Pei Yuanling.
If he remains unmoved, she will have no one left to rely on but herself.
Chu Qingyin lowered her eyes. After spending these days together, she was certain that Pei Yuanling was unaware of her being poisoned in her past life. Now, her brother might be able to leave prison because of his protection, but that would be far from enough for the Chu State Duke's Mansion to overturn the case.
After soaking for about half an hour, Chu Qingyin finally stood up from the bathtub.
Xianglan hurriedly stepped forward and carefully wrapped her in a clean handkerchief.
"Your Majesty, you have suffered so much." Xianglan's eyes were brimming with tears, and her voice choked with sobs.
Although the lady lost her mother at a young age, and that concubine Jiang was no good either, she was well-fed, clothed, and treated well in the mansion; she was spoiled and pampered.
She never expected that after entering the palace, she would suffer such torment time and time again. How could she not feel heartbroken?
"N-nothing... Achoo—"
Chu Qingyin's face turned pale, and her originally rosy lips turned blue from the cold. She let Xianglan wipe her body clean and carefully asked Kang Luhai to remove the ice water, making sure no one found out.
She put on her undergarments and looked at her slightly pale yet still radiant figure in the mirror, pondering to herself.
The Wang family's power is deeply entrenched, and to overthrow them, one must proceed cautiously step by step.
Now, all I can rely on is myself.
"Tomorrow, spread the word that I have been seriously ill since returning from the Empress Dowager's palace. Perhaps the Wang family is jealous of the other concubines' favor and is trying to suppress them."
Chu Qingyin's voice was calm and even. After sneezing, she hurriedly wrapped herself in the quilt: "In addition, I will secretly pass this matter on to my father. I suppose he doesn't want his daughter to suffer every day after entering the palace."
Today, Pei Yuanling brazenly carried her back from the Empress Dowager's palace, a fact that must have already spread throughout the palaces of all the concubines.
Simply standing still wouldn't have allowed her to catch such a severe cold, unless the Empress Dowager had used torture on her before Pei Yuanling arrived.
Qiao Gongquan, who rose to the position of Minister of the Six Ministries, was certainly not someone to be trifled with. Knowing that the Wang family was hostile to her daughter, how could he sit idly by?
Although they couldn't touch the Empress Dowager, they could still put some pressure on Empress Wang.
Empress Wang usually appears to be a dignified person, and she is meticulous in her dealings with others. Perhaps Empress Wang will harbor resentment towards the Empress Dowager because of this.
Thinking of this, Chu Qingyin lowered her eyes, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
Nowadays, she will try anything that is even slightly detrimental to the Wang family.
You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; even if it means hurting yourself, you're willing to do it.