As autumn turns to winter, the cold wind penetrates the bones, and there is crying in Yandu City. The crying comes from the imperial decree issued a few days ago - in Yandu City, all women over the age of 28 must enter the palace to be selected as concubines to fill the harem.
Families with only one daughter sat at the door crying and wailing as they watched their daughters being forcibly taken away by the soldiers. Some wealthy families bought women from the people to make up the numbers so that their daughters could escape the disaster. Some women who had been promised but had not yet married were also forcibly taken away. Overnight, all the young women in Yandu City were forcibly taken on carriages back to the palace.
The sound of women crying could be heard from the carriages that were bumping on the road. Among these crying women, there were always a few special ones. They sat quietly, looking at the women in different outfits in the carriages, as if they had already foreseen this day.
Chu Shaoqin, who was dressed as a woman, did not dare to speak all the way, fearing that his identity would be exposed if he spoke. Hua Yu and Li Qiuxue sat face to face, like two hostile people in different camps. Hua Yu smiled suddenly, turned around gracefully and crawled to the window. She looked at the ever-changing scene outside through the shaking curtains.
Originally, neither she nor Li Qiuxue should have appeared in this car. In Hua Shenghe's plan, only Chu Shaoqin dressed as a woman would appear here, but Li Qiuxue insisted on following, so Hua Yu could not sit idly by.
"Since you want to use the beauty trap, how can you succeed without a beauty like me?" When Hua Yu pushed the door open, Hua Shenghe and Chu Shaoqin were discussing the internal and external cooperation after entering the palace. Li Qiuxue broke in earlier than Hua Yu. Hua Yu happened to pass by and pushed the door open when she heard them arguing.
The moment Hua Yu walked in, Hua Shenghe's expression changed. He strongly opposed Hua Yu's participation, and Chu Shaoqin seemed to see something from Hua Shenghe's expression. Hua Shenghe was a cunning man. If his beloved daughter stayed out of the matter, he would definitely not help her according to the plan, but would eliminate her as an assassin when she was exposed.
"Hua Yu is right. How can a beauty trap be complete without a beauty?" Chu Shaoqin walked up to Hua Yu and deliberately raised her chin, as if to warn Hua Shenghe that if he betrayed them, his daughter would also be implicated.
Hua Yu, who had no idea of ​​his father's true purpose, left the room arrogantly. When Chu Shaoqin was about to leave with Li Qiuxue, Hua Shenghe kept him alone, saying that he had something important to tell him.
"Whoa!" The carriage into the palace bumped and stopped in front of the vermilion palace gate. The soldiers driving the carriage opened the curtains and drove the women out. The young women sobbed and got off the carriage one after another. Chu Shaoqin and Li Qiuxue also followed the women who got off the carriage and stood in a row in the large open courtyard.
Hua Yu was reluctant to get out of the carriage. She leaned lazily against the window, as if she was enjoying the scenery. Until the officer with the whip lashed the ground hard and shouted, "Everyone in the carriage, get out!"
Hua Yu pursed her lips and smiled. She raised her hand to open the curtain and extended a jade hand. She bent down and walked out of the car. Her black hair tied behind her back naturally fell down and was blown up by the wind. She raised her eyes and smiled. The aggressive officers and soldiers had forgotten to breathe and stared at Hua Yu's snow-white skin and the graceful figure in her skirt, as if they had never seen such a beauty before.
Seeing him in a daze, Hua Yu couldn't help but sneer and said, "I am the beauty that I want to present to the emperor. If you scare me, it will be a serious crime."
She waved her sleeves to half cover her face and spoke softly, but it seemed as if she was reading out the final decree of King Yama.
The officers and soldiers driving the carriage looked like they had lost their souls, staring at Hua Yu's every frown and smile foolishly, until the palace maid who came to pick up the concubines arrived and divided all the women into different accommodations according to their qualifications.
Chu Shaoqin and Li Qiuxue were assigned to the same courtyard, while Huayu and several other beautiful women were assigned to another courtyard. Li Qiuxue asked other women and learned that the girls in their courtyard were of average qualifications and basically had no chance to see the emperor. At best, they could only be maids or servants around the imperial concubine. The girls in the south courtyard had better qualifications, and most of them could become people around the emperor.
Li Qiuxue looked at the south courtyard where Huayu lived. If this was true, she and Chu Shaoqin could not get close to the emperor, let alone kill him.
Just when Chu Shaoqin and Li Qiuxue were in a state of panic, the palace painter came to paint a portrait of the young lady who had just entered the palace. Chu Shaoqin rolled his eyes, handed Li Qiuxue a silver ingot, and signaled her to bribe the painter.
Li Qiuxue nodded in understanding and secretly bribed the painter who was going to paint their portraits to make them look more beautiful. The painter, who had received the bribe, certainly lived up to her expectations.
On the third day after the portrait was painted, the woman chosen by the emperor would be carried to the emperor's bedroom in an eight-passenger sedan chair. To Chu Shaoqin's surprise, he was not chosen by the emperor, but Li Qiuxue was chosen by the emperor. He watched Li Qiuxue being carried away by the eight-passenger sedan chair, but he could only stand aside and clench his fists, pretending to be dumb.
He never worried about Hua Yu, Hua Yu was smart and good at scheming, even if he fell into a tiger's den, he could get out of it safely. But Li Qiuxue was only clever, impetuous, and inexperienced, so this trip might be dangerous.
Hua Yu and Li Qiu Xue bathed and changed their clothes together, and then put on palace clothes. The two walked together on the wooden steps covered with flower petals. At the end of the wooden steps was the emperor's romantic place. The fragrance here was charming, surrounded by water, and there was a pavilion on the water, and there were light gauze curtains around the pavilion. Deep laughter came from the light gauze curtain, and there were also women's soft panting sounds.
Li Qiuxue vaguely saw the naked women in the gauze curtain, surrounding the man who was called the emperor.
"There is a long sword hanging next to the dragon couch. You'd better take care of yourself." Hua Yu reminded Li Qiuxue just before lifting the gauze curtain, and then walked to Chu Fu as the gauze curtain was lifted.
Chu Fu, holding a wine glass, looked at Hua Yu in a trance, and then happily pulled her into his arms. Before Li Qiuxue could digest Hua Yu's words, she was also pulled over by Chu Fu and held by his side.
"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Hahaha, you must serve me well tonight." Chu Fu lifted Hua Yu's chin, but his hand was stroking Li Qiuxue's hand.
Hua Yu smiled and said, "But..."
"But what?" Chu Fu asked. Hua Yu leaned close to his ear, blew air on his earlobe, and whispered something.
Li Qiuxue suddenly took a breath, because she heard what Hua Yu said to Chu Fu: "I am having my period, I am afraid it is not convenient for her to serve the emperor first?"
"Okay, okay, whatever the beauty says, hahaha!" Chu Fu laughed, and raised his hand to signal the other women to leave. The singing and dancing women who had originally gathered around him left one after another, leaving only Chu Fu, Hua Yu, and Li Qiuxue in the gauze tent. Hua Yu stood up and danced to liven up the atmosphere, while Chu Fu picked up Li Qiuxue and walked to the couch, throwing her roughly onto the couch.
"Beauty, you must serve me well tonight."
"Let me go, I will kill you if you dare to touch me!" Li Qiuxue struggled, but Chu Fu grabbed her clothes roughly and tore them apart, ignoring her roar.
Hua Yu smiled evilly, ignored her experience, and continued to dance, as if all this was within her expectations. Li Qiuxue looked at her helplessly, wanting to ask for help, but she knew Hua Yu would not save her. At that moment, she suddenly understood the meaning of what Hua Yu said before he came in.
As Chu Fu pressed on her and kissed her collarbone, Li Qiuxue's eyes fell on the long sword hanging on the wooden pillar. She pushed Chu Fu away with all her strength, put on her torn skirt, and rushed over to draw out the long sword.
"You bastard emperor, today I want to seek justice for the 83 people in the escort agency!" Li Qiuxue originally thought that she would be completely confident in entering the palace this time, but she didn't expect that they were just using her as bait to send her to death. She didn't care about the so-called plan, lost her ability to think, and stabbed Chu Fu with her sword.
Chu Fu was startled, but he stood there in a daze, forgetting to dodge.
"Your Majesty, be careful!" Just as the tip of the sword was about to land on Chu Fu's chest, Hua Yu rushed over and fell to the ground with Chu Fu in her arms. The sword cut a hole in her arm, and scarlet blood gushed out, staining the white silk.
Chu Fu was horrified and shouted "Catch the assassin".
When Chu Shaoqin, who had secretly changed into a guard's uniform, arrived, Li Qiuxue had already been arrested. He originally wanted to take the opportunity to assassinate her, but unexpectedly, Li Qiuxue's identity was exposed. He hid not far away and watched Li Qiuxue being taken away, not daring to act rashly.
"Beauty, thanks to you for saving me just now. Please let me see how bad your injury is." Chu Fu lifted Hua Yu's sleeve tenderly. There was a deep bloody wound on her fair skin, which was heartbreaking to see.
"I'm glad that the emperor is okay." Hua Yu forced a smile, his expression both happy and painful.
"Come here, help the beauty back to the bedroom and ask the imperial physician to treat her!" Chu Fu ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Hua Yu was escorted back to the bedroom by several guards, and Chu Shaoqin followed secretly.
Although Chu Fu felt sorry for Hua Yu, he was more concerned about the assassin. After he settled Hua Yu, he went to interrogate Li Qiuxue.
Chu Shaoqin avoided all the guards and sneaked into Hua Yu's bedroom. At this moment, Hua Yu was removing her makeup and combing her hair in front of the dressing table.
"If Li Qiuxue can't survive, I want your Hua family to be buried with her." Chu Shaoqin stared at Hua Yu's face in the mirror and said coldly, but such a threat seemed too light for Hua Yu.
"If the prince has this ability now." Hua Yu said with a smile. She had guessed Chu Shaoqin's identity from the first day he came to the Hua Mansion.
When Hua Shenghe was still a general, she had followed her father into the palace and had met the crown prince once. Although many years had passed, she could still see some similarities in Chu Shaoqin's current face.
"The prince doesn't have this ability, but I do. Don't forget, we are now grasshoppers on the same rope." Hua Yu's word "prince" made Chu Shaoqin feel confused, but he still didn't reveal anything.
"I'm not talking about Bai Shaoqin, but Chu Shaoqin." Hua Yu continued, "When I was young, I followed my father into the palace. I accidentally fell into the water while waiting alone in the other garden. The palace maids were not there at the time, and the prince happened to pass by and rescued me."
Hua Yu said, his eyes sweeping over Chu Shaoqin's arm with the birthmark: "The lake water soaked the prince's clothes, so I could see the birthmark on his arm clearly, and it's exactly the same as the one on your arm."
Chu Shaoqin didn't say anything. He did remember that such an incident had happened when he was young.
Looking at Chu Shaoqin's serious expression, Hua Yu smiled calmly: "But don't worry, I haven't told my father about this, and he won't know about it for the time being."
"Why?" Chu Shaoqin asked, indirectly admitting his identity.
He thought that, given the current situation, it would be more advantageous to admit that he was the crown prince. If his judgment about Hua Yu was correct...
"Because I want to be the queen, of course, your queen." Hua Yu said with a sweet smile. She wanted supreme power, enormous wealth, and to be admired by everyone.
Hearing this, Chu Shaoqin sneered in his heart. It was just as he expected.
"I can help you rescue Li Qiuxue, but..."
"but what?"
"But you owe me your life."
In the prison, Li Qiuxue was tortured to force her to reveal the mastermind behind the scenes. However, Li Qiuxue did not have a mastermind behind the scenes, and her truthful answer was regarded as a lie.
After a while, Chu Fu, who was interrogating her in the prison, finally left impatiently, leaving only a death sign. Li Qiuxue, covered in wounds, watched Chu Fu go away, gradually becoming desperate, and suddenly another red figure appeared in her sight.
The Hua family also had some connections and spies in the palace, so it didn't take long for them to replace Li Qiuxue with a crazy maid. When Li Qiuxue was rescued, she was already unconscious. She only remembered that she was helped to sit in the carriage out of the palace.
The sound of horse hooves faded away, but Hua Yu's warning was still ringing in her ears. She said, "Li Qiuxue failed to assassinate the emperor and died in the prison. From now on, there will be no Li Qiuxue in this world."
Li Qiuxue woke up in a clinic outside the palace. She had medicine powder and gauze wrapped around her body. Although the wounds were no longer bleeding, she could still feel the pain when she moved.
She looked at everything in the room that was unfamiliar. The doctor in the clinic was boiling medicine with his back to her. She hurriedly got off the bed, pulled the doctor over and asked, "Where is this? How long have I been here?"
"Little girl, you're finally awake. When you were first brought here, you were covered in blood. It really scared me." The doctor sighed and began to answer Li Qiuxue's questions, "This is Yandu. You've been in a coma for more than ten days. I was afraid you wouldn't wake up."
"It's been more than ten days..." Li Qiuxue murmured. A lot of things can happen in more than ten days. Is Shao Qin in the palace or in Hua Mansion now? No, she has to go to Hua Mansion to find Shao Qin!
"Little girl, where are you going? Your injuries haven't healed yet! Little girl..." When the doctor chased out of the clinic, Li Qiuxue had already run far away.
There were several guards outside the Hua Mansion. Although they were not wearing armor, they were each equipped with a long halberd. Although the gate was open, outsiders were not allowed to enter or leave casually, so Li Qiuxue, who wanted to break into the Hua Mansion, was quickly stopped by two guards at the door. They crossed their long halberds in front of Li Qiuxue, and then pushed her out, and Li Qiuxue was thrown to the ground.
"Who are you? How dare you barge into the Hua Mansion?"
"Don't you recognize me? I'm Li Qiuxue who used to live in the mansion. I'm here to look for Bai Shaoqin and Hua Yu."
"There is no such person as Li Qiuxue in our house. You crazy woman, you'd better leave here quickly, otherwise don't blame us for being rude." The guard refused entry to Li Qiuxue as if he didn't know her at all.
Li Qiuxue endured the pain in her body and continued walking to the door.
"Hua Shenghe, come out and give Bai Shaoqin back to me! Hua Shenghe, stop pretending you can't hear me and come out!" Li Qiuxue was making a lot of noise outside the Hua residence, attracting many passers-by to watch. Hua Shenghe, who was drinking tea in the residence, came out impatiently and looked Li Qiuxue up and down.
"Who are you? If you make a noise here again, I will send you to the government!" Hua Shenghe frowned and turned back into the mansion.
Hearing the word "government", Li Qiuxue didn't dare to continue making a fuss. She was now an assassin, and if she was sent to the government, she would be in danger of death.
What happened in the past ten days? Why did Hua Shenghe turn his back on her? Or did they have a plan to eliminate her?
"Shao Qin, where are you?" Li Qiuxue walked aimlessly on the street, not knowing where to go. Hua Shenghe did not acknowledge her existence, and Chu Shaoqin's whereabouts were unknown, what should she do?
"You stinky beggar, you stole my steamed buns! You're looking for death!" Suddenly, a scolding interrupted Li Qiuxue's thoughts.
She looked over and saw that it was an uncle selling steamed buns on the street who was beating a disheveled man curled up on the ground with a rolling pin. Although the man was beaten severely, he still tried hard to stuff the steamed buns into his mouth and swallowed them with difficulty.
Li Qiuxue stopped not far away and looked at the disheveled man. Blood was flowing from the corner of his lips, but he did not resist and allowed others to beat him. For some reason, she suddenly remembered how Chu Shaoqin looked when she teased him, and she felt sorry for him.
"Stop it!" Li Qiuxue stepped forward to stop him. But the man selling steamed buns ignored her and pushed her away.
Li Qiuxue staggered a few steps, stood firm and bit her lower lip, then rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward again, and taught the uncle a lesson. The other party suffered a lot, so he stopped and walked away cursing.
At this point, the onlookers dispersed. Li Qiuxue hurried forward to help the man up and asked, "Are you okay?" After that, she lifted up his messy hair to see if there were any injuries on his face.
The man shrank back in fear at first because of her intimate actions, but when Li Qiuxue took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips, he gradually relaxed. He stood there staring at Li Qiuxue, and then handed her the remaining half of the bun.
Li Qiuxue blinked and looked at the steamed buns covered with dust and dirt, and couldn't help laughing.
"This steamed bun is too dirty, we won't eat it. Come on, I'll take you to eat something delicious." After saying that, Li Qiuxue took his hand and walked out of the city.
The two men came to the forest outside the city. Li Qiuxue skillfully set up several traps and luckily caught some pheasants and hares. She also taught the man how to fish with a harpoon.
The man learned quickly, and whenever Li Qiuxue encouraged him, he would smile shyly and innocently. In one morning, they had caught quite a few prey.
After the hunt, Li Qiuxue built a fire and a rack by the stream.
She first asked the man to change his dirty clothes and wash them, then hung them to dry, and then asked him to go to the stream to wash himself.
"Hello, my name is Li Qiuxue. What's yours? I don't even know your name yet." Li Qiuxue sat against a big banyan tree with her back facing the stream.
The stream water was clear and transparent. The man bathing in the stream paused but did not answer her. Li Qiuxue pursed her lips and said to herself: "So you can't speak, what a pity."
"My name is An Qing." The water in the stream was flowing. The man soaked his long hair in the water. After washing it, he raised his head. An arc of water light floated in the air. After hearing the man's voice, Li Qiuxue excitedly looked in the direction of the stream and shouted, "Are you not mute?"
An Qing, who had just stood up from the water, blushed and quickly squatted back into the water. Li Qiuxue also turned around with an embarrassed look on her face, pretending that she hadn't seen anything.
After that, the atmosphere became a little weird. Li Qiuxue no longer dared to look around, and An Qing walked ashore carefully after taking a shower. After putting on the dried clothes, he said, "I've changed my clothes." As he spoke, he wrung his wet long hair.
Hearing this, Li Qiuxue walked towards him from behind the banyan tree. An Qing looked at the woman in plain clothes and felt an inexplicable palpitation.
"I never thought you were so beautiful." Sitting on the other side of the campfire, Li Qiuxue held her chin and looked at An Qing.
He had a beautiful face and sparkling eyes, and he didn't look like a beggar on the street at all. Li Qiuxue took a closer look at his washed clothes and saw that the material was actually high-quality silk. He must have been from a prominent family, but she didn't know why he had fallen to this point.
"My family used to be in business, but later there was a plague in the city and our family fell into poverty. We fled to Yandu for refuge, but we encountered robbers on the way and all our money was looted. Except for me, everyone else in the family contracted the disease and died on the way." An Qing took the initiative to explain, with grief inevitably in his tone.
After hearing this, Li Qiuxue used a branch to stir the bonfire and said, "Then we are also wanderers in this world. I am the only one left in my family."
At this time, the sky gradually darkened, and the bonfire flickered on them like a fluorescent light. And that night, Li Qiuxue also talked a lot with An Qing, from Qingyang City to Longshan, and then from Longshan to Yandu. She seemed to have endless things to say to him, and seemed to regard him as Chu Shaoqin...
Inside the palace.
The two groups of troops had already entered the Yunxiao Palace, but Chu Fu, who was addicted to wine and sex, was unaware of the great changes that had taken place in the palace. It was not until Chu Shaoqin, wearing a long robe and holding a long sword, came over that he became alert.
Stepping over the threshold of the palace, Chu Shaoqin approached the person on the dragon couch step by step. The tall shadow also spread little by little, and the disheveled Chu Fu trembled and shouted "Protect the emperor", but unfortunately, the whole place was full of Hua Shenghe's people, and no one paid any attention to him.
"Shao Qin, I was wrong, please don't kill me, don't kill me, I will return the throne to you, I was wrong, I was really wrong, I was bewitched for a moment..." Chu Fu, no, it should be said that it was Chu Ji, he knew that the situation was hopeless, he completely forgot that he had called himself "I" before, he knelt in front of Chu Shao Qin, kowtowed, and begged for his forgiveness.
However, Chu Shaoqin remained unmoved.
"Chu Ji, my father spared your life out of brotherhood, but you assassinated him and replaced him, and even sent people to kill me! You deserve to die today!" After saying that, Chu Shaoqin grabbed Chu Ji's collar, and then pierced Chu Ji's chest with the cold sword, catching Chu Ji off guard.
Blood flowed and dripped along the sword edge. Chu Ji looked at his pierced chest and could no longer utter a word. He did not expect that the weak and shy Chu Shaoqin had changed and was no longer the weak boy in his memory.
Chu Shaoqin watched Chu Ji slowly die. Thinking back to the past, it seemed like a lifetime ago.
A year ago, the Emperor Chu Fu's twin brother Chu Ji intended to rebel. Chu Fu, considering the brotherly love, released Chu Ji. Instead of being grateful, Chu Ji stabbed Chu Fu to death when Chu Fu untied his shackles. Crown Prince Chu Shaoqin witnessed this and was hunted down by Chu Ji. His whereabouts have been unknown since then. Chu Ji announced to the public that the traitor Chu Ji was dead, and then, he replaced Chu Fu in a high-sounding manner.
Chu Fu had anticipated this day would come, so he had written a will before deciding to release Chu Ji. If anything unfortunate happened to him, he would make Crown Prince Chu Shaoqin the new king. Only Chu Shaoqin knew where the will was hidden.
Chu Shaoqin never revealed anything about the will, which was beyond Hua Shenghe's expectation. Although he had some doubts about Chu Shaoqin's identity, the development of things left him no time to verify the truth. By the time he knew that Chu Shaoqin was the real prince, it was too late. Fortunately, he had kept a trick up his sleeve.
After Chu Ji died, the events of the previous year were announced to the world, and Chu Shaoqin ascended the throne as king. The next day, he appointed Hua Shenghe, a meritorious official, as the general who protects the country, and made Hua Shenghe's daughter Hua Yu the queen.
When Li Qiuxue woke up, An Qing was gone. She searched around the forest but couldn't find An Qing. But she didn't plan to chase him or find out. After all, they just met by chance. Now she had more important things to do, which was to find out the whereabouts of Chu Shaoqin.
Li Qiuxue left the forest and returned to the city. At this time, the streets were bustling with gongs, as if something festive was happening. There were officers and soldiers armed with weapons along the streets, clearing a path.
Li Qiuxue followed the crowd and walked forward. Not far away, a sedan chair embroidered with dragons and phoenixes was being pulled by horses. The horses in front of the sedan chair were covered with red brocade, and the colorful flags on the sedan chair fluttered in the wind. In front and behind the sedan chair, there were guards and some eunuchs and ministers who were more than ten miles long.
As the sedan passed by, the people knelt down one after another and shouted, "Long live the king, long live the king, and a thousand years and a thousand years of live the queen."
The emperor is leaving the palace today?
Li Qiuxue got into the crowd, but she couldn't see the people in the sedan. She hid in the crowded place, drew the dagger from her waist, and flew towards the vague figure in the sedan.
The dagger pierced straight into the wooden beam of the sedan chair, almost stabbing Chu Shaoqin inside the sedan. Chu Shaoqin opened the curtain and looked for the assassin in the crowd.
The moment his head popped out of the sedan, Li Qiuxue took a step back uncontrollably.
She stared blankly at the queen in the other sedan, then came back to her senses and looked at Chu Shaoqin, who was called the emperor. The crowd's discussions rang in her ears. They were talking about the return of the prince, how Chu Ji had plotted to usurp the throne, and all kinds of truths that she had not been able to learn from Chu Shaoqin...
"Xue'er?" Chu Shaoqin quickly found Li Qiuxue in the crowd. He jumped off the sedan chair and pushed through the crowd, hugging Li Qiuxue who was standing there in a daze. The crowd suddenly started to talk louder, and the soldiers also protected the two of them with great care.
Chu Shaoqin knew that Hua Yu sent Li Qiuxue out of the palace, but he was unable to protect Li Qiuxue at that time, so he could only ask Hua Yu to swear on her position as queen and promise to keep Li Qiuxue safe.
The reason why he dared to let Hua Yu do this was that he understood the importance of the position of queen to Hua Yu and Hua Yu's character.
Hua Yu was young and arrogant, she never took Li Qiuxue seriously, if this happened to Hua Shenghe, Li Qiuxue would have died. However, Hua Shenghe probably didn't expect that his daughter would hide so many things , whether it was Chu Shaoqin's identity as the crown prince, or Li Qiuxue's replacement.
"Crown Prince? Emperor? Empress?" Li Qiuxue, unable to digest these titles for a moment, pushed Chu Shaoqin away and took a few steps back.
Why did this happen? Chu Shaoqin was originally the crown prince, and he was going to return to Yandu to take back the throne? Then...were the eighty-three people in her family killed because of Chu Shaoqin's identity as the crown prince? Then...from the beginning, were all the words Chu Shaoqin said to her lies?
"Chu Shaoqin?" Li Qiuxue asked word by word, as if asking, but also as if she couldn't believe it.
Upon hearing this, the accompanying ministers shouted, "How dare you! How can you call the emperor by his name..." However, before he could finish his words, Chu Shaoqin raised his hand to signal him to be quiet.
"But……"
The minister glanced at the people around him calmly, his worry was self-evident.
Calling the emperor by his name might be fine in private, but doing it in public is bound to have a bad influence.
"It doesn't matter." Chu Shaoqin said, "She can call me...Zhen."
I? Hearing this address, the last bit of hope in Li Qiuxue's heart was shattered. She smiled, but tears were flowing: "I have no relatives in this world, you told me not to trust anyone except you. But in the end, you are the one who lied to me."
Li Qiuxue looked dazed, her eyes fell on the guard's sword. Before the guard could stop her, she drew a long sword and pointed it at Chu Shaoqin.
"The person who killed eighty-three people in my family was not Chu Ji, but you, Chu Shaoqin!"
Li Qiuxue's move made the crowd even more uneasy. The ministers and eunuchs shouted to protect the emperor, but Chu Shaoqin once again signaled everyone not to act rashly.
He looked at the face he had been thinking about day and night, and said, "Xue'er, it's not what you think. Listen to me..." Chu Shaoqin took a step forward, but Li Qiuxue did not retract the sword in her hand. The blade pierced into his chest not too deep or too shallow.
He looked down at the blood gushing out. This sword didn't take his life, but it made him lose the strength to chase Li Qiuxue back.
Li Qiuxue didn't seem to expect that she would be so cruel as to hurt Chu Shaoqin. She threw her sword to the ground, then turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
After this incident, it took a lot of effort to stabilize the scene, and the originally planned parade was hastily ended.
Hua Yu, who was sitting in the sedan chair, never showed up from beginning to end, and one of her beautiful nails painted with nail polish was broken without her noticing.
After leaving, Li Qiuxue walked aimlessly and left the city again. She stayed outside the city for several days, and sometimes she didn't feel hungry even if she didn't eat for a whole day.
In the past few days, her mind was full of what happened that day. That sword seemed to cut off their past. She was so close to him, and it was clear that she could kill him if she stabbed him a little deeper, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't watch him die in front of her, nor could she avenge the people in the escort agency. She loved him deeply, but she hated him at the same time. Such emotions made her heart tormented, and she didn't know what else she could do at this moment except crying.
Not far away, a pair of eyes were staring at Li Qiuxue, watching her sad, watching her grief, and watching her wipe away her tears and scream loudly into the air.
In fact, An Qing did not go far that day, he just did not want to drag Li Qiuxue down, so he pretended to leave. Later, he saw that scene again, and thought about what Li Qiuxue had said to him before, and guessed that now Li Qiuxue seemed to be homeless like him, so he was even more reluctant to leave.
Recalling their first meeting, everyone looked on coldly, but she stood up. Perhaps she didn't know that at that moment, she was extremely noble in his eyes...
Perhaps the fate between people is so wonderful that just a short period of time together can give rise to deep feelings.
"Swish swish——" Suddenly, several men in black fell from the sky.
"Are you Li Qiuxue?" the leader asked while standing in front of Li Qiuxue.
"So what?" Li Qiuxue was in a bad mood and had no place to vent her anger, and these people looked like they were here to kill her. If she died here, it was her fate, and she accepted it!
"Yes, then prepare to die!" said the killer, drawing his sword and rushing towards Li Qiuxue.
Although Li Qiuxue had learned a few moves from Li Baize, she was now outnumbered by ten, and unarmed. Soon, she was injured and kicked to the ground. With new injuries, Li Qiuxue lay on the ground, no longer having the strength to resist the killer.
However, at this moment, there was a rustling sound in the bushes, and the killer looked towards the source of the sound with vigilance. He saw a handful of lime powder being thrown, and while the killer's vision was blurred, An Qing ran out from the corner, helped Li Qiuxue up and ran away.
The lime powder could not last long, so An Qing first found a place to hide Li Qiuxue, cleverly led the assassins away, and made them mistakenly think that the two of them ran to another road, and then quietly returned to Li Qiuxue and carefully supported her. The two of them slipped into the city through a secret and winding path.
"You are quite smart. It is not easy to lead away a group of killers, not to mention that you don't have any martial arts skills." On the way, Li Qiuxue forced herself to chat with An Qing.
"Qiuxue, stop talking." An Qing was anxious, afraid that Li Qiuxue would waste unnecessary energy.
"No, I'm afraid that if I don't talk, I will fall asleep, and then... then I will be like my father and won't wake up." There was an unclear meaning in Li Qiuxue's voice, probably she was thinking of Chu Shaoqin again.
An Qing did not refute her, but cooperated with her in chatting. Finally, when the two arrived at an inconspicuous clinic, Li Qiuxue fainted due to excessive blood loss.
"Doctor! Doctor!" An Qing shouted.
When the doctor heard the noise, he just glanced at Li Qiuxue and asked An Qing to pay first before treating her.
An Qing had no money on him, except for the jade pendant around his neck - the jade pendant was his family heirloom, and he was reluctant to sell it even when he became a beggar. But now that Li Qiuxue was unconscious, he could no longer care, and without thinking, he pulled off the jade pendant and handed it to the doctor.
"This piece of jade is a treasure passed down from generation to generation in my family. It is enough to pay for her medical expenses. Please save her."
The doctor weighed the crystal clear jade pendant. Although he was not an expert, the jade felt very different. He put the pendant in his pocket and said, "Help her in."
"Thank you, doctor." An Qing carefully helped Li Qiuxue into the clinic and found some sand to cover the bloodstains outside the door to prevent the killer from following the bloodstains. When he was done, the doctor had almost cleaned Li Qiuxue's wounds.
"Take off your clothes. I'll clean and bandage your wounds." The doctor glanced at An Qing.
An Qing was slightly stunned, and then slowly untied his belt. As soon as the outer garment was untied, a piece of cloth tightly wrapped around his waist and abdomen was exposed. There was faint blood seeping from the cloth, and the cloth was bandaged very roughly, and it was obvious that the person who bandaged it was in a hurry.
On the way here, he had been holding on so that Li Qiuxue would not see his wounds. In addition, Li Qiuxue herself was covered with wounds, so she could not tell whether the blood was hers or An Qing's. But then again, if he hadn't cut himself to divert the killers, how could those killers be so easily fooled? But for Li Qiuxue, everything was worth it.
While the doctor was cleaning her wound, An Qing said nothing, staring silently at the unconscious girl lying on the bed. There was only one thought in his mind - I must protect her!
Seriously injured and stimulated, Li Qiuxue was in a nightmare and was reluctant to wake up. An Qing stayed by her side day and night, worried that she would be sad if she woke up, and worried that she would not wake up. In just a few days, An Qing became emaciated and seemed much more haggard than Li Qiuxue.
Li Qiuxue had both whip wounds and knife wounds on her body, so even in her dreams, An Qing could see her frowning brows due to the pain. Some time later, Li Qiuxue had a high fever that wouldn't go away, and even the doctors at the clinic were helpless and advised them to seek help from someone else.
"Doctor, why doesn't she wake up? Please find a way to save her."
"I'm a doctor, not a god. She hasn't woken up. What can I do with her?" The doctor shook his head and said, "I have used all the necessary medicines and treated all the wounds. Whether she wakes up or not is her own business." After that, he walked away.
Li Qiuxue, who was lying on the bed, was still murmuring: "Shao Qin, Shao Qin, Shao Qin..."
An Qing didn't know how many times Li Qiuxue had mentioned the name "Shao Qin" in the past few days. He also knew that the "Shao Qin" she was talking about was the new emperor "Chu Shao Qin". Perhaps Li Qiuxue's reluctance to wake up was related to Chu Shao Qin. Did she still want to go back to that person?
Thinking of this, An Qing felt as if his heart was cut open and it hurt slightly.
"If the person you love deeply is him, then I will bring him here." An Qing reached out and touched Li Qiuxue's face, saying softly. He knew that when she opened her eyes again, he might not have this chance.
An Qing walked out of the clinic, took the horse outside the door, and galloped towards the direction of the palace.
"Hey, my horse! Come back here!" The doctor heard the sound and ran out, yelling at An Qing.
An Qing responded loudly: "I will return you the 100 taels of silver when I come back. Please take good care of her for me!"
When the doctor heard "one hundred taels of silver", his eyes suddenly lit up. He was stunned for a moment, looking at the horse going farther and farther away, muttering about the hundred taels of silver, and walked back to the clinic happily.
An Qing rode at full speed to the gate outside the palace, and was naturally stopped by the gate guards.
The guard stabbed the horse's leg, and An Qing fell from the mad horse and hit the ground hard. The guards immediately surrounded him with long spears and asked, "Who is coming?"
"I want to see the emperor. I have something urgent to do."
"Everyone who comes to see the emperor is in a hurry." The guard sneered, laughing at An Qing's wild idea.
"I really have something urgent to do. Please go and inform her."
"Look at the way you're dressed, are you in a hurry? Get away from me!" The guards looked at An Qing with contempt and forced him to leave with their spears.
If it weren't for the fact that blood should not be seen at the gate of the new emperor's enthronement palace, this man would have been stabbed to death by the spears as soon as he appeared. But if he continued to make trouble, they would have dealt with it secretly without the commander's order.
Perhaps An Qing was lucky. Just when he had to leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a tall black figure on the city wall.
In the Chu State, black is the most noble color and only the emperor can wear it.
"Chu Shaoqin!" An Qing couldn't see the face of the man on the wall, but he shouted based on his guess. He shouted hysterically at the figure, "Li Qiuxue is waiting for you!"
This shout was a desperate move. If that person was not Chu Shaoqin and he had made a mistake, then he would not be able to go back to see Li Qiuxue today. If that person was Chu Shaoqin, he would not have a good ending even if he called the emperor by his name. He was not Li Qiuxue, and Chu Shaoqin, as the emperor, would not grant him a special pardon.
"How dare you! How dare you call the emperor's name!" The guard was the first to step forward and pierced An Qing's shoulder with a halberd.
"Xue'er?" Upon hearing Li Qiuxue's name, Chu Shaoqin immediately looked towards the city gate, and the eunuch who followed him immediately shouted "Stop" tactfully.
Fortunately, the eunuch beside Chu Shaoqin called out in time, and An Qing was only injured in the shoulder. As for An Qing's injury, Chu Shaoqin did not say anything, which was considered a slight punishment.
If he easily let An Qing off for shouting at the city gate today, he would probably receive advice from the civil servants in the evening. If the matter got out of hand, An Qing would definitely be in a worse situation than he is now, and he would have to find a folk clinic to treat him later.
"What is your relationship with Xue'er?" Chu Shaoqin asked An Qing.
"She saved me." An Qing said briefly.
Chu Shaoqin thought about it for several times and was unwilling to miss any opportunity to find Li Qiuxue. He immediately ordered the guards to prepare the carriage, and went to the clinic with An Qing, taking only two guards.
Inside the clinic, the doctor was sitting at the counter counting the account books. The embroidered curtain at the door was lifted by Chu Shaoqin, and An Qing followed.
Seeing the emperor, the doctor knelt down hurriedly and shouted in a trembling voice: "Long live the emperor!"
However, Chu Shaoqin didn't have time to pay attention to him and walked straight to the room that An Qing had instructed.
The eunuch who came with him tactfully stayed in the front hall and told the doctor to treat An Qing's wounds. This time, the doctor didn't dare to ask for money first.
The clinic was not big, and the room where Li Qiuxue rested was also small. As soon as Chu Shaoqin entered the room, he saw Li Qiuxue lying on the bed. Her brows were furrowed, and cold sweat oozed from her forehead. Her expression was very painful, and the gauze wrapped around her arm was faintly red.
"Xue'er!" Chu Shaoqin called softly, rolled up his sleeves to wipe the sweat from Li Qiuxue's forehead, and held her hand and placed it on the side of his face.
Her hands were cold, but her forehead was ridiculously hot.
After a long while, Chu Shaoqin said, "Xue'er, I'm Shaoqin, I'm here. Xue'er, what's wrong with you?"
But Li Qiuxue, who was sleeping, couldn't answer him.
"It's a killer. Someone hired a killer to kill her." An Qing's voice came from outside the door.
The wounds on his body had been treated. Although the doctor wanted to bandage him "carefully", he couldn't sit still. There were some things he had to let Chu Shaoqin know.
After An Qing explained the matter, Chu Shaoqin was silent for a long time, and then slowly said: "Xue'er, I'm sorry for making you feel wronged. Xue'er, I'll take you away now!"
When Chu Shaoqin took Li Qiuxue away, An Qing followed closely behind. However, the doctor in the clinic did not even dare to raise his head, and did not mention the matter of Baiyin and Ma, for fear of incurring the death penalty.
When Chu Shaoqin took Li Qiuxue back to the palace, Hua Yu was busy decorating the East Palace. The Hua family had laid the foundation for Chu Shaoqin's throne, and her position as queen was also confirmed. When she thought that Li Qiuxue had been eliminated, she was happy. From now on, she would be free from internal and external troubles in the harem. But she didn't expect that before she was happy for a few days, the eunuch in the palace came hurriedly to report important matters.
"Empress, Empress, I just saw the Emperor returning to the bedroom in a hurry, and he brought back a woman. Now he is asking the imperial physician to come over for the treatment." The eunuch who came to report knelt in the courtyard of the East Palace. Hua Yu, who was pruning flowers in the courtyard, was startled, and the peony that he accidentally cut fell to the ground.
The joy on her face gradually froze, she put down the scissors in her hand and asked coldly: "What is the name of that woman?"
"It is said that her name is Li Qiuxue..."
Hua Yu looked at the crimson corridor outside the palace, with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.
Several imperial doctors rushed to Chu Shaoqin's bedroom. Chu Shaoqin stayed beside Li Qiuxue and held her hand tightly.
The imperial doctors were busy removing the gauze and changing the bandages for Li Qiuxue. The wounds on Li Qiuxue's body were so shocking that Chu Shaoqin couldn't help but punch the bedpost with his fists.
When he turned his head, he noticed that An Qing had been standing not far away.
"What's your name?" Chu Shaoqin looked at An Qing.
"An Qing."
"From today on, I will appoint you as Xue'er's bodyguard. When I'm not around, you will be responsible for protecting Li Qiuxue for me, and you will never allow anyone to hurt her. Of course, I will order people to teach you some kung fu, and I will also send people to protect Xue'er secretly. But the dark is always too far away, I want you to stay by my Xue'er's side honestly and well-behaved. If Xue'er is in danger, you must protect her with your life." Chu Shaoqin bit the words "honestly and well-behaved" very hard, as if giving a warning.
Although he was worried, he didn't dare to do anything to her friends while Xue'er was unconscious. Perhaps it was the shadow of the Li family incident... From now on, he didn't want to lie to her at all.
Hearing that he could learn Kung Fu, An Qing immediately knelt down and said, "I bow to thank the emperor!"
Chu Shaoqin waved his hand to signal him to stand up, and An Qing immediately stood up and stepped aside.
There is no rush. He has no way to protect Qiu Xue now. He can only observe more in secret. When he has enough ability, he can get closer to Qiu Xue.
"I heard that sister Qiuxue was injured." Hua Yu had not arrived yet, but her voice had already passed through the beaded curtain and reached Chu Shaoqin's ears. She walked slowly into Chu Shaoqin's bedroom in gorgeous clothes. It seemed that this was a place she could come whenever she wanted. The palace maid behind her lowered her head slightly and followed, stopping when she stopped.
"What are you doing here?"
"Come and see how sister Qiuxue's injuries are." Hua Yu affectionately called Li Qiuxue "sister", as if to show her generosity. Chu Shaoqin blocked her hand that was about to reach out to Li Qiuxue, as if he was wary of her.
An Qing stood aside, watching the smile on Hua Yu's face gradually freeze, and finally she turned around and left the bedroom with an angry look on her face.
After Hua Yu left the palace, Chu Shaoqin ordered people to place Li Qiuxue in Xiyang Palace which was closest to him, and ordered the guards to guard it strictly and not allow Hua Yu and related people to get close.
An Qing seemed to have guessed something, but pretended not to know, because for him, all that mattered was ensuring Li Qiuxue's safety.
Xiyang Palace faces southeast, and the courtyard behind the palace is planted with pear trees, which were transplanted by Chu Shaoqin. He thought that when his Xueer woke up, she could sit in the sunset and look at the pear tree, just like before.
But when Li Qiuxue woke up, she didn't say a word to him. She looked at the unfamiliar environment, the deserted palace walls, and the familiar yet unfamiliar Chu Shaoqin, and she never smiled again.
Chu Shaoqin explained why he had kept it a secret from her, and why it was not his fault. But she didn't listen. Even though she knew that it was not something he could predict or control, she just couldn't forgive him. She couldn't forgive him for lying from the beginning, and she couldn't forgive him for saying that he only loved her, but for revenge he agreed to marry Hua Shenghe to Hua Yu.
She doesn't understand the world and power of men. She only knows that love is not betrayal and love is to stay with one person for a lifetime.
Chu Shaoqin tried his best to coax her and sent all the gold, silver, jewelry, silk and satin to Xiyang Palace. But Li Qiuxue never looked at those things. She just looked at the pear tree in the yard quietly, as if recalling the distant past.
In Xiyang Palace, the only people accompanying her were An Qing and a little palace maid.
Once, a young palace maid poisoned her tea and was discovered by An Qing. Chu Shaoqin wanted to interrogate her about who was behind it, but the young palace maid bit her tongue and committed suicide, and the matter was left unresolved. Later, only Li Qiuxue and An Qing were left in Xiyang Palace. Although Chu Shaoqin came to visit Li Qiuxue every day, wanting to reconcile with her and go back to the past, Li Qiuxue's attitude towards him was terribly cold, and the two always parted by quarreling.
During the time when Li Qiuxue was recovering from her injuries, she always casually asked An Qing: "Why did you save me? Why did you bring me back to this cage?"
An Qing didn't know what to answer. He raised his hand, picked a pear blossom, inserted it into Li Qiuxue's hair, and smiled gently.
"The Qiuxue in my memory is a girl who looks very pretty when she smiles." An Qing said, and Li Qiuxue also raised her hand to stroke the pear blossoms in her hair.
It seemed like she hadn't laughed for a long time. She plucked the pear blossoms from her hair and vaguely recalled the time when she first met Chu Shaoqin. The pear blossoms at that time were as brilliant as they are now, and she was still a young lady who loved to play tricks on people. At that time, she was domineering and focused on setting up traps and playing tricks on people.
When Chu Shaoqin just stepped into the courtyard, Li Qiuxue looked up and smiled at An Qing. She had never smiled at him in the past month, but now she smiled at An Qing. Such a smile was so dazzling in the eyes of a king. He quickened his pace and walked in front of them, and ordered An Qing to guard outside the palace. Without his permission, no one was allowed to step into Xiyang Palace.
After An Qing left, Li Qiuxue ignored Chu Shaoqin and went back to her own dormitory. Chu Shaoqin, who was following behind her, frowned slightly, and went into her dormitory together and locked the door.
"Xue'er, do you really have to treat me like this? What on earth should I do for you to forgive me? What on earth should I do so that we can go back to the past?"
"Let me go, let me leave here." Li Qiuxue put away her smile and sat at the tea table to drink tea.
"Leave? You are alone now. Where can you go except me to protect you?" Chu Shaoqin stepped forward and grabbed her hand, forcing her to look at him.
Li Qiuxue took a deep breath and said slowly: "I want to go home."
"Go home? I am your home now. Wherever I am is your home. Xue'er, marry me, I will give you everything I have and give you everything you want." Chu Shaoqin grabbed Li Qiuxue's shoulders and begged her to marry him.
"You already have Hua Yu. There is no point for me to exist in this palace. Please let me go. Let me go wherever I want to go."
"Have you fallen in love with An Qing?" Chu Shaoqin frowned and flew into a rage, "I don't allow you to fall in love with anyone else. You can only love me in this life. You are mine!"
"I have never been yours!" Li Qiuxue never showed weakness to anyone, including Chu Shaoqin. From the moment he became the emperor, she no longer knew him. He was no longer the man who was willing to pick the stars for her, and no longer the man who said he would only love her for the rest of his life.
She belongs only to herself and to no one else!
"Then I want you to be mine!" Chu Shaoqin put his arms around Li Qiuxue's shoulders, using such great strength that she was unable to struggle.
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly with unshakable strength, as if he wanted to rub her into his body. A strange yet familiar voice rang in Li Qiuxue's ears: "I won't allow you to leave me, I want you to be mine and stay by my side forever!"
The kiss fell on Li Qiuxue's lips and neck. She closed her eyes and let Chu Shaoqin kiss her randomly. The two of them retreated to the bed step by step. Chu Shaoqin screamed and looked at the shoulder bitten by Li Qiuxue. Blood was flowing out, but he was madly demanding from her.
The woman he loves can only be possessed by him, and no third party is allowed!
Chu Shaoqin left Xiyang Palace in a hurry. When he passed by An Qing, he glanced at him. An Qing read the anxiety and jealousy in his eyes. At that moment, he concluded that something must have happened in Xiyang Palace.
When An Qing turned around and ran into Xiyang Palace, Li Qiuxue was no longer in the courtyard. He searched the entire Xiyang Palace, and finally saw a figure outside the half-open door. He stopped where he was and walked forward with difficulty. He raised his hand and slowly pushed open the door, only to see Li Qiuxue sitting on the bed in dishevelled clothes, with messy hair and dried tears, looking coldly at the bright red on the mattress.
"Qiuxue..." An Qing was trembling all over. He walked to Li Qiuxue and wanted to touch her face, but his hand stopped just in front of him and clenched into a fist. He drew the sword from his waist and turned to walk out the door.
He studied very hard these days. Besides taking care of Li Qiuxue, he was practicing martial arts. Perhaps he was talented and worked hard, so he made rapid progress. However, he was still far behind Li Qiuxue, so Li Qiuxue often teased him. Since the incident of the young palace maid poisoning him, he was allowed to carry a sword again. At this moment, he wanted to kill him with the sword given by Chu Shaoqin.
"An Qing!" Li Qiuxue grabbed his arm and prevented him from leaving.
"I'm going to kill him!"
"This is a matter between him and me, An Qing, don't worry about it." Li Qiuxue's tone was very complicated, so complicated that An Qing couldn't understand it.
"But he..."
"I hate him!" Li Qiuxue grabbed An Qing's arm tightly, as if she wanted to pinch it to bleed. After a while, she said with tears in her eyes, "But I love him too."
"Qiuxue..." An Qing loosened his hand that was holding the sword, turned around and hugged Li Qiuxue in his arms, comforting her like a family member, and let her cry loudly in his arms.