bestfiction Chapter 187 Nightmare
Chapter 187 Nightmare
Inside the Imperial Study, the sandalwood incense burner wafted gently, its delicate and pleasant fragrance unable to mask the silence within the room.
Pei Yuanling sat upright on the throne, pinching his brow bone with his two slender fingers.
The chaotic debate in the court just now had his head throbbing.
It's getting so annoying, day after day.
Chen Zhongliang quickly served fragrant tea. He took a sip of the hot tea before focusing his attention on the man below him and asking in a deep voice, "Minister Lu, are you confident that you can investigate this matter thoroughly?"
Lu Zhiheng cupped his hands, his expression solemn: "Your humble servant will certainly do his utmost."
“It will not be easy to investigate this matter thoroughly, Minister Lu, you should be prepared.”
Pei Yuanling's expression turned slightly cold. While the matter seemed riddled with suspicious points, in reality, there were only a handful of suspects.
The former subordinates of Chu Tianheng, the Wang family, and Zhang Xian's old faction, who already had a grudge against each other.
Pei Yuanling worked diligently for five years after ascending the throne, but he was never able to completely eradicate the hidden dangers left over from the previous dynasty.
At this moment, his gaze passed through the carved dragon and phoenix windows of the palace, looking out at the gloomy sky, and the feeling of oppression in his heart grew stronger.
“Minister Lu, this matter is of great importance. The slightest mistake could cause turmoil in the court.”
Pei Yuanling sighed, "You must be very careful in your actions, investigate secretly, and do not alert the enemy. If necessary, you can mobilize your secret guards to assist you at any time."
"Yes."
Lu Zhiheng was dressed in a bright red official robe, which made his fair skin appear even more prominent. However, his narrow eyes were slightly lowered, and he bowed his hands in a gesture of respect with a blank expression.
"Your subject will take his leave now."
Watching his departing figure, Pei Yuanling's eyes narrowed slightly.
Since Lu Zhiheng entered the court as an official, there has been a constant stream of discussion.
As his right-hand man, he controlled the power of the cabinet's small court meetings, thus dividing the power of the aristocratic families and gradually weakening the influence of many clans, which naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of many powerful families.
Fortunately, Lu Zhiheng was extremely prudent in his work and never gave the aristocratic families any leverage over him.
This is also why he is willing to continue to rely on the other party.
Therefore, he could only feel at ease if the assassination was investigated by Lu Zhiheng.
By the time Pei Yuanling finished dealing with his work, it was already evening.
He was overwhelmed with work, having to read through a backlog of memorials that had been piling up for days.
However, Chu Qingyin was still lying in the Zichen Palace and had not yet woken up, so he could not rest easy. Therefore, as soon as he finished his work, he hurriedly went to the Zichen Palace.
"Your Majesty, you're back."
Xianglan remained outside the door the whole time. Upon seeing His Majesty's figure, she immediately bowed and paid her respects.
She hadn't slept for the past few days, feeling extremely remorseful. She hated herself for not stopping her mistress, or if she had gone with her, would the one who got injured have been the Empress?
It's all her fault; she failed to protect her mistress.
"Get up."
Pei Yuanling waved his hand, signaling Xianglan to get up.
Through the half-open door, his gaze fell upon Chu Qingyin's sleeping figure inside the hall.
Upon entering the Zichen Palace, a rich aroma of medicinal herbs filled the air.
Chu Qingyin lay quietly on the bed, her face as pale as paper, devoid of any color. Her usually bright eyes were tightly closed, and her long eyelashes cast faint shadows on her eyelids.
Pei Yuanling walked to the bedside and gently took Chu Qingyin's hand.
Those hands were still ice-cold, which made his heart clench.
Three days have passed, why hasn't she woken up yet?
Is it that she doesn't want to wake up, or...?
This time, God won't give them another chance.
As the moonlight deepened, the main hall became empty, with only the flickering candlelight.
Chu Qingyin seemed to be trapped in a very deep dream.
She was only thirteen years old at the time, not yet married to Pei Yuanling, and not yet dead in the cold palace.
She was wearing a pale yellow silk skirt, and the warm spring sun shone on her, making her feel cozy and warm.
The peach blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom. A gentle breeze blew, and the petals fluttered down, as if a pink snow had fallen.
Her mother made her osmanthus cake. Her brother rode a tall horse into the courtyard. He was dressed in a black outfit, with a straight posture and a heroic air. He took out an exquisite box from his pocket. It was a gift that he had brought back for her from the border.
However, the scene suddenly changed, the sky instantly turned gray and gloomy, the wind howled, the figures of her parents and brother gradually blurred, and shouts of killing came from all around.
Chu Qingyin looked around in horror. A sharp arrow was aimed directly at her eye, and her pupils contracted slightly.
"No!"
She woke up suddenly from her dream, drenched in sweat, her chest heaving violently.
The violent movement pulled at my head, and a piercing pain shot through my chest.
"hiss……"
She clutched her chest, and blood instantly seeped out.
Hearing the commotion, Pei Yuanling, who was standing guard nearby, immediately opened his eyes.
His eyes were bloodshot; he had barely slept these past few days while watching over Chu Qingyin.
Upon seeing Chu Qingyin wake up, Pei Yuanling was both surprised and delighted. "Yinyin, that's great! You're finally awake!"
He held her hand tightly, his voice choked with emotion, then, remembering something, he quickly turned and called out, "Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician, Consort Qiao has woken up!"
The numerous imperial physicians who had been waiting in the outer hall quickly filed in and surrounded Chu Qingyin's bedside.
The head physician bowed and stepped forward, carefully taking Chu Qingyin's pulse.
Pei Yuanling stood aside, watching the imperial physician's every move closely, not daring to utter a sound.
Chu Qingyin also came to her senses a little at this moment.
Unaware that she had just escaped death, her mind still reeling from the dream, she looked at the man before her, murmuring in bewilderment, "Your Majesty, I am in so much pain..."
Seeing her haggard and sickly appearance, Pei Yuanling felt as if his heart was being torn apart.
"It's alright, Yinyin. Now that you're awake, everything will be fine."
He held her hand and gently comforted her.
After taking the pulse, the imperial physician frowned slightly, a hint of worry flashing across his face.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand and respectfully reported to Pei Yuanling: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has just woken up and is extremely weak. In addition, the ordeal just now caused her wounds to reopen and her blood and qi to flow in reverse. Her condition... her condition is not optimistic."
"This old minister will now prescribe a few prescriptions to strengthen the body's foundation, promote tissue regeneration, and stop bleeding. However, Your Majesty will need to instruct the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a carefully prepared diet to help the Empress recuperate."
Upon hearing this, Pei Yuanling responded without hesitation, "Imperial Physician Li, I entrust everything to you. Please do your best to help Consort Qiao recover as soon as possible."
The imperial physician knelt down in fear and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this old minister will do his utmost."
After saying that, he got up and hurriedly went to write the prescription.
Chu Qingyin's breath was still weak. She looked at Pei Yuanling, her lips trembling slightly, as if she wanted to say something.
But Pei Yuanling gently pressed her down, "Yinyin, don't talk. Focus on recovering first. We can talk when you're feeling better."
Chu Qingyin pursed her lips and finally nodded.
Upon learning that Chu Qingyin had awakened, Empress Wang was the first in the inner palace to rush over.
Not only did she come herself, but she also brought many valuable items, including boxes of tonics and medicines, which she carried into the Zichen Palace.
At this time, the imperial physicians in the palace had already left, leaving only Pei Yuanling to guard the palace. Xianglan led Empress Wang ahead and they entered the bedchamber together.
As Empress Wang stepped into the palace, her gaze fell upon Chu Qingyin's pale face. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes, which quickly turned into one of concern.
"Sister Qiao, you're finally awake! His Majesty and I have been so worried these past few days."
As she spoke, she gestured to the palace maids behind her to put down the tonics they had brought.
She turned around and gracefully bowed to Pei Yuanling, "Your Majesty, I was overjoyed to hear that Sister Qiao has woken up, so I came to visit her."
Pei Yuanling nodded slightly in response, but his gaze never left Chu Qingyin.