Chapter 95 The Young Prince's Plea

"Looking for him? Of course he is dead. If he wasn't dead, why would I be standing here talking to you?" The Emperor of Chu's voice was cold and pierced Mei Fei's heart.

"..." Mei Fei was speechless. After a long silence, she slowly spoke, "Your Majesty, I am sorry for you. I know my life is inevitable, but the child in my belly is innocent. Can you let me give birth to him before you deal with me?"

"You won't make any more excuses? Maybe I believe what you say?" The Emperor of Chu looked at this once gentle and beautiful woman, feeling mixed emotions.

"I have no way to defend myself." Concubine Mei knelt down, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I can agree to your request, but I want to ask you one thing. You must tell the truth. Otherwise, even if the baby in your belly is really my child, I will not keep you." The Emperor of Chu took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

"Your Majesty, please speak." Concubine Mei raised her head with a hint of expectation in her eyes.

"Do you know about the poisonous nail hidden weapon used by Zhao Quan?" Emperor Chu stared at Concubine Mei's eyes, not missing any change in her expression.

"I don't know martial arts. Although I know that he is a martial arts expert and has unique skills in using hidden weapons, I don't understand him very well." Mei Fei said.

Both Emperor Chu and Shen Yan were examining the kneeling woman. Emperor Chu was trying to determine the truth of her words, while Shen Yan remained alert, worried that Concubine Mei might have some hidden tricks up her sleeve.

"In that case, you are useless." The Emperor of Chu's meaning was very clear. Concubine Mei's life was in danger.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say. Zhao Quan and I are not biological siblings. We met when we were young and fell in love with each other. But when my father found out, he strongly opposed it and ordered me to serve you when you went to Xihua Mansion. I didn't expect that you valued me so much. I remember clearly how good you have been to me in the past two years. But Zhao Quan was unwilling to accept this and forced me to do many wrong things..." Concubine Mei cried, tears rolling down her face like beads from a broken string.

"Okay, stop talking, Chen Yan, I don't want to see her anymore." Emperor Chu waved his hand, his eyes full of disappointment.

"Yes." Chen Yan responded. He knew that the King of Chu meant to execute Concubine Mei.

"Your Majesty, the child in my belly is indeed yours. Please let me give birth to the child!" Concubine Mei was not afraid of death, but she felt sorry for the child in her belly, so she begged bitterly.

"Zhao Quan injured Qingyu with a hidden weapon. Look, Qingyu is going to die!" The King of Chu's voice was mournful, as if he had aged a lot in an instant.

"The young prince..." Only then did Concubine Mei realize the seriousness of the matter. She knew that she would not be able to escape death today.

"Chen Yan!" Emperor Chu ordered again, his voice filled with unquestionable majesty.

"Uncle Emperor~" Ye Qingyu heard everything clearly from the couch. He couldn't exert any strength, let alone speak, but now he had to speak. Mei Fei didn't seem to be lying. If the child was really the emperor's, it would be wrong to kill two people with one body.

"Qingyu, what do you want to say?" Emperor Chu looked at Ye Qingyu with concern.

"The child is innocent. Let her give birth to the baby." Ye Qingyu pleaded weakly.

"..." The Emperor of Chu was silent.

"Little Prince..." Concubine Mei also cried. The little prince's life was hanging by a thread, but he was still pleading for the child in her belly. This kindness made her feel guilty.

"Uncle Emperor, just consider it as accumulating blessings for your nephew." Seeing that Emperor Chu was still hesitating, Ye Qingyu had to speak weakly.

"Okay, Mei Fei will be confined to Ningxiang Palace from today onwards." When the King of Chu heard Ye Qingyu say this, he immediately agreed. How could he refuse in order to accumulate merit for Qingyu?

Mei Fei collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down her face. The child's life was saved by the Northwest Prince Chu Qingyu.

"Zhao Meir, you have to understand that no one's life can compare to Chu Qingyu's. I spared you today to accumulate blessings for him." Emperor Chu looked at Concubine Mei and asked her to leave.

"I understand." Concubine Mei withdrew and was confined to Ningxiang Palace from then on. Not even the Empress knew how this favored concubine had angered the Emperor to receive such a severe punishment! However, the Emperor of Chu did not reduce Concubine Mei's expenses. He continued to live as usual, but he never set foot in Ningxiang Palace again, nor did he go to see his former favorite concubine.

"Your Majesty, Young Master Qing Yi has arrived."

"Let him in." The Emperor of Chu's voice was steady but with an eagerness that was hard to conceal, his eyes fixed on his nephew who was dying on the couch.

Qing Yi stepped into the hall, his gaze instantly captivated by the scene before him. A palace maid, holding a bowl of medicinal decoction in both hands, leaned forward slightly, attempting to feed it to the young prince of the Northwest, Ye Qingyu, who lay on the couch. However, Ye Qingyu's face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color. His tightly pursed lips and defiant expression clearly reflected his resistance to the decoction.

"Xiao Ye!" Qing Yi took two steps at a time and flew to the front of the couch. He was so fast that he didn't even bother to pay his respects to Emperor Chu. All he had eyes for was the pale-faced Xiao Ye lying on the couch.

"You're here!" Ye Qingyu heard the familiar voice, looked up at Qing Yi and forced out a faint smile in a soothing manner.

At this moment, he even spoke cautiously, not daring to speak loudly, fearing that the deadly poison would penetrate his heart if he exerted even the slightest force. He was filled with resentment; he couldn't bear to die like this! The person before him was the one he had cherished, the one he had planned to spend his life with. And then there was Xibeiwang City, and his father, the King, who loved him dearly. He had gone through countless hardships, finally ridding himself of the poison that had plagued him for nearly twenty years. How could he be willing to be killed by a tiny poisonous nail?

"What kind of medicine is this?" Qing Yi looked at the medicine in the palace maid's hand.

"This bowl is the detoxification soup prescribed by Doctor Wang, and this bowl is ginseng soup." The palace maid answered softly but in a panic.

The steam from the ginseng soup curled up, like the dying man's final hope. Qing Yi was filled with regret, as if a thousand arrows pierced his heart. He secretly blamed himself, thinking that he should have accompanied Xiao Ye into the palace without leaving her side. How could Xiao Ye's life hang by a thread after such a short separation?

"Xiao Ye, don't say anything. I'm here, you'll be fine." Qing Yi's voice was gentle, yet filled with unquestionable determination. His words were meant to comfort Ye Qingyu, but also to soothe his own flustered heart. He kept telling himself to calm down, calm down!

The King of Chu stood quietly by, taking it all in. His eyes were deep and complex, as if they contained a thousand words, yet he remained silent.