Chapter 168 Entering the Palace

The candlelight danced in Jiang Qingning's eyes, reflecting Qin Xiu's eyes that were filled with thousands of words.

Those words were like a stone thrown into the lake of my heart, causing ripples and a sour tremor spreading from the tip of my heart.

She looked at his hand which was halfway extended but then stiffly withdrawn due to restraint, and her throat felt a little choked.

"……good."

She heard her own voice, softer than she had imagined, but filled with a settled promise, "I won't hide it from you anymore."

The gloomy darkness deep in Qin Xiu's eyes seemed to be brightened by this brief promise.

He looked at her deeply, as if he wanted to carve her appearance at this moment into his bones. In the end, he just exhausted all his self-control and whispered: "It's late, get some rest."

After saying this, he did not stay any longer and turned around to blend into the thick night outside the window. Only the faint scent of cool pine resin on his body remained in the study.

After the footsteps disappeared, the study door was gently pushed open.

Zi Su walked in with Jiang Qingxi, carrying a calming soup.

Jiang Qingxi's eyes swept over her sister's slightly pale face and the map of Beidi spread out on the table, her face full of eagerness: "Sister, he's gone? What should we do next?"

Jiang Qingning closed his eyes and suppressed the inappropriate ripple in his heart.

When he opened his eyes again, there was a bottomless dark pool in his eyes, and only Bi Luman and the determination to control the chess game remained.

"Next step,"

Her fingertips marked the location of the capital on the parchment scroll, and her voice was as cold as ice, "It's time to make things more lively within these palace walls."

Duke Qin's Mansion, study.

Qin Xiu did not rest.

He sat behind his desk, picked up his pen and dipped it in ink. His wrist was steady, but his handwriting was sharp.

Before the ink was dry, he called Qingzhi over and said, "Tomorrow at 3:30 AM, give this letter to Eunuch Huang on duty at Xihua Gate. He will know who to give it to."

"Yes." Qingzhi took the letter and retreated with a serious expression.

The next day, the Golden Palace.

The court meeting ended with Lu Bing's excited speech on elixirs.

Qin Xiu walked out of the palace with the crowd of people leaving the court, his face stern and his eyes fixed straight ahead.

No one noticed that near Xihua Gate, an old eunuch who seemed to be sweeping the floor quietly slipped a wax ball from his sleeve, and the ball fell accurately into the hands of a young eunuch who was walking quickly with his head lowered.

The wax ball changed hands several times and finally appeared in the palm of Chunying, the head palace maid.

Chunying dismissed her attendants and respectfully presented the wax ball to Concubine Qin, who was leaning on the chaise longue, her fingertips casually fiddling with a string of top-quality oriental pearls.

Qin Yurong lazily unfolded the letter paper and read ten lines at a glance.

A trace of complex heartache first flashed across his elegant face, and then turned into an almost inaudible sigh: "Fool... Really a fool..."

She handed the letter to the young man standing beside her, with a calm face but sharp eyes.

Lu Yong took the letter and read it quickly. There was no ripple on his mature face, but there was a flash of calculation in the depths of his eyes.

He stood up and bowed respectfully to his mother, his voice so steady that no emotion could be heard: "Mother, leave this matter to me. I will definitely live up to your and uncle's expectations."

Concubine Qin was in a trance for a moment as she looked at her son, who was only thirteen or fourteen years old, but whose thoughts were so deep that even she, as a mother, was often frightened.

She waved her hand, her voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of fatigue: "Go ahead, and be sure to do it cleanly and neatly."

"Your son obeys."

Lu Yong saluted again, turned around and left. His steps were steady, but his back revealed a resolute and murderous aura that was inconsistent with his age.

Only Concubine Qin and her confidante, Nanny Qian, were left in the palace.

After a long while, Concubine Qin finally spoke softly, with a hint of self-mockery and bewilderment: "Mammy, do you think Yong'er is like his father? This ruthlessness..."

Nanny Qian's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to respond to these heartbreaking words. She only whispered, "Your Majesty, you're worrying too much. The Fourth Prince is just being overly concerned, and it's for the future of Your Majesty and the Duke's Mansion."

Qin Yurong twitched the corners of her mouth, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

She stood up, holding onto Nanny Qian's hand. Her eyes swept across her still beautiful yet tired face in the mirror. "Change your clothes. I will personally deliver a great gift to His Majesty."

In the Yangxin Palace, the sweet fragrance of ambergris mixed with elixirs made people drowsy.

Lu Bin leaned on the soft couch, his face was unnaturally rosy, but his eyes were a little distracted. He was listening to a Taoist priest with an immortal look, who was explaining the wonders of the newly refined Nine-Turn Golden Pill with saliva flying.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine requests an audience." The eunuch announced.

Lu Bin seemed to be cheered up: "Hurry up and announce it!"

Concubine Qin walked in gracefully, followed by a slender young girl with her head lowered and eyes closed. She was wearing a pastel-colored palace dress, with an extremely beautiful face. There was a touching timidity between her eyebrows, like a peach bud about to bloom.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Concubine Qin bowed gracefully, her smile gentle and her voice soft and charming, "I heard that Your Majesty has been very busy lately, and I am very worried. So, I specially found a lovely person to come and relieve Your Majesty's fatigue."

"Jiang Tao, why don't you pay your respects to His Majesty?"

As she spoke, she gently pushed the girl forward half a step, and then she leaned close to Lu Bin's ear, breathing softly like orchid, and whispered a few words.

Jiang Tao saluted obediently, her words and actions full of charm: "Tao'er greets His Majesty~"

Lu Bin's gaze instantly fixed on the girl, and a gleam appeared in his eyes.

He laughed heartily, his face filled with joy. He reached out and took Jiang Tao into his arms: "My beloved concubine truly understands my heart. Jiang is very kind. Please stay by my side and serve me."

Jiang Tao snuggled shyly in the emperor's arms, and her eyes moved as she exchanged a knowing look with Concubine Qin.

For the next seven days, there was revelry every night in the Yangxin Palace.

Jiang Tao firmly occupied the emperor's favor with her youthful and fresh looks and deliberately flattering charm.

Seven days later, an imperial decree was issued, conferring upon Jiang Tao the title of Lady Jiang and granting her the residence of Lai Fu Palace.

When the news came out, the harem was in an uproar and undercurrents were surging.

"The fiancée of the Crown Prince of Zhenbei, Jiang Qingning, has come to the palace to pay her respects in accordance with the imperial decree of the Imperial Concubine." The eunuch's shrill voice sounded.

An hour later.

Jiang Qingning took a deep breath, suppressed the uneasiness in his heart, and followed the palace maid leading the way into the magnificent palace.

Before entering the main hall, one could already hear the sweet chattering of women, mixed with undisguised sarcasm and hostility.

After walking around the huge rosewood carved screen, the scene before you suddenly opens up.

The hall was filled with warm fragrance and surrounded by pearls and jade.

The concubines with higher ranks sat on both sides, with Shufei and Xianfei among them. One of them was gorgeous, the other gentle and dignified. But at this moment, they were rarely united in their hatred of the enemy. They had false smiles on their faces, but their words were as sharp as knives.

"Oh, Sister Qin is so virtuous and generous. She looks so beautiful, yet she is so eager to send the bride to His Majesty. This kind of broad-mindedness is something that my younger sisters can never learn!"

Concubine Shu pinched her silk handkerchief, covered her lips with her hands and chuckled, with the sarcasm in her eyes almost overflowing.