Chapter 78 The world is inherently chaotic, making it difficult for truth to exist. ...

As dawn broke, dappled light and shadows were cast on the ground through the windows of the Zichen Palace.

Ling Zhenli woke up to the sound of birds chirping. Yesterday evening, she suddenly felt that something was missing in the garden, so she asked someone to bring some magpies and sparrows to be kept in the back garden of Zichen Palace, which made it more lively.

She subconsciously touched the bed beside her; it was already cold, Pei Xuanlin had long since left.

Ling Zhenli sighed and closed her eyes.

She sat up, her body aching from the previous night's ordeal. The blanket slipped off her shoulders, revealing a few ambiguous red marks on her skin.

Seeing that no one was around, she called in the palace maid who was standing outside the door, her voice hoarse from just waking up.

"When did His Majesty leave? Where did he go?"

The palace maid lowered her head and replied respectfully, "His Majesty got up at 1:15 a.m. to prepare for court. Before leaving, he specifically instructed us not to disturb him. He should be handling state affairs in the Xuanzheng Hall at the moment."

Xuanzheng Hall.

The absurd scenes from last night instantly flooded Ling Zhenli's mind, making her blush with embarrassment.

Honestly, how could Pei Xuanlin be so arrogant?

Ultimately, she was at fault. Despite having such a loving and devoted husband, she couldn't resist temptation and had an affair with another man, which was improper.

If she just puts aside her pride and tries to appease him, Pei Xuanlin might choose to forgive her out of consideration for their past relationship.

"Get ready, I'm going to see His Majesty."

Sitting before the mirror, Ling Zhenli looked at her obviously haggard face and felt a pang of sadness. Her beauty had faded, and she knew she had to maintain her looks at all times, otherwise…

She always wanted to do something for herself, struggling in this world, but she also felt a sense of powerlessness that everything she did was in vain.

Let's just do whatever comes to mind first, at least we won't waste time.

The palace maid skillfully applied makeup to her, concealing her fatigue, and outlined her delicate eyebrows and eyes, adding a touch of charming lip rouge to her lips.

Ling Zhenli chose a softer wisteria-colored palace dress. She had always liked purple, and since she was going to please Pei Xuanlin, she naturally wore what she thought looked beautiful.

The palace stands majestic and solemn in the morning light.

The hem of her skirt brushed against the cold ground, making a soft rustling sound.

Ling Zhenli was filled with trepidation, a mixture of fear and a sliver of hope.

She imagined countless times what it would be like to face Pei Xuanlin soon. Perhaps he would mock her, perhaps he would be furious, but as long as there was even a sliver of hope, that would be enough.

The palace doors were pushed open by a palace attendant.

Ling Zhenli took a deep breath, adjusted her facial expression, and tried to show remorse and submission. After adjusting herself, she stepped over the high threshold.

However, the emperor, who was expected to be writing furiously at his desk, did not appear on his throne.

Her gaze was first drawn to the back of a woman standing in the hall, dressed in a slender green brocade robe, who was facing her sideways as if admiring the paintings and calligraphy on the wall.

That back view... had a strange sense of familiarity, making Ling Zhenli's heart skip a beat.

Seemingly sensing the movement behind her, the woman slowly turned around.

A delicate and gentle face, with a hint of melancholy between its brows, came into Ling Zhenli's view.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

A woman, a woman who accompanied Pei Xuanlin in the Xuanzheng Hall.

Ling Zhenli's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size, and the blood in her body seemed to flow backward instantly, rushing to the top of her head, and then quickly receding in the next second, leaving only a bone-chilling cold.

Although she had already prepared for the worst, she did not immediately react. Instead, she wanted to find out the truth first, so she suppressed her emotions and asked coldly.

"Who are you? Who let you in here?"

Just then, a low cough came from beside the throne.

Ling Zhenli stiffly turned her head and saw that Pei Xuanlin had walked out of the side hall at some point and was standing next to the dragon throne, looking at her leisurely with cold eyes and a smug smile on his lips.

"woke up?"

His voice was flat, devoid of emotion. His gaze swept over her pale face, and he said with a half-smile, "Looks like you slept quite well last night?"

This seemingly casual remark, laced with endless sarcasm, instantly dragged Ling Zhenli back to the unbearable memories of the previous night.

But Ling Zhenli did not forget what she was curious about.

"Pei Xuanlin." Ling Zhenli's eyes instantly turned cold as she looked at the woman from before. "Aren't you going to introduce her to me?"

"Oh, her."

Pei Xuanlin looked at the woman in green, his tone deliberately slowed, as if introducing a precious object, yet each word struck Ling Zhenli's heart like a hammer blow.

"Oh, you don't even know what kind of younger sister you are? Come, let me introduce you. This is your older sister, Xue Qing."

"What?"

The Xue family has only ever had one daughter; she has no older sister.

The next moment, Ling Zhenli was as if struck by lightning, her whole body stiffened, and her beautiful eyes stared straight at Xue Xianzhu, filled with panic and anger at being fooled.

Xue Qing...her older sister?

In other words, she is...

"You're not dead?!"

Ling Zhenli's voice was dry and trembling. Facing the person everyone told her was dead reappear in front of her, she was terrified and filled with hatred, gritting her teeth as she squeezed out each word.

He was using her identity.

She cannot live.

Meeting her resentful gaze, Xue Xianzhu's delicate expression was instantly replaced by a mocking sneer.

“If I die,” Xue Xianzhu’s voice was clear and crisp, carrying a blatant provocation, “then who will come into the palace to serve His Majesty in place of my dear sister?”

She deliberately emphasized the word "serve," staring intently at Ling Zhenli's distraught face.

Xue Xianzhu took a step forward and continued to pierce Ling Zhenli's heart with a slow and clear tone.

“In the past, my sister was ignorant and longed for freedom outside the palace walls. She ran away from her marriage, betrayed His Majesty’s favor, and also implicated the family.”

Upon hearing this, Ling Zhenli instantly understood everything.

This woman simply ran away from her arranged marriage; she didn't die.

Her good parents and good brother all deceived her.

No wonder, she had been wondering before that the Prime Minister and his wife didn't seem to have lost their daughter at all, and the young lady's body was nowhere to be found.

This has now completely exceeded her worst expectations.

As Xue Xianzhu spoke, she turned her gaze to Pei Xuanlin, revealing just the right amount of guilt and admiration. "I have been wandering outside for a long time and have suffered a lot. Only now do I realize that Your Majesty is the true Son of Heaven. Only Your Majesty can give the Xue family and me peace and honor. I have figured this out, so I have come back."

Ling Zhenli watched her silently, her eyes cold.

Xue Xianzhu paused, raised her hand, and gently stroked her still flat stomach. A proud and happy glow appeared on her face. Her gaze remained defiant as she looked at Ling Zhenli, each word piercing Ling Zhenli's heart.

"Moreover, His Majesty has taken pity on me, and I am already carrying His Majesty's child."

“My dear sister, if you can’t have children, then I will do it.”

"Oh, by the way, this Empress's position originally belonged to me as well, so you should return it to me as well."

"Could it be that you've been using my identity for so long that you actually think it's all yours?"

Every word and phrase is heart-wrenching and poignant.

Upon hearing the woman say that she was pregnant with Pei Xuanlin's child, Ling Zhenli's face instantly drained of all color, and even the bright red lipstick on her lips could not conceal her deathly pallor.

Xue Xianzhu seemed to think that wasn't enough, and continued to rub salt into Ling Zhenli's wounds.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Father, and Brother, haha, and even your mother who loves you the most, they all knew I was back a long time ago."

Upon hearing this, Ling Zhenli subconsciously took a half step back, her eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

"What nonsense are you spouting..."

Xue Yingyue admired Ling Zhenli's wide eyes, filled with the pain of betrayal, and chuckled softly.

"We all just wanted to see how long you, my dear sister, could keep up this Xue Yingyue act. But now that I'm back, your act has gone on long enough. It's time for the curtain to fall. Oh, do you not understand what I mean? What I mean is, you've been used up and it's time for you to get lost."

After uttering these hurtful words, Xue Xianzhu immediately changed her demeanor, turned around and nestled close to Pei Xuanlin, her voice becoming soft and gentle, carrying a hint of grievance and lingering fear.

"Your Majesty...look at my sister, she looks so fierce, like she's going to eat me alive! I'm so scared..."

Pei Xuanlin reached out and put his arm around Xue Xianzhu's shoulder in the air. He seemed to be showing endless tenderness to Xue Xianzhu, but his gaze remained fixed on Ling Zhenli's pale face.

Her face was filled with shock, anger, and despair.

Okay, very good.

A twisted sense of pleasure rose in Pei Xuanlin's heart as he watched the woman who had deceived and betrayed him gradually crumble in the trap he had meticulously designed.

That's exactly what happened, just as he expected.

"Honey, she's insignificant, she's not worth your time..."

"Enough, shut up."

Ling Zhenli coldly interrupted Pei Xuanlin.

All her rationality vanished under the stimulation of Xue Xianzhu's words "You should get lost" and the image of the two of them leaning on each other.

All those seemingly sweet moments from the past, the sweet words Pei Xuanlin had whispered in her ear, and the doting affection she thought was unique, have now become the most laughable irony.

He not only found the real Xue family's daughter, but also had a child with her. Even her father and brothers watched coldly as she performed like a clown.

She has given so much and endured so much; she absolutely cannot tolerate being so easily abandoned and replaced.

A devastating rage and jealousy clouded her judgment.

This was intolerable! Ling Zhenli swiftly pulled out a sharp gold hairpin from her hair, her eyes bloodshot, and recklessly stabbed it towards Xue Xianzhu's heart!

"You wretched bitch, just die!"

Everything happened too fast. Ling Zhenli's appearance, like a fierce demon, frightened Xue Xianzhu so much that she screamed and hid behind Pei Xuanlin.

"presumptuous!"

Pei Xuanlin's face darkened, and he reacted extremely quickly, pulling Xue Xianzhu firmly behind him. At the same time, his other hand moved with lightning speed, precisely grabbing Ling Zhenli's wrist that was holding the gold hairpin, stopping her.

He was incredibly strong. Seeing Xue Yingyue's actions and remembering her deception, he was filled with vengeance and twisted her hard!

"ah!"

Ling Zhenli cried out in pain as her wrist throbbed, and the gold hairpin slipped from her hand, falling to the ground with a clatter.

At the same time, due to the force of Pei Xuanlin's push and her own forward momentum, she stumbled, lost her balance, and fell heavily onto the cold, hard ground.

As she fell, she instinctively braced herself with her hand, and the gold hairpin that had fallen to the ground happened to be pressed down by her hand, the sharp end of the hairpin cutting a gash in her fair palm.

Blood gushed out instantly, its crimson color starkly contrasting against her fair skin.

Ling Zhenli stared at Pei Xuanlin in disbelief, her eyes red-rimmed and her heart aching.

Her palm was injured again.

When Pei Xuanlin's gaze fell upon that glaring crimson, his heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand, contracting abruptly and surging with sharp pain.

He instinctively reached out to check on her injuries, but Xue Xianzhu held him tightly. His surging anger instantly burned away his reason. Pei Xuanlin's sinister eyes glared at Xue Xianzhu's hand gripping his robe, as if she would be thrown off if she didn't let go at the next second.

Xue Xianzhu remained unyielding, her brows furrowed, and she shook her head.

Pei Xuanlin understood, he closed his eyes, and tried his best to suppress his doting affection for Xue Yingyue.

He then opened his eyes, his indifference returning. He stepped forward and looked down at Ling Zhenli, who was lying on the ground, curled up slightly in pain. His voice was cold and hard, filled with undisguised disgust.

"You brought this upon yourself! Who gave you permission to harm the one with the pearl in her mouth! You vicious woman! You dare to commit violence in front of me, what else are you incapable of doing!"

Ling Zhenli lay on the ground, the wound on the back of her hand burning with pain, but compared to the excruciating pain in her heart, it was nothing.

As she listened to Pei Xuanlin defend another woman, repeatedly calling her a venomous woman, tears mixed with despair blurred her vision.

Pei Xuanlin took a deep breath, turned to look at Xue Xianzhu, and said with obvious disgust and impatience, "Xianzhu, you should go back and rest. The imperial physician will come to check your pulse later. I will handle things here."

Xue Xianzhu felt nervous, fearing that Pei Xuanlin would turn on her, but she still pretended to be gentle and obedient, nodding and responding softly, "Yes."

Ling Zhenli's tearful eyes were filled with hatred and murderous intent as she watched Xue Xianzhu leave.

Before stepping out of the palace, Xue Xianzhu didn't forget to turn back and give Ling Zhenli on the ground a pitying, wicked smile.

Just like how a sure winner looks at a loser.

The palace doors closed.

In the empty hall, only Pei Xuanlin and Ling Zhenli, who was lying on the ground suppressing her sobs, remained.

Silence descended, like a heavy curtain falling.

Ling Zhenli struggled to prop herself up with her uninjured hand and kneel down.

She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, at the man who had once been so close to her, though now he was as cold as an iceberg.

The days of love and intimacy in the past were real, sweet and tender. How could she accept that they had all become a mirage overnight?

Not only does Pei Xuanlin love her, but she also truly loves Pei Xuanlin.

She didn't want to lose him no matter what.

As long as she admits her mistake, everything will be fine, right? We can go back to how things were before, and the man who loves and cherishes her will come back.

"Your Majesty... Saburo..."

Ling Zhenli crawled a few steps on her knees to Pei Xuanlin's feet. Ignoring the bleeding wound on her palm, she reached out and grabbed the hem of his dragon robe, grasping at the last straw. Her voice was mournful and plaintive, filled with desperate pleas.

"I was wrong... I know I was wrong... Please, look at me, look at our past relationship, please don't send me away, don't fall in love with someone else... Please change your mind... I promise I'll be good from now on, I'll never do it again... I'll do anything you want, just don't let me leave you, even if it's just to stay in the palace as a maid... Please, don't send me away, I really can't live without you..."

She cried her heart out; all her pride and stubbornness vanished in the face of the fear of possibly losing him completely.

She even lowered her head humbly, touching his cold boots with her forehead, pleading with him in the most self-deprecating way to gain his pity.

She had already lost Xiao Chongheng once, and she couldn't afford to lose Pei Xuanlin too. She knew she absolutely couldn't bear it. Xiao Chongheng had already taken half of her life away, and if Pei Xuanlin abandoned her as well, she would have no hope of living.

Pei Xuanlin lowered his eyes, looking at her humble and dejected appearance, and the glaring red stain on her palm. He felt a mix of emotions, but he was unwilling to forgive her, even though his heart was aching.

Because he knows that things that are too easily obtained will not be cherished.

Pei Xuanlin forced himself to think about her deception, her betrayal, and the images of her making love with other men. The slight pain was instantly replaced by an even stronger hatred.

He cannot be soft-hearted, absolutely not!

This woman's tears were all fake, and her words of love for him were also fake; it was all for glory and status.

In order to completely sever the soft heart that shouldn't exist in his heart, and in order to hurt Xue Yingyue even more deeply, to rub salt into her bleeding wounds, Pei Xuanlin deliberately made his voice sound cold and cruel.

"Change your mind? Xue Yingyue, are you living in your own dream?"

He leaned down, pinched her chin, and forced her to lift her tear-streaked face to look directly into his cold, indifferent eyes, as if he were looking at a piece of trash, and see how disgusted he was with her.

"Even now, can't you see clearly?"

Pei Xuanlin sneered, a cruel smile curving his lips. "I have fallen in love with Xianzhu. I love her purity, and I am hopelessly in love with her."

Under Ling Zhenli's astonished gaze, Pei Xuanlin remained unfazed, cruelly torturing her dignity.

"And you? What do you have? You don't even have the most basic chastity a woman can give to a man."

Ling Zhenli's pupils dilated suddenly, her breath caught in her throat, and it was as if her heartbeat had stopped. Pei Xuanlin's humiliating and fierce face pierced straight into her teary eyes.

She couldn't believe that Pei Xuanlin would insult her like that.

Why did you say that to me...?

At this moment, Pei Xuanlin, who was hurling insults at her, overlapped with the Pei Xuanlin in her memory who had repeatedly professed his love for her. The two men looked so alike, yet their words were completely different.

Ling Zhenli's voice broke, leaving two lines of clear tears. Bai Jie covered her lips with the back of her hand, trying to calm herself down from the pain in her heart.

“I…I had no other choice back then, Saburo…How could I survive if I didn’t sleep with them? I had nothing, any of them could crush me. If I had refused them…I would have been dead long ago…”

"Heh." Pei Xuanlin's lips curled into an extremely cruel smile, his eyes filled with undisguised mockery.

Looking at Ling Zhenli's fragile and tearful appearance, Pei Xuanlin was extremely angry, not knowing whether he was angry at her for being so weak or at himself for not appearing by her side sooner to protect her.

But she always had excuses, endless excuses, and never told him the truth.

Xue Yingyue is always like this. She never tells him anything. As long as he can't find the truth, she makes up lies to deceive him. Isn't it just because he loves her that he will believe her no matter how clumsy her lies are?

She never intended to be honest with him, and even now, her actions might be feigned, fabricated, or acted.

Pei Xuanlin said angrily, "All you do is talk about living. Have you even figured out how to live? No, you can't even do anything right. You and me, you and Xiao Chongheng, or any other Tom, Dick, or Harry, you haven't managed to hold onto any of them. All you do is shed tears, argue when things go wrong, refuse to admit anything, and when you're exposed, you play the victim and cry. Where were you before?"

The deeper the love, the deeper the hate.

Pei Xuanlin was now filled with hatred, wishing he could kill her and then die with her, so that they could both die and be done with it.

Ling Zhenli felt utterly ashamed by his words, yet tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She cried so hard she could barely breathe, as if she were about to pass out at any moment.

Pei Xuanlin's disgust for her reminded her of a long time ago when he said he would forgive her and love her no matter what happened.

"You said...you said you loved me...that no matter what I did...you would forgive me...I beg you, please...forget my past, okay? It was all my fault...I'll do anything if you can forget the past...let's start over, okay...please, love me one more time..."

So Ling Zhenli knelt down and begged for mercy, desperately hoping that Pei Xuanlin would change his mind and love her again.

Now that things have come to this, she still wants to start over.

Then keep begging him until he's satisfied.

Pei Xuanlin chuckled, released her chin, his expression as if it were stained with something dirty, straightened up, and said in a contemptuous tone.

"What a joke! You're incredibly stupid. Those words were just for fooling women. I've said them to more than just you. How stupid are you to believe that an emperor can be sincere? Or do you think I would love a woman as despicable, foolish, selfish, and promiscuous as you? You're disgusting me."

He watched her face turn ashen, as if watching a captivating drama, and continued to deliver the final blow.

"Let me tell you, Xue Yingyue, I have never loved you."

Upon hearing this, Ling Zhenli collapsed to the ground, her body trembling violently from the immense grief, her cries becoming hoarse and desperate.

Pei Xuanlin was very satisfied with this scene.

She should have continued kneeling on the ground, begging him. She had committed a heinous crime, and the fact that he hadn't let her die was already a great favor. From this moment on, she should have forever submitted to his authority.

From then on, they had to obey his every command.

We must seize this golden opportunity to destroy her dignity and soul in one fell swoop.

Pei Xuanlin turned around and walked to the imperial desk, grabbed a prepared edict that had not yet been stamped with the imperial seal, and without even looking at it, slammed it hard onto the ground in front of Ling Zhenli.

The scroll rolled down with a dull thud.

"Take a look."

His voice was cold and hard as iron, "This is your decree to depose you."

Upon hearing this, Ling Zhenli's mind went completely blank.

Wh...what...?

An edict to depose the empress?

The crying stopped abruptly, as if something had choked her; she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Was she abandoned?

No...no...how could this be...How could Pei Xuanlin be so heartless...?

If you're going to cripple her anyway, why bother saving her?

Ling Zhenli trembled as she reached out her uninjured hand, her fingertips icy cold, as if she had used all her strength to finally pick up the bright yellow imperial edict.

Expand.

Pei Xuanlin's familiar handwriting came into view, but this time, every single word pierced her eyes with excruciating pain:

"Empress Xue is not blessed by Heaven. She is all show and no substance and has no ambition. She is not fit to inherit the ancestral temple and serve as the mother of the nation. Therefore, she shall be deposed and reduced to a commoner."

Demoted to commoner status...

These four simple words signify the end of her life's glory, her complete fall from grace, and the end of any legal connection between her and the man before her.

Ling Zhenli wanted to say something to fight for herself one more time, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out; only tears flowed silently.

The day has finally come.

If she had known it would turn out like this, she should have taken poison and committed suicide, so she could have come and suffered a humiliation.

Ling Zhenli remained kneeling on the ground for a long time, silent, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

The ground was cold, and making her kneel on it indefinitely wasn't a solution, but Pei Xuanlin didn't want to give her a friendly look easily, so he waved his hand and shooed her away like he was shooing away a fly.

"Do you have anything else to say? If not, get out of my sight and stop getting in my way."

The word "get lost" struck Ling Zhenli's already battered heart like a final verdict.

The last glimmer of hope was completely extinguished, replaced by boundless rage and madness born from the extreme humiliation.

All her pleas and humility only earned her deeper trampling and mockery. He not only denied their past and the feelings she had given, but even denied her as a person!

Since he is so heartless, since he sees her this way, what else is there for her to care about?

Rather than being discarded like trash by him, I'd rather drag him down to hell with me!

Ling Zhenli stopped crying, wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, and stood up with difficulty. Her body was still trembling slightly, but her eyes became unusually firm. She raised her head, and the pitiful and pleading look from before disappeared without a trace.

"Pei Xuanlin."

She called him by his name, her voice cold and resolute, as if she were determined to fight to the death: "Do you think I love you? You just want to know about me, right? Well, I'll tell you today."

Pei Xuanlin frowned deeply, his eyes suddenly turning dangerous.

Her eyes had turned cold. The darkness and secrets that had been building up in her heart were nothing now. She would do anything to get revenge on Pei Xuanlin.

Thinking about what she was about to say, Ling Zhenli smiled and slowly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Before entering the Xue family, I was nothing more than a prostitute at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, the kind of prostitute you could get for a little money. How does it feel, Your Majesty, to marry a prostitute as your empress? Hahahaha!"

Pei Xuanlin felt a sharp pain in his heart, and was furious.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

“I said I just like being with men! Not just Xiao Chongheng, but also all the court officials you see every day, they’ve all slept with me, and each of them is better than you! They all say behind my back that I’m promiscuous by nature and can’t live without men for a day, and they’re absolutely right, because I’ve slept with them all, and they all know what I’m like! If it weren’t for the fact that you’re the emperor and can give me wealth and honor, do you think I would go to such lengths to seduce you?”

Looking at Pei Xuanlin's face, where veins were bulging on his forehead, she felt a twisted sense of pleasure. Her smile became even more seductive as she continued to provoke him with her reckless words.

"If I truly loved you, how could I possibly sleep with other people? Pei Xuanlin, you've been cuckolded one after another. Your courtiers are all laughing at you behind your back, laughing at you for marrying a prostitute!"

"Shut up!"

Pei Xuanlin was so enraged by Ling Zhenli that his eyes turned red and his chest heaved violently. Unable to bear it any longer, he let out a roar.

"Xue Yingyue, if you dare utter another word, I will kill you right now!"

"Kill me?" Ling Zhenli was not afraid at all. Instead, she laughed even more seductively, her expression crazed. "If you want to kill me, I'd be more than happy to. Hurry up and kill me, Pei Xuanlin. If you don't kill me, you're a coward!"

Pei Xuanlin was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode. He couldn't sit still any longer, so he rushed forward, grabbed Ling Zhenli by the neck, and strangled her.

Those deep eyes were now burning with a jealousy and rage powerful enough to destroy everything.

Every word she spoke burned fiercely into his heart, burning away the last shred of his reason.

How dare she! How dare she trample on his feelings like this! How dare she humiliate his dignity like this!

Ling Zhenli was choked so hard she could hardly breathe, her face flushed red, but she still stubbornly glared at him, squeezing out a mocking voice through her teeth.

"You wise and mighty emperor, you married a prostitute who's been ridden and abused by thousands as your empress, and let her lord it over you for so many years! Humph, you're a complete joke! All the men in the world will laugh at you behind your back for being a coward. You might as well just kill me already!"

These words were like the most vicious curse, completely shattering Pei Xuanlin's last shred of reason. His chest heaved violently, and the hand gripping her neck trembled with extreme force.

Seeing his furious yet hesitant manner, Ling Zhenli sneered and used her last bit of strength to provoke him.

"You're such a piece of trash. You can't kill me? Or are you just too reluctant to kill me, you useless coward?"

Hearing Ling Zhenli's insults, Pei Xuanlin laughed instead of getting angry.

"You want to die? I'll make sure you don't."

Pei Xuanlin curled his lips into a sinister smile, like a demon from hell, his eyes swirling with dark resentment.

"I will let you live, but live a life worse than death."

After saying that, he released his grip on her neck.

Just as Ling Zhenli was coughing violently and almost collapsed, Pei Xuanlin grabbed her wrist without any tenderness. He roughly dragged her towards the sleeping quarters of Xuanzheng Hall, as if she were a broken doll.

"Let me go! Pei Xuanlin, you madman! What are you trying to do! Get out of here!"

Ling Zhenli struggled in terror, but her strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree in front of the furious Pei Xuanlin.

Pei Xuanlin kicked open the door to the bedchamber and threw her roughly onto the dragon bed covered with soft bedding.

Despite the soft bed, Ling Zhenli was still dizzy from the fall and before she could react, Pei Xuanlin's tall and heavy body had already pressed down on her.

"Pei Xuanlin! Let me go! What are you trying to do!"

Ling Zhenli screamed and kicked, fear replacing madness and taking over her mind.

You'll find out soon enough.

Pei Xuanlin's voice was terribly hoarse, filled with intense lust and violence. He ripped off her purple palace dress, the sound of the fabric tearing particularly jarring in the silent bedchamber.

"No! Don't! Let go of me! Don't touch me with that filthy thing of yours that's slept with other women, it disgusts me!"

Ling Zhenli was truly terrified. She screamed and desperately pushed him away, her fingernails leaving red marks on his bare chest.

But her resistance only further enraged Pei Xuanlin.

He easily restrained her hands, pinning them above her head, and pinned her kicking legs down with his own. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his voice filled with malicious humiliation.

"You still don't want it? Ha, would you refuse when you're under other men? Don't you find them dirty!"

"Get out! Get out! They're all cleaner than you! Get out of here!"

"Shut up! You have no right to refuse now, just accept it!"

His actions were extremely brutal, devoid of any tenderness, and purely characterized by punishment and possession.

Ling Zhenli's struggles and cries seemed so pale and powerless in the face of his absolute power.

“How did those men treat you at Zuixianlou? Come on, tell me more.”

“Pei Xuanlin… I’m in pain…” Ling Zhenli shed tears of humiliation.

Seeing this, Pei Xuanlin bit her earlobe, involuntarily softening his movements, his hot breath spraying onto her neck, making him chuckle in anger.

"How much money do they pay you? Can they even serve you well?"

Ling Zhenli turned her face away in humiliation, biting her lower lip and refusing to make a sound.

This silent resistance further enraged Pei Xuanlin.

He grabbed Ling Zhenli's chin, forcing her to face him.

"say!"

"Weren't you the most eloquent one? Why aren't you talking now? Didn't you like this? Didn't you say you were naturally promiscuous? I'll grant your wish! You love them so much, but are they good to you? Are they better to you than I am? Or do you just like being treated like this? Answer me, is that right!"

Ling Zhenli curled up in pain, tears streaming down her face. It wasn't just the physical pain, but also the despair of her soul being slowly tortured.

Pei Xuanlin wanted to use this method to leave his own mark on her, to wash away the traces left by those men, even if this method also dragged him into hell.

Ling Zhenli was initially crying and struggling, but gradually, all her voices turned into broken sobs and numb endurance.

My body felt like it was being torn apart, and my soul felt like it was being ripped out.

She stared blankly at the blurry dragon and phoenix patterns on the ceiling of the tent, feeling herself dying bit by bit.

Pei Xuanlin, however, seemed tireless. He transformed all his anger, jealousy, resentment, and the remaining love into the most primal and brutal form of possession.

He kept asking those humiliating questions, torturing both Xue Yingyue and himself.

The world is inherently chaotic, making it difficult to preserve truth.

Time lost its meaning in this torture.

From day to night, the commotion inside the bedchamber never ceased, occasionally punctuated by angry growls from men and broken sobs from women.

Outside the Xuanzheng Hall, the palace servants held their breath, and no one dared to approach.

...

No one knew what had really happened between the Emperor and Empress; only the vague, deliberately leaked information spread quietly within the palace walls like a plague.

Empress Xue, whose origins were false, corrupted the palace, and used witchcraft to curse the emperor, committed heinous crimes that were intolerable to heaven and earth.