"Lingqing!"
"Lingqing!"
After being called several times, Xu Lingqing opened her eyes in a daze, her gaze indifferent, and gently waved away Zhao Zhiyan's hand.
"Your Highness, what brings you here?"
Zhao Zhiyan frowned slightly as he looked at his empty palm.
Xu Lingqing tried to sit up, but her body was too weak and she couldn't manage it after several attempts. Zhao Zhiyan pressed down on her shoulder and said, "Lie down and rest first."
She lay back down, her eyes filled with disappointment: "Your Highness, I want to leave the Eighth Prince's residence. Please divorce me."
Zhao Zhiyan's pupils contracted: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
“My relationship with Your Highness as husband and wife has come to an end. I have no way to defend myself now. I only hope that Your Highness will consider our past relationship and let me leave the Eighth Prince’s residence. I am truly not capable of sitting in the position of the Eighth Prince’s consort.”
Xu Lingqing's tone was calm, like a still lake: "Please, Your Highness, do not pursue Lingxi. After all, she is the Empress Dowager's person, and I do not blame her."
"Enough!" Zhao Zhiyan interrupted Xu Lingqing: "You are the wife I brought into my home with great ceremony. I have never looked down on you. I will give you an explanation for what happened today."
Looking at Xu Lingqing's calm appearance, Zhao Zhiyan felt a little flustered and grabbed Xu Lingqing's cold hands.
He was shocked to find that she was incredibly thin; her hands, when clenched in her palms, looked as if she were holding dry twigs.
In just half a month, she has become so thin.
Xu Lingqing shook her head, stubbornly pulling her hand out of Zhao Zhiyan's palm, and coughed softly with her fist pressed to her lips.
Bright red blood seeped from her fair palm and dripped onto the brocade quilt.
"Lingqing!" Zhao Zhiyan exclaimed in shock.
They hurriedly sent someone to fetch the imperial physician.
Xu Lingqing raised her head, a few drops of bright red staining her pale lips: "The barrier between us is not Aunt Ling, nor is it anyone else."
She spoke weakly, tears streaming down her face: "It is because of my lowly status that keeping me alive will only lead to gossip about the Prince. The Prince has great ambitions and cannot be controlled by others because of me. Since returning to the capital, there has been constant turmoil. The Emperor promised the Prince the position of Crown Prince, but it has not yet been decided. More and more people are standing on the side of Prince Guangjia..."
Speaking of Prince Guangjia, she coughed twice, her lips stained with a vibrant red, and Zhao Zhiyan took a handkerchief to wipe them clean.
"The health of Prince Guangjia and the Emperor is gradually improving. Your Highness, have you ever considered that if you were to remarry a noblewoman, it would certainly be a great help to you?"
The more Xu Lingqing spoke, the more blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. "No matter how outsiders framed me, I always believed that my bond with the prince was stronger than gold and would not be shaken. Now I was wrong, Your Highness. Rather than letting me be bound by this high mansion, please spare my life."
These words made Zhao Zhiyan feel so ashamed that he wanted to disappear.
He shouldn't have listened to what others said and doubted her.
What did she do wrong?
After suffering for thirteen years, Song Yue was found and brought back, protected by others and doted on by Princess Jia Hua. What does Ling Qing have?
She was lonely and helpless in the first half of her life, and in the second half she had to doubt herself and be humiliated because of her status. None of this was her fault!
When a person is all alone in the world, they can only rely on themselves.
Zhao Zhiyan felt extremely sorry for Xu Lingqing and pulled her into his arms: "I was wrong to blame you, Lingqing. Get well soon, and I will protect you in the future."
As he spoke, the person in his arms had already fallen into a coma, breathing weakly.
"Imperial Physician!"
"Imperial Physician!"
Zhao Zhiyan shouted.
After the imperial physician arrived, he diagnosed that Xu Lingqing was not long for life.
"Treat her for me! You must cure the Princess Consort!" Zhao Zhiyan roared, grabbing the imperial physician by the collar.
Xu Lingqing fell into a coma, and Huamei knelt on the ground beside her: "Your Highness, ever since Lady Liu caused trouble at the gate, the Princess has rarely eaten. She sits in the study all day long, refusing to see anyone and forbidding me from inquiring about your whereabouts. Today the weather was slightly better, and I advised the Princess to go out for a walk. Unexpectedly, she encountered Aunt Ling, who made a few sarcastic remarks. The Princess did not take it to heart, but Aunt Ling brought up the Empress Dowager to pressure the Princess, saying something like, 'A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.'"
Zhao Zhiyan's anger burned fiercely.
"Your Highness, no matter what outsiders say, the Princess Consort is wholeheartedly devoted to you. Those people outside are clearly trying to sow discord, using the Princess Consort's status to spread rumors and deliberately distract you." Huamei choked up as she continued:
“A few days ago, the Princess asked me to send some silver to Su Jing’s family, saying that she would give her some compensation out of consideration for their past relationship. Guess what? Su Jing’s brother has acquired a large house and taken a concubine. He has even added two maids to serve him in the courtyard. The Princess then realized that Su Jing had betrayed her long ago. Lady Liu knows about the birthmark on the Princess’s body. This matter is not difficult at all.”
"The day the princess was served tea, she was humiliated for no reason. She was most likely deceived by Su Jing." Huamei was indignant.
Zhao Zhiyan jumped up, glanced at the guard, and the guard understood and immediately went to investigate.
"Why didn't you tell me these things sooner?" he retorted.
Hua Mei tilted her head and asked, "The princess has wanted to see you several times, but you have refused each time. After so many times, the princess has become unwilling to speak. The princess has lived such a life since childhood, how could she not know who her real mother is? If she were really her real mother, she would have happily welcomed her into the mansion and raised her well long ago."
These words made Zhao Zhiyan feel ashamed again.
He looked at the person sleeping on the bed, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and in a fit of anger, he turned and left.
At that moment, a sharp cry came from outside, accompanied by someone kowtowing and shouting that they were wronged.
Half an hour later
Looking at the dying Lingxi, and then at the poison that had been scavenged from her body, Zhao Zhiyan said irritably, "Still won't admit it?"
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