Chapter 287
The Imperial Palace, Guangzheng Hall.
On the bright yellow dragon bed, the man's face was withered, his eyes were sunken and cloudy, empty and lifeless, and his body was so thin that only bones remained, making him look like a terrifying skeleton.
His lips moved, making incoherent sounds, as if he were saying something.
He stretched out his hand, and finding no one around, he frantically pounded on the bed, trying to attract attention.
But he didn't know that no matter how loud he made, the people outside would ignore him and only come in at specific times to feed him a bowl of rice porridge to keep him alive.
After a while, he realized what was happening, and he was so angry that he was panting heavily, wanting to do something but feeling powerless to do so.
His body had long been eroded by the so-called elixirs, and he was only clinging to life now thanks to the thousand-year-old ginseng.
Otherwise, he would have already passed away by now.
But living such a painful life, suffering both mental and physical torment, would be better off dying, which would be a kind of relief.
Just then, footsteps approached from afar; someone was getting closer.
He thought someone had come to rescue him, and his eyes bulged with excitement.
Uh-huhs and ah-ahs—incoherent and nonsensical syllables—flowed from his mouth, accompanied by his body wriggling like maggots, making him both comical and laughable.
With a thud, he lay sprawled on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.
Suddenly, a pair of exquisite and luxurious embroidered shoes appeared before his eyes.
Emperor Mingyou struggled to lift his head and looked up. When he saw who it was, his face was filled with shock. Then he immediately looked pleading, begging her to save his life.
Qi Roufu looked down at him with disdain, his eyes full of mockery, and said sarcastically, "Brother, brother, did you ever expect that you would one day become such a lowly and wretched person?"
"This is all you deserve. You murdered your brothers, you're cold-blooded and ruthless, and you'll stop at nothing to achieve your goals."
She even did something so cruel to her own sister!
"It's all your fault that I've become like this! You've turned me into something worse than a monster!"
As she spoke, she broke down and screamed, using her hands and feet to punch and kick his now vulnerable and broken body.
When he saw her like this, he let out a mocking laugh, which was like a murderous demonic sound echoing in her ears, forcing her to become even more hysterical.
"It's all your fault! It's all your fault! Go die, go die, go die!!"
The sharp, piercing scream was heard by people outside.
As soon as Gao Liangui entered, he saw the emperor on the ground, coughing up blood. His face was ashen, and he was barely breathing, as if he was about to die.
He was immediately alarmed and rushed forward with his men to restrain the princess, who was now acting erratically.
"Your Highness, what are you doing?! How dare you lay a hand on His Majesty? This is a capital offense! Stop right now!"
Upon hearing this, she burst into laughter, a laughter that was both shrill and exhilarating, as if the humiliation that had been suppressed for many years had finally been released.
Gao Liangui and the others stared at Qi Roufu in astonishment, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
"Kill...kill her!...Heh heh...kill her for me!"
Emperor Mingyou seemed to unleash his last remaining potential, shouting with heart-wrenching fury, his face contorted with rage and hatred, as if he were mortal enemies with Qi Roufu.
He was now convinced that she must be in cahoots with Duan Gan and his gang.
Kill as many as you can.
He gripped Gao Liangui's arm tightly, glaring at him as if questioning why he hadn't ordered his men to take action.
"Your Majesty, please calm down... Please take care of your health. If you die now, how will I explain to Lord Duan?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Mingyou stared at him in shock, disbelief in his eyes, his fingers trembling.
You're all in cahoots! Traitors and rebels! I'm going to order your execution! Kill you all!
He tried to speak, but his mouth was blocked by blood. As soon as he opened his mouth, a large amount of dark red, foul-smelling blood eagerly spilled out.
Those words could only be kept inside and vented.
Qi Roufu scrambled to his feet and sneered, "May Your Majesty enjoy longevity and immortality!"
He then turned and left.
Emperor Mingyou stared intently at the dazzling, butterfly-like silhouette, his eyes filled with a mixture of love and hate. A dull ache, as if being struck in the heart, made it hard for him to breathe.
Even after he could no longer see the figure that haunted his dreams, he still refused to look away.
Qiu Lingyao, trapped in the cold palace, knew nothing.
Zhi'er, carrying the food box, strode into the room and silently placed the food on the table.
Granny Yu noticed the red marks on her cheeks and the disheveled clothes. Looking at the leftovers and the watery soup, she knew that she must have been harassed by the imperial kitchen again.
"Even a tiger fallen into the plains will be bullied by dogs; just take it easy."
Hearing this, Zhi'er's face was full of resentment, and she said angrily, "These people are going too far! Granny Yu, do you know that they actually tried to fob us off with those unwanted spoiled foods!"
"These clean foods were something I managed to snatch with great difficulty."
"These bastards are all despicable people who abuse their power!"
She listened to Zhi'er's constant cursing, her mouth opening and closing, then sighed and turned to look at Qiu Lingyao, who was sitting silently by the window.
Her eyes were unfocused, seemingly lost in thought, and her dejected appearance inevitably evoked a sense of sadness and pity.
"Your Majesty, it's time for your meal. You haven't eaten all day. If this continues, I'm afraid your body won't be able to take it."
Granny Yu walked to her side and spoke softly, her eyes full of worry and heartache for her.
She remained unmoved, her expression blank and numb, like a lifeless puppet.
The next moment, the dilapidated wooden door was suddenly pushed open with a creaking sound, and then Qi Roufu, dressed in a red palace dress, appeared in the three people's eyes.
"Imperial sister-in-law, how have you been?"
A smirk played on her lips as her sharp gaze swept over the blank face.
She walked in, followed by the palace maids and eunuchs, who were carrying some things, such as food boxes and trays.
Zhi'er and Granny Yu quickly stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Your Highness the Eldest Princess."
Even if they were unwilling to perform the ceremony, they still had to follow the palace rules, unless they wanted to offend Qi Roufu at this time and make things worse for Qiu Lingyao.
Upon hearing the voice that Qiu Lingyao found repulsive, her eyes suddenly twitched as she looked at the smug-looking Princess.
He said calmly, "What are you doing here? If you wanted to see a joke, you've already seen it. You're not welcome here, so get out!"
"Qiu Lingyao, Qiu Lingyao, you've fallen to such a state, yet you still dare to be so arrogant?!"
"Like a rat in a sewer, in this cold palace, it should have no idea what happened last night."
Her words were loaded with meaning, making Qiu Lingyao's heart skip a beat, her face paling slightly, and she had a bad feeling. "What do you mean?"
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