Chapter 88 Cold-blooded and Ruthless
"Never?" Du Xianyue murmured these two words absentmindedly.
A maniacal smile spread across his face, and tears flowed even more freely.
"You actually say you've never? Then all the doting you've shown me all these years, it was all an act! Chu Huaiyu, you really are a good emperor! You've completely fooled me!"
"Chu Huaiyu, how could you be so heartless?"
Du Xianyue suddenly stood up, staring blankly at him, and pointed her finger at him, screaming:
"Do you know how much I've sacrificed for you? For you, I've fallen out with my father and brothers; for you, I've had to carefully navigate every step of the way in this deep palace; for you, I even gave up my child! How could you do this to me!"
"Child? What child? I have never touched you."
After saying this, Chu Huaiyu instructed the guards beside him: "Keep an eye on her and don't let her step out of the Cold Palace."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
Du Xianyue suddenly broke free from the guards' restraints and pounced on Chu Huaiyu like a madwoman.
She gripped his collar tightly, looking completely deranged: "What nonsense are you spouting? How could the child in my womb not be yours? Chu Huaiyu! Explain yourself!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud slap landed hard on Chu Huaiyu's face.
The sound of a "snap" was particularly clear in the silent, cold palace.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Chu Huaiyu didn't retaliate or get angry after being slapped.
After a long pause, Chu Huaiyu did not answer her question.
He simply watched Du Xianyue quietly.
His gaze, passing through Du Xianyue's frantic expression, involuntarily drifted to another woman.
Back then, he abandoned her for power, pushing her into the abyss. Was she ever as crazy as she is now?
Are you also feeling as heartbroken and desperate as you are now?
Chu Huaiyu felt as if his heart was being pierced by countless fine needles, a dense, throbbing pain spreading throughout his body, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
"Chu Huaiyu, the person you love in your heart has always been... Lu Zhaoxue, hasn't she?"
Du Xianyue's eyes were wide with rage, and she almost gritted her teeth as she uttered the three words "Lu Zhaoxue".
At this moment, her last line of defense was that Chu Huaiyu also did not love Lu Zhaoxue.
I hope Lu Zhaoxue is like her, a pitiful person who was deceived and hurt by this man.
Chu Huaiyu looked down at her, his eyes filled with a faint pity, but completely devoid of his usual tenderness.
"Du Xianyue, I will not be coming here again. You should take care of yourself."
Du Xianyue wanted to rush forward and say something more, but the guards held her firmly to the ground, and she could only watch helplessly as Chu Huaiyu turned and left.
His back turned resolutely; he didn't even turn his head once.
Her heart felt like it was being torn apart. Why could he be so heartless to her?
——
Lu Zhaoxue was suddenly awakened from her sleep, only to find that she had fallen asleep leaning against the table, propping her wrists up.
The candle on the table had long since burned out, leaving only a charred wick.
She moved her stiff body; the stars were twinkling outside the window, and she guessed it was already late at night.
Her stomach was growling with hunger, and she really didn't want to wait for Chu Huaiyu any longer, so she prepared to have Haitang serve the meal.
At this moment, Chu Huaiyu walked in from outside the hall. His black dragon robe with gold thread made his figure look even more upright.
Lu Zhaoxue's gaze inadvertently fell on his face, and her expression suddenly froze.
His face was cold and stern, and his usually gentle eyes were now covered with a layer of frost.
His left cheek was slightly swollen, clearly indicating that he had been hit.
Lu Zhaoxue opened her mouth, secretly pondering:
The only one who would dare to hit him in this palace must be Du Xianyue, who was just deposed.
For some reason, a strange sense of pleasure welled up inside her, and she felt that the slap was truly well done.
"Your Majesty, what happened to your face?" Lu Zhaoxue asked, feigning concern.
Actually, she didn't care who hit him at all; she just wished that Du Xianyue could slap Chu Huaiyu a few more times.
"Yeah, I got hurt by accident."
Chu Huaiyu replied casually, then walked straight to the table and sat down without saying another word.
Lu Zhaoxue frowned slightly, continuing to feign a worried expression:
"Your Majesty, please have the imperial physician examine you first."
"No need, serve the meal," Chu Huaiyu said calmly.
Lu Zhaoxue did not insist any further, but during the meal, her gaze could not help but fall on Chu Huaiyu's slightly swollen cheeks.
She couldn't help but want to laugh.
He usually presents a cold, dignified, and aloof demeanor, but his current appearance is rather comical.
After finishing his meal, Chu Huaiyu rubbed his temples, his expression revealing an undeniable weariness.
He suddenly reached out and pulled Lu Zhaoxue into his arms.
He held her tightly around the waist, closed his eyes, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Don't move, let me hold you for a while."
"Your Majesty, you must be tired today. Please rest early," Lu Zhaoxue said softly, her body stiff.
"Mmm," Chu Huaiyu responded, but showed no intention of letting go of her.
Lu Zhaoxue could only quietly lean against him, feeling his steady heartbeat, but her heart was completely indifferent.
After a long while, she felt his breathing gradually become steady, so he must have fallen asleep.
She carefully pried his hands off, tiptoed out of the door, and summoned Eunuch Wei to serve him.
Tomorrow, Chu Siheng will be taking Qianyun back to Mo Nan, and she wants to take this opportunity to see him one last time.
She just wanted to sneak a peek at him, to see if he was doing well...
Chu Siheng lived in the East Garden of the Imperial Palace, and Lu Zhaoxue slowly walked over along the secluded palace path.
From afar, one could see that the lights in the East Garden were still on, clearly indicating that Chu Siheng had not yet gone to sleep.
The candlelight cast Chu Siheng's figure onto the window paper, making him appear and disappear, still the same gentle and kind appearance she remembered.
A moment later, the palace doors were suddenly pushed open.
Seeing this, Lu Zhaoxue quickly hid behind a tree and cautiously observed the person at the door.
Chu Siheng still wore a veil, covering most of her face, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.
He tilted his head slightly, groped along the wall with one hand, and slowly walked out.
Qianyun quickly stepped forward to support him, her voice so gentle it could melt your heart: "Your Highness, please slow down and watch your step."
"Isn't springtime in the palace beautiful?"
Chu Siheng's voice was clear and cold, spreading out in the quiet night and clearly reaching Lu Zhaoxue's ears.
Lu Zhaoxue clenched her fingers involuntarily, her heart pounding rapidly.
Remembering that Chu Siheng was no longer able to see, she grew bolder and quietly peeked out from behind the tree.
Qianyun caught a glimpse of a figure suddenly appearing out of the corner of her eye, her body stiffened abruptly, and her expression instantly became somewhat unnatural.
Chu Siheng noticed Qianyun's unusual behavior and turned his head to ask, "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing..." Qianyun quickly looked away, pretending she hadn't seen anything.
She gently stroked Chu Siheng's arm, her voice becoming even more tender: "Your Highness, although spring in the palace is beautiful, it is not even a tenth as beautiful as the scenery in our manor."
Chu Siheng's body stiffened slightly, and he subtly avoided her touch.
She said in a flat tone, "Qianyun really knows how to talk."
“It’s not that Qianyun is good at talking, but that Qianyun feels that the place where the Prince is is the most beautiful place in the world.” Qianyun looked up, her eyes full of adoration.
Chu Siheng's slightly upturned lips suddenly fell into a deep gloom because of these words, and his entire aura turned cold.
Qianyun noticed his unusual behavior, her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't understand what she had said wrong...
She swallowed hard, her throat dry, and had no choice but to change the subject:
"Your Highness, we will be setting off back to Mo Nan tomorrow. Should we bring back some local specialties from the capital?"
"Well, you can decide for yourself."
After Chu Siheng finished speaking, his brows furrowed even more, and he clasped his hands behind his back.
He seemed to remember something, and his expression turned somewhat gloomy.
In the distance, Lu Zhaoxue bit her lower lip, lowered her head slightly, and curled a self-deprecating smile at the corner of her mouth.
Was his sudden displeasure due to Qianyun's words, or because he remembered himself?
Because she used to say to him that wherever he was, that was home, that was her favorite place...
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