Fire crisis
Pei Zhaoying reached out to catch it helplessly.
Pei Heng was so angry that he didn't even say hello. If she had reacted a little slower, the thing would have been smashed to the ground.
She had noticed the recent changes in the emperor. In the past, she would have stepped forward to persuade him earnestly, but now Pei Zhaoying had awakened from her masochistic nature and was too lazy to say a word.
This is a piece of jade the size of a baby's palm. It is so clear that it seems to be filled with water. It feels warm when held in the hand, which is quite interesting.
"This is the warm jade presented to me by the Marquis of Huaiyang today. He was so humble that he personally placed it on me, so I couldn't refuse. The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I feel. The imperial physician couldn't find any poison. Sister, please take a look for me. Is there anything fishy going on?"
Pei Zhaoying glanced over it quickly and said, "Since the imperial physician says there's no problem, Your Majesty, don't worry too much. If you don't want the item given by the Marquis of Huaiyang, just replace it."
"Well, I think this warm jade is new, so I'll give it to my sister. I don't want to use the things he gave me!"
Pei Zhaoying restrained herself and looked at Nuan Yu in silence - Pei Heng was suspicious and didn't want to wear something of unknown origin, but did she really want it?
She casually placed the warm jade on the flower stand and wiped her hands hard on her knees in disgust. She was also afraid that she had been poisoned with a colorless and odorless poison!
Pei Heng didn't care about her disrespectful behavior and spoke excitedly:
"Royal sister, you have seen what happened today. The Grand Marshal and the Marquis of Huaiyang, one inside and one outside, are both serious threats! Neither of them takes me seriously. They only want to bite each other to death to clear the obstacles!"
He was in the prime of his life, and when the two powerful ministers met, they treated the emperor as dead and only cared about competing with each other.
It seemed that a nominal emperor could no longer be an obstacle to them.
Pei Heng did not dare to act rashly. He appeared calm towards them, but in his heart he wished they were dead. The Queen Mother would only shed tears and ask him to restore his majesty. He found an opportunity to pour out all his grievances to Pei Zhaoying.
Pei Zhaoying said a few words of comfort indifferently:
"Your Majesty, please be patient. Fortunately, they have now met each other. They will certainly spare no effort to kill each other. No matter the outcome, Your Majesty will have one less great enemy."
There was another possibility. Pei Zhaoying was too lazy to analyze it for Pei Heng. She just knew it in her heart.
That is the weaker party among them, who turned to attack Pei Heng with a desperate move and dragged someone down with them.
Pei Heng sighed:
"Fortunately, I have you and the Prince Consort. My sister's beauty trap worked. I can clearly see the Prince Consort's true feelings for you. It seems that the Prince Consort is a loyal and useful person. I have gained a good minister. Don't worry, after this process is over, I will definitely promote the Prince Consort and let him do important and caring work."
Pei Zhaoying's facial muscles froze and he was speechless.
She couldn't open her mouth to thank Pei Heng.
Because that was not the case at all, she had never thought of using her beauty to seduce Xiao Bo.
Even though the royal family regarded Xiao Bo as a handy tool, Pei Zhaoying always treated him as a flesh-and-blood person.
Xiao Bo is full of talent and should soar into the sky.
Her body was confined to a wheelchair, and her soul was trapped in the palace. When she saw a man like Xiao Bo, she would crave his company. This was a selfish desire that was easy to develop as a human being, but how could she be willing to let Xiao Bo become a puppet manipulated by the royal family!
Pei Zhaoying's lips trembled for a long time before he said in a dry voice, "Your Majesty, please make a good plan."
Based on Pei Heng's ability to read people's expressions, he couldn't tell that she was being sarcastic.
Her head felt numb and painful, and she felt a surge of regret that she shouldn't have dragged Xiao Bo into this cage.
The world is in chaos, the emperor can no longer hold on to his country, and it is only right for people of insight to find their own way out.
It turns out that Xiao Bo was being used so lightly as a tool, and she felt angry and hurt...
Pei Heng tacitly accepted her agreement, and his mood warmed up. He finally smiled and chatted about some insignificant family matters:
"...My Queen Mother has been unwell lately, overly worried. She keeps nagging me about taking in many virtuous concubines and expanding my family. My sister, when you have time, should come to the palace more often to spend time with me. The exotic flowers of Huaiyang are truly beautiful, and every woman loves them. My sister, please enjoy the flowers here. No one dares to disturb you. My headache is splitting. I'll go back to the Yangxin Palace for a rest before I deal with the situation."
In short, after Pei Heng finished complaining, he turned around and left, leaving Pei Zhaoying alone in the greenhouse in a daze.
Her nose felt sore, and she lowered her shoulders and head, not knowing whether she should indulge in vulnerability and regret at this moment.
Xiao Bo had grown up in a bitter world. He should have had a happy family with the one he truly loved, and experienced the rare warmth and sweetness in this world...
But she dragged him into the water.
From then on, he was involved in the royal struggle and became a tool to be ordered around.
She shouldn't be so selfish...
Perhaps, the shining stars should hang high in the sky, with a broad mind that is not stained by dust.
The flowers were fragrant and there was silence. She sighed deeply and thought for an unknown amount of time before she heard some movement outside the greenhouse.
"Oh, you little eunuch, why are you so impatient? You can't rush around in the palace."
Lu Yunqi was going to the greenhouse to get something, but just as he turned a corner, he was bumped into in the chest by a young eunuch who was walking in a hurry with a hunched back. He almost vomited the food he had eaten because he was too full.
What’s even more infuriating is that the eunuch who bumped into someone didn’t feel any remorse at all. He didn’t even stop for a moment and ran away without a trace.
Lu Yunqi could only consider himself unlucky. He rubbed his chest and stepped into the greenhouse. He was wondering why there was no palace maid on duty in the greenhouse today, and then he saw the extremely lonely figure.
"Your Highness? Why are you here alone? Aren't you bored?"
"Your Majesty invited me to view the tribute flowers sent from Huaiyang. I preferred quiet time, so I sent everyone away," Pei Zhaoying forced a smile, wiping the moisture from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. "Shouldn't Imperial Physician Lu be on duty at the Imperial Hospital? Why is he here in the palace?"
"Your Highness, you may not know that some precious flowers and herbs are not only for viewing, but their petals and rhizomes can also be used as medicine. Since there are no proper concubines or mistresses in the harem, His Majesty has specially authorized the Imperial Hospital to use herbs with good medicinal properties for medicine making. There is a special area in the greenhouse for drying herbs. I came to see how dry they are."
Lu Yunqi skillfully found the racks of dried flowers and hay in the greenhouse and quickly arranged them into categories.
"Alas, the maid on duty doesn't understand pharmacology and sometimes mixes different kinds of flowers and herbs together. This requires me to come and check frequently. The mixing of cold and warm properties will reduce the properties of each medicine."
Lu Yunqi felt that Pei Zhaoying was different from other princes and nobles. When they didn't know each other, he would tolerate her little tricks. After getting along for a long time, he found that she was as warm and amiable as the eldest sister in the family. Lu Yunqi's courage gradually grew, and he could speak and laugh freely.
After she had been busy for a while, she realized that Pei Zhaoying's face was filled with indescribable heaviness and loneliness.
Pei Zhaoying asked her slowly:
"Doctor Lu, are you doing well in the Imperial Hospital? I know that running errands like this is usually not your job as a proper Imperial Doctor, but some people are ostracizing you because of me."
Pei Heng's words stirred up Pei Zhaoying's thoughts and she couldn't calm down. She felt guilty for having implicated everyone related to her.
Lu Yunqi was startled and turned back to explain:
"Your Highness, how could you possibly think that? There are so many mean people in this world who only laugh at others and hate them. I've earned your Highness's reputation by treating him regularly, so of course some people will dislike me. But the fees and benefits I receive are real. No matter how jealous they are, they can only assign me trivial tasks, which are insignificant compared to what Your Highness pays me. Thanks to Your Highness's generous fees, I often have extra meals in the kitchen, and my waist has grown like a bucket."
Lu Yunqi was afraid that Pei Zhaoying wouldn't believe him, so he gestured with the newly grown soft flesh, and successfully earned a sincere smile from her.
"Good boy, go and get busy. There's nothing I need you to look after here."
Pei Zhaoying pinched the flesh on the inside of her thigh, applying a little force, and the sensation became increasingly apparent.
Although she still has a long way to go before she can walk normally, Pei Zhaoying has made up her mind that once she recovers, she will set everyone around her free and not let anyone be imprisoned because of her and lead a life they don't want.
After Lu Yunqi finished her work, she was about to leave when she thought the greenhouse was hot and stuffy, and asked her to open the window for some fresh air. Also, Pei Zhaoying was not very mobile, so she asked someone to wait on her.
However, Lu Yunqi saw that Pei Zhaoying had a frown on her face and her beautiful eyes seemed half closed, as if she had taken a nap during this time when no one was disturbing her. She couldn't bear to disturb her, so she bowed silently and left.
Just as he was about to close the door, Lu Yunqi heard Pei Zhaoying softly ask:
"Doctor Lu."
"What is the matter, Your Highness?"
"Are you...sleepy?"
Lu Yunqi answered honestly, "I was born lazy. Whenever I'm working, I always feel sleepy."
After a few breaths, without hearing Pei Zhaoying's further questions, Lu Yunqi left quietly.
The greenhouse was too warm, which made Pei Zhaoying lazy and her eyelids heavy.
She was surrounded by gorgeous flowers, their petals stretched out beautifully, their fragrance completely evaporated by the heat in the room, making her so relaxed that she couldn't think normally. Like a flower fairy in the bushes, she gradually closed her eyes completely.
Although the sleepiness came at an inopportune and strange time.
Pei Zhaoying had a light dream, in which she first saw the possibility that she least wanted to see—
Xiao Bo was used as a pawn by the royal family. He became depressed and gradually drifted away from her. They no longer had a heart-to-heart talk.
Pei Zhaoying was trying to pull Xiao Bo's sleeve bitterly, but the situation changed again.
The nightmare that had haunted her for so long, dormant for a few days, once again disturbed her and made her restless.
On the banks of the Luo River, thousands of arrows pierced people's hearts and blood flowed like a river.
This dream, like a prophecy, tormented Pei Zhaoying countless times. She felt the pain that was too real, the suffocating feeling weighing heavily on her, the pain piercing her heart. In her dream, she even struggled to spit out a mouthful of blood foam...
No, she was clearly in a dream, so why was she short of breath?
Pei Zhaoying shuddered, and cold sweat instantly soaked her inner clothes. With amazing willpower, Pei Zhaoying suddenly opened her eyes forcefully!
There is a burnt smell in the nose.
She saw the fire.
Who was so bold? And how did they manage to set fire to the palace without anyone noticing?
"Someone come! Someone come quickly... cough cough cough cough..." Pei Zhaoying said a few words while holding his breath, and then he was choked by the thick smoke and coughed repeatedly.
How could someone as unlucky as her be shot to death in her dream and trapped in a fire in reality?
She always regarded the nightmare as a prophecy. In order to avoid disaster, she even avoided Luoshui. However, she did not expect that one life-and-death disaster after another would come to her.
The overly wide sleeves of his robe were licked by the flames.
Pei Zhaoying made a prompt decision to take off his coat and throw it away. Saving his life was the most important thing, and decency came second.
Because the roof was made of a whole piece of high-temperature resistant glass, smoke could not be exhausted and fire could not be burned out. The people outside were sent away by Pei Heng. It was very likely that Pei Zhaoying was cooked before someone came and discovered the abnormality!
Pei Zhaoying tried to turn the wheelchair hub, which she could often turn on her own on flat ground. However, the flower stand burned and fell down, and the broken pieces blocked Pei Zhaoying's way.
Moreover, the wheelchair was made of wood and was very likely to catch fire. Pei Zhaoying should have abandoned the wheelchair and crawled on the ground to see if he could escape by relying solely on his front limbs and avoid the thick smoke.
However, it was too undignified... Pei Zhaoying didn't want to end up in trouble. When others came to check, they would see the eldest princess's body, disheveled and twisted on the ground...
Just when the situation was critical, Pei Zhaoying's thoughts became extremely clear. He instantly figured out how the murderer had set up such a killing plan and put something in his pocket before the fire burned all the evidence.
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