Du Qinglan had just drunk the poisoned wine. She sat in her usual spot, leaning against the couch, looking out the door.
The stove, which had always been burning, was cold and deserted today, making the room feel even more desolate.
When she saw the person who came in, a glimmer of light flickered in her lifeless eyes.
Because of his emotional state, more black blood gushed from the corner of his mouth.
Da Meng walked over as if in a daze, knelt on the ground, and hugged the person in his arms.
"Lan'er, don't die. I... I'll send you to a place no one knows, and you can live there for the rest of your life."
This is the most he can do. Du Qinglan wants to kill the entire Qiao family, and there is absolutely no possibility for him to be with her in this lifetime.
He decided that once the person was settled, he would repay part of her sins on her behalf.
Du Qinglan shook her head with difficulty: "I must die, and I've long since given up on living."
She reached out and touched Da Meng's face, feeling the last bit of warmth in the world.
"I'm sorry, I didn't have a choice in my life."
Her lips moved as if she wanted to say "next life," but she knew that even in the next life, she could not atone for her sins.
It's better to be clean and decisive, and get it over with once and for all.
Du Qinglan's hand fell to her sides, and slowly, she fell silent.
Da Meng held her body, wanting to cry his heart out, but his throat was choked, and his heart felt empty, both tired and numb.
I just stared at the sky outside, not knowing how much time had passed. The person in my arms had completely cooled down and was no longer conscious.
A wind had suddenly started blowing, causing the bright red lanterns and colorful curtains to sway and flutter.
The Qiao family's plan failed, and the Crown Prince merely went through the motions in the subsequent search.
He was somewhat distracted, so he didn't notice when Master Pei left. When Master Pei returned, he was surrounded by three hundred more imperial guards, a huge crowd that blocked a section of the street.
The eldest prince immediately became alert: "General Pei, what are you doing bringing so many people here all of a sudden?"
Having witnessed what happened before, Second Master Pei had realized that the First Prince intended to frame the Qiao family and drag the Pei family down with him.
So he put on a stern face and said very bluntly, "Naturally, it's to make searching easier and improve efficiency. This humble general has noticed that the Crown Prince is already showing signs of fatigue and wants to share more of the burden for Your Highness."
“It’s not your place to share the burden for me,” the eldest prince said coldly. “Bringing so many people here will disturb the people. Let most of them disperse.”
Master Pei said, "This humble general often leads thousands or even tens of thousands of imperial guards through the streets and alleys, and no one has ever complained about disturbing the people, let alone these mere three hundred imperial guards."
Seeing his insistence, the eldest prince had a bad feeling. His eyes darkened and he lowered his voice.
"Second Master Pei, what exactly do you mean by this?"
"This humble general is merely trying to help His Highness the Crown Prince," Second Master Pei said firmly.
The eldest prince snorted; he wanted to see what kind of trouble Second Master Pei could cause.
At that moment, someone rode up at top speed to report.
"His Highness the Crown Prince led his men into the Inner Army headquarters to search."
Upon hearing this news, the faces of the First Prince, Deputy General Chen, and Pang Da all changed.
"What? They're even searching the military headquarters? Where did this rule come from?" Deputy General Chen said angrily.
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