At the same time, Consort Xian, dressed in a pure white undergarment, with her hair disheveled behind her back, sat on the bed with a pale face, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at Fu Hai.
"No, I don't want to..."
Before he could finish speaking, Fuhai gave a wink to the eunuch beside him.
The eunuch immediately understood and stepped forward, forcefully restraining the Consort Xian's arm.
Then, Fuhai held a bowl of medicine in his hand and gently persuaded her.
"This is an imperial decree. Your Highness, please do not struggle any longer. This medicine is very potent and will not cause you pain for too long."
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly turned fierce. He grabbed Consort Xian's chin with one hand and lifted the medicine bowl with the other, pouring all the medicine into Consort Xian's mouth.
The bitter medicine slid down my throat.
Consort Xian struggled and sobbed, but to no avail; she could only watch helplessly as she swallowed the poison.
Tears streamed down her face; her heart was filled with resentment.
Why? Why is the Emperor treating her like this?
Even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. Even if she did something wrong, why should she die?
But no one could give her an answer.
Just a few breaths later, the poison took effect.
The excruciating pain spread from her chest to her limbs. She dug her nails into her chest so hard that she didn't even realize when blood started seeping out.
"Ah! It hurts, it hurts..."
Fragmented sounds squeezed out of her throat.
Along with it, streams of scarlet blood also emerged.
Large pools of blood dripped onto the bedding, like blooming blood flowers.
The pain intensified, as if every bone in her body had been shattered. Consort Xian couldn't help but lie on the bed, rolling around in agony. Her eyes were wide open, and the thick veins on her neck bulged out.
She struggled for only fifteen minutes before calming down.
Looking at the disheveled woman on the bed, Fu Hai felt a pang of pity. He stepped forward, wiped her eyes, and closed them for her. Then he gave an order to the eunuch beside him.
"With the passing of Consort Xian, let's make proper arrangements for her!"
After giving his instructions, he wiped his hands with a handkerchief and hurriedly walked out.
Before long, Fu Hai, looking grief-stricken, knelt before Chu Yi and said something insincere.
"Your Majesty, Consort Xian has passed away."
Su An's heart tightened, and she frowned in disbelief before questioning him.
"Stop talking nonsense. I never poisoned her. How could she possibly be dead?"
Even if someone dies, it will only be Chu Yi who does it.
No matter what, Consort Xian had been with him in the harem for so long. Was he really so ruthless as to risk a life to frame her?
If that's really the case, then Chu Yi is truly terrifying!
Su An frowned, feeling a chill creep into her heart.
But Chu Yi seemed to have seized some kind of leverage, and suddenly raised his hand, pointing it directly at Su An.
"Now that you have caused the death of Consort Xian, how dare you spout such nonsense? I demand that you pay for her life!"
"Guards, bring her back to me!"
The Imperial Guards were about to step forward when they saw Fu Zhun loosen his grip on the sword hilt, his dark eyes fixed on Chu Yi, and suddenly he opened his mouth and asked.
"Wait, Your Majesty, how can we let her go? Please speak frankly."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yi's expression changed drastically, and he clapped his hands with a light laugh.
"Uncle is indeed reasonable. Since you've said so, I won't beat around the bush. If you can conquer the ten cities of the Northern Barbarians, I can decide to release Miss Su."
"Ten cities for one life, that's a really good deal!"
Chu Yi wasn't in a hurry at all, pacing back and forth leisurely, his relaxed expression as if he were chatting casually.
The Bei Hu were notoriously tough. Before Fu Zhun's leg was injured, he had already fought them many times. Although he had never let the Bei Hu gain any advantage before, even Fu Zhun could not completely eliminate them.
Because of his fear of Fu Zhun, Bei Hu kept quiet for a while.
But ever since Fu Zhun developed a leg ailment, Bei Hu has started to stir again.
"Ten cities? If you're so capable, why don't you go and fight?"
Su An gripped his sleeve tightly, gritting his teeth as he spoke angrily.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Fu Zhun agreed without batting an eye.
"Very well, I agree. But please remember your promise, Your Majesty. If you dare to lay a finger on her while I am away, I will chase you to the ends of the earth and kill you with my sword, and die for her!"
Instinctively, Chu Yi's body trembled.
But he quickly calmed down, a smile playing on his lips, and nodded in agreement.
"Very well, then I will wait for my uncle's triumphant return in the palace."
The next day, Fu Zhun, dressed in armor, sat on a warhorse, with tens of thousands of Chu troops behind him.
Chu Yi, unusually kind, took Su An outside the city so she could say goodbye to Fu Zhun.
Su An looked up at Fu Zhun, her eyes reddening, and pouted as she explained to him again.
"I really didn't kill Consort Xian. He framed me on purpose. This trip to the Northern Barbarians is definitely not that simple..."
Before she could finish speaking, Fu Zhun bent down, reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and gently comforted her.
"Don't cry, I know, I know everything. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I already have a plan for this. Just stay in the capital and wait for me to come back."
Seeing that he spoke with such certainty, Su An then asked him for confirmation, though she was still somewhat skeptical.
"real?"
"Absolutely true."
Fu Zhun swallowed hard, then stroked her cheek and lowered his head to kiss her.
This parting may be the last time we meet.
Su An was filled with reluctance and forgot all about being reserved. She subconsciously tiptoed and gave him a light kiss on the lips, whispering her advice in a nasal voice.
"No matter what, you must come back safely."
Fu Zhun smiled indulgently, then straightened up, his face returning to its icy expression. He raised the spear in his hand and said in a deep voice.
"All troops, heed my command! March forth!!"
As the war drums sounded, the army set off in unison, heading straight north.
Even after their figures disappeared from sight, Su An remained standing there, her gaze lingering with reluctance.
Standing on the city wall, Chu Yi chuckled softly, raised his voice, and called out to her.
"Miss Su, now that we've said our goodbyes, it's time for us to head back!"
Su An slowly withdrew her gaze, took a deep breath, then glared at him before entering the city on her own.
Although Chu Yi was quite shameless, he did keep his promise to Fu Zhun. Instead of locking her up in the imperial prison, he placed her under house arrest in the palace and treated her well.
However, the palace food was too bland, and Su An couldn't get used to it, so she spent all her time in the kitchen researching food on her own.
Anyway, life in the palace was too quiet and there was no entertainment. Cooking every day was the only way to pass the time.
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