The sunlight in the forest had disappeared at some point, and the surroundings were dark and silent. Blood burst from Yan Beimo's chest, but he seemed oblivious, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at her.
"How could I bear to kill you?"
She gave a half-smile, "So, how does Your Majesty intend to torture me?"
With a deafening clap of thunder, the sky darkened, and the autumn wind swept in, bringing cool rain that lashed against the two of them. After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Chu Changning, do you have a heart?"
His voice was low, and his hoarse voice carried an unspeakable bitterness.
Upon hearing his words, Chu Changning felt a silent, agonizing pain tearing and ripping through his body.
"I have no heart?!"
She let out a low, self-deprecating laugh.
"Then tell me, how can I willingly let go of the pain of the past, accept your captivity with a clear conscience, and pretend that nothing ever happened?"
As she spoke, she lowered her head, and large tears fell to the ground one by one.
"Yan Beimo, I don't like that palace, and I don't like you either."
You don't like him?!
"From beginning to end, you never loved me; you were lying to me the whole time?!"
Chu Changning's eyes reddened. "Yes."
The rain intensified, and the howling wind seemed to slice through the sky like a knife.
Yan Beimo's chest wound reopened, blood soaking his clothes, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his handsome features expressionless.
"I've had enough of those days and nights of feigning compliance and subservience to my enemy—"
He released her and stood up.
Chu Changning's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, his body soaked in sweat.
"Yan Beimo, I want freedom, I don't want to be your empress."
"As you wish." He leaned down, lifted her chin, and smiled mockingly. "Since you don't want to be empress, then stay in the cold palace."
The night wind in the north in August is frighteningly cold.
The Xin Palace, which had just been rained on, was desolate and bleak, with the lotus flowers in the pond of the Cold Palace Garden withered.
Chu Changning lay on the hard bed, drifting off to sleep.
A burning pain surged through my body, eroding my internal organs.
Her fingers were curled up, unconsciously gripping the quilt, and she curled up in pain.
When the palace maid entered, she saw blood gushing from the corner of her mouth, and she was in a state of confusion.
She frowned, walked over, and looked at it for a few moments.
Chu Changning was in a daze, and the pain from the poison in her body made her face grow increasingly pale.
Cold—the cold poison has flared up.
Yan Beimo said he had found the antidote, but he hadn't given it to her yet. Previously, the imperial physician's herbal decoction had suppressed the poison, but now that decoction was gone...
She bit her lip in pain, gripping the quilt tightly with both hands, without uttering a word.
"Get up and eat."
The palace maid slammed the food box on the table. Seeing that she was covered in cold sweat and ignoring everyone, she said impatiently.
"Does Your Majesty think this is still the same as before? You assassinated His Majesty, and you survived, which is already a great favor."
There was no sound on the bed, only intermittent low moans of pain.
The palace maid didn't bother with it and simply turned and left.
Inside Changxin Hall.
Yan Beimo leaned against the couch, wearing a thin black robe, with thick gauze wrapped around his open chest.
The imperial physicians packed up their medicine chests, bowed, and withdrew.
Seeing that everyone had come out, the night hawk, who was guarding the door, slowly walked in.
"Your Majesty, the young prince keeps asking to see the Empress."
Yan Beimo leaned lazily against the soft pillows, his eyes closed, and remained unmoved upon hearing these words.
“Send him back to Jiankang.”
Nighthawk, "---"
"yes."
For most of the night, Chu Changning curled up and endured the pain of the poisoning before drifting off to sleep.
As dawn broke, she moved her fingers and weakly woke up.
She propped herself up and pulled back the curtains, letting sunlight stream in through the window.
Chu Changning looked around a few times, then sat up, supporting his weak body.
She got off the bed and went outside the palace to fetch water.
The water in the Cold Palace Well was icy cold. After washing herself with the cold water, she sat on the veranda and looked at the azure sky.
The Cold Palace was located in a remote area with hardly anyone around. The pond in the garden had not been maintained for a long time and gave off a strange smell.
She didn't know how long she sat there; the sun set, and no one else entered.
The Cold Palace was pitch black at night, without a single ray of light.
Chu Changning could see nothing anymore and groped his way back into the palace.
Her stomach rumbled, and she saw the leftovers from last night on the table. She ate a few bites, washed herself with cold water, and went to bed.
Even though it's in the north, it's still quite cold at night.
She seemed oblivious, staring blankly at the canopy above her head, her eyes gradually stinging, tears streaming down her cheeks.
It rained outside the palace in the middle of the night. It often rains in August in the north. A strong wind was blowing outside, and rainwater flew in through the dilapidated palace windows.
Chu Changning felt the howling cold wind. She raised her hand to wipe the coldness from her face and got up to close the window.
Lightning ripped through the sky, and the decaying, heavy red sandalwood palace doors were pushed open from the outside.
She glanced to the side and caught sight of the person approaching.
The hall was eerily quiet, while outside, the rain lashed against the bare branches, making a piercing, screeching sound.
The two looked at each other through the beaded curtain, and she could vaguely see his pale face.
For a long time, neither of them spoke.
Chu Changning broke the silence first, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"Did Your Majesty come to see how pathetic I am?"
Having not spoken for a long time and without clean water to drink, my throat felt as if it had been stabbed with a knife as soon as I opened my mouth to speak.
Yan Beimo was born into a noble family and was famous throughout Jiangzuo even before he came of age. He was acquainted with well-educated and refined noble ladies. However, after meeting Chu Changning, every time he argued with her, he was humiliated and ridiculed by her words.
He slowly approached, looked at her reddened eyes, and spoke softly.
"Isn't this what you wanted?"
Chu Changning looked away and gazed at the rain scene outside the window.
"Your Majesty, you may leave once you have seen enough."
Yan Beimo didn't move; his tall figure stood there like a statue.
The air inside the hall was filled with a cold and desolate atmosphere.
For some reason, Chu Changning saw an overwhelming sense of grievance spreading rapidly from the depths of his heart.
She closed her eyes, suppressing her strange emotions.
Yan Beimo couldn't see her expression, but he walked towards her.
"Are you planning to stay in the cold palace and wait to die?"
"Otherwise, does Your Majesty expect me to beg you with tears streaming down my face?"
His chin was suddenly lifted, and he lowered his eyelids, his voice flat.
"You've been pretending for two years, can't you just keep pretending?"
Chu Changning looked at his indifferent expression and turned her face away.
She tried her best to suppress the strange emotions in her heart and remained silent.
You can't keep up the act forever.
Whether it was anger or something else, Yan Beimo said in a strange voice with a half-smile, "So, you sentenced me to death directly, secretly poisoned me, and looked for an opportunity to kill me."
"Your Majesty has asked me again and again, are you trying to get me to lie to you again?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but laugh, and her eyes involuntarily reddened.
"When you were testing me, didn't you ever think I would actually do it? Wasn't that one cut painful enough?"
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