Chapter 345 Return to the Palace
When Qin Qingyao woke up on the fourth morning, she looked different again.
She no longer struggled as painfully as she did yesterday, nor did she constantly wonder what reality was and who she really liked.
She clung to Murong Ce once again, so much so that she had no time to even glance at Dugu Yu, let alone quarrel with him. She clung to him so much that it seemed as if Murong Ce was the only one she could see in the world, and as if she would die without him.
Dugu Yu knew very well that this did not mean that Qin Qingyao did not love him deeply enough, but that no one could resist the toxicity of the Five Puppet Powder. Otherwise, the Ghost Saint would not be so proud of it.
He really learned his lesson this time. No matter how Qin Qingyao treated Murong Ce, he would just follow her from a distance and watch. When he saw her smiling at Murong Ce, he would smile. When he saw her happy, he would be happy.
He would no longer be jealous, would no longer make Qin Qingyao unhappy, and would not let Qin Qingyao see his face and remember something, and then be in agony.
If she could just spend the last two days happily like this, Dugu Yu would burn incense and pray to Buddha to thank God, so why would he interfere?
On the fourth day after Qin Qingyao was poisoned, which was also the second night after the emperor fell into a coma during the morning court, his condition had improved. Not only was he conscious, but he could also get out of bed and walk around on his own.
Such news made the entire palace rejoice, but it was hard to say how many people were truly happy in their hearts and how many people were just wearing a mask of happiness.
Upon learning that the Crown Prince had been acting as the head of state for the past two days, doing things in a calm, orderly and impartial manner, and hearing the court officials' praise and recognition of him, the Emperor was very satisfied and decided to let the Crown Prince continue to attend court while he rested for a few days.
After all, he is old, but he doesn't want to die. So, even though his condition has improved, he will never joke with his life.
In response to this, the prince, after expressing his optimism about the emperor's condition, of course accepted it with pleasure.
The Emperor has regained consciousness, and the Crown Prince's restraint in the court is tangible. Such behavior is truly breathtaking!
The emperor's sadness and grief for Prince Ning were real, and he was indeed affectionate towards Concubine Qin Shu.
All of Qin Shangshu's cautiousness over the years was not in vain. Regardless of whether the emperor loved Concubine Shu or not, regardless of whether this so-called love brought Concubine Shu nothing but endless disasters and pain.
At least deep down in the emperor's heart, he truly believed that Concubine Shu loved him.
Unlike other concubines who loved him for their families, themselves, or their children, the emperor believed that Concubine Shu loved him only as a person.
For the emperor who has seen intrigue and hypocrisy all his life, this pure love is so precious.
He originally wanted to bring Concubine Shu back to the palace and let her see Prince Ning off for the last time, so when Minister Qin came to ask the emperor to allow Concubine Shu to enter the palace, he naturally agreed.
"It was you who told Consort Shu about Prince Ning's affairs?"
"Your Majesty, I have absolutely not mentioned a single word to the Concubine Shu. As for how the Concubine Shu knew about it, no matter how much I asked, she refused to tell me."
"However, I see that Concubine Shu is very emotional. I am afraid that someone wants to take advantage of this opportunity to stir up trouble and deliberately lure the Empress back. Your Majesty, please carefully consider this matter."
Minister Qin said this to tell the emperor that someone was plotting against Concubine Shu, and it was definitely not that Concubine Shu had planted spies in the palace or something.
Her son is dead, and she herself is imprisoned in the Taimiao with no hope of turning over a new leaf for the rest of her life. Which fool would ruin his own future to be her spy and risk his life to pass on information to her?
The emperor naturally understood such a simple truth.
"Don't worry, my dear. I didn't misunderstand Concubine Shu. Ultimately, it was my momentary confusion that harmed them both."
"Don't worry, I will issue an order to summon Concubine Shu back to the palace. From now on, I promise to treat her well and will never let her be bullied again."
"Your humble servant expresses his deep gratitude to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor!"
From the beginning to the end, Minister Qin only prayed for the emperor to treat Concubine Shu well and protect her. However, it was just such a simple sentence, but neither of the two grown men did it, and neither of them did it well.
So Concubine Shu had nothing left but hatred, a hatred for the two of them that she could never let go of.
…
When Minister Qin returned home, he told Concubine Shu the news with both joy and trepidation, and his words were full of gratitude to the Emperor.
That means, "Look, who said the emperor's love is unimportant? The emperor clearly hasn't forgotten you!"
Concubine Shu really wanted to knock his head open to see what he was thinking. Even if the emperor stabbed him a thousand times, as long as he was given a piece of candy, would he immediately forget all his hatred and be grateful?
To put it nicely, he is loyal and magnanimous, but in the eyes of Concubine Shu, people like him are simply stupid!
"Hurry up and pack up and go back to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The imperial edict might arrive tomorrow morning."
Concubine Shu sneered, "You should tell the Emperor that I'm at the Qin family, right? If so, just send the imperial edict to the Qin family. Why go back and forth and make trouble? Who are you trying to show off to?"
Minister Qin twitched his lips. "But you've disobeyed the imperial decree by leaving the Imperial Ancestral Temple without permission. The Emperor has already turned a blind eye to it, so please don't cause any more trouble!"
Concubine Qin Shu suddenly covered her mouth and laughed, "Haha, brother, if you and I were to switch genders, maybe the Zhaoling Kingdom would have a chance to change its surname to Qin!"
Minister Qin: “…”
The emperor's trust and preference for Concubine Qin Shu was like a knife hanging over her head, and also a thorn in the empress's eyes.
Why should she obediently go to the Imperial Temple to wait for the imperial edict? Even if she disobeyed the order, so what? She just wanted the emperor to send the imperial edict to the Qin family. Is there a problem with that?
She just wanted to let the queen see how miserable she was when she was driven out of the palace, and now how she would come back in glory!
She wanted to make that thorn pierce the queen's eyeball so hard that she couldn't pull it out!
Anyway, she has nothing now, but she is still willing to come back just to seek justice for her prince, and to make those who have harmed her never have peace!
"You all, wait for me!"
The next morning, the emperor indeed sent out the imperial edict, and it was sent to the Qin family.
Faced with Qin Shufei's deliberate disobedience and slapping him in the face, the emperor just felt that he had wronged Shufei before and that she was being petty.
Having been married for decades, the emperor had some understanding of Concubine Shu's temper, so not only did he not pursue the matter, he also announced to the outside world that he had sent Minister Qin to bring Concubine Shu back to prevent her from being embarrassed by leaving the Taimiao without permission against the imperial order.
Although the ceremony when the emperor welcomed Concubine Shu back to the palace could not be said to be particularly grand, it was definitely not perfunctory at all, and was definitely enough to express his sincerity. Therefore, the news spread throughout the city in less than half a day.
When the Queen heard the news in the harem, she was so angry that she tore her handkerchief and smashed the whole room.
"The Emperor changes his orders every day. How can he convince the people when he's so inconsistent? That bitch was just kicked out, and now she's being brought back so brazenly. It's ridiculous!"
Moreover, others don’t know how Concubine Qin Shu left the Taimiao, but the Empress knows it very well!
She had clearly disobeyed the imperial order and fled, which was clearly a capital crime!
However, the emperor protected her again.
"Haha, hahahahahahahahahaha... Really, this is really making me die of laughter. What is the emperor doing? Is he trying to prove that there is true love in his heart? Bah, what does he know about love!"
But why, why was Concubine Shu only exiled to the Taimiao for murdering the prince, and why was she disobeying the emperor's order and helping to cover up for him, why!
The Queen originally thought that upon hearing the news of her only son's death, Concubine Shu would go crazy. She thought that after Concubine Shu left the Taimiao, she would definitely rush into the palace and make a big fuss.
But she never expected that the final result would be like this.
"What is this? Did I alone instigate her to return and continue living with the Emperor? I disagree!"
…
After returning to the palace, Concubine Shu first returned to her original palace, washed and bathed, and changed into palace clothes.
The eunuch chief of Yonghe Palace arranged ceremonial guards for her according to the rules. Logically, she had to pay her respects to the emperor and empress first before discussing other matters.
However, Concubine Shu ignored everyone's reminders and even pleas, and walked all the way to Prince Ning's palace.
"Empress Shufei, you..."
"Alright, I know what I'm doing. Don't follow me in and disturb His Highness. Wait outside."
"yes!"
Such behavior can be said to be extremely arrogant. Not only did she not pay her respects to the Queen, but when the Emperor ordered her to be brought back to the palace, she didn't even go to thank him in person. The Concubine Shu is really too willful.
Looking at the entire harem, she is probably the only one who has the courage to completely ignore the emperor and the empress!
However, Concubine Shu did not go to find the Queen, but the Queen had already arrived and was waiting for her beside Prince Ning.
"Sister Shufei, it's been a long time since we last met. You look a lot thinner. Are you not used to the life in the Imperial Temple? You must take good care of yourself after returning this time. If there is anything missing or needed in your palace, just tell me. Don't hesitate."
"After all, Prince Ning is gone. You will be alone and helpless from now on. Just thinking about it is so miserable. Just thinking about it makes me feel so sorry for you!"
Concubine Qin Shu did not go crazy when she saw her as the Empress had expected, or even attack her hysterically, although she was definitely capable of doing such a thing.
Instead, she calmly looked at the queen who was deliberately trying to provoke her, and smiled coldly, "You think too much. Since the emperor has personally issued an order to bring my sister back, he will naturally take good care of me."
"Your Highness, if you have time, please take care of yourself. It's lonely in the deep palace. When was the last time the Emperor visited you?"
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