Wei Huaixu chased after her, and in the distance, a woman galloped across the open field, her dress fluttering and her hair flowing in the wind, like a beautiful butterfly in flight.
As he drew closer, he reached out to grab her. Her soft hair brushed against his fingertips, slipping away like a gust of wind through his fingers.
"Jiaojiao..." he called softly.
She seemed not to hear, and without turning her head, continued driving forward, quickly widening the distance between them again.
Wei Huaixu gradually slowed down, staring at Qingying's back, and suddenly felt that she was like a bird about to spread its wings and fly high, ready to fly to a wider world at any time.
For the first time, he felt utterly despicable.
He always knew that Qingying longed for freedom, yet he still kept her by his side and imprisoned her in the confines of the palace for his own selfish desires.
He knew it was wrong, but... he couldn't bear to. Having lived in the stinking mire for so many years, when he saw the beautiful flower blooming on the cliff, he didn't just reach out to touch it, but selfishly wanted to possess it all. He even went so far as to break it off the branch, afraid that others would smell the fragrance of the flower and come to take it away.
"You might hate me after you know the truth, but I will never regret it."
That was his only chance, and he would do whatever it took.
He gazed at that figure from afar, then spurred his black horse and gave chase.
Qingying came to a stream and felt a little tired, so she stopped and walked slowly along the stream bank.
Wei Huaixu also came over at this moment, dismounted his horse nimbly, threw down the reins, and stepped forward to take Qingying's hand.
"You're so amazing now, I can't keep up with you anymore." His tone was aggrieved.
"In the end, we still caught up." Qingying gently kicked the stone at her feet, looked at the swaying reeds in the distance, and squinted slightly. "The weather today is neither too hot nor too cold, it's really comfortable, and the wind is very gentle."
"Yes, the autumn air is crisp and clear."
"I wonder how many more days like this will last."
Wei Huaixu gripped her hand tighter, a lump forming in his throat: "There are still many years to go."
Yes, there are still many years to go, but she probably won't have the chance to see them all.
Qingying didn't say anything more, but just quietly looked into the distance.
When Qingying returned from the horse training ground, she was clearly in a good mood and didn't even complain about the bitterness of her medicine.
After bathing and changing, she sat by the window and spread out a sheet of Xuan paper.
Wei Huaixu, dressed in a black nightgown, walked to the table, lowered his eyes to look at the words she was writing, and his gaze unconsciously fell on her other hand placed on the table. As always, a white silk ribbon was tied around her wrist, and his eyes darkened.
Every time he saw this wound, he felt that Pan's fate was not tragic enough; she died too easily. And then there was Liu Shushu; if it weren't for her, Jiaojiao wouldn't have suffered such torment.
Qingying stopped writing and turned to see him staring at the table, lost in thought.
"emperor?"
"Mmm." Wei Huaixu hugged her from behind, leaned down and rested his chin on her shoulder, easily inhaling her fragrance, his voice low and husky: "Jiaojiao..."
"What's wrong?" Qingying could clearly sense that something was wrong with him.
"Nothing, I just miss you."
"Apart from the morning court session and bathing time, we can stay together all day today."
"I still think, I don't want to be apart from you for even a moment."
"Okay, then let's not separate." She said it as if she were coaxing a child.
Wei Huaixu closed his eyes briefly. "I'm sleepy. Let's rest early."
Qingying touched his face. "Go and wait for me for a while. I'll get ready and come right away."
He obediently did as instructed.
After turning off the lights, the two embraced and fell asleep.
——
Everything in the palace remained normal, and more than a month passed peacefully.
That night, Qingying was suddenly awakened by a commotion. She opened her eyes groggily and saw that Wei Huaixu was already dressed and preparing to leave.
"What happened?"
Qingying was about to get up when he gently pressed her back into bed. "Something happened outside. I'll have them handle it quietly. You can continue sleeping; you don't need to wait for me."
"Okay, come back soon."
"Okay, go to sleep."
Wei Huaixu left quietly, and the outside world returned to silence in no time.
Inside the room, Qingying could no longer fall asleep. She had a vague guess in her heart, but she was not sure yet. She would know everything tomorrow.
That night, Wei Huaixu did not return.
The next morning, Qingying received the news, just as she had expected.
Du Jieyu, formerly known as Du Cairen, lost her child, and the reason is still unclear.
Wei Huaixu ordered a thorough investigation, determined to find the murderer.
Some people are filled with anxiety, some are gloating, and many more are simply enjoying the spectacle.
After all, none of the many concubines in the palace wanted someone else to conceive the emperor's child first. Consort Du came from a humble family. Apart from her father being a minor official of the fifth rank, she had no outstanding brothers. The Du family originally had no influence in the court. Now, because she was pregnant with the emperor's first child since his ascension to the throne, not only did she receive a reward, but even her dissolute brother was able to secure a minor official position in the court.
It can be said that when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs benefit from it. If she is lucky enough to give birth to her eldest son, he will surely have a bright future.
Wouldn't that make others envious?
In fact, Consort Du was well aware that she had become a thorn in the side of others. During this time, she was extremely cautious. She would test her food three times with a silver needle before each meal. She rarely stepped out of the palace gates, only occasionally going to the Imperial Garden for some fresh air, and rarely interacted with others.
Nevertheless, the child could not be saved.
Fortunately, the imperial physician arrived in time; otherwise, she might have lost her fertility.
When Qingying arrived, she saw her sitting by the bedside, weeping. A group of imperial concubines had gathered around to comfort her. So she presented the prepared gifts and offered a few token words of sympathy. Just as she was about to leave, Consort Du called out to her, "Your Highness, please wait."
Consort Du looked over with teary eyes, her voice slightly hoarse from crying: "I am grateful that Your Highness made a special trip to see me. I will definitely pay you a visit in person to express my gratitude in the future."
Qingying sensed something was wrong, frowned slightly, and said softly, "You're welcome."
Upon returning to Baoyi Palace, Qingying immediately summoned Mengxia for questioning: "Has anyone in our palace recently been in contact with people from Manhua Palace?"
Meng Xia thought for a moment and said, "Qi'er's older sister, who is in charge of sweeping the courtyard, works at Manhua Palace."
"Do the two of them keep in frequent contact?"
"Uncommon".
"Have you seen me a few times in the past month?"
"I only saw it once."
Qingying rubbed her forehead. "Once is enough."
Now, when she recalls Du Jieyu's gaze, she sees a hint of suspicion in it, and those words clearly indicate that she is preparing to confront her.
It seems the person behind this is trying to pin the blame on her.
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