As the moon rose above the willow branches, Qingying had been sitting at the table for a long time.
A table full of delicious dishes was laid out in front of her, but they had all gone cold long ago.
She remained in one position, like a stone sculpture, completely still.
Yu Yue and Tong Xia stood not far behind her, looking at her thin back, feeling endless heartache.
"Why is Your Highness doing this? She really won't eat unless the Emperor comes," Tong Xia muttered softly.
Yu Yue's initial bias towards Wei Huaixu gradually shifted, and she said with dissatisfaction, "Honestly, he clearly promised Her Majesty that he would come for dinner, but he went to that vile woman's palace without even saying hello, making Her Majesty wait until now for nothing."
Hearing Yu Yue say such a thing for the first time, Tong Xia clicked her tongue slightly: "Sister Yu Yue, what are you saying...?"
"No, we can't keep Her Highness waiting any longer, otherwise it will be dawn soon, and she might get sick from hunger."
"But it's only been a short while since it got dark..."
However, before she could finish speaking, Yu Yue had already walked towards Qing Ying.
When she reached Qingying, her tone softened, and she gently advised, "Your Majesty, it's getting late. I'm afraid His Majesty won't be coming tonight."
Hearing the voice, Qingying barely came to her senses, her eyes still filled with confusion as she looked at her. "Did the Emperor send someone to deliver a message?"
"Uh...no one has been here yet..."
"Oh, so he's definitely going to stay at the Queen's palace tonight?"
"This servant...is not sure..."
"Then let's keep waiting."
“But…” Yu Yue frowned, hesitating to speak.
Qingying looked at her and suddenly smiled, "What's wrong? My little Yuyue, are you feeling sorry for me?"
"Your Majesty, he is the ruler of a nation, yet he broke his promise. Why punish yourself for his mistake?"
“You’ve misunderstood. I’m not punishing myself.” She reached out and patted Yu Yue’s hand reassuringly, smiling as she said, “Do you think I’m sad right now? No, even if they consummate their marriage, I won’t feel too upset, because I’ve long expected this day to come.”
“But Your Majesty…” Yu Yue couldn’t help but feel worried.
Qingying interrupted her calmly, "Don't worry, Yu Yue, trust me, he will definitely come soon."
Tong Xia walked over and tugged at Yu Yue, saying, "I believe in Your Majesty, and Sister Yu Yue, you don't need to worry too much. Let's wait a little longer."
Seeing Qingying's resolute expression, Yu Yue sighed, "I was just confused because I was worried, Your Majesty, please forgive me."
So the two of them stepped aside and waited.
Qingying rested her hands on the table, cupped her face, and stared at the flickering candlelight in the distance.
...
Meanwhile, in another palace, candlelight illuminated the mess on the floor: scattered porcelain shards, torn clothes, and ripped bed curtains, stretching from the main hall all the way to the inner palace.
As the noise subsided, the naked man strode out.
He casually picked up the robe from the ground, revealing bulging veins on his arms and a thin layer of sweat covering his skin. Red marks spread from his bare chest to his elegantly curved neck.
His body was still flushed, his eyes were bloodshot, and his fingers, which were gripping his clothes, were visibly trembling slightly.
He quickly dressed and glanced back at the woman who had fainted on the bed. Her fair skin was exposed to the air, covered with ambiguous purplish-blue marks, and there were several clear and deep finger marks on her slender swan neck.
If he had exerted just a little more force, she would probably be queuing to cross the Bridge of Helplessness by now.
"Heh... so you've finally gotten what you wanted?"
Recalling his earlier loss of composure and confusion, he felt his head throbbing even more.
The poison had not been neutralized, and his body was still filled with restless flames burning fiercely, while a certain place was also throbbing with pain.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his discomfort, and slowly walked out of the inner hall.
"Someone, prepare water, I want to take a bath."
...
As the moon began to set in the west, Wei Huaixu stepped into the hall, raised his hand to silence the crowd who were about to bow, and waved his hand.
Everyone understood and quietly slipped out.
Yu Yue walked at the back and quietly closed the palace door.
At this moment, Qingying had already fallen asleep by the table, with an overturned wine glass beside her elbow. She seemed to be sleeping very soundly, completely unaware that her sleeves were soaked with wine.
Wei Huaixu walked over and sat down next to her.
In the dim candlelight, her skin was as white as snow, her eyes were closed, her eyelashes cast an arc-shaped shadow under her eyes, her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her red lips were slightly pursed.
Judging from his appearance, it seems he wasn't having a good dream.
He couldn't help but reach out, wanting to smooth her brow.
The moment she raised her hand, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly woke up.
"emperor?"
His fingertips paused, hesitated for a moment, then turned and placed on the top of her head, gently rubbing it. "You're awake. Why don't you go inside and sleep?"
"I've been waiting for you, but you haven't come." She lowered her eyes, looking extremely aggrieved.
Wei Huaixu was stunned for a moment, "Wait for me?"
"Yes, didn't you promise me you'd come over for dinner today? Ah Xu, you broke your promise again..." Her voice was choked with emotion, filled with obvious and straightforward resentment.
He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
After a moment's hesitation, he gently cupped Qingying's face, lowered his head and kissed her forehead, whispering, "I was wrong, I won't do it again, please don't be angry."
His voice was unusually hoarse, as if he was deliberately suppressing some kind of unbearable pain.
Qingying was perceptive and could feel the warmth and slight dampness in his palm. Seeing the undisguised crimson in his eyes, even though she had never been intimate with him, she could roughly guess the reason.
She clicked her tongue inwardly in amazement: she never imagined that Liu Shushu would go to such lengths to win the emperor's favor.
She pretended not to know and said with a smile, "Ah Xu is now the ruler of a country, and his word is law. You must keep your word."
"Okay." He nodded and withdrew his hand.
Qingying grabbed his wrist, blinking her big, innocent eyes, "Ah Xu, are you hot? Why are you sweating so much?"
"No...it's nothing..."
He felt guilty and didn't even dare to look her in the eye.
Qingying supported his legs with her palms, leaned forward slightly, looked into his eyes, and said in a gentle yet firm voice: "Axu, they said you went to your sister's palace, which is why you didn't come to my place for dinner. Today is your birthday, and my sister is the empress. I can understand that you went to her first, but why didn't you send someone to deliver a message to me? You just made me wait here for half the night."
Her eyes were so clear that Wei Huaixu found himself hesitant to lie when he met their gaze.
Finally, he held his breath and closed his eyes.
After a long silence, he said, "I'm sorry, Jiaojiao, I've consummated my marriage with her."
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