Liang Qingqing and Huangfu Rong waited until late at night.
Two candles had already burned out, and the palace maid advised her to rest, but in the end, she only received an angry whipping.
The empress was furious, and no one dared to offend her, so they all knelt outside the palace.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Huangfu Rong arrived. They brought in hot food and wine, then quickly retreated and closed the door.
Liang Qingqing looked at him silently, her emotions clearly displayed on her face. Even though she knew Huangfu Rong was there, she deliberately didn't turn her head or pay any attention to him.
She thought he would come and ask, but after he came in, he just grabbed something and turned to leave. Liang Qingqing called him back when he was almost at the door.
"Stop right there!"
Huangfu Rong ignored her, and then something heavy and hard slammed into his back.
Looking back, the jade unicorn ornament that had been displayed on the cabinet was gone, now lying shattered on the ground.
"Huangfu Rong, don't you have anything to explain to me?"
What do I need to explain to you?
Liang Qingqing is usually a bit temperamental, but Huangfu Rong usually pretends not to notice; he doesn't have time to argue with her about these things.
But today, she stood before him, her face filled with anger and hatred, showing no respect whatsoever for the emperor.
"Huangfu Rong, I've already given you a lot of face outside today. If you want to let Jin Shu go, I won't say anything. If you want to stay and chat with her alone, I won't say anything either."
Now you're coming home so late, and you haven't even offered an explanation?!
"Explanation? Who are you? And who am I? What do I need to explain to you?"
Liang Qingqing's eyes widened, her whole body trembling, as she asked him in disbelief.
"So you're trying to use your status as emperor to pressure me now? Fine, then from now on you'll be the emperor, and you can release me from the palace. I'm not staying here anymore, let me out!"
"What do you think the palace is, a place you can come and go as you please? Let me tell you, the Empress can only stay in two places in her life: the palace and the imperial mausoleum! If you don't want to stay in the palace, then go and guard the imperial mausoleum!"
Seeing Huangfu Rong, who could no longer contain himself and was now enraged and manic, Liang Qingqing was so frightened that she couldn't even speak.
She had never seen Huangfu Rong like this before, nor had she ever been so clearly aware that the world she lived in was a feudal dynasty.
She thought she had found true love, that she could find an emperor willing to lower himself for her, just like in novels and TV dramas. But she never expected that she would not be able to escape the oppression of the feudal dynasty in the end.
"Let me go! Since you don't love me anymore, why can't you let me go?"
"You want to leave? Fine, then you can go to the Cold Palace for a few days and experience what it's like to be unattended and toil every day!"
Liang Qingqing stubbornly gritted her teeth and refused to give in.
She knew that if she compromised now, she would become a complete victim of the feudal system.
Huangfu Rong is just saying things out of anger; she doesn't believe he can really let go.
So she continued to shout stubbornly.
"Let me go! If you don't love me, let me go! I'm different from other women. I'm not with you because of your status or position. Wherever my love is, that's where I'll be! Even if you're just a beggar, I'll always be with you."
But now that you don't love me anymore, there's no need for me to stay in this place that devours people without spitting out their bones!
Please, let me leave. From now on, no one will bother you anymore, and no one will bother you anymore!
"good."
The air suddenly froze.
Liang Qingqing's heart stopped, and for a moment she forgot to cry.
"What, what did you say?"
Huangfu Rong stood in front of the door, his eyes devoid of any emotion, his expression so cold it was frightening.
"I said okay, you want to leave, don't you? I'll send someone to escort you out of the palace tonight."
Since you don't want to be empress, then I'll set you free. Everything here is none of your business. Take off this phoenix robe; leave as you came."
Liang Qingqing stared wide-eyed, feeling that Huangfu Rong was still just saying things out of anger. She deliberately put on a relaxed and relieved expression, took off her gorgeous clothes without hesitation, and finally bowed to him respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I take my leave. Please take care of yourself..."
Before she could finish speaking, the man in front of her opened the door and left without looking back, as if he had no regrets.
Liang Qingqing was still wondering when he would turn back, but instead of Huangfu Rong turning back, a group of palace maids and eunuchs came in and, without saying a word, began to move Liang Qingqing's belongings out of the palace.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty said you want to leave the palace. Let's go now. It's late at night and the palace gates are not open yet. We need to go through the side gate."
With a stern face, Liang Qingqing suppressed her anger and followed the eunuchs out of the palace through a side gate, feeling resentful.
As she boarded the carriage, she kept looking around. Finally, seeing that the carriage was about to depart, she couldn't help but ask the eunuch a question.
Where is His Majesty?
"His Majesty has returned to the palace to rest. The Empress will be leaving today and will have no further connection with this place. It is dark and the road is long, please take care."
Are you really leaving?
Liang Qingqing gripped the carriage door frame, tears welling up in her eyes.
She'd rather leave; she refused to believe that with her modern wisdom, she couldn't survive!
How wonderful it is to be free outside! She can go wherever she wants, do whatever she wants, and find as many handsome men as she pleases. She no longer has to stay within the high walls of the palace waiting for Huangfu Rong every day.
Finally, the carriage carried her away from the palace gates, and as the palace grew further and further away, the carriage showed no sign of stopping.
"Stop the car! Stop the car!"
"This is the inner circle of the capital, and ordinary people are not allowed to get close, so carriages cannot stop here."
"Can't I stay here either?"
"Apart from the imperial relatives and important officials appointed by His Majesty, no one else is allowed to approach this place, including you."
The coachman was quite polite to her, but Liang Qingqing found his words extremely offensive.
What a bully who relies on his master's power!
Where can the carriage be parked most recently?
"We should be able to reach the outer edge of the capital city by tomorrow morning."
"so far away?!"
“The capital city is divided into six rings, each with a strict hierarchy. With your current status, you can only live on the outermost ring of the sixth ring.”
Liang Qingqing wanted to say something more, but the coachman ignored her. The road was deserted at night, with only the sound of the carriage speeding by.
The carriage didn't stop until dawn. Liang Qingqing felt like her bones were about to fall apart from being jostled around. When had she ever ridden in such a hard carriage before!
"We've arrived. You can get off now. I'm going back to report."
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