Robbery
Qingping had a nightmare. She dreamed she was forced to drink a cup of poisoned wine and then burned to death in a blaze. She clutched her stomach, feeling the pain as if her intestines were rupturing. Flames burned within her, and the surrounding rooms were ablaze to the heavens. The flames inched closer to her skirt and sleeves. She screamed in despair, but only inhaled a puff of smoke. Gradually, she became unable to move, and was consumed by the flames, shattering her body.
She sat up suddenly and saw Liu Che's back. Thinking of the dream, she felt inexplicably afraid of the person in front of her.
Through the gauze curtain, she saw him talking to Jiang Chong. She closed her eyes, grabbed the quilt and lay back down quietly.
"Come over when you wake up."
His cold voice came from the front. Qingping trembled all over. He silently lifted the quilt and walked over, kneeling in front of him.
She glanced around at the furnishings. She was still in the palace, probably one of the emperor's side halls. Her wounds had been treated, she had changed into new clothes, and her hair had been combed.
"The imperial physician came just now."
Her heart began to beat violently. To save her life, she made up a story in a hurry. She was unconscious just now, and the imperial physician must have taken her pulse. The result was...
"Don't tell the truth, I think you haven't had enough whipping."
No, if it had been confirmed that she wasn't pregnant, she would have died long ago. How could she possibly have a proper conversation with him in this room? She gathered herself and said calmly, "Your Majesty always accuses me of deceiving you, but every word I've said to you is true. If you wish to kill your first grandson, you can do whatever you want with me."
Seeing her calm expression and no sign of panic, Liu Che simply glanced at her and said, "I've read the records of the Eastern Palace. You and the Crown Prince have been married for less than a month, and you're just talking nonsense. The imperial physician said that it's not obvious at the moment, but we can come back for another check in a month..."
"Recheck in a month and kill again."
Liu Che sneered at this and said, "I will spare your life for now. Jiang Chong will send you to Huangshan Palace for retreat. You are not allowed to leave the palace for a month, nor can you see anyone else. After a month, the imperial physician will come to check your pulse again."
Huangshan Palace was located in a remote and secluded area, surrounded by trees and far from human habitation. The disciples within the temple rarely spoke except to discuss doctrinal matters. The few palace attendants brought by Liu Che to monitor her were forbidden to speak to her. After two days of remarkable peace, her heart was turbulent.
She was locked up here, and the one-month deadline was practically the countdown to her death. Sit back and wait for death? But there was another month left, and she didn't believe it. Liu Che was on guard against all odds, and she had her own strategy to resist.
Qingping stood in the courtyard, looking around, then took the opportunity to sneak into a bamboo grove. She looked up at the wall in front of her, thinking to herself, "If I use stones as a cushion at night, I should be able to climb over it. I just don't know where the other side is. Maybe I've ended up in some Taoist priest's courtyard..."
"Believers can cross this wall to find the residence of the path."
Qingping was startled when she heard a sudden voice behind her. The person who came was an old man in a Taoist robe, who was looking at her with a smile.
She coughed and said, "I was looking at the clouds in the sky. They were all gathering on the Taoist priest's roof."
"I see that the believer has something to worry about. Why not tell me about it?"
Qingping smiled and said, "My life is uncertain and as fragile as an ant's. How can I escape it?"
"The karma of a previous life leads to the bitter fruit of this life. The solution lies within the believer himself. If he can let go of his obsession, he can escape early."
"Are you saying that I did too much evil in my past life, so I am living such a miserable life in this life?"
"Good and evil, right and wrong are hard to distinguish; everything is nothing but the cycle of cause and effect."
Qingping twitched his lips and said, "Master, your words are so profound and incomprehensible that I really don't understand them. But I don't have any obsession in my heart."
The Taoist smiled but said nothing.
Qingping couldn't stand his pretentious attitude. "If wanting to live a good life can be considered an obsession, then I'm afraid you will never be able to cultivate the right path in this lifetime."
The man didn't take it as an offense. He smiled and took out a sachet from his sleeve and handed it to Qingping. "If the believer's life is in danger, you can open the sachet."
Qingping was about to refuse, but after thinking it over, she accepted the sachet and plucked a hairpin from her hair and handed it to the man. "I haven't been feeling well lately. Could you please get me some medicine to help me with my pregnancy and to calm my nerves?"
"nature."
"This is the prescription that the believer wanted."
The Taoist priest Qingyang had offered the prescription to Huang Yue, who nodded. Among the accompanying palace attendants were those skilled in medicine, and the herbs listed were indeed for maintaining a healthy pregnancy. He, assigned to guard Consort He Liang, was also bewildered. He wondered how she had offended the emperor and ended up being imprisoned in this desolate place while pregnant with the royal heir.
However, he still treated her with great courtesy. After all, she was the mother of the first emperor's grandson. If the child was born, her status would naturally be elevated, and her crimes would probably be erased. So he had no intention of making things difficult for her and readily let the man go to buy medicine.
After taking a dose of medicine, in the middle of the night, Qingping suddenly cried out in pain. The palace maids checked her pulse and made her a tranquilizing soup, but she still didn't feel better. Qingping rolled over on the bed, clutching her stomach, and yelled, "Where's the prince? I want to see the prince! Your Majesty! What have I done wrong? Why have you thrown me here?"
The palace maids looked at each other in bewilderment. "Dear Concubine, Wu Hong is an expert in medicine. Let her come and see you."
"Go away, go away! I just took your medicine and my stomach aches. You all want to harm me. Call His Majesty down! I want to see His Majesty!"
"I'm telling you, if anything happens to the heir to the throne, none of you will be able to escape!"
"Okay, okay, have a drink of water first. Eunuch Shen has already gone to the palace to deliver a message to His Majesty."
When Liu Che walked in, the room was filled with a faint medicinal aroma. Through the gauze curtains, he could vaguely see the woman lying on the couch. Jiang Chong and the imperial physician followed closely behind him and, at Liu Che's instruction, stepped forward to take her pulse.
"Your Majesty, the girl is not seriously ill. Perhaps she just caught a cold from the cold weather in the mountains."
Liu Che nodded and ordered the imperial physician to retreat. "You called me here just for this?"
"This is about the heir to the throne, I dare not neglect it."
Liu Che sneered, "How could you say such clumsy words?"
"Isn't His Majesty here after all?"
Liu Che glanced at her. She was pure and without makeup, and had taken off her hairpins and jewelry and was lying in the quilt. She had no intention of getting up to greet him. He didn't come here because of these tricks she played.
"Your birthday is on the Xinyou day of the first month?"
"yes."
Liu Che walked over and was about to take her hand to take another look at the mark, but she suddenly shrank back. Liu Che narrowed his eyes and said, "What is hidden..."
He thought she had hidden a dagger in the quilt, so he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out, but suddenly his eyes darkened.
She was only wearing a moon-white dress that covered her belly, with a goose-yellow ribbon passing through her shoulders, vaguely framing the white moon. Because he had just dragged her so hard, she seemed unable to bear it when she stood up, and the moon overflowed from the ribbon, swaying slightly.
She stared at him with her frightened eyes wide open, her black pupils reflecting the bright candlelight, a wisp of black hair hanging down in front of her chest, her red plum blossoms half-hidden, adorned with jade and fragrant.
A gentle breeze filtered through the window, like a pair of hands caressing her body. The chill running down her back and chest made her feel incredibly ashamed. The scrutinizing gaze of the man before her fell upon her face, and instantly her face burned. The other person's faint smile, whether mocking or disgusted, was unclear; none of that mattered anymore.
Qingping secretly clenched her palms. She wanted to live, she didn't want to die. The only way was the man in front of her, a man with more power than the prince and the queen. Only he could protect her. She was making a last-ditch effort.
"His Majesty……"
She spoke softly and tried to hold Liu Che's hand, but he suddenly pushed her to the ground. She was only wearing a thin gauze skirt, and her skin rubbed against the ground, leaving red marks immediately, like the red cicada wings painted on paper with a brush, with a slight luster.
Liu Che's throat tightened, his mouth dry. This woman's shamelessness infuriated him. He took a few steps when he felt something warm and soft against his back. Her frail arms wrapped around his waist, and her dry lips pressed against his neck, like sipping milk...
"You lowly thief, do you want to die?"
Liu Che felt as if a blazing fire was burning within him, blazing from his lower abdomen through his blood vessels, hands, feet, throat... his entire body was filled with a burning sensation and itching. He didn't carry his sword today, but simply held the woman's wrist tightly. He kicked her away and walked out, calling for Jiang Chong.
Qingping endured the severe pain in her stomach, and a nameless rage rose in her heart. She gritted her teeth, stood up, and rushed towards Liu Che. The man was caught off guard and slipped, and they both fell to the ground with a thud. While Liu Che was falling, his eyes were full of stars and his body was limp, Qingping pulled his belt off, sat on his waist, and tied his hands with his belt.
"Bitch! Get out of here!" Liu Che sensed her intentions and was so angry that his head was buzzing. "Jiang Chong! Jiang Chong, where are all the dead people? Get in here! Bring me your sword! I'm going to kill you!"
Jiang Chongzheng, the imperial physician, and the palace maids were checking the prescriptions that Qingping had requested in recent days when they suddenly heard the emperor's loud shouting from afar. He immediately trotted towards Qingping's residence.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! I am here, what do you want?"
Jiang Chong was about to push open the door when he suddenly heard a bang from inside. The person inside seemed to be extremely angry, but the voice had an inexplicable sense of forbearance and weirdness.
"I want you to get out..."
Jiang Chong was puzzled and worried. Why did he feel as if the emperor was being controlled? But He Liangdi was so frail, and the emperor was a skilled archer and horseman, so how could he be controlled? He couldn't help but ask one more question.
"But you just said you wanted to get something, Your Majesty, are you okay?"
At this moment, Liu Che folded his hands and looked at the woman in front of him with bloodshot eyes, wishing he could tear her into pieces. However, as soon as he moved slightly, he felt a fatal grip.
Qingping was not in a much better condition. The situation was critical just now. She had used too much force and acted too violently, and she sat down all of a sudden. She was almost exhausted and had to bite her lips hard to keep from making any sound.
She held Liu Che's waist with both hands and bent down very slowly to talk to him, but even such a small movement made Liu Che's veins bulge and his heart beat violently.
"Don't move—"
He gritted his teeth and struggled with his hands, and soon a red mark was left on his body.
Qingping's body was stiff and exhausted, lying on his chest, his elbows on the ground and trembling, but he still did not forget to threaten him.
"Your Majesty, don't you want to kill me? Why don't you call him in? The imperial physician, the palace maids, and all the Taoist priests in Huangshan Palace have never seen Your Majesty like this."
The fine hairs on her forehead were soaked with sweat, and her face was red, like a peach soaked in water. Although she looked weak due to pain, she smiled faintly when she looked at the angry and helpless Liu Che.
Liu Che could see the frivolity and mockery in her smile. How dare she tease him! "How dare you drug me? You bitch! You've soiled my robe just by carrying my shoes. You've used such despicable means to harm me. Do you think I'll show you mercy? Don't dream! When I untie this rope, I'll be the first to chop off your head..."
“Hmm…”
His words were suddenly blocked by her, and a strange breath continuously entered his mouth. Along with the slight movement of his body, every inch of his senses was infinitely magnified in the small area.
"Compared to powerful figures like Your Majesty and the Empress, I am humble. Your Majesty, look at these hands of mine. I buried my father and my brother with my own hands. I use them to carry manure and urine, chop wood and sharpen knives. I can even cut through the fat of a half-grown pork loin, avoiding the joints and extracting the freshest and tenderest parts."
Seeing Liu Che's disgusted expression with satisfaction, she swam her hand downwards and pinched the person tightly. The person under her trembled and struggled with his legs. "I will kill you!"
"Hush... Is that all Your Majesty can say? Why wait until the ropes are untied? You can call them in now and see how the emperor of a country is ridden by a woman. Or perhaps the emperor is so shameless and lewd that he forcibly seizes his son's wife.
Oh, perhaps after tonight, I will still have this lowly body and the noble emperor's blood in my belly. What shall I do then? Your Majesty's noble blood has been stained by me... Or else, Your Majesty can die as an apology, and the Crown Prince will take your place."
Liu Che was so angry that his bones were about to burst, and his bound hands were creaking. But she just patted his face lightly, with a bit of ridicule, "Your Majesty, please tell me——"
"Your Majesty?" Jiang Chong heard some strange sounds and chatter from inside. He pushed the door open a crack and said, "Your Majesty, I will come in to serve you..."
"roll!"
An angry shout came from the door, scaring Jiang Chong away.
"Yes, the little man is waiting outside the door."
"Eunuch Jiang, Your Majesty and I have something important to discuss, so I won't be returning to the palace tonight. Your Majesty has ordered that no one be disturbed."
Suddenly, the woman's slightly hoarse voice was heard. Jiang Chong's hands trembled, and he understood what was going on. He quickly stepped back and responded.
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