Chapter 190 The Debauchery of the Palace
Pei Shaoqin's sharp gaze swept over her, his tone slightly cold, "Didn't you have something important to discuss?"
Dou Mingyan's expression changed several times after her secret was exposed, and her eyes instantly reddened. "Your Highness, you have misunderstood. I will get up now. Please turn around."
Pei Shaoqin narrowed his eyes and scoffed, "Dou Mingyan, you'd better not try anything funny."
He stepped onto a rosewood chair not far away, staring at Dou Mingyan's bare back with a half-smile.
Dou Mingyan invited him to this room with a hot spring, wasn't it just to remind him of that passionate night? He had seen every part of her body before, so why did she have to put on airs in front of him now that she was with Emperor Muzong?
Dou Mingyan looked shy and timid, covered her chest with both hands, lifted one of her white jade feet out of the bath, and walked slowly behind the screen.
She quickly wiped the water off her body with a cloth from the wooden table, then picked up a dress and put it on. Suddenly, the man's firm chest pressed against her bare back, and his other large hand touched her plump buttocks, then climbed up her abdomen, grasped her soft flesh, and kneaded it incessantly.
He kissed her neck forcefully, his voice muffled, "You've got some nerve!"
Dou Mingyan trembled violently, her legs felt weak.
Prince Rui was a rebellious scoundrel, and ordinary women wouldn't interest him. But she was Emperor Muzong's woman, so she would naturally leave a deep impression on him.
A barely perceptible smile curved her lips, her voice as soft and innocent as possible.
"Your Highness, please don't do this—"
"You didn't invite me here yourself, so why are you pretending to be so reserved..."
Pei Shaoqin's eyes were dark and unfathomable; he had seen far too many women play the coy game of feigning affection.
Dou Mingyan turned around abruptly, her fair chest heaving violently, her eyes slightly red, and her lips trembling. "Your Highness, I am pregnant. You are the father of the child."
"Yeah?"
Pei Shaoqin stared at her coolly, his voice clear and indifferent, showing no concern for the news.
Dou Mingyan burst into tears instantly, pleading, "Your Highness, I don't want to serve His Majesty. Please find a way to send me out of the palace, or even to a Taoist temple. I beg you to have mercy on me..."
"Isn't His Majesty going to bestow upon you the title of Imperial Concubine? Wouldn't it be better if you served His Majesty well in the future?" Pei Shaoqin was hoping that she would whisper in his ear and sow discord between him and Pei Siyan. How could he act outside the palace?
Right there, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside.
"...Our young lady is taking a bath, you, you can't do this, it's so rude!" It was Amber's urgent voice trying to stop them.
"The Dragon Cavalry are handling cases; who dares to obstruct them?"
The sound was like thunder!
Dou Mingyan suddenly shivered, and Pei Shaoqin behind her also shuddered.
The Dragon Cavalry Guards were Emperor Muzong's personal guards, and they were not usually in Qionglin Garden. Does that mean that Emperor Muzong had already visited Qionglin Garden in person?
Pei Shaoqin's expression changed drastically, his eyes flashing with venom. "You, you vile woman, dare to harm me?"
Dou Mingyan shook her head frantically, trying her best to explain, "Your Highness, we're in the same boat. If I were to harbor ill intentions towards you, I would also be ruined. What good would that do me..."
Just a wall away, the Dragon Cavalry guards, clad in iron armor and wielding broadswords, had already completely surrounded the house.
Almost immediately, they were about to break down the door.
"What happened? Why the commotion?" The Imperial Preceptor, his face ashen, rushed over with several young Taoist disciples.
When the Imperial Advisor arrived at Qionglin Garden, he learned after questioning that there was no such thing as 'dirty thing' at all. Dou Mingyan was taking a bath, and Prince Rui had secretly sneaked into Qionglin Garden. Only then did he realize that they had fallen into a trap.
At that moment, he felt like killing someone.
He had just lured away the guards in the vicinity, intending to cover Prince Rui's escape, when Emperor Muzong's men arrived so quickly that they surrounded the house.
He had planned his entire life, and he absolutely could not let it all go to waste!
The leader of the Dragon Cavalry bowed and said, “Reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, a thief has infiltrated Qionglin Garden. A guard saw a dark figure enter the house. We are under imperial orders and have no choice but to investigate.”
The Imperial Preceptor stared at the tightly closed sandalwood door, his vision nearly blurred, his face contorted with rage, barely suppressing his fury. "Nonsense! I was just exorcising evil spirits here and didn't see the thief at all."
"Whether it's nonsense or not, they'll know once they go in and investigate carefully."
A deep voice came from behind. The Imperial Advisor turned around and saw Emperor Muzong, dressed in a black dragon robe, walking calmly from the other end of the corridor.
Emperor Muzong's voice was filled with overwhelming anger, "The Imperial Preceptor specially came to Qionglin Garden in the middle of the night to exorcise evil spirits? He has truly done a great service!"
The Imperial Preceptor's heart skipped a beat. The Emperor had become suspicious of him. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty values the Qionglin Garden. How could I not do my best? I will serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty."
Emperor Muzong glanced at the Imperial Preceptor with a mocking look, then looked at Eunuch Feng.
With a smile, Eunuch Feng suggested, "Your Majesty, even if Your Highness is taking a bath, she should be dressed properly. Why don't we call her out first?"
After saying that, he shouted towards the house, "Master Yan, His Majesty has arrived! Why aren't you coming out to greet him?"
Before he finished speaking, he kicked open the door to the house.
The room was pitch black. The guards of the Dragon Cavalry immediately went inside and were about to light a lamp when they suddenly heard someone jump out of the window and escape. Just then, a sharp arrow shot straight toward Emperor Muzong.
The leader of the Dragon Cavalry reacted swiftly, cutting the arrow in two.
With lightning speed, Eunuch Feng stepped in front of Emperor Muzong, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!"
Just then, a guard rushed over, "Report! There's a fire! The house in the southwest corner is on fire!"
...
After an incense stick had burned, Dou Mingyan, with her hair disheveled and her clothes slightly open, knelt before Emperor Muzong.
Emperor Muzong's eyes burned with a terrifying fire as he stared intently at the glaring marks of pleasure on her neck. Suddenly, he raised his hand and slapped Dou Mingyan across the face. "You slut, who were you having an affair with just now?"
Emperor Muzong's imperial demeanor, which had lasted for more than twenty years, collapsed in an instant. To the outside world, he had always been a refined, composed, and magnanimous benevolent ruler, and had long since developed the ability to keep his emotions hidden. This was the first time he had ever encountered such a despicable thing.
Blood seeped from the corner of Dou Mingyan's lips, and large tears streamed down her face as she lay trembling on the ground.
The emperor's blood boiled, and he roared in fury, "You shameless wretch!"
Dou Mingyan's mind raced; she couldn't let him know about her affair with Prince Rui. She suddenly looked up, sobbing uncontrollably, "Your Majesty, please understand! A thief infiltrated and attempted to commit atrocities! I fought back desperately but dared not cry for help… If it weren't for Your Majesty's arrival…"
She suddenly ripped open her collar, revealing red marks. "He also strangled me. These are the marks he left. If Your Majesty finds my body unclean, please grant me poison. It's just a pity our child is only a little over a month old..."
Emperor Muzong glared at her fiercely, "Back then, it was you who defiled the harem and took the initiative to climb onto my imperial bed. How dare you mention it!"
At this moment, a guard bowed and respectfully presented a jade pendant with both hands. "Your Majesty, this jade pendant was found in that warm room. It was probably left behind by the thief. In addition, two assassins were captured in Qionglin Garden, but they have already committed suicide by poison."
Emperor Muzong's cold gaze lingered on the jade pendant.
He was very familiar with that black Qilin jade pendant; it was a gift he had personally bestowed upon Prince Rui.
When Prince Rui turned eighteen, he commissioned a special piece to be made, making it unique in the world, the only one of its kind.
The more he valued Prince Rui in the past, the more furious he was now.
He really is his good son!
At the opportune moment, Eunuch Feng whispered a reminder, "Your Majesty, that night, I checked the bed afterwards... there was no blood on the sheets."
Upon hearing this, Dou Mingyan trembled and sobbed uncontrollably, "Your Majesty, you must believe me, the child in my womb is truly your child..."
Emperor Muzong's eyes were like a cold pool, his face devoid of any emotion.
"Guards, arrest Prince Rui immediately!"
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