Chapter 14 The Perplexing Truth
Yuwen Che carried Su Luoxue and strode away from Chengqian Palace. Fuling hurriedly ran after him, still shaken but secretly relieved by His Majesty's trust in her mistress.
Inside Chengqian Palace, a deathly silence and horror remained. Consort De watched His Majesty's retreating figure, carrying Consort Chen away without hesitation, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She felt extreme worry for her son's safety, as well as a strange and complicated feeling towards Su Luoxue. Had His Majesty's protection of her reached such a reckless level?
The most shocked was none other than Granny Qin. She had assumed that with witnesses—herself, the palace servants of Cining Palace, and the physical evidence of the poisoned pear soup being handled by Su Luoxue—the Emperor, even with his favor towards Consort Chen, would at least first imprison and interrogate her for such a heinous crime as murdering the eldest prince. She never expected that the Emperor would not even ask a few questions, simply stating "I believe her" and taking her away! This was utterly a trampling of ancestral laws and palace rules!
Granny Qin's face turned deathly pale, realizing that things had completely spiraled out of the Empress Dowager's control and expectations. She dared not linger any longer, practically tumbling and crawling out of Chengqian Palace, rushing back to Cining Palace to report the news.
Su Luoxue was carried back to Guanju Palace. Yuwen Che gently placed Su Luoxue on the soft couch, dismissed all the palace servants, and even Fuling was led out by Li Dehai with a wink, leaving only the two of them in the hall.
Still shaken by the ordeal, Su Luoxue leaned against the cushions, sobbing softly like a frightened little animal.
Yuwen Che stood before the bed, not immediately offering gentle words of comfort as usual. His back to her, his chest heaving violently, clearly struggling to suppress his surging anger. Today's events were far too dangerous! If he hadn't arrived in time, if he hadn't understood Su Luoxue's temperament, if he had hesitated even slightly, or followed standard procedure by detaining Su Luoxue first, then the person behind it all had countless ways to make her confess! And then… to execute her.
The thought of the humiliation and harm she might suffer fueled a surge of violent killing intent within him. He could kill anyone for her, even if she were foolish enough to harm Hao'er; he would twist the truth and defy all opposition to protect her! This empire was his, and he set the rules!
But... what if the person who set this up was his mother?
This thought was like a poisonous thorn, piercing his heart with pain. On one side was his mother, who had given him life; on the other was the woman he cherished and was determined to protect for life. If the truth was indeed as Luo Xue said, that his mother had orchestrated everything… what should he choose? Should he let Luo Xue prove her guilty to quell the storm and preserve his so-called "filial piety" and mother-son relationship? Or… confront his mother, even if it meant drawing his sword and severing all ties between them?
Neither of these two options made him feel an unprecedented sense of powerlessness and anger!
This pent-up rage finally turned towards the culprit on the bed, the one he both loved and hated. He whirled around, his deep eyes filled with a terrifying intensity due to suppressed fury, and he almost growled:
"How many times have I told you! Don't give Hao'er any food! Don't trust anyone easily! Have you been ignoring my words?!"
Su Luoxue was startled by his sudden anger, her crying stopped abruptly, and she looked at him with teary eyes, bewildered and aggrieved.
Yuwen Che took a step closer, his fingers clenched into a fist, knuckles white, his voice filled with lingering fear and an indescribable pain: "Do you know how heavy the words 'plotting against the imperial heir' are?! Once this crime is proven, even if I am the emperor, how much effort, how much power, and how much criticism will it take to suppress this monstrous wave and protect you?! Do you know that?!"
Looking at her pale face, he couldn't bring himself to speak harshly, but the pent-up anger had nowhere to go, and his tone became even more sorrowful: "If...if what happened today is really as you say, orchestrated by the Empress Dowager...what am I supposed to choose?! Should I let you take the blame and let everything settle down? Or...should I confront my own mother, draw my sword against her for you, and bear the eternal infamy of being unfilial?!"
His last few words were almost a scream, filled with a heart-wrenching struggle and helplessness. This was the first time he had revealed such a vulnerable and contradictory side to Su Luoxue. No matter how strong he was, he was still human, and he had bonds that he could not easily sever.
Su Luoxue was completely stunned. Looking at Yuwen Che's red eyes and the deep pain in them, she suddenly realized that her unintentional mistake today had not only put herself in danger, but also pushed him into an extremely difficult and painful choice.
She wasn't stupid; she just never imagined that people could be so treacherous as to use family ties to set a trap, nor did she ever expect that her actions would put him in such a difficult position.
"A-Che... I'm sorry... I... I really didn't know..." She choked back tears, which welled up again, this time filled with guilt and heartache. She reached out her hand, wanting to take his.
Seeing her tear-streaked face, Yuwen Che's raging anger was instantly extinguished, as if doused with cold water, leaving only endless heartache and exhaustion. He sighed, ultimately unable to be cruel to her for long. He stepped forward, not taking her hand, but instead pulling her tightly into his arms, as if wanting to meld her into his very bones, never allowing anyone to hurt her again.
"Enough...enough..." He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice muffled, with a barely perceptible hoarseness, "It's my fault for not protecting you...it's my fault for letting you fall into such danger..."
He held her for a long time before whispering in her ear, as if making a vow, "Luoxue, remember, in this deep palace, the only person you can completely trust is me. From now on, no matter what happens, no matter what anyone says to you, you must tell me immediately, understand?"
Su Luoxue nodded vigorously in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Only after this incident did she truly understand how terrifying this magnificent palace really was, and how heavy and difficult it was for Yuwen Che to protect her.
Meanwhile, at Cining Palace, after listening to Qin Mama's trembling report, the Empress Dowager's face was so dark it could drip water. Her meticulously planned scheme had been so easily thwarted by her son? It seemed she had underestimated Su Luoxue's importance in her son's heart.
This covert battle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and between mother and son, has officially begun due to this failed framing, and will become even more intense and dangerous.
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