klisemfg Chapter 77 The Formed Fetus
Chapter 77 The Formed Fetus
Night deepened, and the full moon hung high in the sky.
Influenced by the rumors of the vengeful spirit of the Imperial Concubine, the entire palace became increasingly quiet at night.
Under the moonlight, Chu Qingyin secretly brought Xianglan back from outside.
The two quietly bypassed the main gate of Feixue Palace, first went to the side hall, and then walked back to the main hall through a small path in the side hall.
Xianglan discovered this path by chance. She had been resting in the side hall recently, and one day, out of boredom, she discovered that there was a small path in the side hall that led directly to the side door of the outer room of the main hall.
Chu Qingyin guessed that this was a small path that the original owner of Feixue Palace had specially opened up to make it easier for the maids to serve.
This, however, conveniently helped them avoid the eunuchs guarding the palace.
"Your Majesty, please rest early. You can leave these matters to me."
Xianglan pointed to the bundle in her hand and whispered.
Chu Qingyin nodded: "Remember, you must destroy these things as soon as possible. If others find out, I will not protect you."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant understands."
After Xianglan finished speaking, she picked up her bundle and headed towards the side hall.
Chu Qingyin watched her departing figure before quietly walking back into the hall and looking at Yu Yan, who was fast asleep on the table.
She breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the incense burner, extinguished the half-burnt incense stick, and hid it in the cabinet. Then she replaced it with sandalwood incense from the longer burners in the hall, before taking off her clothes, lying down on the couch, and closing her eyes to prepare for sleep.
Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking at the door: "Your Majesty, please get up quickly to greet His Majesty, he has arrived!"
Kang Luhai's voice rang out from outside the door.
Yu Yan woke up with a start, rubbing her throbbing head, feeling annoyed. She didn't know what was wrong with her lately; she always seemed to fall into a deep sleep while on night watch.
She glanced in Chu Qingyin's direction and saw that her eyes were closed and she was still asleep, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing no response from inside, Kang Luhai knocked on the door again: "Your Majesty, His Majesty has arrived!"
This time the noise was louder. Chu Qingyin pretended to have just been woken up and looked at Yu Yan with sleepy eyes: "Who's outside?"
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has arrived. Please get up quickly and prepare to greet him."
Yu Yan, disregarding her dizziness, quickly went to Chu Qingyin's side, helped her get up, and undressed her.
Chu Qingyin let Yu Yan fuss over her, but in her heart she was secretly wondering why Pei Yuanling would suddenly come here at such a late hour.
Didn't he already send Chen Zhongliang to tell him that he was too busy with official business today to come?
Even if I wanted to surprise her, I shouldn't have done it in the middle of the night.
Could something urgent have happened?
"Yinyin."
Pei Yuanling called out softly, and stepped closer to Chu Qingyin.
He pulled her into his arms, his expression tender.
The palace servants who were attending to him immediately withdrew.
Although Chu Qingyin didn't understand why, she still pretended to be affectionate, reaching out to wrap her arms around Pei Yuanling's lean waist, burying her face in his chest, her eyes filled with suspicion: "Your Majesty, why did you come over in the middle of the night?"
Pei Yuanling lowered his head and placed a kiss on her smooth forehead: "What, Yinyin, don't you welcome me?"
"How could that be? I am overjoyed."
Chu Qingyin said shyly, and when she looked up again, she could see that the young emperor's face was flushed, and the ambergris he often wore was mixed with the smell of alcohol.
"Your Majesty, you've been drinking?" Chu Qingyin asked in surprise.
Pei Yuanling looked at her intently for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Yinyin, today is the sixth day of the fifth month."
Chu Qingyin paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered what day it was.
The sixth day of the fifth lunar month was the day she lost that child in her previous life.
It was a fetus that had already taken shape.
It was the child she and Pei Yuanling had been longing for.
She still remembers how overjoyed she and Pei Yuanling were when the imperial physician diagnosed her as pregnant; he held her and spun her around many times.
At that moment, he was no longer the high and mighty emperor, but a man who had just become a father, holding his beloved and joyfully shouting, "Yinyin, I'm going to be a father."
She was so happy she almost fainted, and she hugged his neck tightly, laughing, "Yes, I'm going to be a mother too."
They were so excited about the birth of their child, and she became increasingly cautious.
But a rumor, from who knows where, spread that she was carrying a boy—
Not long after the news spread, she miscarried.
A seemingly ordinary tonic soup contained a high concentration of safflower juice. That day, she was in so much pain that she tossed and turned in bed, sweating profusely.
She desperately clutched her stomach, trying to hold onto the baby inside her, but she could still clearly feel the little life turning into blood and slowly peeling away from her body.
From then on, mother and child were separated.
It was a baby girl.
A fully formed baby girl.
She was filled with hatred. She hugged Pei Yuanling and cried uncontrollably, "She's just a little princess."
She was just a princess, yet she was not tolerated by the women in the harem.
Pei Yuanling was also deeply saddened. He comforted her while ordering a thorough investigation.
The culprit was eventually discovered to be a palace maid in the kitchen. Because Chu Qingyin had once punished one of her friends, the maid held a grudge and secretly poisoned her.
The young palace maid committed suicide on the spot.
But how could Chu Qingyin believe such a reason? This palace maid was clearly a scapegoat; the real culprit must be someone else.
Undeterred, she investigated further and eventually discovered that the matter might be related to Consort Shu, but due to insufficient evidence, she could not pursue the matter further.
During that time, she was like a hysterical madwoman. Whenever she closed her eyes, she would hear the little girl's clear voice calling her "Mother".
her child...
Her daughter.
Her first child with Pei Yuanling passed away on the sixth day of the fifth lunar month.
Damn it, Chu Qingyin.
Chu Qingyin felt a sharp pain and self-reproach in her heart. Hatred had blinded her, and she had even forgotten such an important day.
"Yinyin, you still remember, right?"
The man's voice pulled Chu Qingyin back to reality. When she looked up, she met his eyes, which were slightly drunk but exceptionally bright.
It felt like my heart had been hit hard.
Chu Qingyin clenched her fists, and after a moment, she forced a puzzled expression: "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? What do I remember?"
Pei Yuanling didn't speak, but just stared at her intently.
Does she really not remember?
They don't even remember the anniversary of their child's death?
Never mind, it's better not to remember, to avoid adding to the sorrow.
"fine."
Pei Yuanling raised his hand and gently pulled the person into his arms: "Today is the anniversary of the death of a very important person. I was feeling troubled, so I drank a few more cups."
Chu Qingyin pursed her lips, and after a long while, she raised her hand and gently stroked the man's back: "Your Majesty, please don't be too sad. If that person knew in the afterlife, he would surely hope that Your Majesty would take good care of yourself and not grieve."
"Does she know how?"
"...Yes."
I think so.
After all, the child is still so young, how could she know what kind of people her biological father and mother are?
Pei Yuanling didn't say anything more, but hugged Chu Qingyin even tighter, as if drawing strength from her.
After embracing for an unknown amount of time, Chu Qingyin gently patted the man's shoulder: "Your Majesty, it's getting late. I'll go get you a bowl of hangover soup. Drink it and then rest."
The gentle voice reached Pei Yuanling's ears. He lowered his eyes and looked at the woman in his arms, whose black hair was disheveled and who was only wearing a thin undergarment.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps it was the thought of their child who had died young, that stirred up Pei Yuanling's emotions.
Suddenly, he pinched Chu Qingyin's chin, lowered his head and kissed her delicate red lips.
"Well……"
Chu Qingyin was caught off guard by the kiss and instinctively tried to dodge, but the back of her head was held firmly, forcing her to stay away from the man's movements.
She could only passively endure the kiss that came like a storm, the intense masculine scent immediately invading her mouth and tongue.
Chu Qingyin couldn't help but let out a soft moan. Pei Yuanling paused slightly, his dark gaze falling on the woman's face.
Her originally bright and beautiful face flushed red, and the corners of her slightly closed eyes turned up with a blush, exuding a charming allure.
Especially her soft, red lips, which were slightly swollen at the moment, trembled like flower petals with each breath, as if silently inviting him to taste them.
Pei Yuanling could no longer resist and picked the woman up in his arms, carrying her towards the canopy bed in the inner room.