newbobooks Chapter 41 Evil Spirits
Chapter 41 Evil Spirits
Recently, rumors have been circulating in the palace. The eunuchs and maids are saying that "the reason why Consort Qiao of Diecui Pavilion is so favored is because the spirit of the Imperial Concubine has possessed her and bewitched His Majesty."
The rumors spread far and wide, causing widespread panic within the palace.
Inside the Zichen Palace, Empress Wang looked at the tall man standing before her, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration: "Your Majesty, recently rumors have been circulating in the palace about Consort Qiao being possessed by a ghost, causing widespread fear. I know Your Majesty has never believed such nonsense, but the sudden death of the Imperial Concubine and the emergence of a Consort Qiao who bears such a striking resemblance... it is indeed somewhat..."
Seeing Pei Yuanling's increasingly stern expression, Empress Wang immediately stopped talking.
The death of the Imperial Concubine was a taboo subject in the palace and a thorn in the emperor's side.
Previously, if anyone dared to mention the Imperial Concubine, it would infuriate the Emperor. Now, the Empress was risking bringing it up only to test the Emperor's attitude towards Qiao Qingyin.
If she were just a substitute, she wouldn't be too difficult to deal with. But the emperor might fall in love with her, and given his guilt towards the previous concubine, this Consort Qiao might be even more difficult to deal with than the previous one.
Thinking of this, Empress Wang was filled with resentment.
Seeing that Pei Yuanling did not react, she continued to probe, "Your Majesty, I would like to invite a highly virtuous monk from the royal temple to come to the palace to exorcise evil spirits. What do you think?"
Evil?
A hint of displeasure flashed in Pei Yuanling's eyes. How could he not know what these people were thinking?
It's nothing more than seeing how much he dotes on Qiao Qingyin, so they're trying to find ways to smear her.
"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words."
Pei Yuanling said coldly, “Since ancient times, the palace has been most wary of witchcraft and sorcery. Now that there are rumors spreading and causing chaos in the harem, you, as the empress, should investigate the person who spread the rumors to stabilize the harem, instead of blindly following the crowd and creating trouble.”
This was an incredibly harsh label, and Empress Wang hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, that's not what I meant..."
"Alright, let's not discuss this matter any further, Your Majesty. You should take care of yourself!"
After Pei Yuanling finished speaking, he turned around, flicked his sleeves, and left, letting the eunuchs escort her out.
Empress Wang watched Pei Yuanling's retreating figure, her eyes filled with sorrow.
She was, after all, his lawfully wedded wife, yet he showed her absolutely no respect. How could she possibly accept this?
That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.
Looking at the man who walked towards her under the moonlight, with his elegant demeanor, Chu Qingyin couldn't help but feel dazed.
Only when Pei Yuanling approached did she snap out of her daze and bow, saying, "This concubine greets Your Majesty!"
"No gift."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Chu Qingyin straightened up, a bright and beautiful smile on her face, but when she looked up, she saw a deep sense of melancholy in the man's eyes.
She paused slightly, then feigned ignorance: "Is Your Majesty in a bad mood today?"
Seeing the woman's radiant smile before him, Pei Yuanling felt even more dazed, gazing intently at her: "You really aren't Yinyin?"
"Your Majesty's words are strange. Who else could I be but Yinyin?" Chu Qingyin smiled, feigning innocence.
Seeing that Pei Yuanling did not answer, she guessed what was going on and asked, biting her lip, "Does Your Majesty also believe the rumors and think that I am possessed by the Noble Consort?"
Upon hearing the mention of the Imperial Concubine, Pei Yuanling immediately snapped back to reality: "Nonsense, you and she have never been the same person."
He gazed at the woman with gentle eyes before him, but his expression was incredibly complex.
There are countless people in this world who look alike, but only Qiao Qingyin looks at him with the same gaze as Chu Qingyin.
He asked himself if he was a foolish king, but he had to admit that he was indeed bewitched by Qiao Qingyin.
"But the way His Majesty looks at me is clearly like he's looking at someone else through me..."
Although Chu Qingyin was smiling, her slightly pursed lips betrayed her suppressed emotions. She lowered her eyes and asked sadly, "Your Majesty, do you really like Consort Gui?"
Pei Yuanling was speechless for a moment, then saw the woman in front of him ask and answer herself with a bitter smile: "You must like it very much, otherwise, why have you been so reluctant to deal with the Consort's brother after she died, since the Consort's family committed treason?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Qingyin felt a sharp aura rush towards her. The man was very close to her, almost within inches of her, when he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.
"Tell me, who exactly are you?"
Those cold, sharp eyes were now firmly locked onto hers, allowing her no time to flinch or hesitate.
Even though they had been husband and wife since childhood and had been very loving, as well as had their disagreements, Chu Qingyin had never been so horrified by the oppressive feeling he brought as she was now.
But in an instant, Chu Qingyin came to her senses. What is there to fear for someone who has crawled out of hell?
She blinked slightly, her clear eyes instantly welling up with tears: "Your Majesty, I am Qiao Qingyin!"
The woman's voice was mournful, yet the stubbornness in her eyes was clearly visible; her appearance seemed to overlap with that of the beautiful and radiant woman she once was.
Recalling the past, she was most afraid of pain... Pei Yuanling couldn't help but loosen his grip on Chu Qingyin's hand.
Her jaw relaxed, and Chu Qingyin immediately took a step back: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"
Her voice was soft, yet tinged with a hint of reproach.
Pei Yuanling did not withdraw his gaze from her. After a long while, he said, "The affairs of the court are not for you to concern yourself with. Do not take advantage of my presence here a few times to act arrogantly."
Chu Qingyin's eyes flickered, then she quickly feigned weakness, "Your Majesty, I did not mean to overstep my bounds just now. It's just that there have been too many rumors circulating in the palace recently about me and the Imperial Concubine, and I was just curious..."
As she spoke, she took a step forward, wanting to reach out and support Pei Yuanling's hand.
Before her hand could even touch his, it was dodged.
Almost instantly, Pei Yuanling's eyes turned cold, and his face showed undisguised resistance.
Chu Qingyin couldn't help but feel a little strange. Although Pei Yuanling had stayed at her place several times in the past few days, he seemed to be very averse to any intimate contact with her...
Was he trying to remain chaste?
Realizing the absurdity of her own thought, Chu Qingyin couldn't help but scoff.
He was the emperor.
When she was alive, he didn't seek out other concubines, probably because he was afraid she would be jealous and cause trouble for him. But now that she's dead, even if he sought out other concubines, no one would dare to object.
Thinking of this, Chu Qingyin pretended to be frightened by his gaze and sobbed, "I am fortunate to have Your Majesty's favor, and I am often compared with the Noble Consort. It is inevitable that I am curious about the Noble Consort. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me this time, considering my admiration for you."
She knelt on the ground, her gaze fixed on him with intense passion.
Pei Yuanling frowned when he saw her apologize.
Her recent behavior in the palace doesn't seem like that of a foolish woman who brings up important political matters out of curiosity.
Not to mention that she can now quickly discern his emotions and say things to reassure him, which proves that she is not the ordinary, sheltered young lady of the rumors.
"If Your Majesty also believes the rumors and harbors resentment towards me, I am willing to accept any arrangement Your Majesty makes. Whether it's asking a sorcerer to exorcise the evil spirits or banishing me to the Cold Palace, I will accept my fate..."
Pei Yuanling looked at the woman in front of him again and saw that her beautiful eyes were filled with determination, as if she was ready to accept any punishment he might give her.
Is she really not afraid that he will really banish her to the cold palace?