The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

In the palace corridor, Li Qinghuai walked quickly, reaching the Left Wing Gate within moments.

The young eunuch following her was trembling. Her Highness Wenchang suddenly turned around, causing the hairpin on her bun to clatter loudly.

“Your Highness, Your Highness…” This eunuch was young and easily startled. If it were Eunuch Dong, he would surely have comforted her.

Li Qinghuai subconsciously sneered, which spurred the eunuch to brace himself and cautiously move closer.

“Miss Lu went to Yuzhou at the invitation of Prince Zhao. Your Highness seems uneasy, but you really don’t need to worry. Miss Lu is of noble birth and has a brilliant mind,” the eunuch stammered, “she certainly won’t be disgraced.”

Li Qinghuai’s breathing became heavier, and her migraine started.

Since she was present the day the ancestral hall caught fire, she was the first to know about Lu Fengmian’s disappearance, and it was impossible to conceal. When the matter was explained, the Zhao Residence would surely provide an account.

So she also heard the words of Prince Zhao’s page.

The general meaning was that Prince Zhao’s retainer came to the capital to present a treasure. Before he could leave, he encountered a fire at a friend’s house. Luckily, a skilled master was nearby and took the liberty of rescuing the person.

Lu Fengmian was an old acquaintance of Prince Zhao. The retainer wanted the two of them to meet. The noblewoman refused the invitation but yielded after much soft coaxing and emotional appeal. To avoid falling out with the retainer and offending Prince Zhao, she had to agree.

Family shame should not be aired in public. The Zhao Residence’s attitude toward Li Qinghuai was close to chasing a guest away.

After all, they feared Empress Zhu, not the long-deposed Crown Prince. Earlier hints were the reason these people spoke up in court.

Despite this conduct, outsiders still believed the Zhao family favored her.

Those who know, know. It was impossible to make her political rivals feel truly wary. Maintaining a mere facade externally was a waste of effort. It also needlessly incurred her Imperial Father’s displeasure, who might suspect his children were forming cliques in private.

She was like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to tell her suffering.

Li Qinghuai was unclear about the exact truth. Who knows? Cheng Mei never planned things out, doing whatever came to mind.

But this young eunuch was too clumsy and his words were unwelcome. He would never get ahead in the palace. Seeing him early in the morning made her even more exasperated.

Li Qinghuai was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly, “I know.” She then left the palace without further delay.

The court officials kept chattering endlessly, constantly submitting memorials. She still hadn’t calmed down after returning to the Princess Residence. For several days, she found no taste in food. Zhang Ling returned from dealing with matters in the black market and could only offer advice.

Her house arrest was lifted early, and she had returned with merit, which naturally attracted trouble.

“I will still need to trouble you to draw the palace layout. Your Highness should dedicate yourself to reviewing memorials, sharing the burdens of the Son of Heaven.”

Li Qinghuai held the brush, hesitant to put it down. Then she swept it across the ink, writing the character for “No.”

“I will go with you.”

Zhang Ling knew she couldn’t completely trust him. He bowed and retreated from the main hall, preparing for the night infiltration of the palace a few days later.

Every route and every plant in the Imperial Palace was meticulously inspected by designated personnel. It would be difficult to bring Her Highness Wenchang, who was not skilled in lightness techniques and could be stabbed by a paper man.

Furthermore… Never mind. She at least looked cautious when squatting on the eaves.

The Emperor was meticulous in reviewing memorials and had changed the memorial system from the previous reign. All memorials reviewed by the Emperor must be returned to the palace; otherwise, it would be treated as high treason.

Most of these memorials were stored in the Southern Study.

Evading the patrolling guards, they entered the depths of the Imperial Palace. Her feet skimmed over the brick and tile. She was practically being carried in a dash. The symptoms of chest tightness and shortness of breath only eased slightly after landing on solid ground.

Tall wooden shelves blocked the view, with only the scent of sandalwood permeating the air.

Zhang Ling rummaged through the shelves and beckoned Li Qinghuai to read the contents of the memorials. More than ten scrolls were all impeaching her.

“Look for those from the end of the Zhizheng era…” Li Qinghuai wanted to swallow the unspoken words but choked up for a moment and finally relented, “The year Empress Zhu died.”

One of them, perhaps Li Qinghuai or Zhang Ling, accidentally knocked down a nearby booklet while grabbing a scroll. Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached from afar.

“Who’s there? Get out!”

Zhang Ling stuffed more herbal powder into the incense burner. It was colorless and odorless, successfully mixing with the original fragrance. If anyone checked the censer within the next half hour after they left, they might find the unusual herbs.

But in such a short time, to search the entire hall for the thief who infiltrated the Southern Study, there would be no time to check such minor details.

It was unlike leaving poison in a teacup, which would always be there, discoverable at any time.

“Your Highness, we should go.” Zhang Ling lowered his voice and quickly pulled her backward. Li Qinghuai allowed herself to be dragged but clung tightly to a stack of memorials.

Her eyes were wide with anger. A small white cat with thick fur suddenly appeared on the smooth floor in front of her.

The two circled a pillar like an overbearing lord. The attending eunuch had a flash of inspiration and sped up, circling from behind.

Li Qinghuai was exposed to attacks from both front and back. Her entire back was visible to the other person.

However, the old eunuch stared ahead, gradually moving until his face was almost touching hers. Yet, he suddenly sighed and turned around with a disappointed, hunched back.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

He turned back with lightning speed, his two eyes, the size of oil lamps, furtively darting left and right. He only left when he was sure there was no one there.

Sweat poured down her body from the thievery. Her legs, which were weak moments ago, were now rigidly stiff. They were so stiff that she couldn’t move for a while.

“It seems there really is no one. Old age just brings suspicion,” Zhang Ling whispered in cooperation. At the same time, his left hand swept forward like paddling in water.

The old eunuch, like a puppet on a string, but without the slightest clumsiness, repeated this sentence aloud.

This action startled Li Qinghuai again. She struggled to turn her neck to face Zhang Ling, slowly showing an exaggerated smile.

After doing so, she gathered some courage and dared to look directly at the young woman in her illusion, who was obscuring her vision.

The illusory Lu Fengmian in front of her was slightly tipsy. She stumbled over and grabbed her. Her warm breath landed on Li Qinghuai’s hair.

She squinted, her clothes were loose, and she clung to Li Qinghuai’s waist as if utterly exhausted.

“Don’t speak. Kiss me.”

The “Lu Fengmian” playfully tilted her head, displaying the blush on her cheeks, while also perfectly portraying the loss of composure after drinking.

The cold wind blew over the hot sweat on her back, causing Li Qinghuai to shiver repeatedly.

Her heart pounded like thunder. She suddenly recalled the other party’s marriage back then. Instantly, it was as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her, completely sobering her up.

Breaking free from the illusion, her expression was filled with a hint of warmth, simultaneously alluring and demonic.

“Your Highness seems too deeply obsessed. You think you’ve seen through things, but you’ve fallen into another kind of prejudice.” Zhang Ling observed her actions and pointed this out. The word used at the end was very specific: not “stubbornness” or “obsession,” but “prejudice.”

Li Qinghuai smiled and glanced at him. She climbed onto the lattice window, carrying the lingering scent, and flipped out.

“If I can get out alive, teach my people how to make incense.”

The incense made her heart ache, her eardrums hurt, and no part of her body was comfortable. Her stomach constantly churned with acid, and she almost vomited on the spot.

“Find someone to meet us…” Li Qinghuai desperately suppressed it. Her Adam’s apple bobbed. She actually swallowed the vomit back into her mouth.

This thoroughly disgusted her.

“Zhang San is untrustworthy!”

Li Qinghuai forcefully raised her head, not understanding what kind of crazy talk the other party was saying. A slight movement of anger made her whole body tremble.

Zhang Ling had just started following her. Their great cause had just begun, so a little resentment was normal.

She tried her best to comfort and rationalize for herself, initially forgiving the treasonous address without explanation. It was likely that he had just realized the effect of the incense on Li Qinghuai and recognized that her Highness was close to a state of mental confusion.

If she didn’t want to crawl out of the palace like a dog, he would have to knock her unconscious and carry her out. But that would slow him down and risk discovery.

So Zhang Ling used a needle to hypnotize two rushing palace maids not far away, deliberately leaving behind an ambiguous sentence, only to provide a clue when the palace conducted its investigation.

“Li Sibo has great nerve.” Li Qinghuai sneered.

That was the full name of Prince Zhao, Li Sibo.

It was an obvious frame-up. Whether her Imperial Father believed it was another matter. Even with slight suspicion, Prince Zhao would argue vehemently, making it hard not to trace it back to her.

Taking a dangerous risk. Inflicting a thousand casualties on the enemy and suffering eight hundred casualties herself.