rl, and now two months had passed, yet Bu Yao remained the longest one for her.Thinking of this, the madam grew angry, put her hands on her waist, glared with her already small eyes, walked up angrily...Chapter 14: Are You Bai Qianye

After a night of heavy rain, the ground was covered with broken leaves and fallen flowers, adding a fresh scent to the air.

"Bang"

The sound of shattered porcelain broke the rare silence. Palace attendants kept their heads bowed and were silent, while intermittent shouts of rage could be heard from inside the room.

"All of you get out! Get lost!!"

When Feng Changqing stepped into the gate of West Palace, he already heard Xiu Ran's heartrending roar. The attendants saw him and quickly knelt down in silence, with the chief steward taking a moment to react.

"Emperor—Your Majesty has arrived."

Upon hearing this announcement, everyone inside froze. Xiu Ran, who had just picked up a glass flower vase, awkwardly held it mid-air; but thinking of Feng Changqing's actions made her anger spike instantly. She disregarded the attendants' attempts to stop her and forcefully smashed the glass vase on the ground, shattering it into pieces that scattered in all directions.

Some fragments slid to the door where they were trodden upon by someone entering. The attendants quickly knelt down upon seeing this person.

"Servant greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live a thousand years—."

"Get lost."

Ignoring everyone else, Feng Changqing walked straight to the seat at the top and sat down. After all other palace attendants had left until only he and Xiu Ran were remaining, Feng Changqing glanced at the shattered fragments on the ground before giving a cold laugh.

"My lady is usually gentle and elegant; what has happened" Looking at her, his curiosity was piqued by the anger in her eyes. He continued, "What could make my lady so furious"

How could he possibly laugh How

"Ha ha—hahaha, you're laughing," Xiu Ran staggered up to Feng Changqing and softly said, "I'm pregnant."

"Mm." Feng Changqing looked at Xiu Ran with a mild nod and continued, "Does this have anything to do with your search for Hongxue"

"You already knew about that, didn't you" Instead of answering directly, Xiu Ran felt rather pitiful all of a sudden.

She remembered that under the moon and flowers, he had told her that she would be his queen, his only one. She believed him.

But after she became pregnant with his child, how could he bear to kill their own child just for another woman

"You killed my child for Red Snow A courtesan who has slept with others"

"Snap."

"Ah!" The scorching pain on her left cheek made Xiao Ran blank out. She didn't even know what had happened and just stared at Feng Changqing numbly, saying woodenly, "You hit me"

Feng Changqing gave a faint smile. Xiao Ran's eyes were red, probably from crying when she woke up. He tsked with approval; it was hard not to feel affectionate looking at her like this. With his large hand, he grabbed Xiao Ran's chin.

Maybe because of her weak body, her rosy lips looked unusually pale right now, but they still had their own charm. So he kissed them without hesitation.

"Mmm..."

If it weren't for the matter with his child, Xiao Ran would have luxuriated in Feng Changqing's affection and felt his love properly. But she knew that he was heartless, which was why he had killed their child so ruthlessly.

Thinking of this made her open her mouth to bite down, but a large hand grabbed both sides of her jaw, causing her to wince in pain.

"When did I ever give you the right to bear my children When did I ever allow you to punish Red Snow" He tightened his grip on Xiao Ran and continued pressing until she had no place to run. Then he whispered into her ear, "Your Majesty advises that before granting these rights to you, Empress, it's best for you to behave yourself."

Saying this, he released Xiao Ran and coldly said, "Empress Xiao is unwell with a disordered mind; she should not be going out. Your Majesty has specially allowed her one month of recuperation in the palace. Other consorts need not pay respects during this period."

With that, Feng Changqing got up and left, leaving Xiao Ran alone.

Feng Changqing was heartless; she didn't believe it. How could a heartless person be so gentle He had promised her a life without worries, which was true in the beginning as he showered her with affection. She swore to bear him children and give him a lifetime of peace.

But for a courtesan, she had even been grateful until now, where there once was a life inside her that disappeared without her knowing.

"Haha... Feng Changqing, how could you possibly do this" That child was his own.

Red Snow... it must be because of Red Snow. They said courtesans practiced fox magic; she must have bewitched him.

"Red Snow, I must make you pay for this."

"Ah!"

Green Bamboo was stunned and exchanged a look with Jinyu. They hurriedly put down what they were holding and ran into the inner room where Qi Lin was sitting on the bed, drenched in sweat and staring blankly ahead.

"Mistress, you're awake" Green Bamboo and Jinyu showed delighted smiles as they walked to the bedside but noticed that Qi Lin's gaze was somewhat vacant.

Green Bamboo gave Jinyu a signal with her eyes. Jinyu immediately left to call for an imperial physician. Green Bamboo held Qi Lin’s hand, which no longer felt scorching hot.

"Mistress, you scared the maidservant half to death! Didn’t you know that you were unconscious for an entire day" Thinking back on what the physician said about Qi Lin's persistent high fever possibly leading to pulmonary tuberculosis, it had frightened her stiff.

Seeing Green Bamboo’s worried eyes, Qi Lin forced a smile. She wanted to raise her hand to comfort Green Bamboo but realized she had no strength at all and gave up. She whispered softly, "Is that so I’m fine now. Please don’t worry."

Green Bamboo felt a pinch in her nose and tears began to fall. Qi Lin was taken aback; Green Bamboo’s unusual behavior left her unable to cope, frantically trying to find a handkerchief but failing.

As she watched Green Bamboo continue crying, Qi Lin impulsively grabbed something from the table, intending to wipe away Green Bamboo’s tears. However, she suddenly stopped, quietly gazing at what was in her hands.

She couldn’t understand why she had kept this handkerchief and placed it on herself despite the risk involved. Yet, just by looking at it, a strange sense of reassurance washed over her.

Perhaps sensing Qi Lin’s unusual behavior, Green Bamboo stopped crying and looked at the handkerchief in Qi Lin's hands, mistakenly thinking that it belonged to Feng Changqing. She said, "Mistress, you didn't know It was His Majesty who saved you, and as soon as court ended, he came over to see how you were."

His Majesty Qi Lin looked up in surprise, intending to ask if Feng Changqing had discovered anything when Jinyu led the imperial physician into the room.

"Mistress, this is Imperial Physician Jiang. His Majesty instructed him to stay here on standby," Jinyu emphasized "His Majesty" as it was the first time her mistress received such favor.

Qi Lin glanced at Imperial Physician Jiang and nodded, quietly tucking away the handkerchief before leaning weakly against the bed. After an entire day of unconsciousness, her mind felt empty, with lingering fatigue making her feel utterly drained, coupled with what seemed like a terrifying dream she had.

"Mistress's high fever has subsided. I have prepared some medicine for you and it is ready to be consumed," he said as he produced a green bowl and continued, "This is medicinal porridge specially made for Mistress."

The pungent smell of rice stirred Qi Lin’s appetite, and she moistened her cracked lips before unhesitatingly taking the bowl. She gulped down the congee inside with large mouthfuls; although it looked like plain white rice porridge, the rich flavor of chicken suggested that it had been simmered for a long time, and the faint medicinal aroma made her feel more energetic.

Medicine scent!

Zhui Lin suddenly stopped and looked up at the Imperial Physician, smiling slightly as she said, "Green Bamboo, Jin Yu, go prepare everything for my bath. I've had a high fever all day and I feel terrible."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will do it right away."

After Green Bamboo and Jin Yu left, Zhui Lin put down the bowl and looked at the Imperial Physician with white hair on his temples. She said calmly, "No one else is here. Apart from Green Bamboo and Jin Yu, no one can enter this room."

The room was silent except for their breathing and the sound of the wind rustling through the pearl curtains, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Dr. Jiang continued to focus on Zhui Lin, while she quietly looked back at him, as if something between them was slowly melting away.

"Say something!" Finally unable to contain herself, Zhui Lin tightly gripped her blanket and shouted at the person in front of her, "Bai Qianye, talk to me."

Hearing Zhui Lin’s words, the man seemed surprised. He then gave a faint smile and tore off his mask, casually touching his slightly red face and smiling as he said, "What would you do if I didn't admit it"

"Although hide-and-seek is fun," she stretched her muscles, emitting a strong medicinal scent. She frowned; how much medicine had been given to her while she was unconscious As the person in front of her returned to his original appearance, Zhui Lin continued speaking calmly, "But we are adults now, aren't we"

"How did you discover my identity" After saying this, she paused. Wasn’t that an admission without accusation Looking at Zhui Lin’s understanding expression, he laughed awkwardly and said, "So… what comes next"

Laughter… What next

"I had a dream." This dream helped her understand many things, such as Ah Piao's identity. Looking at Ah Piao—no, Bai Qianye, Zhui Lin continued, "In my dream, I returned to my world and resumed my life as if nothing ever happened."

It was always her wish to return home; even though she didn’t know how to do it, no matter how good things were here.

This had been a beautiful dream. She never wanted to wake up from it.

"But… I saw you." Pulling back the covers and getting out of bed, although her legs felt like they were walking on cotton, she hated lying in bed so much. She played with the plants in the pot, continuing, "I saw you before Feng Changqiang ascended to the throne; you looked so spirited. If that had happened in my world, you would definitely have become a superstar."

Despite this, Zhui Lin did not act like a fangirl. Her expression remained calm throughout.

In reality, though… she wanted to drag this long-dead man out and whip him.p on her head that made stars burst before her eyes."Why" she cried out holding her forehead and feeling the pain of being woken up yet again.Bu Yao, with hands on hips, glared at Qi Lin. "Don’t you k...