In the Eastern Palace, within You Rong's chambers.
Lin Qinghe was on the verge of a breakdown. For six whole days! You Rong hadn't shown his face!
Didn't You Rong like her? Then why wouldn't he come to see her? If he didn't come, how could the remaining ten percent of the progress bar grow!
Lin Qinghe stared at the iron chain on her right foot. For six days, she had tried countless methods, but none could break it. She was thus imprisoned in You Rong's chambers, unable to move more than a few steps around this small bed.
Ying Chun, carrying breakfast, pushed open the door. "Sister Qinghe, this servant has come to help you wash up and have breakfast."
Lin Qinghe, suppressing her anger, said, "Where is His Highness the Crown Prince? Make him come see me!"
"Sister Qinghe, His Highness the Crown Prince is busy with the enthronement ceremony in three days, so he likely won't have time to see you. Please don't overthink it and wait patiently."
Enthronement ceremony?
It seemed the sounds of fighting troops she'd heard last night were You Rong leading a force to storm the palace and seize the throne, and he had succeeded.
Ying Chun handed over a damp face towel. "Sister Qinghe, please wash up."
Lin Qinghe's eyes flickered. With a hardened heart, she raised her hand and slapped the towel away, shouting in anger, "I want to see His Highness the Crown Prince! Go and report immediately. Until His Highness the Crown Prince comes to see me, I will not eat anything!"
You Rong liked her. She was protesting with a hunger strike; he should appear now, right!
Ying Chun looked troubled. After a moment of hesitation, she turned and left, seemingly to report to You Rong.
Lin Qinghe was certain You Rong would come to see her, and had already thought of how she would explain things to You Rong to finish the remaining ten percent of the progress bar.
Unexpectedly, half an hour later, Ying Chun returned, but not with You Rong. Instead, she brought two palace maids whom Lin Qinghe vaguely recognized.
Lin Qinghe's heart sank. She had a bad premonition.
"You... what do you want to do?"
Ying Chun curtsied and said, "Sister Qinghe, this servant has no choice but to offend you."
With that, Ying Chun gave the two palace maids a look. The two maids stepped forward, taking Lin Qinghe by the arms, one on each side. They pinched her cheeks, forcing her mouth open, while Ying Chun used a spoon to feed Lin Qinghe porridge, spoonful by spoonful.
"Cough cough... Let go, you... let go!"
Despite Lin Qinghe's desperate struggles, Ying Chun quickly finished the bowl of porridge. Only then did the two maids release the disheveled Lin Qinghe.
"Sister Qinghe, please cooperate with your meals from now on, otherwise this servant will have no choice but to offend you."
Lin Qinghe was so angry her chest hurt. "Did His Highness the Crown Prince order you to do this?!"
Ying Chun did not answer. She curtsied again and said, "This servant will take her leave. If Sister Qinghe has any needs, please call for this servant. This servant will be waiting outside the palace."
Ying Chun left. Lin Qinghe, furious, threw all the pillows and bedding from the bed onto the floor.
"You Rong, you scoundrel! You make me so angry! How long do you intend to imprison me? You clearly like me, so why won't you come to see me? You pervert..."
After cursing You Rong thoroughly from head to toe, Lin Qinghe gradually calmed down.
She couldn't be discouraged. She needed to quickly find a way to force You Rong to come see her!
After thinking for an entire day, Lin Qinghe was out of ideas. She could only be harsh on herself. At dinner, she feigned compliance, saying she would eat dinner herself. While Ying Chun wasn't paying attention, she smashed the bowl and pressed a shard of the broken porcelain against her fair throat.
Ying Chun's face changed drastically. "Sister Qinghe, what are you doing? Quickly put down the porcelain shard!"
Lin Qinghe's face was stern, and she said coldly, "Go and report to His Highness the Crown Prince. Tell him to come see me within an hour, otherwise, I'll die to show him!"
"Sister Qinghe, you know very well that His Highness the Crown Prince is busy with the enthronement ceremony and cannot get away. Why don't you wait patiently for a few days? Once His Highness the Crown Prince is done with the ceremony, he will surely come to see you..."
Lin Qinghe had lost her patience and didn't want to listen to Ying Chun's nonsense anymore. She applied a little more pressure with the porcelain shard against her neck. The sharp edge cut through her fair skin, and bright red blood welled up.
"Hurry up! Don't make me say it a second time, or you'll have to prepare for His Highness the Crown Prince to come back and collect my corpse!"
Ying Chun's face turned pale with fright. She had no other choice. "Alright! Sister Qinghe, this servant will go and report to His Highness the Crown Prince right away. Please, you must not be impulsive. Put down the porcelain shard first... okay?"
Lin Qinghe was not stupid. If she let go of her bargaining chip, how could she negotiate with them?
Lin Qinghe said sternly, "Go! Go and report to His Highness the Crown Prince immediately. Tell him to come and see me, otherwise I won't let go. Hurry up... do you hear me!"
As she spoke, Lin Qinghe made a move to press the porcelain shard deeper into her neck. Ying Chun dared not delay any longer. "Yes, this servant will go now!"
Ying Chun hurried out.
Although His Highness the Crown Prince had imprisoned Lin Qinghe here, he treated her extremely well and had never harmed her in the slightest. Anyone with eyes could see how important she was to His Highness the Crown Prince. If anything were to happen to her, she would be guilty of a thousand deaths.
As soon as Ying Chun left, Lin Qinghe quickly put down the porcelain shard she had been holding against her neck, touching the wound on her neck with a wince.
"It's just a slight cut, but it hurts so much. I've gone this far with a stratagem of self-inflicted harm; I refuse to believe You Rong still won't come to see me!"
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Inside the Imperial Palace.
You Rong sat opposite Gu Haotian, his face dark. He downed cups of strong liquor one after another. Gu Haotian frowned, unable to watch any longer. He reached out and grabbed You Rong's wine cup. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, please don't drink anymore. You are drunk."
You Rong pursed his thin lips. "Uncle, you need not worry. I am not yet drunk."
You Rong exerted a little force, taking the wine cup back from Gu Haotian's hand, and continued to drink in silence, cup after cup.
Gu Haotian sighed and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, this subject knows you are feeling distressed, but the enthronement ceremony is imminent. You must pull yourself together. Furthermore... the late Empress's spirit surely would not wish to see you like this."
"Mother..." The strong liquor You Rong drank was bitterly so, "Mother devoted all her heart to that person, thinking of his troubles, always dignified and proper. Who would have thought she would be harmed to this extent by him..."
Gu Haotian sighed deeply, his stern face filled with sorrow. He no longer tried to persuade, and accompanied You Rong in silently drinking.
He thought of his Gu family, full of loyal martyrs, who had been loyal to the Emperor with all their might, only to end up being treated with suspicion. How could he not feel sorrow in his heart.
Gradually, You Rong's eyes were clouded with drunkenness. Just then, Wang Gongyang rushed in. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, something terrible has happened! Lin Qinghe is attempting to commit suicide in the Eastern Palace! You..."
You Rong's face turned pale almost instantly. He grabbed Wang Gongyang by the collar and shouted furiously, "What did you say?! Didn't I tell you to have someone watch her! How could she attempt suicide!"
Wang Gongyang's eyes were bloodshot, and he trembled in fear under You Rong's gaze. "Lin Qinghe has been clamoring for a hunger strike since this morning, saying she wanted to see you. This servant thought you were busy with the enthronement ceremony and wouldn't have time, so I had Ying Chun force-feed Lin Qinghe. Little did we know... just now Ying Chun reported that Lin Qinghe smashed a bowl and is threatening suicide with a porcelain shard..."
You Rong's grip on Wang Gongyang tightened. Upon closer inspection, his hand seemed to be trembling slightly.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Wang Gongyang! Who gave you the permission to act on your own accord! If she suffers even the slightest harm! You won't be enough even if you die ten thousand times!"
With that, You Rong, consumed by anxiety, got up and left the palace.