Chancellor Xu had anticipated You Rong's decision, yet he was still taken aback when You Rong voiced it. Once he recovered, Chancellor Xu said without hesitation, "Your subject pledges to follow Your Highness the Crown Prince to the death!"
You Rong nodded slightly. The hatred raging within him urged him to rush before that hypocritical man and demand to know why he could be so cruel!
After You Rong and Chancellor Xu conferred, You Rong returned to the Eastern Palace, penned a letter, and dispatched it urgently to Gu Haotian at the border.
The letter detailed the cause of Queen Wang's death and his resolve to lead troops in rebellion, informing Gu Haotian of all these matters and instructing him to quietly lead his troops back to the capital.
After entrusting the letter to Wang Gongyang to deliver, You Rong stood with his hands clasped behind his back by the window, his tall, slender figure exuding an ineffable loneliness.
A knock on the door pulled You Rong from his thoughts.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, it is I, your servant. May I come in?"
You Rong composed himself and said calmly, "Enter."
Lin Qinghe pushed the door open, approached You Rong, curtsied, and bowed. She subtly observed You Rong before asking, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, I came today to ask where Zhu Hong has gone. Why haven't I seen her all day?"
You Rong looked up at her. "Zhu Hong has been assigned to other matters. From now on, Yingchun will serve you."
Lin Qinghe's brow furrowed. "What matters has Your Highness the Crown Prince assigned Zhu Hong to?"
You Rong lowered his gaze, concealing the sinister darkness in his eyes. "You need not concern yourself with this. Remember! I am the master of the Eastern Palace. I do not need to account for my actions to anyone!"
Hearing the hidden anger in You Rong's words, Lin Qinghe subtly clenched her hands at her sides, her gaze becoming complex.
What had gone wrong?
Could it be that You Rong had never dismissed his suspicion after she was brought to Yonghe Palace that day, and had Zhu Hong interrogated?
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I..."
You Rong impatiently interrupted Lin Qinghe. "That's enough. This matter ends here. I have other affairs to attend to. You may withdraw."
As the saying goes, even a clay figurine has three parts temper. Since entering this world, Lin Qinghe had been trying to appease You Rong, suppressing her anger. Now, she could hold back no longer.
Lin Qinghe said with mild indignation, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, have you locked Zhu Hong up because of me? You suspect me of still being Consort Duan's person, don't you? If that's the case, Your Highness the Crown Prince need not trouble yourself. With a single command, you can send me back to Yonghe Palace, saving you the trouble of constantly guarding against and suspecting me!"
These words, spoken in anger, were taken in by You Rong, and his expression instantly turned grim.
Send her back to Yonghe Palace? To remain by You Feng's side as his concubine without title!
A cold glint flashed in You Rong's eyes. He suddenly grabbed Lin Qinghe's wrist and yanked her forcefully into his embrace, his long, pale fingers pinching her chin.
The force was so great that Lin Qinghe feared her chin would be crushed.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince! What are you doing? It hurts... Let go!"
You Rong stared at Lin Qinghe with cold, sinister eyes. "You said you only had me as your master in this lifetime? Have you forgotten? And you still wish to return to Yonghe Palace? Hmm?"
Startled by You Rong's sudden change in demeanor, Lin Qinghe's anger subsided somewhat. Her eyes were filled with suspicion as she looked at him. "I spoke out of turn in my anger. I remember what I said, and I always keep my word. In this lifetime, I will only have Your Highness the Crown Prince as my master!"
Only then did You Rong slightly loosen his grip. His deep eyes were unfathomable, revealing none of his thoughts.
You Rong released her, and Lin Qinghe seized the opportunity to stand up quickly. She heard him say, "Remember what you said. If you dare forget..."
You Rong paused, his unspoken meaning clear.
Lin Qinghe quickly said, "I won't forget! But Zhu Hong..."
You Rong interrupted again. "Zhu Hong will return in a few days. You may withdraw. The capital will be unsettled soon. Stay in the Eastern Palace. I have matters to attend to and must go out."
Watching You Rong's retreating back disappear through the doorway, Lin Qinghe stood in the middle of the room, utterly bewildered.
The capital unsettled soon? Was this referring to Gu Haotian's return to the capital to help You Rong seize the throne? And where had Zhu Hong gone?
You Rong's gaze just now had been very strange...
System prompt: "Progress bar increased by 5%."
Lin Qinghe was once again shocked. "Progress bar increased by 5%?"
Disbelievingly, she opened the system interface. The total progress bar showed 55%. Lin Qinghe's face was filled with astonishment.
Why had the progress bar increased by 5% when You Rong hadn't approached Xu Ling'er today?
Something was trying to surface in Lin Qinghe's mind, but she shook her head forcefully, pushing it away.
Lin Qinghe muttered to herself, "Impossible. The system must be malfunctioning. The progress bar increase is delayed. Yes! That must be it. This trash system is faulty, otherwise, You would have lost his self-awareness for no reason..."
However, the strangeness of You Rong's behavior in the following days filled Lin Qinghe with a bad premonition.
You Rong seemed very busy. People constantly came and went from the Eastern Palace, and they would stay in his study all day. She even ran into Chancellor Xu among them.
Her intuition told Lin Qinghe that the day You Rong would launch his coup was not far off.
But why had she heard nothing about any progress between You Rong and Xu Ling'er?
And then...
Lin Qinghe turned her head, her brows furrowed as she stared at Yingchun by the door. This caused Yingchun to touch her face in confusion and ask, "Sister Qinghe, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
"No," Lin Qinghe replied, then withdrew her gaze, her expression solemn.
Despite Yingchun's small stature, she possessed considerable strength. The other day, when Lin Qinghe had accidentally stumbled, Yingchun had flashed over and steadied her. Her stance clearly indicated she had martial arts training.
Furthermore, Yingchun followed her everywhere, never leaving her side, as if... she were being monitored.
Could it be that You Rong had never truly trusted her? With the crucial matter of the coup imminent, was he trying to guard against her by every means possible?
Thinking of this possibility, Lin Qinghe felt like cursing.
After all her hard work for You Rong, all her flattering and fawning before him daily, had it all been in vain?
No!
She needed to find You Rong and test him!
Lin Qinghe carried the ginseng soup to You Rong's study. She was told that You Rong was in a meeting with someone and could not be disturbed. Lin Qinghe then said she would wait outside the door.
The eunuch guarding the door dared not stop her, allowing Lin Qinghe to wait outside. As she waited for a long time, the ginseng soup grew cold. Suddenly, an idea struck Lin Qinghe. She handed the soup to the eunuch guard outside.
"The soup is cold. Take it to the kitchen to reheat, then bring it back to me."
The eunuch knew that You Rong treated Lin Qinghe differently, so he dared not refuse and took the soup to the kitchen.
Lin Qinghe then used the opportunity to say that plum blossom cakes had been specially prepared for You Rong in the kitchen and asked Yingchun to fetch them.
Yingchun, unsuspecting, went to the kitchen.
As soon as Yingchun left, Lin Qinghe's eyes flickered. While no one was around, she stealthily approached the door, pressed her ear against it, and eavesdropped.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, all arrangements are in place. We are simply awaiting the return of the Great General of Zhenbei in three days..."
"Hmm, I understand," You Rong said. "Wang Gongyang, ensure that the person imprisoned in the Eastern Palace dungeon does not die!"
Wang Gongyang replied, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, rest assured, I will not let him die!"
It was indeed Gu Haotian returning to the capital, and You Rong was really going to seize the throne!
Who was the person imprisoned in the Eastern Palace dungeon? Could it be Zhu Hong?
Lin Qinghe tried to lean closer to hear more clearly, but she inadvertently stepped on her skirt and stumbled, falling heavily to the ground.
Hearing the commotion outside the door, You Rong's voice became sharp. "Who is outside?!"