Lin Qinghe finished instructing the imperial physicians and waved them out. She then applied some powder to her face to mask her complexion, making herself appear pale and weak, as if gravely injured.
Lin Qinghe took out the letters and evidence of rebellion she had previously found, exchanged between You Rong and Huo Guanzhong. Her eyes flickered as she lay down on the bed, pulled the quilt up, and then weakly said to the palace attendants outside the hall, "Let Prime Minister You in..."
***
Outside Changning Palace.
You Rong had been waiting outside Changning Palace. Seeing Imperial Tutor Xu emerge, he could not hide his anxiety and asked, "Imperial Tutor Xu, how is His Majesty's injury? Is he alright?"
Imperial Tutor Xu, cooperating with Lin Qinghe, instantly put on an angry expression, glared at You Rong, snorted coldly, and flicked his sleeves away.
Seeing this, You Rong's brows furrowed, and his heart suddenly became chaotic.
What happened to her?
Just then, a group of imperial physicians emerged from the hall with grave expressions, shaking their heads and looking dejected.
You Rong's heart grew more chaotic. He was determined to force his way into Changning Palace to check on Lin Qinghe's injuries. Wang Jiang saw through his thoughts at a glance and quickly stepped forward to block him. Just as he was about to persuade him, Xiao Yuzi came out from the hall and said, "Prime Minister You, His Majesty wishes to see you..."
As Xiao Yuzi finished speaking, Wang Jiang was stunned. Before he could react, You Rong had already passed him and hurried into Changning Palace.
As soon as You Rong entered, Wang Jiang's expression quickly changed. He smiled and lowered his voice, saying, "Didn't I act convincingly just now? When His Majesty finds out, I'll surely be rewarded handsomely..."
Xiao Yuzi quickly replied, "Yes, Eunuch Wang, if His Majesty saw how you acted in front of Prime Minister You just now, he will surely reward you well."
"Alright, all of you be careful and cautious. Don't ruin His Majesty's good plans... Understood!"
"Yes, Eunuch Wang, your servants remember."
Inside Changning Palace.
You Rong hurried into the inner hall and saw Lin Qinghe, pale on the bed at a glance. His heart tightened. He clenched his fists, and the anger towards Huo Guanzhong and Lin Zhilan surged within him.
You Rong forced down his anger and walked to the bedside. He parted his thin lips before managing to speak, "Your Majesty... How is your injury? Are you alright?"
Lin Qinghe closed her eyes, instantly composing herself to act. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened them, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Lin Qinghe forced a smile at the corner of her lips and gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Heh... I'm not dead. Prime Minister You must be very disappointed, right?"
Looking at the grieving and self-mocking Lin Qinghe, You Rong's heart felt as if it were being pricked by needles. He immediately explained, "Your Majesty, that invitation was..."
Lin Qinghe gritted her teeth and interrupted You Rong angrily, "Enough! You Rong! Do you really think I know nothing, that I'm an idiot emperor who can be fooled and played by you all!"
Lin Qinghe clutched her chest, appearing to be forcing herself to sit up from the bed. As soon as she sat up, she let out a muffled groan of pain.
Seeing Lin Qinghe clutching her chest, You Rong worried she was injured there and that sitting up had aggravated the wound. He quickly stepped forward to support her, "Your Majesty! You are injured! Lie down first!"
However, Lin Qinghe was exceptionally angry. She fiercely flung You Rong's hand away, her eyes reddened as she looked at him, and said with a self-mocking smile, "I actually know everything!"
You Rong was stunned, as if something was slipping away. He instinctively wanted to grasp it, but he didn't know how to grasp it, nor what he was trying to grasp.
"Your Majesty..."
Lin Qinghe picked up several letters and clutched them tightly. The letters were so tightly gripped that they showed deep imprints. She angrily threw the letters at You Rong and said, "Do you think I know nothing! You conspired with Huo Guanzhong to rebel, and when we went to Lishan Imperial Palace, you colluded with Yang Tianhao and intended to ambush my return to the capital with troops. You used the sacrificial ceremony to have Lin Zhilan return to the capital, intending to support her ascension, you..." Su Dan Novel Network
Lin Qinghe seemed to have reached a point of heartbreak. Her words stopped, her eyes reddened even more, and she bit her lip, seemingly unable to speak further.
You Rong was completely stunned, shocked and a little at a loss.
She actually knew all of this!
Then why did she still grant him a reinstatement, place immense trust in him in court affairs, and not arrest him for rebellion? Moreover... she hadn't mentioned a single word!
Why did she do this?
Lin Qinghe lowered her eyes and gave a bitter smile, "I don't care about any of this. Because of how I treated you before, you hate me, and I can understand that. So I decided to pretend I discovered nothing. I tried my best to make amends, trusted you in every way, solely because I believed that if I had wronged you before, you wouldn't hate me like this. As long as I corrected my mistakes and no longer did wrong things or made you unhappy, you would definitely not hate me so much. For this reason... knowing you disliked me, I suppressed my affection for you with all my might, stopped forcing you, and even if you never liked me, I resolved not to hurt you in the slightest..."
Lin Qinghe paused for a long time this time. When she spoke again, her voice was choked with sobs, "I thought that if I did this much, even if you didn't like me, you wouldn't detest me, let alone want to take my life. I never imagined you..."
Lin Qinghe slowly raised her head, and You Rong saw the tears welling up in her eyes.
She said, "After the sacrificial ceremony, you all didn't make any moves, and I was very happy, thinking that everything I had done recently had made you change your mind. Today, you invited me to Fated Love Lake. Do you know how overjoyed I was? I thought you were finally starting to like me a little. I meticulously dressed up and went to Fated Love Lake with great joy. When the assassin's sword pierced me, all I thought of was you. Fortunately, you hadn't arrived yet; if the assassin had hurt you, what would I have done..."
Lin Qinghe blinked, holding back the tears that were about to fall, and said with a tragic smile, "I never imagined... that what I waited for with all my joy was your planned assassination!"
Looking at Lin Qinghe, pale and smiling tragically, You Rong felt as if something was choking his throat, making him unable to utter a single word.
No!
It wasn't like that!
He had indeed intended to rebel at first, and he did hate her... But after she risked her life to save him at Lishan Imperial Palace, he had never again harbored any thoughts of rebellion!
You Rong, who had always been calm and composed, able to remain unfazed even in the face of life and death, was now filled with panic. He said urgently, "Your Majesty, it's not like that. Please listen to my explanation, I..."
Lin Qinghe withdrew her gaze, her voice full of bitterness, "Forget it, forget it... I treated you that way before, and now I've paid you back. I won't hold you accountable for the great crime of rebellion..."
Lin Qinghe slowly raised her head. A look of struggle flashed across her face, and then, as if she had made a determined decision, she forced herself to do it.
She said, word by word, "From this day forward, I am the sovereign, and you are the subject! And that is all! I... will no longer like you!"