His Rui

Inside his room, Zhao Zhang Wei slid down to the floor as soon as Yi Huiqing left.

He looked in a daze as his eyes looked towards the direction in which Yi Huiqing had walked to.

'Please don't show me your face ever again. Please don't come to my courtyard and do not seek for me. If we see each other in the future then, please try to avoid me as much as you can. I will do the same. I just want this from you.'

Was it so easy for her?

Although she doesn't love him now, she had loved him somewhere in the past, he assured himself with this fact.

How could she ask something like this from him?

Was it retribution? Zhao Zhang Wei couldn't help but think.

In the past, even after knowing that she loved him he never tried to be considerate of her feelings. Similarly, at present, he loved her but she is hurting him with her every cold and distant action.

If it was retribution then Zhao Zhang Wei thought that he could face anything, any pain except this.

There was not even a way for him to redeem himself. 

What could he do?

He couldn't bring their children back to Qingqing.

Zhao Zhang Wei was suddenly at a loss.

Has he lost Yi Huiqing forever?

Suffocation filled his heart and he suddenly couldn't breathe through his nose.

"Your Highness"

Zhao Zhang Wei heard Eunuch Zhang's shout but he didn't pay any attention to it. His mouth was opened as he panted.

He wanted the air so that he can breathe normally.

He wanted his Qingqing.

In the dead of the night, the second prince vomited blood… red blood and collapsed on the floor after that.

The Xinhe Palace went into chaos.

-------- 

The news that the second Prince was not well... reached Lantai Courtyard also.

But the Wangfei never came to visit the second Prince.

'Wasn't Wangfei supposed to spend tonight with the second prince? Then what was she doing in Lantai Courtyard?' all the concubines and servants who didn't know anything looked confused. 

To suppress any kind of rumor from awakening, Eunuch Zhang spread the news that the Wangfei was not feeling well and that's why the prince had ordered Wangfei to go back to Lantai Courtyard and take rest for the night.

These words also explained the absence of Wangfei from Prince's Courtyard when the prince was not well.   

However, Eunuch Zhang was young and new and in the Imperial Palace so perhaps he didn't know the power of these concubines. The poor young Eunuch did his best to suppress any kind of rumor but still, a rumor spread in the Imperial Palace from Xinhe Palace.

'The Wangfei was not well and still visited the second Prince's Courtyard. With her irresponsible actions, she even made the prince unwell.' 

Inside her chambers, Yi Huiqing was sitting on her bed staring at nothing in particular.

As she heard the happenings of Xinhe Palace from the maid, she sighed softly.

Fortunately, her family left yesternight or she would not have been able to show her face to them after all this.

Very proudly, Yi Huiqing had assured her grandfather and grandmother that she was living very well in the Imperial Palace, that the prince cared for her, that the concubines respected her.

How would she have answered their questioning eyes if they were in the Imperial Palace and has seen all of this?

The relieved Yi Huiqing, however, didn't know that her grandfather and grandmother were not that naïve. They already knew that she was not living a good life in the Imperial Palace.

Although Zhao Zhang Wei's behavior, this time had surprised them a bit and they were having a change of thoughts …they knew that before their granddaughter's life has not been easy in the Imperial Palace.

Yi Huiqing dismissed the maid.

The beautiful chambers went silent.

"So he killed your children?"

In the silent chambers, a voice echoed startling Yi Huiqing.

The voice was familiar …so familiar that Yi Huiqing realized who the person was but she couldn't believe herself.

Slowly and stiffly she turned around and when she saw the man standing inside her chambers her eyes went wide.

"Elder Brother"

Yi Huiqing whispered breathlessly.

After a few moments of shock, she swiftly ran towards the doors of her chambers. Only after she was sure that the door was firmly locked, she turned around to look at her Elder Brother again.

"Elder Brother, what are you doing here? What if someone saw you?"

Yi Junjie, however, didn't seem to appreciate the concern on her younger sister's face.

His face didn't have any expression as he moved towards Yi Huiqing and said coldly

"First answer the question I asked you."

As soon as he said this, Yi Huiqing remembered the question Yi Junjie had just asked her and she avoided his eyes.

It was a few moments later, she looked back at her brother and pretended to be confused.

"Elder Brother, what are you talking about?"

Yi Junjie's eyes went cold and sharp as he looked at his younger sister and said

"Yi Huiqing"

Yi Huiqing instantly flinched at his tone.

She knew that whenever her brother called her by her name then he was dead serious.

"If you will not tell me everything then I will go and kill that man right now without caring for the consequences."

Yi Huiqing's face went pale at these words and she whispered in a low voice.

"I still don't know."

Puzzled Yi Junjie looked at his sister unable to comprehend just why she still was trying to hide the truth from him.

How could she still not know anything?

"You miscarried because you were poisoned?"

Yi Junjie asked again and Yi Huiqing nodded her head.

"He knew this but he hid it from you?"

And Yi Huiqing again had to nod her head at her brother's question but she said immediately.

"However, Elder Brother, Wangye must have done this to not let me worry over something like this. I am sure that he would find out who was behind all this."

Her own heart clenched as she said those words while giving an assuring smile to her elder brother.   

The chambers remained silent for a moment before she heard Yi Junjie's sigh.

"Huiqing, Elder Brother has already everything last night when you were talking with him."

-------

Hello Lovelies, the author had made an Instagram account. If you are on Instagram you can follow me. My username is ada52_53. A few pics that I find suitable for some scenes in the novel, I will post there. Those who were rewarded with 100 coin coupon code but still didn't get it can also contact me through Instagram also. Also, I am thinking of making a server on discord where spoilers for further chapters will be shared every few days. Do tell me if you readers are interested because all of this is very new for me and I need your full support. You can leave a comment if you want such a server or not. It will mean a lot to me. 

Thanks for reading 

Ada:)