books44 Chapter 67 Chess Match
Chapter 67 Chess Match
Before the high-hanging curtains, Lu Zhiheng stood tall and straight by the window, his hands, hidden beneath the wide, light blue sleeves, seemingly caressing something.
Standing below him, Ling Xiao reported on everything that had happened in the palace that day.
Upon hearing this, a cold glint gradually appeared on Lu Zhiheng's usually stern and handsome face: "Are you saying that Consort Shu colluded with Consort Ning to not only almost ruin Consort Qiao's appearance, but also attempted to frame her for having an affair with another man?"
The man's voice was deep and cold, each word carrying a chilling undertone.
Ling Xiao glanced at his master's profile, feeling a sense of surprise.
Having served my master for many years, I have never seen him like this before. Is he perhaps a little too concerned about that Consort Qiao in the palace?
"It's just speculation at the moment, and His Majesty has already sent people to investigate this matter secretly," Ling Xiao said truthfully.
"Give the order to them to cooperate fully and find something to hold against Consort Shu," Lu Zhiheng said in a deep voice, his tone carrying a chilling murderous intent.
A chill ran through his body, and Ling Xiao was secretly alarmed. He looked at the handsome man with a majestic and elegant appearance in front of him, but hesitated to speak.
Lu Zhiheng noticed and looked up at him: "Speak your mind."
"Your Majesty, you...you...have you shown excessive concern for this Consort Qiao?"
Ling Xiao knew that Lu Zhiheng wanted unwavering loyalty, so he dared not hide his thoughts, "You've been keeping an eye on her since before she entered the palace, and now that she's in the palace and has become His Majesty's woman..."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiheng paused slightly in his stroking motion. He looked at Ling Xiao, his previously calm eyes now dark and unfathomable: "I do pay close attention to her."
Ling Xiao was speechless for a moment when his master admitted it so directly.
Lu Zhiheng, however, remained calm. "Because there are too many mysteries surrounding her, and she is also involved with His Majesty and the Chu family, I don't want to ruin my entire game because of one variable like her."
So that's how it is. Ling Xiao's worries were finally put to rest.
Since his master already had a plan in mind, he, as a subordinate, no longer worried about it.
Just as he was about to leave, he remembered something else: "It was a real injustice that Consort Lu was demoted to a lower rank. Does Your Majesty intend to help her?"
"After all, Third Master and Third Madam dote on this daughter. If they knew about this, they would definitely come to you, sir."
Lu Mingzhu?
Lu Zhiheng's thoughts raced, and he recalled the scene from that day when he and Qiao Qingyin overheard the plot behind the artificial hill.
The woman's cold face from that time still seems to be right before my eyes.
However, she knew that this matter had nothing to do with Lu Mingzhu, so why did she implicate her in this crime?
To declare war on him and the Lu family?
What grudge does she have against the Lu family?
The intelligence gathered by the secret guards clearly stated that the eldest daughter of the Qiao family had been raised in seclusion since childhood and had never had any contact with the Lu family before meeting him for the first time.
Where did her resentment come from, and what caused it?
It can't really be because of Consort Chu, can it?
A hint of doubt flickered in Lu Zhiheng's dark eyes, and the fingers that were lightly holding the jade and gold earrings in his sleeve clenched involuntarily.
He was incredibly strong; it seemed that with just a little more force, he could crush the earring, along with the romantic thoughts that shouldn't have arisen in his heart, to pieces.
"grown ups?"
Seeing that Lu Zhiheng remained silent for a long time, Ling Xiao called out softly.
Lu Zhiheng snapped out of her daze, her clenched hand suddenly loosened, and the smooth, round bead on the earring slid down the lines of her palm. Her slender fingertips curved slightly, and she gathered it back into her palm.
"She brought this on herself, what does it have to do with me?"
A few simple words, yet they conveyed a decision.
Ling Xiao said no more, replied "Yes," bowed his head, accepted the order, and left.
***
Inside the Feixue Palace, light gauze danced gracefully, and a ray of moonlight quietly peeked through the windows, illuminating a tranquil corner.
Chu Qingyin nestled against Pei Yuanling's strong chest, her soft voice trembling slightly: "Your Majesty, I was truly frightened today. If I hadn't discovered it in time and proven my innocence, I'm afraid I would not only have been framed, but also banished to the Cold Palace by Your Majesty, never to rise again."
Upon hearing the words "cold palace," Pei Yuanling's eyes darkened, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
He grabbed Chu Qingyin's long arm and tightened it suddenly, the force so great that Chu Qingyin felt a slight pain.
"Yinyin, don't worry, no matter what happens, I will never send you to the Cold Palace again."
Hearing the unprecedented seriousness in the man's tone, Chu Qingyin was slightly taken aback.
What does Pei Yuanling mean by this?
Do you regret it? Do you regret banishing her to the cold palace and causing her death?
Even if he regrets it now and wants to make amends, her life can never be brought back.
"Your Majesty, you treat your concubines so well."
Chu Qingyin buried her head in Pei Yuanling's arms, her face full of emotion, her hands tightly hugging the man's lean waist, seemingly filled with endless affection, but her lowered eyelashes revealed a detached indifference.
"Meow—"
A cat's meow suddenly rang out.
As soon as Chu Qingyin looked up, she felt something soft in her arms, and a snow-white mass nimbly slipped into the gap between her and Pei Yuanling's embrace.
Seemingly extremely unhappy that they were sticking so close together, leaving it no gap to squeeze through, the little guy meowed in dissatisfaction.
Seeing this, Chu Qingyin released her grip on Pei Yuanling's waist, lowered her head, and hugged the fluffy little guy into her arms, chuckling softly, "Little Snowball, are you jealous because His Majesty likes me more?"
The little snowball rubbed against her palm, full of dependence on her, meowing.
Pei Yuanling watched Chu Qingyin teasing the little snowball with a smile, her cunning and bright eyes unchanged from the past.
"Yinyin." Pei Yuanling called her name unconsciously.
Chu Qingyin looked up, and as their eyes met, she saw the man's loving gaze, and for a moment she felt as if she had been transported to another world.
But she regained consciousness in an instant.
She avoided his gaze, turning her eyes to the chessboard in the distance, and suggested with a smile, "How about Your Majesty plays a game with me?"
"it is good."
On the soft couch, Chu Qingyin and Pei Yuanling sat facing each other.
Pei Yuanling let her go first.
Chu Qingyin chose black, so he could only play white.
The two men, one in black and one in white, were like their current identities. One lurked in the shadows, enticing others, while the other lay in the open, unknowingly falling deeper into their trap.
In her previous life, Chu Qingyin was an excellent chess player. If it weren't for the emperor's face and her subtle way of letting him win each time, Pei Yuanling would never have been able to beat her.
It is said that watching a game of chess is like watching a person, and at this moment, Pei Yuanling could clearly sense that Chu Qingyin was on the offensive.
Each move he made seemed haphazard, yet each one perfectly blocked his path to survival.
In terms of chess skills alone, it is by no means something that can be achieved in a day.
The seemingly gentle Consort Qiao, whose chess moves are full of aggression, is like two extremes compared to the spoiled but conventional Yin Yin of the past.
Pei Yuanling couldn't help but raise his eyes to look at the woman in front of him who was frowning in deep thought. "When did Yinyin's chess skills become so good?"
He asked with a smile, but his eyes held a hint of probing.
"Is Your Majesty teasing me?"
Chu Qingyin smiled and said, "Although I have studied chess at home, I have never mastered the rules. My teacher often taught me to be too aggressive. If I encounter a master, I will lose the whole game with one careless move."
"Just like now, Your Majesty, you've caught me red-handed and figured out my strategy, haven't you?"