Reborn into the palace, she seduces the emperor's heart, driving the chief minister to madness!

Chapter 96 First Encounter

"Yinyin, is it because you're reluctant to leave your family?"

A male voice suddenly sounded beside her, and Chu Qingyin was startled.

Looking to the side, she saw that Pei Yuanling had stopped at some point. He was quietly looking at her, his dark, narrow eyes filled with an inscrutable expression.

“Your Majesty, although the Cui family is my maternal grandfather’s family, my maternal grandmother, uncle and aunt have treated me very well.”

Chu Qingyin looked up at him, her eyes filled with admiration and emotion: "I heard that His Majesty specially promoted Cousin Cui to a higher official position and also gave the Cui family many rewards. I am very grateful."

Pei Yuanling squeezed her hand: "It's nothing, why do we have to be so formal?"

The man's voice was gentle, with a hint of helplessness in its deep tone. It sounded like jade striking against jade, very pleasant to the ear.

Chu Qingyin remained unmoved. She lowered her eyes, looking aggrieved and conflicted: "Your Majesty, my cousin is so young, and you have promoted him to the position of Assistant Minister of Justice. I am worried that you will be criticized for nepotism and for listening to your husband's words."

Pei Yuanling raised an eyebrow: "You've heard?"

She realized that the man in front of her might be suspicious or deliberately testing her.

Chu Qingyin explained, "Just now, Cousin Cui thanked me. He thought I recommended him to His Majesty, but how would a concubine in the harem know such things?" As she spoke, she lowered her eyes, looking as if she had done something wrong.

Upon seeing this, Pei Yuanling relaxed his thick eyebrows, stopped scrutinizing him, and said calmly, "He should indeed thank you, otherwise I would not have discovered his talent."

What does it mean to have this talent?

Has Cui Minghao done something strange lately?

Seeing the obvious suspicion in Chu Qingyin's eyes, Pei Yuanling gently brushed aside her stray hairs and tucked them behind her ear: "Your cousin is indeed a talented person. In the past two years at the Ministry of Justice, he has helped Vice Minister Zhang Cheng uncover many wrongful convictions."

His tone was full of praise for Cui Minghao.

Seeing that Pei Yuanling did not suspect Cui Minghao's frequent visits to the Ministry of Justice, Chu Qingyin felt relieved.

But why does Cousin Cui frequently enter and leave the Ministry of Justice prison?

Could it be that seeing her in prison and shedding tears last time made him pay attention to those prisoners who were wrongfully imprisoned?

However, regardless of the reason, this is a good thing for her, and can be considered a blessing in disguise.

Since Pei Yuanling didn't suspect anything, and Cousin Cui loved investigating cases, it was exactly what she wanted.

If she were to subtly bring up her brother's injustice to her cousin in the future, it would likely be much easier for her.

With the weight lifted from her heart, Chu Qingyin revealed a genuine smile.

Meanwhile, in the attic of a teahouse not far away.

Lu Zhiheng sat quietly at the tea table, picked up the carved celadon teacup in his hand, took a sip, and then looked up at the man in front of him, saying in a calm voice, "The situation is tense these days, and everything needs to be put on hold."

"My lord is being far too cautious. Qin Lou's deployments are always kept secret; they wouldn't be exposed so easily..."

Before the man could speak, he was interrupted: "Shen Ran!"

Shen Ran is one of Lu Zhiheng's hidden strategists.

Upon hearing Lu Zhiheng's anger, Shen Ran immediately composed himself and apologized, "This subordinate has overstepped his bounds; please forgive me, Master!"

Lu Zhiheng's gaze darkened, his slender fingers toying with the teacup in his hand, expertly making circular motions. The bottom of the cup creaked against the table, one stroke after another—

Shen Ran's heart tightened, and she lowered her head, not daring to move at all.

After a long silence, a clear voice rang out from above: "Qin Lou is the lifeline of all the plans; there must be no mistakes."

Shen Ran looked up and saw that Lu Zhiheng had gotten up at some point and walked to the railing of the pavilion, gazing ahead.

He immediately stood up and stood beside him, whispering, "Master, rest assured, I will act with utmost care and will certainly not jeopardize your important matters."

"Take it."

Shen Ran looked up and saw that Lu Zhiheng had taken out a letter and handed it to him. He carefully took it and was about to open it to read it.

"It contains a list sent from the palace, possibly sent by Pei Yuanling's secret guards to instruct Qin Lou to investigate."

After Lu Zhiheng finished speaking, he emphasized, "Remember, investigate secretly, and never let the news leak out."

"I'll take care of it right away!" Shen Ran immediately said, cupping his hands in greeting.

***

On the bustling street, Chu Qingyin let Pei Yuanling hold her hand as they strolled along the sidewalk.

Since entering the palace, she had not enjoyed life outside the palace as freely as she did today for many years.

"Yinyin, what do you think of this lantern?"

As soon as Chu Qingyin looked up, she saw Pei Yuanling take a goldfish-shaped lantern from a nearby vendor's shelf and hand it to her.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the lifelike little goldfish swayed in the wind before her eyes. Through the gap, she could see Pei Yuanling's face, which was gazing intently at her.

Their eyes met, and as if by the dim light of the goldfish, they saw their own reflections in each other's eyes.

Pei Yuanling had a handsome face, as if carved by a knife, and his eyes were tender.

Chu Qingyin was momentarily dazed, unable to recall how long it had been since she had properly looked at the man in front of her.

She still remembers that she first fell in love with Pei Yuanling at a palace banquet.

At that time, he was still an insignificant and down-on-his-luck prince in the palace, disliked by the late emperor, and without any powerful backing.

The two first met by the lotus pond; she had come to find some peace and quiet, while he had always been there.

It was too late, and she didn't notice him. She sat by the pool, talking to herself for a long time, and when she got up, she stumbled and almost slipped into the pool.

He suddenly appeared at that moment, pulled her into his arms, and in the next instant, with a light touch of his toes, he carried her to a safe place by the pool.

She looked up in astonishment and met the man's deep, unfathomable phoenix eyes. From that moment on, she was completely captivated.

Even though Pei Yuanling later said he liked her much earlier than she had, it was during that one time that she truly and passionately fell in love with him.

"Yinyin, you look beautiful tonight."

Pei Yuanling said softly, his clear voice deep.

Looking into his phoenix eyes filled with deep affection, Chu Qingyin unconsciously raised her hand to caress his face, then gently traced his eyebrows, finally landing on his eyelids: "Your Majesty, do you know that what I love most about you is these eyes?"

Pei Yuanling's eyes flickered; Yinyin had said something similar before.

If it weren't for those eyes that won her favor, perhaps he wouldn't have achieved what he has today.

Has she remembered the past?

"Yinyin, you've remembered everything?" Pei Yuanling asked, his deep voice filled with barely suppressed joy.

Chu Qingyin understood the meaning behind his words, and her previous dazed and lost state suddenly came back to her senses.

She smiled slightly and asked, "Your Majesty asked me what I remembered?"

His eyes were crystal clear, yet tinged with a hint of bewilderment.

She still couldn't remember.

Pei Yuanling chuckled inwardly, but seeing her looking at him with curiosity in her eyes, he sighed softly and gently pulled her into his arms: "It's alright."

There's plenty of time; she'll remember him eventually.

Chu Qingyin nestled obediently in Pei Yuanling's arms, when suddenly she felt a chill run down her spine.

She subconsciously looked up, only to see a tall, slender figure standing prominently on the distant pavilion—

Lu Zhiheng?

Chu Qingyin was startled, her eyes widening in disbelief as she looked again carefully.

The man was dressed in a moon-white embroidered bamboo robe. A gentle breeze blew, lifting the hem of his robe, which made his handsome, jade-like face appear even more cold and stern.

Unlike the solemn and dignified appearance of the vermilion official robes in the past, they now seemed to have a lazy and refined air, like those of literati.

If you ignored those cold, piercing eyes, she would have thought she had mistaken someone for someone else.

But that face was unmistakably that of the treacherous and cunning cold-faced Grand Secretary Lu Zhiheng.

But why is he here?

Also, why is there such a blatant chill in the man's gaze right now?

Did she offend him?