Chapter 233: She Is the Adulterer
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
The Emperor cast a suspicious gaze upon Lu Chao Chao.
Just moments ago, she had been sulking, yet now she was brimming with excitement. Even…
A faint smile curled at the corners of her lips, her face filled with anticipation.
A shiver ran down the Emperor’s spine. Why did he suddenly feel a cold draft? A sense of unease crept into his heart…
How strange…
“Since we want to surprise the aunties, let’s sneak through the small path, okay?” Lu Chao Chao’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the Emperor.
The Emperor hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
“Your Majesty, this servant knows a shortcut, usually taken by the palace maids and old women when they go shopping…” Eunuch Wang suggested.
The Eternal Peace Palace granted by the Emperor was vast, even housing an expansive garden.
The old women, seeking a shorter route, had created a small path through it.
“Lead the way.”
Eunuch Wang immediately guided the Emperor through a secluded trail.
Being well-acquainted with the palace, Eunuch Wang chuckled, “Noble Lady Qin will surely be delighted to know that Your Majesty has come to visit her.”
Along the way, the three of them moved undetected.
The Emperor, carrying Lu Chao Chao, felt a trickle of sweat form at his temple.
“Ahead lies Noble Lady Qin’s bedchamber…” Eunuch Wang pointed.
“Huh? Where are all the palace servants?” Eunuch Wang was startled. Why was Noble Lady Qin’s quarters so eerily silent, without a single attendant in sight?
“Could those insolent fools be neglecting her because she is out of favor?” A glint of cold fury flashed through the Emperor’s eyes.
In the palace, servants flattered the favored and trampled the disregarded.
For an imperial consort to fall from grace meant a miserable existence.
Sometimes, even a well-positioned eunuch led a better life than an ignored consort.
The Emperor’s brows furrowed.
The doors to the chamber were tightly shut, and not even a maid was outside to announce visitors…
Just as the Emperor reached to push the doors open, his ears twitched slightly…
Eunuch Wang opened his mouth to speak, but the Emperor abruptly raised his hand, silencing him!
Inside, there was movement.
The Emperor’s thick brows slowly knitted together as he caught fragments of a conversation:
“Am I the one you love the most?”
“Have you fallen for her?”
“Every day, you seek her favor, while my heart aches…”
Noble Lady Qin’s voice was soft and delicate, but hearing it made the Emperor’s fists clench, barely suppressing his fury.
Noble Lady Qin!!
She dared to keep a lover within the palace?!
Clang—
A maidservant, carrying a basin of water, dropped the copper bowl with a loud crash, spilling the water across the floor.
“Your Majesty!” The maid gasped in terror, immediately falling to her knees.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty! This servant lost her grip on the basin.”
“Noble Lady Qin is suffering from a severe cold, her fever unrelenting, so this servant was preparing warm water to wipe her body…”
Before she could finish her explanation, the Emperor kicked the door open.
His expression was frigid, his presence emanating a chilling aura.
The moment he entered, his sharp gaze scanned the chamber.
Noble Lady Qin scrambled from the bed, her face flushed, her garments hastily draped over her shoulders. “Your Majesty, why have you come?” she asked coyly.
She barely managed to slip on an outer robe before kneeling to offer her greetings.
Without a word, the Emperor set Lu Chao Chao down and methodically searched the chamber.
He lifted the bedcovers, yanked open cabinets, and rummaged through every corner.
“Where is the adulterer?!” The Emperor’s teeth gnashed in rage.
“You wretched woman! How dare you harbor a lover within the palace!” The Emperor’s gaze landed on the wide-open window, but nothing was visible outside.
Beyond the window, a variety of flowers and plants thrived. The culprit had fled in haste.
While escaping through the window, they had shattered a white flowerpot, leaving behind fresh traces of blood.
Eunuch Wang picked up a bloodied shard.
“Your Majesty, there is fresh blood here.” The stain had yet to dry…
Noble Lady Qin’s face turned pale. “Your Majesty, I have no lover. I am the only one in this chamber…”
“Please, Your Majesty, see the truth.”
Noble Lady Qin knelt on the icy floor, trembling.
Whether from fear or the cold, it was unclear.
The Emperor kicked her squarely in the chest. “Still denying it? Insolence!” He gasped heavily, his fury unabated.
He had come today on a whim, planning to surprise Noble Lady Qin…
Yet, she had given him a nightmare in return!!
“Search! Turn this place upside down!”
“Seal off the Eternal Peace Palace! No one is to leave!” The Emperor’s sleeves whipped through the air, his wrath boiling over.
Eunuch Wang dared not intervene, immediately summoning guards to secure the palace.
“Wretched! Absolutely wretched!” The Emperor seethed.
Before long, the Empress arrived with her entourage.
Seeing Noble Lady Qin kneeling on the floor, the Empress’s heart sank.
“You’ve come at the right time, Empress! Investigate this thoroughly! This wretched woman dares to keep a lover—I will see his entire clan executed!” The Emperor hurled a cup onto the ground, causing the palace attendants to kneel in fright.
Just then, Eunuch Wang entered, prompting the Empress to ask, “Have you found any clues?”
Eunuch Wang wore a grim expression, lamenting his involvement.
Why had he suggested the shortcut?! Why had he arranged this surprise?!
“This servant has sealed off the entire the Eternal Peace Palace; even a mosquito couldn’t escape. Yet, despite overturning everything within, the culprit remains missing…” Eunuch Wang knelt in distress.
The Emperor exhaled sharply, his eyes closing momentarily to suppress his growing fury.
“The person fled through the window and was injured in the process. Bring forth every wounded person from this palace!”
Noble Lady Qin bit her lip, drawing blood.
“Who is your lover?! Confess, and I will spare your life!” The Emperor recalled how, just days ago, she had fought Jiang Pin over his favor, even going so far as to present him with ginseng soup. The absurdity of it all was laughable.
“There is no lover.” Noble Lady Qin refused to yield.
“You refuse to confess until the very end?!” The Emperor roared.
“Search every inch of this place!” The Emperor sat at the head of the hall, his aura suffocating all present.
The Empress clutched her handkerchief, frowning at Noble Lady Qin.
“Your Majesty, we found something in her chamber—many… love poems.”
Eunuch Wang, still kneeling, trembled as he presented the findings.
“Excellent. Simply excellent!” The Emperor flung the poems at Noble Lady Qin, scattering them across the floor.
The tension in the hall was unbearable. No one dared to breathe too loudly.
Crunch. Crunch.
Lu Chao Chao sat cross-legged on a chair, munching on melon seeds while gulping down milk.
The Emperor’s eyelids twitched violently.
Yet, he dared not scold her.
“You all carry on, don’t mind me.” Lu Chao Chao waved at the Emperor, an innocent look on her face.
The Emperor nearly suffered a heart attack.
“Your Majesty, all the wounded from the Eternal Peace Palace have been gathered,” Eunuch Wang hesitated. “Your Majesty, Consort Hui burned her hand this morning while preparing medicine for you. Should she be summoned as well?”
The Emperor rose, concern flashing across his face. “Has the imperial physician been called? Is she badly hurt?”
Before the words had fully left his lips, Consort Hui entered.
“A maid of mine knows a bit of medicine and has already treated me,” Consort Hui said, displaying her bandaged hand.
She smelled of fresh bath oils, as if she had hurried over upon hearing the news.
“Your Majesty, I have lived in the Eternal Peace Palace with Noble Lady Qin for years. She is obedient and follows the rules. How could she possibly keep a man in the palace?”
“You must not falsely accuse her.”
“Besides, this palace is my main residence. If there were a man here, wouldn’t that be a slap to my face?” Consort Hui knelt beside Noble Lady Qin, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Or… do you suspect me instead?”
[Of course, she wouldn’t keep a lover…]
[She IS the lover! Hahaha…]