"Jingyi, get out." Huan Changming grabbed Lu Pianpian and used brute force to drag her back onto the bed.
Seeing this, Jingyi felt a strange unease. "Your Majesty, I..."
"I told you to get out!"
Seeing his anger, Jingyi had no choice but to leave.
The palace servants closed the inner palace door, and Huan Changming grabbed Lu Pianpian's wrists and pressed her onto the bed.
The pain in Lu Pianpian's body and the anger of being deceived by Huan Changming surged into his heart at the same time. "You have been using me all along. You agreed to marry me and return to the Lu family with me, but you only did it to steal the jade pendant from my father's room so that you could ascend the throne smoothly!"
Lu Zhongyu never parted with his badge, except when he returned to his room.
"Lu Pianpian, are you mistaken about something?" Lu Pianpian struggled fiercely, but Huan Changming used both hands and feet to pin her down. "You were the one who actively sought the marriage from Prince Li! And you insisted on bringing me back to the Lu family!"
"I never forced you to do any of these things; you did them willingly! If you're going to say I used you, it's more accurate to say you deliberately offered yourself up to me for my own use!"
He patted Lu Pianpian's cheek, forcing her to face the reality, "This situation today is all your fault! Do you still have the face to go back to Huan Juntian's side?"
Lu Pianpian heard every word he said. If he hadn't asked Prince Li for Huan Changming's hand in marriage and hadn't brought Huan Changming to the Lu family, Huan Changming wouldn't have had the chance to obtain his father's token, let alone the chance to usurp the throne, and Prince Li wouldn't have died...
Huan Changming was right; the current situation was entirely orchestrated by Lu Pianpian herself.
How can he face his junior brother and father again?
Lu Pianpian's chest suddenly heaved violently, and a metallic taste of blood welled up in her throat, which she swallowed back down.
Huan Changming saw that he stared blankly at the top of the bed with dim eyes, and stopped struggling. He looked like a puppet that had lost its soul.
Huan Changming suddenly felt a surge of irritation. "You only have one choice now: help me secure my throne, and I will protect you."
Given Lu Pianpian's temperament, having betrayed Huan Juntian in this way, Huan Changming guessed that Lu Pianpian would definitely not have the face to return to Huan Juntian's side and could only hide by his side, relying on his protection to get by.
He released Lu Pianpian from his grasp, sat back down on the edge of the bed, and eagerly asked, "Lu Pianpian, I'm waiting for you to speak!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a strong gust of wind coming towards him. Lu Pianpian punched him in the left cheek, knocking him to the ground under the bed.
Huan Changming covered his burning left cheek, his eyes filled with more disbelief than anger. "You...hit me?"
Lu Pianpian punched him with all her might, her fist turning red. "Even if I die, I will never help you again."
He stepped over Huan Changming and walked out with unsteady steps.
Huan Changming realized what was happening and, following the spell given to him by Mu Lingzi, immediately added a spell to the array's core with a flick of his sleeve to stop Lu Pianpian. "Lu Pianpian! I never said I'd let you go!"
Lu Pianpian didn't turn her head and walked straight towards the center of the formation.
If the core of the formation is breached, Huan Changming knows that this formation can no longer trap Lu Pianpian, and a thought is frantically screaming in his mind—
We can't let him go! If he leaves, he'll never come back to us!
In his desperation, Huan Changming lost his mind and waved his hand, conjuring a sword aura that he threw at Lu Pianpian's back.
He wasn't very skilled at using these techniques, and the speed at which he threw the sword energy wasn't fast. With Lu Pianpian's cultivation level, she could easily dodge it.
However, Lu Pianpian was completely unaware of the existence of this sword energy. The sword energy struck him squarely in the back, and Lu Pianpian coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.
Huan Changming stood there stunned. The door to the inner hall was opened from the outside, and Mu Lingzi walked in carrying a box. The first thing she saw was the bloody scene inside the hall.
Mu Lingzi pondered, "You two... have gone from love to hate to the point of being willing to risk your lives for each other?"
Huan Changming rushed to Lu Pianpian's side and hugged her tightly. Lu Pianpian had already completely fainted.
Huan Changming roared at Mu Lingzi like a wild beast that had lost its mind: "If anything happens to him, I'll make you pay with your life!"
A note from the author:
Mu Lingzi: ? What's it to me?
I finished writing early today, so I'm posting this now. I usually update around 9 PM unless something unexpected happens.
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 33
That night, the imperial physicians in the palace were kept in turmoil by the newly enthroned young emperor.
The imperial physicians lined up outside the palace, trembling with fear. They had no idea who the emperor was lying on the dragon bed, that the entire Imperial Medical Academy was being allowed to take turns examining him.
Huan Changming sat on the steps outside the hall, his hand supporting his forehead, his expression obscured by the shadows.
The imperial physicians, who were lining up to enter the palace, could clearly sense the sinister aura emanating from the young emperor. They were so careful that they didn't dare to breathe loudly, for fear that they might accidentally add fuel to the fire and be dragged away and beheaded.
The commander of the Imperial Guards noticed something amiss during his patrol, unaware of what had happened to their new emperor. He reported truthfully, "Your Majesty, my subordinates discovered a suspicious wedding procession while patrolling the West Gate. According to the people in the procession, they are servants of Lu Zhong, the Prince of Fuxi, who came to the palace to fetch the bride. Whether their testimony is true remains to be determined through questioning. I have ordered these people to be temporarily detained, and all the wedding gifts they brought have been confiscated and placed under guard. They are now in the front hall. I request Your Majesty's decision."
Huan Changming lowered his hand from his forehead and stepped down the stairs. The commander of the Imperial Guards led him to the place where the betrothal gifts were placed. "Your Majesty, these are all."
Each wooden box containing the betrothal gifts had a large double happiness character pasted on its seal.
Huan Changming tore off the double happiness character from one of the wooden boxes, opened the lid, and revealed neatly arranged red bedding inside, embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water.
Upon seeing this, the commander of the Imperial Guards hurriedly said, "It was my negligence; I did not open and inspect these boxes immediately after seizing them! I will immediately send men to carefully examine the contents of these boxes..."
Huan Changming turned around and closed the ceremonial quilt that bothered him. "No need."
"What should we do with these things?"
“Carry it into the national treasury and confiscate it.”
I've only ever heard of confiscating the property of disgraced officials, but I've never seen anyone take someone else's wedding gifts into the national treasury.
The commander of the Imperial Guards harbored resentment but dared not disobey His Majesty's wishes, and obeyed the order.
After examining Lu Pianpian, the imperial physicians dared not leave without permission and knelt on the ground outside the palace.
When Huan Changming returned, the old imperial physician kneeling at the front reported, "Your Majesty, that young master fell into a coma due to external injuries and blood deficiency. I have given him medicine and bandaged his wounds. He will naturally wake up once he has rested..."
Huan Changming had heard this explanation from the quack doctor before. "Then why is he vomiting blood?"
"It's because this young master was already physically weak... and the shock caused him to suffer a sudden attack of internal heat, which is why he vomited blood."
The woman he was about to marry was a man, and he had used and deceived her, causing trouble for those close to him. Anyone in this world would be furious and enraged in that situation.
Huan Changming himself was the one who drove Lu Pianpian to this point; he has no one else to blame.
How to treat it?
"Take your medication on time and stop getting angry... you should get better."
After hearing this, Huan Changming waved his sleeve to dismiss the imperial physicians and returned to the hall. He found Mu Lingzi standing in front of the bed, scrutinizing Lu Pianpian with a curious expression. "What are you doing?"
Mu Lingzi felt something was strange. He had been defeated by Lu Pianpian and knew how powerful she was, yet now she was unconscious in a sickly state, which he found unbelievable.
"I've brought you something." Mu Lingzi withdrew her gaze from Lu Pianpian and pointed to the box on the table. "You can use this to suppress the officials when you host a banquet tomorrow."
Huan Changming stepped forward and opened it, then looked at what was inside. "Where did this come from?" It was clearly not from the mortal world.
"Langxu asked me to bring this, saying that with it we can withstand thousands of troops." Mu Lingzi paused, "It might even kill Huan Juntian."
Huan Changming was still unable to figure out what the little demon king Langxu was up to.
"I understand, you may leave."
Mu Lingzi transformed into several bamboo leaves, scattered in the night wind, and disappeared.
Huan Changming walked to Lu Pianpian's bedside and sat down. He found that Lu Pianpian was still asleep, her brows furrowed.
He stared at Lu Pianpian for a long time with a complicated expression, then murmured softly, "You've done so much for me, isn't it because you like me? Now you should be on my side, shouldn't you..."
The night was long and endless, and all was silent.
The young emperor's feelings, which he only dared to express in the darkness, seemed to go unnoticed by anyone.
When Lu Pianpian woke up the next day, it was already sunset.
He touched the wound on his back. The feeling of being injured by the sword energy he had cultivated for the first time gave him an indescribable feeling.
He glanced around the palace and found the palace gates wide open, with no palace guards or Huan Changming in sight. It was the perfect time to leave.
Lu Pianpian endured the pain and got out of bed, walking out of the hall. As expected, he was blocked by the strange formation. He then walked to a corner of the hall and sensed his natal sword in his mind. With a clear ringing sound, a beam of green light broke through the window and entered, and the sword returned to his hand from the Lu residence.
Although he no longer possessed the spiritual bone, the connection between his natal sword and his bloodline remained.
Lu Pianpian swung her sword at the corner, a gust of wind surged in the hall, the formation was broken, and a shattering sound was heard.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. The commotion was too loud, and he dared not rest any longer, so he immediately ran out of the window.
But bad luck struck; he hadn't gone far when he was spotted by patrolling imperial guards. "Who goes there?"
Lu Pianpian quickened his pace, turned a corner, and bumped into the person who came. He stood up first and found that the person he bumped into was Jing Yi.
With the Imperial Guards right behind her, Lu Pianpian had a sudden inspiration and used her sword to take Jing Yi hostage.
"Lord Jing!" The Imperial Guards immediately dared not make any further rash moves.
Jing Yi was slowly pulled back by Lu Pianpian. "Lu Pianpian, what do you want to do?"
"I'll lend you my life, and I'll release you once I leave the palace."
Jingyi, with his sharp eyes, spotted the person approaching and immediately shouted, "Your Majesty! It's dangerous here, don't come any closer!"
Huan Changming arrived hastily with a group of guards. After seeing Lu Pianpian and Jing Yi's current situation, he frowned and asked, "Lu Pianpian, what do you want to do?"
"Your Majesty, he is trying to take my life and force me out of the palace! Letting him go would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains!" Jingyi displayed unwavering loyalty, disregarding his own life. "Even if I die by his sword, Your Majesty must not let him leave!"
Huan Changming frowned even more deeply. "Lu Pianpian, it seems you didn't listen to a single word I said yesterday. Now, you even dare to hold my subject hostage and force me to submit?"
Lu Pianpian pressed her sword tightly against Jing Yi's neck, and Jing Yi dared not move for a moment.
Lu Pianpian said, "I'm not a prisoner, you have no right to interfere with my life or death. I'm saying this one last time, let me go, or I'll kill Jing..."
A rope flew out from the shadows and bound Lu Pianpian. Lu Pianpian's sword fell to the ground. The Imperial Guards rushed forward, pulled Jing Yi away, and drew their weapons to surround Lu Pianpian.
"Is he alright?" Huan Changming asked as he approached Jing Yi.
Jingyi shook his head. "Thanks to Your Majesty's timely arrival, I am unharmed."
The ropes binding Lu Pianpian would tighten the more she struggled. Mu Lingzi slowly descended from the tree. "If you don't want to suffocate from these ropes, then stop moving."
How did you get here?
The secret incantation for the sword formation that sealed Mu Lingzi was known only to Lu Pianpian, no... Huan Changming as well.
Lu Pianpian stared coldly at Huan Changming, "You're the one who released him!"