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

Chapter 71 The Cold Palace at Night

Inside the Feixue Palace, springtime was in full bloom.

Chu Qingyin frowned as she listened to Kang Luhai's report.

To her utter surprise, Kang Luhai searched almost the entire palace but still couldn't find the eunuch who poisoned her.

Could a living person just vanish from the palace out of thin air?

"This servant is thinking that the person Your Majesty is looking for may not be a member of the palace, or perhaps not someone registered in the palace..."

Kang Luhai shared his guess.

This gave Chu Qingyin some ideas. She frowned and murmured, "Perhaps you're right, he's not registered..."

This explains why he was able to come to the Cold Palace, poison her without anyone noticing, and then escape unscathed and move freely afterward.

Without a record, there is naturally no such person.

"If that's the case, do you have any other ways to find him?" Chu Qingyin looked up at Kang Luhai, her words filled with anticipation.

After a moment's thought, Kang Luhai gritted his teeth and said, "This servant is willing to do his best."

Chu Qingyin could hear his difficulty and understood that this matter was like finding a needle in a haystack. She nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. If this matter is accomplished, I will reward you handsomely."

"Your Majesty, rest assured." Kang Luhai bowed. "This servant will certainly live up to your expectations."

Chu Qingyin exchanged a few more words with Kang Luhai, who then quickly withdrew.

Not long after he left, Yu Yan led Chen Yun, the chief physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau, into the hall.

"Your Majesty has ordered me to examine the pulse of the Noble Consort." Chen Yun bowed respectfully.

A hint of doubt flashed in Chu Qingyin's eyes, but she quickly understood.

It must have been last night when Pei Yuanling noticed that her palms were cold and worried that she might have caught a cold, so he ordered Chen Yun to come.

"Thank you for your help, Physician Chen."

"Your Majesty is too kind. It is only my duty."

As Chen Yun spoke, he opened the medicine box, took out the silk thread and wrist pillow, and arranged them before examining Chu Qingyin.

After a long while, Chen Yun withdrew his hand from Chu Qingyin's wrist to take her pulse and slowly said, "Your Majesty's health is fine, but she suffers from some weakness and blood deficiency."

Weakness in Qi and blood deficiency?

She hadn't expected that the eldest daughter of the Qiao family would be so weak.

That makes sense, though. If she wasn't physically weak, how could her soul have died after falling into the water, leaving her to possess his body like this?

"Your Majesty need not worry. Most women suffer from this condition; it is not a difficult thing."

As if noticing the worry on Chu Qingyin's face, Chen Yun, as the chief imperial physician in the palace, naturally understood what she was thinking and comforted her, "I will prescribe some nourishing tonics for Your Highness to help you recover. At most, your condition will improve in three months."

"Then I'll have to trouble Physician Chen."

In her previous life, after Chu Qingyin entered the palace, she was always treated by Chen Yun.

She knew his medical skills were questionable.

Chen Yun gave a few more instructions before leaving with his medical kit.

After he left, Yu Yan stepped forward and handed Chu Qingyin a cup of hot tea, then said with a smile, "His Majesty treats his mistress so well. Everyone in the palace knows that Physician Chen is His Majesty's personal physician. Even if the Empress is unwell, she can't get him to come."

Chu Qingyin's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.

Undeniably, in this reborn life, Pei Yuanling has indeed treated her with extreme care and consideration.

But if these kindnesses had happened in the past, she would have been deeply moved. However, now, she doesn't feel much emotion.

Now she only wants to find out who killed her, clear her brother's name, and restore the Chu family's innocence.

Thinking of her brother, Chu Tianheng, Chu Qingyin frowned.

I heard that Pei Yuanling has arranged for Zhang Cheng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, to investigate this matter. I wonder what the outcome will be.

She originally did not want to involve Chu's old friends and associates.

However, she has few connections in the palace now, making it extremely difficult for her to keep track of events outside the palace. It seems that she has no choice but to ask them for help.

**

As night fell, Pei Yuanling stayed overnight at Feixue Palace as usual.

On the bed, in the dim light, Chu Qingyin leaned quietly against Pei Yuanling's chest, her slender fingers gently caressing the collar of his black dragon-patterned outer robe, lost in thought.

"Yinyin, is something on your mind?"

The sudden deep male voice startled Chu Qingyin. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and then she lifted her head from the man's embrace, apologizing, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Did I disturb you?"

"Fool, I have no reason to blame you."

Pei Yuanling hugged her tightly with tenderness: "I just asked because I noticed you seemed distracted."

As he spoke, he lowered his head, his thin lips seemingly brushing against her forehead: "Speaking of which, what are you thinking about, so engrossed in thought?"

Chu Qingyin leaned against the man's chest without making a sound.

"What is there between Yinyin and me that cannot be said frankly?"

Pei Yuanling asked, his deep voice carrying an air of authority that left no room for argument.

Chu Qingyin seemed to hesitate for a long time before finally making up her mind, her beautiful eyes misting over: "This concubine just misses her father at home..."

"Your father?"

Pei Yuanling narrowed his dark eyes slightly. He remembered that Chu Qingyin's father, Duke Chu Lin'an, had already passed away.

"Does Your Majesty wish to prevent your concubines from having contact with the household?"

A hint of sadness flashed in Chu Qingyin's eyes, but she quickly concealed it. When she looked up again, a strong smile graced her face: "I was just saying that casually. It doesn't matter if we don't meet. Anyway, I knew when I entered the palace that once you enter the palace gates, it's like entering a deep sea, and from then on, your family will be strangers..."

Pei Yuanling: "..."

It turns out they wanted to see Qiao Gongquan.

That's right, she's the eldest daughter of the Qiao family now.

"Alright, since Yinyin misses her family, I will arrange for you to meet with Minister Qiao another day."

"Really?" Chu Qingyin asked with delight.

"It is absolutely true; a ruler does not speak in jest."

Pei Yuanling lowered his eyes, looking at the bright, joyful eyes of the woman in his arms. He couldn't help but smile and reached out to pinch her small nose: "Would I lie to you about such a trivial matter?"

"Your Majesty, you treat your concubines so well."

As Chu Qingyin spoke, she hugged the man's waist with a touching expression, her fair face rubbing against his chest, as dependent on him as a kitten.

But in those lowered, bright eyes, there was no trace of emotion, only a calm, calculating gaze.

Before they knew it, the moon was high in the sky, and the majestic imperial city was completely silent.

As usual, Imperial Guard Chen Xun was patrolling the Imperial City with other guards when he saw a furtive figure emerge from the Feixue Palace.

Chen Xun's eyelids twitched when he thought of how Chief Minister Lu had instructed him to keep a close eye on Consort Qiao's movements.

Is there a thief in Feixue Palace in the dead of night?

To avoid alerting the enemy, Chen Xun made an excuse to go to the restroom and separated from the other guards before following them alone.

As he got closer, he could see that the sneaky figure was none other than Kang Luhai, the chief eunuch of Feixue Palace.

Seeing that Kang Luhai was heading towards the Cold Palace, Chen Xun was surprised.

In the pitch black, what is this eunuch doing in the Cold Palace?

Chen Xun muttered to himself, but without the slightest hesitation, he immediately followed.

Before long, Kang Luhai tiptoed to the Cold Palace. He looked around before knocking on the palace door.

"Dong dong."

"Dong dong dong."

After two rhythmic knocks, an old eunuch with wrinkled skin and white hair opened the door.

Upon seeing that the visitor was Kang Luhai, the old eunuch's face darkened: "What are you doing here? I told you before, I've never seen the little eunuch you're looking for."

“Master, I’ve come to see you today not to ask about that eunuch, but because I have something I’d like to ask you.” Kang Luhai said respectfully.

The old eunuch sneered, "How dare I, a mere servant, instruct the head eunuch of the favored concubine's palace?"

“Master, please don’t do this. I truly have an important matter to ask of you. You are a veteran of the palace, having served two emperors. You must be very familiar with palace affairs. I’ve come to you because I want to…”

As he spoke, he leaned closer to the old eunuch and whispered a few words in his ear.

Chen Xun didn't dare to get too close. Once Kang Luhai lowered his voice, he couldn't hear anything.

After listening to Kang Luhai's words, the old woman remained silent for a moment before speaking: "I can help you, but on one condition."