nucmednet Chapter 245 Finally Leaving the Palace
Chapter 245 Finally Leaving the Palace
As night fell, the fireworks in the sky gradually faded.
Suddenly, the door to the private room was pushed open from the outside, and Lu Zhiheng walked in.
Looking at the scene before him, his expression was somewhat complicated, and his voice became even lower: "It's getting late, we should go."
Chu Qingyin gave a soft "hmm," then wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve before placing the unconscious Pei Yuanling beside the bed.
Her gaze remained fixed on the man's tightly closed eyes.
"What? You can't bear to part with it?"
Lu Zhiheng pursed his thin lips, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "If you can't bear to part with it, it's not too late to regret it now."
"Who said I regret it?"
Chu Qingyin glanced at Lu Zhiheng, then looked away from the man who had been knocked to the ground, her expression cold. "Let's go."
After saying that, she quickly changed into a plain-colored robe that had been prepared beforehand, and left through the hidden door of the restaurant with Lu Zhiheng.
In the dimly lit alley, the carriage arranged by Lu Zhiheng was already waiting.
"Lord Lu, he..."
Chu Qingyin pursed her lips, hesitating to speak: "He'll be alright, won't he?"
"He is the emperor, so naturally nothing could happen to him under my nose."
Lu Zhiheng glanced at the woman beside him slowly, his tone turning colder: "Consort Liang is truly deeply in love with His Majesty; even now, she is still worried about his safety."
Chu Qingyin: "..."
Lu Zhiheng looked at her, "Are you afraid I won't keep my promise, that I'll end him here, and then I'll declare myself king and ascend the throne?"
"Lord Lu, you should be careful what you say, such treasonous words!"
Chu Qingyin's face darkened completely, and her tone became increasingly cold, as if she feared that the other party would do such a thing.
Just as the atmosphere inside the carriage became somewhat tense, a cry of alarm suddenly rang out from outside, "Fire!"
"Help! Fire!"
Chu Qingyin's attention was instantly drawn to it. She subconsciously moved closer to the window, lifted the curtain, and looked outside.
The once bustling restaurant was now teeming with people, thick smoke billowing out, and everyone was trying to squeeze out.
He's still inside!
Chu Qingyin felt a buzzing in her head and instinctively wanted to run back.
"rest assured."
Lu Zhiheng pulled her back and said coldly from the side, "He'll be fine."
Seeing Chu Qingyin's anxious expression, he felt a pang of sadness. "You should be concerned about yourself now, not him."
Chu Qingyin seemed not to hear him, her eyes fixed on the increasingly large fire in the restaurant, and said anxiously, "Fire and water are merciless, how can you be so sure? What if..."
Seeing this, Lu Zhiheng felt even more jealous.
Seeing that Chu Qingyin was about to get out of the car, he stepped forward, forcefully pulled her into his arms, and said in a deep voice, "Chu Qingyin, wake up! You are no longer his woman. What does his life or death have to do with you?"
Chu Qingyin snapped back to her senses and struggled to break free from Lu Zhiheng's embrace, but he held her even tighter. "Lu Zhiheng, let go!"
Her expression tightened, and she shouted angrily, "I'm just worried that innocent people will be implicated. Don't make wild guesses!"
"Innocent people?"
Lu Zhiheng sneered, pinched her chin, and made her look directly at him.
“You know what you’re really thinking. I went to all this trouble to help you escape, not so that you would still be hung up on him.”
His grip was quite strong, and Chu Qingyin couldn't help but gasp, her beautiful eyes fixed on him with displeasure.
Realizing his loss of composure, Lu Zhiheng quickly released his grip on her hands.
He suppressed his anger and said with restraint, "Don't worry, I won't let him lose a single hair."
"Better so."
Chu Qingyin frowned deeply, took one last look at the burning restaurant, gritted her teeth, and lowered the carriage curtain.
Seeing that the carriage hadn't moved, Chu Qingyin felt a pang of doubt and asked, "Aren't you leaving yet?"
"I still have to go to rescue Your Majesty, so I won't see you off."
Lu Zhiheng sneered, deliberately emphasizing the words "rescue the emperor".
Before Chu Qingyin could respond, Lu Zhiheng strode out of the carriage and glanced at the coachman.
The other party understood immediately and quickly lowered the carriage curtain.
"and many more!"
Chu Qingyin suddenly spoke, leaping down from the carriage and swaying slightly: "Aren't you coming with me?"
"What, are you afraid I'll do something to him?"
Lu Zhiheng helped her straighten up as she stumbled, then turned to leave.
No! No!
Chu Qingyin quickly grabbed him, her voice urgent: "Lu Zhiheng, I'm scared, will you come with me?"
It's impossible not to feel panicked when suddenly leaving a familiar environment.
Besides, she didn't know Lu Zhiheng's next plans. What if he sold her out?
It's best to bring him along, it's safer that way.
Looking into Chu Qingyin's flustered yet earnest eyes, Lu Zhiheng's jealousy and anger quietly dissipated, replaced by an indescribable sense of pleasure.
Is she depending on him?
That's it.
He turned to look into the shadows and said in a deep voice, "Shen Ran, you are responsible for bringing His Majesty out safely. Do not harm the innocent and do not let the news leak out."
"Yes, my lord."
A dark figure emerged from the shadows, and after receiving the order, quickly ran towards the burning restaurant.
Lu Zhiheng took Chu Qingyin's hand and helped her into the carriage. "Now you can finally rest assured."
Chu Qingyin glanced at the man's hand that was tightly gripping hers without making a sound. Her red lips moved slightly, but she didn't say anything or rush to pull her hand back.
“I naturally trust Lord Lu’s subordinates to get things done.”
Once the two were seated, the carriage slowly started moving and headed towards the outskirts of the capital.
Throughout the journey, Chu Qingyin pretended to rely on Lu Zhiheng, leaning against him.
Lu Zhiheng had already released his hand and sat up straight.
Seeing that she moved closer to his side several times, he pursed his thin lips and finally spoke: "Consort Liang, you don't need to pretend to be weak and helpless in front of me."
"Now that I am in your carriage, there is no longer any Consort Liang in this world."
Chu Qingyin interrupted him, "Lord Lu has done me a great favor. If you don't mind, you can call me Qingyin from now on."
Clear sound.
Clear sound...
Lu Zhiheng silently repeated the name twice in his heart. For some reason, when he uttered those two sounds, there seemed to be a lingering flavor to them.
"Hmm," he replied softly.
Chu Qingyin also sat up straight, abandoning her previous delicate demeanor.
She came from a military family and was not originally a weak woman. However, she had been pretending to be weak in front of Pei Yuanling for so long that she had gotten used to acting weak whenever she saw a man.
After traveling for an unknown amount of time, the carriage stopped in front of a quiet villa outside the city.
Even in the dead of night, the size of the villa can be vaguely discerned by the moonlight. Surrounded by green mountains and flowing streams, it resembles a paradise on earth.
Lu Zhiheng got out of the car first, then turned around and helped Chu Qingyin.
Chu Qingyin got off the carriage, looked around, and her eyes were full of vigilance.
Seeing this, Lu Zhiheng said in a low voice, "Don't worry, it's safe here."
He took the lantern handed to him by a servant and led Chu Qingyin inside, saying, "You can stay here for a while. Once things have settled down in the city, I'll send you away."
Chu Qingyin: "Okay."
As they spoke, the two entered the villa.
Several elegant courtyards were scattered around. Lu Zhiheng led Chu Qingyin into a courtyard on the west side that was filled with flowers and trees.
The courtyard had already been cleaned, and the house was cozy and fully furnished.
"You rest first, I'll go and have someone prepare some food."
Lu Zhiheng looked at Chu Qingyin and said, "Don't be shy, just treat this as your own home."
Chu Qingyin nodded gently, "Yes, thank you for your trouble."
After Lu Zhiheng left, she looked at the man's tall and upright back, her eyes darkening slightly.
She slowly withdrew her gaze and looked around. She saw that although the interior was simply and unpretentious, it was exquisite in every detail, showing that she had put a lot of thought into it.
From that moment on, she truly realized that she had completely bid farewell to her past identity confined to the palace and had truly stepped out of the cage that had imprisoned her for many years.
Recalling everything that happened today, she still felt lingering fear.
Chu Qingyin moved to the window, sat down gently, and looked out through the window lattice.
What comes into view is a small and exquisite stone bridge spanning a babbling stream. The bridge is simple and ancient, and a cypress tree stands quietly beside it, its branches winding and its leaves still green in the cold winter, exuding vitality.
Perhaps worried that she was still apprehensive after leaving the palace, Lu Zhiheng returned to the small courtyard after only a short while.
Behind him followed a petite and well-behaved little girl.
"This girl's name is Xueqing. From now on, she will stay by your side to serve you."
Lu Zhiheng said calmly, "If you have any needs, just tell her to do it."
After saying that, he nodded slightly, gesturing for Xueqing to step forward and pay her respects.
Xueqing stepped forward timidly, curtsied, and said in a clear voice, "This servant, Xueqing, greets you, young lady."