Miss Chu!
Chu Qianli!
The broad smile on Chu Lingyang's lips froze in an instant.
How could it be Chu Qianli?
He… he had always thought Chu Qianli was… Ah Chu's woman.
How had she suddenly become the Emperor's Miss Li?
Countless gazes fell upon Chu Lingyang in an instant.
Hadn't it been said that this Prince Ling, the Prince Consort, remained aloof from worldly affairs and stayed out of the political struggles in the court?
Unexpectedly, he had been secretly currying favor with the Emperor all along!
So, he had actually been working for the Emperor?
Well, this was something worth pondering over.
Chu Lingyang was not unaware of everyone's thoughts, but he himself did not care.
It was all for the sake of the Southern Ming Kingdom. The Emperor was a benevolent ruler, and naturally, he had to help the Emperor with his burdens.
It was just that he had always disdained playing dirty tricks to win favor.
Today, regarding Miss Chu's matter… he truly had no prior knowledge!
It was impossible to explain.
But Little Li'er, was she or was she not Ah Chu's woman?
If she truly was, and now she had climbed into the Emperor's bed… Oh dear, what was to be done about this?
… For Chu Qianli, this was a catastrophe.
A catastrophe devoid of dignity.
After an unknown amount of time, which felt as long as a century, the torment inflicted upon her finally ceased.
After the storm subsided, Chu Qianli was like a worn-out doll, discarded on the bed.
The man moved away from her, casually pulling the quilt to cover her completely.
Feng Yexuan, still in the guise of the Emperor, grabbed a set of clothes and put them on.
In the blink of an eye, as he turned to look at the girl on the bed, he was once again impeccably dressed.
Chu Qianli's gaze fell upon him.
So this was how the phrase "a beast in human clothing" came about.
"Hate this Prince?" the Emperor sneered, completely dismissive. "It was merely a brief reliving of old dreams. You were enjoying it just now, so why do you blame this Prince now?"
Chu Qianli wished she could kill herself with her own hands!
She had clearly resisted, but her body… it was completely beyond her control.
Just now, for a period of time, she had even forgotten where she was.
Now, Feng Yexuan's gaze made her feel truly… dirty!
Dirty from body to soul!
She turned her body, her back to him, stubbornly refusing to let him see the despair in her eyes.
Feng Yexuan had no intention of bothering with her; he had many matters to attend to.
"Guards!"
He stepped out from behind the screen.
Chu Qianli startled, instinctively clutching the quilt and wrapping herself tightly.
Her clothes had been torn by him earlier, and she could no longer wear them.
And outside, a group of people were waiting…
Xiao Shunzi had been waiting outside. Upon hearing the Emperor's call, he immediately bowed his head subserviently and said, "This servant is here!"
"Find two young palace maids to attend to Miss Li's grooming."
"Yes!"
Soon, two young palace maids, carrying clothes, walked through the courtyard and entered.
Those waiting outside still dared not leave, as the news they had received earlier was that the Emperor had been poisoned.
Chu Qianli, feeling weak all over, was attended by the young palace maids and walked through the rear corridor into the bathing area.
In reality, the bedchamber was very, very large. Even if the officials entered, they would have no opportunity to see even a shred of Chu Qianli's clothing.
However, because there was a lady in the room, even though she had already walked into the bathing area at the back, she was still considered to be within the Emperor's bedchamber.
Therefore, when everyone entered, they kept their heads bowed, afraid of being disrespectful.
Only Prince Yu kept his head up, observing everything in the room.