"Rui'er, Rui'er, it's not like this, it's not... Don't look at your mother concubine with those eyes, don't, Rui'er..."
This time, Concubine Jin was truly in despair.
Did even her Rui'er not want her anymore?
"Rui'er..."
"Don't call me!"
Feng Jinrui trembled all over, and suddenly roared, "You are not our mother concubine, you are not!"
"Rui'er..."
"I am not your Rui'er!"
Feng Jinrui turned and left!
Concubine Jin fell to the ground, crying heartbrokenly.
Leng Ji finally just glanced at her coldly, then left.
Before leaving, he instructed, "Lock her up and await the Prince's disposal."
This was the Prince's family matter, and everything had to wait for the Prince to handle it himself.
It was just unknown when the Prince would truly calm down.
...Chu Qianli was still in a deep sleep.
Liu Jin said that after her miscarriage, she had not recuperated properly, her qi and blood were deficient, which was why her complexion had been so pale.
She was a physician and knew how to recuperate her body.
But she had not paid attention because she was too despairing, not even caring about her own body?
Feng Yexuan had been holding her hand.
This small hand was ice-cold, as if it had no warmth at all.
He held it in his palm, and even though he used his internal energy to warm her small hand, after a while, her warmed hand would always turn cold again.
It was as if, even in her unconscious state, she was unwilling to accept his warmth.
She said she hated him, hated him to death...
She had the right to hate him.
If he hadn't sealed her acupoints, if she hadn't ordered her to be locked up, how could this have happened?
If it weren't for him, how could a mere Concubine Jin and a palace maid without martial arts have the ability to harm her?
She should hate him!
She had every right to hate him to death!
"Did I, this Prince, truly make a mistake?"
Feng Yexuan's voice was cold and distant, and it was unclear whether he was asking Leng Ji behind him or himself.
Leng Ji's heart ached. Finally, with a thud, he knelt down.
"Your Highness, in fact, you have always misunderstood Miss Li! She is not heartless and unrighteous towards you, nor has she ever lied to you!"
He could no longer bear the torment in his heart and said hoarsely, "The Emperor issued a secret decree, forbidding any of us from mentioning this matter! Your subordinate... your subordinate truly cannot hold back anymore!"
"What are you talking about?" What secret decree? What was forbidden to be mentioned?
Feng Yexuan turned his head, staring at his face, his gaze gradually becoming chilling, "What exactly have you all been hiding?"
Leng Ji knew his words were cruel.
But he truly couldn't hide it anymore.
"Everyone was helping the Emperor to lie. In fact, during the three days when Your Highness was unconscious, it was Miss Li who was guarding you!"
Fearing he wouldn't have the courage, he poured out everything:
"It was Miss Li who stayed up day and night, taking care of Your Highness, treating Your Highness."
"But the Emperor feared that Your Highness would care too much about Miss Li. The Emperor did not want Your Highness to care so much about a woman, especially the daughter of a singing girl."
"The Emperor threatened her with the lives of everyone in the Duke's mansion, forbidding Miss Li from mentioning this matter in front of you."
"Miss Li was sent back to the Prince's mansion when Your Highness was being treated and was about to wake up."
"Miss Li did not abandon you, nor did she break her promise to you. She really stayed with you all along! Pity that she is just a weak woman, how could she fight against the Emperor? How could she dare to gamble with the lives of everyone in the Duke's mansion?"
"After Your Highness woke up, you immediately believed what you saw and heard, without asking for reasons, and publicly demoted Miss Li... to a concubine..."
Leng Ji lowered his head, his voice also hoarse, "Your subordinates are all accomplices, your subordinate deserves to die! All of us, including Your Highness, have been persecuting Miss Li, we... we are all murderers..."
Feng Yexuan remained silent.
For a long, long time, there was no movement.
Leng Ji didn't know what he was thinking at this moment.
But after saying everything, his heart finally felt a great relief.
No matter how the Prince decided to deal with them, it no longer mattered.
Carrying the moral burden in his heart was sometimes more unbearable than death.
"Your Highness, the biggest victim of this entire incident is Miss Li."
Leng Ji mustered the courage to look up.
He thought he would see the Prince's furious expression.
Unexpectedly, the Prince remained quiet, only looking at Chu Qianli on the bed, saying not a word.
That back view was terrifyingly still.
"Your Highness..."
"Get out." This "Get out" was not as cold as usual.
It was just faint, so faint it made one panic.
After an unknown amount of time, Leng Ji slowly got up, lowered his head, and left.
The moment the door was closed, Feng Yexuan's face instantly turned pale.
The surge of blood in his chest, which had been churning with discomfort, could no longer be suppressed.
A wisp of blood slid down the corner of his mouth, staining his collar red.
But he paid no attention, merely wiping it away casually with his hand, and then continued to hold Chu Qianli's small hand.
He dared not hold it too tightly, just carefully, gently, holding it.
It was as if he were holding something extremely fragile, which would shatter if he used even a little more force.
How much pressure had she endured?
A small body, a small heart, a... small person.
Everyone could misunderstand her, but why had he, like everyone else, never trusted her?
Suspicion, anger, dominance, barbarity!
In the end, like others, he also became an accomplice, pushing her into an abyss of eternal damnation.
Misunderstood, publicly humiliated by being demoted to a concubine, confined, forced to take miscarriage-inducing medicine...
His little Li'er had endured so much without his knowledge.
Feng Yexuan's hand trembled as he reached out, his fingertips gently stroking her face.
This face had become so thin and delicate, as if it would wither away at any moment.
Just as his fingertips touched Chu Qianli's face, Chu Qianli's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Upon realizing who was holding her hand, Chu Qianli's expression darkened, and she immediately tried to pull her hand away.
"Li'er..."
"Let go!"
Concubine Jin!
She fiercely pushed him away with a palm.
Feng Yexuan, fearing his protective qi would harm her, immediately retracted all his true energy.
But even so, Chu Qianli's palm had no effect on him.
"Let go of me!" she struggled forcefully.
Feng Yexuan, however, after staring at her for a while, pulled her into his embrace.
"Don't be angry anymore, Li'er, let's not be stubborn anymore, okay?"
He allowed her to struggle wildly, even biting his hand, Feng Yexuan did not resist at all.
He just held her and said hoarsely, "Let's... start over, okay?"