I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 474 Truly Beautiful
Early the next morning, Qin Shu left through the Donghua Gate in a carriage.

Chu Liuzheng stood with Feng Jing on the city wall, enjoying the breeze as they watched the convoy drive further and further away.

She asked, "When are you planning to leave?"

"The day after tomorrow," Feng Jing said, staring at the gradually shrinking black dot. "I'll go and say goodbye to His Majesty in a bit."

Three days later, a group of Imperial Guards escorted Feng Jing away from Xihua Gate. Chu Liuzheng stood on the city tower and waved to the person who emerged from the carriage. As he smiled, tears welled up in his eyes.

Parting with good friends is always sad, and Chu Liuzheng was a little too sad. Perhaps he had been exposed to the cold wind on the city wall for too long and had caught a cold.

Inside the bedroom of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Chu Liuzheng, who had been forced to drink a large bowl of bitter medicine, lay listlessly in the quilt, listening to Chen Xing vividly telling her a story.

It tells the story of a fox spirit who failed to seduce a rich woman, was captured by her, and used the fox spirit's magic to transform into a man, pass the imperial examinations, and rise to the position of prime minister to benefit the people.

Siyue sat to the side, examining several red pills. They were supposedly a new poison that had appeared on the black market, with a rather elegant name: Rouge Calamity. Long-term use would cause the cheeks to gradually ulcerate, with the pink skin turning outwards like blooming peach blossoms.

This poison is not easily detected; it only manifests when the poison is about to take effect, making it difficult to guard against.

Siyue received the task of developing an antidote from the Dark Guard Camp, and she has been taking it out to look at it whenever she has free time.

"In the dead of night, the red fox climbed over the wall and in the blink of an eye transformed into a handsome young man with a fair complexion and red lips. He covered his mouth with his sleeve and walked into the depths of the flower bushes without touching the ground..." As Chen Xing spoke, she pinched her sleeve to cover her face and turned slightly to throw a watery, seductive wink at Chu Liuzheng on the bed.

"Pfft!" Chu Liuzheng tried to hold back but couldn't, and rolled around on the bed laughing while clutching his stomach.

[Hahaha, this is the most eye-twitching flirtatious wink I've ever seen in my life. This isn't flirting, this is murderous!]

"My sister is laughing at me." Chen Xing pouted. "That's how it's drawn in the book!"

"Where?" Chu Liuzheng finally stopped laughing, sat up, and wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes. "Let me see it."

“This is it, look.” Chen Xing walked over and pointed to the illustrations in the storybook for her.

As Chu Liuzheng was looking down, a palace maid walked in and reported through the layers of gauze curtains, "Miss Chu, Consort Shaoli is outside requesting an audience."

"His Majesty is in the Wenhua Hall." Chu Liuzheng thought the naive and innocent princess had gone to the wrong place.

The young palace maid replied, "The person Consort Shaoli wants to see is you."

Chu Liuzheng: ? ?
Why is this naive and innocent princess seeing me?

She found it strange and was about to order that Shao Liyi be invited in to talk when she suddenly remembered that the emperor did not allow others to enter his bedchamber at will. So she changed her mind and had a maid invite Shao Liyi to a side hall. She changed her clothes and went there.

*
In the side hall, a young palace maid brought a cup of tea.

Shao Liyi looked around. Counting the day she entered the palace, this was her second time visiting the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The head palace maid, Dewdrop, glanced at the door and whispered, "Master, someone has arrived."

Shao Liyi immediately straightened her posture and turned her head to look at the door.

She was very curious about this Miss Chu who was stirring up trouble in the harem.

The newcomer was dressed in a simple, light blue dress, with a slightly sickly appearance, and looked very familiar.

Since entering the palace, Shao Liyi longed for her childhood sweetheart to return every day, paying little attention to anything else. She searched her memories for a long time before finally finding the beautiful figure who was always by the emperor's side, combining the rumors with her recollections.

So it was that palace maid.

A hint of realization flickered in Shao Liyi's eyes as she rose to greet Chu Liuzheng.

“Your Highness, there’s no need for such formalities. Please sit.” Chu Liuzheng curtsied in return and sat down on the other side of the couch. “May I ask what brings Your Highness here?”

Shao Liyi was slightly taken aback. Shouldn't they at least exchange a few polite words and some idle chatter first?

After thinking for a moment, she decided to get straight to the point: "I have a request for you, and I hope you will grant it."

Chu Liuzheng took the tea that Siyue handed him, lifted the lid, took a sip, and then asked, "What is it?" Shao Liyi replied, "Does the young lady know about the war between Gaochang and the Tatars?"

"I've heard about it." Chu Liuzheng looked at her. "The inner palace is not allowed to interfere in politics. If you've come here for this matter, then there's no need to say anything more."

Shao Liyi hurriedly said, "It's a matter of the inner palace, but it's somewhat related to this matter."

Chu Liuzheng picked up his teacup and drank the tea.

Shao Liyi seized the opportunity to continue, "This morning, the battle report came that a traitor had emerged in Gaochang, who betrayed the Gaochang army and caused the Gaochang army to suffer repeated defeats. Within three days, the Tatars have captured seven cities and are about to attack the capital of Gaochang."

Chu Liuzheng put down his teacup. "Even if Gaochang is destroyed, what does it have to do with you, Consort Liyi?"

“It’s related.” Shao Liyi’s voice was urgent, and her eyes gradually filled with tears. “After Consort Yu learned about this, she went to Wenhua Hall to request an audience with His Majesty and has been kneeling in front of Wenhua Hall for more than two hours.”

“I tried to persuade her, but she refused to leave. She said that if His Majesty did not see her, she would kneel there until His Majesty was willing to see her.”

"Kneeling like that will ruin your legs." She grabbed Chu Liuzheng's hand, which was resting on the table, tears welling up in her eyes from her anxiety. "Please help her."

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

No, she burst into tears after only a couple of sentences?
Anyone who didn't know better would think she was bullying the princess.

"Don't cry." Chu Liuzheng took a clean handkerchief and wiped her tears. "His Majesty makes his own decisions about who to see and who not to see. How can I control that?"

Sensing the evasiveness in her words, Shao Liyi burst into tears, tears streaming down her face.

This palace is such a cold place.

She went to plead with the Empress, but the Empress refused to see her. She then went to plead with Consort Shu and Consort Chun, and both of them did see her, but their words conveyed the same excuse, and they politely sent someone to escort her out.

She didn't know many people in the palace and couldn't think of any other way. It was Xie Jieyu who sent someone to tell her that she could try to find Chu Liuzheng, so she came to Yangxin Hall.

But now even Chu Liuzheng is unwilling to help her.

She knew that no one was obligated to help her, so she got up while crying, saying, "Thank you for seeing me, but I'll be going now."

[The innocent and sweet princess is so beautiful! Her tears are so heartbreaking.]

"Wait a minute." Chu Liuzheng, a woman obsessed with looks, called out to her, handed her a clean handkerchief, and asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Shao Liyi wiped away her tears, "I'll kneel down with her."

Chu Liuzheng: "...Good idea."

Shao Liyi opened her beautiful eyes wide, "Really?"

Of course it's fake!

[Fine, I'll let it go for the sake of the naive and sweet princess's undeniable beauty...]

She sighed softly, stood up, and said, "I'll go with you."

"Thank you." Shao Liyi gripped Chu Liuzheng's hand tightly, tears streaming down her face.

Chu Liuzheng was amazed.

[Is there a spring in this person's eyes? They can cry so much.]

She hurriedly said, "Let me make this clear first, I can't guarantee that His Majesty will agree to see Consort Yu."

"Mmm." Shao Liyi wiped away her tears and smiled slightly.

(End of this chapter)