MCSCPM -Chapter 342 Entering the Palace to See the Emperor

Yin Qingyue remained very calm. She knew that Chu Jingcheng was acting this way purely out of concern for her.

In the next moment, Chu Jingcheng forcefully pulled her behind him and said to the guard, “Go back to the palace and tell my father this: no matter how many Imperial Guards he sends, the Divine Physician will not enter the palace.”

“Prince Jing, this subordinate is only acting on orders. Please don’t make things difficult for me,” the guard said.

“Today, I am going to make things difficult for you. If you insist on taking her into the palace, I can guarantee you won’t even make it out of this gate,” Chu Jingcheng replied coldly.

The guard shrank back, not daring to speak.

But Yin Qingyue shook off Chu Jingcheng’s hand and pulled him aside, speaking softly, “Chu Jingcheng, this is my own decision. I know what you’re worried about, but today, I must enter the palace.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? My father has clearly set up a Hongmen Banquet to lure you in. If anything happens to you in the palace, even if I storm in and kill my way through, I still wouldn’t be able to save you,” Chu Jingcheng said, his gaze locked tightly onto her eyes, trying to convey that he couldn’t bear to lose her and didn’t want anything to happen to her—even if it meant risking his own life.

“I can guarantee you that nothing will happen to me. Think about it—if this matter isn’t resolved, will you really be able to stop worrying forever? Since the Emperor has summoned me to the palace, he naturally won’t kill me there. With so many eyes watching, if he were to kill me, what would the people of the realm think?” Yin Qingyue patiently analyzed the situation for him.

Yet whenever it came to Yin Qingyue, Chu Jingcheng seemed to turn into a different person—confused and impulsive. His gaze did not waver in the slightest.

“Yin Qingyue, do you know how much effort I put into finding you? I only want you to stay safely by my side, forever, never leaving.”

“I promise you, I won’t leave.” She tightly grasped Chu Jingcheng’s hand and said earnestly, “And I can also promise you that your father is a wise ruler—he won’t kill me. This time, consider it giving your father a chance… and also giving me a chance.”

What Yin Qingyue meant was clear: if Chu Helian truly was a wise ruler, he would not kill her.

Chu Jingcheng naturally understood this reasoning. His eyes lowered slightly, wavering.

Seeing that he had accepted her proposal, Yin Qingyue continued, “Last time, you told me to wait here for you, and I left first. Now, I’m asking you to wait for me—but I promise you, I won’t leave. I will definitely come back.”

At that moment, a trace of sadness appeared in Yin Qingyue’s eyes. Tears slowly welled up, yet never fell.

Chu Jingcheng looked at her, unable to say a single word. He thought to himself that once this matter was over, he would go nowhere else—he would stay by her side forever.

In the end, Yin Qingyue entered the palace, and Chu Jingcheng compromised.

He would wait for her—right here. If anything happened to her, then even if it meant death, he would storm into the imperial palace.

Outside the Imperial Study, Eunuch Sun had already been waiting for quite some time. Sure enough, just as the Emperor had said, she still came.

Eunuch Sun bowed to Yin Qingyue. “Miss Yin, His Majesty is inside.”

“Thank you, Eunuch.”

“Please go in, Miss Yin.”

As soon as Yin Qingyue entered, she saw Chu Helian. She had to admit—Chu Jingcheng really did resemble Chu Helian. At that moment, Yin Qingyue couldn’t help wondering: if Prince Jing were to become emperor in the future, would he also be like this—sitting on the dragon throne, forgetting human feelings and becoming so cold and unfeeling?

Eunuch Sun closed the door. Now, in the Imperial Study, there were only Yin Qingyue and Chu Helian.

“This common woman greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless fortune.”

Chu Helian’s gaze had been fixed on her from the moment she entered, as if feeling something indescribable. He then said, “No need for such formalities. I was right—you still came to the palace.”

“Yes. This common woman dares not defy the imperial decree.”

“Is that so? If my guess is correct, Jing’er probably didn’t want you to enter the palace, did he?” Though framed as a guess, it was clearly within Chu Helian’s expectations.

Yin Qingyue did not hide the truth. “Yes. Prince Jing indeed did not allow me to enter the palace, because he feared I might anger Your Majesty and be killed in a moment of rage.”

“Aren’t you afraid that by saying such things, I might kill you right now?” Chu Helian hadn’t expected her to speak so bluntly. He was both surprised and angered—angered that his son would think of him this way.

Yet Yin Qingyue lowered her head and replied calmly, “This common woman has already entered the palace. If Your Majesty truly wishes to kill me now, I have nothing to say. But before entering, I thought that this trip to the palace was not only giving myself a chance, but also… giving Your Majesty a chance.”

“Giving me a chance? Never in all my years has anyone dared say such words to me. This is the first time I’ve ever heard someone claim to give me a chance—and from a woman, no less,” Chu Helian said in astonishment.

“Does Your Majesty wish to hear the reason?” Yin Qingyue suddenly looked up and asked.

At this point, Chu Helian was indeed intrigued. “I would like to hear it. But if what you say is incorrect, you should know the consequences.”

Yin Qingyue smiled confidently, as if everything were already part of her plan.

She spoke slowly, “In fact, this common woman knows that when Your Majesty previously wished to kill me, it was because of Prince Jing. Everything Your Majesty has done was for Prince Jing. Prince Jing may not understand, but I do. However, from another perspective, since Your Majesty intended to kill me for Prince Jing’s sake, how could that be the conduct of a wise ruler? Therefore, I thought: if today Your Majesty can spare me and never pursue this matter again, then you would be a blameless wise ruler. In that case, Prince Jing would naturally be even more loyal and filial toward Your Majesty. Between the two choices—one, I die and Prince Jing’s heart dies; the other, I live and Your Majesty becomes a wise ruler—how will Your Majesty choose?”

For a woman to say such words was truly astonishing.

Chu Helian froze. It was as if something had struck his heart heavily, making it sink at once. The dilemma he had long been weighing had been laid bare by Yin Qingyue with effortless clarity, allowing him to see both paths clearly.

All this time, it had always been Chu Helian, the emperor, who gave others their choices. Now, Yin Qingyue was giving him one instead—two options, with no third path.

Her move was devastatingly precise.

“I never imagined that a woman like you could speak such words. I truly suspect that if you were a man, I would have to be far more wary of you,” Chu Helian said.

“Isn’t Your Majesty already wary of me? Otherwise, why would you want to kill me? Presumably, Your Majesty was thinking of the words ‘a woman who brings calamity to the state,’ and was also worried about implicating Prince Jing—a prince who may one day become the Crown Prince,” Yin Qingyue replied.

Chu Helian was startled. Rising from the dragon throne, he walked up to Yin Qingyue, his probing gaze fixed on her. “Who exactly are you?”

Yin Qingyue’s expression did not change. “Your Majesty overthinks it. This common woman is just an ordinary person, blessed by heaven to meet Prince Jing and even to see Your Majesty. That is the accumulated fortune of my family for three generations.”

“I must say, you are very eloquent. I admit that of the two paths you mentioned, I must choose one—and it seems I have no other road but to choose to spare you.”

Before entering the palace, Yin Qingyue had already anticipated Chu Helian’s decision, so there was no surprise on her face. She simply said, “Your Majesty is indeed a wise ruler. If Prince Jing knew this, he would surely be comforted and would serve Your Majesty with even greater loyalty in the future.”

“Why are you not surprised by my choice?” Chu Helian asked.

“Because this common woman believes that Your Majesty is a wise ruler.”

“Very well. I will remember those words,” Chu Helian suddenly laughed. Waving his hand, he seemed to relax, letting out a long breath. “Enough. I will no longer interfere in the matter between you and Jing’er.”

However, Chu Helian did not voice the rest of his thought: if Jing’er married her, he could no longer be the Crown Prince.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Yin Qingyue bowed deeply. This was a risk she had taken correctly—and a gamble she had won.

Just as Yin Qingyue was about to leave, Chu Helian seemed to recall something and said, “Oh, right. I know your medical skills are exceptional, so I would like you to make a trip to Prince Yi’s residence.”

“Prince Yi’s residence? Why?” Yin Qingyue asked, pretending ignorance.

“For some reason, Prince Yi has fallen ill. His body is covered in red spots, and it itches terribly. I have already had the imperial physicians examine him, but they are all at a loss. Therefore, I wish for you to go. I have already issued a decree betrothing General Shangguan’s daughter to Yi’er. Once Yi’er’s condition improves, the marriage will proceed. But his illness has been worsening by the day, and the wedding has been delayed again and again—it is truly inappropriate.” At this point, Chu Helian let out a sigh.

Yin Qingyue already knew the entire situation, so she did not ask further.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Rest assured, this common woman will do her utmost to cure Prince Yi.”

“With you, the Divine Physician, involved, I am at ease,” Chu Helian said.

Yin Qingyue smiled without replying. After bowing and taking her leave, she followed the guard who had escorted her into the palace out again, and was then taken to Prince Yi’s residence.

But it was already late. Knowing that Chu Jingcheng must be extremely worried, Yin Qingyue instructed the guard accompanying her as they entered the gates of Prince Yi’s residence, “You don’t need to stay with me. Please go to the other residence and inform Prince Jing of my situation so he doesn’t worry.”

“Miss Yin, it’s better that I stay with you. Prince Jing specifically instructed me to accompany you. As for Prince Jing, I will have someone inform him,” the guard replied.

“Alright, that works too,” Yin Qingyue nodded. Indeed, someone like Chu Yifeng never played by the rules—what might happen was hard to predict. Having someone by her side was safer.

The news that the Divine Physician had come to treat Prince Yi quickly reached Chu Yifeng. He was both delighted and puzzled. He had searched for the Divine Physician for so long without success—so why had she suddenly appeared on her own?

Chu Yifeng asked the guard beside him, “Was the Divine Physician sent by Father Emperor? Didn’t Father Emperor want to kill her?”

“Your Highness, earlier there were rumors that His Majesty summoned the Divine Physician to the palace for an audience. For some reason, she emerged from the palace unharmed. Presumably, His Majesty has chosen not to pursue the matter further.”