Chapter 22: Without My Permission, What Right Do You Have

Shen Ahuai had deliberately brought Lu Qingqing to see the Emperor, after whispering countless words in his ear before he finally relented.

“Qingqing, don’t be afraid. The Emperor may seem stern, but he’s actually reasonable,” Shen Ahuai reassured her.

Before she finished speaking, Lu Qingqing quietly replied, “I know.”

The path leading to the main hall was shrouded in darkness, the palace lanterns flickering fitfully. Yet, walking together, it seemed less daunting.

“It was you, Sister, who risked everything to secure this opportunity for me,” Shen Ahuai said with deep emotion. “If you had entered the palace back then, you wouldn’t have had to marry Young Marquis Xie.”

Lu Qingqing looked at the guilt-stricken Shen Ahuai and gently patted her head.

“For me, entering the palace would have been a dead end. Marrying Xie Zhiyun was my way out. If anything, it’s I who should feel sorry for you.”

“The Emperor treats me well,” Shen Ahuai murmured, lowering her head with a shy smile. She recalled the Emperor’s tender care—these three years of smooth ascent owed much to the fact that, with no powerful family behind her, she dared to accept such devoted favor.

But now that Shen Jin had returned, the path for the Noble Consort’s advancement would not be easy. Even with her pregnancy, the Emperor seldom visited her.

“Royalty is cold and fickle, Ahuai. Never give your heart away,” Lu Qingqing tried to warn her further, but suddenly, a dark figure flashed past the gate ahead.

The shadow moved so swiftly that Lu Qingqing feared it was an assassin targeting Shen Ahuai. She immediately raised her voice: “Guards! Assassin!”

The shadow froze for an instant. At once, a squad of Imperial Guards surged forward and surrounded the figure. Yet, the black-clad intruder was far more skilled than expected.

Lu Qingqing shielded Shen Ahuai behind her, frowning as she watched. She had no idea who the intruder was.

As the melee unfolded, Lu Qingqing gripped Shen Ahuai’s hand. “Don’t be afraid.”

“Why does that person seem so familiar?” Shen Ahuai wondered aloud.

Just then, out of the darkness, an arrow shot toward the black-clad figure, striking its mark. As the figure fell, Shen Jin suddenly appeared, catching the person in his arms. Only then did Lu Qingqing see clearly who Shen Jin was protecting.

It was Jiang Jiuyue—the woman who always seemed sickly and frail, yet now revealed remarkable abilities.

Lu Qingqing’s eyes darkened; she had not expected this.

But before she could react, Shen Jin turned on her with a fury she had never seen before, his gaze burning with unfamiliar anger.

“So you insist on protecting her, do you?” Shen Ahuai cried, rushing up. “Dressed like that in the palace—how outrageous!”

Shen Jin looked coldly at Lu Qingqing. “Ahuai is being willful, but are you as well?”

As if her cry of “assassin” had been a mistake, Lu Qingqing stared at the unreasonable man before her, her heart aching with rage.

Her chest throbbed painfully.

“Shen Jin, three years apart—have you gone blind, or is your heart stone?”

“So you simply can’t bear to see Yueyue well, is that it?” Shen Jin retorted furiously. “Were it not for your interference, would she have taken that arrow?”

With her heart pounding wildly, Lu Qingqing clutched her chest, then flung what she held straight at Shen Jin’s face. “Yes, I can’t bear to see her well! She had someone put leeches in my skirts and sent others to harm me again and again. I’m jealous of her, mad with jealousy!”

Blood welled up and spilled from her lips. Her health had always been frail, and lately she had been tormented and consumed with worry, leaving her utterly exhausted.

“Qingqing?” Shen Ahuai rushed forward in panic.

But Shen Jin, suddenly alarmed, handed Jiang Jiuyue to a guard and caught Lu Qingqing as she collapsed.

He stared at her unconscious form, wild with desperation. Like a madman, he cradled her bloodied body tightly in his arms and refused to let go.

But the woman in his arms had no breath left, like a broken water lily drifting without anchor, her life hanging by a thread.

“Without my permission, how dare you die?”