The Queen sealed her heart and locked up her love, and the Emperor was trapped in the crematorium

It sounds like words of praise, but no matter how you listen to it, it doesn't sound like praise. Instead, it feels more like accountability.

"What's your name?" Xiao Chengxu asked again.

The singer was very nervous. She swallowed her saliva and tried her best to keep her tone steady: "Your Majesty, my name is Qing He."

However, her voice was trembling uncontrollably. It was obvious that Qing He was under tremendous psychological pressure in front of the emperor. Although she tried hard to appear calm, her inner nervousness was revealed as soon as she opened her mouth.

Xiao Chengxu's gaze turned to Qinghe, or more precisely, to Qinghe's hand. His eyes were as deep as a pool of water, and it was impossible to guess what they meant.

Those hands were indeed beautiful and could be described as delicate and graceful.

"Since the Queen praises you so highly, are you willing to offer your hand to her?" Xiao Chengxu asked casually as if nothing had happened.

His seemingly light words were like a huge rock pressing on the hearts of everyone present, making them break out in cold sweats, especially the singers and dancers, who were even more worried about Qing He and secretly prayed in their hearts that Qing He would be safe.

The emperor's intention was very clear, that is to cut off Qinghe's hands. If she lost her hands, she would not only become incomplete, but also lose the skills she relied on to survive. She would definitely be expelled from the palace in the end, and she might even be executed directly to take away Qinghe's hands.

Qing He was already scared out of her wits and sweating profusely. She lay on the ground trembling and said in a trembling voice: "I am humble and incompetent. I have only learned some shallow skills. Fortunately, I have been favored by the Empress. If I can do my best for the Emperor, I will go through fire and water without hesitation. However, if I lose my hands to play the pipa, I am afraid that I will no longer be able to please the Empress. If I scare the Empress, I will not be able to atone for my sins even if I die ten thousand times."

Feng An saw that Qing He was quite clever and young, only fifteen or sixteen years old, just like a flower, and he couldn't help but feel a little pity for her. He took a step forward, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Queen hates bloody things the most in her life, and avoids filthy things even more. The Queen only invites people to entertain herself when she has nothing to do. If there is no fun, the Queen will probably feel extremely bored in the palace."

Hearing this, Xiao Chengxu glanced at Feng An, but there was a hint of indifference between his brows.

"Get up. You must serve the queen more attentively and diligently in the future."

The implication is to let Qinghe go.

When the emperor's carriage gradually went away and left Kunning Palace, Qinghe finally couldn't support her body anymore and collapsed to the ground, letting out a long sigh as if relieved from a heavy burden.

She stared at her hands, unable to understand why she had angered the emperor to the point that he ordered her hands to be cut off.

Was it just because of those few compliments casually uttered by the Queen?

Qing He felt that this was unlikely and the reason was too absurd, because the Queen Mother not only praised her for her good pipa playing, but also praised Sister Miao Shuang and the others for their good dancing.

For a moment, Qing He clearly felt the murderous intent. The seemingly joking words were actually not a joke.

After much thought, Qing He finally came up with the most likely possibility.

The Emperor dislikes her, could it be because the Empress pointed her finger at him?

Qing He broke out in a cold sweat and felt a chill on her back.

……

After returning to the Qianqing Palace, Xiao Chengxu began to handle government affairs.

The ministers who did not stand in front of the imperial study today and offer advice were probably stunned by the news that Xiao Chengxu had a hidden illness revealed in the court. They were in a daze and had not yet come to their senses. After being so shocked by this shocking news, they even forgot about disbanding the harem.

Outside the Qianqing Palace, Concubine Qi wanted to meet the Emperor, but before she could step into the palace gate, she was stopped outside by a group of guards and was not allowed to enter.

"Without the Emperor's order, no one is allowed to enter."

Concubine Qi was not surprised by this result. After all, the Palace of Heavenly Purity has always been difficult to enter. Except for Xie Yaoqing who was an exception, anyone else in the harem who wanted to meet the emperor had to inform the emperor first according to the rules and could only enter after being summoned.

"Then please inform the Emperor."

When Xiao Chengxu heard this, he refused without a second thought, "No."

Although she was not summoned, Concubine Qi did not leave. Instead, she knelt in front of the gate of the Qianqing Palace in plain clothes, and kept saying things like "I beg the emperor to show mercy and allow me to see you."

They couldn't drive him away, and couldn't persuade him to leave. The guards were so confused that they quickly called the chief eunuch Feng An to ask him for help in making a decision.

Feng An initially tried to persuade her in a gentle manner, but was instead ridiculed by Concubine Qi, who mocked him for being a eunuch and a mere servant, yet he dared to boss her around and order her around.

Although he was a eunuch, Feng'an was not an ordinary eunuch. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the emperor's confidant. Anyone who saw him in the palace had to respectfully call him "Eunuch Feng'an". He had never been treated like this before, so he became angry and found a few strong maids to forcibly send Concubine Qi back to Qionghua Palace.

No wonder the Emperor dislikes Concubine Qi. She is so arrogant and domineering, and looks down on everyone. She even dreams of replacing the Empress. It is simply a daydream.

Unexpectedly, in order to achieve her goal of seeing the emperor, Concubine Qi actually pulled out the hairpin on her head and put it to her throat as a threat.

Noble Lady Qi said sternly, "If anyone dares to come near, I will be covered in blood. I am the emperor's concubine and the niece of the empress dowager. How can you servants compare to me? If I lose even a hair, all of you will be buried with me."

She really frightened people by making such a fuss.

Putting aside the question of whether she is favored or not, Concubine Qi is, after all, a concubine in the harem, and there is a huge difference in status. If nothing happens, it's fine, but if something goes wrong, these people will definitely be in trouble.

In desperation, Feng An had to enter the palace again to ask Xiao Chengxu for instructions. He did not dare to be accused of forcing the concubine to death. Except for the emperor, no one in the palace could decide the life or death of the concubine.

Xiao Chengxu frowned slightly. He also vaguely heard some noise in the hall. He thought it could be resolved quickly, but he didn't expect it to be so troublesome.

"Noble Lady Qi said that she will be leaving the palace soon and has no other requests. She just wants to bid farewell to the emperor in person and see him for the last time. She also said that if she can't see the emperor, she will..." Feng An reported truthfully.

"So what?" Xiao Chengxu asked coldly.

"Then he will commit suicide."

Xiao Chengxu sneered, "It is a great crime for a concubine to kill herself without permission. If she doesn't care about the lives of the Qi family, why should I care?"

The death of Concubine Qi just happened to be of use. The Qi family must be eliminated, it is just a matter of time.

The implication is that he has no intention of meeting Concubine Qi.

Knowing Xiao Chengxu's attitude, Feng An no longer indulged Concubine Qi and directly conveyed his original words word for word.

After hearing this, Concubine Qi's face suddenly turned pale and she was about to collapse.

Didn't the emperor care about her life or death? He didn't care about the Qi family behind her. They were the emperor's clan. Half of the emperor's blood was from the Qi family.

Feng An felt contempt in his heart. He wanted to use his life to force the emperor, but he didn't even consider how heavy his own life was. It was as light as a feather. The emperor was not moved at all.