It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

As the distance shortened, he noticed clearly for the first time that the once familiar and beautiful face was now covered with fine wrinkles, and the skin no longer had the firmness and luster of the past.

At that moment, Pei Chi'an's smile froze, and an imperceptible complex emotion flashed in his eyes unconsciously.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted to the lively and energetic girl at the lantern festival, which formed a sharp contrast with the concubine in front of him who had experienced many vicissitudes of life and was deeply involved in the turmoil of the palace.

Since childhood, he grew up under the protection of Concubine Pei, and she was the only woman around him who had a profound influence on him.

When they were young, they maintained a relatively harmonious relationship, but as time went by and he grew older, the indescribable feelings in his heart quietly sprouted and became increasingly difficult to ignore.

Concubine Pei lowered her eyes, concentrating on tidying up Pei Chi'an's hair. She did not notice the subtle changes in his heart. Her fingertips gently stroked his black hair, and her tone was gentle and slightly sad: "I understand that everything you do is for the Pei family. I also know that you have no real love for Miss Wu."

"Don't worry, I won't blame you. After you marry Miss Wu, it's understandable to find a suitable opportunity to let her life end due to some 'accident'."

"After all, as long as the Wu family's bloodline can be continued, her personal existence is not really important."

There was an incredible calmness in her words, as if she was talking about a very ordinary little thing.

Hearing this, Pei Chi'an's pupils shrank slightly, and he quickly suppressed his inner fluctuations. He returned to his usual gentleness and elegance, smiling as he massaged her shoulders, which were tired from illness. "Yes, girl, everything is up to you."

Seeing her nephew so well-behaved and obedient, Concubine Pei felt a warm current surge in her heart, as if even the pain that had lingered for a long time was alleviated a little.

She slowly loosened her clenched hands and held his hand instead, with a hint of loneliness in her tone: "If you are free these few days, come and accompany the girl more often."

When their palms touched, an inexplicable emotion surged into Pei Chi'an's heart like a tide, and an unprecedented feeling of oppression almost made him instinctively pull back his hand.

In the past, no matter how close he was to Concubine Pei, he was always full of joy and enjoyed the love from his elders.

But now, such a slight contact made him feel a little disgusted and uncomfortable.

Concubine Pei caught the subtle change in his expression and asked with concern: "Chi'an, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Pei Chi'an suddenly came back to his senses, quickly adjusted his mood, raised his head and replied: "My nephew is just worried about the girl's physical condition. Can those imperial doctors really not find the cause of the disease?"

Concubine Pei looked haggard and nodded with a worried look on her face: "Yes, the imperial doctors came and went many times, and in the end they only told me that the root of my illness lies in my heart."

Pei Chi'an's eyes flickered, his mind raced, and he suddenly suggested, "How about letting the young lady try a doctor outside the palace? I heard that outside the palace walls, there are many miraculous doctors walking around the world, who are good at treating all kinds of strange diseases."

While speaking, he took advantage of Concubine Pei's distraction and quietly pulled his hand away. The slightly cool feeling seemed to make him feel a little relaxed.

"It is said that those folk doctors have unique methods and may be able to find a cure for the girl."

Hearing this, Concubine Pei's eyes flashed with a long-lost hope, and her body unconsciously sat up straighter: "Oh? Do you know any good doctors?"

Pei Chi'an hesitated for a moment and answered cautiously: "I heard that there is a hermit master, but whether he is willing to enter the palace is still to be discussed."

Concubine Pei's eyes lit up, and she pulled out a heavy stack of banknotes from her wide sleeves, and said confidently: "As long as there is enough compensation, there is no doctor who cannot be hired."

Pei Chi'an took the banknote and bowed respectfully: "Yes, nephew will follow my aunt's instructions."

The Toffee nodded in satisfaction, patted the cushion beside him, and motioned him to come closer: "Come, let's talk for a while longer."

Pei Chi'an's eyes moved slightly, and he bent down and sat down calmly as he was told. The two of them sat together in silence, enjoying this rare peaceful time.

At the same time, a completely different scene was presented inside and outside the palace.

Inside the palace, high red walls blocked out the noise from the outside world. The palace maids and eunuchs kept their heads down and moved around expressionlessly, keeping the palace in order.

However, the atmosphere in Emperor Xuan's Qing'an Palace was unusually lively. These past few days, he was either searching around the palace or concentrating on making lanterns in his study, his mind full of the figure of the mysterious woman.

A group of young palace maids and eunuchs surrounded him, carefully cutting bamboo strips or drawing delicate patterns on paper. Everyone was doing their best to fulfill the emperor's wishes.

Emperor Xuan personally directed the work, being demanding of every detail, and occasionally making dissatisfied comments: "This one is too crude, no!"

"This lantern is too large and does not meet the requirements."

"The color combination is not harmonious enough, redo it!"

The palace servants were trembling with fear, afraid of angering this capricious emperor, and beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

After several hours of hard work, a lantern finally stood out and won the favor of Emperor Xuan.

He held the intricately crafted phoenix totem lantern in his hand, but still sat on the dragon chair with a worried look on his face, and sighed softly: "Although the lantern is finished, the person has not been found yet."

Ever since he met the clever and cunning woman at the orchid lantern festival, he had fallen into a deep obsession, unable to sleep at night, and eager to meet her again to resolve the doubts and resentment in his heart.

At first, he planned to find her and punish her severely, so that she would remember the consequences of disrespecting the king.

As time went by, this impulse gradually turned into a desire to see with his own eyes what kind of charm this daring woman had, and in the end, he even had the idea of ​​giving her a lantern he made by himself as compensation.

So, he worked hard and finally decided that the phoenix pattern would be worthy of her gifted temperament.

At this moment, the personal eunuch Jiang Gonggong stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, have you reviewed the memorial submitted by Prime Minister Wu?"

Emperor Xuan waved his hand and refused impatiently: "No, no, let my brother handle these trivial matters for me."

Eunuch Jiang sighed and shook his head, as if he was about to say something but stopped himself: "Your Majesty, I remember that when the Regent informed you of the princess's whereabouts, you did not have this attitude."

Emperor Xuan laughed even more heartily, and seemed to be in a good mood: "You don't understand, my brother has deep feelings for my elder sister, and my elder sister's affairs will naturally be his from now on. I am very relieved to have him help me manage the country."

Seeing that Emperor Xuan was obviously not interested in handling government affairs, Eunuch Jiang had no choice but to walk to the desk, brush aside the bamboo pieces and colored papers scattered on the table, find the neglected memorial, and present it again: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Wu mentioned your lifelong event this time, and this matter should not be taken lightly."