Quick Transmigration: The Charming Beauty Who Was Short-Lived and Alluring

Consort Zhao was highly favored, and everyone in the palace avoided her. Even the court had heard of her, but people outside the palace mostly heard about her through word of mouth and didn't know the inside story. It wasn't until His Majesty, in order to please Consort Zhao, followed the tradition of Huzhou and released hundreds and thousands of Kongming lanterns that people had a more concrete understanding of how favored Consort Zhao was.

The majestic imperial palace stands in the center of the capital, surrounded by guards on all sides, making it the focus of everyone's attention. Not to mention the many Kongming lanterns floating out of the palace, the people, upon hearing the news, spontaneously came out of their homes and looked up at the sky full of lanterns.

"Mother, why are there so many lights in the sky?" A little girl asked curiously, tugging at her mother's sleeve.

"I heard it was His Majesty who set it off for a concubine in the palace," the girl's mother replied.

"Oh." The girl nodded knowingly. "Is it to make the Empress happy? Just like how Father bought Mother her favorite jade hairpin to make her happy, the Empress in the palace must like Kongming lanterns."

"probably."

The little girl was overjoyed to receive her mother's answer, her eyes shining brightly. "I want to find a husband who loves his wife as much as His Majesty and Father do," she said.

The young woman lovingly stroked her daughter's head without speaking, but worry flashed in her eyes. A woman has very few choices in life, and marriage is like a second reincarnation. If she is not careful, she will be doomed. Even though she was lucky enough to meet a good family, she still suffered a lot, but she could not tell outsiders. Thinking that her daughter might also suffer from her husband's family in the future, she felt a pang of heartache and wished that her child would never grow up and would stay by her side forever.

The little girl, however, did not understand her mother's heart. She squeezed into the crowd and looked up at the sky full of lanterns.

Children speak without restraint, and even if someone overheard them, they would only laugh. The onlookers did not notice that a carriage was quietly passing by behind them. The person sitting in the carriage had sharp ears and eyes and heard all their conversation.

The carriage drove all the way to Zhuque Street, a place frequented by dignitaries, and stopped in front of the largest mansion there.

The gatekeeper knelt on the ground to welcome his master back.

"Go and check on the situation in the palace."

A cold male voice came from inside the carriage.

The guard standing beside the carriage immediately replied, "Yes." Then he spurred his horse and rode away, his black figure quickly disappearing into the night.

The steward had already approached the carriage and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Highness must be tired from your journey. Please come in and rest."

"Hmm." Qi Qingjia, who had been concentrating with her eyes closed, opened them, her eyes filled with a thick layer of frost because of what she had just heard.

*

At the same time, Qi Jingheng in the palace soon received news that Qi Qingjia had returned to the capital.

He clutched the secret report in his hand, his anger rising.

Qi Qingjia is increasingly disregarding him. When leaving the city, he at least tells him, but when he returns, he doesn't even say hello. He really thinks the capital is his own fiefdom, where he can come and go as he pleases.

Even though Qi Qingjia had never paid any attention to him, this blatant disregard still felt like a slap in the face to Qi Jingheng, ruining his good mood.

"Your Majesty, I have written down my wishes, and the lanterns can be released now." Chu Yun walked over with a smile, carrying an exquisite river lantern in her hand.

Qi Jingheng put the secret report back into his sleeve, and when he turned to look at Chu Yun, the resentment on his face had completely disappeared.

"Now that it's finished, my beloved consort, let's go release the lanterns together," Qi Jingheng said with a smile. Although his act was flawless, a closer look revealed that his smile was somewhat stiff and the joy didn't reach his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Shuangxue handed the lamp that belonged to Qi Jingheng to Eunuch Gao, who then passed it on to Qi Jingheng.

Chu Yun and Qi Jingheng walked side by side towards the pond. Seeing that the palace servants were still some distance behind them, she said softly, "If Your Majesty has something urgent, you can postpone lighting the lanterns today."

She lowered her voice, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Qi Jingheng.

Qi Jingheng asked calmly, "What does my beloved consort mean by this?"

Chu Yun gently bit her lip, meeting Qi Jingheng's gaze, "Your Majesty seems to be in a bad mood and I don't want to put you in a difficult position."

These words left Qi Jingheng momentarily stunned.

He had originally written his wishes with Chu Yun in the palace, but he wrote quickly and then sat down to watch Chu Yun write. He was indeed very relaxed and in a good mood at the time. However, when the guards rushed over with a secret report, he immediately stood up and left the Falling Cherry Blossom Palace without saying a word.

Qi Qingjia was truly presumptuous, so even though he buried his displeasure deep inside, a trace of negative emotion still leaked out. The eunuchs and maids behind him couldn't see these emotions, and even Eunuch Gao couldn't see them. Or rather, even if they did see them, they didn't dare to say them easily, for fear of disturbing his mood.

Only Chu Yun could see through it all and dared to say it out loud, hoping that he wouldn't suppress his feelings or force a smile, and that she truly cared about him.

Qi Jingheng found it hard to describe his feelings. He stopped, lowered his eyes, and carefully examined the beautiful face of the woman in front of him.

He knew she was simple-minded, perhaps because she had been separated from her family since childhood and had weak kinship ties. Beneath her respectful and gentle exterior lay a rather cold heart. But she was kind after all, so she was willing to do her best to help everyone. However, if one wanted to truly reach her heart, one needed to hold that heart close to their hand all day long and nourish it with love and care.

After nearly two months of getting along, Qi Jingheng had asked himself how he could be so caring and gentle towards Chu Yun, and he had finally won her growing dependence and admiration day by day.

She liked him, so she didn't want him to do anything against his will. Qi Jingheng read her thoughts in Chu Yun's eyes. He raised his hand to touch Chu Yun's cheek, then quickly moved it away.

"Don't overthink it. It was a tricky matter, but it's been resolved. The most important thing is to release the lanterns with you today," Qi Jingheng whispered in Chu Yun's ear.

Chu Yun was relieved and nodded.

Qi Jingheng simply took Chu Yun's hand, told the people behind him not to follow, and started walking forward.

The water rippled, the moonlight shone through, casting shimmering patterns on the surface. A gentle breeze occasionally caressed the face. In such a quiet and beautiful place, it was easy to let down one's guard, and Qi Jingheng's suppressed emotions also relaxed for a moment.

The two placed their lanterns into the pond. The lotus-shaped lanterns moved slowly with the water, like two small boats on the sea, swaying forward but always staying close together, as if no force could separate them.

Under the hazy moonlight, the woman clasped her hands together, making a sincere wish, her blooming skirt gently lifted by the wind.

Qi Jingheng stared at Chu Yun without saying a word, his eyes deep, as if he wanted to etch her into his heart.