The Scheming of Heaven and Earth 004 With Heart Without Heart

  Wei Zhong sent off Shi Gonggong and then brought in two small eunuchs, looking at the three people inside who were staring blankly through the window lattice, his expressionless face floating with a hint of disdainful smile. This Lost Heart Palace was indeed a place that everyone had to pass through, and all the women imprisoned inside were those whose minds had already gone mad due to their crimes.

  He rose from a humble eunuch to become the manager of the entire Forbidden City, over the course of thirty-five years, through three generations of emperors in power. What kind of person hadn't he seen before?

  But it was still the first time he had been put in his place by a seven-year-old princess.

  A master of a certain sort will have servants of the same kind; this stroke of bad luck must be put down to the master's account.

  Living in this cold and desolate palace, does she really think she's still a princess?

  In this cold palace, there are all sorts of people. There are imperial consorts who have been favored or not favored, who have enjoyed glory or not enjoyed glory. There are even princesses who have committed crimes and angered the emperor, leading to their downfall. But among them, there is no one with a noble bloodline and status like this middle palace princess.

  No matter how glorious and honorable it was in the past, for thirty-five years until now, there is not a single exception that anyone who came in could get out.

  Those who come in here either go mad, die, or wish they were dead.

  He wants to see how long this former noble princess can hold on. Or perhaps she will seek death, go mad, or live in torment.

  "Princess, wu……” The stunned Yucui was shocked by a pale and bloodless face that suddenly appeared at the window, staring blankly at her. She retreated in fright, and then burst into uncontrollable sobs, unable to suppress the grief and fear in her heart.

  Yu Zhu looked at the group of frantic women inside, suppressing her urge to escape and closely followed the princess to protect her.

  She and Yu Cui were originally the cleaning palace maids of Shengyuan Palace, and after they turned 25 years old, they could be released from the palace according to the rules. At that time, the Empress asked her and Yu Zhu about their choices, she resolutely chose to serve the princess for life, her family had no relatives, no friends, no ties, even if she was able to leave the palace at 25 years old, what's the point? How could a 25-year-old spinster find a suitable husband?

  Yu Cui's family had no relatives left when she entered the palace, and like her, she chose to take a vow of lifelong service to the princess without hesitation.

  She couldn't figure out why the queen would choose her and Yu Cui to serve as personal attendants to the noble Princess.

  Now that she has experienced such a huge change, she seems to have understood why the queen chose her and Yu Cui. Because they are unencumbered whether in or out of the palace, no matter what happens, they will not easily abandon the princess. From the moment they chose to follow her, they had no way back.

  Lan Yun withdrew her gaze from the crowd and looked at the old eunuch who was smiling with a mixture of disdain and ill intentions, giving him a faint smile: "Eunuch Wei, please lead the way."

  Wei Zhong looked at the calm and composed little princess in front of him, a cold smile spreading across his face. He had seen such feigned composure many times before, but for a seven-year-old princess to be able to remain so calm, it was still somewhat unexpected.

  "Please come with me." As soon as they entered the Cold Palace, it was a crime to be imprisoned here. Everyone would have their titles abolished and their names changed, but this one was different. Her title and her name were the same, although she had been stripped of her title, the Emperor did not change her name or surname. Therefore, he could not openly call her Yuan Shi Wu You, but calling her Princess was even more inappropriate.

  Following Wei Zhong through the long corridor, they finally arrived at a desolate and quiet temple, very small, but for the three of them, it was not too crowded, of course, compared to the Worry-Free Palace, it was like heaven and earth.

  Lan Yun glanced over, without expressing an opinion. On the other hand, Yu Zhu and Yu Cui, who were standing beside her, looked at the simple and desolate temple grounds, both of them gasped in shock, staring at Duke Wei in disbelief.

  Yu Cui, who was impulsive by nature, almost shouted in a shrill voice: "Duke Wei, are you going to allocate such a small courtyard for our princess to live in?"

  Wei Zhong's eyes revealed a hint of disdain, and he didn't even glance at Yu Cui. The two small eunuchs behind him moved in unison, one stepping forward to slap Yu Cui's face.

  Two crisp slapping sounds echoed in the desolate temple, and on Yu Cui's pale face appeared two red swollen fingerprints, enough to see the force.

  Yu Cu seemed as if she had been beaten silly, standing there stupidly without moving at all.

  Yu Zhu's face turned pale, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but after glancing at the princess who remained expressionless, she ended up saying nothing.

  Wei Zhong didn't bother to look at Yu Cui, but his line of sight was secretly paying attention to the princess. Seeing her expression, he had a sudden thought. If he said that in the front hall, this little princess's performance was qualified, then now, the little princess's performance really surprised him.

  Lan Yun slowly turned around and walked towards the inner chamber, this body was being controlled by her strong willpower, otherwise she would have fainted long ago. Now her top priority was to rest well so that she could think clearly.

  "Prince... Princess." Yu Zhu glanced at Yu Cui, then looked at Wei Gonggong and the others, and hastily followed them in.

  Wei Zhongxian glanced at the large wooden box beside Yu Cui, then looked back at Yu Cui who was standing there foolishly. He let out a cold hum from his nose: "Let's go."

  He had to go back and think carefully about how to treat this carefree little princess.

  As usual, everyone who came in was unexceptional, but this little princess brought a large wooden box with her today, which is already an exception.

  Wei Gonggong was secretly pondering in the imperial study, while Shi Ji, who had gone to report back, was also pacing anxiously outside the palace.

  Now that I think about it, I realize that I made a very unwise decision by agreeing to let the princess bring that box into the Cold Palace without consulting the master. The more I think about it, the more frightened I become!

  He has always been cautious in his words and actions, constantly mindful of his identity, but today when facing the carefree princess, he lost his composure.

  Of course, he knew in his heart that the reason he lost his usual caution was because of the sympathy and pity he had for Princess Worry-Free.

  Who would have thought that with this sympathy, he would make a mistake and commit such a big blunder? How is he going to explain it to the Emperor? If the Emperor blames him, he won't even have enough heads to chop off if he had a hundred.

  When Shi Zhi entered the temple, Emperor Qing had already stopped reviewing memorials and was sitting in front of the couch, playing chess alone with his eyes downcast.

  He stepped forward to pay his respects, then nervously raised his head to look at the master's expression, and detailed everything that had happened in the Worry-Free Palace without missing a single word.

  When it came to what Princess Worry-Free had said in the Worry-Free Palace, he clearly saw the emperor's drooping eyelids move slightly, but they didn't lift.

  The air was so thick and heavy that I didn't dare breathe deeply, and I felt like the clothes on my back were all stuck to me with sweat.

  The Emperor finally put down the chess piece between his fingers and said calmly: "You may go."

  Shi Ze took a deep breath and respectfully said, "Yes, I will withdraw." Although his master did not show any anger, he knew clearly that it was not easy for him to escape with his life. He secretly vowed that from now on, he would never again harbor even the slightest bit of sympathy.

  The hall was quiet and silent, Emperor Qing pointed to the chessboard and picked up a chess piece again, slowly and steadily making his move, until there were no more moves left on the board. Only then did he speak out: "I want to know all about Princess Worry's movements."

  No one was seen, but a voice was heard from inside the palace: "By your order."

  Qing Emperor faintly closed his eyes. He had once thought of cutting off all ties with Wu You, but aside from this daughter, he still had five sons and three daughters!

  It's just that this daughter is a bit special, and over the past seven years, intentionally or unintentionally, he has become quite close to this child. Moreover, it was he who allowed her to be born in the first place, and since the entire Liu clan was eliminated by him, sparing her life didn't matter much anyway.

  However, after hearing Shi Zhiyi's words today, he was indeed somewhat unexpected, and for a moment, he couldn't determine whether her behavior today was intentional or unintentional.

  His fingers tapped lightly on the chess table, and Emperor Qing's mouth curved up slightly, as if smiling but not quite.

  With heart, without heart, these two are vastly different! The possibilities are also too great! He won't allow anything beyond his control to happen!