Chapter 86 Sinful, Sinful

Deep in the night, the Kunning Palace was dimly lit and quiet. The night air on the palace steps was as cool as water. Occasionally, a couple of coughs came from inside, disturbing the frog croaks in the pond.

Qin Mu Shi carried a bowl of dark medicine, brushing aside the crystal bead curtain to enter the inner hall. In an instant, the medicinal smell permeated the hall.

Qin Zhengya lay weakly on the bed, his black hair spread out on the pillow, his complexion slightly pale. His clear eyes appeared misty and hazy in the enchanting lamplight. His thin body was covered with a thin blanket, revealing the outline of a waist that could be encircled by one hand.

“Ya’er, it’s time, hurry and drink some more.” His birth father Qin Mu Shi sat by the bed with the medicine, coaxing his son to drink it.

Smelling the medicine, Qin Zhengya coughed even more severely: “Father, this is already the third bowl today. I really can’t drink anymore.”

Qin Mu Shi sighed: “You child, how can there be medicine for treating illness that you can’t drink? The sooner you drink it, the sooner you’ll get better, and the sooner you can serve Her Majesty and conceive an imperial heir.”

At the mention of Yue Shen, Qin Zhengya’s expression darkened.

Knowing his son well, seeing Qin Zhengya’s face fall, Qin Mu Shi said directly: “Tell me, you’ve been in the palace for so long, and Her Majesty has always favored you. Why is there still no movement in your belly?”

“How would I know? Isn’t it better not to conceive?” In front of his own father, Qin Zhengya simply threw a tantrum.

“Ya’er!” Qin Mu Shi put away his gentle expression and said seriously: “You are now the Empress, not the young master at home who can act willfully. Our family’s honor and prosperity rest on you alone. You must conceive an imperial heir.”

“Before, there was a Rong Fei in the palace who competed with you for favor, but now no one in the entire harem dares to challenge you. Why don’t you seize the opportunity? What are you waiting for?”

Qin Zhengya looked at his birth father in astonishment. In his memory, his father had never spoken to him so sternly before. At home, he had always been cherished and pampered.

Why had even his birth father’s attitude towards him changed since he entered the palace?

He suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Everything had changed. In the face of family interests, affection was worthless. All the Qin family members were not truly concerned about his safety, but worried about his belly.

He knew that for the Qin family, he was just a tool for bearing children, but he never imagined that even his birth father would view him this way.

Qin Zhengya revealed a bitter smile with difficulty, enduring the chill in his heart: “I understand, Father. I was just joking.”

Qin Mu Shi looked at him reproachfully and poured a mouthful of thick liquid into his mouth: “You can’t say such things in the future. I’ve brought some fertility tonics from the common people. Remember to drink them every day, so you can conceive an imperial heir soon…”

Qin Zhengya was forced to swallow a mouthful of bitter medicine. Already weak, he felt even more unwell and choked out all the medicine in one breath.

“Alas!” Qin Mu Shi put down the medicine bowl. Not only did he not wipe the medicine from the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, but he also looked at Qin Zhengya’s flat belly and complained: “Your younger brother is already two months pregnant. Why is there still no movement in your belly?”

Hearing Qin Mu Shi’s incessant nagging, Qin Zhengya suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable, his eyes reddening.

Having children, having children, was that all his life was about?

Was there anyone in this world who truly cared about him?

“If I had known this would happen, we shouldn’t have listened to the Empress Dowager back then. It would have been better to send your younger brother into the palace,” Qin Mu Shi’s words reached his ears.

“What did you say?” Qin Zhengya grabbed Qin Mu Shi’s hand.

What did he mean by not listening to the Empress Dowager? Wasn’t he the one who entered the palace?

Qin Mu Shi sighed: “Originally, your mother thought you were of age, and the matter of the imperial selection kept being delayed without a definite date. She thought it would be better to betroth you to the newly crowned Zhuangyuan Qiu Shuzhi at the time, and then send your younger brother into the palace when the imperial selection began. Who knew that in the end, you would enter the palace, and your belly would remain quiet for so long.”

Qin Mu Shi was still muttering about Qin Zhengya’s belly, but Qin Zhengya’s mind was buzzing, as if a huge thunderclap had exploded in his ears.

The newly crowned Zhuangyuan Qiu Shuzhi, Official Qiu,

Originally, he was supposed to marry Official Qiu,

Qin Zhengya gasped in disbelief, forcing his already weak body to sit up.

“Ya’er, what are you doing? You’re still ill, you mustn’t harm your body. Otherwise, if you can’t conceive in the future, what will we do? Lie down quickly! Lie down quickly!” Qin Mu Shi cried out in alarm.

“Father, Father,” Qin Zhengya’s eyes flashed with excited redness. He tightly gripped Qin Mu Shi’s sleeve, his dry, pale lips trembling: “What exactly happened back then? Tell me quickly? Why was I the one who entered the palace in the end?”

Seeing Qin Zhengya so agitated, Qin Mu Shi hurriedly supported his swaying body and said: “When the golden list was announced, among the top three, only Qiu Shuzhi had entered based on true talent and learning. She was also quite favored by the Empress Dowager. Your mother thought that since the Empress Dowager intended to support her, we might as well take her as our Qin family’s daughter-in-law. With some nurturing, she might even become a second Prefect of Shuntian.”

“Moreover, at that time, many of the concubine-born young masters in the mansion were already infatuated with her. They actively sought a marriage alliance but were turned away. Your mother felt that she had high aspirations and looked down on concubine-born sons. Coincidentally, you were getting older, and if the imperial selection didn’t take place soon, it would be difficult to find a wife’s family later due to your age. So she simply decided to betroth you to Qiu Shuzhi. You are the legitimate son from a noble family, surely Qiu Shuzhi would agree.”

Qin Zhengya remembered. So that’s why he had heard those concubine-born brothers crying and weeping in the mansion after being refused marriage. He never thought he was also part of the scheme.

“Then… what did Official Qiu say…” Qin Zhengya hurriedly asked.

Suddenly, his face turned pale, his body trembling slightly, becoming extremely haggard in an instant.

What else could she say? If Official Qiu truly had feelings for him, how would he be suffering in the deep palace now?

Qin Mu Shi saw through his son’s thoughts and comforted him: “Don’t worry, you are the legitimate son of the Qin family. At that time, Qiu Shuzhi was just a newly crowned Zhuangyuan without any foundation. How would she dare to refuse you?”

“Then why?” Qin Zhengya tugged at Qin Mu Shi’s sleeve, his eyes pleading.

“That day was unfortunately rainy. Our matchmaker sent to deliver the card hadn’t even reached the Qiu family’s door when she saw the Crown Prince’s carriage from afar. The matchmaker said she saw the usually grim and fierce Crown Prince smiling and chatting with Qiu Shuzhi, soft as a puppy, so she didn’t dare approach rashly.”

“Who knew the Crown Prince would still discover her. He snatched the invitation card from the matchmaker’s hand and tore it to pieces in front of her. His gaze was extremely terrifying. The matchmaker was so frightened she ran back stumbling and crawling.”

“When we heard that the Crown Prince was also involved, we decided to drop the matter to avoid trouble.”

“So that’s how it was.” Qin Zhengya lowered his head, his long hair covering his brows and eyes, making his expression unreadable. Only his tone was exceptionally calm and cold, so cold it seemed strange.

“Yes, your mother and I found it strange at the time. It wasn’t until we heard the news of their wedding that we realized the Crown Prince had already set his sights on his wife-master and was guarding against rivals.” Qin Mu Shi sighed: “But speaking of which, their wedding was exceptionally lively. The fireworks in the sky didn’t stop all night. I heard Qiu Shuzhi even distributed porridge outside the city. That scene…”

“Father.” Qin Zhengya abruptly interrupted his chattering: “I’m a bit tired and want to rest early. Father, you should go back first.”

Qin Mu Shi didn’t notice anything unusual about Qin Zhengya and obediently left Kunning Palace.

It was Cai Er who stood by his side, worried. He had always known that Qin Zhengya harbored some unspeakable feelings for Official Qiu. Qin Mu Shi’s words just now probably stimulated him even more unconsciously…

“Young master,” Cai Er was anxious but didn’t dare to approach.

“Heh!” Lying on the bed, Qin Zhengya suddenly let out a low laugh.

The light voice floated in the empty palace, cold and chilling to the bone, freezing Cai Er into a shiver.

“Haha… hahahahaha….” Qin Zhengya lay on the bed laughing loudly, his laughter almost desperate.

His thin body trembled slightly with his desperate laughter, so fragile it seemed it would break with a touch. A tear slid from the corner of his eye. The dim lamplight cast a hazy glow on his profile, presenting an extreme sense of brokenness.

Suddenly, he sat up abruptly on the bed, his bare feet stepping on the cold floor tiles. His long hair was disheveled, his face as pale as paper, his expression frenzied like a ghost.

“Yue Guanyi, Yue Guanyi, Yue Guanyi,” he screamed his name almost tearingly, his tone filled with intense, crazy hatred, his clear and bright eyes bursting with bright red bloodshot.

It was Yue Guanyi who ruined him!

It was Yue Guanyi who stole the wife-master who should have belonged to him!

If Yue Guanyi hadn’t interfered that day, he would have been the one to marry Official Qiu! Now he would be the one living in conjugal bliss with Official Qiu, in perfect harmony.

He tore apart his marriage, stole his wife-master, ruined his life, and still flaunted it in front of him.

If it weren’t for him, if he were dead…

Qin Zhengya’s eyes were bulging, his expression twisted and intertwined. Resentment, like the hands of fierce ghosts crawling out from the ground, spread throughout his body, tearing at his limbs and bones, permeating every drop of his blood, surging overwhelmingly.

“Yue Guanyi, I will never let you go!” Qin Zhengya’s throat was torn apart, a stream of fresh blood spilling from his mouth. The bright red blood stained his pale face, like a reborn ghost of vengeance. His frenzied tearing sounds echoed in the palace like the wailing of ghosts, the resentment lingering for a long time.

Cai Er collapsed on the ground in fright. He had served Qin Zhengya for over a decade but had never seen him reveal such a frenzied appearance.

Was this still the elegant and graceful legitimate son of the Qin family? The hatred in his eyes was as deadly as a poisonous snake, no different from that fierce ghost Yue Guanyi.