Chapter 211: She Only Wants Me

Xiao Shunzi saw the old woman move to strike, her eyes about to burst, she shielded with her body and stubbornly took a few blows.

A hoarse voice shouted: "How dare you! Who dares to move the Master!"

Li Ping'er wept rain‑like tears, and together with Xiao Shunzi she clung protectively in front of Wan Tang.

Wan Tang, frail, sobbed and allowed herself to be pulled.

Xiao Shunzi endured the punches and kicks, turned her head and urgently cried: "Master! Will you just let them trample you?!"

The old woman, hearing that, grew even more brazen.

Wan Tang, as if forced into a corner, lifted her tear‑filled eyes, her voice trembling yet carrying a final glimmer: "You… truly aren't afraid that Your Majesty will find out?"

"Although I, this palace, do not wish to disturb Your Majesty's peace… but Your Majesty… Your Majesty will never tolerate this!"

She deliberately spoke weakly, just hoping the person outside could hear.

The Chief Eunuch and the old woman instantly burst into harsh snickers.

"Consort is still dreaming?" the old woman spat, "Your Majesty himself said 'never meet again', what are you still hoping for?"

Another old woman added viciously: "Aunt Bai Wei has issued the order; you only need to keep breathing! Who cares about her life or death!"

Having said that, they roughly flipped Li Ping'er and Xiao Shunzi onto the ground, lifted Wan Tang and dragged her toward the inner chamber.

"Master!" Li Ping'er cried, trying to rush forward.

The Chief Eunuch, with a cold face, blocked her, his voice icy: "Answering, please return; the misfortune of this Cold Palace is not something you can touch."

Wan Tang's whole body ached unbearably, yet she could only clench her teeth fiercely.

She couldn't help but wonder why the Emperor still made no move at all.

Since Chu Yunzheng had from the start intended to cover this up for her, there was no reason for him to hear these sounds and remain indifferent, right?

Wan Tang felt puzzled.

【Dog Emperor still feels heartache, and even threw a punch at the wall; such a commotion, the fist must be bleeding!】

【What a pity, he has an agreement with the Empress Dowager, so he can't.】

【Who made Chu Yunzheng's ascension to the throne so unscrupulous? He ignores Wan Tang, indifferent to anyone.】

Wan Tang grew irritated by what she heard.

What on earth do the words in the Barrage mean!

Chu Yunzheng is outside, yet remains unmoved.

The Empress Dowager shields, the Empress is vicious, and with only Li Ping'er and Xiao Shunzi, they cannot protect her at all.

It is a great fortune that Hui Guifei was able to take Minghui away.

She must save herself.

Now, the only one who can save her is the Emperor; as long as the Emperor shows his face, the Cold Palace situation would be entirely different.

Otherwise, she will be tormented every moment.

She suddenly mustered all her strength, breaking free from one old woman's grip.

Her voice was heartrending, carrying a final sliver of hope as she demanded: "You act like this… does the Emperor know?!"

The Chief Eunuch sneered, his tone cool: "Know how? And if not, what then?"

"Consort, your existence to Your Majesty has long been insignificant."

Those words, like a final verdict, shattered the last light in Wan Tang's eyes.

"Heh, if that's so, why become a burden? Emperor, I was wrong for never daring to think about my own origins…"

"In the next life, I shall marry a virtuous family and grow old together with you…"

She staggered a step, despairing tears welling in her eyes, murmuring half‑finished, resolute verses, each word bleeding.

Immediately, under everyone's shocked gaze, she violently broke free from the other hand's restraint.

She used all her strength, resolutely slamming herself hard against the cold wall!

"Master! Don't!" Xiao Shunzi let out a gut‑wrenching scream.

"Master! Dying like this is not worth it!" Li Ping'er cried, lunging forward to block.

The two old women were terrified, their souls fleeing, instinctively reaching to pull, but it was already too late.

Only the Chief Eunuch remained, his expression cold as usual, even with a hint of annoyance.

He barked coldly: "What are you panicking about! When does this palace not have deaths? She wants to die herself, who can stop her!"

"Heh."

A light snicker came from outside the door, with a hint of amusement.

Li Defu, hands in his pockets, paced in, his gaze lazily sweeping over the scene.

The Chief Eunuch's complexion changed abruptly, hurriedly bowing forward, his face full of flattery: "Grandmaster Li! How do you grace this filthy place?"

His cuff twitched slightly, and a silver token slipped silently across.

Li Defu brushed his sleeve, precisely evading that glint of silver.

His voice, steady and unhurried: "I, the humble one, am not afraid of dirty sights, only fear this commotion… it might startle the Holy Majesty."

The Chief Eunuch forced a laugh: "Your Majesty attends to myriad affairs daily, and this Cold Palace is remote…"

Before the words finished, Li Defu's gaze suddenly fixed on the folds of Li Ping'er's collar and the red marks on her cheek.

His complexion darkened abruptly, and he let out a cold snort, turning his face away.

Slow, heavy footsteps approached from the corridor, each thud striking the heart's tip.

A dark‑blue dragon‑patterned robe corner appeared at the doorway, Chu Yunzheng stood with his arms crossed, his face veiled in frost.

The Chief Eunuch and the old women trembled all over, their faces pallid, collapsing on the ground shaking like sifted chaff, even the strength to bow their heads lost.

【Oh dear, Tangtang really wants to find a mate, why be so foolish? Didn't we all say the Dog Emperor is also helpless!】

【Looks like Wan Tang truly has feelings for the Dog Emperor; otherwise she wouldn't be so heart‑broken.】

Look, Chu Yunzheng can't stand any longer now! He's finally stepping forward!

Wan Tang at this moment curls up on the ground.

Her head hurts, yet a laugh threatens to burst from her heart.

She isn't foolish; a staged scene is enough—why risk her life for real?

Since the Emperor has arrived, close your eyes quickly.

Chu Yunzheng's steps are unusually heavy, each stride as if bearing a thousand‑pound shackles, and calculation and worry clash fiercely in his eyes.

He ignores the kneeling crowd in the courtyard and walks straight toward the fragile figure by the wall.

He slowly bends his knee, his movement so gentle it borders on reverence, and pulls Wan Tang's cold body into his arms.

His trembling fingertips brush away the blood‑stained hair clinging to her forehead, inspecting the shocking wound.

At that moment, Wan Tang's lashes flutter slightly, and she opens her eyes hazily, her gaze unfocused yet fixed on his face.

She suddenly blossoms a sweet yet feeble smile, her breath weak, uttering childlike babble:

"If I had known I could be held by the Emperor like this even on Huangquan Lu… I wouldn't be trembling…"

She says, using her last strength to press her cheek deeper into his chest.

Her icy little hand clutches one of his fingers tightly, as if seizing a life‑saving float.

Then, exhausted, she slowly closes her eyes, as if peacefully drifting into a deep sleep.

Chu Yunzheng's body jolts, the wholly dependent posture of the one in his arms and her near‑final, delirious words pierce his rational defenses like a sharp knife.

He tightens his arm, his eyes swirling with unhidden pain and struggle.

Li Defu, seeing this, hurried forward a step, his voice pressed low and full of worry: "Your Majesty, if the Empress Dowager were to learn that you…"

"Li Defu," Chu Yunzheng interrupts him, his voice hoarse, trembling with unprecedented vibration and choking, "Did you see?"

He lowers his head, gazing at the pale face in his arms, his eyes filled with pain and deep affection about to overflow.

"She fears not even death… only fears that I am not by her side."

Li Defu's complexion turns suddenly ashen, a storm of terror roiling in his eyes.

He has served the Emperor for nearly thirty years, never having seen him shaken by any person or event to this degree.

The ruler's mind is unfathomable, and the price of defying the holy will is clearer to him than anything.

His throat rolls as he cautiously probes: "Emperor… perhaps first send a trustworthy person to covertly guard the Empress, until the Empress Dowager's side…"

Chu Yunzheng's gaze suddenly sharpens, an undeniable edge flashing.

At that moment, Ouyang Qing rushes in, ignoring the kneeling crowd, and leans in to whisper:

"Emperor, urgent report."

"General Huang Hu has gone missing."

Chu Yunzheng's complexion shifts abruptly, his pupils contracting sharply.

He lowers his head to look at the faint‑breathing Wan Tang in his arms, his eyes surging with immense pain and struggle, as if an invisible hand has clamped his throat.

He, extremely slowly and gently, places Wan Tang back onto the cold ground, as if laying down a priceless treasure.

He leans down, speaking in a breathy tone only the two of them can hear, each word soaked with helplessness and sorrow:

"Tangtang, I have wronged you."

"To make him vanish without a trace, across the world, perhaps only the Xiao Family has such ability. This must be the Empress's doing."

His Adam's apple rolls with difficulty, his voice hoarse and broken: "I… am not in control of my own body."

His fingertips brush her icy cheek one last time, bearing a sense of farewell.

"Live well, and wait for me to fetch you."

Having spoken, he abruptly straightens up.

When he looks up again, all human warmth and pain have been stripped away, leaving only a frost that freezes ten thousand miles and a cold, ruthless dominance over the world.

"Go!"

He flicks his sleeve, turns, his dark dragon robe slicing the stagnant air, and strides away like a comet, without a hint of lingering.

Li Defu and Ouyang Qing feel a chill, immediately compose themselves and hold their breath, then rush to follow closely behind.

The Emperor's figure vanishes completely at the far end of the Gongmen, his heavy footsteps fading away, and the courtyard falls into a terrifying silence.

Two old women collapse on the ground, drenched in cold sweat, trembling like leaves in the wind.

She asks the equally pallid, water‑like Chief Eunuch in a trembling voice: "Chief… what now?"

"Still… still fight?"

The Chief Eunuch snaps back to his senses, glaring at them viciously.

His voice, sharpened by fear, twists: "Fool! Is the Empress greater, or the Emperor?!"

"Em‑Emperor is greater…"

"Then why waste words! Do you all want to lose your heads?!" he shouts, still shaken himself.

Elsewhere, confirming the Emperor has left, Wan Tang opens her eyes.

With Xiao Shunzi and Li Ping'er supporting her, she endures the excruciating pain and struggles to stand.

Her complexion is as pale as paper, blood still wet on her forehead, yet her back stands straight.

The Chief Eunuch scrambles to her side, repeatedly kowtowing: "Empress, forgive us! We Nubi are blind! We collided with the Empress! Please grant us mercy!"

Xiao Shunzi's eyes redden with anger, fists clenched, ready to step forward.

Wan Tang gently raises her hand to block him, her gaze icy as it sweeps over the trembling group on the ground.

Her voice, weak yet undeniably calm, says: "May I now go rest?"

"Yes! Yes yes yes!" The Chief Eunuch, as if granted a pardon, immediately shouts with a sharp voice to the old women, "Hurry and prepare the cleanest room for the Empress! Lay the finest bedding! Quickly!"

"No need." Xiao Shunzi cuts in coldly, tone rigid, "Nubi will do it myself, no need for you to touch it!"

They and Li Ping'er helped Wan Tang, step by step walking toward the room that had just been urgently cleared.

Each step was taken with difficulty, yet no one dared to block them any longer.