Tearing the Prince's Clothes after Withdrawing Marriage
Chapter 340 - 339: The Woman in the Painting, Is It Her?

Chapter 340: Chapter 339: The Woman in the Painting, Is It Her?

The Palace Maid was about to push the door open and enter.

Without a second thought, Chu Qianli picked up Fu Long and casually tossed him onto the bed.

Afterward, a quilt completely covered the two people on the bed.

With a casual flick of her wrist, the gauze curtain fell.

She quickly walked to the door, and by the time the Palace Maid pushed the door open, Chu Qianli was already blocking her way.

"What do you need from me?"

The Palace Maid instinctively glanced inside.

Since nobody had come out for a while, it was natural for anyone to be suspicious.

Chu Qianli took another step forward, her face expressionless, "Which palace are you from?"

The Palace Maid, not noticing anything unusual, came back to her senses and leaned forward to bow, "Miss, I am from Xianlan Palace, by command of Consort Yu, requesting your immediate presence at Xianlan Palace."

"Consort Yu?" The mother of Prince Xiaoyao, Feng Wuya.

However, Chu Qianli did not have much contact with her, having only met her once or twice.

"Do you know why Consort Yu is seeking me? Do you, big sister?"

She couldn’t help wanting to look back; she was unsure how the two on the bed were now.

She couldn’t let them lay there indefinitely; what if someone discovered them?

The young Palace Maid said, "Her Highness has an urgent matter and hopes you can come right away."

"Can it wait a moment for me to tidy up first?"

At the very least, she needed to take care of the two on the bed.

"Miss, Her Highness says it’s an emergency, and wishes for you to come immediately; she cannot wait any longer!"

"Is it so urgent?" Chu Qianli still wanted to look back.

Yet, she feared that turning around might arouse the Palace Maid’s suspicion.

Seeing her look troubled, the young Palace Maid also began to grow suspicious, "Miss, is there anything inconvenient?"

She instinctively peered inside.

"Nothing inconvenient, I’ll come with you right now."

Chu Qianli quickly stepped forward, blocking her from entering.

She then casually closed the door.

Consort Yu probably summoned her due to feeling unwell and wanted her to take a look.

She should be able to return soon.

As for the two on the bed... now in their drunken state, it was likely they wouldn’t do anything they shouldn’t.

Moreover, she would be right back...

"Miss?" The young Palace Maid felt like something was off in the room.

Why did it seem like Chu Qianli was so anxious to leave?

"It’s nothing, I’ll follow you now."

Chu Qianli was helpless, facing a need for quick action.

This secluded spot of hers should not receive any visitors.

Such a short time; nobody would come, right?

...

"Your Highness, Miss Lili has arrived." The young Palace Maid brought Chu Qianli to the sleeping quarters of Xianlan Palace and then left.

Inside, there was only Consort Yu.

"I greet Consort Yu."

Chu Qianli walked in.

Observing Consort Yu’s complexion, which seemed no different than usual, she appeared spirited and healthy.

"May I know why Her Highness has summoned me here?"

"It’s nothing much; I just wanted to talk and have a chat," Consort Yu said with a smile, "Come, take a seat."

Chu Qianli’s heart sank; her mind preoccupied with the matters of Fu Long and Long Ziyue.

She needed to hurry back to devise a way to awaken those two.

Otherwise, how could she send them back?

"Little Lili?" Consort Yu’s voice suddenly intensified.

Chu Qianli jumped, then realized and hurriedly thanked her, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Afterward, she walked to Consort Yu’s side and sat down.

"What’s the matter? Why do you look so preoccupied? Did something happen just now?"

"It’s nothing, I’m just a bit tired today," Chu Qianli smiled and responded cautiously.

Although Consort Yu appeared to be gentle and generous, and because her son had been ill since childhood, she seemed to strive for a peaceful existence in the harem.

But there was always a deep-seated intensity in Consort Yu’s brow that she couldn’t quite conceal.

Yes, it was as if the murderous air had been diligently hidden away, now manifesting as a profound depth.

However, Consort Yu didn’t harbor much malice towards her, at least that much Chu Qianli could discern.

"I wonder what Your Highness wishes to talk about?" she asked.

"Little Lili seems quite restrained. Are you eager to leave?" Consort Yu asked with a smile.

Chu Qianli pursed her lips before replying, "There is... some restraint."

This Consort Yu had an acute eye; if this continued, she might suspect that something had indeed happened on Chu Qianli’s side.

"Well, let’s not just sit here and chat. Little Lili, accompany me for a walk," Consort Yu suggested.

Consort Yu stood up first and walked towards the door.

Chu Qianli also immediately stood up to follow, but out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to catch sight of something.

A scroll of a painting.

Upon closer inspection, she abruptly stood up and quickly approached the scroll.

"She..."

"Oh, she is an old acquaintance of mine," Consort Yu’s face changed subtly.

Suddenly, she moved quickly to take the scroll and placed it inside a box.

After that, Chu Qianli took the time to look around carefully.

This was where Consort Yu spent her daily life, very ancient and elegant, and most importantly, there was a pervasive scent of sandalwood.

The scent of Buddha.

Consort Yu was a devout Buddhist.

In front of the earlier painting, there was a meditation cushion.

The cushion looked rather worn, clearly having been used for many years.

And judging by the traces on it, Consort Yu seemed to frequently kneel there for prayer and chanting.

Everything looked quite natural except for that painting.

Moreover, Consort Yu’s immediate action to stow away the painting was indeed too peculiar.

In ancient paintings, it was actually very difficult to discern someone’s real face, at best they were but fifty percent similar.

Yet, even with a painting that was only so moderately similar, Chu Qianli could clearly see that the woman in the picture seemed familiar.

For a moment, however, she couldn’t remember where she had seen her before.

Consort Yu took her hand, "Little Lili, why are your hands so cold?"

Chu Qianli then came back to her senses and hurriedly said, "It’s nothing, perhaps I am just tired today."

"Then stay with me tonight, I will have someone take good care of you."

Consort Yu had also inquired about the situation at Yuhua Palace.

Chu Qianli lived in the most secluded corner there. The palace maids and eunuchs would not bother delivering things if they found it too troublesome.

They were all servants who curried favor and looked down on others.

"Your Highness, the woman in the painting just now..." As they walked out of the side hall, Chu Qianli couldn’t help but voice her lingering question, "Who is she?"

Consort Yu looked at her, seemingly hesitating to speak.

Chu Qianli would not normally act this way, but today, she was somewhat fixated.

She just wanted to know, "Your Highness, who exactly is that woman?"

"She was an old acquaintance of mine, no longer of this world," Consort Yu said.

Upon hearing this, Chu Qianli’s complexion inexplicably paled, and she clutched at Consort Yu’s clothes, "Could she be... could she be Long Qianyue?"

Consort Yu looked surprised, "Long Qianyue?"

Could it not be her?

But why... why did she feel that this woman had a very different connection to her?

The facial features, the demeanor... Chu Qianli’s heart tightened again and again.

Could it really not be Long Qianyue?