The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 39: Transformation into an Old Lady

Chapter 39: Transformation into an Old Lady

Nanli’s eyes lit up, "This works out perfectly, my lord. You should take it back and give it to the woman you favor."

She couldn’t possibly usurp someone else’s place.

Ye Siheng didn’t reach out to take it, so Nanli stuffed the golden token into his hand and said, "Prince, farewell."

Qing Feng was infuriated and wanted to stop Nanli from leaving, but Ye Siheng stopped him.

He lowered his gaze, his eyes growing even darker.

"Prince, this..."

"She doesn’t have such intentions. It was my misunderstanding. Return to the mansion," Ye Siheng’s voice regained its calmness.

Qing Feng gritted his teeth and could only obey.

The Cold Palace.

The former Noble Imperial Concubine Li had been imprisoned here for two days.

Even in the scorching summer, it was difficult to withstand the coldness of this place.

The meals brought by the palace maids were no longer exquisite delicacies, but cold leftovers.

Li couldn’t even swallow them.

The night grew colder and quieter.

The door creaked open.

Weak and feeble, she raised her head and saw a silhouette against the light.

She squinted her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty... you finally came to see your humble concubine..."

She quickly got up and adjusted her appearance.

She knew that the Emperor would not ignore her.

The person entered the room and let out a cold chuckle, "The court officials criticized you during the court session, and even the Emperor scolded you. The Emperor is currently overwhelmed, how could he come to see you?"

It was a woman.

Li was taken aback.

There was not even a flicker of candlelight in the room, but after a while, she recognized the visitor by her voice.

She rushed forward, "It’s you! It’s you who harmed me!"

The woman pushed her away, and Li, weakened by days of hunger, fell to the ground. "Noble Imperial Concubine, I merely gave you an ancient book. It was your own choice to concoct and consume the Eternal Youth Pill. What does it have to do with me?"

The woman sneered coldly, "No, you are no longer a Noble Imperial Concubine now. You have been demoted to a commoner."

Li breathed heavily, glaring at the woman with hatred, "You instigated me. Otherwise, how could I... how could I do such a thing?"

"No one forced you. It was your desire to preserve your youth and maintain your favor," the woman coldly snorted, "I’m here today to prevent you from having the chance to accuse me."

Li trembled in fear, "Do you dare to kill me? The Emperor loves me so much, he will never let you go!"

"He loves you? Perhaps you don’t know what you look like now," the woman shouted, and two maids entered the room.

One held a candle, the other held a bronze mirror.

They walked straight to Li and let her carefully examine her current appearance.

Li loved looking in the mirror because her beauty never faded, making her resemble a young girl.

But who was the person in the mirror now?

Wrinkles covered her face, her hair half-white, making her look no different from an old lady.

"Ah!" Li pushed away the bronze mirror, covering her face, "My face... how could it be like this? Someone, I need to take the pill, I need to take the pill!"

She frantically searched around, hoping to find another pill.

The woman laughed, "Noble Imperial Concubine, you have been consuming the Eternal Youth Pill for years. Once you stop, it only accelerates your aging. Even immortals cannot save you. Take a good look, this is your true appearance."

"No! This is not my true appearance!" Li shouted, approaching madness.

She began to laugh foolishly, then quickly started to smile, urging the palace maids to dress her up.

The Emperor was coming, and she had to quickly prepare herself to receive him.

The woman stared at her for a while and said, "She’s been scared insane by her own ugliness."

One of the maid asked, "Should we kill her or..."

"Let her live like this," the woman said, turning around and leaving.

Li’s mad laughter continued to echo behind her.

The news of Li’s sudden aging and ugliness, coupled with her madness, spread throughout the palace the next day.

Xie Beihan had just left the palace and hurriedly went to the residence of Marquis Anyang to share this news.

"Sixth sister, Lady Li has only been in the Cold Palace for two or three days, and her appearance has changed so drastically. That beauty elixir is truly uncanny," he exclaimed.

"Indeed, the beauty elixir is derived from the essence of human blood. Once its effects wear off, aging accelerates at an alarming rate," Nanli explained. "She will become even older and uglier than before."

Xie Beihan sighed deeply.

Although Lord’s residence had been raided, the wedding celebrations of the Chu and Xiao families had to proceed as planned.

The entire residence was filled with joy and festivity, adorned in vibrant red.

Chu Shuo particularly enjoyed organizing such celebrations, as it provided him and Lady Qian with an excuse to present gifts to everyone and have new outfits made.

Nanli naturally had more than one set of new attire.

Chu Shuo sent them to Nanli, hoping she would try them on and make any necessary alterations.

Upon seeing Xie Beihan, she cast him a disdainful glance.

"Why are you here again? If one didn’t know any better, they would think this is your home and you are A-Li’s true brother."

Xie Beihan chuckled. "We are as close as two peas in a pod. Why do you mind? Besides, don’t you want someone to make you a new outfit?"

"You, the Marquis of Zhenbei, have plenty of money. You still want to extort money from me? No way," Chu Shuo retorted, not pleased.

Despite his words, a maid brought a new robe for Xie Beihan to try on.

Xie Beihan’s garments were all tailored at Lady Qian’s shop, so the fit was naturally perfect.

Nanli had also tried on her attire, but it needed some adjustments around the waist.

As the two of them got closer, their mouths never stopped, creating a lively atmosphere. Nanli then took the newly refined elixir and headed to the second courtyard.

Since Nanli had intervened to save Chu Nanying last time, Chu Hanming’s attitude towards her had changed significantly. Whenever he saw her, he would smile and say, "Li’er, Nanying was just mentioning you."

Although Chu Nanying’s health had suffered from the previous Qi-boosting pill, Nanli had been giving her acupuncture treatments for several days, combined with exercise and dietary adjustments.

As a result, Chu Nanying’s condition had greatly improved, and her complexion had regained some color.

"Second uncle," Nanli nodded before entering Chu Nanying’s chamber.

Chu Nanying now dressed neatly every day, hoping to go out for a walk. When she saw her cousin entering, she smiled brightly, "Sixth sister, you’re here!"

"Yes, I’ve come to bring you the elixir," Nanli replied, sitting down and proceeding to check Chu Nanying’s pulse for her well-being.

Seeing that her cousin showed no signs of concern, only reminding her to take the medicine on time, Chu Nanying’s eyes widened as she asked, "Can I go out and witness the excitement when Big Brother gets married?"

Chu Hanming immediately refused without hesitation, "No, there will be too many people then."

Chu Nanying lowered her gaze, feeling disappointed.

"Seventh sister’s health has improved significantly. Being part of the festivities would also benefit her condition," Nanli suggested.

It would be strange if her condition improved while confined to a small space all day long.

After a moment of consideration, Chu Hanming said, "The maids may not be fully attentive. Li’er, you must help take care of her during that time."

He had to attend to his elder brother’s social obligations and couldn’t keep his eyes on his daughter all the time.

Nanli thought that she didn’t know anyone in the capital and had plenty of free time, so she nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Sixth sister," Chu Nanying grinned, her complexion much improved.