Chapter 621 - 617: Refusal
```html
Seeing this miraculous change, one can’t help but marvel at how the Great Reverse Returning Pill lives up to its name.
He shook his head, "This is much more potent than the Great Bright Heart Protecting Pill."
Consort Hui retorted, "The Great Bright Heart Protecting Pill is different. In that earlier situation, if you had taken it directly, you would have died instantly."
The Great Reverse Returning Pill is excellent for healing. Its medicinal power is fierce, and for someone on the brink of death, taking it is like a strong wind blowing out a dying candle.
Qin Ruolan said, "This Twelfth Prince must have anticipated that Your Highness would take the Great Bright Heart Protecting Pill."
After all, he’s a prince. No matter how unpopular, he should still receive the necessary treatment.
He inherently represents the dignity of the Imperial Family; no matter how much the Emperor dislikes him, he can’t deny him the Great Bright Heart Protecting Pill.
Chu Zhiyuan looked at the two women, "Thank her for me."
"Yes, Prince Consort," the two women responded.
Chu Zhiyuan snorted, "I’m sick of hearing those three words. Let’s have some food and drink and then return. Tell her that I won’t die, so she doesn’t need to worry about becoming a widow."
"... Yes, then this servant will take her leave," Lu Caiwei bowed.
Lu Caixia said, "Your Highness said, tell the Prince Consort to behave and stop causing trouble."
Chu Zhiyuan coldly uttered one word, "Scram!"
"This servant takes her leave," Lu Caixia responded crisply, bowing before retreating.
The two women gracefully withdrew.
They went outside and glanced at the three women lingering in front of the small pavilion in the courtyard.
The three women were in front of the pavilion, admiring the flowers in the garden.
"The Prince Consort truly is a fool," Lu Caixia shook her head. "Your Highness sent such a spirit pill, yet he shows no appreciation at all."
Lu Caiwei quickly chided, "Watch your tongue!"
Lu Caixia snorted, "Sister, did I say something wrong?"
"The Prince Consort is not someone for us to gossip about!" Lu Caiwei frowned, "Regardless, he’s still the Prince Consort."
"Hee hee, so you also think he’s no good, sister."
"If you chatter more, I will tell Your Highness, and see if you get punished!"
"Alright, alright, I won’t say anything more," Lu Caixia quickly begged.
They spoke softly as they left the courtyard.
Xiao Ruoling and her two companions exchanged a glance.
With keen senses, they naturally heard the conversation between the two women.
Shen Hanyue whispered, "Senior Sister..."
Xiao Ruoling gently waved her hand, signaling her not to speak.
Shen Hanyue immediately swallowed her words, looking at her with grievance.
"Don’t speak carelessly," Xiao Ruoling softly advised, "This is not the Profound Yin Palace."
"Yes," Shen Hanyue nodded reluctantly.
...
Consort Hui watched them leave, shaking her head and sighing, "That Twelfth Princess is not a simple character."
She looked at Chu Zhiyuan with sympathy.
If not for that last instruction, she would indeed seem endearing and warm-hearted.
But with that last instruction, it was clear that this Twelfth Princess did not regard Zhao’er highly at all.
Among the three dynasties, the Phoenix Dynasty is the most open-minded, with the highest status for women.
And she is a princess.
Zhao’er is bound to feel constrained there, yet he is someone who can’t endure grievances.
Just thinking about it is worrisome.
"I’ll make sure to deal with her properly," Chu Zhiyuan snorted, "I’m going to practice now, Mother, you should go."
"Now you think of practicing, what were you doing earlier!" Consort Hui snorted.
Qin Ruolan quickly tugged at her sleeve.
Consort Hui said, "Zhen’er, Qiao’er, follow me back."
"Mother..."
"If you stay here, how can he concentrate on practicing?"
Chu Zhen said, "Big brother should practice at Great Bright Peak, it’s faster there."
"You little girl!" Chu Zhiyuan glanced at her and snorted, "I don’t want to go to Great Bright Peak, is it because I don’t want to go?"
In his previous life, he did go to Great Bright Peak, but after fighting with the Fourth Prince, he was expelled from Great Bright Peak and not allowed to practice there again.
Great Bright Peak is a place where spiritual energy converges, and the spiritual energy is purer and denser.
Cultivation in the Qi Transformation Realm here is far quicker than outside.
At least twice as fast, even three or four times faster for those with good aptitude.
Chu Qiao giggled, "Big brother, I’ll plead with Father, and have him let you go."
Chu Zhiyuan said, "Then hurry up, I don’t want to waste more time."
"I’ll go look for Father right now!" Chu Qiao giggled.
Chu Zhen quickly said, "I’ll go too, Father will agree."
Consort Hui shook her head.
It’s futile; no matter how much they win the Emperor’s favor, he won’t agree to this.
Zhao’er is like a rat’s turd falling into a pot of soup, completely ruining the harmonious atmosphere of Great Bright Peak, affecting everyone.
The practitioners at Great Bright Peak are all Imperial Family descendants, either princes or princely heirs, including the princely heirs from the Prince Mansions.
The direct descendants of the Chu Family form the foundation of the Jade Dynasty.
If their cultivation is not strong, it affects the state’s stability of the Jade Dynasty.
This is absolutely not allowed.
——
Qin Ruolan and Consort Hui returned to the Imperial Palace, arriving at her Fuhui Palace.
The two were chatting in the back garden when Chu Zhen and Chu Qiao returned gloomily.
As soon as she saw their expressions, Consort Hui knew they had encountered a closed door.
"Mother—!" They complained as they sat inside the small pavilion.
"The Emperor didn’t agree?"
Chu Zhen said discontentedly, "Why didn’t Father agree, even calling big brother a blockhead, useless, and telling him to stay put, not to leave the Imperial City!"
"Zhao’er’s aptitude is not mediocre!" Consort Hui said discontentedly.
Qin Ruolan nodded, "Your Highness’s aptitude is indeed formidable."
"Anyway, Father called big brother a piece of rotten wood, a good-for-nothing, and told him to stay put, not even to leave the mansion!"
"Not leaving the Imperial City is correct," Consort Hui agreed.
"He also said if big brother causes more trouble, he would be grounded and not allowed to leave the mansion," Chu Zhen said indignantly.
Chu Qiao sighed, "Perhaps the timing of our request was off. We should’ve waited until dinner to plead with Father."
Chu Zhen nodded regretfully, "The timing was indeed off. Father had just scolded a courtier and was full of anger."
"You two should stop giving the Emperor more trouble," Consort Hui said, "If your big brother truly wants to practice diligently, he can do so in the mansion just as well."
Chu Zhen said, "The mansion is nothing compared to Great Bright Peak."
Chu Qiao nodded vigorously, "Far inferior."
"...I’ll think of a way," Consort Hui snorted.
"Mother, what solution do you have? Can you make Father agree?"
"Hmm."
"Then tell us about it."
Consort Hui fluttered her fan under her nose, "You two smell, quickly go wash up."
The two girls sniffed their sleeves and underarms, puzzled but didn’t smell anything.
"Go on," Consort Hui hurried them off.
Qin Ruolan bid her farewell.
Consort Hui invited her to stay for a few days, suggesting she relax a bit now that she had just come out of seclusion.
Qin Ruolan smiled and shook her head, saying she needed to educate her three newly accepted disciples properly.
She then took Xiao Ruoling and the other two, and they vanished in a flash on the Xuan Guang Shuttle.
...
Xiao Ruoling returned to her small courtyard, retrieving two flying knives from her sleeve.
The two flying knives had already lost their luster and couldn’t float anymore.
She lightly waved the small knives, picked them up one by one, but they remained motionless.
Chu Zhiyuan’s voice was no longer in her ear.
It was clear that his two avatars had completely fused into the body of Chu Liezhao.
She suddenly felt a void in her heart.
Looking down at the jade pendant on her waist, she couldn’t help but take out the Xuan Guang Shuttle.
The next moment, she was back in the Profound Yin Palace within the secret land of Yao Yue Palace.
She left the secret land, came to Yao Yue Palace, and then arrived at the Guest Peak opposite.
Guest Peak did not have Chu Zhiyuan.
She then immediately set off, arriving in Yujing within just an hour and entering Prince Qing Mansion, where she met Chu Zhiyuan.
Seeing Chu Zhiyuan again, she felt a strange sense of confusion.
Chu Zhiyuan led her to his courtyard. They sat in the small pavilion, and he didn’t rush to embrace her. With a smile, he asked, "Does it feel strange?"
"Very strange," Xiao Ruoling scrutinized Chu Zhiyuan.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Then don’t think of that avatar as me, just consider it Chu Liezhao."
"But that is still you."
"When I meet you in this form, then it is truly me. If I am not in this form, then don’t consider it me. It is just me playing Chu Liezhao."
"... This is fine," Xiao Ruoling smiled.
Chu Zhiyuan extended his arm, drawing her into an embrace. With a warm smile, he said, "For Chu Liezhao to channel the power down to me and cultivate with the force of Outer Heaven, it truly is different."
```