23 Elopement

◎You are not clear about Qian'er either◎

“I…I…”

These words made Wen Xiaqing lose his temper in an instant. He made a decision on impulse, but was defeated by a few words from others.

Xue Ji saw that he was being too lazy to pay attention. He thought, "How dare someone like that elope with the Crown Princess? What a joke." "You can't even make a decision. Why are you hesitating?"

She dared not confess her secret love, shy and cowardly, as fragile as a wet bud, helpless. From beginning to end, Wen Xiaqing could only stand by, silently watching a mountain blossom bloom that had nothing to do with him.

He indulged in the past and paralyzed himself with memories, and dared not face the reality. Things in the world are unpredictable, there is no unchanging emotion, no unchanging human heart.

"It's me...it's my fault."

Hearing him finally say that he wanted to give up, Xue Ji's inexplicably anxious heart finally settled down.

"Go back safely, get married, have children, and rise to higher positions. If you cherish her, then live well. Don't give her anything, and don't cause trouble for yourself."

Xue Ji's words woke him up from his dream. In fact, he was also clear about it, but if Rong Qianyu really left the imperial city, she would face betrayal from the whole world and her lover.

Some people are destined to only share happiness but not hardships.

His tone was slightly dejected, yet also filled with a rare sense of relief. "I'll be leaving for home the day after tomorrow."

"Old Master Wen has a weak leg. After this winter, I will send a famous doctor to see him. I hope he recovers quickly."

On the one hand, Rong Qianyu's situation is used as a threat, and on the other hand, the family's honor and filial piety are used to sandwich him in the middle. He must choose the family, and only the family.

If Wen Xiaqing said that he must give up Rong Qianyu and didn't care about family, career, loyalty and filial piety, Xue Ji would still think that he was a real man of integrity who kept his word, but he was just an ordinary person.

Since he couldn't do it, he still had to make a promise and asked the woman to take risks for him.

Wen Xiaqing: "Thank you, Master Xue."

Xue Ji got the upper hand and acted cute, "I admire you for one thing, do you know what it is?"

Wen Xiaqing did not answer.

"There's nothing shameful about retreating when you know it's difficult. People shouldn't covet things that don't belong to them. Why bother deceiving yourself? But if it were me, even if I coveted it, I would definitely get it. But some people hesitate and end up missing out on everything."

Xue Ji seemed to be praising him, but his inner meaning was obvious.

"You are not clear about Qian'er either." Wen Xiaqing questioned.

However, Xue Ji was not bothered by his question at all. He had promised Old Master Wen to treat his leg injury, and the matter was settled. So what if he knew about it? Wen Xiaqing had no reason to cause trouble.

"You don't have to worry about that. I'll secretly send troops to escort the envoy back to his country." He stepped back and bowed deeply to Wen Xiaqing. "In the future, I wish you a prosperous career and many children."

How can I have the best of both worlds, without disappointing the Buddha and you?

Love is sometimes a kind of hurt. No matter what choice you make, you will never be able to find a balance. If you choose to love someone, you have to give up some things; if you choose to endure it yourself, you are destined to let your lover down.

After some effort, Xue Ji finally persuaded Wen Xiaqing, and solved a major hidden danger.

I was drinking tea leisurely, and finally I felt at peace after being worried for so many days.

Qingyun felt a little strange and asked, "Why did you have to do it yourself, sir? It's none of your business if Rongguo took the person away."

Xue Ji leaned back in the rocking chair and took a sip of tea. "If the Crown Princess really went with him, how would we explain to the Great Zhou and Rong State? I'm saving him, but he still doesn't know whether to live or die. Wen Xiaqing has a hundred heads, but he's still resisting, thinking he's acting out a touching love story. He can just dream on."

That's true.

Qingyun was a little embarrassed again, "But Your Majesty..."

"how?"

"Your Highness has truly suffered greatly in the past few months. Liu's pregnancy was the reason she was oppressed. When Concubine Cui pushed the princess into the water, Your Highness was speechless. Just as she was opening up to the Crown Prince, Concubine Cui interfered. Even after being married for so long, they haven't slept together. Your Highness is constantly being criticized by those gossipy concubines. Being alone in a foreign country, many etiquette and rules are prone to slipping up. It's truly difficult."

Xue Ji had been busy with Wen Xiaqing's affairs recently and hadn't paid much attention to matters in the harem. "You're so powerful now that you even dare to guess your master's thoughts. Why are you saying all this?"

"I dare not, I just speak out of my feelings."

"Go on."

"I've also heard that the Crown Prince has been asking the Empress to sleep with him for the past month. It seems like a favor, but it's actually a punishment, and he's venting his anger on Consort Cui. The palace maids and eunuchs who keep watch at night reported that the sound of the ten volumes of the "Nu Ru" (Rules for Women) being recited could often be heard from that room, and the Empress is often kneeling on the ground, unable to rest."

"really?"

He knew that it might be difficult, but he didn't expect it to be like this. It was inevitably too biased. He was skeptical, wondering if the rumor would just spread like wildfire.

Qingyun: "This rumor has been circulating for a long time. You can go and find out, my Lord. It's no wonder that the Queen ran away."

Xue Ji sorted out the cause and effect. She was also extremely fed up with Cui Rumei. "Cui Rumei is such a despicable person. She really played the role of flattery and disgusting people vividly."

"What Cui Cairen did was indeed a bit inappropriate." Qingyun said it tactfully, but Xue Ji didn't care.

"Inappropriate? She's spoiled, blind, and can't figure out her place. Why would Fu Hua like such a dazzled villain?"

"So what are your plans, sir?"

Xue Ji thought for a while, "Of course, I have to save the Crown Princess from danger. The soldiers guarding Xuanwu Gate the day after tomorrow will be withdrawn. I want to see how the Crown Princess will elope."

She will definitely elope.

Rong Pan was also shocked after hearing this and quickly closed the doors and windows, fearing that someone would overhear what she had said. "Is your Majesty really like this?"

Rong Qianyu has been looking listless and lifeless lately.

"I can't stay in this Great Zhou for even a day longer. Besides, Brother Xia Qing sent me a letter saying they should wait for me at Xuanwu Gate tomorrow at noon. They will be leaving for home the day after tomorrow."

"Your Majesty, Your Highness! When did you lose your mind? Didn't you say you wanted to have a place here for the sake of the people of Rong? How could you change things overnight? If you leave, how will the Great Zhou cope? How will Rong be dealt with? It will be a disaster for the people!"

Rong Pan tried to persuade her earnestly, naturally not wanting anything to happen to her, but Rong Qianyu no longer cared about that. She lived a life worse than that of a servant, neither human nor ghost, so what else could she expect?

"Pan'er, what does the life and death of others have to do with me? Since they don't care about my situation, why should I trap myself in this dark imperial city for them?"

"I know that Her Highness has been wronged, and Her Highness has always been humble and has not taken it to heart. But there are those who have gone too far, and you can't just ignore them like that."

"Since Brother Xia Qing said he would never pursue fame, fortune, or wealth again, I will trust him once more. Even if it doesn't work out, even if a thousand arrows pierce my heart, it will be a worthy death."

"What about the people of Rong?" Rong Pan asked.

"I can't even take care of myself, how can I care about other people's lives? I brought you into the palace. If I leave, you will definitely be implicated. Go find Master Xue, he will definitely help you."

"Is this really going to happen?"

Rong Qianyu was weak, as if half of her yang energy had been drained away. "No matter what, this is my fate."

A sudden knock on the door interrupted their conversation, "My Lady, it's time to take your medicine."

Rong Qianyu: “Who!?”

"Yes... Madam Fang, I'll go open the door..."

This Nanny Fang was arranged by Fu Hua to deliver pregnancy medicine. She has been drinking it for a month and now feels nauseous when she smells the herbs.

Nanny Fang seemed to have taken the imperial sword, and as soon as she entered the door, she started to curse and swear, "What's going on? Why is the door closed? Don't let His Royal Highness worry. The Queen should take the pregnancy medicine."

"Thank you, Madam. I'll feed the Queen."

Rong Pan wanted to ask her to leave quickly. He took the medicine and turned around to see Rong Qianyu taking out a lot of clothes and jewelry. "Why is it so messy? Is your Majesty...packing your luggage?"

Rong Qianyu took the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. "Now that you've finished, you can leave."

After she left, she held her throat and tried to spit out the medicine. She was so angry that she was shaking and had no strength to stand. She cried so hard that she felt dizzy and vomited.

Rong Pan felt really distressed watching this, "Princess, Princess!" She was weak to begin with and had been taking a lot of medicine since she was a child. But forcing herself to take the medicine three times a day was too much for a strong woman like her.

Rong Qianyu fell to the ground, without any trace of the nobility of a Crown Princess. Tears streamed down her face like rain, and her despair was so clear and thorough. She had never suffered such torture and cold treatment since she was a child.

Although she had thought that life in a foreign country would be difficult before Lai He's marriage, she had never imagined such an insult.

By the end of her crying, there were no more tears in her eyes and her voice was hoarse. Only after Rong Pan hugged her and comforted her did she feel better.

"One or two of them are pregnant and favored, and I don't mind being humble. But what about them? What does their pregnancy and childbirth have to do with me? Why should I drink these medicines? Who has ever thought about my feelings? He doesn't like me and refuses to sleep with me, but what does it have to do with me? Why should I become the laughing stock of the whole palace? I knelt on the ground and recited the female training and female rules for more than a month, and he humiliated me like this just to vent his anger on Cui. I want to make friends with him for the sake of the people of Rong State, but what about him? A moment of gossip can make him hate me. Why should I treat such a person as an equal?"

Marriage is like a sharp knife and strong liquor, each knife piercing the heart and each mouthful making one faint. The human heart is unpredictable and the world is like ice. She and Fu Hua will never be able to reconcile. The hurt and pain, all of this is irreparable, and it only strengthens her determination to escape.

"I know the princess is wronged and feels uncomfortable. I understand..."

She grabbed Rong Pan and cried, like she was grabbing a lifeline, just hoping that she could understand her. Rong Pan had just learned about the favor she had received over the past month, and originally thought that she just didn't like the bitterness and didn't like it. She never thought that Fu Hua would be so insidious and hate her.

"Pan'er, we grew up together, you understand me best, right? Please indulge me this time. I've had enough of this oppressive life. If I have to live like this for the next few decades, I might as well die now. I won't have to endure such insults from them, and I can have peace and quiet."