Chapter 679 I Feel Sorry for Her

San Ya persuaded everyone in the family to go back: "When Mom was alive, she was so afraid of causing trouble to others..."

She would feel uneasy with so many people guarding her.

Erya said, "We are not here to guard Aunt Lotus, we are here to accompany you."

They are a family.

We shouldn't be so distant.

Who can be at ease and let San Ya stay here alone?

"No, really. The funeral will be tomorrow, and you just need to stay with me. Tonight, I'll talk to her for a while, and you all can go back."

Xiao Yan said in a deep voice: "Listen to San Ya, everyone go back."

Liu Jian refused to leave.

"I'm fine anyway. Besides, someone has to stay with my sister..."

Lu Qiniang subconsciously wanted to object.

A man and a woman alone, how can that be?

Xiao Yan said, "Okay, thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

He said to his family, "Let's go."

After saying that, he took Lu Qiniang out first.

After they left, Lu Qiniang said, "Leave the prince here, okay?"

"Mom," Daya said, "We are here. Even if Third Sister wants to have a good cry, she can't. She's afraid we'll worry."

In front of Liu Jian, he didn't have so many concerns.

There is no need to worry about anything on an occasion like today.

San Ya doesn't need any counseling or comfort now. What she probably needs most is a quiet environment to talk to her biological mother.

Erya also said, "We'll come at daybreak."

Only then did Lu Qiniang nod, wiped her tears, and went back.

As her family left, San Ya's forced calmness faded a little.

The night wind was cold and a thin layer of frost formed on the ground.

Liu Jian silently took off the thick cloak he brought with him and gently draped it over San Ya's shoulders.

San Ya did not refuse, nor did she look back.

She just knelt quietly on the mat in front of the brazier, her eyes fixed on the jumping flames, as if she could penetrate the orange-red light and see another world.

Silence permeated the courtyard, with only the occasional crackling sound of burning paper money.

After a long time, a drop of hot tear fell on the back of San Ya's clenched hand without warning, leaving a small shallow mark.

Then, tears fell silently like beads from a broken string.

"My heart... hurts so much..." Her voice was very soft, with a strong nasal tone, as if she was talking to herself, or as if she was confiding in the only person around her.

In fact, her parents raised her very well.

When things were most difficult at home, she was still young and heartless, so she didn't feel the pain.

Later, after my father came into being, our family's life got better and better.

She grew up being loved by her parents and sisters.

Even when she was thirteen or fourteen years old, she left home alone and went to the northwest. She was reluctant to leave, but not too sad.

This was the first time in her life that she understood what irreparable heartache was.

I have seen life and death on the battlefield, but I am still driven by a spirit that keeps me going - I will fight for every inch of land, and I will take back what I have lost.

However, when facing her deceased mother and recalling her miserable life, San Ya felt overwhelmed with sadness.

It's not just because of blood ties.

Moreover, how can a person’s life be so miserable?

"I'd rather...she wasn't that good..." San Ya's voice broke, choked with suppressed sobs, "I'd rather she make a scene, ask me...for some things, for gold and silver, for a house...even if it's just...a few new clothes...to have a few days...of truly good life...that way, I might feel better..."

She raised her head, staring at the cold coffin through tearful eyes, eyes filled with pain and confusion: "Why... why must her life... be so miserable? Why... can't she taste any sweetness...?"

Liu Jian's throat tightened. He stretched out his hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally gently covered the back of her cold hand.

His palms were warm and dry.

"Sister," his voice was low and gentle, with a soothing power, "because she is your mother. She looks at you as if she is looking at the most beautiful flower that has bloomed from her own ashes."

"You live well, live uprightly, and live uprightly. This is her greatest pride and the greatest sweetness in her life. Her suffering was not in vain, her grievances were not in vain. She used her own way to send you to the best place."

Although Lu Qiniang's life was hard at that time, she had Zhang Heyao's relief money, was so capable, and loved her children.

That was the best way out that Hehua could find for San Ya within her limited ability.

"She...left with a smile." He remembered the light in Hehua's cloudy eyes when she looked at San Ya.

San Ya's tears flowed even harder, but Liu Jian's words were like a faint light, penetrating the heavy sadness.

After a long while, the surging tears gradually subsided, leaving only silent sobbing.

She wiped her face roughly with her sleeve, and her eyes became firm again, but with a little more desolate.

She looked towards the direction of the palace and said softly, "Liu Jian, I want to see the Queen."

Liu Jian's heart skipped a beat and he became a little flustered for a moment.

This won't work.

His mother had always been very wary of him and his sister being together.

When I see my sister, I’m not sure what she will say to me.

My sister is such a proud person, I will ignore her from now on.

don't want!

"Sister! What...what are you doing meeting Mother? It's not appropriate now," he said anxiously, with obvious panic.

San Ya gave him a surprised look, seemingly confused as to why he was so nervous. She explained, "I wanted to express my respect to the Empress. My mother's life is a microcosm of the lives of countless women who have nowhere else to turn."

It’s not that they don’t want to struggle, it’s that they simply can’t get rid of it.

"I now fully understand the significance of what the Empress is doing. I want to tell her in person that I admire her and hope she can truly open a way out for women like me."

"So that they no longer have to be forced to drown their own daughters, and no longer have to struggle in despair..."

Liu Jian felt ashamed of his selfish worries just now.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and his tone softened: "If Mother knew of my sister's kindness, she would definitely be touched. But..."

He glanced at the mourning hall. "Aunt Hehua has just passed away, and you're in heavy mourning. According to etiquette, it's not appropriate for you to enter the palace to see the Queen Mother right away. How about... asking the Marquis's wife to convey this? Madam, you know the Queen Mother well, so she'll be able to explain it more clearly."

San Ya lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and then said, "Okay, I'll ask my mother to come to the palace and convey my respects to the Queen. But——"

"But what?"