Chapter 53 Big Boobs, No Brains: From Now On, I'll Pretend You Don't Exist...

The heavy doors of the main hall slammed shut, shutting out the bright spring sunshine. The ancient and solemn main hall was plunged into darkness. Xue Xiude stood before a golden Buddha statue, his hand on a large sword. He was tall and imposing, exuding an aura of authority without being angry.

Upon hearing this, Xue Rongyue felt a surge of anger, but she remained standing motionless.

Xue Xiude looked at his daughter with disgust. She had been disobedient and unfilial since childhood. Her upright back and arrogant appearance reminded him of Cui Shi, who was also aloof and seemed to be filled with disobedience in her bones.

His voice turned cold, and he said sarcastically, "No matter what, I am still your father. Does being a county princess personally appointed by the emperor mean you can disobey your father's orders and not observe filial piety?"

The eight words "disobeying her father's orders and failing to uphold filial piety" weighed down like a mountain, and as long as Xue Rongyue remained a daughter of the Xue family, she had no choice but to kneel.

Xue Xiude snorted coldly and began to scold him harshly: "Your marriage to the Liu family is very complicated. Even if Liu Ruyu is of bad character, it is not your place to decide her marriage!"

"Even if you're unhappy with this marriage, how can you bypass me and go directly to the Liu family to refuse it? Do you even respect me as your father anymore?!"

Anger burned fiercely, her fingertips digging into her palms, but Xue Rongyue maintained her composure: "Dishonest character? Liu Ruyu is more than just dishonest. He's currently in prison. If we don't refuse him in time, and the Liu family keeps pestering us, has General Xue considered the consequences?"

"General Xue?" Xue Xiude's face turned ashen, his voice booming like thunder, "You call me General Xue, it seems you don't consider me your father. Do you even remember you're a daughter of the Xue family?!"

“I always remember that I am a daughter of the Xue family, and I dare not forget it for a moment, which is why I did this.” Xue Rongyue retorted, sneering repeatedly, “Why is Father turning the tables on me? Has Father ever considered me as his own flesh and blood for even a moment from beginning to end?”

Seeing that she dared to talk back, Xue Xiude was so angry that his beard trembled. He suddenly slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clang loudly: "You unfilial daughter, you dare to lecture your father! You're full of accusations, but have you ever fulfilled your duties as a son? Chun'er has been by my side throughout the long journey, taking good care of me, but where were you! You had a cold face, neither respectful nor considerate. You are truly, truly not even half as good as Chun'er!"

"When Chun'er was on the frontier, even though she was unwell, she would personally sew clothes for the soldiers and distribute porridge to the people. You, living a life of luxury in Chang'an, are completely ungrateful. It is truly chilling."

Even though Xue Rongyue had long since given up on this illusory fatherly love and had long since become estranged from this father who hated her, she was still inevitably stung by these words.

The anger she had been unable to suppress gradually turned into a powerless numbness. A bitter feeling welled up in her eyes, which Xue Rongyue hated. She took a deep breath and felt ridiculous: "If I went to the border and did the same thing, would Father be satisfied?"

Xue Xiude frowned, and was about to speak when Xue Rongyue's cold and sarcastic voice rang out again: "When I was a child, I didn't like studying. I hoped to practice martial arts and swordsmanship with my brother. When my brother found out, he carved a small wooden sword for me so that I could practice with him."

"When others saw this scene, they couldn't help but praise me for being a daughter of a military family, saying that I had your demeanor since childhood. But when I went to you to perform with great joy, you became furious and broke the wooden sword, hitting me on the forehead. To this day, there is still a small scar that can't be removed."

Overwhelmed by years of grievances, Xue Rongyue bit her lip and, after calming herself down, continued, "You denounced me for being unconventional and unruly, complained that I was ignorant of poetry and literature, and that I lacked the grace and manners expected of a noblewoman."

Xue Xiude was taken aback.

Xue Rongyue said, "So, I began to practice calligraphy diligently and read books extensively, not just the Four Books and Five Classics, but all the books in the mansion's collection that I could read. I always had books in my hand, and I finally gained a reputation for my talent in Chang'an. But you, you said..."

Xue Rongyue's voice trembled for a moment, and she continued, choking back tears, "You questioned why I am not good at needlework, and why I have not improved at all as I get older. I can't even embroider a decent butterfly. I need an embroiderer to embroider my own handkerchief, let alone rely on others like me."

She wiped away her tears fiercely: "So, I started to study needlework day and night again, and every day except for meals and rest, I kept my hands busy with needle and thread."

"After finally mastering the skills, I sewed you a robe, a pair of boots, and two sachets day and night, eagerly awaiting your return, but all I got was a scolding."

Even though she repeatedly berated herself for being useless, resented herself for not learning from her mistakes, and wished she could constantly remind herself not to waste her energy on things she was destined to never have, Xue Rongyue still couldn't help but shed tears at this moment, her heart pierced by this ridiculous sadness.

She felt sad.

"You didn't even glance at those robes and sachets. With a cold face, you flew into a rage, as if I had committed some heinous crime. You harshly reprimanded me for being petty, only capable of doing these worthless needlework tasks, unlike General Zhang's granddaughter who could draw a bow and shoot arrows with such heroic bearing."

"At that moment, I finally understood."

Her voice could no longer hold back her sobs, and her tone was filled with undisguised self-mockery: "...I actually believed that you didn't like me because I wasn't good enough, that I had too many shortcomings, so I kept pushing myself."

"But that day, when I heard you praising General Zhang's granddaughter, I finally realized that you didn't dislike women practicing martial arts, literature, or needlework at all; you just didn't like me!"

Xue Xiude's dark face flushed red instantly, and his chest beneath his armor heaved violently with heavy breathing. He roared in fury, "You unfilial daughter, what nonsense are you spouting? Are you blaming your father now?! All these years it's been my fault, and you're completely innocent, without a single fault?!"

Xue Rongyue wiped away her tears, raised her head, and stared fearlessly at Xue Xiude, who was enraged.

She suddenly felt that life was meaningless.

Xue Xiude glared at her: "What are you looking at!"

Xue Rongyue stood up: "When I was a child, I was always afraid of you. I couldn't help but tremble when you got angry. But now when I look at you, I feel that you are nothing special."

Unexpectedly, Xue Rongyue blurted out such a sentence. Xue Xiude was stunned, but his anger only intensified. He grabbed the scalding hot tea and threw it at Xue Rongyue, shouting, "What did you say?!"

Xue Rongyue dodged to the side, and the teacup shattered on the ground with a loud crackling sound. The maid outside couldn't help but scream, "Madam!"

"I'm fine."

Xue Rongyue raised her voice to appease the servants outside, then turned to look at Xue Xiude, who was gripping the corner of the table, veins bulging on his forehead, clearly enraged.

When Xue Xiude met Xue Rongyue's cold and distant gaze, he felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart for some reason.

He suddenly realized that the little girl who used to always look up at him with hope and admiration in her eyes had grown into a graceful young woman. She had not only completely escaped his control, but the way she looked at him was also no longer the same.

As their eyes met, he felt a sudden panic and hastily looked away, not even having time to question her for disobeying her father's orders and getting up on her own.

The tears that had fallen dried on her face, and Xue Rongyue's clear almond-shaped eyes were like black glass soaked in cold frost and snow.

Her tone returned to calm: "Of course I made a mistake, but the mistake wasn't in my shortcomings, but in the womb."

She said calmly, "I was wrong even in the womb."

After saying that, she stopped looking at Xue Xiude's expression, gave a cold laugh, and turned to leave.

"stop!"

Just as Xue Rongyue was about to reach the entrance of the main hall, Xue Xiude came to his senses and rebuked, "Did I say you could leave?"

"Is there anything else, General Xue?"

Xue Rongyue said sarcastically, "Is this to punish my disobedience and filial impiety? Are you planning to make me kneel in the ancestral hall or be beaten with a cane this time? Unfortunately, I am afraid I will be unable to comply in the future."

Xue Rongyue continued walking and pushed open the hall door.

Bright sunlight poured in through the open door, enveloping Xue Rongyue. Large swathes of sunlight streamed in from under the lush, green banyan tree, being sliced ​​into tiny swords by the gaps in the branches and leaves, instantly dispelling the darkness in the main hall and mercilessly piercing Xue Xiude.

He turned his body slightly to the side and turned his head away, but he was still unwilling to give up. He maintained the dignity of an elder: "If you dare to step out of this threshold today, don't ever come back to the Xue family. From now on, I will pretend that I don't have a daughter like you!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he could only see Xue Rongyue's proud and upright back. He heard a very clear, disdainful sneer in his ear. Xue Rongyue did not stop in the slightest. She stepped over the threshold and walked out.

Jingnu, who had been stopped by the guards, rushed forward and tearfully helped Xue Rongyue up, whispering, "My lady, if you don't come out soon, I'll have Luo Zhen go find Princess Yu'an."

"It's alright, let's go. Is the carriage ready?" Xue Rongyue asked.

Jingnu replied, "It's all prepared. Everything in the lady's courtyard has been moved to the Princess's residence."

Xue Rongyue nodded. The two of them went out of the mansion gate together and got into the carriage.

Seeing that Xue Rongyue still had tear stains on her face, Jingnu didn't dare to ask what had happened in the main hall. She forced a smile and said, "Madam, what do you think of that adopted daughter? Is she someone with impure thoughts?"

At the same time, inside the Xue residence.

The commotion in the main hall reached Xue Fengchun's ears. Her personal maid, Yunnu, who was tidying up her clothes, couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Madam, what do you think of that Second Madam Xue? Is she a difficult person to get along with?"

Xue Rongyue narrowed her eyes, recalling their brief interaction just now, and snorted coldly: "From what I can see, she doesn't have impure intentions, but she looks gentle and weak, and she's quite good at putting on an act."

Xue Fengchun narrowed his eyes, recalling their brief interaction just now, and chuckled, "From what I can see, she's not difficult to get along with. She just seems aloof and arrogant, but she's actually a big-breasted but brainless person."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Come to think of it, this plot was probably the first idea that popped into my head when I started writing this story; it's a source of inspiration. [emoji]

The prince will be back in the next chapter!