Chapter 58

When Qingyun heard about that woman again, half a month had passed. She heard that she had gone back to her husband's house, and she wasn't surprised by this choice.

Today she dug out some of her best clothes. She usually dresses very casually, but when she heard that Song Chaoyun was back, she thought she shouldn't be so sloppy when she went to see her. Besides, she also wanted to ask her more about Lin Wanjun.

That letter has been sent for so long without a reply. Could it be lost? Or is it on its way? But I don't need to think about it now. I can just go and ask in person.

Before she could even walk to the command post, she saw a carriage at the gate. Qingyun was a little confused by the scene and wondered what was going on. Then she saw Liuyue walk up and gesture for her to get into the carriage. "I have come to pick you up by order of the princess." As she spoke, she looked at Qingyun with a smile and inexplicably offered her congratulations.

?

Qingyun was completely confused. Why was he suddenly congratulating him?

"Your Highness, what brings you here?"

Liu Yue: "Of course I was eager to talk to you, which is why I sent this servant to fetch you as quickly as possible."

After saying that, Qingyun remained silent, wanting to see what these two, master and servant, were up to.

Upon entering the hall, she was quite taken aback by the scene. The hall was filled with people, with Song Chaoyun at the head of the table, looking at Qingyun with a smile in her eyes. The stares from those around her made her very uncomfortable. She glanced at Song Chaohua, whose face was full of mockery. What was going on?

They all performed the kneeling and bowing ceremony according to etiquette before sitting at the end of the table, wondering if they would be given a lecture upon their return.

Looking at the time, it must have been a year and a half since I last saw Song Chaoyun. This time when she came back, she looked even more radiant than before.

After exchanging some casual conversation, they finally brought up Qingyun. Because of the strange atmosphere here today, she had been eating pastries with her mind completely blank. When she was suddenly mentioned, she was startled and quickly agreed, but she had a bad feeling about it.

Song Chaoyun said, "This time, I really want to congratulate you."

It's that line again! Qingyun's eyes were practically overflowing with doubt. What's with all this cryptic talk? Just tell us already!

As she wished, Song Chaoyun was not one to waste words. Soon, a eunuch came out with a token in his hand. Everyone knelt down to receive it. When she heard the contents clearly, she was already somewhat dazed, her brows furrowed like the character "川" (river), seemingly without any joy.

Qingyun's eyes subconsciously glanced at Song Junwu, who was sitting above her. The other party listened with his head down, neither humble nor arrogant, showing no sign of being intimidated.

After a while, Song Chaoyun's voice pulled her back from her reverie, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Qingyun was silent for a moment before replying, "Your Highness, please forgive me for not being able to comply."

She was to marry Song Junwu? Qingyun felt a tightness in her chest. To her, everyone in this world was real and flesh-and-blood, yet ultimately just fictional. This was like dating a two-dimensional character! No, wait, people in real life do date two-dimensional characters, but being forced into this so abruptly was truly terrifying.

Why not ask her if she likes him or not? Qingyun was a little confused about her own feelings. Although she had some feelings for Song Junwu, it was mostly just mutual appreciation and business dealings. It wasn't about getting married right away.

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall fell silent for a moment. No one spoke, and everyone subconsciously looked at Song Chaoyun.

"Why?" Song Chaoyun asked, her smile fading as she frowned.

"I..." Qingyun wanted to say, glancing haphazardly at Song Junwu, but fearing she might hurt the other party involved, "Your Highness, may I speak to you in private?"

"Refusing the imperial decree is a capital offense." Suddenly, someone abruptly reminded him; it was Song Chaohua, no doubt about it.

Qingyun persisted in her decision. She bowed deeply to Song Chaoyun, her forehead hitting the ground with a thud, and said firmly, "Please allow me to explain the situation to you privately."

Seeing this, Song Chaoyun waved to signal everyone to leave, then looked at Qingyun and asked, "Can you speak now?"

“I know what you’re going to say, but I’m not ready to marry him yet.”

"You don't love him? Is that what you mean?" Song Chaoyun straightened her clothes, glanced at the other person, and understood when she saw Qingyun's expression. She smiled and said, "But sometimes, we don't talk about love."

Qingyun was puzzled. Song Junwu held a high position and was said to be the emperor's favorite. How could he possibly arrange a marriage between two women who were guilty of crimes? It didn't make sense.

She looked up at Song Chaoyun. She understood what he meant, but she was unwilling to obey. Tying the fates of two young people together would only wear down their feelings and ideals for each other. She didn't want to get married.

Song Chaoyun said, "For a country to save itself from disaster, it's really beneath her dignity." She then looked at Qingyun, lowered her eyes, and smiled wryly. "These are the words of my father. Qingyun, it's not a matter of your choice. The Emperor has seen and understands all the merits you've achieved."

Song Chaoyun approached, scrutinized Qingyun, and continued, "But we can't let others see it too."

The meaning is clear: the current ruler doesn't want a woman to bear such credit. This isn't just a superficial issue; Qingyun holds the lifeline of the nation—the people's livelihood. Her technology, including planting methods and seeds—in other words, she has already achieved results. If Qingyun wanted, she could overthrow the current ruler at any time.

How much reward should be given to satisfy a person's greed? Because she is a woman, the highest honor she can receive is only an imperial title. Also because she is a woman, everything she has done can be transferred through other means.

That is, to marry her off to a man, and from then on, to take his surname and be bound to him.

At that moment, Qingyun understood the meaning of these words. It didn't matter who she married; what mattered was that the credit she had earned needed to be transferred.

A man of good looks and with money and power in his hands is considered a good match in the eyes of the officials. However, this is nothing more than an attempt to trap Qingyun and make him work for them in the future, willingly continuing to give.

"How despicable." Intelligent people don't need to spell things out explicitly to understand each other's meaning. Qingyun was furious, tears welling up in her eyes. She had never thought about these things in the past three years, yet she was still suspected by others.

Looking at her, Song Chaoyun seemed to feel a little sorry for her and turned her head away. "Think positively. Don't you also have feelings for Song Junwu?"

Qingyun didn't know how to answer; feelings are the most inexplicable thing.

"That doesn't necessarily mean we've reached the point where we can make such a decision."

Song Chaoyun: "Don't you want to restore your status as a free citizen?"

Qingyun: "I'm doing pretty well now." She wasn't the original owner of this body and had never enjoyed those luxuries. Although the conditions here were a bit harsh, it wasn't much different from her life in reality.

Song Chaoyun said, "If you don't comply, aren't you afraid of death?"

Upon hearing this, Qingyun was stunned, muttering to herself, "Death... it's just death, really." What was she afraid of? If she could be reborn after death, there was nothing to be afraid of.

[Host, no! Although I can find you another body, you'll have to experience the death process firsthand. I can't shield you from the pain!]

Qingyun: [Holy crap! You piece of trash, how come other systems can do that?!]

The system chuckled. "That's why it's called a hyper-realistic game world; of course, it can't block out pain for you."

[Why hesitate to marry someone so skinny? His physique and other physical attributes are perfect; there's absolutely no question of a lack of sexual satisfaction.]

Qingyun: [...]

I'm not as superficial as you think!

She had her own principles about this matter. Even if it was a fictional character, she couldn't use someone's life-long happiness as a political bargaining chip. She didn't know what Song Junwu was thinking, nor did she know if he was interested in her. But Qingyun herself didn't want it and refused to accept this kind of arranged marriage. This was her only bottom line as a modern person.

Song Chaoyun heard what she said clearly and was immediately startled. She gripped Qingyun's shoulder tightly and frowned at her, "What are you saying?"

Meeting her gaze, Qingyun, though her mind was in turmoil, still answered firmly, "It's just death. If you want me to marry you, I'll die right here."

"Who are you threatening here!" Upon hearing this, Song Chaoyun unconsciously tightened his grip.

“Threatening your father.” Qingyun replied coldly.

If it were merely out of fear, she could have killed herself. The reason she didn't is simply that she still wanted to rely on her to save the country. Since that's the case, she still has leverage and can still be on the table.

“Song Chaoyun, you should know my personality. Once I’ve made up my mind, I won’t change it. Either take it back before this edict is announced to the world, or you can collect my corpse.”

Song Chaoyun's grip on her shoulders loosened involuntarily, and her face darkened. "I thought you had feelings for Song Junwu," she said, frowning in confusion. "Even if you don't like him, a fake marriage would have been fine. Why threaten to kill yourself? Aren't you afraid that my father will take your life in his anger?"

Qingyun had a knowing look on his face. "If it were just a fake marriage, I wouldn't be so insistent on it. You want to attribute my achievements to others, but I won't allow that."

Upon hearing this, the elegantly dressed woman in front of her took a few steps back, her clothes, which had just been neatly arranged, became somewhat disheveled again due to her movements. "Didn't you say you didn't care about these material things?" If you really wanted something, you wouldn't have been dragging this out for almost three years.

She tentatively asked, "Didn't you genuinely intend to serve the people before?"

Qingyun was speechless at this line of thought. Why would she make such a conjecture based on established facts? She did have a purpose, but it was only to go back home. Besides, if she got married here, according to the locals' beliefs, she would definitely have a child, which would create a ties. Would she still be able to go back smoothly then? Would she still be able to follow her heart?

She could see Song Junwu's character clearly; he was a gentleman. But this was ancient times, after all. It was normal for powerful men to have multiple wives and concubines. Could she really share her husband with someone else? She didn't want to compete with other girls. Even if she didn't want to, people would often push her forward. Just thinking about all this gave Qingyun a headache.