Chapter 72 Request for an interview

Zhao Mingyue entered the palace, but failed to see Chi Ling.

Danying stood at the door, looking at her apologetically. "Your Highness, the master is busy with government affairs and has no time to see you. Please come another day."

Zhao Mingyue had never experienced a time when she couldn't see Chi Lan. She knew very well that it was not because her mother had no time to see her, but because she didn't want to see her.

She couldn't understand why Chi Qi's attitude towards her changed in the blink of an eye.

She would never be able to feel at ease if she didn't know the answer.

Zhao Mingyue glanced at the guards standing outside the palace gate, then looked at Dan Ying. Dan Ying shook her head slightly at her, motioning her to leave.

She gritted her teeth, lifted her robe, and knelt on the ground with a plop. She said loudly, "Mingyue requests to see the Queen Mother!"

Danying was startled and hurried forward to help her up, whispering soothingly, "Princess, once the master has made a decision, it's probably hard to change it. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to see her today. You should go back first. I'll try to make arrangements for you another day."

Zhao Mingyue gave her a grateful glance, but still firmly pushed her hand away. "If my mother doesn't see me today, I won't get up."

She must see Chi Lan in person, she must hear her say with her own mouth that she wants her to marry Xi Qi.

However, even after she said this, the hall remained silent.

Time passed little by little, the sun set in the west, and the shadow under Zhao Mingyue also lengthened, becoming slender and thin.

She felt her legs gradually becoming numb and tingling, but she stubbornly refused to get up. An unspeakable sadness filled her heart, and tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes, wetting them.

Then she remembered that her mother had said that she hated seeing her crying the most, and she quickly raised her hand to wipe away her tears.

But she was still extremely uneasy. She lowered her head and asked in a trembling voice, "Mother, did I do something wrong? Don't you want Mingyue anymore? I can change, really, I can change!"

She didn't want to go to Xiqi. Her relatives, friends, teachers and all her hopes were in this capital.

When she was about to show her strength, she was asked to marry Xiqi. How was this different from killing her directly? How could A Niang be so cruel to her?

Or is this also a dream? If only this were a dream. Zhao Mingyue prayed silently in her heart.

At this moment, a warm hand fell on her shoulder. Zhao Mingyue looked up suddenly, but what caught her eyes was Xue Qi's worried gaze. The joy that flashed in his eyes instantly turned into deep loss.

"Let's go back and find another way."

Zhao Mingyue finally couldn't hold on any longer and stood up, but because her legs and feet were numb, she stumbled and fell towards Xue Qi. Xue Qi quickly grabbed her arm.

Zhao Mingyue took advantage of the situation and hugged her tightly, sobbing, "Master Xue."

Xue Qi let her tears soak the clothes on his shoulders, and only helped her leave after she had cried enough.

Just as they walked down the steps in front of the hall, the door that had been tightly closed opened. Liu Shen'ai watched the two people's backs gradually disappearing into the distance, and couldn't help but look back at Chi Yan. "They've left. Are you really not going to see her anymore?"

The room was lit with candles, but the light was still dim. Chi Lan's face was hidden in the flickering firelight. She said expressionlessly, "I'm not really her mother. Why would I see her?"

The performance is over, and there is no need for those false warmth to exist anymore.

What's the point of wasting energy on this?

What Chi Lan hated most was doing things that were of no use to her. Zhao Mingyue's tears could not move her at all.

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Zhao Mingyue returned to the princess's mansion and looked at the layout of the mansion. She recalled the scene when Chi Luo conferred the title on her that day. Then she thought about how Chi Luo didn't even want to see her today, and she felt very sad.

Unfortunately, my tears have dried up and I can’t cry anymore. I can only sit blankly at the head of the bed, without even the strength to struggle.

Xue Qi looked at her quietly without saying much, as if waiting for her emotions to pass.

After all, if she couldn't calm herself down, nothing she said would be of any use.

At this time, Qiushi came in with food, "Princess, please eat something."

Zhao Mingyue shook her head. "I have no appetite."

Qiu Shi looked at her pale face and was very worried. He placed the tray on the table, walked over to Zhao Mingyue, and said softly, "Princess, I think the Queen Mother doesn't want to see you, not because she hates you, but because she doesn't dare to see you."

Zhao Mingyue's eyes lit up and she turned to look at her, "What do you mean?"

"We all saw how much the Queen Mother loved the princess. I believe that letting the princess marry Xiqi was definitely not the Queen Mother's original intention, but was forced by the court officials. Because of this, she felt guilty towards the princess and dared not see you."

After hearing this, Zhao Mingyue felt much better. Her stomach also started to growl and she felt hungry.

Just as she was about to ask Qiushi to bring the food over, a plan suddenly came to her mind. If A'niang really still cared about her, then she would not eat. If A'niang knew that she was on a hunger strike, she would definitely be shocked.

Thinking of this, she felt a little proud. Even though she was very hungry, she still asked Qiushi to take the food away.

Qiu Shi thought she was still grieving over the marriage, so he tried to persuade her again, "Actually, if Princess really doesn't want to marry, there are other solutions. Just find another noble daughter, give her the title of Princess Fuguang, and have her marry off to Xiqi on your behalf, wouldn't that be enough?"

Zhao Mingyue shook her head. "This isn't good. Don't do to others what you don't want done to you. I don't want to go to Xiqi and suffer. Do other women want to leave their families and go to Xiqi and suffer?"

Qiushi couldn't help but sigh when he heard this. This was the princess's bad point: she was too kind.

But it was precisely because the princess was so kind-hearted that she gave her advice so wholeheartedly and could not bear to see her go to a dangerous place like Xiqi.

But this world is so unfair. It is the men who lose, but it is the women who have to bear the consequences.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Zhao Mingyue, Qiu Shi had no choice but to pick up the food and leave.

Zhao Mingyue looked at Xue Qi, "Master Xue, thank you for coming to accompany me. It's getting late, you should go back and rest."

Seeing that her emotions seemed to have stabilized, Xue Qi spoke slowly, "Princess, now that the imperial decree has been issued, I believe His Majesty will not easily revoke it. Qiu Shi is right. What you need to do now is to find a way to escape as soon as possible. However, using someone else as a substitute is not advisable. I do have a way to solve this problem once and for all. Do you want to hear it?"

Although Zhao Mingyue had already decided to use a hunger strike to force Chi Li to give in, this did not prevent her from listening to Xue Qi's method. "Master Xue, please teach me."

Unfortunately, Xue Qi's solution was just two words: "Rebellion."

Xue Qi inherited his master's will and has always been determined to overthrow this world where men are superior to women.

But she couldn't do it alone. First, she had no money. Second, she had no friends. Third, she was a thinker, not a practitioner.

She originally thought that Queen Mother Chi could put her ideas into practice, but she soon found out that she was wrong, because it was impossible for her to rebel against herself.

So, she compromised and chose Princess Mingyue at Chi Lu's request, but soon she discovered Zhao Mingyue's fatal flaw, which was her weakness.

Everything she did, whether it was practicing archery or training soldiers, was based on the requirements of Queen Mother Chi. She did not have her own firm beliefs, and all her positions were based on Chi Lan.

More importantly, she is a princess who is respected and valued, with money, power and leisure. If she does not pursue power, then she can live a stable and comfortable life without doing anything else.

Therefore, Xue Qi never felt that she had the motivation to do such a dangerous thing. If she failed, her life would be in danger and she would be doomed.

But the situation is different now. Fate has pushed her into a dead end. Between resistance and obedience, she has no third option.