Chapter 45: How to live a life ruined by marriage. …

The young palace maid's words were like thunder, exploding in the warm room.

Princess Guang'an's originally shy face turned pale as paper in an instant.

Her eyes were wide open, full of disbelief, as if she had heard the most absurd joke in the world.

Almost subconsciously, she stretched out her hand and grabbed the little palace maid's skirt tightly, with such great force that her knuckles turned slightly white.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

Princess Guang'an's voice was trembling and a little sharp. She stared into the little palace maid's eyes without blinking, as if she wanted to look into the little palace maid's heart, trying to find a trace of lying in her eyes.

The little maid was so frightened that her face turned pale, tears welled up in her eyes, and she burst into tears, sobbing and saying, "My lord, my lord, I did hear the news from the palace, and it was about you, Princess Guang'an..."

Each cry was like a heavy hammer, hitting Princess Guang'an's heart hard.

She felt dizzy and her body swayed as if struck by lightning, and she almost lost her balance.

"No...it's impossible...this can't be true..." Princess Guang'an muttered to herself with empty eyes.

Her lips trembled and tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.

Shen Xingwan hurriedly stepped forward, stretched out her hands and firmly supported the crumbling Princess Guang'an.

She was also shocked, but she didn't dare to show it. She could only persuade him kindly: "Princess, don't panic! There is no time to lose. Let's go to the palace and see what's going on. Maybe there is a misunderstanding!"

The candlelight in the warm room flickered, as if it was also trembling for Princess Guang'an's experience. The atmosphere was so depressing that it made it almost hard to breathe.

The cold night wind was howling, making the window paper rustle, which made the scene seem even more desolate and helpless.

Princess Guang'an burst into tears and streamed down. She was like a frightened bird, trembling as she clutched Shen Xingwan's arm tightly, crying.

"Xing Wan, I'm so scared... What should I do? I don't want to go to the marriage..."

Her eyes were filled with helplessness and confusion, and her eye circles instantly became red and swollen.

Shen Xingwan patted her hand gently and soothed her softly, "Don't be afraid, Princess. I'm here."

"Let's go into the palace right now and find out what's going on. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

After saying that, she carefully helped Princess Guang'an up, supported her steadily, and walked towards the door step by step.

The two of them hurriedly boarded the carriage. The night outside was as dark as ink. The night wind was raging, blowing up broken leaves.

The driver raised the whip, and the carriage galloped into the night. The wheels rolled, making muffled sounds, like drumbeats hitting the two people's uneasy hearts.

Princess Guang'an sat in the carriage, her body shaking uncontrollably.

She couldn't understand why the marriage suddenly fell upon her.

"Why do you suddenly want to marry? Why do you have to ask me to go?"

She kept questioning Shen Xingwan beside her, looking frightened and aggrieved.

She didn't want to marry far away in the north, to be away from everything familiar, and never see her mother and Shen Yunchao again.

People only know that marriages with foreign countries can bring about the so-called peace, but no one has ever cared about what kind of hardships the women who were sent to marry would encounter in that distant foreign country.

She held Shen Xingwan's hand tightly, as if it was her only life-saving straw at the moment.

Shen Xingwan felt very upset when she saw Princess Guang'an so frightened.

She knew that the situation in the palace was complicated and there must be a conspiracy behind this marriage.

She was worried that things would get out of control.

But she understood that she had to remain calm and comfort the frightened Princess Guang'an first.

She gently stroked Princess Guang'an's back, took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her face, and comforted her in a low voice.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Shen Xingwan immediately accompanied Princess Guang'an to Changchun Palace, which was the bedroom of the princess's mother, Concubine De.

As soon as they arrived, they ran into the aunt who was in charge of Changchun Palace and was running out in panic to look for Princess Guang'an.

"Aunt Chun, where is mother? Mother, is mother in the palace?"

Princess Guang'an ran so fast that she was out of breath and panting slightly.

Aunt Chun had a sad face. When she saw Princess Guang'an, she quickly reported the truth: "As soon as Consort De got the news, she immediately set off for the Empress Dowager's palace. She is now in the Empress Dowager's palace."

Both of their faces changed, and without giving it time to think, they immediately changed direction and hurried towards the Queen Mother's palace.

Along the way, Princess Guang'an held Shen Xingwan's hand tightly, her shiny nails almost digging into Shen Xingwan's skin. Shen Xingwan held her hand firmly back, trying to give her some support.

The towering palace walls and the long corridors seemed particularly deep and endless under the dim light of the palace lanterns. With every step they took, they could feel the oppressive feeling becoming stronger.

Princess Guang'an looked at the seemingly endless corridor in front of her and subconsciously quickened her pace, as if if she only walked faster and arrived earlier, she could stop those terrible things from happening.

"Before things become irreversible, there may be a chance of recovery." Shen Xingwan held Princess Guang'an's hand tightly and comforted her.

The two of them hurried along the straight palace road. The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only their hurried footsteps echoing in the silent night.

The vermilion gate of the Cining Palace exudes cold majesty under the illumination of the dim palace lanterns.

As soon as the two stepped into the palace gate, a cold breath hit them in the face, as if a pair of invisible hands were tightly strangling their throats.

The candlelight in the hall flickered, and the light and shadows swayed strangely on the dark walls, like countless pairs of prying eyes.

The air was filled with the solemn and majestic scent of sandalwood, but it could not dispel the suffocating tension.

The Queen Mother was sitting majestically at the top, her face stern, and the pearls and jade on her phoenix crown were flickering coldly under the candlelight.

Concubine De was sitting below with her head lowered, her shoulders trembling slightly, and she was silently wiping her tears with a handkerchief. Her tears soaked the handkerchief and dripped onto the cold and hard floor tiles under her feet, leaving mottled water stains.

As soon as Princess Guang'an saw Concubine De, all the grievances in her heart burst into tears and she cried and threw herself into Concubine De's arms.

"Mother..."

Shen Xingwan followed Princess Guang'an and walked gently into the palace. She bowed respectfully and said softly, "Her Majesty the Queen Mother, may you be well. Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort, may you be well."

She lowered her head slightly, took a few steps back, stood beside Concubine De, and secretly looked at the expressions of the two.

The Queen Mother cast a cold glance at Princess Guang'an, and her voice was as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month, with almost no warmth at all.

"Since you have also received the news, go back and prepare well."

"When a date is set, I will send you off to marry. Of course, the Wei Kingdom will not treat you badly. Your dowry will be extremely generous, and you will have a grand wedding."

There was a dead silence in the hall, and everyone knew that this so-called generous dowry was just a compensation to the Northern Sheng State in the name of dowry.

Princess Guang'an cried bitterly, clutching the sleeves of Consort De tightly, "Mother, I already have a lover who will not marry anyone but you!"

"The Emperor of Sheng is over seventy years old, he has countless concubines in his harem, and even his youngest son is nearly forty years old. I, your son, really don't want to marry him!"

"presumptuous!"

The Queen Mother frowned and reprimanded her harshly, "As a princess of the Kingdom of Wei, you have been supported by the people for many years and have enjoyed the honor of the royal family."

"The country is in danger now, and it is time for you to sacrifice yourself for the Kingdom of Wei. How dare you cry and make excuses here!"

Princess Guang'an trembled, but still mustered up the courage to cry, "I want to see my father and let him decide!"

The Queen Mother sneered and glanced at the nanny beside her.

The nanny understood and immediately turned around to the inner room to bring out a scroll of imperial edict, which she respectfully presented to the empress dowager.

The Queen Mother glanced at the few people and said calmly, "Don't bother. I have already gone to the Emperor and he knows the pros and cons of this."

"The war in the west is tense right now. If the north launches a large-scale invasion, Wei will not be able to fight at all. If other countries also take the opportunity to form an alliance to attack Wei, I am afraid that Wei will most likely end up being destroyed and divided up."

"So..." The Queen Mother's eyes swept across everyone coldly, and finally landed on Princess Guang'an, "The Emperor has issued an order to send you to marry."

Princess Guang'an felt dizzy and almost fainted.

Empress Defei quickly hugged her and also burst into tears.

Shen Xingwan stood aside, hating herself for being powerless.

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely depressing, as if the entire hall was plunged into endless darkness.

Defei's eyes were swollen from crying, and she hugged Princess Guang'an tightly, as if her daughter would disappear into thin air if she let go.

She had only one daughter, Princess Guang'an. It was difficult to live in the deep palace. She went through many hardships to give birth to her safely, and raised her with all her heart and effort. How could she bear to let her marry far away and suffer in that barbaric and cold place?

She hugged Princess Guang'an and cried bitterly, knocked her head to the ground, and begged: "My queen... please have mercy, Yue'er is still young and has never left my side, she..."

The Queen Mother sighed, very impatient, and said sternly: "What a shame to cry so much! The other princesses are still young. Princess Rouan is just ten years old, and Princess Jiaan is just over eight years old. Only she is of the right age. If she doesn't go, who will go?"

"Are we going to watch Wei fall into war and be destroyed, and let the people suffer?"

The Queen Mother's resounding question echoed in the hall, full of unquestionable majesty.

After saying this, the empress dowager slowly closed her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and waved her hand tiredly, "I'm tired, you all may leave." Her tone was so light that it seemed to brush away their fate like dust.

Concubine De, Princess Guang'an, and Shen Xingwan looked at each other. Seeing that there was no room for maneuver, their faces were filled with despair.

Concubine De sobbed continuously, tears welling up in her eyes again. She sadly hugged Princess Guang'an and helped her up. Step by step, as if she had used up all her strength, she slowly walked out of the palace.

Princess Guang'an cried so hard that she almost fainted. Her steps were unsteady and she had to rely on Concubine De to support her.

Shen Xingwan followed behind them, looking at the grief-stricken mother and daughter, feeling extremely sad.

As they walked out of the Cining Palace, the cold night wind blew in their faces, making several people shiver.

Defei and her daughter had no intention of talking to her. Surrounded and supported by the palace servants who had brought them up, they walked towards Changchun Palace like zombies.

Shen Xingwan stood in front of the Cining Palace, looking at the figures of Concubine De and Princess Guang'an walking away, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

The dim palace lanterns made her figure appear slender.

Shen Xingwan frowned, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

She looked up at the towering palace that looked like a giant beast in the night, and she knew in her heart that this seemingly peaceful palace was actually undercurrents, and there must be dark hands behind the scenes controlling everything.

Princess Guang'an was just a victim in this power struggle.

She pursed her lips, clenched her fingertips into fists, and vowed not to let this tragedy happen again.

She would never watch Princess Guang'an being pushed into the fire pit and doomed.

In this life, she will never let anyone around her get hurt again!

It was already late at night when Shen Xingwan returned to the Regent's Palace.

She returned to her room with a heavy heart and heavy steps.

Yan Jinghuan still hadn't gone to bed, as if he was waiting for her.

He was sitting under the lamp, concentrating on flipping through the book in his hands. The warm yellow candlelight softly fell on him, outlining his cool and handsome figure.

Hearing the noise, Yan Jinghuan raised his eyes and caught a glimpse of Shen Xingwan with a frown and an unsightly expression. He put down the book in his hand, stood up and walked to Shen Xingwan.

He put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her to sit on his lap, and gently stroked her back, "What's wrong? Why are you so worried?"

Shen Xingwan sighed helplessly, his eyes full of reluctance, and slowly told the story that Princess Guang'an was going to be sent to marry a foreign prince.

As she spoke, her expression became increasingly sad, and she could not help but feel a lump in her throat and started to cry.

It was as if the one who was about to marry off to a distant place was not Princess Guang'an, but herself.

Yan Jinghuan listened to her quietly. After a long silence, he finally spoke: "From the perspective of the situation, this is indeed the best way at the moment."

"The Sheng State in the north is powerful, and it took advantage of the tense war in the west to invade. The Wei army is scattered and it is difficult to contend. Although the marriage is helpless, it can temporarily stabilize the situation and avoid the loss of lives." His voice was steady and calm, but his words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Shen Xingwan's heart hard.

"How can you say such a thing so lightly?!"

Shen Xingwan was anxious. She pushed him away and stood up from his lap, frowning at him, "Have you ever thought about how those women who were forced to marry would live their ruined lives?"