138 Incident
◎It's rotten, it's all rotten◎
Rong Ruoyu's face turned purple and pale, with black blood constantly flowing from the corners of her mouth. At first glance, her eye sockets seemed sunken and she had lost her former spirit.
The servants gathered around her and hurriedly carried her out of Fengyi Palace, followed by a group of imperial physicians.
The originally harmonious and beautiful scene was instantly broken. Rong Qianyu and Fu Hua stood on either side, one standing in the light with a gloomy face, and the other in the darkness, but with a calm expression as usual.
Fu Hua paused for a long moment, then silently walked to the table, picked up the wine glass stained with Rong Ruoyu's blood, and asked, "You knew the wine was poisoned and wanted her to drink it. She's your own sister, you're absolutely insane!"
Rong Qianyu remained unmoved. This moment today had been repeated thousands of times in her dreams, but the one who was splattered with blood was not someone else, but herself.
When this scene actually appeared before his eyes and his own sister was doomed to die, he did not feel a trace of fear in his heart, but relief instead.
She lowered her head, still unable to extricate herself from this huge change. Fu Hua spoke for a long time, but there was no response.
"Your Majesty, would you like to ask yourself this?"
Fu Hua was startled and looked sideways, as if he hadn't heard clearly. He hurriedly asked, "What?"
Rong Qianyu slowly raised her head, her eyes expressionless. "Tao'er is also your Majesty's biological sister. Why did Tao'er die so young? Compared to being vicious, your wife is not truly insane."
"You..." These words left Fu Hua speechless and filled with shame, "You are just a crazy woman!!"
After saying that, he slammed the door and left, and today's sacrificial family dinner ended in a bad mood.
The next morning, Rong Qianyu went to visit the dying Rong Ruoyu.
A solemn and murderous atmosphere filled the bedroom, and the room was filled with the smell of blood and a strong smell of medicine.
The maid led Rong Qianyu to the depths of the bedroom, "Your Majesty, the Queen is here."
Rong Ruoyu's hair was disheveled, her face was ashen, her eyes were slightly closed, and she was breathing more out than in. Seeing someone coming, she struggled to push her upper body up and sit up. "Sister is here?"
Rong Qianyu gave a look and the servants left the room, leaving only her and Rong Ruoyu in the room.
She sat by the bed, feeling a lot of emotion as she watched her sister who was about to die.
"I asked you, it was you who insisted on going to this extent. Zhao'er told me to do my best to save your life, but how much have you done over the years?"
Rong Ruoyu smiled bitterly, showing no regret for her previous behavior, "Sis, you want to kill me, so I can't run away."
It would be useless to say anything at this moment. Rong Qianyu just kept talking to herself and didn't care whether Rong Ruoyu was really listening.
"You followed Cui Rumei in robbing people for money, selling official positions and titles, and confusing right and wrong. An elder sister is like a mother. I am also responsible for your current situation. I should not have agreed to let the emperor send you to Zhou State, and I should not have failed to discipline you properly."
The two girls who were so innocent in the past have now become victims of this palace struggle. No one knows what they are fighting for, who will live and who will die, but in the end both sides suffer losses.
"I can't help it. I know my mother owes you two lives. Let my death offset all of this. You're right. Compared to you, I'm nothing more than an insignificant pawn."
A dying man's words are always kind. Rong Qianyu could never completely shake off the ties of her bloodline. A line of tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why are you doing this? What did Cui Rumei promise you?"
Rong Ruoyu kept silent.
Rong Qianyu took Rong Ruoyu's hand and asked humbly, trying to get a glimpse of the truth, "Ruoyu, she promised you nothing, but it's not worth it for you to kill your own sister. Can't you see that she has been using you all this time?"
"In this situation, there's no point in saying anything. The diplomatic relations between Rong and Zhou are nothing. What does that have to do with me? How could I be so foolish as to waste my youth on such nonsense?"
"This is the meaning of marriage alliance. For the sake of the motherland, all this is worth it."
Rong Qianyu and Rong Ruoyu are fundamentally different. Without parental protection, Rong Qianyu has been a marginalized member of the Rong court since childhood. She has few family connections and knows her fate as a pawn within the imperial family. Whether it's marriage or a marriage alliance, every step is unsatisfactory.
So since she was young, she knew how to read people's expressions and persuade herself to complete one duty after another, the so-called duties of a princess.
But Rong Ruoyu doesn't need to consider these responsibilities and the unsatisfactory results at every step.
She is loved by her parents, spoiled and willful, and does not need to care about anyone or anything. She can do whatever she wants, find a perfect husband, and be a true spoiled child of heaven.
A person with such a character would naturally not accept being manipulated and reduced to a pawn, losing the freedom and innocence that Rong Qianyu least dared to imagine.
Rong Qianyu understood her original intention, but could never understand her frustration and hardship. Similarly, Rong Ruoyu did not understand her righteousness.
"Is it worth it? Is it worth it for you to be entrusted with the wrong person for your whole life? Is it worth it for you to be in a place without a family? Is it worth it for you to treat other people's children as your own?"
Rong Qianyu had nothing to say. She was speechless.
Rong Ruoyu sat up with difficulty, and with a weak breath, she dealt a heavy blow to everything Rong Qianyu had insisted on in the past.
"Emperor, what kind of person is he? He's far worse than the men of Rong State, and his concubines... Of course I know Cui Rumei is a bad person, but I don't regret it. I'm afraid of rules and constraints. I don't want to become like you... I'm just a woman. What does the country have to do with me?"
Rong Qianyu has been wavering recently. Naturally, she can't stand such a life, but if she wants to make up her mind, she still needs a push.
"Why don't you ever tell me this?" she asked.
"I want to, what's there to say?" Rong Ruoyu said this with great emotion, cold sweat pouring down her weak body.
"It's rotten, it's all rotten..."
She supported her weak body and asked Rong Qianyu: "Don't blame yourself, I don't blame you, I am more than happy to be free. But are you happy, are you happy to be the queen? You even have to be sneaky to see your beloved. If you are discovered... you will lose your position as queen. But I don't care about these things."
"You know?" Rong Qianyu asked.
Rong Ruoyu suddenly grasped Rong Qianyu's hand tightly, as if she had exhausted all her strength. "Sister, are you willing to live like this? You and Xue Zhangyin... are you willing... to wait for disaster at any moment?"
“…”
These questions made Rong Qianyu not know where to start, and even made her feel a little ashamed. If a person does not plan for the future, he will have immediate worries, but she has both long-term and immediate worries, which are intertwined and make her clueless.
Seeing that she had no reaction, Rong Ruoyu gathered the quilt and said, "Sister, go back and be your obedient queen for the rest of your life, a good queen who takes care of your husband and children."
Rong Qianyu's head felt dizzy, and she didn't know how to convince herself. After she left, Rong Ruoyu smiled to herself, and then tears unconsciously slid down her face. "Sister, you are still too soft-hearted. Why can't you make up your mind?"
"Go and invite Concubine Ke."
"yes."
The instinct for survival is beyond imagination. Rong Ruoyu held on for a few more days before the poison finally took effect and she succumbed to her death. Zhou Guo declared her death a sudden death, and the funeral was hastily handled without any grand ceremony. Fu Hua did not pursue the matter.
Rong Qianyu did not attend Rong Ruoyu's funeral. Not only Rong Ruoyu, but also her own heart was difficult for her to face. She was still struggling until Rong Ruoyu was buried.
Should she follow her heart, or continue to follow the rules and live like the good queen who rules the country as others say.
"Pan'er," Rong Qianyu pondered for a moment and said, "We have to get ready."
"Is it too early..." Rong Pan was a little worried.
"I'm afraid there's no time. I've been so restless these past few days that I can't wait any longer."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Yuan Qing suddenly rushed in, "Master Xue, Master Xue has been imprisoned!!"
Hearing about Xue Ji, Rong Qianyu instinctively became nervous, "What's going on?"
Yuan Qing knew the seriousness of the matter and deliberately looked at the door of the inner hall before he dared to speak in a voice that only the three of them could hear: "It was Concubine Ke who accused Master Xue of corruption and bribery. The Imperial Household Department has been raided, and officials who used to be on good terms with Master have been implicated and suspended!"
"Did Concubine Ke report it?" All this happened too coincidentally, just on the first day after Rong Ruoyu was buried. Perhaps Rong Qianyu benefited from it during her lifetime.
Upon hearing the news, Rong Qianyu felt dizzy and her heart was beating wildly. She lost her balance and almost fainted in Rong Pan's arms.
"Empress!" Rong Pan and Yuan Qing helped her sit aside and gave her a pot of flower tea before she finally calmed down.
"Tell me more carefully."
Yuanqing said, "I don't know exactly, but I heard that Concubine Ke accused Lord Xue of corruption, and this morning we went to the Xue residence and found some women's belongings. The material said they belonged to the palace. His Majesty has imprisoned the Lord for disloyalty."
Rong Qianyu's expression froze, and she felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave. After a moment's silence, she asked, "How is Lord Fang from the Jinyiwei?"
Yuan Qing: "Master Fang has been suspended."
"Just saying Xue Ji is corrupt, nothing else?"
"Then I don't know. Maybe they have said it, or maybe they haven't found it yet?"
Xue Ji had told her to protect herself if something happened, but at this moment, she only wished she could kill Fu Hua and Cui Rumei. And her good sister, even if she died, she still wanted to strike her. Perhaps it was because she kept hesitating that she made such a thrilling move.
Faced with this almost catastrophic disaster, Rong Qianyu suddenly stopped hesitating.
"Your Majesty, you are determined to kill them all. If only the cunning rabbit were dead, the running dog would be cooked. Otherwise, why would you send them to prison so hastily? I believe you already know what you should know."
"Your Majesty, what should we do? Should we ask His Majesty for mercy?" Rong Pan begged.
"No, I absolutely cannot interfere in this matter. It will only endanger his life."
"Your Majesty has to think of a way. If you are implicated..." Rong Panyuanqing kept talking, which made Rong Qianyu's head hurt even more.
"It doesn't matter if I'm implicated. It's unfair that he was framed for no reason!"
She wanted to save Xue Ji, and she wanted to save him in an upright manner.
It's time to settle accounts with this unfair world. It's time to settle accounts with her, Fu Hua, and Cui Rumei for everything that happened.
"I can't hesitate any longer. If I hesitate, I'll suffer the consequences. If it really comes down to a fight to the death, I won't let anyone bully me."
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