Chapter 244 The Prince Consort
Xiao Su lowered his head to the ground, his posture humbled enough: "Your Highness, please have mercy and let us see Yu Xuan."
The princess sneered, her skirt sweeping past the two of them.
"What a joke! Yu Xuan is now my daughter. What right do you have to see her? If you want to kneel, kneel to the side. Don't defile the gate of my residence."
Lin Hui crawled forward two steps and grabbed the hem of the princess's skirt.
The evening rain pelted Lin Hui's forehead, soaking her hair. Trembling, she gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, biting her lip until it bled, sobbing uncontrollably.
"It's all my fault... Your Highness, you also carried a child for ten months, how can you bear to see us, mother and daughter, separated? Please, let me see her just once, just once..."
To everyone's surprise, the princess's expression did not soften in the slightest; instead, she became even more furious. She swept away the person grabbing her skirt with her sleeve, glared at the disheveled and sobbing Lin Hui, and gritted her teeth as she questioned:
"You know you're mother and daughter by blood? Then what did you do to her before?!"
“Last year, around this time of year, she was falsely accused of pushing your precious daughter into the water. Poor Yuxuan kindly tried to save her, but you slapped her without saying a word. Afterwards, she had a fever for three whole days, and the entire Xiao mansion didn't even have a doctor to treat her!”
"And all those old clothes and jewelry that Xiao Yuyao didn't want anymore, every single one of them was approved by you as her mother. Now, you finally feel guilty and want to beg for forgiveness, to pretend that nothing ever happened."
Lin Hui felt so heartbroken she could hardly breathe; how could she not know?
When she was being harsh with Yu Xuan, she always felt that Yu Xuan had been raised outside and had become corrupted, and that drastic measures were needed to completely change her. She had given all her patience to Xiao Yu Yao, whom she had raised for fourteen years, and her three sons. Where would she have any extra patience for this daughter who suddenly appeared?
Looking back now, however, each and every one of these events has become an insurmountable barrier separating the mother and daughter.
She used to complain that Yu Xuan was not as well-behaved and sensible as Yu Yao, that she didn't know this or that, and that she would only bring shame to the family if she went out. But Yu Xuan had suffered in the Ye family for fourteen years. Not to mention that she didn't have the opportunity to learn everything from the Xiao family, even if she did, she would need time to adapt little by little when she returned home.
Not to mention, during that year, she carefully investigated what Xiao Yuyao had done at home before, and felt even more remorseful and depressed.
It turns out that the rumors about Yu Xuan being vulgar and uneducated all originated from Baozhen Academy. Even the rumors about the fifth daughter of the Xiao family that often circulated in the capital were also written by Xiao Yuyao.
She mistakenly believed the superficial gossip presented to her, but not her own flesh and blood, her daughter.
Lin Hui wanted to plead for mercy, but the princess's next words completely extinguished her hopes.
"Lin Hui, do you know how much I used to envy you?"
Lin Hui tilted her head back, the rain soaking her face, mixing with her tears and flowing into the corner of her mouth, a salty and bitter taste.
The eldest princess looked at the face that bore a resemblance to Qi Yuxuan and had once been praised as the most beautiful woman in the capital.
“Yu Xuan grew up peacefully without your side and has become such a beautiful young woman… Even though Xiao Yu Yao has targeted and ridiculed her repeatedly, she swallowed her bitterness because she didn’t want to make things difficult for you. If it weren’t for my reluctance to let that child suffer in your Xiao family, I’m afraid she would still be being manipulated and treated like dirt by your family.”
"Lin Hui, do you know what kind of daughter you have lost? She was filial, considerate, kind and compassionate. If you hadn't put so much pressure on her, she would have had a happy and fulfilling life instead of just recently being by my side, talking in her sleep about her parents and brothers, crying uncontrollably."
"For the past fourteen years, you know what kind of life she lived. Washing clothes, cooking, and taking care of her younger brother were common occurrences in the dead of winter. Her hands were covered in calluses, and even while wearing gloves, she could still embroider to supplement the family income, producing embroidery that was no less exquisite than that presented as tribute. She was overjoyed to have a home. Since you do not love her, I do. Today, I will pretend that you were never here. Even if we meet again in the future, please pretend that you do not know each other."
The eldest princess knew everything about Qi Yuxuan like the back of her hand. There were many things that even Lin Hui and Xiao Su, her parents, did not know. They knelt in the rain, staring blankly at the closed gate of the eldest princess's residence, and remained stunned for a long time.
Dinner was served in the princess's bedroom. The spring rain made it a bit chilly, and with the not-so-warm night breeze blowing, Qi Yuxuan sneezed as soon as she entered the room.
"You're not dressed warmly enough."
The princess mumbled as she touched her hand, which was still warm, and asked, "Did you put flowers on the way here?"
In spring, willow catkins and pollen can cause people to sneeze incessantly, and some may even develop rashes. These are all things that the imperial physicians advised. If you feel any discomfort in your nose while walking outside in spring, you should immediately cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
"It's alright. Once the spring rain falls, all the flowers and pink blossoms will be washed to the ground. How can you smell them then?" Qi Yuxuan squeezed the princess's hand back, only to find that the princess's hand was colder.
Why are Mother's hands so cold?
She looked at Aunt Meng standing to the side.
Aunt Meng exchanged a glance with the Princess.
"Did Mother see anyone outside?" Qi Yuxuan asked directly before Aunt Meng could come up with an excuse. "Did she stand in the rain and talk for quite a while, which is why she caught a cold?"
She was incredibly perceptive, and the princess couldn't deny it at all, glancing to the side.
"Anyway, it'll be warm after dinner."
Qi Yuxuan roughly guessed what the Eldest Princess would say to Xiao Su and Lin Hui. She paused for a moment, then said softly:
“Mother, I don’t care about them anymore. You don’t need to waste your breath on them. There’s a long road ahead. We can’t keep holding onto the past every day, can we?”
Her voice was slow and soft, which made the princess sigh with emotion, and then she squeezed her hand.
"They need to know where they went wrong, otherwise they'll say you left the Xiao family to climb the social ladder and curry favor with me, which is utterly absurd!"
Qi Yuxuan nodded slowly: "Mother is right. But I will not become an official, and I may not even get married. My reputation is neither good nor bad to me. I am already very content to be able to live with Mother."
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess immediately raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean you're not sure you'll get married? Do you intend to stay by my side forever and become an old maid?"
"The Empress said just two days ago that she wanted to select young and talented men from among the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) to be married to several princesses and county princesses of the imperial clan. There are two particularly outstanding candidates who she wants to marry to you."
Qi Yuxuan's face stiffened as she listened to the princess continue.
"One is named Pei Yan, and the other is Xie Tingzhou, who stayed here temporarily a few days ago."
"Didn't you say you knew Xie Tingzhou and greatly admired his talent? That day on Zhuang Mountain, you even encountered him falling into a hunter's trap while hiking. It was fate that brought you together... If you find him pleasing, he would be a good candidate for a prince consort."
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