Su Lin opened his mouth, unsure how to respond.
The anger on the father's face, who was sitting next to him, also disappeared without him realizing it.
Now, all that's left is heartache and helplessness.
Yes, now that Su Tiyue has said that, Su Sui has indeed remembered.
Previously, his daughter had been forced to enter the palace as a concubine.
Everyone knew that the late emperor was licentious and tyrannical, and avoided him at all costs. Yet he could only watch helplessly as his daughter jumped into the fire pit, wanting to save her but powerless to do so.
At that time, Su Tiyue didn't make a fuss. She obediently entered the palace and even turned around to comfort her family, saying that she was fine and that she would take good care of herself.
Now, her daughter has finally made it through the ordeal, left the palace, and found someone she loves.
But fate once again plunged her into a predicament.
Marrying an emperor once, and a prince twice... to outsiders, this might sound like an honor for the Su family.
But now, Su Sui doesn't know whether this is a blessing or a curse.
...
"Get up," Su Sui said slowly.
“Since Yue’er doesn’t want to marry the Prince of Huainan, then I will have someone refuse. His Majesty is kind and virtuous, and surely he will not allow the Rouran tribe to act recklessly. This is a marriage alliance between two countries, and he will certainly not allow that Rouran prince to force you to marry him.”
He finally relented, no longer as resolute as before.
"Father... Your daughter is unfilial and has made you angry and worried." She kowtowed first and apologized.
Then she raised her head again and asked cautiously, "So, you've agreed to what I and Manager Xiao agreed to?"
Su Sui glanced at her but didn't answer, though the anger in her eyes had clearly subsided considerably.
In this world, if parents truly love their children, how can they possibly go against their wishes?
No matter how unwilling they were, they could only sigh silently.
That's all.
Anyway, our daughter has a long road ahead of her. Since we can't accompany her to the end, we might as well let go and let her choose what she truly likes.
...
Su Sui stood up, his expression unreadable. He put his hands behind his back and walked out with steady steps.
Su Tiyue turned her head to look at her father's back and whispered, "Father, it's fine if you don't agree now... but could you give him a chance? Give your daughter a chance too..."
Su Sui paused at the door, stunned for a moment, but still did not respond.
However, his heart eventually softened.
Seeing their father walk away, the eldest brother bent down and pulled Su Tiyue up from the ground:
"You... when you were little, although you were naughty and mischievous, you never lied or disobeyed your father like this. Now that you're grown up, you've become independent and have your own ideas... so you don't care about anything anymore?"
Although his words were reproachful, he couldn't bring himself to be harsh with his heart.
In his desperation, Su Lin said he would kill Xiao Heye, but if he really did that, it would be his sister who would be heartbroken and in pain.
"Big brother, just this once. I can obey in everything else, but this is the only thing... I want to make my own decision. Is that alright, big brother...?"
Su Lin frowned slightly: "Brother is afraid that you will regret it when things don't go well in the future."
Su Tiyue shook her head and said seriously, "No, I believe him. If even Master Xiao can't make me happy and protect me, then there is no one in this world I can entrust my life to."
Su Lin continued, "He's being scorned by everyone now, aren't you afraid? When the people of Yong'an City start pointing fingers at you and cursing you for currying favor with the powerful and saying you can't distinguish right from wrong... can you bear all of that?"
She nodded, her eyes resolute: "I can bear it. I will share all the infamy and accusations with him. I am willing to weather the storm with Master Xiao."
Su Lin: "...Okay."
"Yue'er has finally grown up. If that Xiao fellow also has such a firm belief as you, I believe that no one can stop you from overcoming this hurdle."
Hearing this, Su Tiyue's expression softened slightly. She tugged at Su Lin's sleeve and shook it, her eyes red as she said, "I knew my brother was the best to me. You are... the best brother in the whole world!"
Su Lin flicked her forehead with his finger and said affectionately, "Just remember, my concession this time is not because he deserves it, but because I want my sister to have the right to choose happiness. Sometimes I think, if our family were more ordinary, Yue'er wouldn't have had to go to the palace, and she wouldn't have had to marry people she didn't like, one or two times."
"But then I thought, my sister's status is so noble. You have a father who is the Minister of Revenue and a powerful general as your elder brother. If we can't even protect you, what use are these empty titles and positions?"
"Big brother..."
Su Tiyue called his name softly, her voice choked with emotion, tears welling in her eyes.
"sorry."
She said again, "I was wrong..."
"It's good that you know you made a mistake. Let's have dinner together tonight. It's not easy for our family to get together like this, so we should cherish these precious days."
She nodded and said, "Mm."
In fact, they all know in their hearts that no matter how much a family quarrels or fights, the rope that holds them together will never break.
Su Tiyue was at one end of the rope, while her family was at the other end.
The more she tried to walk away, the tighter the rope became. She wasn't afraid of getting hurt, but those who truly cared for her were afraid of her getting injured, so they had no choice but to let go.
Sometimes, compromise is also a form of love.
*
After dinner, Su Lin accompanied his wife, Hu Fenglian, back to their room.
After several days of recuperation, her health gradually improved. Except when she was alone, she would often space out absentmindedly. Su Lin had asked her a few times if she had something on her mind.
But the answer was no.
The matter hidden in Hu Fenglian's heart was like an invisible boulder, pressing down on her so much that she could hardly breathe.
She had originally planned to confess to her husband, but now this incident has occurred in the household...
Before long, the honesty was delayed.
But things that can't be done in the light of day are always a hidden danger.
Hu Fenglian sometimes cruelly considered another way out: taking advantage of the fact that no one in the mansion was on guard, she could even take the savings she had accumulated over the years and quietly elope with Xiao Jue and Xu Yiyuan.
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