Chapter 96
In Xiangzhou, the crimson clouds hang low, and the green mountains stand serenely.
Suddenly, a deep, resonant drumbeat came from outside the valley.
This is a soldier announcing that a messenger has arrived.
The Seventh Princess was cutting mulberry leaves by the mud wall when she saw boats on the river. She suddenly turned around and ran to the courtyard, ordering her servants to keep an eye on the Seventh Prince and prevent him from trying to kill himself again.
The seven kings were playing with their children when they heard that another messenger had arrived, and they collapsed in fright.
The children surrounded their father and wept.
The princess walked over with a stern face, grabbed the bewildered seventh prince, and comforted her children with a smile, telling them not to be afraid.
The messenger entered the courtyard and read the Queen's decree. The couple, along with their children, knelt on the ground, trembling.
After the imperial edict was read, the Seventh Prince was drenched in sweat, and the Princess was also covered in cold sweat. She pinched the Seventh Prince to remind him to express his gratitude, and the Seventh Prince hurriedly thanked her while crying.
The messenger asked the Seventh Prince what he usually did to relieve his boredom, whether he read books, and what books he read.
The Seventh Prince answered cautiously.
As night fell, the messenger left the valley by boat.
The princess breathed a sigh of relief. A servant came to report that her youngest daughter had been frightened today and had been crying non-stop, and no one could soothe her.
The couple rushed to see their youngest daughter.
Upon seeing the Seventh Prince, the youngest daughter cried even more bitterly: "Father, don't die... I want Father..."
The Seventh Prince felt immediately guilty and reached out to hug his youngest daughter.
The princess gave the seventh prince a cold look, pushed him away, held her youngest daughter in her arms, and coaxed her for a while until the daughter fell asleep. She then said indifferently, "Since my lord is determined to die and does not wish to live a life of dishonor, I dare not stop you. Please do not worry about me and our children."
She looked up at the Seventh Prince.
The seven princes dared not utter a sound.
The princess sneered, "With my husband dead, all is well. My children and I will surely fall into the hands of Wei Mingsu and his ilk, and suffer endless torment. I do not wish to be humiliated, nor can I bear to see my children suffer. If my husband insists on dying, then let us all choose a day to go to the Yellow Springs together."
The Seventh Prince felt even more guilty and shed tears, sobbing, "My wife, I was wrong..."
The Seventh Princess Consort gazed out the window towards Chang'an, remained silent for a long while, and then said, "My lord, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise. Who knows when it will be a blessing or when it will be a misfortune?"
Good or bad fortune is unpredictable.
When the Seventh Prince's wife married him, he was just an ordinary prince. She never imagined that one day she would become the Crown Princess.
Later, the former crown prince was deposed, the former emperor passed away, the seventh prince ascended the throne, and the seventh prince's wife became the mother of the country as if in a dream.
After gaining power, the Seventh Princess Consort developed ambitions.
Eager to break free from the control of the Empress Dowager and the regents, the Seventh Prince sought to cultivate his own confidants. Thus, he decided to promote his wife's family, a method the late emperor had also used to consolidate his power.
The princess was pleased with her husband's actions and secretly encouraged and instigated him.
However, the princess overlooked one point: they were so eager to promote her family members and entrust them with important responsibilities, leaving the regents in the dust.
The late emperor appointed regents to assist the new emperor and control the empress dowager, but they instead formed an alliance between the regents and the empress dowager.
That day, the Seventh Princess held a banquet in the palace. Noblewomen and maids from both inside and outside the palace surrounded her. The peonies blooming beside the jade steps were magnificent and beautiful. She sat in the pavilion and enjoyed the singing and dancing of the female entertainers. Her skirt was tinged with the fragrance of peonies.
At that moment, the princess was all smiles, feeling...
She felt as glamorous as the Empress Dowager in her youth.
In an instant, the eunuch sent by the Empress Dowager to read the imperial edict shattered her beautiful dream. Her husband was imprisoned, her son was demoted to a commoner, her father was exiled, and she was no longer the empress, but merely the wife of a criminal.
Good fortune may be a harbinger of misfortune.
On the way to Xiangzhou with the Seventh Prince, news of the Seventh Princess's father arrived; he had died in Guangnan.
The Seventh Princess was pregnant at the time. Amidst the turmoil, she gave birth to her youngest daughter and then fainted.
Everyone thought the Seventh Princess had died in childbirth.
The Seventh Prince held his youngest daughter and wept bitterly by the bedside.
The Seventh Princess lay in a pool of blood, delirious, dreaming of the dead.
Just as the father was about to follow his father in death, he suddenly heard the child crying and woke up.
The princess survived.
She used to admire the Empress's authority in wielding power and controlling all officials, forgetting that behind that authority lay ruthless political maneuvering. She finally witnessed the Empress's methods and, like the Seventh Prince, feared her. She analyzed the reasons for her and the Seventh Prince's failures, filled with regret and resentment. If she were given another chance, she would definitely advise the Seventh Prince to endure humiliation and not to reveal his ambitions before he had gained real power.
Endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens.
The princess kept these four words in her heart.
Only by enduring humiliation and making concessions can she and the Seventh Prince survive and wait for a turning point.
The Seventh Princess turned her head to look at the Seventh Prince, her expression resolute, and said, word by word, "My lord, everyone must die, and none of us can escape death. Instead of being afraid, why not cherish the present and live well?"
“My husband is my husband and the father of my children. If my husband is gone, we, a widow and orphans, will lose our support and will have no choice but to go with him. The children are still young. Can my husband bear to leave them?”
Looking at his haggard wife and her frail daughter in her arms, the Seventh Prince cried, "It's all my fault for being useless. I couldn't give my wife and children wealth and honor, and I even caused them to suffer with me. My wife is right, misfortune and fortune are intertwined. Why can't I live a peaceful and safe life?"
He wiped away his tears, embraced the Seventh Princess, and said with a tragic expression, "Heaven above, today, I, Li Qi, swear to my wife that I will never seek death again! I will never forget my wife and children who have shared joys and sorrows with me. If I can return to Chang'an in the future, I will never let my wife and children down! If I break this oath, may I be struck down by heaven and earth!"
The princess choked back tears and said, "My lord, I will be at ease as long as you no longer have thoughts of suicide."
The Seventh Prince cannot die; he is the Queen and the children's greatest support.
The situation in the capital is unpredictable, with fortune and misfortune intertwined. No one can guess whether the Empress really intends to eliminate the Seventh Prince.
They couldn't defy the Empress, so they had to patiently endure it.
King Goujian of Yue endured hardship for ten years, which made King Wu lower his guard and release him to return to his country, hoping for an opportunity to take revenge.
Even a princess can endure for ten years.
They will surely be able to leave this godforsaken place of Xiangzhou and return to the center of power.
When that day comes, the princess will spare no effort to seize power. Once she truly holds power, she can do whatever she wants, just like the current empress.
The princess and the seventh prince embraced and wept bitterly. After the seventh prince repeated his vow three times that he would not seek death again, the princess felt relieved and put her youngest daughter back on the bed.
This child should have been a princess, but she has lived in fear since birth.
The princess lowered her head and wiped away her youngest daughter's tears.
She will never forget the suffering and humiliation she has endured over the years, and she will look forward to the day when she can take revenge.
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