Destiny
In July of the twenty-sixth year of the Hongjia era, Emperor Cui Sugong abdicated in favor of Crown Prince Cui Shenzhi, and the era name was changed to Yongning.
After becoming emperor, the first thing Cui Shenzhi did was to bestow the title of Princess upon Cui Lingxian, and then he summoned Lu Fengping and Cui Lingxian.
Seeing Cui Lingxian and Lu Fengping from such a superior perspective for the first time, Cui Shenzhi felt uncomfortable and stepped down to the foot of the throne.
"Ling Xian, Feng Ping, you two should know about my situation by now."
The two looked at each other and nodded.
"You must know that the Emperor Emeritus and the Noble Consort want me to marry Ling Xian, right?"
Lu Fengping immediately stepped forward and blocked Cui Lingxian's path.
“Shenzhi, you and Lingxian have been together for so many years. Even if you are not related by blood, you are already family. You cannot and should not force her.” Lu Fengping glanced at Cui Lingxian and added, “I may not be able to fight against the imperial power, but you know that I am a doctor with excellent medical skills. As long as I can still treat patients, there will always be people who come to me for help. I will always find a way to do what I want to do.”
Cui Shenzhi glanced at Lu Fengping, who was protecting Cui Lingxian at the risk of his life, and Cui Lingxian, who was tugging at Lu Fengping's back several times, afraid that he might do something to Lu Fengping and wanting to step forward. He chuckled.
"What nonsense are you all thinking? Ling Xian treats me like family, and I treat Ling Xian like family too. There is no way we will do what the Emperor Emeritus and the Noble Consort demand."
Lu Fengping breathed a sigh of relief, looking ashamed, and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I was judging you by my own petty standards."
"It's not your fault. It must be something the Emperor Emeritus said. What did he say?"
Cui Lingxian whispered, "Father said you swore an oath that the child who inherits the throne must have my bloodline, otherwise you will..."
“They will be condemned to eternal damnation and never be reborn.” Choi Shin-ji added, “I did say that.”
Cui Lingxian and Lu Fengping's expressions became tense again.
Choi Shin-ji quickly explained, "The oath I swore was that the child who inherits the throne after me will be a blood relative of the retired emperor, but I didn't say that it was my child."
"You mean...?" Lu Fengping looked at Cui Lingxian before he could finish speaking.
Choi Shin-ji nodded.
"What I mean is that my throne will eventually be returned to Ling Xian's child."
Lu Fengping finally breathed a sigh of relief, but Cui Lingxian pursed her lips.
She pushed Lu Fengping aside, walked up to Cui Shenzhi, hesitated for a moment, and then said with a hint of determination, "Shenzhi, I don't want my child to inherit your throne, because I'm afraid. I'm afraid my child will be betrayed by the person he loves most, just like his father."
Lu Fengping immediately realized what Cui Lingxian wanted to say and wanted to stop her, but this was a matter between the siblings, their own grudges and entanglements. Whether they were willing to tell the truth or not was their business, and he had no right to interfere.
“Shenzhi, there’s something I don’t want to hide from you. The reason you were brought into the palace by Father is because of my mother. My mother… I’m not sure if she did it for me or for herself, but she must have done something to Father to prevent him from having any more children, which is why Father brought you into the palace.”
“My father loved my mother so much, he gave her everything he could, he almost gave her his heart, but in the end it was nothing more than this. So I worry, I worry that if my child sits on the throne, he will also encounter such a situation where his true feelings are trampled on.”
"Just consider me selfish. I will not send my child back to the palace. If you are afraid that the oath will be fulfilled, you can adopt the children of your uncles. Although they don't have many successful children, you can adopt those who are young and ignorant. With proper guidance, they can also become successful."
Hearing what Cui Lingxian said, Cui Shenzhi was somewhat surprised, but not unexpected.
He guessed that Shen Meiwu had used Cui Sugong to harm Fu Yunjin, and he also guessed that Cui Sugong had health problems, but he didn't guess that the person who caused Cui Sugong's health problems was Shen Meiwu.
However, upon closer examination, it's understandable that Shen Meiwu, relying on Cui Sugong's favor, acted recklessly and wickedly in the harem, even using Cui Sugong to eliminate his first wife, Fu Yunjin, without any consideration for Cui Sugong. It's not hard to understand why she would turn against Cui Sugong for her own benefit.
Cui Shenzhi sighed inwardly, then nodded, agreeing to let Cui Lingxian consider other options for the throne.
Meanwhile, Ping An had Qing Ya impersonate her and rest in Zhi Qiu Pavilion, while she herself disguised herself as Qing Ya and went to Kun Ning Palace with a basket of pastries.
*****
This was the first time Ping An had entered Kunning Palace openly and legitimately.
As Cui Shenzhi's only aunt, Qingya waved her hand, and the guards of Kunning Palace closed the door and obediently stood guard outside.
Once the hall was empty, Ping An placed the pastries from the basket onto the offering table, just as Cui Shenzhi had done, and began to murmur to Fu Yunjin's memorial tablet.
“Fu… Mother, I’m still not used to you being my mother, and I’m even less used to calling you that. But the dead should be respected, and this is your memorial. I’ll hold it in even if I’m not used to it. Please try to ignore this awkward feeling.”
"It's quite a coincidence. Last year, in order to get to Choi Shin-ji's side, I sneaked into this place in July. Now it's July again, and Choi Shin-ji has become the emperor. Although my future is uncertain for now, I will probably be able to fulfill my wish of becoming a rich and beautiful flower that he carefully protects. Perhaps this is your blessing from heaven?"
"After all, I am your biological daughter, and Cui Shenzhi is your child in name only. My relationship with him is also tied to you, a predestined marriage."
Ping An smiled, picked up three incense sticks, lit them, and placed them in the incense burner.
"I didn't really know what I wanted to say to you when I came here. I've never met you before, and I don't know you. I don't resent you for causing me to suffer in the cold palace for so many years, nor do I want to be grateful that you didn't cause my stillbirth because of your resentment towards Cui Sugong, but instead gave birth to me."
"I just wanted to come see you and say goodbye."
"I originally planned to let Cui Shenzhi know my identity after he cleared your name. To ensure that he would return everything to me, I even devised a plan to make him mistakenly believe that he had ruined my innocence. However, he chose to ascend the throne directly, so whether I was a princess or not became meaningless. Therefore, I do not intend to reveal it."
“I don’t know what you’ll think, but my future children will still call you Grandmother, so don’t take it to heart. As for Cui Sugong and Shen Meiwu, I shouldn’t need to lift a finger.” Ping An sat on the futon without any regard for appearances and said softly, “Given their character, Cui Shenzhi’s relatives will surely not have a good end. Cui Shenzhi will not let them go. Whether I intervene or not, the result will be the same.”
*****
When Cui Shenzhi heard that someone had seen Qingya bringing things to pay respects to Fu Yunjin, he remembered that it was Fu Yunjin's birthday. Although he was not Fu Yunjin's child, he had lived as Fu Yunjin's son for so many years, so he rushed over and planned to pay respects to Fu Yunjin with Qingya.
However, upon entering Kunning Palace, he sensed something was amiss, because the voice of the person speaking was not refined, but rather peaceful.
Just as he was wondering, Ping An's words stunned him.
"I am your biological daughter, and Choi Shin-ji is your child in name only."
After hearing what Ping An said next, Cui Shenzhi fled in panic.
Upon returning to the Qianqing Palace, he looked at the throne high above him and couldn't help but recall Cui Lingxian's words.
Is your sincerity being trampled on...?
Cui Shenzhi lowered his eyes and asked Qi Kang to bring over some wine.
An hour later, Cui Shenzhi appeared outside the Zhi Qiu Pavilion with clear eyes but reeking of alcohol. When Qingya came out, one look from her was enough for Qi Kang to gag her and knock her unconscious, and then he stepped inside.
*****
Ping An looked at Cui Shenzhi, who was once again standing by her bedside reeking of alcohol, and didn't know what to say.
He's really something else. When he's sober, he's as innocent as can be, but after just one kiss, he runs away. When he's drunk, he doesn't care about anything and comes to her room late at night. This has happened twice already! Can't a person get a peaceful night's sleep?
Ping An waved her hand in front of Cui Shenzhi's eyes, but received no response. Cui Shenzhi just stared at her with a creepy look.
She rolled her eyes, thinking about how Choi Shin-ji had fallen asleep after kissing her enough last time, so she knelt on the bed, put her arms around Choi Shin-ji's neck, tilted her head back, and kissed him.
She thought that Cui Shenzhi would be satisfied with just a kiss like last time, but she didn't expect that Cui Shenzhi would gradually deepen the kiss, kissing her until she was a little out of breath and he wouldn't let go. She was so angry that she bit Cui Shenzhi, and only then did Cui Shenzhi let go of her.
Just as she was about to reprimand Cui Shenzhi, he forcefully pushed her down onto the bed, his eyes gleaming with malice, as if he intended to do something to her.
Ping An panicked a little, but the next moment she realized that this was a good thing.
She faked it last time, but since she's decided to stay by Cui Shenzhi's side, it's only a matter of time before she has a relationship with him. What will she say when Cui Shenzhi finds out she's still a virgin? It would be better to take advantage of her drunkenness this time and have sex with Cui Shenzhi. Given Cui Shenzhi's tendency to forget everything when he wakes up, it shouldn't be a problem to cover it up smoothly.
However, her hands were pinned down on both sides by Choi Shin-ji and she couldn't move, so she had to think of another way.
So she lifted her right foot and slowly slid it up Cui Shenzhi's leg from the knee, occasionally teasing him. Just as it was about to slide down to his crotch, Cui Shenzhi quickly let go of her hand and grabbed her mischievous foot instead.
As soon as Ping An's hands were freed, she grabbed Cui Shenzhi's collar and pulled him closer. She mimicked the actions Cui Shenzhi had just done to her and gave him a long, ambiguous kiss. When it ended, she licked the corner of Cui Shenzhi's lips like a kitten.
Choi Shin-ji's breathing immediately became heavy, and a visible change appeared on his body, his eyes filled with lust.
But he didn't make any further move. Instead, he stared at Ping An, his face showing a mixture of expectation and fear, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Ping An, do you like me?"
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