Mei Xiyuan looked at Xuan Yuan Yue and lowered her voice, saying, "Princess, I know that you and Yun'er have a deep bond, but the princess will soon be ordered to marry a prince of another country. Does the princess also want Yun'er to accompany her to a foreign land as part of her dowry?"
Xuan Yuan Yue harbored resentment and didn't want to speak to her, so she said to her without any politeness, "Why not? Does my royal aunt not agree?"
"Princess Yue is exceptionally intelligent and naturally understands the 'Three Obediences' among the traditional virtues for women: obedience to the father before marriage, obedience to the husband after marriage, and obedience to the son after the husband's death. Marriage has always been arranged by parents and matchmakers, and even royal marriages are no exception. How can a princess promise happiness to Yun'er when she doesn't even know her own future happiness? If the marriage partner is someone the princess desires, then it will be her good fortune for the rest of her life in a foreign land; however, if the marriage partner is not someone the princess desires, then this foreign land will become a gilded cage imprisoning her for life..."
Mei Xiyuan suddenly stopped speaking, perhaps thinking of her current situation, and was somewhat moved by the scene. She paused, took a breath, and glanced at Yi Shangyun. Yi Shangyun was looking at Xuan Yuan Yue with a somewhat wavering gaze, a gaze that was so helpless, reluctant, and sad.
After a while, Mei Xiyuan looked at Yi Shangyun and continued to Xuan Yuan Yue, "But she's different. I heard she still has parents, brothers, and sisters in the Western Qin Kingdom. Blood is thicker than water, so how could she completely abandon her family and follow the princess? Besides, if the princess's husband is the former, then the princess will get her wish and live a happy life with her lover, while she will have to grow old alone in a foreign land; and if the princess's husband is the latter, then the result will just be that the princess has someone else who shares her fate. Since the princess wants to take good care of her, how could she bear to treat her like that?"
Hearing Mei Xiyuan's advice, Xuan Yuan Yue felt a mix of emotions welling up inside her. She had never thought about Yi Shang Yun's situation as thoroughly as Mei Xiyuan had.
"Princess, this servant..." Yi Shangyun saw that Xuan Yuan Yue was lost in thought about Mei Xi Yuan's words, so she hurriedly tried to persuade her, but Xuan Yuan Yue reached out and stopped her.
At this moment, Mei Xiyuan spoke again, "However, it's different that she's staying at the Qin Prince's residence with me. After all, the three of us are about the same age, just with different identities and fates. We've known each other for a while, so I certainly won't mistreat her. Besides, the Prince's residence is not as treacherous and fraught with danger as the palace. Therefore, for all of us, the Qin Prince's residence is the best place for her, isn't it?"
After these words, the room fell silent. No one spoke again, and the entire hall was filled only with the endless sorrow of the three women...
The saying goes, "Three women make a drama," but no one could have imagined that this wonderful show of three women had only just begun...
In the palace corridors, Deputy General Cheng Liang followed closely behind his master, Xuan Yuanhan.
Having checked that the surroundings were relatively safe and that they were far from Emperor Jing's spies, Cheng Liang said somewhat angrily, "Why did Your Highness insist on advising His Majesty to allow Princess Yue to marry into Dongning? The strength of our Western Qin is not inferior to that of Dongning. If a real war breaks out, we may not necessarily lose."
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Han snorted coldly and said sternly, "Hmph, those who offend my Western Qin, though far away, shall be punished."
Cheng Liang was even more puzzled and asked, "Then why, Your Highness?"
Half a day later, Xuan Yuanhan said with a helpless expression, "It's that girl Yue'er. She herself is in love with the Third Prince of Dongning and insists on marrying no one else. As a result, that ugly girl risked her life for him and almost lost her life."
So it was because of that little medicine girl again, Cheng Liang thought to himself.
As he walked, Cheng Liang pursed his lips and rolled his dark eyes again. He had been thinking about this all the way, but still couldn't figure it out. So he asked again, "Your Highness, there is still something I don't understand. Please enlighten me."
"Are you trying to ask about what I said to my elder brother earlier... thank you?" Xuan Yuanhan had already noticed Cheng Liang's questioning expression the whole way, and now he finally spoke up to ask, so he asked him first.
Cheng Liang touched his forehead and replied, "Indeed, Your Highness saw it. Just now, it was clearly Your Highness who came up with the best plan, relieving their urgent crisis. So why did Your Highness thank him?"
Xuanyuan Han sighed softly, slowed his pace, and said, "My thanks... are the same as those for Princess Dongning."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang froze in place, stunned. "Princess Dongning? Didn't His Highness always disdain her...? No, wait, the Princess Consort clearly came to the palace today because of Yi Shangyun. Could it be that His Highness came because of her..."
Cheng Liang finally realized what was happening, and when he looked up, he found that he had fallen far behind Xuan Yuanhan. He quickly ran over to catch up and asked, "Does Your Highness really like that little medicine girl?"
Cheng Liang was certain that Xuan Yuanhan had heard his question, but Xuan Yuanhan remained tight-lipped, saying little and continuing to walk alone.
Seeing that his master was in a good mood, Cheng Liang simply poured out what he had kept hidden in his heart for a long time: "Anyway, Your Highness is already married now. It's not unreasonable for a prince to take a concubine. Why doesn't Your Highness...?"
Before Cheng Liang could finish speaking, Xuan Yuanhan stopped him.
However, Xuan Yuanhan's next words surprised and astonished Cheng Liang even more: "Even if I were to take her in, how could I possibly make her a concubine?"
After saying this, Xuanyuan Han stopped and looked into the distance with his unfathomable eyes, muttering, "I just don't want to add to her burden."
"Is the burden Your Highness mentioned that of someone named Wei Mingxuan?" Cheng Liang asked, picking up where Xuan Yuanhan left off. Xuan Yuanhan glanced at him but then looked away and continued walking forward.
Cheng Liang stopped talking, pondering in his heart when he would have the chance to confront that ugly girl, Wei Mingxuan, and ask her who she really was, why she always haunted him so much, putting his master in a dilemma, and why his master showed such respect to an ugly girl.
"Your Highness, the way out of the palace is this way." Cheng Liang suddenly realized that Xuan Yuanhan, who always had the best sense of direction, was turning into a corridor that was not the one he usually took to leave the palace and return to his residence.
Xuanyuan Han ignored him, so he had no choice but to hurry forward and follow.
After seeing the way clearly, Cheng Liang finally murmured, "So it's another trip to Fenghua Palace to see that girl." He shook his head slightly, realizing that his master was becoming increasingly concerned about this little medicine girl.
However, his master now seemed more like a normal man, experiencing the joys, sorrows, and anger of someone his age. Therefore, Cheng Liang was very happy about this.
"His Highness Prince Qin has arrived!" A servant's announcement suddenly came from outside the Fenghua Palace. Immediately, wherever he went, the servants knelt down respectfully to pay their respects.
After a long silence in the palace, the three women, each with a worried expression, hurriedly rose to greet him.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects," Mei Xiyuan said with a respectful smile. Unexpectedly, when Xuan Yuanhan walked past her today, he specifically looked up at her, no longer ignoring her as before.
With just that one glance, Mei Xiyuan felt an instant warmth in her heart. She knew it was because of Yi Shangyun, but she was still overjoyed, and even her eyes softened considerably.
Just as Yi Shangyun was about to bow, Xuan Yuan Yue hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed Xuan Yuan Han's arm, and shook it while crying, asking, "Uncle Qin, why did you take Yun'er away? Why did you separate Yun'er from Yue'er? Yue'er doesn't want Yun'er to leave. Yue'er wants Yun'er to stay by Yue'er's side forever."
Yi Shangyun frowned as he listened and watched Xuan Yuan Yue plead with him like a child. Every move she made made Yi Shangyun feel extremely suffocated in his chest, as if he could not breathe. He involuntarily raised one hand and tightly gripped the clothes on his chest, tears welling up in his eyes.
Xuan Yuanhan looked at Yi Shangyun, then at Xuan Yuanyue, and finally gently removed Xuan Yuanyue's hand to comfort her, saying, "Yue'er, you've grown up. Now that you're grown up, you must understand that in this world, no one will always be with you. One day, you will become a lonely person."
After hearing Xuan Yuanhan's words, Xuan Yuanyue finally confirmed that everything Mei Xiyuan had said was true, and that Yi Shangyun was really going to leave her and enter the Qin Prince's mansion.
With tears in her eyes, she said to Xuan Yuanhan, "Uncle Qin, Yue'er understands. But please promise me that when Yun'er arrives at the Qin Prince's Mansion, you must take good care of her. Her parents don't like her, she's not good-looking, and she was bullied and had her engagement broken off. She's really pitiful, but she's a really good person. She's the kindest and most upright woman Yue'er has ever met in this world."
“Princess…” Yi Shangyun choked out. After hearing Xuan Yuan Yue’s words, she could no longer hold back her tears and they welled up in her eyes. She was also very reluctant to part with Xuan Yuan Yue.
Although she had originally planned to follow Xuan Yuan Yue for life if needed, after hearing Xuan Yuan Han's words, she suddenly realized that perhaps Xuan Yuan Han was right: people always have to learn to grow up on their own.
She herself didn't belong to this era. She didn't know where she came from, nor how or when she would return. This separation was perhaps a case of "better a short pain than a long one."
After calming her chaotic emotions, Yi Shangyun solemnly declared to Xuan Yuan Yue, "Princess, rest assured, for the rest of my life, Yun'er can take good care of myself. No matter where you are in the future, as long as you need Yun'er, I will go to the ends of the earth without hesitation. My heart will always be with Princess Yue."
As she spoke, she raised her right index, middle, and ring fingers together and swore an oath, enunciating each word clearly: "Yi Shangyun hereby swears... in this life... I... Yi Shangyun... will never betray Princess Yue... to the ends of the earth... my heart will forever be bound to Yue... anyone who breaks this oath will be punished by heaven and earth."
Xuanyuan Han stared at the two petite women before him, deeply moved by their friendship. He realized for the first time that the bond between women could be so genuine, profound, and admirable.
They were both very lucky, because in this vast world, in parallel universes, they were able to meet and get to know each other.
Meanwhile, Mei Xiyuan secretly rejoiced, her extremely gentle eyes gazing affectionately at Xuan Yuanhan beside her...
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