An Ke's words made Han Xiang's face turn pale, and her body swayed as if she couldn't bear it.
Qing'er originally wanted to advise An Ke to speak more tactfully, so as not to upset the princess, but seeing Han Xiang's attitude, she really didn't want An Ke to restrain herself at all.
Qing'er: An'an is right!
“Since you have already chosen to be a member of your Hui ethnic group, why would you turn back?” Anke was very confused. “Whether you chose this path willingly or were forced to, you have still embarked on this path, haven’t you? You have still come to the palace.”
"But this is not what I wanted," Hanxiang sobbed, tears streaming down her face. As a princess, she had to consider the Hui people; this was a principle her father had taught her since childhood. How could she abandon them?
“Now that you’ve entered the palace, you must be the emperor’s woman. Even if you can leave the palace, what do you think Meng Dan will think of you?” An Ke thought for a moment and decided to change her approach and try a different method. Maybe there would be an unexpected surprise.
"Can you help me leave the palace?" Hanxiang's eyes shone with an unprecedented light. "Meng Dan, he will definitely not despise me." Hanxiang said this with absolute certainty.
"That's not necessarily true." An Ke shook his head. In An Ke's eyes, Meng Dan in the drama was simply a volatile maniac. Moreover, he had also suspected at the time whether Han Xiang had already lost her virginity to the Emperor.
Whenever Anke sees someone like this, her first reaction is to run, to hail a cab and run. It's best to avoid people like this. Surprisingly, there's someone foolish enough to actively approach him, even going back to him. Has their brain been slammed in a door?
Hanxiang's round eyes widened slightly, somewhat incredulous that she had actually questioned her relationship with Mengdan. But then she thought, she was a princess of the Qing Dynasty. Even without a political marriage, she might not be able to marry the person she loved. It was normal that she didn't understand love. Thinking this way, Hanxiang felt much more at ease, and even her gaze towards Anke revealed a hint of sympathy.
An Ke didn't know why she suddenly smiled at her, and the smile was rather unsettling. If An Ke knew what Han Xiang was thinking about her, how she was feeling sorry for her, An Ke would probably roll her eyes again.
"How about we do a test? If you really leave the palace and meet Meng Dan, and he asks you if you've lost your virginity to the Emperor, don't deny it. Let's see how he treats you." An Ke's eyes darted around, and she immediately came up with a good idea.
“There’s a saying in our Qing Dynasty: ‘Those who don’t listen to the advice of their elders will suffer the consequences.’ Your father is your own father, so how could he possibly harm you? He doesn’t even like that Meng Dan, which proves that Meng Dan is not a good match at all.” An Ke felt a little sorry for Ali Khoja for having such a love-struck daughter.
If he were Ali or Zhuo, he'd probably be furious. Such a beautiful daughter, snatched away by some blond-haired guy. And that blond-haired guy is idle all day, constantly instigating his daughter to rebel against him, and even encouraging her to elope.
Putting all that aside, Huang Mao has a bad temper, which is probably due to his pampered upbringing. Their own daughter is also someone who's never lifted a finger in the kitchen; what will happen when she marries him? Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.
Although Ali and Khoja outwardly sent Hanxiang to the palace with no other choice, wasn't that also finding a good way out for her? The Hui people are currently in internal strife, with burning, killing, and looting happening every day, and the small tribes on the border are also eyeing them covetously, wanting to annex the Hui people.
Meanwhile, other countries had long coveted his daughters, hoping he would be sensible enough to offer them up. Since that was the case, it was better to offer them to the Qing Dynasty, which upheld strict moral principles. It was said that the last woman sent to those countries had already been tortured to death.
So why would Ali Khoja offer his real daughter to those countries in exchange for peace? Although Ali Khoja was cowardly and weak, he was undeniably a good father and a responsible king.
In the face of danger, he did not flee. He tried to find a way to resolve the predicament, even offering his daughter as a gift to the Qing Dynasty in exchange for the Qing's protection and assistance for the Hui people. Although there was a selfish motive involved, he was primarily thinking of the Hui people.
In the first few years, he was so worried that his hair turned gray. He suffered from insomnia at night, unable to sleep for nights on end, and his hair fell out in clumps.
"Since you firmly believe in your love, why not treat this as a small test to verify it? Let me see your unwavering loyalty." An Ke certainly wouldn't have said this to anyone else. After all, how can you so casually test a relationship?
Fortunately, they are not ordinary people; one is a hot-tempered guy, and the other is a love-obsessed girl. Let's just take the test as it comes.
In order to leave the palace and see Meng Dan, Hanxiang reluctantly agreed.
“Even if you can leave the palace, you still have to abide by the palace rules these next few days. Change into this palace dress; your Hui ethnic attire is quite eye-catching in the palace.” An Ke hadn’t forgotten her original purpose for coming here.
Hearing the princess's words, Granny Fang couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She had been there just now, and although she hadn't understood what they were saying, this Consort Xiang was even more troublesome than the former Princess Huanzhu.
This person is prone to tears at the drop of a hat, yet refuses to communicate, which puts Granny Fang in a difficult position.
Granny Fang: I want to retire, I want to go home! (Granny Fang's heart overflows with tears as wide as noodles)
Hanxiang had no choice but to temporarily obey the princess's orders and return to her inner room, reluctantly changing into their local clothing. After coming out, she glanced at Princess Yong'an's expression.
Anke simply nodded, offering no opinion. After all, she'd come here just to have Anke change into this outfit; her goal had been achieved, the KPL was over, and she could go back.
Seeing An Ke turn to leave, Han Xiang couldn't help but call out. Before speaking, she glanced around cautiously and communicated in the opposite language, "Princess, when can you take me out of the palace to see Meng Dan?"
"There's no rush. After all, it's not so easy for someone who has just been granted the title of Consort Xiang to leave the palace while waiting for the right opportunity," An Ke said with little interest. Although she was also eager to see a good show, it wasn't as easy as her saying she could leave the palace so easily.
Just as An Ke was about to step out of Baoyue Tower, she heard a guard downstairs announce in a loud voice, "Princess Ziwei has arrived." (ps: The Emperor took away Xiao Yanzi's title of Princess Huanzhu, but did not say what title to give Ziwei, so she was always called Princess Ziwei in the palace.)
Upon hearing this, An Ke's mind raced, and she guessed that Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei had probably come to persuade Hanxiang to leave the palace to see Mengdan.
It's true that hard work pays off; things come to you effortlessly.
"The Emperor's daughters will be here soon. You can decide for yourself what to say and what not to say. They will probably bring you Meng Dan's message. You can decide what to say." After An Ke finished speaking, he wanted to stay and watch a good show, so he pulled Qing'er and walked into the inner room.
Although Qing'er was a little confused, she still let An Ke pull her along.
When Anke and Qing'er arrived, only Granny Fang and Xingxing followed behind them. Xingxing also hid in the inner room with Anke.
After being informed, Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi arrived at Baoyue Tower.
As soon as they entered, they saw Princess Hanxiang, who had already changed into Qing Dynasty palace attire. Both of them were somewhat shocked. Ziwei hadn't expected that Princess Hanxiang would adapt so well and change into their clothes so quickly.
Xiao Yanzi felt indignant on Meng Dan's behalf. Meng Dan was clearly in love with Han Xiang, but Han Xiang traveled all the way to Beijing to marry the Emperor. Now she couldn't wait to put on the palace lady's clothes. Was she really that impatient?
Xiao Yanzi was indignant. Although Ziwei was stunned for a moment, she quickly reacted and bowed to Hanxiang. Hanxiang then returned the bow with a Hui Muslim greeting. (ps: Hanxiang hadn't been formally taught yet, so she was still following their etiquette.)
Little Swallow's big, bright eyes darted around, only to spot Granny Fang, whom she hadn't noticed before. Seeing Granny Fang now sent chills down Little Swallow's spine. She was starting to have a phobia of Granny Fang.
Thinking back to how she had been controlled by Granny Fang in learning etiquette and manners, she was secretly relieved that Granny Fang hadn't come looking for her after she left the Cold Palace, probably having forgotten about teaching her etiquette.
I never expected to run into him at Baoyue Tower today. What bad luck to travel!
Xiao Yanzi looked embarrassed and took a small step back, hiding behind Ziwei, silently praying that Granny Fang hadn't seen her.
If Xiao Yanzi noticed Granny Fang, how could Ziwei not notice her? But thinking of what she had said at Huibinlou, Ziwei could only cough helplessly and tell Granny Fang to leave. She had something she wanted to talk to Consort Xiang about.
When Granny Fang recalled how the princess had hidden among the traitors, she knew that the princess wanted to watch this good show. Naturally, she couldn't ruin the princess's plans, so she could only respectfully withdraw.
"I am Xia Ziwei, and she is Xiaoyanzi. I am the Emperor's daughter." Ziwei introduced herself in a friendly manner, hoping not to make Princess Hanxiang feel too cold. "I should have come to visit Consort Xiang much earlier, but I was held up by some trivial matters, and only today did I have time to visit her."
Hanxiang spoke in a very professional manner, "Hello, I am Hanxiang, you can just call me Hanxiang." Hearing them call her Consort Xiang made Hanxiang feel very uncomfortable and hairy.
"Who are these two?" Ziwei looked at Jin and Yinlingzi behind Hanxiang. She was mainly worried that these two maids would gossip after they left.
"It's alright, it's nothing. They grew up with me since they were little. This is Jinlingzi, and this is Yinlingzi." Hanxiang immediately understood Ziwei's implication and introduced her two maids to them.
"Do you know Meng Dan?" Ziwei thought it best to be cautious, just in case they were wrong.
Having heard An Ke's words before, Han Xiang wasn't particularly surprised by Zi Wei's words. What surprised her was how accurately the princess had predicted it.
"I know him, what's wrong?" Hanxiang asked, slightly nervously. Could it be that he was injured? Did he really follow her all the way to the capital? All sorts of questions swirled in Hanxiang's mind.
“He’s staying with one of our friends now, and we were fortunate enough to hear your story by chance.” Upon hearing that she knew him, Ziwei felt as if she had found someone like her, and she grasped Hanxiang’s hands in both of them. “I just never imagined that your relationship would be so tumultuous.”
Hanxiang was somewhat absent-minded, still replaying Anke's words in her mind. Without thinking, she blurted out, "Did he ask you to give me any message?" Hanxiang looked earnestly at Ziwei in front of her.
After seeing that Granny Fang had left, Xiao Yanzi reverted to her old ways. Now that Hanxiang had finally gotten to the point, she handed over the letter written by Meng Dan to Hanxiang.
But her tone was somewhat unpleasant as she said, "This is a letter Meng Dan wrote to you. He's been thinking of you constantly and followed you all the way from the Hui region to the capital. And what did you do? You went straight to the palace and changed into the Empress's clothes. Don't you care about your relationship at all?" Little Swallow spoke without thinking.
He's still the same old guy; a leopard can't change its spots. He'll always be this impulsive and irritable.
Hanxiang felt somewhat embarrassed after being ridiculed by Xiaoyanzi for such a nonsensical act. But thinking about it again, this wasn't the dress she wanted to wear. She had no choice but to put it on. How could someone now be accusing her of betraying her relationship with Mengdan?
Hanxiang didn't have time to retaliate against Xiaoyanzi or refute her. She frantically opened the letter and felt extremely warm upon reading the reply.
She read it word by word, and the more she read, the colder Hanxiang felt. He actually wanted to find a way to escape from this palace and then elope with her, saying that the world was so big, there would always be a place for them to stay.
Hanxiang was shocked when she saw this. She was just a weak woman who did not know martial arts. How could she escape from the palace, which was like a cage?
Besides, if she escaped, how could she face her father who had sent her all the way here? What would happen to her Hui people? Moreover, if she escaped, wouldn't the Qing emperor be furious and raze the Hui people to the ground?
Doesn't Mondan consider any of these things? Even if he doesn't care about himself, doesn't he care about his uncles and elders? Is this still the chivalrous Mondan I remember?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com