Hanxiang knelt on the prayer mat, her back to the door, completely unaware of the two people approaching behind her. Anke had already told the guards beside her before entering Baoyue Tower that there was no need to announce their arrival.
Seeing this scene before her left Anke somewhat at a loss; she should have just informed them beforehand.
Anke: I was careless?? (?? ￣??￣? )?? ??
Jin Lingzi and Yin Lingzi, who were standing nearby, noticed them and quickly approached Hanxiang, communicating with her in Hui language. The gist of their message was: "Princess, someone is coming."
Hanxiang slowly opened her eyes and let out a barely perceptible sigh. She propped herself up on the prayer mat. When she turned to look at them again, Hanxiang's eyes widened noticeably.
The reason was simply that the two girls in front of her looked far too young. Hanxiang assumed they were also the emperor's concubines and performed a Hui Muslim greeting for them.
Princess Qing also bowed to her, but An Ke merely nodded, making no intention of bowing in return. (ps: The Emperor had said earlier that within the palace, An Ke only needed to bow to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress. She didn't even need to bow in private.)
Although Jin and Yin Lingzi weren't particularly familiar with the rules of the Qing court, they exchanged puzzled glances as one girl returned the greeting while the other didn't.
However, Jin and Yin Lingzi knew that rank determined everything in the palace, so they subconsciously thought that An Ke's rank was higher than Han Xiang's.
Hanxiang had also studied Chinese, and since she had arrived in the Qing Dynasty, she could only adapt to local customs and speak Chinese.
"You two ladies, I don't know how to address you?" Hanxiang asked politely, but with a hint of distance.
Qing'er was shocked by the address, but An Ke just tugged at the corner of her mouth and said calmly, "Consort Xiang, we are not the Emperor's concubines. She is Princess Qing, and I am Princess Yong'an."
A hint of shame and indignation flashed across Hanxiang's face. She felt ashamed of her earlier speculation about the two young ladies. "I'm very sorry, but I don't know if Princess Qing and Princess Yong'an have come here to see me." Hanxiang was a little uneasy, and her heart started pounding.
Anke speaks frankly and doesn't like beating around the bush. She believes that beating around the bush is a waste of time, and if the other person still doesn't understand what she means, then it's even more of a loss.
“Now that Princess Hanxiang has entered the palace and become the Emperor’s Consort Xiang, she must abide by the palace rules.” An Ke slowly uttered these words, which broke Hanxiang’s heart. “In that case, you should sever all ties with the Hui people, put on Qing Dynasty clothing, and learn Qing Dynasty rules.”
Hanxiang bit her lip tightly, her eyes brimming with tears, threatening to spill over but unable to, making her look exceptionally pitiful. Finally, she couldn't help but ask the question she wanted to ask, "You said you want to sever ties, but how should you sever them? I grew up in Hui territory; Hui is my hometown. How can I forget it?"
Hanxiang felt extremely painful and depressed. She had to forget the pain of her hometown, suppress her feelings for Mengdan, and shoulder the responsibility of the Hui people. She felt like her whole being was about to fall apart.
“I haven’t made you forget your memories. Your hometown is beautiful, but Xiang Guiren is a past you can never return to. You should shoulder your responsibilities to your Hui people. I’m sure your father has already told you what to do and what not to do, right?” An Ke hit the nail on the head, leaving Han Xiang at a loss.
Hanxiang was momentarily stunned by Anke's words. How did she know what her father had said? Did she guess? Or did she deduce it herself? Or was she lying to her?
Regardless, what she said was undeniably true. After hearing An Ke's words, Han Xiang seemed to lose all her strength, as if her entire spirit had dissipated, her eyes unfocused and terribly empty.
An Ke could only say so much. If she couldn't integrate into the harem as soon as possible, she would eventually be "dismembered and devoured" by the other concubines. Even if there was no empress now, there would be other concubines.
You know, women can be very jealous!
Especially for someone like Hanxiang, who had no one to rely on in the capital, bullying her was a piece of cake. After all, who would genuinely protect a concubine without any powerful connections?
"This is Granny Fang, she's here to teach you palace etiquette and rules." After An Ke finished speaking, she called Granny Fang out, and Granny Fang greeted Consort Xiang. "This is your palace attire, I brought it over for you from the Imperial Clothing Bureau on my way here, so change into it as soon as possible."
Jin Lingzi glanced helplessly at her stunned princess and could only take the clothes from Princess Yong'an's hands. Yin Lingzi also tried to persuade her princess to change into them.
Presumably assuming no one could understand their Hui, the two women continued communicating in Hui as if no one else was around. (P.S.: Jin and Yinlingzi understand Chinese, but they can't express themselves in it.)
Yinlingzi said with concern, "Princess, they have already brought your clothes. You should change into them as soon as possible."
Hanxiang suddenly closed her eyes: "This is my only connection to my hometown. Is even that going to be taken away? How can they be so disrespectful to me?"
Jin Lingzi: "Princess, there's nothing we can do about it! The King told you to be careful in the palace, because the Hui people will remember you forever."
Hanxiang, on the verge of tears, said, "The Hui people, my father used the Hui people to pressure me, and now you're using the same words to persuade me. Others may not understand, but don't you understand?"
Jin and Yin Lingzi exchanged a glance and then offered their advice.
Jin Lingzi: "But you've already entered the palace, so there's no longer any possibility between you and Meng Dan." (Although Jin Lingzi also felt sorry for her princess, she forgave her because she had parents and siblings, and hoped that the princess could stay in the palace.)
Hanxiang: "But I can sense his presence. I can sense that he is in the capital."
Anke: Holy crap, what kind of telepathy is this? It's pretty accurate.
Yinlingzi: "Even if Mengdan is in the capital, you can't leave the palace. You've already become the emperor's concubine. In my opinion, you might as well give up." Yinlingzi was genuinely concerned for Hanxiang. She had witnessed the results of the princess and Mengdan's several elopements.
Hanxiang's face was filled with pain. "Why? Why are you all telling me to give up?"
Yinlingzi couldn't bear to see the princess like this. "Because that Mengdan only has himself in his heart. If he really liked you and really loved you, why would he have repeatedly advised you to elope with him instead of relying on his own talent to make the king value him and marry you to him?"
Hanxiang was somewhat confused, but she still believed in Mengdan and in the pure love between them. "But isn't that because Father tried to separate us time and time again? Mengdan couldn't do anything about it. Father is a snob. When Mengdan was still a nobleman, Father was happy to see him, but ever since Mengdan's family fell on hard times, Father has refused to let me see him anymore. Isn't that Father's discrimination against him?" The more Hanxiang spoke, the sadder her expression became.
Qing'er listened from the side, completely bewildered. Seeing Consort Xiang looking like she was about to cry, she was filled with questions.
Anke rolled her eyes: There's no hope for people who are obsessed with love.
Jin and Yinlingzi were at a loss as to how to persuade their princess.
Hanxiang, however, thought she had convinced them. "How could I forget my feelings for Mengdan? More than ten years of unforgettable love, can it all just vanish in an instant?"
An Ke couldn't stand it anymore. This Han Xiang was the epitome of wanting both ways. She wanted the Hui people to live in peace, but she also wanted to be with Meng Dan. How could there be such a good deal?
An Ke spoke directly in the Hui language, "Since you have such a profound love for that Meng Dan, why did you come to the Qing Dynasty? Why didn't you properly persuade your father? Why did you come to the capital in the first place? Couldn't you have escaped on the way? Don't you have long legs? Or can't you commit suicide with a short sword?"
The moment An Ke spoke, Han Xiang's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe the princess would reply. Did that mean she knew everything about her conversation with Jin and Yin Lingzi?
Anke raised an eyebrow, indicating that it was exactly as you guessed. I know exactly what you were saying. "Speaking in Hui is to save face for you, the princess. If you don't want to, we can communicate in Chinese." Anke shrugged, indicating that she didn't mind.
Hanxiang dared not express her dissatisfaction in Chinese in front of so many people. After all, she knew whose territory she was on, and if so many people complained to the emperor, she would certainly suffer a bad fate.
But if it were just this princess alone, the emperor would have to consider whether she was deceiving him.
Anke: Oh, I'm sorry, whatever I say, the Emperor will believe me.
"Do you think I don't want to run? Do you think I don't want to escape? Can I escape? My father has placed so many troops around my camp, how can I run?" Knowing that the princess could reply, Hanxiang completely tore away her self-suppression and spoke hoarsely.
"Then why did you come?" Anke felt that Hanxiang was contradictory.
Hanxiang also felt that she couldn't communicate with this princess. "I told you that I came because my father forced me to, and that I am a gift to your emperor." As Hanxiang spoke, she closed her eyes, and two hot tears welled up in her eyes. The tears rolled down her cheeks and disappeared into the carpet on the ground.
“If you are determined to uphold your relationship with Mengdan, life and death are not so insurmountable. Since you want your relationship with Mengdan, why are you still concerned about your Hui people?” An Ke really couldn’t understand Hanxiang’s thought process.
"No, no, no, as a princess, I naturally have to shoulder the responsibility for the Hui people. Allah will also bless our Hui people." Hanxiang felt that Anke's words were unheard of. She made a gesture of prayer that Hui people use and kept chanting, asking Allah to protect them.
“Since you want to take responsibility for the Hui people, then you should forget your feelings for that Meng Dan. Otherwise, what are you?” An Ke said impatiently. “Besides, both of your maids have said that Meng Dan is not your true love, so why are you so fixated on him?”
“You wouldn’t understand. Mengdan and I grew up together, and the bond between us is extraordinary. How could someone like you, who desecrates love, possibly know that?” Hanxiang glanced at Anke with disdain, feeling that she had desecrated love.
Anke rolled her eyes. "Of course I don't know as much as you guys."
Hanxiang proudly raised her head, thinking she had persuaded the princess. Unexpectedly, Anke's next words completely slapped her in the face.
"But I'm afraid I'll never have the chance to experience the strong bond between you two in my lifetime, since this princess will not engage in political marriages." An Ke curled her lips in a mocking smile. Anyway, it was An Ke who said it first, and she was just giving An Ke a taste of her own medicine.
Hanxiang, stung by Anke's counterattack, paled for a moment. Yes, what was the use of saying more? She was still just a gift delivered to her. Like a toy, she could be repackaged and replaced at will, and she couldn't even say anything.
“There are rules in the palace. You are just a Noble Lady Xiang, not a high-ranking concubine. If you don’t have the emperor’s favor, you will be treated differently by the people in the palace.” An Ke said kindly. Heaven can bear witness that An Ke was truly kind this time.
Hanxiang was already heartbroken. "What does it matter if I can't be with the one I love? This feeling is worse than death. Why should I care about external circumstances?"
Anke felt like she was just asking for trouble, after listening to a series of negative comments. "Even if you don't care about yourself, you should at least care about the maids beside you. Mengdan grew up with you, but aren't the other two also maids? Don't you value their lives?"
Hanxiang opened her eyes and slowly said, "What danger could they possibly face in the palace?"
An Ke spoke sarcastically, "Even concubines without favor in the palace can be bullied at will, so what's the big deal if a palace maid dies? They probably won't even know until the maid is dead. Your father sent you here; surely he told you about the dangers of the harem?"
An Ke raised an eyebrow and looked at Han Xiang, who was already somewhat petrified. So, Ali Hezhuo had already told her, but she really didn't care about the life or death of her maid.
Come to think of it, after all, she was able to transform into a butterfly and fly away in the drama, and no arrangements were made for what would happen to them after she left the palace. Would they be sent back to their Hui ethnic group? Or would they stay at Baoyue Tower until their deaths? Or would they be beaten to death by the emperor?
Then I thought back to when Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei had already helped her leave the palace, she left a letter. On the surface, the letter said that the two princesses treated her very well and were true friends in the palace, but later it mentioned that she had turned into a butterfly and that she should not blame the two princesses. The letter was ambiguous.
How could the emperor not overthink such a letter?
“You chose to be a Hui person between your own Hui people and Meng Dan, so you should forget the past and be a good Xiang Guiren instead of putting on this 'wanting both' attitude, which is utterly disgusting,” An Ke said incisively.
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