Escape from the palace
Xu Yi was overjoyed to receive fifty taels of silver from the pawnshop owner. The owner kindly gave her a piece of cloth to wrap the silver in. She put the silver in her pocket and didn't know where to go for a moment, but she knew that she had to find a place to stay before nightfall and could not sleep in the wilderness.
She remembered that her nanny's home was in a small village called Peach Blossom Village on the outskirts of the capital. Her nanny had once drawn a detailed map for her. Following the map, she asked for directions along the way and finally arrived at Peach Blossom Village, finding the house where her nanny had once lived. The house was built by the roadside in Peach Blossom Village, surrounded by neighbors, but it had been uninhabited for a long time, and many of the tiles had fallen off. She found the village chief and said that she was a distant relative of her nanny, who had been divorced and had nowhere to go, so she had come to her nanny's house.
The village chief carefully verified all of the old woman's information, confirming that she was a distant relative. He then introduced her to the villagers, who helped her repair the roof tiles. A thoughtful neighbor even gave her some rice, flour, and cleaning cloths, which she thanked them all for. She then tidied up the house herself, and when the night was quiet, she looked at her newly cleaned and peaceful room and kept smiling to herself.
The next day, she took the bedding that the old woman had put away from the box. The box was well sealed and contained sachets to repel insects and ants, so although it had a slight smell, it didn't affect its use at all. The next day, under the bright sun, she took the quilt out to air it all day and casually pulled up the weeds in the yard. The neighbor's wife saw that Xu Yi was quick and efficient and kept praising her: "You're so quick and efficient, how did you get divorced?"
Xu Yi was at a loss for words when the woman continued, "Don't misunderstand, I mean, which blind man found such a diligent wife like you and now wants to divorce you?"
Having heard enough lies in the palace, Xu Yi blurted out, "Alas... it's just my bad luck. The woman my husband's family likes has returned, so they divorced me to make room for her."
"Oh, it's pitiful, I'll help you." After saying that, she really rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning with Xu Yi. Xu Yi had learned from the nanny in the palace since she was a child, and she was already good at these chores. The neighbor's wife was used to farm work, so she was naturally more efficient.
In one day, the two had tidied up all the rooms in the courtyard. In the evening, the wife warmly invited Xu Yi to her home for dinner. Xu Yi had never been to anyone's house before, so he could only decline, saying, "It's really unlucky for someone like me who's been divorced to go to someone else's house, so I won't go. Thank you for your kindness." "Come on, come on," "No, no." They argued like this for a long time, with Xu Yi insisting on not going. In the end, the wife gave up, only bringing over two steamed buns and a dish of pickled vegetables for dinner.
Xu Yi had heard about life outside the palace and knew this was the norm, so she thanked them profusely and saw them off before starting to eat. The coarse steamed buns with pickled vegetables were very hard on the throat and difficult to swallow. But Xu Yi ate with great pleasure, and as she ate, she thought of her nanny. If only her nanny were here now! For the first half of her life, Xu Yi had dreamed of leaving the palace to live the life of ordinary people, and her nanny had been happy to tell her stories of rural life to lull her to sleep. Now she had finally left the palace, but she would never see her nanny again.
Xu Yi's nose tingled, and tears mixed with the pickled vegetables as she finished eating the two coarse steamed buns.
The next morning, the neighbor's wife invited Xu Yi to go shopping together. Xu Yi, unsure what to buy and what seemed out of place, readily agreed. The neighbor's wife was a chatterbox, talking about everything she saw, which helped Xu Yi better understand the local customs… Knowing she shouldn't flaunt her wealth, Xu Yi followed the neighbor's wife, buying whatever she wanted, and indeed acquired quite a few practical items. In the end, she even bought a chick with her neighbor's help.
That evening, following her neighbor's instructions, she built a fence and let the chicks in. Suddenly, she felt that this kind of life was wonderful, a thousand times better than the palace.
As it turns out, fate always likes to give you a slap when you're happiest, and then drag you back into the messy reality of life.
The chicks were less than ten days old when General Mu Qi arrived with the imperial guards.
At that moment, Xu Yi was feeding the chicks with a winnowing basket. Mu Qi first looked at the muddy ground where Xu Yi was standing, then at the very peasant-like winnowing basket in her hand, and finally at the chicks by the fence. He walked over and said to Xu Yi, "Chickens shouldn't be fed too much. It's best to let them find insects to eat on their own."
Xu Yi opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't continue the topic of how to raise chickens. Instead, she asked Mu Qi, "Why did you come to me?"
Mu Qi casually walked to the broken wooden table next to him, shook the kettle, poured out some water, took a sip, and then replied with two words: "Imperial decree."
Xu Yi really didn't want to give up this longed-for life outside the palace, so she went over and hurriedly said, "Father has never cared about me. As long as you don't find it after reporting back, Father will slowly forget about it."
Mu Qi raised his sharp eyes and questioned, "Princess, are you teaching me to disobey the imperial decree?"
Defying the imperial decree? Didn't Xu Yi defy the imperial decree to fulfill his wish? Xu Yi hadn't intended to speak, but he couldn't bear to part with the peace, so his mouth spoke before his brain: "Did the General only defy the imperial decree this once?"
Mu Qi was taken aback. In his memory, the princess was a woman with a very mild temper who was easy to manipulate. He didn't expect her to suddenly pull a thorn out of him like this. He was somewhat surprised: "At this moment, the princess is acting like a princess."
Xu Yi had only mustered up her courage to say those words, but Mu Qi's words brought her back to reality. Helpless, she squatted down and cried quietly... After crying for a long time, she heard Mu Qi speak again: "Princess, crying won't solve anything."
"Then tell me how to solve this?" Xu Yi felt like a shrew yelling in the street, but when she met those resolute eyes, she lost her strength and became weak: "Why...why did you come to me?"
"Only by finding the princess can I marry Yue'er."
It turns out, it was all for that person she loved. Xu Yi couldn't understand why, just because she liked someone, she had to hurt another innocent person so badly, tearing them apart... She asked a really stupid question: "Is love really that worth it?"
Mu Qi didn't answer, but simply gestured to the guards behind him. The guards then entered the courtyard, grabbed Xu Yi again, and led her to the carriage. This commotion naturally alerted the neighbors, who stood curiously at their doorways, but dared not speak... The neighbor's wife also frowned, her eyes filled with anxiety as she looked at Xu Yi. Xu Yi said to Mu Qi, "Let her come over, I have something to say." Mu Qi glanced at the tearful Xu Yi and nodded in agreement, acquiescing to have the wife come over.
The neighbor's wife walked over timidly, asking with great concern, "Thirteen, what happened? How did you get into trouble with the soldiers?"
Xu Yi wiped away her tears and forced a smile: "Sister-in-law, please help me put away the quilts and stuff. If you have time, please look after this house for me." As she spoke, she gave all the money she hadn't spent to the neighbor's wife: "I will definitely not be able to come back in the future, so I'm entrusting it to you, sister-in-law."
The neighbor's wife, seeing Xu Yi crying, also shed tears, only replying, "Okay, okay, I'll definitely help you look after this house. You don't need the money; keep it for yourself." After saying that, she quickly pushed Xu Yi's outstretched hand back, turned around, and ran back.
Before Xu Yi could speak again, Mu Qi had already driven the carriage away.
Less than half a day later, Xu Yi returned to Chenqi Palace. Unexpectedly, the maidservant, tears welling up in her eyes, came over to pull Xu Yi away. Xu Yi avoided her hand and walked back into the cold, unwelcoming palace. The courtyard gate slammed shut, shutting out the silent palace with a loud clang.
Xu Yi returned to Chenqi Palace and lay there every day, eating only a little food to keep herself alive, constantly wondering when the end would come.
Xu Yi did not know the end of her life, but she saw the end of the palace in advance. When she was once again dressed in gorgeous clothes and hair ornaments and received the imperial decree for a marriage alliance, Xu Yi clutched the imperial decree tightly, crumpling the edges of it.
But she could only smile and reply, "Your daughter obeys."
Chenqi Palace became lively again. The beautiful flowers were put back on the ground in the courtyard. People from the Imperial Clothing Workshop came to take measurements, and the Empress personally selected the patterns and designs. Various imperial gifts also flowed to Chenqi Palace. Apart from Chenqi Palace, the entire palace was bustling with activity.
This marriage alliance was initiated by a messenger from the grasslands who personally traveled to the capital to request permission, so there was no possibility of being refused again. Therefore, the people in the palace were very attentive, coming every few days to send gifts to curry favor, sometimes with fruit, sometimes with exquisite little trinkets. At this time, the Chenqi Palace was transformed into the scene befitting a princess's residence.
The young maid was overjoyed. Today she ate fruit, tomorrow she wore a flower hairpin, and the day after she wandered around in her newly made clothes, as if she were a sapling blessed by the imperial decree and touched by the rain and dew... displaying the few reflections of imperial power she possessed.
Xu Yi had resigned herself to her fate. Besides, she had already lived the life she longed for, and whatever happened afterward was acceptable to her. Bored every day, she could only painstakingly replicate the sewing steps her neighbor's sister-in-law had taught her, using the various expensive fabrics bestowed upon her by the emperor. After many failed attempts, she finally managed to make a barely wearable outfit. She wore this crooked garment every day, remaining unmoved by the ridicule of the servants passing by.
Three months later, everything was settled. Xu Yi burned the clothes she had made herself, put on an elaborate and heavy wedding gown, and carrying a gold-inlaid fan, walked step by step on the red carpet outside the Council Hall, ascending the steps. With the rites of a princess's wedding, she knelt to bid farewell to her loving father and mother. Under the Empress's passionate performance, she silently counted the steps in front of the Council Hall. When she reached five hundred and ninety-eight steps, her father and mother finally finished their poignant farewell, supporting each other.
She smiled blankly, turned around and walked down the steps, then got into the carriage heading to the grassland.
At the command of the master of ceremonies, the carriage slowly started moving. Xu Yi held up a fan inside the carriage, listening to the hastily composed farewell music by the palace musicians, facing the blazing sun, and bearing the gaze of civil and military officials. With the sound of the carriage wheels turning, it left the palace openly and legitimately.
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