Chapter 58
"So the daughter of the Prince of Chu is currently staying at our residence?" Prince Yu's eyes were filled with helplessness. "Your sympathy is truly excessive."
Princess Yu scratched her hair and avoided Prince Yu's gaze guiltily.
"She is the same age as A'lu, and looking at her inevitably reminds me of A'lu—" Princess Yu helplessly spread her hands, "So it turned out like this. I can't just watch her being forced to death by the Queen Mother."
Prince Yu didn't care: "She won't live long anyway."
"If anything happens to her, the Crown Prince will be very sad." Princess Yu sighed, "Alas, both the Crown Prince and Miss Chu are pitiful people."
"The more the Crown Prince cares about her, the more dangerous she becomes," Prince Yu said. "The Saint's stance is very clear: the Crown Princess must not be the daughter of a guilty minister."
"The Queen Mother also asked me to hold another matchmaking banquet. It's obvious that she still wants to match the Crown Prince with the eldest daughter of the Duke of Ying."
Prince Yu's ears twitched: "Oh, then let Ah Lu take a look at it as well."
Princess Yu frowned, then looked at Prince Yu sternly: "I sincerely suggest you leave Ah Lu's affairs to her own."
"What's so good about Cheng Zi?" Prince Yu muttered.
"Azi isn't bad either. Besides, you know better than me what she's like when she's pushed to the limit."
Thinking of this possibility, Prince Yu felt a bit of a headache.
Regardless of the fact that Prince Yu and his wife were arguing about the choice of future son-in-law, Wei Yan and Jiang Yingyue were taking Chu Miaomiao to visit her new residence.
Seeing the maids rushing in and out, busy cleaning up, Chu Miaomiao felt a bit embarrassed. Wei Yan told her not to worry about it, just stay in the mansion and let the maids know if she needed anything.
Wei Yan and Jiang Yingyue were somewhat surprised to see Chu Miaomiao again. However, after hearing about Chu Miaomiao's experiences in Changqiu Palace, they felt even more sympathy for her.
"Thank goodness," Jiang Yingyue sighed, "I can be considered to have escaped a disaster."
Chu Miaomiao smiled bitterly: "The immediate calamity has passed, but there is still a big calamity ahead."
"Isn't the prince trying hard? Don't be too pessimistic." Wei Yan comforted him.
"He shouldn't be like this." Chu Miaomiao looked up at the distant sky, a little lost in thought, and muttered, "How stupid..."
Wei Yan and Jiang Yingyue looked at each other, and there was a hint of melancholy in their expressions.
The friend who once played together is now a prisoner. Whether she is imprisoned or not, the surrounding area is an invisible prison. A sharp butcher knife hangs over her head, and there is a risk of it falling at any time.
Wei Xuan looked quietly at Chu Miaomiao, whose face was full of worry, and understood why her mother brought her back.
Who could bear to see a seventeen-year-old girl die before their eyes? Even though they knew the future was a dead end, they couldn't help but hope that this beautiful life could continue for a few more days.
Maybe in these few days, things will turn around? Even if it's a slim hope, we should hold on to it tightly.
"Miaomiao."
Wei Yan's voice brought Chu Miaomiao back to her thoughts. She straightened her expression, forced a smile and looked at Wei Yan: "What's wrong?"
"Since I've known Wei Zhen, there's nothing he couldn't accomplish. Please trust him, even if it's just a little bit."
Chu Miaomiao lowered her eyes and sighed, "But what if he is crippled or even dies because of me? You should know better than me how hard he has gone through. Losing it all for me is not worth it no matter how you look at it."
"Miao Miao, are you being too picky?"
Seeing Wei Yan and Chu Miaomiao both turning to look at her, Jiang Yingyue couldn't help showing shyness. Seeing the confusion in their eyes, she slowly chose her words and said:
"Each of us stands in a different position, and we may have different views on the same thing. You think it's not worth it for the prince to lose everything for you, but after all, you are not the prince. Do you really know what he thinks about this matter? I don't know how you usually get along, but have you really listened to what the prince says? If you really take his words to heart, then you shouldn't say things like 'not worth it.' I think for the prince, as long as it is related to you, it is worth it for him to do."
Jiang Yingyue looked at Chu Miaomiao seriously, as if she wanted to see through her soul.
"Miao Miao, perhaps what he wants most is your trust in him. A trust that comes only from you, without reservation."
A gust of wind blew, rustling the leaves.
But none of the cheering of the leaves in the wind reached Chu Miaomiao's ears. She just stared at Jiang Yingyue blankly, even seeing her own stunned expression in those amber eyes.
Jiang Yingyue's words were like a sharp arrow, breaking through the air at a swift speed, hitting the bull's eye and piercing the soul.
Chu Miaomiao always avoided Wei Zhen. No matter how many times Wei Zhen expressed his feelings to her, she could never respond directly. While the King of Chu was certainly a factor, only Chu Miaomiao knew that she simply couldn't truly trust Wei Zhen.
Or rather, she didn't believe in herself.
Is a person who cannot even get the love of his parents really qualified to be loved by others?
Chu Miaomiao's eyes were filled with tears, which silently slid down her cheeks without any warning. This scene startled Jiang Yingyue so much that she hurriedly handed over the handkerchief.
"I'm sorry, was my words too harsh?"
Although all she could see was Jiang Yingyue's blurry outline, Chu Miaomiao could sense a hint of caution and apology in her voice.
Chu Miaomiao smiled. She took the handkerchief and wiped away her tears. The figures of Jiang Yingyue and Wei Yan became clearer.
"Jiang Yingyue, has anyone ever told you that you are annoying sometimes?"
Jiang Yingyue smiled apologetically: "Maybe someone would say it, but you're the only one who pointed it out to my face."
Hearing Chu Miaomiao say this, Wei Yan looked at her disapprovingly. But seeing Chu Miaomiao's eyes reddened and tears welling up again, she didn't know what to say.
Jiang Yingyue pursed her lips, seeming a little hesitant, but still walked forward and stretched out her hand to gently embrace Chu Miaomiao in her arms. Chu Miaomiao did not refuse, and leaned on Jiang Yingyue's shoulder, unable to help but let out a soft sob.
Chu Miaomiao was really too tired.
Ever since the day the incident happened, she'd been on edge. No, perhaps even before that, from the day she learned of her father's rebellion against the court, her heart had been hanging high, barely relaxing. She could always feel the sword hanging over her head, but she didn't know when it would finally fall.
During this agonizing process, both expected things happened and unexpected situations also arose.
Chu Miaomiao could never have imagined that Wei Zhen would become the biggest variable in her life.
Should she trust Wei Zhen? Can she trust Wei Zhen?
The soft whimpering sound gradually became louder amidst the chaotic thoughts, until it turned into a howling sound.
Chu Miaomiao's fear and anxiety over the past few days poured out with tears, and the emotions that she had been forced to suppress were finally vented.
The maids who had been coming in and out had long been sent away, and the courtyard returned to silence, with only Chu Miaomiao's crying echoing in the air.
Neither of the other two spoke. Wei Yan sat quietly to the side, stroking his teacup, his drooping brows concealing the pity in his eyes. Jiang Yingyue gently caressed Chu Miaomiao, her eyes filled with pity.
*
Upon learning that the Empress Dowager's coercion of Chu Miaomiao had frightened the Empress in Changqiu Palace, the Saint temporarily put aside his official duties and hurried to Changqiu Palace. Only after meeting the Empress and hearing from the Imperial Physician that Chu Miaomiao was safe did the Saint finally feel relieved.
The Queen Mother, who had been waiting nearby, breathed a sigh of relief and blamed herself, saying, "I was too impatient. I was so focused on getting this over with today that I forgot the Queen is always timid."
The Queen Mother looked at the Queen with a look of heartache and helplessness in her eyes: "You, child, too. Why are you protecting the daughter of a criminal like that?"
The queen glanced at the saint and pressed her red lips into a line, as if she was angry, or a little aggrieved.
The saint sighed and began to reflect on whether he had spoiled the queen too much.
The Queen Mother discussed today's events for a while and then left. The Sage dismissed all the palace maids, and only the Emperor and the Queen were left in the palace.
"Aran."
The Saint smiled gently and called out the Queen's maiden name. Unlike his usual gentle greeting, it was quite serious.
Having known and accompanied the Saint for so many years, even if the Queen was unsympathetic, she could feel that the Saint was angry at this moment.
"Is Chu Miaomiao really that good? You disobeyed the Queen Mother for her, and you insisted on protecting her despite being pregnant."
The Queen was somewhat dejected by the Saint's question and lowered her eyes: "But Miaomiao is not a bad person. Besides, if she died, Azhen would be very sad. I don't want Azhen to be sad."
The saint sighed silently, thinking that the queen was simple-minded and only cared about Wei Zhen's feelings, and could not think of anything else.
"Then when you rushed in front of the Queen Mother, did you ever think about yourself?"
"...My mother would never hurt me." The queen retorted.
"But what if something unexpected really happens today?"
The Saint sat down beside the Queen, naturally stroked the back of her hand, looked deeply into her eyes, and softened his tone: "You only think about how sad Wei Zhen will be if Chu Miaomiao dies, why can't you think more about whether I will be sad and anxious if something happens to you?"
The saint's words made the queen feel a little guilty, and she said apologetically, "I'm sorry for making you worry."
"I hope this is the first and last time you disregard yourself and me."
The Queen nodded earnestly, but the Saint, feeling it wasn't enough, insisted that the Queen make a pinky promise. The slightly tense atmosphere relaxed, and the Queen burst into laughter at the Saint's rare childish gesture. The Saint simply smiled indulgently, then took the Queen's hand and hooked his pinky finger around it, as a kind of promise.
"Ajin."
After the two of them laughed and joked for a while, the Queen held the Saint's shoulder, looked at him seriously and intently with her bright eyes, and said softly, "Can you help Ah Zhen?"
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