As a pawn
What appear to be three paths ultimately lead to the same goal: to break the chains binding the woman. The aunt's wish and the mother's plan are aligned.
She suddenly felt enlightened and comforted her mother: "The Lu family may not have the ability to change the world. They will inevitably be of one mind with us. There are too few powerful women. We must join hands to change this fate, otherwise no one will be better off in the end."
The mother nodded thoughtfully, then mentioned that her sister's child had been born, a boy, and the aunt looked triumphant.
In the end, he was nothing more than a pawn...
Unable to see her sister, she could only write letters of blessing and send her a large amount of medicine. Childbirth is a life-or-death ordeal for women; having survived this ordeal, her sister's future will only be infinitely bright.
Lu Yunchu has been busy practicing martial arts these days. He has only asked Qingliu and Zaiwo to secretly find childless mothers and little girls to send to the manor to practice martial arts. After all, other people's manors are not as stable as one's own, and one must have one's own strength.
It's not enough to be a general yourself. If your subordinates are men, they are ultimately just chosen pawns. In the end, what can overturn everything is absolute power.
Qingliu believed that women were at a disadvantage in terms of strength, so she needed to find ways to supplement them, such as more powerful artillery. Before cannons, even the most elite cavalry would be instantly reduced to ashes. She was trying to find craftsmen from the common people; it was said that the Mohist school of thought still existed, and this organization was entirely composed of women, who could work together to invent new types of cannons.
Lu Yunchu privately discussed with his mother that there was no precedent for a princess to become emperor, so they needed to build a large female army to assist her. However, they didn't have the ability at the moment, so it would be best to support a puppet emperor first. Lu Yunchu thought that the weak and sickly fourth prince, Chu Chengwen, was the most suitable, but his mother thought that Chu Cheng'an was the most suitable. He himself thought he had a woman's mind, so such a neither-male-nor-female person would be a good transitional emperor. However, Consort Xiao seemed unwilling to sacrifice her own son and also supported the fourth prince.
Lu Yunchu felt that her mother's words made sense, but if that were the case, it seemed that she would have to part ways with that gentle woman. It would be more meaningful to establish Chu Cheng'an as a transitional figure than to support a puppet. However, Chu Cheng'an, this pawn, jumped out earlier than expected. Before any calculations could be made, he stepped forward on his own.
He always referred to himself as Princess An'an, and everyone thought he had no ambition to contend for the throne. However, he suddenly proposed to marry Rong Luoyi, the daughter of the Rong family, a powerful and prestigious clan that held considerable military power, as his principal wife. At the same time, Su Xike, Consort Xiao's only hope and who had already secured her escape route, was also drawn into the turmoil, and Chu Cheng'an actually made her his concubine.
Taking the opportunity, the aunt berated Consort Xiao, saying that this time she had revealed her wolfish ambitions. Lu Yunchu, however, didn't think so. Even if Consort Xiao had set a trap, using her niece as a scapegoat would be meaningless. She worried that Consort Xiao would be unable to bear it and wanted to comfort her, but Murong Ye said that Consort Xiao had shut herself away and was heartbroken.
The mother wanted to take the opportunity to win her over, and Consort Xiao refused several times, but eventually took the initiative to meet with the mother and daughter.
Consort Xiao's palace was quieter than usual. She sat alone by the window, like a withered orchid. Her eyes were lifeless; she tried to smile when she saw the two people, but in the end, only endless weariness and emptiness remained.
“I planned everything, but I never expected him to take advantage of the person I care about most… Princess Chu Le, you are right. Since he is so ruthless, why should I be righteous? I have done enough for him over the years, and our relationship ends here.”
Xiao Fei's voice was colder than ever before. Her mother grasped her hand, her voice unusually harsh: "Yes, these men are unreliable. Only with the combined efforts of us sisters can Xi Ke be saved from this predicament. However, it's good to help that ungrateful wretch Chu Cheng'an rise to power first. But this boy is ruthless and heartless, a ruthless character. At this point, it's not easy to kill him. Fortunately, he wanted to use the powerful families to rise to power, but little did he know that he would eventually be betrayed."
The door was pushed open at some point, and my aunt walked into the room. She stood against the light, as if bathed in golden light. She lightly twirled the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist, a cold smile playing on her lips.
She closed the door, letting in a gust of cold wind, and slowly walked to sit down in front of Consort Xiao, pouring herself a cup of tea.
"Qiuhe, you lost this round..."
She smiled, picked up the chessboard of mountains and rivers, picked up a chess piece, and tilted her head to smile at Consort Xiao.
Consort Xiao also took out a chess piece and silently began to play. After a long while, her hoarse voice returned to its clear tone: "You're wrong. This time, there are no losers."
She pressed on relentlessly, even after her mother and aunt formed an alliance, they still fell to her. There was no joy in her victory. She went to the window, stood with her hands behind her back, her black hair fluttering in the wind: "One Chu Cheng'an, and we formed an alliance. Useful, very useful… Junhe, he contacted you, didn't he? You two are going to deal with the Crown Prince together, dragging this bastard down with you. But his first target will be you, and you'll have to rely on me. Those useless men in the Lu family are trash in your eyes. You probably have no affection for your surname. All you want is overwhelming power, to stand above everyone else. What you want, I'll give you."
She suddenly turned around and reached out her hand to her aunt. Her aunt smiled, and the two women looked at each other quietly. Her aunt's voice was very low: "You really are a demon."
Consort Xiao smiled gently, but her eyes were filled with coldness: "You really are the madam of this brothel. I am a courtesan and a bewitching beauty in the harem, but so what if I am a bewitching beauty? If bewitching ...
The mother clapped her hands and laughed, then brought them hot tea to moisten their throats.
Looking at the three people in front of her, Lu Yunchu felt a mix of joy and helpless worry. In this game, without absolute power, one would be eliminated and shattered to pieces. She needed to think about what irreplaceable value she had.
Her mother seemed to see through her thoughts and came over to pat her on the shoulder: "Good child, practice martial arts well. When the eldest prince dies, you will know what you need to do."
Lu Yunchu suddenly felt a jolt in her heart. Could it be that Jiang Liu was acting on her mother's orders? She said the situation in the Western Regions might come in handy someday—could it be because…
She looked at Consort Xiao and remembered that Consort Xiao's words about the demon were spoken to her. Therefore, this demon that was stirring up trouble was no one else.
She felt a chill run down her spine. To Chu Chengchao, she was a pawn used for procreation and to bring him benefits, but to her mother, she was nothing more than a sacrifice for the greater cause.
She identified with her mother and aunt, and believed that only when all women exerted their utmost efforts to change the world could each woman have a real space to breathe. But her initial wish was simply to live well and freely see the scenery in the distance. She was unwilling to be used by others for the rest of her life, so she would never trust Chu Chengchao. But they were also using her.
She neither agreed nor refuted, but simply asked the three elders if they had any books about Xunzi and Han Fei. She wanted to truly understand people's hearts and the affairs of the country, so that one day she could take the initiative into her own hands.
Consort Xiao brought out these two books, saying that every girl should read them so that she would realize how much she had been deceived.
She bowed in thanks, said she would study martial arts diligently, and then turned to leave.
She pushed open the door, and a gust of cold wind rushed into her clothes, making her shiver. Everything in this world comes at a price, even something as simple as wanting to ride a horse freely.
Just as she was about to leave the palace, Consort Xiao caught up with her, panting, and grabbed her sleeve, handing her a letter: "The Emperor doesn't intend to let Chengchao go. He's not a bad person, but for you, getting involved will likely end badly. If you change your mind, give this letter to Chengchao, and you can leave together. Chu'er, do you remember the question I asked you? What was your original intention? You are yourself, not a sacrifice for a grand cause. You don't have to sacrifice yourself for anyone. I hope to realize my long-held wish, but I also hope that everyone can get what they want."
After saying these words, Consort Xiao turned and left, leaving Lu Yunchu alone with his back to the magnificent palace, gazing at the azure sky.
Like rowing against the current, if you don't move forward, you'll fall behind. The situation may be chaotic, but how can there be no ripples beneath the surface of calm?
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