June 7th, the fourth year of the Tai'an reign. This day was destined to be one Pei Jiuyan would never forget. He had joyfully attended the ceremony where he was canonized as a consort, the emperor displaying his favor in front of all the guests. He had been so arrogant, but in the blink of an eye, his daughter had been exiled by the emperor to guard the imperial mausoleum. And the magnificent attire that symbolized a second-rank consort was torn off by the emperor himself.
What did His Majesty say to him at that time?
Ling Shumo's original words were, "You raised a bastard like Ling Xijie, who is unworthy of the position of a Second Rank Lady. Since your virtue is unworthy of your position, then you should just continue to be Shu Rongze from now on."
The dilapidated meditation hall.
Pei Jiuyan knelt on the cold floor, his hand gently stroking the torn hem of his skirt, where patterns of twelve ancient mythical beasts were originally embroidered with gold and silver threads, but now they were all destroyed.
Just like his life, it was all ruined.
All the wealth and splendor he had cherished had now become empty illusions. Pei Jiuyan couldn't understand why things had turned out this way. He loudly questioned the round table across from him, which had a missing corner, "Why? Your Majesty, why won't you believe me? She clearly said she loved me. She said that I was the only one she loved most. Her relationships with others were just for show."
Xue Wu was dizzy from the excessive blood loss and was already feeling extremely uncomfortable. He had to endure Pei Jiuyan's clamoring and fuming, which made him furious. He sneered, "His Majesty said he loved you the most. Pei Jiuyan, you believed that nonsense? Look at you now! You are so miserable and destitute, just like me back then."
Pei Jiuyan's eyes widened as he stared at Xue Wu. "What do you mean by 'the same as before'? What do you mean?"
Xue Wu gently brushed away the frizzy hair on his temples with his hands, and smiled ironically, "Oh, I almost forgot. I was in the prime of my life when you hadn't even entered the palace. Not to mention you, your brother wasn't even a princess at that time."
Speaking of the past, a fleeting sadness flashed in Xue Wu's eyes, and then he smiled and said, "Your Majesty favored you and your daughter according to his own will. Because of favoritism, when Ling Xijie bullied Cheng'er, Your Majesty was willing to turn a blind eye and pretend not to see it even though he heard some rumors. But when Ling Xijie did something like killing his own sister, Your Majesty could no longer turn a blind eye. Because my daughter's surname is also Ling, even if she is not favored, she is still Your Majesty's daughter. Pei Jiuyan, let me make it clearer. The reason you fell out of favor is because you touched His Majesty's bottom line."
Pei Jiuyan's body trembled violently, his eyes gradually turned red, and he even reached out to mess up his carefully combed hair. "No! No, you are talking nonsense. Her Majesty is just angry with me temporarily. After a while, I will run to her and cry and beg her, and she will definitely soften her heart. By then, my daughter will be brought back from the imperial mausoleum, and I will once again be the most favored Madam Shu in the six palaces."
Pei Jiuyan said this as he struggled to stand up from the ground and stumbled out the door. "Xijie said she didn't use the ceramic shard to pierce Ling Xicheng's thigh at all. She was wronged, my daughter was wronged. I'm going to go to Her Majesty and explain this matter clearly. Her Majesty loves me so much, she will accept me again. She definitely will!"
Xue Wu coldly watched Pei Jiuyan's back disappear completely into Jingxin Palace. At this moment, a fair-faced young attendant opened the door curtain and walked in. "Master, you will soon be promoted to Rongze. Empress Lu said that Jingxin Palace is too remote. Living here for so long is really unfair to you. You can move to Lianyun Palace with His Highness the Third Prince tonight. The furniture there is all good. You can move in right away."
Hearing the words "Lianyun Palace," Xue Wu was momentarily stunned. It was for no other reason than that the previous owner of that palace, Si Jiangzhi, had been demoted to a commoner over a year ago and was now a mere corpse in the cold palace. All that glory, all that power, all that status, was but a passing cloud.
In this deep palace, you should always be cautious and take every step carefully. If you are flattered by His Majesty for two days and then think that he really loves you, then you will be shattered to pieces like Pei Jiuyan.
Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. When the emperor loves you, he will praise you to the skies and cherish you like a precious treasure. But when he dislikes you, he will turn his face against you and send you to hell in an instant.
Xue Wu was lost in thought when his servant interrupted him, "Master, the Third Princess has woken up and wants to see you."
Hearing his daughter's name, Xue Wu's lips formed a thin line. A long time passed after the attendant's words fell, but he remained seated on the bed, unmoving. Honestly, he didn't want to see his daughter. Whenever Xue Wu closed his eyes, the image of Ling Xicheng picking up the empty wine jar and smashing it down at him would clearly appear in his mind.
But thinking about how seriously injured the child was and how he had lost too much blood, and whether he was alive or dead, Xue Wu finally went to Ling Xicheng's bedside.
Father and daughter stared at each other for a long moment. Neither spoke. Finally, it was Ling Xicheng who first waved away the attendants. Her voice hoarse, she asked, "Why are you testifying for me? You should obviously hate me. You should obviously help Pei Jiu hate father and daughter. If you do that, I'll be the one exiled to the Imperial Mausoleum by our mother."
Xue Wu raised his hand. Ling Xicheng thought he was going to hit her and subconsciously closed her eyes, only to feel a pair of warm, calloused hands cupping her face. Xue Wu's eyes, now less bright and slightly cloudy, stared at Ling Xicheng without blinking. He said only eight words, "Because, you are my daughter."
Because you're my daughter. Because you're a piece of flesh that fell from my body, the apple of my eye after ten months of pregnancy. So, no matter how you hurt me, no matter what you do wrong, I'm willing to tolerate and forgive you. That's what a father is.
Ling Xicheng threw himself into Xue Wu's arms, "Father, this time it's my turn to protect you."
A father, not a cold second father.
When Xue Wu heard this name, his shoulders trembled slightly.
Ling Xicheng's eyes filled with warm tears. Then, those tears naturally seeped into Xue Wu's clothes. She was wrong. She shouldn't resent her biological father for not being a high-ranking imperial attendant, nor should she resent him for not being able to give her a good life.
If possible, a father would naturally want to hold her in the palm of his hand. However, not every father is as capable as the biological father of Crown Princess Ling Xihe, who can provide their children with the best life. Xue Wu couldn't give her much, but Xue Wu was willing to give her everything he had to his daughter. What else could she not be satisfied with?
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