Chapter 291 Yongfu is imprisoned by the Empress Dowager
She staggered back two steps, the pain in her eyes instantly swallowed by a frenzied hatred.
She pointed in the direction of Tingzhu Pavilion and screamed shrilly, "Fine! Fine! Xiao Yeming! Then go! Go and die with her! I'll wait and see what kind of good end you two star-crossed lovers will have!"
After yelling, she turned around abruptly and rushed back to the corridor.
Linglang, on the other hand, remained at a distance of neither too close nor too far, silently observing everything as if strolling leisurely.
She walked slowly forward, casually plucked a leaf with curled edges from a dead tree she passed, and twirled it absentmindedly between her fingers.
His voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger: "Now, can you finally see his heart clearly?"
Yunxiu forcefully wiped away the tears on her face.
She raised her head, the last trace of emotion in her eyes completely swallowed by icy hatred, her voice squeezed out from between her teeth: "Since...since his heart has never been with me, then let him die! Let him rot in that bamboo grove with that lowly merchant girl!"
Shu Linglang paused slightly, and the withered leaf shattered in her hand.
She didn't look at her daughter, but a very faint, elusive smile curved her lips.
Covered in wounds and blood, Xiao Yeming, illuminated by streaks of lightning, continued step by step toward the silent bamboo forest.
Early morning.
Lu Zhaoruo had just stepped through the heavy vermilion gate of the Grand Princess's residence when Dong Rou rushed to the Yongfu Grand Princess's residence.
She had only one thought in her mind: Call for help immediately!
But then came a bucket of cold water.
The gatekeeper informed them that Princess Yongfu had been summoned to the palace by the Empress Dowager early that morning and had not returned since.
Dongrou dared not linger in front of the mansion, fearing that she would attract the attention of the Grand Princess's spies. She could only suppress her panic and retreat to a distant street corner.
Who else can we turn to?
The image of Duke Di and his wife flashed through her mind, but she quickly suppressed it.
Before leaving, the lady repeatedly instructed that since the marriage proposal had already caused embarrassment for both parties, and the two elderly people were already advanced in years, she must not drag them into this mess and needlessly offend the powerful Grand Princess.
She gritted her teeth and decided to return to Yunshang Pavilion first, then think of a solution, perhaps to go find General Xiao?
Just as she hurried back to Yunshang Pavilion, she saw Xiao Yeming.
Cining Palace Buddhist Hall.
Princess Yongfu had been sitting on the prayer mat since dawn until seven o'clock in the evening.
The hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood and the low chanting of Buddhist hymns, but she felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles.
This is not worshipping Buddha, it is clearly imprisonment.
She was completely unaware that Lu Zhaoruo was on the verge of death, and her heart had already flown to the side of Gu Xian, who was frail and coughing up blood.
The imperial physician privately asserted that his tuberculosis had penetrated to the bone marrow, and he was already at his last gasp, unlikely to survive the winter.
Whenever I think of this, I feel as if a knife is tearing at my heart.
She couldn't help but crawl half a step on her knees, calling out in a mournful voice, "Mother..."
The Empress Dowager held her prayer beads, her eyelids unfurled, her voice flat and emotionless: "Can't you kneel any longer? If your mind is not at peace, the Buddha will not be effective. Yongfu, your soul has long since wandered off to who knows where."
Yongfu bit his lips until they turned white, and finally slumped back onto the prayer mat, tears rolling down his cheeks silently.
Outside the window, a pale bolt of lightning tore through the sky, followed closely by a rumble of thunder that shook the palace.
The thunderclap seemed to shatter the last dam in her heart.
Yongfu staggered to her feet from the prayer mat, rushed to the Empress Dowager, and tightly grasped her mother's sleeve: "Mother! I beg you! Please allow me to see him every day... just once! Brother Xian... he can't wait any longer! I beg you!"
Her voice was hoarse and filled with despair.
The Empress Dowager's hand holding the Buddhist prayer beads suddenly stopped.
She slowly raised her eyes, looking at her daughter at her feet, who was crying and trembling, barely able to stand up. A trace of extreme pain and helplessness flashed in her eyes, and her voice was deep and slow: "Fu'er, how long are you going to be so confused?"
Yongfu raised her tear-streaked face, her eyes resolute: "Your daughter is not confused... He is the only one in your heart. Even if his days are numbered, your daughter will accept it! Your daughter doesn't care!"
The Empress Dowager was heartbroken, her voice trembling: "Tell your mother, who exactly are you?"
Yongfu was stunned by the stern question, and sobbed blankly, "Daughter...daughter is Yongfu..."
"Yongfu?"
The Empress Dowager slammed the Buddhist prayer beads on the table: "You are the eldest princess of the Great Commandery, a woman of noble birth! You are not an ordinary woman from the common people who can be secretly betrothed!"
She abruptly stood up, her phoenix eyes filled with sternness, and looked down at her daughter who was slumped on the ground: "Then tell your mother again, who is this 'Brother Xian' you mentioned?"
Yongfu pressed his lips tightly together, tears streaming down his face, and remained silent.
The Empress Dowager's words were like ice, crashing down: "A son born out of wedlock from the Yongjia Earl's household! A sickly man suffering from incurable tuberculosis, whose life hangs by a thread! You disregard your status every day, crowding around his sickbed, emptying the palace's medicine supplies, causing a huge uproar throughout the city. What will the court officials think? What will the people of the world say? You have utterly disgraced the imperial family!"
Her voice suddenly rose, filled with determination: "Your marriage concerns the very foundation of the nation, how can you treat it so lightly! I'm keeping you here today not to punish you, but to save you! To make you give up on this idea completely!"
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "The Crown Prince of Qing Kingdom has sent a letter of request to marry the Princess of Dashu, in order to establish a marriage alliance and secure the borders forever. Your brother... has already agreed."
Yongfu suddenly looked up, his face draining of all color.
She shook her head in disbelief, tears streaming down her face: "No... Mother! I will not marry! I would rather die than marry!"
The Empress Dowager suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze like two icy spikes piercing Yongfu: "Foolish! This is a matter of state, how dare you act so childishly!"
"You and the Crown Prince of Qing have known each other since childhood at a palace banquet, and he has long held a liking for you. This time, he is asking for your hand in marriage as the Crown Prince's principal wife, which is already an extremely high honor. If you do not marry him, it will be a breach of promise and a betrayal of faith. At best, war will break out on the border again; at worst, the two countries will go to war! Can you bear such a sin for all eternity? Your brother's kingdom and the country will not tolerate your willful behavior!"
After saying this, the Empress Dowager stopped looking at her agonizing appearance and turned to look at the deep night outside the window: "This matter is settled, there is no turning back. You have to marry him whether you like it or not."
Seeing her daughter lying on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, her heart ached as well.
How could she not feel heartache? This was the precious pearl she had cherished since childhood.
But that's precisely why she absolutely couldn't stand by and watch Yongfu jump into the fire!
That Gu Xian, let alone a son of a commoner in the Earl's Mansion, even if he were the legitimate son of a prince, there would be absolutely no chance! Are you going to let her precious daughter stay with a dying man whose life is hanging by a thread, only to end up a young widow with her life ruined?
Yongfu is the eldest princess of the Great Kingdom! From the moment she was born, her marriage was never her own, but rather a bond that maintained the country and its people.
This is her inescapable fate.
As for the Crown Prince of Qing... the Empress Dowager closed her eyes, having already weighed the options in her heart.
She had already sent her trusted confidants to thoroughly investigate the prince's background.
He was of upright character, diligent and wise in his duties, and also handsome and dashing in appearance.
More importantly, the Qing Kingdom is powerful and peaceful. If Yongfu marries there, she will become the Crown Prince's principal wife and, in the future, the Empress! This is the brightest and most honorable destiny that her daughter deserves!
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager's heart hardened once again.
She bent down and gripped Yongfu's trembling shoulders tightly: "Fu'er, everything your mother has done is for your own good. Gu Xian is already a dying man. Your infatuation will only bring you endless pain. The Crown Prince of Qing is your true match, your path to success! Your mother will never be wrong!"
But to Yong, these words were nothing but shackles.
A good match? A bright future? An empress? These honors that others would covet are, to her, light and weightless.
She doesn't want it at all!
What she wanted was always so simple, yet so difficult.
All she wanted was freedom.
I want to be able to love whoever I want, whenever I want.
All she wanted was Gu Xian.
Even if he is frail and sickly, even if he is on the verge of death, even if he is just a lowly illegitimate son.
As long as I can be by his side, watching him, holding his hand, even for just one day or an hour, it would be better than being an empress in a foreign land for a hundred years! What about the country and its people, what about diplomatic relations between the two countries? Why should those heavy things be weighed on her shoulders alone?
She hated the identity of this "eldest princess".
This identity is like a magnificent cage, trapping her tightly and depriving her of even the right to choose how to spend the rest of her life.
The thought that Gu Xian might be lying alone on his sickbed, coughing up blood and calling her name, while she was forced to kneel in this cold Buddhist hall, listening to her mother plan out the so-called "best" future for her... a devastating despair gripped her.
She would rather exchange her princess status and long life for the last few months she could spend with him.
Even if we burn to ashes together, it's better than being alone in endless glory, guarding the withering of memories.
This sentiment is not understood by the Empress Dowager, nor by my elder brother, nor by anyone else in the world.
But she understands it herself, and that's enough.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com