Chapter 54 The Heroine's Blessing
Yu Fei did have concerns.
Although they had known each other for a long time, they had just come to a mutual understanding. She suddenly said that she was an alien from another dynasty. She was not sure whether he could accept this shocking news.
The ancients always kept a distance from supernatural things, and even called for killing them. He was born in the royal family, so he was even more cautious about such things. What if he regarded her as a demon or a disaster star...
Yu Fei leaned back to his waist and said slowly, "I do have some unspeakable secrets, but I promise that I will never hurt you in the slightest."
In fact, according to her previous habit, she would definitely make up some excuse like "it was God's dream" to get away with it, but she had told him too many lies since they met, and she didn't want to lie to him anymore.
The empress acted decisively and within a few days, the court issued two imperial decrees.
One reason was that the prince and the prime minister's daughter were not compatible in fate, so the marriage was called off. The other reason was that the prince had been ill for a long time, and the merchant girl Yu Fei had a noble fate, so the two of them were allowed to get married in order to protect the prince's health and bring blessings to the people.
The imperial edict was well-organized and well-founded, but anyone with common sense could tell that it meant the prince wanted to break off the engagement and marry someone else.
Yu Fei felt sorry for Yang Zhi. She had been trying to survive by bringing Yang Zhi and Jing Cang together in order to get help from the Yang family, but she ended up ruining their marriage and marrying Jing Cang.
She thought that she should go to Yang Zhi to apologize.
Unexpectedly, Yang Zhi took the initiative to come to the East Palace to find her, saying that he was going to Jiangnan to visit his grandfather and wanted to say goodbye to her before leaving Beijing.
They met in the familiar stone pavilion in the garden.
It was spring, with pink peach blossoms and green willows. Yang Zhi was wearing a lake blue long dress and a jade orchid ornament of the same color in her hair. She was as elegant and quiet as a beauty who had walked out of a painting of beautiful ladies.
The two sat opposite each other, and Yang Zhi spoke first: "Miss Yu, I want to apologize to you. Actually, the prince did not tell me that day that the Ministry of Rites wanted to arrange a marriage between him and me."
Yu Fei shook his head, "It's all in the past."
The problem between her and Jing Cang was never about Yang Zhi, but that they had their own interests to consider.
Yang Zhi took a sip of tea and smiled: "I have never lied to anyone. I never thought that as a man, I would repeatedly do things that undermine my moral character and family tradition."
Her voice was filled with regret: "In fact, I had a premonition that the prince would break off the engagement with me, from the day he protected you. It's just that I tried my best, but it was not satisfactory."
"The day I came to visit him, it was the first time he went out alone with me. Not really alone, as he was followed by many palace maids." Yang Zhi recalled, "He didn't say a few words to me. Instead, he kept paying attention to you who were among the maids sweeping the floor. He didn't take the snacks I handed him, and he didn't drink a sip of the tea. After you ran away angrily, he left too."
She laughed at herself, "It sounds like you two are an awkward couple, and I am a shield he uses to provoke you. He does this, so I am just telling you to rest assured and take care of your baby, don't be jealous, and don't covet the position of crown prince by relying on the heir to the throne."
"I can guess the outcome. Maybe you two will reconcile and the prince will break off the engagement. Maybe you will behave yourself and I will marry into the East Palace. But all my calculations cannot outweigh your sincerity towards each other."
She raised the cup to her, "Bless you."
Yu Fei knew that Yang Zhi was a gentle, virtuous woman. She was the only important character in the original text who sympathized with the original owner's fate. Now, after listening to her words, she felt that she was open-minded and upright, which she was far from.
She raised her teacup and clinked it with hers, deliberately lowering her voice a little, "Miss Yang is both talented and beautiful, there is no need to belittle yourself."
Yang Zhi smiled and said, "Of course I won't complain about myself. I am an expert in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, and tea. I think I am much better than you. You said that a woman can't just think about becoming excellent to match a man, but also have to work hard for the two of them to be together. I did it, even if there is no result, I won't regret it when I think about it in the future."
"Yu Fei, I didn't lose to you, I lost to him. I have known the prince for more than ten years, but you and I have not seen each other for more than half a year. I accept this fate."
The wind blew past her, her hair fluttered, her clothes fluttered, and she had a demeanor of "laughing out loud at the sky and walking out the door". "Those who know me will tell me that I am worried, and those who don't know me will tell me what I want."
Yu Fei had lived for most of his life, and had made friends mostly for drinking and eating. He had never met such a broad-minded and open-minded woman. He felt a little ashamed for a moment, but calmed himself down and offered tea to Yang Zhi.
"You are a true noble lady from an aristocratic family. I wish you can find a new world of your own."
When Yu Fei returned to Jing Cang's bedroom, he was still distracted.
Jing Cang asked: "What's wrong?"
Yu Fei's face fell, "You said I'm useless, can I be a good Crown Princess or even the future Queen Mother?"
Jing Cang smiled and pinched her cheek, "You have charmed the emperor so much that he doesn't want to leave, and you still dare to say that you are useless. I am in charge of the court, and you are in charge of me. We divide the work and each of us is good at our own strengths."
Yu Fei's doubts were dismissed by his big hand, and she couldn't help but think of the famous saying in modern times, "Men conquer the world, women conquer men." She cared about Jing Cang's body and mind, which indirectly benefited Cangsheng?
"Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Jing Cang pulled her to sit at the table to eat some snacks, and said seriously, "The verdicts for Jing Yi and Yu Shuang are out."
Yu Fei looked at the question with a smile, indicating that he was all ears.
Jing Cang said, "Concubine Zhu committed suicide last night. I beg you, father, to spare Jing Yi's life. He was originally going to be demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum forever, but now he will retain his title and be confined to the palace."
Yu Fei recalled. Jing Yi's ending was similar to the original story, with Concubine Zhu dying to save his life, and even better treatment in this life, without having to grind to death in the imperial mausoleum until the end of his life.
She thought of Yu Shuang and hesitated for a moment, "What about the other one?"
"Yu Shuang assassinated the crown prince. According to the law, she should be executed. However, my father considered the upcoming marriage between the royal family and the Yu family, so he exiled her. However, he gave her a cup of wine on the way."
Yu Fei nodded, it seemed that Yu Shuang was still doomed to die.
But good deeds will be rewarded, and evil deeds will be punished. Everyone must be responsible for the mistakes they make.
"Don't be unhappy, Feifei." Jing Cang stuffed half a cake into her mouth. "My father remembered that we had arranged the marriage, so he ordered me to bring officials from the Ministry of Rites to the Yu family in Shu County to propose marriage."
"Ah?" Yu Fei's eyes lit up when he heard that. "Then we can go out of the palace to travel? Oh no, we should go out on business."
Jing Cang nodded and rubbed her hair, "I'm sorry for putting you through so much in the past six months."
Yu Fei swallowed the cake angrily, "You don't even know, I was suffocated to death in the palace."
She glanced at him and said, "You're not going to make me ride in a carriage full of boxes and give me steamed bread and porridge for three meals a day, are you?"
Jing Cang put his hands together and said, "My ancestor, you are a great man and you don't bear grudges. This time, I served you very well throughout the whole process."
Yu Fei gave him a wink and said, "Just wait and see."