Chapter 13 The Eastern Palace "If I had known this would happen, I should have followed the example of that man who left his father and stayed..."
Su Aoshuang lowered her head deeply. "Your Highness, please enlighten me."
"Does this mean that Lord Su is only capable of this much?"
As she wished, Yuan Mingjin repeated himself, making his words more explicit, and smiled so wide that his eyes disappeared, like a fox licking its sharp canine teeth, "If you are worried about your own child and can't bring yourself to do it, then I, the king, will do it for you."
"...It is up to Your Highness to decide."
Yuan Mingjin stood up, took the heavy, iron-like door latch from her hand with one hand, then grasped it with the other and swung it in the air, making a powerful, whistling sound. The wind whipped Su Yutang's hair, revealing one of her ears, which seemed to be piercing her ear canal like a knife, as if it were going straight for her mind.
Su Yutang lay prone on the ground, the anticipated pain shooting up her spine to the base of her skull, her entire back of her head tingling, her forehead already covered in beads of cold sweat—no, no, she didn't want to die! She didn't want to die! Her legs! Her legs!
She already has one broken leg; she can't afford to lose another! She doesn't want to be a cripple!
"Mother! Save me! Please save me!"
Su Aoshuang heard her cries, but stood still, not moving. She simply took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
The sound of the wind drew closer and closer—thump!
"ah--"
Su Yutang let out a miserable scream, drawing out the last syllable of his cry.
However, after calling for a long time, I slowly realized something was wrong—
The pain... seemed to be concentrated in my injured left leg, while my right leg was fine and there was no discomfort.
But she clearly heard the sound of the latch slamming down.
She propped herself up on her elbows, raised her upper body, and craned her neck to look behind her. Only then did she realize that the bolt of the door latch had grazed her right leg and slammed into the ground. The hard, flat brick had even been smashed into a shallow crater, with spiderweb-like cracks radiating outwards from the bolt. Looking at the bolt itself, it was now shattered like a flower, with splinters standing upright, yet a small section of it was still embedded in the brick, as if a door latch had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the hall—it was quite comical.
But none of the people in the hall dared to laugh.
Su Yutang didn't know if this was the end, and remained lying on the ground, not daring to move at all. Suddenly, she smelled a refreshing bamboo fragrance. The person above her was pressing down heavily, and then her already loose and messy black hair was completely spread out.
It turned out that Yuan Mingjin had taken the silver hairpin that she used to tie her hair.
Yuan Mingjin straightened up, pinching the slender hairpin between three fingers, seemingly intrigued by it, examining it closely. The others remained silent, while Su Yiyi, kneeling below, had already developed numbness in her legs and couldn't help but secretly massage her calves—
call out--!
In the blink of an eye, the silver hairpin suddenly flew through the air, its force overwhelming, brushing against Su Yiyi's hair, and grazing her cheek before embedding itself in a crack in the bricks beside her. Half of the hairpin was deeply embedded in it!
The silver was soft, yet showed no signs of twisting or deformation, which gives you an idea of just how fast it was moving.
"A man's appearance is of utmost importance. If Xiaotang hadn't already married, would you have planned to let him grow old and die at home? What a 'model of a noble man in the capital,' indeed, seeing is believing."
Yuan Mingjin shifted his gaze to his profile and said unhurriedly, "To disfigure someone is like killing their mother or father. Young Master Su, your heart is so vicious that you can even harm your own brother. I really don't know which lady would want a venomous man like you."
Su Aoshuang shuddered upon hearing her address Su Yiyi, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
The others in the hall didn't notice—Su Yiyi, her mouth half-open, was already terrified. Only after hearing her father's wail did she belatedly feel a knife-like pain on her face. She reached out to touch it, only to find her hand covered in bright red blood. She felt dizzy and fainted, losing consciousness.
Yuan Mingjin turned and paced back to sit down at the head of the table. He propped his head up with his hand and said, "You, a man, cannot stay in the capital."
With a thud, Xin Yaning, who was standing at the back, collapsed to the ground in a daze upon hearing this. Her eyes twitched slightly, and she rushed over to hug the unconscious Su Yiyi tightly, murmuring "Yiyi, Yiyi..." She was a far cry from her usual dignified demeanor as a third-rank lady.
"Yes." Su Aoshuang didn't turn around, but knelt down and slowly kowtowed to her, "Thank you, Your Highness, for sparing my son..."
"Don't thank me yet." Yuan Mingjin withdrew his hand, sat down with an imposing air, rested his left arm on his left leg, leaned forward, and stared at Su Aoshuang like a wolf. "I am not a kind-hearted person."
Su Aoshuang was a shrewd person, and she immediately understood that he had something to say. So she dismissed her husband and other men and had a private conversation with Prince Rui for a full hour.
...
With so many things happening today, Su Xiaotang naturally had no desire to linger any longer. As soon as she opened her eyes, she immediately urged Yuan Mingjin to return to the palace, completely forgetting about the chef who was skilled at making milk cakes.
The Su family mansion is truly a den of wolves; he never wants to come here again... It hurts so much.
Fortunately, it was only 7 PM, and the curfew was at 9 PM. Yuan Mingjin then ordered his men to prepare the horses and carriages, and bid farewell to Su Aoshuang.
The wound on her face had been stitched up and bandaged. Su Xiaotang knew she shouldn't touch it, but she couldn't help wanting to see how badly she was injured.
It hurts so much, the injury must be quite serious... The man was ultimately very concerned about his appearance.
He raised his hand tremblingly, his fingertips about to touch the gauze, but it was grabbed—"What are you doing? Don't you want your face anymore?"
The wife looked very angry, Su Xiaotang thought.
Although she didn't say anything, her expression was cold and stern, but the force with which she gripped his hand was so great that she almost crushed the bones.
Su Xiaotang felt incredibly sweet inside, and for a moment she even forgot most of the pain on her face.
As soon as the carriage left, he remembered that he would pass by Wanqianlou on the way back to the Prince's Mansion, so he lifted the curtain to look outside. Just then, he saw his mother leading a group of people bowing to see them off. Xin Yaning was behind her, staring straight at him with a resentful expression.
He couldn't help but shiver.
Just as she was about to put down the carriage, she saw two more plain-looking carriages also driving out of the Su residence, heading discreetly straight for the city gate—Su Xiaotang was immediately puzzled.
Why are you leaving the city so late?
"What are you looking at? Is it that interesting outside?"
Yuan Mingjin put down her book, pinched his chin with two fingers, and turned him towards her. "If you're ever bullied in the future, you have to fight back on the spot, understand?"
Su Xiaotang shrank back timidly, looked away, pursed her lips into a thin line, and remained silent.
So, he was actually capable of resistance? But his third sister was too strong; he was afraid…
"You call me when you can't beat them? Do you really think your wife is a pushover?" Yuan Mingjin released his grip, rested his elbows on the small table, propped his chin up, and looked at him with a smile. "You've been bullied like this, you poor thing... You have to consider the owner before beating a dog. It's been a few years since you've been back to Congdu. Has everyone forgotten my reputation?"
Don't think he can't tell; she's subtly implying that he is...
How could there be such a wicked person in the world? He had just been wronged, and instead of offering a word of comfort, she went and tormented him like this…
Su Xiaotang glared at her with her sore eyes, but Yuan Mingjin patted her hard and laughed heartily in return.
Strangely, despite being compared to a dog, Su Xiaotang felt no displeasure whatsoever. She simply stared blankly at the woman's smiling face, forgetting everything else and only having those few words of protection left in her mind.
If he weren't injured, he would have loved to immediately kneel on her lap and wag his tail like a real dog.
"What, are you moved to tears?"
Yuan Mingjin raised her hand and tapped the corner of his eye. Only then did Su Xiaotang realize that she had unknowingly become teary-eyed. She hurriedly took out her handkerchief to wipe her eyes, but the more she wiped, the more tears welled up. In the end, she had no choice but to cover her face with her sleeve in embarrassment, her voice thick with nasal congestion, and told her not to tease her.
Yuan Mingjin chuckled and said, "This is nothing. If you knew that your two good siblings had been sent out of the city and that you would never see them again in your life, wouldn't you be moved to tears?"
"...Those two carriages from just now?" Su Xiaotang suddenly realized.
“Exactly.” Yuan Mingjin toyed with the jade cup and gave a cold smile.
If it weren't for Su Aoshuang... Su Yiyi and Su Yutang should really be grateful to have such a good mother.
...
As the magnificent carriage gradually disappeared from sight, Su Aoshuang returned to her room, feeling utterly exhausted. She slumped into a chair, her undergarments completely soaked with sweat.
From then on, Su was just a chess piece in the Ruiwang chess jar... How did everything turn out this way?
Having served as an official for over thirty years, she naturally understood the importance of self-preservation and had always been a staunch royalist. But now—
"My lady, when will we bring Yiyi back?"
Interrupted from her thoughts, Xin Yaning, her eyelids swollen, asked Su Aoshuang through sobs.
It's all that bastard Su Xiaotang's fault! She forced his son to leave home and seek refuge in a temple. If he ever gets another chance, he'll tear Su Xiaotang to pieces!
"What kind of time is this to still be thinking about your 'good man' attitude! That's truly a man's perspective!"
Upon hearing this, Su Aoshuang roared angrily and slammed her hand on the armrest, startling Xin Yaning so much that she dropped her handkerchief. "If it weren't for the fact that Prince Rui hadn't given him and Su Yutang leverage over them, why would I have staked everything on Prince Rui?"
"What does the struggle for the Eastern Palace have to do with me! Whether it's the eldest prince or the second prince, as long as I don't take sides, no matter who becomes emperor, I, Su Aoshuang, will still be able to firmly hold my position as Minister!"
She stared at the dumbfounded Xin Yaning, her eyes bloodshot and red, the veins on her forehead clearly visible, her vicious intent evident—"If I had known this would happen, I should have followed that example of leaving the father and keeping the children, taking all three children with me and raising them myself! Otherwise, they would have been led astray by that fool and would not have known repentance even when facing death!"
"Hmph, let him stay in the temple and cultivate himself properly! If he can't learn to behave himself, he doesn't need to come back!"
Xin Yaning was stunned by these words, sweating profusely, and unable to say another word.
...
The Su family's estate in the suburbs of Beijing was not far, but it still took one or two hours to drive there, arriving close to 1 AM.
As his initial fear subsided, Su Yutang reverted to his usual imperious manner, constantly complaining about the lack of cleanliness in the house and finding the late-night snacks too bland and unpalatable. He turned the entire villa upside down, finally managing to fall asleep around 3 AM. Not long after, he was again unable to sleep due to the pain from his broken leg, causing endless suffering for the servants in the villa, who all longed for this troublesome devil to return home soon.
Even so, Su Yutang knew in her heart that she would never be able to return to the capital until her bones had fully healed.
And what good would going back to the capital do? Would her leg get better? Would she walk without limping? No, no, she still has to rise to high office, inherit her mother's mantle, and continue to enjoy wealth and luxury... She doesn't want to become a cripple! What will her relatives, friends, and colleagues think of her then!
Su Yutang woke up from a nightmare, panting heavily and covered in cold sweat. After sitting on the bed for a long time, he finally made up his mind.
After asking the time, she learned that it was only the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), but she did not continue to sleep. Instead, she got off the kang (heated brick bed), picked up a jade pendant from her dressing table, and handed it to her trusted confidante who had come from the mansion. Her palms were slightly sweaty. "Anyway, even if we ride at full speed, it will take three or four hours to go back and forth. You go back to the city immediately and go to... the Prince Su's mansion. Make sure to invite His Highness Prince Su to come in person. Tell him that Lady Su has something important to discuss!"
The trusted confidant accepted the order and left.
...
Last night, as Su Xiaotang passed by Wanqianlou, she stared longingly at her mistress, hoping that she would let her go down and say hello... definitely not to take the opportunity to buy some food!
To his surprise, Yuan Mingjin flatly refused, saying that his belly full of bad ideas could practically rattle off, and that they were about to flood his brain and flow out of his ears and eyes—she would not give him the chance to mess around with rotten food again!
Seeing Su Xiaotang's listless and dejected appearance, she still ordered someone to invite the head chef of Wanqianlou the next day. She intended to let him order whatever he wanted, but he suddenly stood up from his chair, took a few quick steps to the head chef, and held her hand, looking at her with tears in his eyes.
Yuan Mingjin asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
The cook was over fifty years old, and her eyes were full of affection as she looked at Su Xiaotang. Of course, she did not suspect that the two had an affair—but when did they meet?
A note from the author:
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Today's update is here! [pat on the head]
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