Chapter 73 Hunger Strike
"Princess, please, please eat a bite... If you continue to be hungry like this, your body won't be able to bear it..."
Chunying and Qiushi knelt in front of Zhao Mingyue's bed, pleading with hoarse voices.
This is the third day since Empress Dowager Chi issued the decree for Zhao Mingyue to marry Xiqi.
Ever since Zhao Mingyue went to the palace to ask for an audience with Queen Mother Chi but was refused, she has not eaten a single bite of food or drunk a single drop of water.
Chunying and Qiushi watched, feeling both angry and distressed. They were angry that Queen Mother Chi was so cruel to the princess, and distressed that the princess ignored her own health.
When the previous emperor passed away, Empress Dowager Chi imprisoned the emperor and deposed the prime minister, and the princesses all stood on her side.
There is also the Golden Crow Guard. From recruiting soldiers to training, to finally defeating the other imperial guards at the military parade and winning the championship, the princess has put in so much effort. Others may not know, but they have all seen it.
At that time, the princess's voice was hoarse, but in order to share the hardships with the soldiers, she refused to drink even a sip of honey water.
But now, the Queen Mother has secured her position and no longer needs the princess. She wants to marry the princess to Xiqi and squeeze out every last bit of her value.
How can there be such vicious and shameless people in this world?
As expected, just because they are not biological mother and daughter, no matter how much they give, they will never be able to get each other's true treatment?
But their silly princess still couldn't see through Queen Mother Chi's sinister intentions at this time, and thought that she could force Queen Mother Chi to take back her decision by going on a hunger strike.
How could this method possibly hurt someone who didn't love her?
Qiushi looked at Zhao Mingyue lying on the bed. She had her eyes closed, as if she was asleep.
But in just three days, she lost a lot of weight, her face turned pale, her once rosy lips became dry and flaky, and tiny bloodshot lines appeared between her lips.
"Princess, please eat something." She went to support Zhao Mingyue's shoulders, but just touched her clothes when Zhao Mingyue opened her eyes.
"Mother, is it you who came to see me?" She raised her hand, lightly grasped Qiushi's hand, and asked weakly.
Qiushi was stunned for a moment, with a bitter taste in his throat, not knowing what to say.
Zhao Mingyue knew the answer from her expression, and let go of her hand, which slid onto the quilt.
That day, Xue Qi persuaded her to rebel, and her first reaction was that it was a joke.
She never thought of rebelling.
Even though she knew that she could not become emperor under the existing system, she never thought of rebelling.
Of course she likes power and enjoys the glory of being a princess, but she is more afraid of the price she will have to pay for choosing to rebel against the existing system.
If it were before, she would definitely reject Xue Qi, but this time, she hesitated.
Because she knew very well that if she lost everything, Xue Qi would be the only one to support her.
Before this, she thought that A Niang would always be her support, but now, she began to waver.
She chose to go on a hunger strike in order to force Chi Lan to come out and see her, and to tell her in person that the mother-daughter relationship between them was all fake.
Not talking about feelings, just talking about interests, if the princess who was married off died from hunger strike, it would be a great loss.
So, she wouldn't eat until Chi Lan came to see her.
"Take it away, I don't want to eat it." Zhao Mingyue turned her head and no longer looked at Chunying and Qiushi.
She was afraid to see the worried expressions on their faces, and she was afraid that she would not be able to hold on.
At this moment, a hand holding a white jade porcelain bowl was handed to her. The aroma of porridge drifted into her nose, stimulating her taste buds. Her empty stomach curled up, producing a slow and clear tingling sensation.
"Even if you don't eat, at least have some porridge." The voice was cold and calm.
Zhao Mingyue looked up suddenly and saw Chi Lu standing by the bed with an indifferent expression. The look in her eyes was so strange that it was frightening. The tears that had almost dried up in her eyes finally burst out at this moment and slid silently down her cheeks.
"Mother, I don't want to marry to Xiqi. Please, let me stay by your side and accompany you forever." As she said that, she sat up from the bed, threw herself into Chi Lan's arms, and hugged her tightly.
Chi Li raised the hand holding the porridge and pushed Zhao Mingyue away with her other hand. She lowered her head slightly, looked at the crystal tears on her face, and said coldly: "Mingyue, you disappoint me so much."
Zhao Mingyue was stunned and panicked. She reached out to grab Chi Lan's hand, but she stepped back first.
"Mother, what's wrong with you? Didn't you promise me that you wouldn't let me marry? I just want an explanation."
Chi Li looked at her coldly, "Explain? For so long, your power, wealth, and your status as Princess Fuguang, weren't they all given to you by me? Since I can give it to you, then of course I can also take it back."
Zhao Mingyue was a little confused, "Mother, I don't understand what you mean."
Chi Li was very patient and replied, "What I mean is, of course, the drama of a loving mother and a filial daughter. I've played it enough, and now it's time for you to repay me."
She paused for a moment, as if waiting for Zhao Mingyue to digest it, and then spoke slowly.
"In fact, I never expected you to be my successor. In this struggle for power, you are not even qualified to step onto the chessboard."
Zhao Mingyue was shocked physically and mentally, and her eyes widened in disbelief. So in Chi Lu's eyes, she was such a useless person?
Chi Li looked at her reaction and seemed very satisfied. He raised his eyebrows and continued, "So, go and marry obediently. This is the only value you have now."
This sentence completely negated Zhao Mingyue's ability. She felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave and her whole body was cold.
She used to trust and rely on Chi Lan so much, and never doubted her words, but it turned out that there was no true love between them at all?
At this moment, her feelings for Chi Lun completely collapsed. Her lips trembled and she couldn't say a word. Even her tears froze and her face was cold.
"Can we eat now? Or do you want me to force you to eat?" Chi Qi handed the bowl of porridge back to Zhao Mingyue.
Zhao Mingyue's eyes were a little dazed, and she took the bowl blankly. The eight-treasure porridge was already cold, but she didn't notice it at all. She just woodenly brought the bowl to her mouth and let her tears fall silently into the bowl.
She tilted her head back and poured the thick and rich porridge in the bowl directly into her mouth. Because she drank too fast and too quickly, she felt nauseous. She could only suppress it with all her might, and each mouthful was extremely difficult to swallow.
After seeing her finish the bowl of porridge, Chi Qi turned and walked out of the room.
Zhao Mingyue didn't want her to leave, and still had an illusion in her heart, that she would come back.
She threw down the bowl, jumped out of bed barefoot, and staggered after him, "Mother, don't go——"
Chunying and Qiushi were extremely worried. They quickly grabbed their coats, shoes and socks and ran after her to put them on. "Princess, be careful not to catch a cold."
But Zhao Mingyue stopped in her tracks when she reached the door. She saw two rows of officials waiting quietly on the corridor outside the door.
When they saw Chi Li come out, the officials all bowed their heads. The Minister of Rites stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, has the princess agreed?"
Chi Li didn't even look at him, and strode forward, "You stay and try to persuade her."
The Minister of Rites was stunned for a moment, then respectfully responded. The other officials looked at Zhao Mingyue with sympathy, then turned and followed Chi Lu out.
When Zhao Mingyue saw this scene, she felt her body get even colder. It turned out that in A-niang's heart, she was just a chess piece that could be discarded at will.
She bit her lip, tasting a hint of blood on her tongue. She felt immense pain as she watched Chi Yan's retreating figure. Why? She really didn't understand what she had done wrong. Was the mother-daughter relationship they had shared all these years all fake?
The Minister of Rites stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Zhao Mingyue, and said sincerely, "Your Highness, marrying into the Western Qi Kingdom is a righteous act that will benefit the world. The people will be grateful to you. Just think about it. If you marry an ordinary man, your name will fade with the passage of time. But if you marry the King of Western Qi and promote friendly relations between the two countries, your name will surely be remembered in history!"
Zhao Mingyue remained silent.
Chunying draped the cloak over Zhao Mingyue's shoulders, gave the Minister of Rites a cold look, and cursed coldly, "Stop talking nonsense about the righteousness of the world. If this is such a good opportunity, why don't you marry King Xiqi? Maybe King Xiqi is a good friend of Nanfeng. If you please him, you can even get an official position!"
"You--!" The Minister of Rites was so angry that he jumped up and down. Seeing Chunying's provocative eyes, he wanted to curse back, but he was worried that she was the princess's maid, so he didn't dare to attack.
The purpose of Empress Dowager Chi asking him to stay was to persuade Princess Fuguang that he didn't need to bother with an ignorant little girl.
Then he looked at Zhao Mingyue and continued, "Princess, think about it carefully. With your status as the Queen Mother's beloved daughter, King Xiqi will definitely make you Queen. As long as you give birth to a son, he will definitely become the Crown Prince. By then, the people of Xiqi will obey you. What else are you dissatisfied with?"
Hearing this, Zhao Mingyue raised her head and looked at him steadily. "I think what you said is right. Since the marriage is mine, I should think carefully about my future plans. What's your name?"
As he spoke, he took a step closer to him.
The Minister of Rites thought he had convinced Zhao Mingyue and was very proud of himself. He quickly replied with a smile: "I am the Minister of Rites, Wu Ming. As long as the princess understands, it is worth my words--"
The sound stopped abruptly.
He lowered his head and saw a cold light piercing his lower abdomen, and his pupils dilated instantly.
Zhao Mingyue moved closer to him, put her lips close to his ear, and whispered softly, "Wu Ming, right? I've remembered your name. Don't worry, I'll make it famous in history."
After saying that, she drew her dagger.
When Wu Ming heard these malicious words, he felt terrible.
Unfortunately, before he could say his last words, his eyes went dark and he completely lost consciousness.
Chunying only heard a thud, and then Wu Ming fell to his knees, collapsed to the ground, and died.
She screamed in fear and looked at Zhao Mingyue helplessly, "Princess... this..."
Although she thought this man was annoying, he wasn't to the point where he deserved to die!
Zhao Mingyue raised the dagger in her hand, watching the blood drop on the tip of the blade glitter in the sunlight, and a mischievous smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "He doesn't know how to shut up, so I have to teach him myself."
Chunying immediately covered her mouth and dared not speak.
After a while, she said cautiously, "Princess, aren't you afraid that the Queen Mother will blame you for doing this?"
"Blame? I actually hope she will." Zhao Mingyue lowered her eyes and looked at Wu Ming's body expressionlessly. "It's a pity that the marriage is imminent, and she can't find another princess to replace me. Even if I kill someone, she can't do anything to me."
A'niang was so cruel. Even when she showed weakness and begged for mercy, she refused to look back at her.
As expected, no one in this world is trustworthy except herself.
If that's the case, why should she compromise?
————
On the other side, Chi Luo, who had just walked out of the princess's mansion, paused.
Liu Shen Ai's voice rang out in his mind, "The blood-killing attack has been triggered, and 500 points have been deducted. Zhao Mingyue killed someone again?!"
Chi Li's face changed slightly. What was Zhao Mingyue doing? If she wanted to kill someone, she could just kill him. Why would she use the "bloody throat" technique?
The two thousand points she had left were not enough for her to squander!
Chi Qi felt a little regretful about giving the Strychnos nux vomica to Zhao Mingyue for self-defense.
She turned her head and looked at the princess's mansion. Is it too late to steal the knife back now?
The official behind her saw her suddenly stop and thought she had changed her mind, so he asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, are you still worried about Princess Fuguang?"
Chi Li shook her head, "No, let's go."
At the same time, Xie Qinjian, who was far away in Yanzhou, just received the news that Empress Dowager Chi had ordered Princess Fuguang to marry Xiqi.
It seems that everything is developing according to his plan.
I believe that it won’t be long before he can complete the task of marrying the princess, and the points he consumed can be earned back.
Xie Qinjian opened the data panel and looked at the points that were slowly increasing. He couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
The next step is to let the wedding procession stay in Yanzhou. By then, Zhao Zhuo will be able to raise the banner of rebellion.
Chi Lan, who thought she could be the queen mother in power in this world, would definitely be scared when she saw things gradually getting out of control.
It's right to be afraid. He will not easily forgive anyone who dares to offend him. He has designed a perfect death for her.
When he thought about seeing Chi Lan’s frightened expression in the future, he smiled even more happily.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
