Chapter Twenty-Eight
When Prince Shuo went to the palace to meet the emperor early in the morning, Xue Ru received the news. Xue Ru did not know what Prince Shuo was going to do in the palace, but being locked in the courtyard made Xue Ru more and more uneasy, especially when the people she sent out returned saying that the person she was looking for had disappeared. Xue Ru's anxiety grew even more.
From the day she returned home, Xue Ru regretted her impulsive decision to acknowledge her daughter. She felt she had truly grown old, and her heart wasn't as ruthless as before. Upon seeing the plum blossom brand, she had lost her mind and acknowledged Bai Yinshuang. Now, thinking back, Xue Ru was filled with remorse. She should have killed her back then; she shouldn't have kept her alive. Perhaps then, she wouldn't be experiencing this unease now. "Granny Qin, how is Haozhen?" Xue Ru sat on the couch, her expression blank as she gazed at the scenery in the courtyard.
"Reporting to Madam, the eldest young master has been kept in his room." Granny Qin sensed that Xue Ru's emotions were different from usual, and a sense of unease arose in her heart.
"Granny, I should have been ruthless sixteen years ago. I shouldn't have left this problem behind." Xue Ru's voice was very soft, but Granny Qin felt as if it came from underground. "When I saw that brand that day, I rushed over as if I were possessed, shouting that it was my daughter. Granny, isn't that strange?"
Qin Mama felt a chill run down her spine as she listened to Xue Ru's words, and her unease grew stronger.
"Granny, is this just fate?" Xue Ru sighed softly. If she hadn't abandoned Bai Yinshuang as an infant, but instead kept her and claimed the imperial physician had misdiagnosed her, perhaps things would be different now...
"Master, it's all my fault. I should have killed her back then." Granny Qin knelt down. Granny Qin was Xue Ru's dowry maid, so how could she not know what had happened? They thought they had done everything perfectly, but they never expected that this baby girl would return to the capital sixteen years later and even have a relationship with the young master.
"How can you blame the old woman? If it weren't for her thoughtfulness back then, I might have been stripped of my power by that vile woman." Xue Ru's tone was no longer sharp when she mentioned Pian Pian. "Old woman, what should we do now?"
"Master..." Granny Qin was also confused. She could roughly guess what the prince was going to do in the palace.
"Granny, I'm going to take the gamble." Xue Ru stood up, supported by Granny Qin's arm. Bai Yinshuang had to be sent away. Haozhen had the Emperor's decree of marriage, so his life shouldn't be in danger. Granny Qin, who had served her for so many years… Xue Ru's heart tightened. She was reluctant to part with Granny Qin, but she had to do it for herself, for Haozhen…
Unaware that she had become a thorn in her mistress's side, Granny Qin loyally helped Xue Ru walk towards the side courtyard. Granny Qin didn't know whether Xue Ru intended to eliminate or release Bai Yinshuang, but she could guess that her mistress wouldn't let Bai Yinshuang off easily.
Sitting on a stone bench in the side courtyard, Xue Ru looked at the daughter she had abandoned sixteen years ago. If it weren't for her appearance, she would have become in-laws with the royal family in a few days, even though that princess was only of the rank of Doro Princess.
"Madam!" Bai Yinshuang knelt down immediately upon seeing Xue Ru enter with Granny Qin. "I..." She was in a state of confusion. What was her relationship with Haozhen? Were they blood relatives? Facing Xue Ru, she didn't know how to guess. "Haozhen and I..."
Xue Ru wore a kind smile, but a hint of gloom flashed in her eyes. "I am your mother. Back then, the concubine in the manor had you sent away to compete for the emperor's favor." Xue Ru did not mention the relationship between Bai Yinshuang and Haozhen. Looking at Bai Yinshuang's shoulder, if the plum blossom mark were gone, if Bai Yinshuang no longer looked like this, if no one recognized her as Bai Yinshuang, then... she couldn't bear to do it. She would leave her some silver, hoping that she would leave soon.
Bai Yinshuang was still immersed in her identity as a princess, a noble princess, when unease welled up within her again: what kind of crime was it to be related by blood?
"Yinshuang, may I call you that?" Xue Ru looked at Bai Yinshuang with tenderness. She had to get her hands on that plum blossom hairpin and then destroy it.
Bai Yinshuang nodded, then asked cautiously, "Can I...can I call her Mother?" Bai Yinshuang felt a pang of sadness. She wasn't sure if what the Fujin said that day was true, or if she had been sent out of the mansion by someone named Pianpian. But she had no other choice at this moment. Haozhen, Haozhen, where are you? We are blood relatives, we are actually blood relatives.
“You are my daughter, a princess of the Prince Shuo’s Mansion, of course you should call me Mother.” Xue Ru held Bai Yinshuang’s hand and gently wiped away the tears on Bai Yinshuang’s face with a handkerchief.
"I...I...can I really call her Mother?" Bai Yinshuang asked again in disbelief.
Xue Ru nodded. "Yin Shuang, I remember when I wrapped you in swaddling clothes, it was made of the finest material. Have you ever seen it? It was a gift from the Empress to me. I was so happy to have you in my arms that I used it on you. I never imagined that it would become the object that I would recognize you in the future."
"Yes, yes." Bai Yinshuang retrieved the swaddling clothes from her simple bundle. After taking them out, she hesitated. Should she give them to the Fujin (principal wife)? Xue Ru calmly picked them up, examined them in her hand, and then handed them to Granny Qin. "Yinshuang..." She raised her hand to touch Bai Yinshuang's face. This was the last time they would see each other; her daughter...
"Yinshuang, let your mother fetch some nice clothes for you to change into." Xue Ru looked at Bai Yinshuang for a long time before standing up, about to leave, but then stopped and took out some silver notes from her sleeve. "Yinshuang, keep these and use them as rewards for the servants later."
Bai Yinshuang stared wide-eyed at the pile of silver notes. She'd never seen so many before. She hurriedly gathered them up, then looked back to see Xue Ru already far away. Bai Yinshuang kept the silver notes close to her body. Her mother was truly a gentle person. But she felt ashamed to face her mother. Her love with Haozhen was beautiful, but… the word "blood relative" felt like a shackle. Bai Yinshuang stood at the courtyard gate, her heart filled with complex emotions, watching the figure disappear from sight.
Bai Yinshuang never expected that her gentle mother would never appear again. Instead, it was Granny Qin, who was always by her mother's side, and a group of two maids who came in and knocked her unconscious.
~~~~
Emperor Qianlong, still asleep in his chambers, heard Wu Shulai outside scolding a young eunuch. Disturbed from his sleep, Qianlong was very displeased with the oblivious eunuch. "Wu Shulai!"
"Your Majesty." Upon hearing the voice, Wu Shulai immediately went to the window, bowed, and listened to the Emperor's reprimand.
"What time is it now? What just happened?" Qianlong opened his eyes, seeing that it was still barely dawn, and was even more dissatisfied with the oblivious eunuch. "Which palace did that person run in from? Drag him out!"
"Your Majesty, it is the commander of the palace gates. Prince Shuo is kneeling outside the palace, requesting an audience with Your Majesty, saying that he has important matters for Your Majesty to decide."
"Won't he mention it during court? Important matters? What important matters could he possibly have?"
Wu Shulai listened carefully to the sounds inside the room. When he heard that the Emperor seemed to have gotten up, he immediately gave Xia Mama a look.
Prince Shuo knelt before the Hall of Mental Cultivation, his heart filled with unease. Would the Emperor execute everyone in his household? Prince Shuo gritted his teeth, deciding to take a gamble.
Emperor Qianlong was furious when he saw Prince Shuo. "Prince Shuo, what a fine mood you have so early in the morning!"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant is guilty!" Prince Shuo's voice was filled with anguish. Crawling on his knees into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Prince Shuo recounted the story of Du Tong's family and his own wife, his words filled with such sorrow and misery. Qianlong's already dark face darkened further. Before Prince Shuo could finish speaking, Qianlong threw a teacup at him, silencing him abruptly.
"Wu Shulai, go and invite the Empress here." Qianlong felt a pang of unease.
The Empress in Kunning Palace was in a terrible predicament. She had just gotten up and hadn't even changed her clothes when she heard Wu Shulai outside the main hall inviting her to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The Fourth Princess woke up early and had just come out of the side hall when she heard Wu Shulai telling the story of Prince Shuo's apology. She was shocked. Had the rat been discovered? Was she finished? Qing'er hadn't even married yet! How come things weren't going according to plan?
"Greetings, Princess!" Wu Shulai immediately stopped talking and greeted the Fourth Princess upon seeing her.
The Empress listened to Wu Shulai's astonished expression and thought, "The Princess Consort of Prince Shuo is quite bold."
"Fourth Princess greets the Empress Dowager. What is this, Empress Dowager…" Fourth Princess, who rarely saw the Empress in court attire, was somewhat puzzled.
The Empress glanced at the Fourth Princess but said nothing. She then took Rong Mama's hand and followed Wu Shulai toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Where is Your Majesty going?" Fourth Princess asked the palace maid beside her.
"His Majesty requests that the Empress come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation," the palace maid replied respectfully.
The Fourth Princess looked at the Empress's body, wondering if the Empress could withstand the rats' roars.
~~~
"Master, everything has been taken care of." Granny Qin returned with two maids to report to Xue Ru.
"Granny, you've worked hard. Have some tea and tell me everything in detail." Xue Ru gestured for the maid to bring tea, and all three of the servants were given teacups.
After drinking it down in one gulp, Granny Qin began to explain the process to Xue Ru: "I slashed that girl's face with a knife, burned her back, and then threw her at the entrance of Chunxiang Courtyard."
Xue Ru breathed a sigh of relief, praying in her heart that Hao Zhen would give up on the idea. "Granny, you've worked hard. Go back and rest! When the Prince returns, I'm afraid..."
"Don't worry, mistress, I've already taken care of it." Qin Mama said loyally in Xue Ru's ear, "Those maids from back then are either dead or crippled, and I guarantee that none of them can speak."
Xue Ru looked at Granny Qin and nodded, "Thank you, Granny Qin."
How could Granny Qin have known that this person, who was so grateful to her, had poisoned her tea? After she went back to her room and lay down, she never got up again.
~~~
Supported by her maid, Xue Ru walked into Hao Zhen's courtyard. The guards on duty hesitated for a moment when they saw Xue Ru, but still let her in.
Looking at Haozhen, whose beard had grown long, Xueru felt a pang of heartache. After all, he was the child she had raised and cherished for sixteen years. Xueru had always treated Haozhen as her own son and never imagined that this day would come. Reaching out, Xueru touched Haozhen's face. "Haozhen, you've suffered so much."
"Mother, is Yinshuang really... really my blood relative?" Haozhen didn't ask about his mother or father, but only about Yinshuang. Xueru seemed not to hear Haozhen's question, only looking at him. Xueru's eyes startled Haozhen, yet he still wanted to know the answer. He grabbed Xueru's arms and roared in her ear, "Mother, please, please tell me. Is Yinshuang really my blood relative?"
"Haozhen, remember this: Yinshuang is not your blood relative. I only said Yinshuang was my daughter because I didn't want to see you suffer. I protected Yinshuang for your sake." Xueru endured the pain of being held by Haozhen and said each word very heavily.
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