Chapter 202 I Love You
Princess Qiongxiao's shoulders trembled slightly, her eyes filled with piercing hatred, as if she had recalled some unpleasant memories. She looked like a fallen leaf in the wind, swaying precariously yet unwilling to fall.
Han Cui had been by the princess's side for many years and had never seen her like this before. Instinctively, she went over and hugged Princess Qiongxiao.
"Princess, what's wrong...?"
Princess Qiongxiao leaned against Han Cui, and a tear fell into Han Cui's hand.
“Back then, Father Emperor originally intended for my eleventh brother to be emperor, but he did not share this sentiment. Among the other princes, only my fifth brother had the highest support. In order to prevent the princes from fighting each other and causing chaos in the court, I supported my fifth brother as the crown prince. Among the princesses, Father Emperor favored me the most. My brother's succession to the throne was not entirely due to me, but it was definitely partly because of me. In the third year of my brother's reign, the Golden Moon Kingdom was beset by internal and external troubles. In order to prevent my brother from worrying, I took the initiative to seduce the crown prince of the Frost Flower Kingdom and successfully married him to the Frost Flower Kingdom.”
"I endured humiliation and hardship in Shuanghua Kingdom. In order to get Shuanghua Kingdom to lend troops to Jinyue, I used any means necessary to please the Crown Prince of Shuanghua Kingdom, so that Jinyue could overcome the crisis and strengthen its national power. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. After the Crown Prince of Shuanghua Kingdom ascended the throne, I unexpectedly discovered that although he treated me kindly on the surface, he was secretly colluding with Lanyu Kingdom, intending to annex Jinyue. I risked my life to send someone to deliver the message. The Emperor took precautions in advance, allowing Jinyue to avoid danger. But I never expected that after I had done so much for the Emperor and for Jinyue Kingdom, the Emperor would want me dead."
"He is too hypocritical and ruthless. He doesn't want the people and ministers of Jin Yue Kingdom to know that the country was saved because of a woman's reminder. Instead, he is clever, resourceful, and strategist. He drove the people I sent back to Shuang Hua Kingdom. Originally, he wanted to use the emperor of Shuang Hua Kingdom to get rid of me. However, in his rage, killing me could not satisfy the emperor's hatred."
Princess Qiongxiao closed her eyes briefly, holding Han Cui's hand, and after a long pause, she said, "The Emperor of Shuanghua hates me for being in Shuanghua but having my heart set on Jinyue. He immediately blinded one of my eyes and scarred my face. He imprisoned me in the stables, and anyone in Shuanghua can bully and humiliate me..."
"Two years passed like this. When the Golden Moon Kingdom conquered the Frost Flower Kingdom, the Emperor sent his secret guards to assassinate me, not wanting me to return to the capital alive. Fortunately, General Leng, who was leading the troops to attack the Frost Flower Kingdom at the time, discovered me first and learned from the Frost Flower Kingdom Emperor that I had sent someone to inform him. He protected me and helped me return to the capital. In order to maintain his image of benevolence, the Emperor bestowed upon me the title of Princess Protector of the Nation, giving me the highest imperial favor. But in fact, both he and I knew that we hated each other to the bone."
“I cherish my life. I have given so much for the Golden Moon Kingdom, and I deserve what I have today. I want to live a good life. But I know the Emperor. If, after returning to the capital, I, the Princess Protector of the Nation, dare to interfere in court affairs and dare to gain praise from the court and the people, then my death is imminent. So I can only be promiscuous and immoral. Only when my reputation is completely ruined will he tolerate me. Fortunately, I am good at finding hope in desperate situations. In these years of indulgence, I have also tasted another kind of joy in life.”
She seemed to have a deep-seated hatred for the past, as she no longer even used the self-reference "this palace" (本宫).
"This is the grudge between me and the Emperor. Do you think I should hate him? I would be happy if someone rebelled. Not to mention the royal blood of my eleventh brother's family, even if it were an outsider rebelling, I would help the rebels. The Emperor is selfish, greedy, hypocritical and ruthless. He should have died long ago. He should have been blinded and disfigured, tied to the stable, and humiliated by everyone!"
Princess Qiongxiao became increasingly agitated as she spoke, her voice growing louder and louder, her face contorted in a grotesque expression. Han Cui was horrified by what she saw and heartbroken by what she heard, but she still mustered her courage and went to cover her lips.
"Princess, keep your voice down, don't let the guards hear you."
Princess Qiongxiao held Han Cui in her arms, tears wetting Han Cui's shoulders. Her voice was several decibels lower, as if it were being forced out from between her teeth.
"Guan Yi'an actually wants me to help the person I hate the most. Isn't that ridiculous? I want the Emperor dead more than anyone else, but he wants to help that tyrant for a little merit. He's dreaming!"
After Han Cui arrived at the princess's residence, she only knew about the princess's debauchery and the emperor's great tolerance towards her. She never expected that there were so many unknown secrets behind it.
She felt great sympathy and pity for this master who used his unrestrained behavior to cover up his inner sorrow, but she still couldn't bear to do anything for Guan Yi'an. The princess told Lord Meng about this, how could Lord Meng tolerate Guan Yi'an?
Princess Qiongxiao saw that Han Cui seemed hesitant to speak, and knew what she was thinking.
“Guan Yi’an is not innocent. Before you begged me to save him, I had already investigated him. This man is eloquent and quite talented. He managed to persuade the Prime Minister to marry his eldest daughter to him. However, on his wedding day, he was caught in bed with the Prime Minister’s illegitimate daughter, which prevented him from marrying the eldest daughter and forced him to marry the illegitimate daughter instead. Later, he rose rapidly in rank and even gave this illegitimate daughter as a gift to the Emperor’s chief eunuch, Eunuch Wan. After the incident was exposed, he killed two people and was imprisoned.”
“You were crying so hard back then, and I thought that after escaping death like this, he might have changed. It just so happens that the Emperor likes me to be as outrageous as possible, so I did you a favor and saved him.”
"But as you've seen now, Guan Yi'an hasn't improved at all; instead, he's become even more opportunistic. When the eldest daughter of the Meng family went to Jiangnan, he rushed after her after changing his face. When his pursuit failed, he tried to destroy her. Meng Xingyuan treated him with kindness, though not immense, but still deep affection. Guan Yi'an is willing to destroy the entire Meng family for a little bit of credit. He keeps saying it's for the country, to repay me, but the greed in his eyes can't fool me!"
"The Emperor forced the eldest daughter of the Meng family to divorce the Prince of the Northern Frontier. Even if she was pregnant, what wrong had she done? She had already fled to Jiangnan, but Guan Yi'an still followed her like a ghost. When he came back, he couldn't wait to take revenge. Guan Yi'an is just as vicious and greedy as the Emperor. I gave him a chance, but he didn't want to stay. Such a person is not worthy of you."
This last sentence stunned Han Cui. She had always believed that she was of low status and not worthy of Guan Yi'an, and Guan Yi'an clearly thought so too.
But Princess Qiongxiao told her very seriously that Guan Yi'an was not good enough for her.
A mist of uncertainty rose in Han Cui's wet eyes as she whispered, "Princess, am I really that good?"
"Of course." Princess Qiongxiao nodded emphatically: "You are the delicate flower that I have protected and raised. Just like me when I had Father Emperor's blessing, you are simple, pure, kind and tolerant. Unfortunately, there are too many hypocritical and despicable men in this world, and neither you nor I have good luck. I wanted to make you happy and safe for the rest of your life, but you are too much like me when I was young. You have poor judgment and your heart is too soft."
At this point, Princess Qiongxiao sighed softly, her gaze towards Han Cui suddenly softened with tenderness, and the hand holding Han Cui moved to her waist.
"There are too many bad men in the world, and I don't trust them. You should come with me. I cherish you, and I can love you..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
