Chapter 367 Resentment
Upon hearing this, Lu Shui rushed in. The bailiffs knew she was a lady-in-waiting to the Empress, so they didn't dare to stop her and let her run to the prison where Guan Yi'an was being held.
She had originally intended to see if Guan Yi'an could still be saved, but upon glancing at the silver hairpin, she noticed it looked very familiar. Recalling Meng Lingge's expression earlier, she was stunned.
Of course, Lu Shui wanted Guan Yi'an to die, but whenever she thought of her older brother, she felt that Guan Yi'an hadn't suffered enough. She wanted Guan Yi'an to suffer even more, ten or a hundred times more than her older brother.
She hadn't even vented her anger when Guan Yi'an died, and it was Meng Lingge who did it intentionally. She was indeed feeling quite bad.
She thought Meng Lingge thought the same as her, that she would keep Guan Yi'an alive until the day he was executed in the autumn.
It's only been a little over ten days, it's really too cheap for Guan Yi'an.
Looking down at Guan Yi'an's corpse, I saw that his body was so badly rotten that he was unrecognizable, and the stench was so strong that it made me want to vomit. I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.
If the elder brother knew that the person who harmed him had become like this, would he feel pity and blame her for being too cruel?
After Lu Shui emerged listlessly from the prison, Meng Lingge was still waiting for her in the same spot.
Upon hearing the news of Guan Yi'an's death, Lord Liu, fearing Meng Lingge's wrath, anxiously declared, "I know this crime is heinous. To prevent him from committing suicide, I provided him with food and water in wooden bowls. Your Majesty, rest assured, I will immediately investigate thoroughly and will not let the person who provided him with the silver hairpin off lightly."
Meng Lingge calmly said, "Even if he had committed countless sins, he is now dead and his debts are absolved. He was a death row inmate anyway, so what's the point of investigating? Just report the truth and bury him as soon as possible."
"This..." Lord Liu understood. "This humble official obeys."
When Meng Lingge saw Lu Shui approaching, she said to Lord Liu, "I have other matters to attend to, so I will return to the palace first. Please make yourself at home, Lord Liu."
Lord Liu bowed and said, "Respectfully seeing off Her Majesty the Empress."
Even after she boarded the carriage, Lu Shui remained silent with her head down.
"Green Water, are you blaming me?" Meng Lingge didn't want to be suspicious of her subordinates, so she bluntly asked, "You blame me for interfering and letting Guan Yi'an die too easily. You still want to torture him to avenge your brother, right?"
Green Water lowered her eyes, but her hand naturally took the soft pillow and placed it behind Meng Lingge's back.
"This servant was able to avenge my elder brother entirely thanks to Your Majesty's help. How could I dare to blame Your Majesty?"
Anyone could tell from those words that there was a hint of resentment in them.
"I left the silver hairpin because I wanted Guan Yi'an to be freed as soon as possible," Meng Lingge said earnestly to Lushui. "But I was thinking of you even more."
"For me?" Green Water looked up in surprise.
She felt that Meng Lingge hadn't considered her feelings at all. If she had even told her before making the decision, she wouldn't be so upset.
Meng Lingge's eyes were honest.
“These past few days, besides inquiring about the death dates of Princess Qiongxiao and Elder Fu, you have spent all your time researching various poisons, thinking of using them to deal with Guan Yi’an. All your energy has been devoted to hatred. Green Water, I know that you are very sad because your only relative is gone, and you want to use the cruelest means in the world to take revenge on the person who harmed your brother. You have been blinded by hatred, forgotten your original intention of studying medicine, and completely lost yourself.”
"Guan Yi'an has already received his retribution. No matter how much you abuse him, your brother cannot be brought back to life. The law of cause and effect is the fairest thing in the world. Let those who do wrong go to hell sooner so that those who are alive can continue to live well."
Upon reflection, Green Water realized that she had indeed been living for revenge all these days. Instead of studying medicine, she had been developing various poisons.
Meng Lingge assigned her tasks, but she had no interest in doing them and spent all her time thinking about how to torment Guan Yi'an.
At first, it was enjoyable, but recently when I went to poison Guan Yi'an, it didn't seem so fun anymore.
Guan Yi'an was completely powerless to resist. There was little sense of accomplishment in hurting a man who was covered in wounds and on the verge of death.
Sometimes she even felt that what she was doing was no different from that beast Guan Yi'an.
Green Water felt wronged and helpless, and her voice trembled with tears.
"Your Majesty, I understand the reasoning, but I just can't control myself. The thought of my brother fills me with uncontrollable hatred. Even though I knew Guan Yi'an was dead, I still wanted to kick his corpse a few more times... Am I particularly vicious?"
“There’s no one else here, so cry if you want to.” Meng Lingge hugged Lushui. “Have a good cry, and everything will be over. You’re a good girl, you’re not malicious at all, it’s just that hatred has made you temporarily lose your mind. Now that Guan Yi’an is dead, you’ve avenged yourself, it’s time to start living your own life.”
"I will have Qiulan accompany you to your brother's grave to burn more paper money. Tell him all your grievances and innermost thoughts. When you return, you will be admitted to the Imperial Hospital as a female imperial physician. Is that alright?"
Green Water has three great wishes.
He found his elder brother, repaid Du Yuanhua's kindness in recognizing his talent, and became a highly skilled doctor.
Now that her elder brother has been found, Du Yuanhua has entrusted her with taking good care of Meng Lingge. Two of the three tasks have been accomplished, and all that remains is to study medicine and become a renowned doctor.
The Imperial Medical Academy, a gathering place for renowned doctors from across the land, was the perfect place to learn and discuss medical techniques. However, the Academy was entirely male, and she never imagined she would one day be admitted there.
Green Water's eyes brightened.
"Is it possible? Does the Imperial Medical Academy accept female disciples now?"
"Of course," Meng Lingge said with a smile. "I mentioned this to the Emperor a few days ago, and he has already instructed people to clear out a separate courtyard for you in the Imperial Hospital. You are not a female disciple, but a female imperial physician, the first female imperial physician in the Golden Moon Kingdom. If possible, you can take on female disciples in the future and train many female imperial physicians like you."
The imperial court has many outdated customs that favor men over women. She and Wen Zhiming are promoting new policies to gradually eliminate these outdated customs and give women more choices.
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will certainly live up to your expectations." Green Water's previous gloomy expression vanished, and her eyes shone brightly.
The Empress is right, she has to move forward.
Her enemies are all dead; she cannot continue living in hatred.
If her elder brother in the afterlife could see this, he would surely hope that she lived a wonderful and happy life.
Lushui and Qiulan disembarked from their carriage in front of the palace gate and headed to Zheng Qingshan's grave.
Seeing that it was still early, Meng Lingge had her coachman make a special trip to the market to buy a serving of roasted chestnuts from a shop with a long queue.
The palace had all kinds of delicious food, but whenever Wen Zhiming had free time, he still liked to sneak out of the palace and bring her back all sorts of snacks with different flavors.
These little pleasures shared by ordinary couples are more likely to satisfy Meng Lingge. Today, she brought one for Wen Zhiming as well; such exchanges between husband and wife make their relationship even sweeter and more lasting.
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