Chapter 114 What did your mother say to you back then...?
No sooner had the maid finished speaking than Old Madam Rong saw the person.
There was no grand and imposing procession.
He was just a person who came in a hurry.
Brocade robes fluttered, and gold and jade clashed.
Madam Rong quickly got up and hurried to the door.
Logically, one should kowtow when receiving an emperor, but there seemed to be no room for her to kneel at the moment. She had only taken two steps when the person was already in front of her, and the next moment he passed her and went straight behind her. So Madam Rong did not kneel, but turned around and went back.
The newcomer had already cupped the granddaughter's face in his hands, the gold filigree ring and blood-red nail polish pressing against her fair skin, trembling slightly...
After so many years, Shanlai certainly didn't remember what his aunt looked like, but he could guess.
Looking at her, yet not looking at her, but rather seeing another person through her.
Her nose stung, tears welled up, and she opened her mouth tremblingly, calling out, "Auntie..."
Wei Mu, born a noblewoman, later became a princess, and now the Empress. She has always been elegant, graceful, and dignified, never making a mistake in her words or actions. Even as a young lady at home, she was renowned, a model for women. Ladies would say that the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Yongding was truly of immeasurable nobility, destined to be an empress. And indeed, she was betrothed to a prince, becoming a princess consort, and later, the Empress.
Such an exemplary figure was now emitting mournful cries, his mouth agape, tears streaming down his face.
"Father! My father... I begged you so many times! You finally appeared and protected me this once... Crane Fairy, my Crane Fairy... Sister, my sister... my poor sister..."
The person crying was so sincere that everyone who heard or saw it was moved, their eyes reddening and tears streaming down their face, a truly tragic sight.
Seeing the aunt and nephew weeping bitterly, their hearts breaking, and the granddaughter crying uncontrollably, Madam Rong had no choice but to shut up and step forward to comfort them.
"Your Majesty, it's not easy to see each other again, we should be happy. If your health is harmed, it would be your fault as her nephew. Please be kind to her."
The Empress was a dignified person who rarely made a mistake in her life. However, she was now at a relative's house, in front of so many people, she was crying and wailing. If she hadn't explained, it would have been fine, but she was too embarrassed to explain. So she could only wipe her tears and smile, saying, "It was my fault. Thank you for your advice, Madam."
Madam Rong hurriedly said she dared not, and then invited the Empress to take a seat.
The Empress, of course, did not stand on ceremony. She sat down herself and then asked Old Madam Rong to sit down as well.
Madam Rong repeatedly said she dared not.
The Empress said, "Although we are ruler and subject, we are also relatives. The old lady is an elder I respect. How can you not sit? Please sit down!"
Madam Rong had no choice but to express her gratitude and take a seat, but she dared not sit on the chair again. Instead, she sat on the embroidered stool that the maid had brought.
Even Madam Rong could only sit on an embroidered stool, while everyone else naturally had to stand.
As the Empress turned her head to speak with Old Madam Rong, she held her niece's hand tightly for a moment. Seeing that Old Madam Rong had sat down, she immediately looked away, only gazing at her niece. As she looked, her eyes reddened again, and she began to sob silently...
"...Where have they gone all these years? I've searched everywhere, but I can't find them anywhere..."
Shanlai choked up as he briefly recounted the events of the past ten years: falling ill, forgetting things, rushing home, farming in the countryside, selling himself into servitude...
Her suffering is so great that everyone who loves her will be in pain, perhaps even more so than she is herself.
So the empress also cried as she uttered those words.
"I'm so sorry, really... Auntie is so sorry..."
They were all people who truly loved her, and Shanlai really didn't want to see them sad.
“My aunt has been so good to me, how could she bear to let me suffer? I know all this, but there was really nothing I could do, so my aunt doesn’t need to blame herself.”
Her words made the Empress even more inclined to weep.
Shanlai tried to persuade her, as did Madam Rong and the female officials in the Empress's palace. They all tried for a long time and finally managed to stop the Empress from crying.
A maid brought hot water, and a female official helped the empress with her washing and grooming. Everyone looked away, not daring to peek.
The Empress reapplied her makeup, and apart from her red eyes and puffy eye area, she showed no signs of inelegance and was once again the Empress she always was.
After the Empress finished crying and sorted out all the mess, it was time to settle accounts.
"We've found Crane Fairy. Why didn't you tell me sooner, Madam? Do you consider me an outsider?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Rong hurriedly tried to stand up and reply to the Empress.
Before he could speak, Shanlai spoke first.
“I asked my grandmother not to send the message over yet. I know my aunt misses me, and if she found out, she would definitely make a big fuss to welcome me. I don’t want a big show, so my grandmother didn’t tell my aunt.”
These few words made Old Madam Rong sigh inwardly. What a pity for this granddaughter. If she hadn't suffered such a thing, who knows what would have become of her now.
“Aunt can talk to me if she has something to say. Grandmother is getting old, so please let her sit quietly.”
Upon hearing this, the Empress turned to the old lady Rong with a smile and said, "Old lady, please sit down! We can talk while sitting down, so why do you have to stand up? It's too formal."
Madam Rong nodded repeatedly, expressed her gratitude, and then sat back down.
Once this was resolved, the Empress turned to speak to me kindly again, but she hesitated several times, unable to speak, and tears streamed down her face once more.
"...What exactly happened back then? What happened after your wet nurse left?"
What exactly happened that caused the two of you to die and the other to be separated?
What happened back then.
Back then, Emperor Gaozong was still alive, but Crown Prince Zhaowen had already passed away two years prior. The brothers had reached the point of a bloody, life-or-death struggle. The Prince of Chu, in a drunken stupor, uttered many disrespectful words to the emperor, his father, and his late brother. These words were relayed to Emperor Gaozong by someone with ulterior motives. Enraged, Emperor Gaozong summoned the man to the palace and berated him severely. Afterwards, he was flogged and dismissed from his post. The Prince of Chu was eventually carried back to his residence. This commotion immediately caused Emperor Gaozong to fall ill—a serious illness. Princess Qi visited him in the palace and, upon returning, set off for the Da Chong'en Temple to pray for the emperor's father. Fearing the ceremony wouldn't be grand enough, she also brought along the women of the Duke of Jing's household.
Wei Zhen, the third wife of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion and the younger sister of the Princess Consort of Qi, was six months pregnant at the time. She should have been resting at home, but her daughter, Miss Gu Jin, had just recovered from a serious illness. Miss Gu Jin was born with a disability and had suffered many misfortunes since childhood. The third wife felt that she had really let her daughter down by giving birth to her in this way. So even though she was very pregnant, she still went to pray for blessings, both for the one who had already been born and for the one who was not yet born, fearing that he would also be like his sister.
The devout prayers, burning incense, and chanting of scriptures were quite boring, and the smell of incense and candles was too strong. Miss Gu had just recovered from her illness, and smelling too much incense made her chest uncomfortable, so the Third Madam took her daughter to the mountains and forests to dispel the smell.
Before you know it, you've wandered too far and stumbled upon something incredible.
The King of Chu's spies in the palace sent him a message, saying that His Majesty was on his deathbed and the situation was critical, and His Highness must make a decision as soon as possible.
It was actually fake news. The subordinates, seeing their master about to lose power, didn't want all their previous efforts to be in vain, so they used false information to pressure him. The King of Chu, in his desperation, easily believed it.
The palace houses the emperor, the Prince of Qi's residence has the Prince of Qi and his heir, the Grand Chongen Temple has the two sisters of the Southeast Governor, and the mother and wife of General Longxiang.
"After Mama Su left, those people noticed. Fearing they would chase after Mama Su, my mother and nanny pulled me and led me into the woods, deliberately making noise to lure them to the three of us... My mother had a stomachache and couldn't walk. After giving me a few instructions, she told nanny to take me away quickly. I was scared and cried. My mother cried too, but after a couple of cries, she stopped and wouldn't tell me to cry, only telling me to hurry. Nanny dragged me away... Later, I couldn't walk anymore, but they were not far behind us, and I could hear them. Nanny found me a place and told me to hide well... They went after nanny, and I dared not move, but then more people came... One of them reached the grass where I was hiding and was about to find me. When he looked down, I poked him in the eye with a twig and kept running... They chased me, and I ran to a big river. There was no path, and I remembered my mother's instructions, so I jumped into the water... When I woke up, I didn't remember anything, and then my adoptive father took me back to Pingcheng..."
"...What did your mother...say to you back then?"
The sound was kept slow and soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.
“My mother told me that I must not fall into the hands of those people, because they will use me to threaten my aunt.”
"You're stupid...you really are stupid...let them use you to threaten me, how could you actually listen to her and jump into the water? How stupid...you're stupid, and she's stupid too..."
The last word trembled so badly it was almost incoherent.
“Mother said that it was difficult for Aunt to choose us, and we can’t make things difficult for Aunt. Aunt has always worked very hard.”
If you can't help her, fine, but why do you have to hold her back?
It was truly hard. At eleven, her father died in office, and her mother, useless, wept for two years before passing away as well, leaving her with an eight-year-old brother and a four-year-old sister. The three sisters lived in an empty mansion, with only a few meager possessions and the reputation of a virtuous heiress, all dependent on her… to support the family, care for her brother and sister, hire a tutor for her brother hoping he would be successful and bring honor to the family. Her sister was the most pitiful; she barely saw her father, and before her mother's death, she was too young to remember what her mother looked like. It was heartbreaking to see her like this. Even though they were sisters, what difference was there between her and her mother? After she became a princess, things weren't too bad. Once she had a foothold, she arranged a marriage for her brother. He had made a sacrifice; it was what he had to do. Her sister was different; she didn't want her to make a sacrifice. She only wanted someone she liked. So, even though she initially disliked the young man, she eventually agreed, because her sister liked him. As long as her sister was happy, that was enough.
Her younger siblings were all her responsibility. Before her mother passed away, she had sworn to her that she would treat them well.
She was willing to treat them well because it was what she should do, so she didn't ask for anything in return. As long as they could live well, she, as the eldest sister, would have the face to face their parents when she passed away.
Really... I don't ask for anything in return!
Why would Wanwan do something so foolish?
How is she supposed to live after this?
The Empress burst into tears, crying once again in a way that made her seem unlike an empress.
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