Chapter 30 Settling Down: Cherish the Person Before You
After Cui Wan left, Li Yunru sat down, leaning on the table, her heart heavy.
She knew in her heart that if she left the Yan family, even if she wasn't Cui Wan, another woman would soon take her place and stay by Yan Ning's side.
Even though I've convinced myself to accept it, my heart still aches uncontrollably.
The thought of him doing the things they'd done together with other women, of his deep affection for them, of his lifelong commitment to them, of protecting someone else just as he protects her now…
Li Yunru felt as if a huge rock was pressing on her heart, so heavy that she could hardly breathe.
She truly lost this battle against the Yan family.
But she had no choice.
I won't regret it.
However, Li Yunru did not expect that the outcome would come even sooner than accepting this defeat...
It was news of Empress Zhenyuan's passing away in the inner palace.
"How...how could this be!"
The sudden stimulation caused his hand to tighten abruptly, shattering the teacup. Sharp, fine white porcelain shards pierced his palm, and red blood gushed out, initially flowing along the lines of his hand, but slowly spreading out until... his hand was covered in blood.
"Princess!"
Shu Yun's eyes reddened; she felt incredibly heartbroken.
Li Yunru couldn't believe her mother was gone. She blankly said to the eunuch who came to deliver the news, "You...you say it again."
When she came out, her mother was perfectly fine, in excellent health, and could even eat two bowls of rice, with a better appetite than her. How could this be? It's only been a few days, she hasn't been back for a few days, how could she be gone?
She doesn't believe it!
I really don't believe it!
The young eunuch bowed his head and replied tremblingly, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty passed away last night at the hour of Yin in Fengwei Palace..."
"That's utter nonsense!"
With a "smack," Li Yunru pushed all the tea sets on the sandalwood round table to the ground.
"My mother has always been in good health, free from illness and disaster, how could she possibly be frail!"
"It's you!"
With bloodshot eyes, Li Yunru walked unsteadily to the eunuch, kicked him, and demanded in a hoarse voice, "Speak! Who sent you to sow discord? Was it Prime Minister Xiao, the Cui family, or... the Yan family?"
The eunuch was kicked to the ground, then staggered to his feet, knelt upright, his body trembling like a leaf, and dared not utter a word.
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Li Yunru was also trembling, her tongue and cheeks were shaking, and her legs seemed to have suddenly lost their strength and she could not stand. Her already thin and frail body was unable to bear the weight, and she fell straight backward without any external force. It was Shu Yun who caught her in time, so that she was not too embarrassed.
It took her about fifteen minutes to regain her senses and accept the situation.
"Help me get my hair and makeup done, I want to enter the palace!"
Li Yunru walked to the dressing table, and Shu Yun followed, saying, "Princess, should we tell the Prince Consort first..."
"Need not!"
She had someone do her makeup and then hurriedly left the mansion.
The arrival of the eunuch caused quite a stir, and he only entered the inner courtyard with the permission of the Yan family. He just caused another scene. Even though Li Yunru did not deliberately inform him, Yan Ning at the Yan family ancestral hall still received the news.
"The princess is very emotional and has already taken Shuyun into the palace," Chen Jingsheng said.
For such a big matter, she made the decision herself, without waiting for him, and didn't even send anyone to inform him.
Even though she knew this wasn't the time to be angry, Yan Ning still felt a tightness in her chest, and an indescribable sense of frustration welled up inside her.
She's determined to sever ties with him and the Yan family.
"My lord?"
Seeing that he had a sullen face but did not answer, Chen Jingsheng called out again.
Yan Ning composed himself, focused his gaze, put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand, and ordered, "Prepare the carriage and we'll go to the palace."
"yes."
After Chen Jingsheng finished speaking, he carefully looked Yan Ning up and down and tentatively asked, "Should we instruct the maids to prepare water so that we can wash and bathe before going?"
Yan Ning is very clean and must bathe twice a day, morning and evening. She never wears the same clothes twice, and all her clothes must be scented with fresh flowers, with every corner of the garment being perfumed before she puts them on.
It has to be fresh flowers; ordinary scented powder won't do. His nose is very sensitive; he can tell the difference even from a tiny bit of it.
"Um."
Yan Ning did not object.
He wanted to get there as soon as possible, but if the matter was already settled, given her stubborn nature, she would definitely not want others to see her most broken and disheveled side, and would inevitably keep it suppressed. So even if he went there, it would be of no use. Moreover, going there in this state would be disrespectful to Empress Zhenyuan.
...
Because of matters in the palace, his hair and hair washing only took half an hour. After he finished getting ready, he went out immediately. Cui Shi also received the news and waited outside with Cui Wan.
She disliked Li Yunru and initially did not intend to involve the Yan family in this political upheaval, but she forced her into the situation, and Cui saw how much she cared for her family.
Li Yunru valued Emperor Xuan and Empress Zhenyuan more than her own Yan family, and even more than this good-for-nothing son. After suffering the pain of losing both parents in succession within a month, people rarely showed any sympathy for Li Yunru. He instructed Yan Ning, "Changjun, go to the palace and give Liyang some good advice, and tell her to think more positively."
She paused, pursed her lips, and managed to utter a sentence: "No matter what happens, the Yan family will be there to support her, so she shouldn't worry too much."
Cui's words were not empty promises. She had promised to help Li Yunru protect the Li family. Now, Empress Zhenyuan had suddenly encountered an unexpected change, but their deal remained unchanged. She and the Yan family head had already discussed the matter with the heads of other powerful families and would soon submit a memorial to the emperor to clarify the matter.
If Xiao Yuanshan intends to ascend the throne and secure his position, he will inevitably have to consider the reputation of the aristocratic families.
The Yan family has the ability to support her.
Besides, even if she divorced Yan Ning and was no longer a member of the Yan family, they never intended to kill her. She could ask for all the land, shops, wealth, and gold and silver she needed.
They could guarantee that even if she didn't become a princess or a wife of the Yan family, she would still live a glamorous life, no worse than she did in the palace.
"Yes, thank you for your concern, Mother."
He didn't linger long. After agreeing to Cui's request, he got into the carriage and told the coachman to hurry towards the palace.
The Yan family lived within the first ring road of Shangjing East Road, not far from Tonggongmen. They even added a bit of walking, and arrived in less than half an hour.
When he arrived at Fengwei Palace, the palace was draped in white mourning clothes, and maids and servants were kneeling all over the place.
The candlelight flickered, and behind the huge autumn harvest scene screen, many people were kneeling, and the soft sounds of sobbing and whimpering could be heard.
Li Yunru was among them.
She didn't kneel; she stood there, the paper screen outlining her thin figure, broken, helpless, sorrowful, and pitiful...
Yan Ning's thoughts suddenly drifted to the moon.
When Emperor Qi Xuan left, she was probably in a similar state, yet when she was so vulnerable and needed someone to be with her, there was no one by her side to support her...
She got through it all by herself.
In the past few days, he had been hurt by her, and had even resented her ruthlessness, but at this moment, he seemed to have let go.
Yan Ning took a deep breath, stepped inside, stood beside her, said nothing, but simply took her hand and intertwined their fingers.
Li Yunru turned around and met Yan Ning's gaze. Her dark, bright eyes shone with a determined light. She didn't say a word, but it seemed to speak volumes.
She hated those aristocratic families so much, especially the Yan family.
Perhaps she should break free from his grasp and shout angrily at him, "Look at this scene now, are you satisfied? Are you all satisfied?"
But in the end, she remained silent, letting him lead her, her eyes brimming with tears, trying hard to hold them back from falling.
...
Empress Zhenyuan committed suicide by swallowing gold. Before she died, she left a letter telling her children to live well, and then she followed the late emperor.
On the fifth day of the eleventh month of the fourteenth year of Shun'an, Empress Zhenyuan passed away.
Xiao Yuanshan took over the administration and handled the subsequent funeral arrangements.
Xiao Xiang praised her for her deep affection and righteousness, and buried her with the highest honors of the Jin Dynasty. He also bestowed upon her the posthumous title of Empress Dowager Yishun Gonghe, reopened the Qianling Mausoleum, and ordered her to be buried with the late emperor.
November 15th, the fourteenth year of Shun'an.
Crown Prince Li Xun was kind and gentle. After losing his parents one after another and recovering from a serious illness, he requested to go to Qianling Mausoleum to guard the tomb. Prime Minister Xiao tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail. He then sent him out of the palace and dispatched a thousand guards to take care of him.
December of the fourteenth year of Shun'an.
With the support of powerful families, Xiao Yuanshan officially ascended the throne, changed the country's name to Shangwu, and was historically known as Emperor Wucheng.
Emperor Cheng upheld the benevolence of his old friend and treated the family members left behind by the late emperor kindly. Except for the deceased Empress Zhenyuan, all the others were allowed to leave the palace peacefully.
Princess Huayang, Li Jinghe, was demoted to the rank of County Lady, her fief was confiscated, but her residence and title were retained.
Princess Liyang, Li Yunru, was the same.
Prince Consort Qin Zhan committed a grave error in a salt smuggling case three years ago. However, considering that the emperor and empress had both passed away, Heaven showed mercy and granted a general amnesty, pardoning his crime and allowing him to return to his hometown of Qingcheng, but forbidding him from entering officialdom again.
Nearly three months later, upon seeing her husband again, Princess Huayang, Li Jinghe, had tears in her eyes. She could only stroke his face and sigh, "It's good that you're alive, it's good that you're alive."
The capital was no safe place. After being released from prison, the two of them did not linger. They tidied up, dismissed the servants of the princess's residence, and hurried back to their hometown of Qingcheng.
The day I left was a bright and sunny day.
The sun was high in the sky, and the sky was clear and blue, but since it was winter, there wasn't much warmth to be felt.
Li Yunru went to see the person off.
This parting was a farewell, and they didn't know when they would meet again or what the future held. The two sisters were reluctant to part and remained silent. They traveled for miles until the bustling capital city was far behind them and could no longer be seen. Only then did the carriage stop.
Li Jinghe said, "Alright, we must part ways eventually, let's stop here."
"Um."
Li Yunru turned around and hugged Li Jinghe, saying, "When you arrive in Qingcheng, write to me. If anything happens, send me more letters as well."
Li Jing patted her back gently and replied, "Okay."
The two sisters bid each other farewell. Li Jing glanced at the person in white, elegant and graceful, in the carriage not far away, and said to Li Yunru, "I know that I shouldn't say these things anymore. You've grown up and have your own ideas and thoughts. But as your older sister, I still hope that you're doing well and can continue to be happy and carefree."
She said, "The Yan family has treated you well. Cherish the people in front of you and don't give up the happiness that is within your reach for the sake of a moment of loyalty."
Li Yunru did not respond to this.
Perhaps more than anything, she didn't know how to respond.
Li Jinghe held her hand and said, "You and I both know what really happened with Mother. We've watched you grow up and always cherished you like a jewel. Mother didn't want you to sacrifice yourself, so she made this choice."
She sighed and said, "This is not your fault, nor anyone else's. It's just a twist of fate. As a mother, I can understand your choice. Ruilin'er, don't let your mother down."
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Author's Note: The next chapter will be released around 11 PM on Sunday night.
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