Chapter 45 My Heart Belongs Only to One Person (Part Two) A'Rao. Wait for me obediently…
"You!" Chu Huaili's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, his anger erupting like a volcano, no longer able to be contained. He suddenly threw a punch, accompanied by a whistling sound, straight at Xiao Mo's face!
Xiao Mo was caught off guard when he was hit by the arrow, but he was prepared now. He nimbly dodged to the side and said in a deep voice, "Chu Huaili! What's the use of you hitting me? If you're so capable, go and push me..." He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, realizing that what he was about to say was extremely disrespectful and could not be uttered.
"Stop! Fighting in front of the palace is a serious crime!" Ye Yixiang was terrified and quickly grabbed Chu Huaili's arm, her voice urgent.
Chu Huaili was pulled back by her, his violent movements slightly paused. He turned his head, his scarlet eyes locked onto her, filled with boundless pain, and a deep, bone-deep despair that almost devoured her.
“Arao…” His voice was hoarse and trembling, on the verge of collapse, “You are mine…you are clearly mine! If I had known that capturing Geshu Che and returning victorious would only result in…watching you being handed over to someone else…I would rather that scheme had never been set up! I would rather he had gone free from justice! I only want you!”
After saying that, he suddenly flung her hand away, but instead of rushing towards Xiao Mo, he threw the carved bow in his hand hard to the ground, making a loud "bang".
He turned around, walked step by step to the white marble steps in front of the majestic palace, lifted his robes, and knelt down heavily without hesitation!
"Your Majesty, I, Chu Huaili, humbly beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree and return my wife to me!"
The sound of hard jade striking his knee was dull yet clear. He straightened his back, like an unyielding pine tree in the snow, looked up at the open palace door, and shouted with all his might, his voice piercing the sky, carrying a resolute determination to fight to the death.
Ye Yixiang turned her face away, tears instantly blurring her vision. Her heart ached so much she could hardly breathe. She pleaded softly, "Don't beg... it's no use..."
"Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance! Even if it's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, I'll still insist!" Chu Huaili turned and glanced at her, his eyes as firm as iron.
"Your Majesty, I, Chu Huaili, humbly beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree and return my wife to me!"
He turned away, no longer looking at her, and again and again, he touched the ground with his head, each kowtow requiring all his strength. His forehead quickly became red, swollen, and bled, but he seemed to feel no pain. He just stubbornly shouted again and again, his voice already hoarse, yet still as loud as thunder:
"Your Majesty, I, Chu Huaili, humbly beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree and return my wife to me!"
Inside the palace gate, a stern-faced old woman walked out and went straight to Ye Yixiang. Her tone was rigid and left no room for doubt: "Miss Ye, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has instructed me to take you to the prepared courtyard to rest. Please come with me."
Ye Yixiang subconsciously looked at the figure still kneeling on the steps, kowtowing again and again, her heart breaking.
Chu Huaili seemed to sense something and turned to look at her. The bloodstains on his forehead were shocking in the sunlight, but he gave her an extremely gentle smile and said in a hoarse voice, "A'Rao, you go with her first. You have an injury on your foot. Be good and wait for me. Wait for my news."
Consort Lan descended the steps from inside the palace.
Seeing the glaring red swelling and bloodstains on Chu Huaili's forehead, her expression changed drastically. She immediately reprimanded the palace servants standing around in shock: "Are you all dead?! You just stood by and watched the general hurt himself like this! Help him up right now!"
An old woman quickly bowed, changing her tone and cautiously replying, "Your Highness, it was...it was His Highness who insisted on doing so, and we old servants were truly unable to stop him..."
"Your Highness!" Chu Huaili raised his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the beautiful woman before him, his voice hoarse from shouting for so long, "I beg Your Highness to grant my request! I beg my mother to help her son!"
Upon hearing the word "Mother!", Consort Lan trembled violently, staring at him in disbelief, her eyes instantly reddening and tears welling up. How long had she waited, how long had she longed, to finally hear him willingly call her "Mother!"
"Qing'er..." Her voice was choked with sobs.
"Mother!" Chu Huaili called out again, his voice filled with suppressed pain and confusion, "His Majesty once promised that as long as I conquered Hexi, I would be allowed to choose my own wife, and I did! Hexi is now part of our dynasty's territory!"
"Later, the Empress Dowager said that as long as I could find out the leader of the Northern Di's spies, she would no longer interfere. I even personally arrested Geshu Che and imprisoned him in the Heavenly Prison! But what about now?"
His voice was filled with endless grief and accusation, "Now you want me to hand over my own wife and watch her marry someone else in her phoenix coronet and wedding gown! How is this any different from stealing someone else's love? Is this how the dignified Southern Dynasty royal family should behave?! Is this the reward for my meritorious service?!"
"How dare you! What nonsense are you spouting, child!" Consort Lan was shocked by his treasonous words and turned pale. She quickly signaled the eunuchs behind her to help him up from the ground, her voice urgent and pained, "Your imperial grandmother and your father, didn't they both plan and scheme for you?"
"Your position as the principal wife is of utmost importance, so you must be extremely careful in choosing one who can help you advance your career and solidify your position! Why don't you understand the good intentions of your elders? Don't disobey them anymore, and don't hurt their feelings!"
Chu Huaili, his arms held by eunuchs, still struggled. He stared intently at Consort Lan, each word spoken with unwavering resolve, as if making a vow, or a final severance:
“If the price for recognizing my ancestors and returning to the royal family is that I have to abandon Yun Rao and watch her marry someone else…” His eyes were filled with a resolute determination, “Then I’d rather not acknowledge these ancestors! I’d rather not be a prince!”
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire room fell silent. Even the wind seemed to stop blowing. Everyone was stunned into silence by these earth-shattering words.
Consort Lan was utterly shocked by his words. Her finger, pointing at him, trembled violently, and her lips lost all color. After a long while, she managed to squeeze out a broken rebuke: "You unfilial son... do you know what nonsense you're spouting! How can you just spout such rubbish?!"
Chu Huaili looked at her with an almost calm yet chilling gaze, repeating, "Every word I say comes from the heart."
"You...you've gone mad!" Consort Lan's chest heaved violently, both angry and anxious. She shouted at those around her, "What are you all standing there for! The general is suffering from severe pain and is delirious. Quickly help him back to his room to rest! Without my order, no one is allowed to let him out! If anyone dares to divulge even a single word about what happened today, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"
Inside the hall, incense smoke curled gently from the burner. The Empress Dowager sat serenely on her phoenix throne, reviewing memorials and leaving her vermilion comments with a raised hand. Her expression was calm and undisturbed, as if the earth-shattering turmoil outside the hall had never been heard of.
A pretty female official standing behind her asked softly, her tone tinged with confusion, "Your Majesty, I am foolish. Why go to such lengths? In my opinion, wouldn't it be more prudent to simply order the execution of those remnants of the previous dynasty?"
The Empress Dowager paused slightly in her vermilion brush, the crimson ink spreading a small dark patch on the rice paper. Without looking up, her voice was calm yet profound: "You girl, you're still too reckless. Her status is special; a single move could have far-reaching consequences. How can you so easily order her death?"
"Doing that would only discourage those former officials who haven't fully submitted to the government, causing unnecessary controversy and doing nothing to stabilize the situation."
She put down her pen, picked up another memorial, and said slowly, "Furthermore, I do not look down on her past and have personally arranged such a good marriage for her with the Xiao family, which shows the magnanimity of our new dynasty. Her living, living peacefully, and being 'treated well' will give hope to those former officials of the previous dynasty who are still observing, and make them feel at ease to submit and pledge their loyalty to the Southern Dynasty. This is the best course of action."
"But... why must the marriage be arranged for Lord Xiao?" The female official was still somewhat puzzled.
The Empress Dowager's lips curled into a faint, calculating smile: "In the future, that child Lingyi will become Shuoqing's principal wife. And that Ye Yixiang, if she becomes Lingyi's elder sister-in-law."
"Think about it, when Shuo Qing sits on the throne of the world, would he still disregard human ethics and etiquette and try to seize his own empress's elder sister-in-law? This relationship is the best shackle."
The lady-in-waiting suddenly understood, her eyes filled with admiration: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager's thoughts are thorough and meticulously planned. I have learned a great deal." She respectfully continued to grind the vermilion ink, and the previous tranquility in the hall was restored.
On the other hand, Ye Yixiang was placed in an exquisite yet secluded courtyard of Fengque Chunju.
The courtyard was guarded by layers of imperial guards, ostensibly to protect the future young mistress of the Xiao family, but in reality, it was a strict form of house arrest. The interior was lavishly furnished, with brocade quilts, embroidered beds, and antique jade artifacts, yet it was cold and devoid of any human warmth, like a magnificent cage.
The next two days were calm and peaceful.
The nights passed by in a hazy, agonizing way. The swelling in her ankle gradually subsided thanks to the regular treatment by the imperial physician, but her heart felt as if it were weighed down by a massive boulder, growing heavier with each passing day.
She didn't know Chu Huaili's situation, whether he was imprisoned or... She dared not think too deeply about it. She didn't know how the Empress Dowager would deal with their "disobedience," and she didn't know if there was even the slightest room for maneuver in that forced marriage.
Every moment of waiting is torture.
On the third day at dusk, as the sky grew gray, a trusted nanny of Consort Lan quietly arrived at the villa, looking hurried.
“Miss Ye,” the old nanny dismissed the servants, closed the door, and said in a low voice with a solemn expression, “Her Highness the Imperial Concubine has instructed this old servant to convey a message to you.”
Ye Yixiang's heart tightened, and she quickly stood up, her fingertips slightly cold: "Please speak, Granny."
“The General…” The old woman sighed heavily, her face full of worry. “Ever since that day in front of the palace… he has been sent back to his room and kept under guard. But he… he refuses to eat or drink, and just stubbornly kneels in the courtyard… No matter who tries to persuade him, even if Her Majesty goes in person, he remains silent and unmoved.”
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