Chapter 44 My Heart Belongs Only to One Person (Part 1) Yun Rao is my wife...
Consort Lan immediately chimed in, "I've heard about it too! Yesterday, that girl Zhaoning insisted on dragging Miss Ye to go horseback riding, but she deliberately led Miss Ye to a secluded place, causing her to fall into an abandoned trap."
"If it weren't for Young Master Xiao's chance encounter and assistance, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
"How could this be!" The Empress Dowager's face darkened, revealing her displeasure. "That girl Zhaoning is becoming increasingly unruly! Where is the grace and refinement a royal princess should have? The Empress has truly spoiled her!" After reprimanding Zhaoning, she looked at Ye Yixiang, her tone turning to concern, "Good child, let me see where you're hurt? Is it serious?"
Ye Yixiang knew that the Empress Dowager was not genuinely holding Zhao Ning accountable, nor was she truly concerned about her; she was merely using this as an excuse. She could only lower her head even further and speak in a calm, even voice: "Your Majesty, this matter is not the princess's fault. It was my own poor riding skills that caused me to fall from the horse. It has nothing to do with Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager ignored her explanation and turned her gaze to Xiao Mo, throwing the question at him: "Shao Heng, were you also present at the time? What do you think was the reason for this?"
Xiao Mo was taken aback when this hot potato suddenly fell into his hands. He was slightly stunned, but quickly regained his composure and replied, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the hunting grounds are vast, and the garrison may have been negligent in failing to fill in or mark the abandoned traps in time. This is indeed a dereliction of duty."
"However, the place where Her Highness the Princess and the ladies were playing and frolicking was indeed quite secluded, so it is understandable that the garrison troops were unable to reach it during their patrol. The garrison commander reported this to His Majesty last night and said that he would intensify the investigation to eliminate such potential dangers."
Such an answer is watertight and perfectly balanced.
Ye Yixiang listened from the side, and couldn't help but secretly admire the man's quick wit.
"By imperial decree, the Imperial Guards are ordered to conduct another thorough search of the hunting grounds immediately! This is a matter of life and death, how can it be a trivial matter!"
The Empress Dowager's tone was authoritative, then she looked at Ye Yixiang, her gaze softening. "Luckily, Yun Rao was blessed with good fortune and survived. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the face to meet her grandmother in the afterlife." She then changed the subject, seemingly casually asking, "Yun Rao, Young Master Xiao saved you yesterday. Did you properly thank him?"
Ye Yixiang replied according to protocol: "Your Majesty, I have not yet formally thanked Young Master Xiao for saving my life."
"In that case, I will take the liberty of thanking you on your behalf today." The Empress Dowager gently patted the back of her hand, a smile of almost indulgence on her face. However, the words she spoke made Ye Yixiang feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave. "In the end, Yun Rao is also a child that I have watched grow up. In my heart, she is no different from my own granddaughter."
She paused deliberately, her gaze sweeping over Xiao Mo before returning to Ye Yixiang's bloodless face. She spoke clearly, word by word, "If you are to marry in the future, I will grant you permission to marry with the rites of a princess, in a grand and glorious manner, so that no one will look down on you."
"Your Majesty's kindness is too much for this humble woman to bear!" Ye Yixiang was greatly shocked and quickly kowtowed.
From the moment she saw Xiao Mo appear here, she felt a vague unease in her heart, but she never expected that the Empress Dowager would actually tie her to Xiao Mo so directly in front of Consort Lan and Xiao Mo, and even promise her the gifts of a princess! This was not a favor, but clearly an attempt to take the opportunity to finalize this marriage.
"Shaoheng is young and holds a high position of power. He can't be without someone to take care of him. Why not marry a wife first, and if he takes a fancy to a girl in the future, he can marry her as a concubine. Sisters together would be a wonderful story. What do you think, Shaoheng?" Although the Empress Dowager's tone was questioning, her demeanor already indicated that she had made a decision.
Xiao Mo immediately knelt down, his words earnest and even carrying a hint of barely perceptible stubbornness: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager's grace is deeply appreciated! However, although I am not talented, I have read some books of sages and know the principle of 'to win one heart and stay together until old age'."
"I dare not dream of having the happiness of having two wives. I only wish to find a soulmate in the future, to be one with you for life, to live in harmony and mutual respect. That would be enough."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was not angry at all. Instead, she laughed and said, "Look at him. He is so affectionate, handsome, and capable. I'm afraid there is no one else like him in the world."
She smiled as she looked at the two kneeling on the ground. "Since Shaoheng only wishes to find one person to grow old with, then it is fate. In my opinion, Yunrao and you are a perfect match, a match made in heaven. Why don't we make Yunrao your wife? Shaoheng, what do you think?"
A deathly silence fell over the hall. The air seemed to freeze, and the heavy pressure made it hard to breathe.
Ye Yixiang suddenly raised her head, meeting the Empress Dowager's seemingly smiling but unquestionable phoenix eyes. She said urgently, "Your Majesty is too kind! This humble woman has an awkward status, having been married before, and... and in this situation, I am truly unworthy of a man as pure and noble as Young Master Xiao! I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!"
"How could the person I have chosen be unworthy of anyone?" The Empress Dowager's tone suddenly turned indifferent, carrying an undeniable authority. "Good child, your previous marriage to that Geshu Che was a deliberate deception on his part. You were deceived, so this is not your fault. Neither I nor His Majesty will look down on you because of this."
"When I was young, I was married twice. Before marrying the late Emperor, my first husband was the son of the Sima family, who was in charge of compiling historical records. In this world, especially in a woman's marriage, sometimes one has no choice in the matter, and this is not a stain." Her gaze slowly swept over the frozen Xiao Mo and the pale-faced Ye Yixiang, finally delivering her final statement:
"That's settled for today. I will issue an edict shortly, instructing the Imperial Observatory to select an auspicious date and time for you two to get married as soon as possible."
"Your Majesty," Consort Lan whispered a reminder, "Miss Ye probably doesn't have a fixed place to stay yet, and this is a woman awaiting marriage..."
"What's so difficult about that?" The Empress Dowager waved her hand dismissively. "Just prepare a spacious and bright room in my Phoenix Palace for Yunrao to stay in temporarily. After she marries Shaoheng, she can move to the Xiao residence with him."
Ye Yixiang gently closed her eyes. This was clearly placing her under his watchful eye, ostensibly to take care of her, but in reality to monitor her.
Xiao Mo lowered his eyes, his handsome face revealing no emotion, only his tightly pursed lips betraying his inner turmoil.
After a moment of silence, under the increasingly deep gaze of the Empress Dowager, he finally slowly bowed down, his voice low but clear: "Your subject... thanks Your Majesty the Empress Dowager for your grace."
Ye Yixiang seemed to have all her strength drained away in an instant, and even her soul seemed to dissipate.
A tremendous chill, like an icy tide, instantly engulfed her. Her blood seemed to freeze, replaced by a bone-deep pain, as if being gnawed by countless tiny ants, spreading from her heart to every limb.
So much so that when the Empress Dowager said, "All of you may leave," she forgot even the most basic expression of gratitude. She simply followed behind the equally silent Xiao Mo, like a puppet whose strings had been pulled out, her eyes vacant and her movements stiff, step by step, moving out of the oppressive and suffocating hall.
Outside the palace, the bright spring sun was dazzling, making her vision blurry and almost causing her to lose her balance.
The intense light brought her back to her senses. Looking at Xiao Mo, who was half a step ahead, his posture as straight as a pine tree, she felt an indescribable sense of guilt and helplessness. She quickened her pace, enduring the sharp pain in her ankle, and spoke in a hoarse voice:
"I'm sorry, it's my fault... I've dragged you into this."
Xiao Mo stopped and turned around. Sunlight cast a soft shadow on his handsome face, his eyes filled with complex emotions—a hint of pity, a trace of helplessness, and a depth she couldn't decipher. He looked at her, gently shook his head, his tone still as gentle as ever, yet seemingly veiled by an invisible gauze: "Why do you say such things, Princess? This matter… cannot be blamed on you. In the end, we are both just pitiful people caught in a bind."
He paused, then a slightly roguish smile suddenly bloomed on his face. He lowered his voice and said in a tone only the two of them could hear:
"Alright, you brat, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and get ready for your wedding dress! Let me tell you, if you marry me, you'd better be prepared to spend your life alone."
Before the words were finished, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly came from behind!
Xiao Mo reacted quickly, dodging to the side, but the cold arrow came too suddenly and swiftly. With a "rip", his wide sleeve was torn by the arrowhead, and a bloody mark instantly appeared on his arm. Crimson blood quickly seeped out, staining the moon-white fabric.
From the direction the arrows came from, Chu Huaili had arrived at some point, holding a carved bow, his face icy, his eyes churning with a storm that seemed capable of destroying the world, staring intently at the two of them.
Behind him, the maid named Qiusheng was anxiously peeking out to check the situation.
Granny Jin Xuan immediately stepped forward, trying to ease the tension: "General Chu, you've come at the right time. The Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine are in the hall..."
Chu Huaili acted as if he hadn't heard her, and strode straight up to Ye Yixiang. Without saying a word, he pulled her behind him, his tall figure protecting her completely.
His cold, sharp gaze shot directly at the injured Xiao Mo, carrying undisguised possessiveness and warning: "Yun Rao is my wife! I hope Young Master Xiao will watch his words and actions and keep his distance!"
Xiao Mo pressed the burning wound on his arm, looked up to meet Chu Huaili's angry gaze, but instead of backing down, he gave a cryptic smile, his tone calm yet provocative: "Your wife? The general probably doesn't know, does he?"
"Just now, the Empress Dowager personally issued an imperial decree to bestow marriage upon me and Miss Ye. The decree will be announced to all parties immediately. General's words and actions at this moment are probably the real inappropriate ones."
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