Chapter 117
Chu Huan didn't look at the Fifth Prince's overly resentful expression, so as not to make her laugh again.
[For one person who is in love, another person who is in love is willing to give up their entire family and all the people in the six realms for her. This love is so touching that it moves heaven and earth, and the ones who are most moved are themselves.]
To the entire family, the nation, the land, and the people of the six realms, what does the relationship between two love-brained people have to do with them? Why should they be sacrificed? They certainly wouldn't want to.
The Fifth Prince couldn't agree more: "That's right! I'm only a child, and I haven't even had enough good life to enjoy. I don't want to be sacrificed! Sacrificing for the country is fine, but sacrificing for the love of two love-brained people is simply not worth it."
Even the Second Prince's wife, who was in a beautiful relationship, felt it was a bit too much: "Love is a matter between two people, and marriage involves two families. If love will bring disaster to the family and the country, it is better to cut it off as soon as possible."
Concubine Wu only occupied the position of concubine of the Second Prince. She had never experienced the beauty of love and was not very looking forward to it.
"If love requires the death of the entire family, then forget it. Some people in my family have treated me badly, but it's not serious enough to take their lives and bring the entire family down with them."
Jiang and Yu Jiayan divorced, their love and family shattered. Looking back, she realized she had been in love before, and she warned her sisters, "Lovesickness hurts both you and others. It almost cost me my life. Don't be like me."
After Nangong Ling's disguise as a man was exposed, she suffered a lot of criticism. Her fiancé sent someone to inform her father not to let her go out in public, and even accused her of fooling around with other people.
What made her even more disgusted was that when she became the fifth prince's study companion and the student of the old Grand Tutor and the old Imperial Preceptor, her fiancé hurriedly changed his tone, apologized and sent gifts.
Nangong Ling did not see the beauty of love, but only saw people changing with the wind and currying favor with the powerful.
She didn't want such a snobbish fiancé, thinking that with such a knot in her heart, they would often quarrel after they got married.
Unfortunately, if the engagement is cancelled for this reason, no matter what excuse is given, the Nangong family will be seen as having hooked up with the Fifth Prince and having a better marriage partner, and they will no longer be satisfied with this marriage and are in a hurry to cancel it.
In order to avoid criticism from her family and other sisters, Nangong Ling did not cancel the engagement. She delayed it on the grounds that she needed to study and take the imperial examinations, and would find a suitable opportunity to cancel it later.
"I don't know what love is. I just hope that in the future I can treat my husband with respect. I don't care how many concubines he has, and he shouldn't interfere with my work."
The system clapped its hands vigorously: [What a career-oriented person! In order to focus on their careers, they even created contract couples.]
Several people at the scene were confused about the "career batch" and "contract couple". The other people in the Chu family who did not hear Nangong Ling's words were confused about this topic.
Fortunately, the system knows that many people don't understand modern terminology, so it proactively explains: [A career-oriented couple is someone who places great emphasis on career development. A contract couple is someone who sets out their commitments before marriage. Although they form a family, they each pursue their own interests and don't interfere with each other.]
Nangong Ling's eyes slowly lit up.
She originally only had a rough idea, thinking that if the engagement could not be cancelled, there was still a way out. The system's words completed her idea. Yes, this could be done!
One look at Nangong Ling's performance and you know she's already moved, and they might be an ancient version of a contract couple.
They were all adults and had their own plans, so Chu Huan didn't try to persuade them any further.
Unexpectedly, Nangong Ling turned to ask her: "Chu Huan, what do you think?"
Hearing this, the Second Prince's wife and the others looked over. They also wanted to know what Chu Huan was thinking.
Everyone was talking about their views on love, just like a women's night talk. Chu Huan had heard so much, so it was not easy for her to remain silent.
"I don't yearn for love. I just let things happen as they come. If I meet someone who makes my heart flutter, I'll give it a try. If not, I'll just live alone. I can do whatever I want, without the constraints of family or a significant other."
This is what she really thinks: No one can live without love, don’t be too demanding, don’t force it, just be yourself.
The Second Prince's wife and Concubine Wu immediately recalled Chu Huan's outrageous statement that shocked a large number of people: she wanted to go to the Second Prince's backyard, where she would not have to serve a man, bear children, or even make money, because the Second Prince and his wife would provide her with a monthly allowance.
Concubine Wu now lives a life that Chu Huan envies, but she never thinks there is anything good about such a life.
In the past, she often complained about herself, always thinking that she was not good enough to win the favor of the Second Prince. She even tried to imitate the Second Prince's wife, but ended up looking so weird that she almost lost herself.
She had also had a frank talk with the Second Prince and wanted to leave, but the concubine had been listed in the Imperial Book of Rites, and whether it was a divorce or abandonment, it would have to be approved by the Emperor and the Ministry of Clan Affairs. Her family also did not want to give up the relationship bridge between them and the Second Prince.
Concubine Wu resented the emperor's arranged marriage, resented the second prince and his wife's love that involved her, resented herself for being born into a noble family instead of an ordinary woman, and resented herself for being born a woman instead of a man.
Eventually, she calmed down, accepted it all, and learned to find fun in life.
Chu Huan understood the truth that she had gone through so much to find from the beginning, which made Concubine Wu feel very complicated.
"You'll be coming of age next year, and I haven't heard that the Chu family is looking for a match for you. Your sister is almost there, though. A woman's youth is short, aren't you worried?"
She didn't even know whether she was asking Chu Huan, herself, or her past self.
Chu Huan smiled faintly: "What can age do to hinder one's development? One can get married in his teens, in his twenties, and even in his thirties."
"Teens want a husband they truly love, twenties want a husband who's all theirs, thirties are more concerned with a stable life, and forties are disgusted by their husband's shortcomings."
"People's preferences change with time and experience. The things and people you like now may no longer be your favorite in a few years. So, for something as important as this, it's better to take your time. It's better to have less than too much."
The principle is simple to understand, but few people can actually do it.
Time is merciless. If a woman doesn't get married at the prime of her life, does she have to wait until she is in her thirties?
By then, other women of the same generation will already be mothers or grandmothers, while you have just gotten married and become a sister-in-law and a peer of a teenage girl. Can you get over that hurdle in your heart?
A few of them smiled and said no more.
Everyone has different ideas and they can communicate with each other, but they cannot force others to do things according to their own ideas.
After diverting the subject for so long, Chu Huan's feeling of nausea subsided, so she brought it up again.
In order to let the rest of the Chu family get in on the fun, she chose to communicate through consciousness: [When the late emperor first met Bai Yiyi, he did indeed hide his identity. Later, after he ascended the throne and traveled south of the Yangtze River, the two met again. Bai Yiyi already knew he was the emperor.]
They all know your identity, and under this premise they come to you. How could they not be attracted by your identity and status as a king?
The late emperor was too foolish.
System: [The previous emperor went on an inspection tour south of the Yangtze River. He felt that following the emperor's honor guard might not reveal the truth of many things, so he ordered the honor guard to proceed according to a fixed schedule while he led his men on a private inspection.]
The late emperor was sometimes so confident that he was conceited. He only believed what he saw, inferred, and determined. He thought Bai Yiyi was ignorant and that she loved him. Once he had made up his mind, it was difficult for him to listen to anyone else's opinions.
To ensure this plan was foolproof, the Bai family privately rehearsed it countless times. Everything Bai Yiyi should say, do, and how to cry in a sad yet delicate way, drawing sympathy, was carefully calculated and practiced.
Chu Huan brought out the key point: [In other words, Bai Yiyi knew.]
System: [No one in the Bai family told Bai Yiyi about this; they only asked her to prepare and practice. Acting and crying were part of past training, so Bai Yiyi didn't suspect anything. Later, because so many people in the Bai family knew about this, there were bound to be one or two who didn't keep their mouths shut, and Bai Yiyi overheard some of it, so she figured it out.]
[The late emperor was someone Bai Yiyi had always loved. With someone she loved and cared about, and someone she had to serve, Bai Yiyi had been living a life worse than death for several years. Now that there was a chance to escape her prison and ascend to heaven, how could she not desperately seize it?]
If Bai Yiyi was originally an extremely pure lily, after going through so much, this lily gradually turned black.
Only those who are trapped in memories will feel that lilies have never changed.
System: [Bai Yiyi understands men and knows that what is unattainable is the best. She believes that it was because she was reserved that she and the late emperor never even held hands that he is so obsessed with her. Therefore, she has always been shy.]
In the eyes of the late emperor, this shyness became the shyness and helplessness that only women feel in front of their beloved men. This was further confirmed when the late emperor saw Bai Yiyi frowning slightly in front of the prefect, looking very embarrassed and wanting to hide but not daring to.
Bai Yiyi expressed her love for the late emperor, but when he wanted to have some intimacy with her, she said she was already married. Even though the old prefect treated her badly, she was his woman and could not let him down.
Chu Huan: “…”
Everyone: “…”
This playful and pretentious look is really frightening.
Chu Huan was relatively more tolerant of women. She took a few deep breaths and calmed down. "The concubines in the harem certainly don't have such tricks. I don't want to know how she seduced and kept the late emperor hooked. I just want to know how the Jiangnan prefect died."
——So was the prefect of Jiangnan assassinated by the Jinyiwei sent by the late emperor?
Everyone held their breath, wanting to know the key answer.
The system was straightforward and gave the answer: [The late emperor's desires were piqued, yet he still couldn't get what he wanted. He was extremely anxious and was about to send his secret guards to take action, but the Bai family got there first.]
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thank goodness.
The Fifth Prince, the Second Prince's wife and others also put their minds at ease.
If the late emperor had really assassinated his ministers for a beauty, he would have been criticized and scolded. When Prince Furui found out, he would probably rush to the imperial mausoleum to scold him.
System: [The Bai family felt that if the late emperor killed the prefect, he would regret it one day, which would affect the relationship between the late emperor and Bai Yiyi. So they decided to pay a killer to kill the prefect.]
Chu Huan: [Couldn't you discuss with the prefect and release Bai Yiyi? She's just a concubine.]
This prefect of Jiangnan rose to power through nepotism and had a bad reputation during his tenure. Even so, he should have been punished by law. Hiring a killer to assassinate a court official showed a complete disregard for court laws.
System: [Tsk tsk, Sister Huan, you simply don't understand the inherent weaknesses of men.]
The old prefect had Bai Yiyi for several years. At that time, the late emperor had not yet obtained Bai Yiyi. When he got her, wouldn't he think that this beauty had once belonged to someone else? Would the old prefect treat her the same way as I did?
Don't think only women are jealous. Men's jealousy can be far more frightening than women's. They possess power and status, and can accomplish far more than women.
Chu Huan, who didn't understand men: "..."
Who made her never been in love and never experienced the Shura field between her ex-boyfriend and current boyfriend?
In modern times, she sees more messages like "A qualified ex should be as dead as a baby", "Don't bring up the topic of your ex in front of your current partner", "Don't be with each other all day long, you would have died long ago", etc. These concepts have not yet changed.
After all, no one would kill their girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend just because they had been in a relationship before. Murder is against the law!
Chu Huan: [The late emperor knew about this, right? Did he investigate further?]
The system snorted: [Of course not!]
This is the murder of a fourth-rank official. If the case is investigated, the culpability is extremely high. Furthermore, this incident addresses a major concern of the late emperor, hitting him right in the heart. It would be surprising if the case could be investigated.
After Bai Yiyi entered the palace, the entire Bai family prospered. Even after Bai Yiyi's death, the late emperor still looked after them for Bai Yueguang's sake. Even until the current emperor ascended the throne, the Bai family still lived a good life thanks to Prince An's relationship.
The system suddenly chuckled: "Didn't Prince An fall from power? It was also discovered that the Bai family had abused their power and committed many illegal acts due to Prince An's connections over the years, and the court has liquidated them all."
Personally speaking, I think that in the subsequent handling of Prince An and the Bai family, everyone from the emperor to the officials finally let out the anger they had been holding back for decades due to the late emperor's partiality.
This sounded like a big secret, and Chu Huan was very interested: [Quick, tell me more!]
"Ahem." The Fifth Prince faked a cough. "Tong'er, shall we eat Dongfang Heng's melon?"
System: [Okay, okay!]
Chu Huan: “…”
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