I beg Your Majesty's mercy
The emperor looked down at him with a gloomy expression and coldly snorted, "Heh, just for the matter of privately selling salt, I have enough to wipe out your entire Pang family."
She remained silent for a long time, thinking. If the salt smuggling was discovered, she should have been urgently summoned back and imprisoned along with her father and brothers. But her father had not been imprisoned. Her third sister was already married, so this matter would not involve her. She had just arrived today, and His Majesty had summoned her to the palace so urgently, so there must be hope for her survival.
"Your Majesty! I am willing to atone for the crimes committed by my father and brothers in other ways!"
"Make amends?" As if hearing a joke, he scoffed, "Does a crime mean it can be absolved by making amends?" He slammed his hand on the table with a loud "bang!" His tone was serious. "Then what about the laws I established? Would they become nothing but a piece of paper without any authority? Would anyone in this world be able to commit a crime and be absolved by making amends?!"
She had no other choice but to accept her fate. "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! It was my mistake. I beg Your Majesty to grant me a complete corpse!"
The emperor's anger subsided somewhat, but he still said with displeasure and helplessness, "I will spare your life."
Pang Linqiu was stunned, frowned in disbelief, and then became worried: "What about that woman's father and brothers..."
"I have only spared your life, but I have not said that I will spare their lives."
Without hesitation, she said directly, "In that case, I beg Your Majesty to grant me death. I do not need to be spared."
"Oh?" He frowned slightly. "You don't want to live?"
Sadness welled up in her eyes. "I want to live, but I can't. My mother once told me that family members should stay together, even when facing life and death together. If my family dies, I don't want to live alone."
The Emperor glanced down at the letter Peng Xuan'an had submitted and fell silent. He knew Xuan'an loved her. Seeing his growing power and control of the Tao Kingdom's military, he feared Peng Xuan'an might rebel if he didn't plant spies around him. His brow furrowed, he considered placing Pang Linqiu as his informant, so he could keep him under constant control.
She was supposed to be dead, but because Peng Xuan'an liked her, the Emperor decided not to punish her first. He thought that keeping her as a spy was a way of sparing her life, and she would be grateful and agree to be a spy. However, he did not expect her to be so stubborn and refuse to listen to reason.
Peng Xuan'an was an important general in the court. Without any evidence against him, the emperor was deeply concerned about his power. If he were demoted and stripped of his military command, neither the common people nor the court officials would agree, especially given his numerous merits.
The emperor frowned, clearly displeased. He now faced two problems: the spy and the law. If he wanted to plant a spy, he would have to spare her life, but if he didn't follow the law, the world would likely descend into chaos.
After much hesitation, he decided to choose the former option, saying, "I can spare the Pang family from death."
Pang Linqiu looked up in surprise and said gratefully, "This humble woman thanks Your Majesty!" She knew that survival was conditional, and only if she fulfilled these conditions could her family survive. "What does Your Majesty need this humble woman to do?"
"I want you to marry Xuan An."
These words startled her, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Your Majesty!" she exclaimed, her gaze resolute as she looked up at the man above. "Your Majesty! I would rather become a nun and die by crashing into this pillar than marry him!"
The emperor raised an eyebrow, his expression turning slightly stern. "Why?"
“I neither like nor want him. The Major General deserves better, not me, the daughter of a disgraced official.”
"Do you think I'm saying this so you'll agree?"
She was stunned for a moment, then instantly realized that the emperor was going to force her to marry him, regardless of whether she agreed or not.
She threatened, "Isn't Your Majesty afraid that on your wedding day, the woman who marries you will be a corpse?"
The emperor was enraged upon hearing this, "Insolence!"
Terrified, Pang Linqiu hurriedly kowtowed, hoping to escape with her life: "Your Majesty! Is there another way for me to atone for my sins?"
The emperor was furious and had a headache. He thought about it and realized that the spy he had planted in Peng Xuan'an wasn't indispensable; it was Peng Xuan'an who was still struggling. No matter how much she struggled, she would die in the end anyway, so he might as well listen to what she had to say.
"explain!"
"Your Majesty, I have some knowledge of business. How about using it to atone for the crimes my father and brothers committed?" She raised her eyes and carefully observed the emperor's expression. Seeing that he remained silent, she continued to speak.
“I, a humble woman, may engage in commerce. Firstly, it will boost the economy of Taojin Kingdom, bringing prosperity and happiness to its people. Secondly, the profits from my business will be used to repay my elder brother’s embezzlement and to atone for my second brother’s mistakes. If that woman has children, I am willing to raise them to adulthood. Thirdly, all the profits from the salt trade will be deposited into the national treasury, and my father and brothers will never serve as officials in the court again! I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and spare my family!”
The emperor hesitated, "How can I trust you?"
"Your Majesty! I have heard that Luozhou is economically impoverished, and many people are starving. If Your Majesty would grant me three months, I can improve the local economy and ensure that every family can have three meals a day!"
The emperor nodded, but was still somewhat skeptical. "Alright, I grant your permission, but..." He paused.
"Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"
"You still have to marry Xuan'an. I have long heard about your relationship with him in the army. Xiangde also said that the two of you are a good match. I hope that I will grant you another marriage."
Hearing "Xiangde also said that the two of you are a good match" struck her like a thunderbolt. She was stunned. So this was how her beloved wanted to get rid of her. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, and she forced back the tears that welled up in her eyes.
She kowtowed, gritted her teeth, and said tragically, "Your Majesty, this humble woman... accepts the decree!"
Seeing that she agreed, the emperor's face lit up with pleasure. "Very well! Rise."
Pang Linqiu slowly got up, her eyes full of reluctance, her body trembling involuntarily. Why? Her heart ached so much, and she bit her lip to suppress the sob that escaped her throat.
"This matter must not be known to Xuan An." His eyes narrowed darkly. "You should know what to do, right?"
She bowed and clasped her hands respectfully, saying, "This humble woman understands!"
The emperor looked at him arrogantly again, "You should know that it was Xuan An who saved the Pang family, not you. As Xuan An's wife, you should know how to serve your husband, right?"
Her breathing trembled. "This humble woman... knows."
He considered that she might divorce Peng Xuan'an to get rid of him, and then said, "If you divorce Xuan'an, I will execute you and your family no matter what contributions you have made. Miss Pang shouldn't have such thoughts, right?"
"This humble woman..." She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her eyes, accepting reality with despair, her voice weak and feeble, "This humble woman would never..."
"Then... Your Majesty... what if the Major General divorces me?"
"Divorce?" He pondered for a moment. "If I divorce him, I will be sentenced to death." He thought that if he divorced him, he would be useless, so it would be better to be executed.
Pang Linqiu's heart trembled, and she bowed and clasped her hands in thanks: "This humble woman thanks Your Majesty!"
"Good!" The emperor was overjoyed and waved for her to leave. "Three days later, go to the military camp and talk to Xuan An, and ask him to resolve the war as soon as possible."
“I obey!” She withdrew.
The sky was overcast and covered with dark clouds, much like her mood.
Her father sat outside the gate of the Pang residence waiting for her. When she was escorted out of the palace and saw her father, she couldn't hold back her tears and burst into sobs. She hugged her father tightly, as if afraid he would leave. Pang Anru didn't know what grievances her daughter had suffered, and she was also very worried about her.
He raised his hand and gently patted her back. "Chun'er, don't cry, Daddy's here."
"Father..." she cried, "Chun'er is in so much pain, Chun'er misses her mother so much!"
This crying seemed to have taken half of Pang Anru's life, especially when she talked about her mother. He couldn't help but feel heartbroken, and tears welled up in his lifeless eyes. "My dear, Chun'er, my dear, Mother will protect us... will protect us..." His voice gradually lowered.
She was taken back to her residence, a small courtyard, which she heard was arranged by her third sister, Pang Heni. There were only a few servants in the courtyard to take care of Pang Anru's daily life. She returned to her room and sighed.
Things are different now; everything is gone...
Now she was thinking about how to go into business. She opened the book her mother had left her before she passed away; the book was untitled. It was a thick stack, filled with methods for dealing with difficulties, with business making up a large part of it. She was very curious about how her mother could foresee so many things and even write down solutions.
To do business, one must first understand the terrain; rely on the mountains for sustenance and the water for livelihood, and find ways to develop all industries related to the economy...
She stayed up late reading, page after page of books filled with modern writing and words of care left by her mother. She still didn't understand one particular page.
Mom also wants to stay by your side, but the longer she stays, the shorter your... life will be (crossed out).
My mother also wanted to stay, but she might not be able to stay for long due to some reasons.
Three days later, she reluctantly boarded the carriage and headed to the border of Taoli. The beautiful scenery along the way began to become an eyesore.
She was thinking... how should she bring it up with him?
What will his expression be when he finds out? Brother Mohe...
When she heard that name, her heart ached as if it were being torn apart. Hatred welled up in her heart; she hated him, yet she couldn't let him go... Why?
After three days of travel, she was exhausted. As dusk fell, she didn't return to her tent to rest, but instead rushed to find Peng Xuan'an. After their conversation, she hurried off to Luozhou to assess the situation.
Exhausted, she went to Peng Xuan'an's tent and lifted the curtain.
He was reading when he looked up and was startled to see who it was. He didn't know when she had returned. He was both surprised and delighted that she had suddenly come to find him first.
He forced himself to remain calm, suppressing the joy in his eyes, and pretended nothing was wrong.
"What brings you here, Miss Pang?"
"Xuan An...can we come out and talk?" Her voice was gentle, unlike her usual rough and domineering tone.
He was taken aback. Her gentle tone usually meant she had something important to ask of him. He stood up and approached her. He carefully observed her gaze and saw that her eyes were lifeless, as if she had experienced many setbacks.
He didn't know what she had been through, but it certainly wasn't a good thing. Pang Linqiu was somewhat afraid of his approach and took a few steps back.
She looked up at him with a pitiful expression, her eyebrows arched, and said, "Just the two of us, shall we talk?"
He was a little unaccustomed to her ingratiating tone, so he nodded and agreed, "Okay."
The two found a spot, a quiet and spacious riverbank, where Pang Linqiu sat on a rock.
I looked up at the stars, fireflies danced in the forest, the murmuring stream broke the silence, and the silver moon cast a hazy, cold light.
She longed to tell her so many sad things, but she couldn't bring herself to say them. Peng Xuan'an leaned against the tree trunk with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed intently on her.
"Xuan An," she spoke first.
"Um?"
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