Consort Liu thought her life was ruined here, but she never expected to see Jiang Jiuniang burst in at the last moment.
In that instant, Jiang Jiuniang was like a ray of light shining into Consort Liu's heart, and her suicidal thoughts instantly calmed down.
"Jiu Niang!"
She screamed herself hoarse. Jiang Jiuniang could never understand her feelings. Being humiliated was a small matter; she could simply die. But her identity was what mattered. She represented the Northern Yan royal family and her maternal clan. If the news got out, the Northern Yan royal family would lose all face, and she and her maternal clan would become sinners, to be ridiculed by the world for generations to come.
That's how this era is; even if you're a victim, it's wrong to have your reputation ruined.
Reputation is everything.
Jiang Jiuniang kicked away the people surrounding her, took out a cloak and covered Liu Taifei with it, gently comforting her, "It's alright, it's alright, don't worry."
She pulled out a barbed whip and whipped the dwarfs until they rolled on the ground in pain.
She locked the door when she came in, so these people couldn't open it and were no match for Jiang Jiuniang, so they could only take the beating.
Jiang Jiuniang loathed these people to the core and was ruthless, targeting the men's most vulnerable spots. In no time, there was a pool of blood beneath her, and several men were already crippled.
Because she still needed to extract a confession, Jiang Jiuniang did not kill the person, but beat them half to death before leaving on Liu Taifei's back.
"Jiuniang, thank...thank you."
Consort Liu's voice choked with sobs, her face covered in tears.
"It's alright, I'll take you to see the Emperor Emeritus now."
The retired emperor next door had already been taken away by Lu Baichuan, swiftly and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
"I...I won't go, I'm too ashamed to face him..."
Consort Liu wept silently. Although those people hadn't succeeded, she had still been groped quite a bit. She was too ashamed to face the old emperor. She knew that even if she were saved now, death awaited her.
She didn't suffer much in her life, and even gained the favor of the retired emperor, who took her out of the palace to travel and helped many poor people. It was all worth it.
The retired emperor doted on her, and she couldn't let the royal family be disgraced; death was her best option.
But she wouldn't say this to Jiang Jiuniang.
Having lived here for many years, Jiang Jiuniang understood the hardships faced by women in this era and knew why she said such things. She said, "Your Majesty, nothing is more important than one's own life. Even if those people had succeeded, so what? Reputation and honor are never as important as living."
“I know that you have helped many vulnerable people and rescued many people on this trip. This is the meaning of life. We cannot blame ourselves for other people’s mistakes. That is wrong. The Emperor Emeritus took you on this trip because he values you very much. He would not mistreat you for such a small matter. As long as we don’t mention this to anyone, no one else will know. As for those islanders, I will not let them leave Mingcheng alive.”
Jiang Jiuniang had said all that; as for what Consort Liu actually thought, that was no longer her concern.
If she is determined to die, no one can stop her; conversely, if she listens to what is said, no one can force her to die.
Consort Liu naturally listened to her advice. Jiang Jiuniang was her benefactor, and she would naturally listen to what her benefactor said.
Death ends everything, but if you can live, who would want to die?
While alive, you can do many things and continue to help those in need, but once you die, you have nothing left.
However, even with these thoughts in mind, she was still worried that the Emperor Emeritus would mind. In general, when this happened, the royal family would simply order someone to be killed in order to save face.
She took a deep breath and made up her mind that if the Emperor Emeritus could not tolerate her, she would end her life; if he took pity on her and was willing to keep the matter a secret, then she would live well, do more good deeds, and help more people in the future.
Seeing that she had stopped crying, Jiang Jiuniang breathed a sigh of relief. After all, she was the person she had personally rescued, and she didn't want Consort Liu to keep thinking about it and end her own life like this.
On the other side, the Emperor Emeritus was taken by Lu Baichuan to the place they had agreed upon to meet Jiang Jiuniang. He was very worried about Consort Liu's condition and kept wondering why they hadn't waited for them to come out together.
Lu Baichuan patiently explained, "Both teams are too conspicuous; it would be better to split up."
There weren't many people in the area they broke into tonight, just a few lowly servants. Most of the people were probably hiding in the shadows, too afraid to show themselves. No matter how much noise they made inside, they had to be careful when they came out, lest they be discovered by the people in the shadows again.
"Waaaaah, it's all my fault! You should have saved her first!"
The retired emperor disregarded all pride and wept bitterly, clutching his head.
He caused this mess, yet a woman suffered because of him.
Everything was fine before, and he kept his identity a complete secret. But when he encountered some difficulties, he took out his token and pretended to be a eunuch. However, he was discovered not long afterward. People followed them and confirmed his true identity. They then found an opportunity to kill all the people he brought with him and capture the two of them.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, the Consort will be fine."
Lu Baichuan didn't know what to say. He had confidently said that he would hide his identity, but who knew that it would be exposed in such a short time and that he would be followed for so long.
It's a pity about that group of skilled bodyguards.
Just then, Jiang Jiuniang arrived with Consort Liu. The Emperor Emeritus rushed forward, hugged her, and burst into tears, saying, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have disobeyed you and caused you to suffer like this."
During this time, Consort Liu advised him many times, but he felt it wasn't that serious and continued to do as he pleased, which led to this situation.
"Your Majesty, I..."
Consort Liu struggled, feeling that she was dirty and could not be touched by the Emperor Emeritus.
Jiang Jiuniang said at the right moment, "I arrived in time. The Empress was not harmed, only her clothes were torn."
The Emperor Emeritus knew what Consort Liu was afraid of, so he immediately hugged her even tighter and said, "Even if something really happened to you, let alone that you are alright, they would be the ones who should die. I am sorry for you. I will make it up to you in the future. Don't cry anymore. It's good that you are alright."
In just a few days, the Emperor Emeritus watched his confidants fall one by one, which was a great shock to him. He simply could not accept that Consort Liu had also left him. In his view, it was enough as long as people could live well.
Consort Liu was deeply moved. She hadn't expected the Emperor Emeritus to be so indifferent. Her heart was at ease, and tears slowly streamed down her face.
She survived.
"Now that the person has been rescued, let's talk about what exactly happened. Was their goal simply the Pangu Jade, or did they have something else in mind?"
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