Chapter 47 I am the Queen's Sister-in-law
I hate the words "start over".
History is a one-way line connected by countless established pasts. We can only move forward and cannot look back. Starting over is equivalent to cutting it off at a certain point on this line and then discarding all the past. I think this is an insult to historians.
Besides, he had wronged me in every way in the past. Could he just erase all that by saying "start over"? He could just dream on!
Seeing Li Siyan fall into a coma, the hesitant expression on my face immediately dropped. I withdrew my gaze indifferently and said to Jinlian and Jinliu who were standing there stupidly, "Carry my bedding to my old room."
Qingfu, Hu Yueer, and Huiyue were all busy serving Li Siyan, while Suxi was being looked after by Chaner. I took advantage of the chaos to pack up my writing brushes, inkstones, and various utensils, and swaggered out of the palace.
Jinlian caught up with me and said breathlessly, "The house where my wife used to live was demolished by His Majesty two months ago."
I angrily said, "Why is he demolishing my house?"
"...His Majesty said he was upset watching it..."
Little Jinlian's mouth turned upside down, and a round teardrop fell from her eye socket: "My wife, His Majesty is like this, what should we do!"
Why are you asking me? I felt strangely irritated and said, "Then he's going to live in his imperial study. Do you think I'm going to wait on him without taking off my clothes?"
Judging from Xiao Jinlian's reaction, this was probably what she really intended.
I turned my head away indifferently. "Given what he did to my family, I'm lucky I didn't stab him again. Jinlian, go pack my clothes and move them to the study together later."
So, when everyone rushed into the inner hall, I carried my beloved writing desk, hugged a bunch of scrolls, and left with three silly little palace maids, without looking back.
"The Queen has arrived!"
I had just opened the door of the imperial study when a clear shout suddenly came from the front of the hall.
Queen?
That reclusive and eccentric Wen Baibi? Has she arrived?
I looked up in surprise and saw a woman in a light blue vine-patterned skirt walking towards me.
She was extremely beautiful, with a pair of cold and beautiful eyes, fair skin and a quiet face, and an extraordinary temperament. She was followed by six well-dressed palace maids.
Noticing my gaze, she also looked at me, but there was still no emotion in her eyes, as if she just saw a passing kitten.
When our eyes met, I felt inexplicably guilty, as if I had stolen her husband... But I quickly came to terms with it. It was the dog emperor who ignored her, not me, so why should I feel guilty?
So he hugged the scroll tightly and tried his best to straighten his chest to make himself look more confident.
Unexpectedly, she nodded to me politely, glanced at the imperial study behind me, and asked:
"Is His Majesty in there?"
The sound is clear, like the gurgling stream.
"No," I raised my right hand and pointed in a direction: "He is in the bedroom."
Wen Baibi didn't immediately offer his condolences to the emperor. Instead, he showed great interest in me and asked with a polite yet distant expression, "Why are you holding the quilt?"
"I was worried about affecting the imperial physician's treatment, so I took the initiative to change beds." I answered honestly, "If the Empress feels that the imperial study is not suitable, I can find a servant's room to live in."
She shook her head: "No, just live in the imperial study."
With the permission of the official mistress of the palace, I carried the table and bowed to her, turned around and kicked open the door of the imperial study, and threw all the bedding and bedside table on Li Siyan's couch.
After putting my things away, I pretended to be calm, took a book from his bookshelf, and started reading while leaning against the head of the bed.
Little Jinliu's timid voice came from my ears: "...His Majesty was injured while saving my lady, won't you go and take a look?"
I peeked out from behind the book with an impatient look: "Why are you looking at him? I'm not a royal doctor, so why should I stand there and act like a lucky charm?"
I rarely speak so rudely to servants. Xiao Jinliu was so angry that she lowered her head and dared not say a word.
I turned the page, and the frustration in my heart grew stronger and stronger.
Hate!
...He asked for it, it was all his own fault! I clearly told him not to come out, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted on coming out and getting stabbed. Well, after that knife came down, it was me who was to blame.
It’s none of my business, I emphasized to myself again.
But……
The more I tried to convince myself not to pay attention to him, the easier it was for me to recall the scene of him resolutely protecting me under his body, and the drops of blood dripping on my eyelashes.
I had clearly washed my face, but I could still feel that drop of blood in the corner of my eye, making my heart feel extremely heavy.
He is the emperor, his life is a hundred times more precious than mine. Why would he come out to protect me without hesitation, just to repay me for the knife I blocked for him?
I really hate the feeling of receiving favors for nothing. Although I keep telling myself that he owes me more than I can repay him even if I were cut into pieces, I am a person who is easily swayed by emotions. Even though I know the pros and cons, I am still disturbed.
Frustrated, deeply frustrated, I was deeply annoyed with my own damn indecision.
The dog emperor is ungrateful, but I can't be a completely cold-blooded person.
I sighed with a heavy heart, threw the book on the table, threw on a coat, and said to Jinlian and Jinliu, "Come on, let's see if the dog emperor is dead or not."
Jinlian and Jinliu looked delighted and hurriedly followed.
"I hope Your Majesty is okay..." Xiao Jinliu murmured.
I was getting irritated and interrupted her, saying, "The evil will last for a thousand years, he won't die."
Little Jinliu opened her eyes wide and stared at me blankly.
"That hairpin is a palace style. It couldn't have been forged with poison, so the only solution was to smear it with venom." I said expressionlessly, "The hairpin is so delicate, you can't smear much. Besides, Pingsheng stabbed Suxi first and then the emperor. Even if it was a deadly poison that kills instantly upon contact with blood, it would have been diluted by Suxi's blood."
Little Jinliu was so confused by what she said that I felt powerless again. I grabbed a handful of my hair and said, "...Forget it. Why am I telling you all this?"
As I expected, when I entered the inner hall, the imperial doctors with extensive experience in resolving poisoning disputes had already identified the type of poison and started to prepare the antidote.
The air in the inner hall was filled with a strong smell of medicine. Everyone had calmed down. The imperial physicians gathered in a group and talked in low voices, while the palace maids came and went like the wind, carrying basins and bowls.
Li Siyan lay on his dragon bed with his eyes closed.
The person who is usually as omnipotent as a god will now be confused and at the mercy of others.
──This may be the emperor's most vulnerable moment. I only need to pinch his neck lightly to take his life.
But how dare I...
With mixed feelings in my heart, I turned my head away in anger.
"Chen Ying."
Wen Baibi's calm voice floated from the side.
She was sitting on a chair, her lake blue skirt blooming at her feet like a flower.
I knelt and bowed, saluting her: "Your Majesty the Queen."
"No need to be so polite, sit down and talk." She said calmly, "What's going on?"
I told Pingsheng everything he had done today in detail.
Wen Baibi listened attentively, his expression calm.
"Chen Ying's words are absolutely true, please understand, Your Majesty," I said sullenly, "...His injury has nothing to do with me, and I even specifically told him not to come out... Who knew he would be so stupid?"
I didn't want the Queen to punish me for this, so I tried to explain it as clearly as possible, but I also understood that as the last person to have contact with Pingsheng, I must be involved.
But what I didn't expect was that after hearing this, Wen Baibi just nodded and concluded, "It really has nothing to do with you."
I looked at her in surprise.
The elegant and dignified Empress raised her jade cup, drank a steady sip of cold water, and said to me, "The Imperial Physician just reported to me that Your Majesty won't wake up until at least tomorrow. The Purple Palace is crowded tonight, and I'm worried you won't be able to rest well. So, please stay in my Hanliang Palace."
Move...move to Hanliang Palace?
I was stunned. I looked at Li Siyan lying on the couch, and then at Wen Baibi who looked calm and composed. I wondered what this legitimate couple was up to.
"Don't be afraid," Wen Baibi said kindly, "I have no ill will towards you."
Although I felt that her expression was very sincere, I did not dare to obey her completely.
I understand how many people I have blocked in the palace. Li Siyan did not let me leave the Purple Palace. In addition to satisfying his tyrannical possessiveness, he was also secretly protecting me and preventing me from dying at the hands of the women in the harem.
With so many concerns, I could only say, "Chen Ying thanks the Queen for her kindness, but... His Majesty has ordered me not to leave the Purple Palace. If I leave like this, he will definitely cause trouble for me when he wakes up. I'm afraid..."
Wen Baibi did not insist, but said regretfully: "Forget it then."
She stood up gently and continued, "This matter involves many things. You are the last person to see that girl. There are some details that need to be inquired about. It is not convenient to talk here. Let's go to the imperial study."
"Okay." I agreed confusedly.
Wen Baibi and I went to the imperial study together, but unexpectedly we were stopped by Qingfu at the door.
I just felt it was unreasonable: "If I can go in, why can't the Queen?"
Qingfu bowed and said meticulously, "His Majesty has ordered that except for Madam Shen and the servants who do the daily cleaning, no one else is allowed to enter without being summoned."
"Then I'll have to trouble Manager Yang to find a place for us to talk." Wen Baibi said lightly.
Qingfu was obviously reluctant and pondered for a long time.
But the queen is the queen after all. The emperor is now unconscious, and she is the only master of the Forbidden Palace. Even Qingfu has to obey her demands.
So, after a cup of tea, Qingfu took the two of us to a side hall that had not been used for a long time, closed the door, and waited outside with the guards.
Seeing Qingfu's look of being in a state of panic, Wen Baibi actually laughed, with a hint of contempt in his smile.
She rolled up her sleeves, looked at her nails and said, "Only when you can't hold on to something will you guard it so closely."
There is a hidden meaning.
I poured her some water and said nothing.
"I wanted to come and see you before, but the emperor kept a close eye on you and didn't allow the concubines to visit, so I was delayed until today." Wen Baibi said gently.
"It is Chen Ying who is unworthy to pay a visit to Her Majesty the Queen."
"No need to be so reserved with me."
She glanced towards the inner hall again, a hint of disgust in her eyes, and said in a very soft voice, "Thankfully, I finally waited until he was assassinated and unconscious, so I could seize the opportunity to see you."
I couldn't believe my ears and said in disbelief, "Empress... Empress?"
This is so weird.
When the emperor was assassinated, she, the queen, not only did not go to attend to him, but she even seemed very happy. She treated me, a person of unknown origin, better than she treated the emperor.
She held my shoulders and whispered, "Shh, walls have ears."
After saying that, he glanced to the side again.
The door was not closed, there was only a screen with Qingfu's shadow reflected on it.
A cool breeze blew and I broke out in a cold sweat, vaguely feeling that something unexpected was waiting for me ahead.
Wen Baibi still looked calm and composed. He raised his deep, lake-like eyes and said, "I have something to discuss with you. What do you think?"
After saying that, she took out a piece of paper she had written in advance from her belt and solemnly spread it out in front of me.
There are four big words written on it: Escape from the shell.
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
──This is the second huge shock I encountered today after Pingsheng.
Who escaped? Who else could be in the Purple Palace? It could only be me.
Is she...trying to get me out of the palace? To get me out of the Emperor's trap?
It took me a full half cup of tea to digest this fact. Wen Baibi, the queen of a country, the emperor's legal wife, my destined sister-in-law, she wanted me to leave the emperor?
I felt dizzy and realized that the way I got up today was wrong, otherwise why would the things that happened be so outrageous.
She said slowly, "Concubine Wei has repeatedly tried to invite you to a banquet, but His Majesty has always refused. Now that Concubine Wei has come to me, I will tell you about this matter. If you wish to go, why not persuade His Majesty? Once he agrees, you can leave the Purple Palace."
"Oh...oh." I nodded mechanically.
She was talking about something irrelevant while taking out a note and handing it to me.
I took it with great trepidation, opened it, and found that it was covered with regular script the size of green beans, covering two full pages. It was an extremely detailed escape plan, from the early preparations, to the mid-term implementation, to the final conclusion, every step was incredibly rigorous.
To put it simply, I was asked to find a way to ask Li Siyan for a new palace to move to so as to get rid of the strict guards of the Purple Palace. Then Wen Baibi would arrange my identity and travel guide after I left. Finally, when Li Siyan went hunting or offering sacrifices to heaven, a fire would be faked to make him think that I died from the infighting in the harem.
Wen Baibi even noted the reason for her choice: she felt that this way of dying would make her unrecognizable and she would not be recognized, and it would also make Li Siyan feel that he owed me, and thus treat my family well.
Although it was inappropriate, I still sighed in my heart: As expected of a queen, she is truly wise and brave, daring to think and act...
She asked me again, "What do you think?"
I clutched the two pages of paper, my eyes fixed unfocusedly ahead.
Is my heart moved? Of course I am. After all, I hate Li Siyan so much, I hate him to the core, but I am also very scared. No matter how crazy or mean Li Siyan is, we have been together for more than two years, and I think I understand him.
And what about Wen Baibi? I only knew that she was beautiful, a top noble lady in Chang'an, and the empress of the imperial court. But apart from these titles, I knew nothing about her personality and abilities. I had no idea of her background, so naturally, I had no way of judging whether she truly wanted to help me.
What if she burned me to death in the fire to save trouble and then disguised it as suicide? I would be in big trouble.
Seeing me hesitate, Wen Baibi said softly, "Don't worry, I have my reasons for helping you."
I calmed down and looked up to answer, but I found that she was looking at me with a look of attachment and sadness.
I was stunned for a moment.
There was a deep sadness hidden in her expression, but it was very restrained, properly hidden under the still mask. Only a faint glimmer of tears could be seen in her eyes. I had never seen her like this before. It was as if she was parting the smoke and clouds of time, looking through my face, and seeing another person who would never come back.
"Empress?" I changed my posture uneasily.
She had seen enough and slowly lowered her eyes.
Perhaps the more he felt that his behavior was absurd, Wen Baibi pulled the corner of his mouth and said softly:
"You look a lot like Shen Qing."
I was stunned again.
Shen Qing is my brother's name.
My brother was forced to death in front of the Xuanzheng Hall by Li Siyan two years ago. For the sake of his integrity as a historian, he gave up his clean and upright life with his own hands, turned into a handful of yellow earth, and slept forever in the Shen family tomb on the outskirts of Chang'an.
I didn't expect her to talk about her brother. The scar that had been covered in dust for a long time started to hurt again, and my nose couldn't help but feel sore.
It turns out that there are still people in the world who remember him.
I immediately let my guard down around her and said with a bitter smile, "The elders always say that, but my brother is much better looking than me."
Wen Baibi smiled and said, "Really?"
She glanced at Qingfu and lowered her voice, but a smile could still be heard in her soft voice: "But your brother always thinks he is too delicate and lacks masculinity."
I blinked in surprise.
My brother never tells anyone about his little troubles with his appearance. He has only mentioned it to his own siblings once or twice. How could Wen Baibi know about it?
So he asked hesitantly, "Did the Queen recognize my brother before?"
After asking, I remembered that her father almost grabbed my brother from the back of a horse during a parade and brought him to the Wen Mansion to be a son-in-law. As one of the parties involved, it was difficult for Wen Baibi not to know my brother.
But... this relationship seems to be more than just acquaintance...
A pink little guess emerged in my mind, and my jaw slowly dropped.
“You…you guys…”
"Yes." Wen Baibi admitted it readily.
I felt like she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"It's a long story, but if I didn't tell you, you wouldn't believe me." She said, "You should know about the incident of catching a son-in-law from the list. It wasn't a coincidence. I originally asked my father to catch him. That was the first time I met him, and it was also the brightest day of my life."
In the lonely side hall of the Purple Palace, she spoke to the fine dust floating in the air, and in a voice that only the two of us could hear, she recounted a distant and bright past.
The story begins when Wen Baibi runs away from home on a whim. She rejects the 20th blind date arranged by her father for the son of a wealthy family and goes to a teahouse alone to watch the parade of new scholars.
When Minister Wen came, Wen Baibi smiled at her helpless father, raised her slender finger downstairs, pointed at the handsome and elegant third place winner on Zaohong Horse and said: If you must get married, choose him.
What happened next is the version I know. My father wasn't happy about my brother marrying into the Wen family and told him to establish his career first. Minister Wen was annoyed that my brother didn't appreciate his kindness, so the matter was put on hold. But what I didn't know was...
My brother was secretly having an affair with Bai Cai outside without telling the family! No... to be more precise, it should be said that Bai Cai was the one who was unilaterally taken away by him.
this……
I was speechless and said to the heavens: "It's hidden so well, there's not even a clue."
Looking down at the detailed escape plan written by Wen Baibi, I deeply felt that she and my brother were a perfect match. They both did things in the same way and everything was flawless.
Maybe I can really trust Wen Baibi...A woman who can win my brother's favor must have countless outstanding qualities.
"When I first met you, you were only thirteen years old, following your brother to the New Year's Lantern Festival with him." She measured his height: "...about this tall."
I searched my mind for memories of when I was thirteen, and recalled many trivial and warm fragments.
But there was no sign of her.
"I've seen you, but you've never seen me. Your brother wanted to secretly let you call me sister-in-law, but I refused because I was afraid you would tell your father." She held her cheek with her hand, her beautiful eyes filled with a smile.
"...I was wondering why he disappeared as soon as he turned around. It turns out he went to see you." I was speechless again.
"Yes, come to see me." Wen Baibi said, "He said that if I need him, he will come to me even if he has to cross mountains and seas."
"It's just that he broke his promise." Wen Baibi turned his head away, looking dejected. "The mountains and seas in the world can be leveled, but no one can transcend life and death."
Due to some strange mistake, they are separated forever and the story ends abruptly.
When we met again, she had become the queen of the country, and I was the pet that her husband was obsessed with. It shows how unpredictable life is.
"But why would Her Majesty help me?" I asked hesitantly, "Is it because she's my sister-in-law... or because she's the Empress of the Dynasty?"
She didn't hesitate for a second and said firmly: "Of course it's for you."
"I was the one who started the fire at the Wen Mansion in April," she said calmly. "Father acted on his own initiative and agreed to the Emperor's proposal. But I have a grudge against the thief Li for murdering my husband. I would rather burn myself to death than sit on the throne of Empress."
I blurted out in shock: "It's you!"
"Hush." Wen Baibi quickly signaled me to speak softly. Seeing Qingfu's shadow floating over again, she said to the outside of the door, "It's me. I guess I forgot to leave my name when I gave you the gift that year, which caused these misunderstandings."
I came back to my senses and, in an artificially raised voice, said, "Thank you, Queen. I love that scroll very much."
Qingfu's shadow moved for a moment, then slowly moved away.
I breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "Why do you have to do this? Li Siyan is definitely not a good match. If the Empress doesn't want her, why did she enter the palace?"
She laughed at herself and said, "Not everything in life goes as planned."
Seeing her gloomy expression, I didn't ask any further.
No matter how willful and rebellious Wen Baibi is, she is the only legitimate daughter of the Wen family. The success and failure of the clan rests on her shoulders, and she has no control over many things.
Since she did not die in the fire she had started, she could only accept her fate, marry the executioner who killed her lover, and look back on the warmth of the past on countless cold and lonely nights.
"Can you trust me now?" she whispered. "The clan needs me to be the queen, so I can't be free. But you can, Yingying. Your brother said he hopes you can live a happy and ordinary life. I'm helpless now and can't take care of myself. Sending you away may be the only thing I can do for him."
"What do you think?"
Her eyes looked fixed on me.
She spoke so earnestly and sincerely that I almost felt the urge to agree to her immediately.
In her plan, everyone benefits. I get freedom and fly away to pursue the life I want. She gives her last bit of strength to her former lover. Most importantly, my family will not lose the emperor's protection because of my death. Li Siyan will repay his past debts out of guilt.
Everyone is happy, but one person is miserable.
I turned my head unconsciously, my unfocused gaze extending across the screen, across the palace door, across the magnificent dragon bed carved with gold and jade, and finally landing on Li Siyan, whose face was pale and whose lips were purple.
He is the dog emperor who killed my loved ones.
He forced me into the palace, destroyed my happy marriage, and ruined my ideals and future as a historian. He is such a wicked dog emperor.
I really wanted to agree to Wen Baibi and tell her that I was fed up with life in the palace and that I would make any sacrifice as long as I could leave.
But when the words came to my lips, I recalled the drop of blood that Li Siyan had dropped on my eyelashes. It seemed as if that drop of blood had dripped from my eyelashes into my throat, choking my instinctive choice.
At the moment of life and death, he rushed towards me without hesitation, and the anxiety in his eyes was extremely clear. Only then did I realize that his usual indifference and strength were all pretended. In fact, he cared about me more than I thought, and was also more vulnerable.
I should be as hard-hearted as I was before, and step hard on his belly when he fell to the ground, but... but why do I feel a little guilty?
Should I wait until he is fully recovered before leaving? But by then, will I still be able to leave?
I clenched my teeth, thinking of a battle between two armies that would end in a bloody battle with no outcome.
Wen Baibi had been observing my expression the entire time. Seeing that I was silent for a long time and looked lost, he knew that I hadn't made up my mind yet. He sighed and said, "Although he treats you well now, there's a deep blood feud between us, and this relationship won't last forever. Do you really want to be soft on him?"
"It's not that I'm soft-hearted..." I struggled to describe my feelings. "He's always been the one who owed me, but now it's suddenly me who owes him. I'm a little uncomfortable with this, but I think it'll be fine in a few days."
"You don't owe him a penny." Wen Baibi said calmly, "People like him have committed many evil deeds and have no sense of shame. They deserve to go to hell."
I agreed with it and nodded repeatedly.
"Well, this matter requires long-term consideration. Come to me after you have figured it out. I can arrange it for you at any time." Wen Baibi said.
She glanced at me and continued, "I know that when someone who has done evil suddenly shows kindness, it is always touching. But I believe you can distinguish between good and evil. The emperor is definitely not worthy of your softness."
I lowered my head in guilt, feeling that Wen Baibi was teaching me a lesson silently. Her voice was gentle, but there was an irrefutable sense of certainty in it.
Li Siyan’s evaluation of me was correct: I am soft-hearted and pedantic.
Not only them, I also hate myself.
But no matter what, at this moment I really can't agree to her without any psychological burden.
Wait a little longer, I thought.
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