Zhao Moyan had been on the front lines of disaster relief and hadn't returned to court, so his engagement to the Cui family had been postponed. One morning, there was a great commotion outside, with a large crowd following them from the city all the way to Tian Yu's residence in the suburbs. A servant came to report that people from the palace had arrived, and it seemed like something serious had happened. Tian Yu and Qiu Ju had just stepped out of their house when they saw a large group of palace servants walking towards them. Looking at the procession and the boxes tied with red silk, Tian Yu's eyes were lifeless. What was coming was bound to happen; she couldn't escape it. "Zhao Moyan, is this really the end for us?"
The eunuch loudly proclaimed the imperial edict in a shrill voice, but Tian Yu didn't hear a word. Qiu Ju next to her pulled her to kneel down, and she knelt down and kowtowed. After the eunuch finished reading the edict, he said, "Princess Consort, why don't you accept the edict and express your gratitude!"
The old eunuch spoke twice, but seeing that Tian Yu was lying on the ground without responding, he approached, bent down, and whispered in Tian Yu's ear, "His Majesty said that the Marquis is doing very well in Jiangnan during the disaster relief efforts, so Mr. Tian need not worry."
Tian Yu finally snapped out of her daze, glanced at the old eunuch, and accepted the imperial edict. Watching the boxes of betrothal gifts being carried into the courtyard, Tian Yu had no heart for socializing. She handed the edict to Qiu Ju and took it back to her own courtyard. Sitting at the table, she opened the edict and, looking at the words, suddenly wanted to laugh. Virtuous and kind, intelligent and wise, possessing both virtue and talent, knowledgeable and reasonable—was this a description of her? Was this the candidate for Crown Princess? The day she heard the Crown Princess had been deposed, she knew this day was not far off, but she didn't expect it to come so soon. Zhao Moyan, did you find out too?
At this moment, Zhao Moyan was reading a memorial. The deputy general hesitated for a long time outside the door, wondering whether to tell Zhao Moyan the news he had received. Zhao Moyan put down the memorial and let him in. Only then did the deputy general steel himself and present the news from the capital to Zhao Moyan. Zhao Moyan opened the letter, glanced at it, and his hand trembled. It was as if he had lost everything. He was dark and silent for a long time. Just as the deputy general was thinking about whether to say something, Zhao Moyan laughed. He laughed and then leaned on the table. All that could be seen were his trembling shoulders. The deputy general who came to report the news was in a dilemma. He quietly withdrew and closed the door.
Chen Chong, far away in the State of Chen, was also very surprised when he learned of this. He regretted not taking Tian Yu with him when they left and immediately wanted to go to the State of Wu to bring her back. However, Pei Yuling stopped him and said, "Your Highness, think about it carefully. Tian Yu may have known all along, which is why she entrusted Tangyuan to us." Chen Chong calmly recalled Tian Yu's expression and words when they left the State of Wu, but still refused to accept it, saying, "She was forced!"
“So what? Zhao Moyan is the Marquis of Wu Kingdom. Even he can’t do anything about it. What can you do? She has no choice,” Pei Yuling said. Chen Chong chose to remain silent.
Tangyuan then ran into the palace and grabbed Chen Chong, saying, "Godfather! What they're saying isn't true, is it? How could my mother marry the Crown Prince!?"
“Tangyuan, your godfather doesn’t want to lie to you, it’s true!” Chen Chong said, squatting down.
"Impossible! Mother loves Father. She will not marry the Crown Prince. I want to go back."
"Tangyuan, your mother only let you come with us because she didn't want you to face these things. Don't make her worry," Pei Yuling said, hugging Tangyuan to comfort her.
"No, I want to go back. I want to save my mother. She was forced into this."
"Tangyuan, come back with me," Wen Liang said as he walked in.
"Master, my mother is in danger, I need to go back to save her."
"He has your father, so you don't need to worry about him."
"Father!? Why didn't Father stop me? No, I have to go back. Godmother, let me go."
"Tangyuan, we'll figure something out. Just go back with Mr. Wen and I'll put you down," Pei Yuling comforted her.
"No, I want to go back and save my mother."
“What can you do to save her? Going back will only add to your mother’s burden. Think about why she suddenly agreed to let you come with me?” Wen Liang said.
After hearing his words, Tangyuan gradually calmed down and cried, "Godmother, put me down. I don't want to go back."
Pei Yuling put down Tangyuan and looked at him worriedly. Tangyuan wiped away his tears and said to Wenliang, "Master, let's go back! I haven't finished my homework for today!"
From that day on, Tangyuan never misbehaved again, nor did she ever ask to go back. Instead, she doubled down on completing the homework Wenliang assigned, losing her former childishness and seemingly growing up overnight.
Originally, after the marriage was arranged, the emperor intended for Tian Yu to move into the palace immediately and learn royal etiquette from the palace maids. However, Tian Yu said that she still had things to take care of at home and that it would not be too late to move after the New Year. The emperor thought that it was not advisable to be in too much of a hurry, so he agreed.
Tian Yu spent her days in Qinyuan, doing her own thing. The servants in the courtyard were all puzzled, but dared not ask too many questions. Every day, Tian Yu counted down the days until Zhao Moyan left. Finally, the matters in Jiangnan were dealt with, and the ministers sent there had all returned to the capital. Tian Yu began to worry about why Zhao Moyan had not yet returned. Logically speaking, the Emperor would not really take action against Zhao Moyan, but there was still no news of Zhao Moyan's return. Tian Yu, who originally did not like to go out, began to stand on a hill in the suburbs where she could see the city gate every day. She would get up early every day to climb up, and sometimes she would stand there all day.
Everyone assumed they were going to find herbs, but those around her knew that Tian Yu always climbed to the top of the mountain to look towards the city gate. At that moment, Tian Yu finally understood that fairy tales weren't entirely false; the legendary Waiting-for-Husband Stone might be real, because there really were women so devoted, so utterly foolish. The mountaintop was very cold in winter, and her hands and feet were always numb with cold when she returned. Green Willow was pregnant, and Tian Yu didn't want them to come along. Despite everyone's insistence, Gale always followed behind Tian Yu. One day, Tian Yu wasn't feeling well and woke up an hour late. By the time she reached the top, it was almost noon. Panting, Tian Yu said, "I told you not to come, but you all wouldn't listen."
"Madam, you should let Gale come along, otherwise Green Willow will ignore me."
"Green Willow is pregnant, you should spend more time with her. Women's emotions are very unstable when they are pregnant, so don't blame her."
"It's alright, not much has changed."
“You were originally Prince Wu’s bodyguard, but now you’ve become my bodyguard. There’s no future for you following me. If you don’t want to, I can have the prince transfer you back.”
"Madam! Your subordinate is willing to follow you forever."
"Now that you have Green Willow, you need to plan for your future. You can't keep risking your life for everything." Tian Yu was still worried when she thought of how they charged forward like a whirlwind when they were assassinated.
"Yes! Gale understands."
"I'm relieved that this silly girl, Green Willow, met you and has you protecting her."
"What does Madam mean by this?"
"I'll be entering the palace after the New Year, and I won't be able to stay with you anymore. Green Willow is impetuous and reckless, so please keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't cause trouble."
"Does the lady truly intend to marry the Crown Prince?"
“What a wonderful title to be the Crown Princess, why wouldn’t I want it?” Tian Yu laughed as she finished speaking, looking at the city gate in the distance. At that moment, a procession of carriages and horses came from the main road toward the city gate. Tian Yu immediately recognized the person leading the group of black horses as Zhao Moyan. Watching him arrive at the foot of the city, Tian Yu smiled and shed tears, saying to Ji Feng, “Let’s go! Let’s go back!” As she spoke, Tian Yu turned back for one last look and reluctantly descended the mountain.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
