Chapter 76 Mother's Heart
The mother and daughter were silent for a long time. Hu Shanxiang asked her daughter to sit in front of her. She took a deep breath and said, "You have been smart since you were a child. You should know what that means."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly, but seemed to be carrying a heavy burden.
In this era, it is excessive to have such an idea. Even in her era, "ambition" should not belong to her, let alone realizing this ambition.
Although Hu Shanxiang is her biological mother and the closest person to her in this world, everything that shapes Hu Shanxiang comes from this era and society. Zhu Yuhuan expected that Hu Shanxiang could not understand or accept it.
She was able to frankly admit her thoughts to Hu Shanxiang because Hu Shanxiang still had hope in her heart and was still thinking about her and Tongtong, her two daughters.
Unexpectedly, Hu Shanxiang became calmer after hearing her words. She just looked at Zhu Yuhuan quietly, and after a while she said, "This road is the hardest for you." When she said this, there was obviously some self-blame and guilt in her tone.
Zhu Yuhuan understood the hidden meaning of his mother's words. Hu Shanxiang felt guilty for not giving her daughter a body that would allow her to display her talents in this era.
If Zhu Yuhuan were a man, with her intelligence and ability, everything would become much simpler, even logical.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't expect Hu Shanxiang's first reaction to be this, but she still held her mother's hand tightly and said, "I have never regretted being your daughter."
If she was the daughter of Concubine Sun, Zhu Yuhuan might not have reached this point today. After all, people are lazy, and the saying "Born in adversity, die in comfort" is exactly true.
Hu Shanxiang also held her hand back, feeling the scars and calluses on her daughter's palm, and said softly, "Mother... I don't know how you should go on this path, and I don't know if this is the right path at all. This path is very dangerous. If I ask His Majesty to revoke his order, perhaps..."
Even in history, no one could serve as a reference for Zhu Yuhuan. This road leads to a terrifying unknown, where everything is pitch black and boundless, with no room for error.
More importantly, no one except his family would understand Zhu Yuhuan. No matter what Zhu Yuhuan did, he could not escape the criticism.
Zhu Yuhuan said seriously, "Mother knows, I've already been on this path. Besides, I've already promised Father, and there's no turning back now." As she spoke, she suddenly smiled and said, "Mother, you forgot, you said I was the flame of your destiny. Now this fire is just trying to spread all over the prairie."
Hu Shanxiang looked at her daughter and saw the same determination as always in her smile.
If Zhu Yuhuan's purpose was simply to prevent her mother from being deposed, she could have chosen to remain silent after opening the Taiping Teahouse. At that time, her position as empress would have been stable, and Zhu Yuhuan would have had a certain amount of wealth, so it would not have been difficult for her to live a comfortable life.
But when Zhu Yuhuan said this, she showed a rare wavering tone. She hesitated for a moment, then said to Hu Shanxiang, "Actually, I know that Mother will be afraid, and I also know that I am forcing Mother to stand with me by saying this... I understand that Mother will be afraid, and may even be frightened and in fear for her life because of me, but I will not retreat."
Hu Shanxiang held back the tears in her eyes and said, "I'm not afraid of anything, but I'm afraid of your life..."
She knew that if she had been deposed, she probably would not have lived for many years. Her parents were old, and she had not seen her brothers and sisters in the family for many years. Except for Hu Shanwei, they were almost strangers. The only people in the world she cared about were her two daughters.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said, "Mom, don't worry. I will protect myself no matter what. You two are here for me."
Besides, Zhu Yuhuan was also very clear that now was not the best time. She just wanted to inform her mother in advance so that Hu Shanxiang could have an idea.
Hu Shanxiang was silent for a long time, then said, "Apart from the Imperial Concubine, I have arranged for the concubines to take turns tending to the patient these days."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned, and asked in confusion, "Why didn't the imperial concubine attend to the sick?"
Hu Shanxiang shook her head and said, "Ever since His Majesty issued the decree for you to enter the monastery, the Imperial Concubine has not set foot outside of Changle Palace. Furthermore, she has to attend to the sick, so I let her rest well in the palace. She doesn't have to attend to the sick or pay respects."
Zhu Yuhuan thought for a moment and said, "The New Year is coming soon, and Daddy is very busy. There will be various sacrifices, big and small, and greetings from the court officials. Mother and I will need to pay close attention to it. Daddy certainly doesn't want the officials to see his sick appearance."
Hu Shanxiang understood what Zhu Yuhuan meant, nodded slightly, and said, "I understand."
It’s not that Zhu Yuhuan wanted to hold Zhu Zhanji hostage, but looking at the way Zhu Zhanji was making his will, he knew that he probably anticipated that he didn’t have much time left and was making arrangements for his funeral.
Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Yuhuan had been father and daughter for many years, but Zhu Yuhuan still hoped that he could die in a dignified manner.
On December 24th and 26th, Zhu Zhanji received greetings from his civil and military officials as usual. However, he had to wear formal attire on both days, which prevented him from simply addressing them. Zhu Zhanji's already fragile health took a toll on him throughout the day. The concubines who had been tending to him also vaguely sensed something was wrong. As soon as they emerged from the Palace of Heavenly Purity, they rushed to Hu Shanxiang's side, each with tears in their eyes. Although they didn't cry or make a scene, the underlying meaning was written on their faces.
Your Majesty seems to be in trouble, so what should they do?
Hu Shanxiang could only warn these concubines not to talk nonsense, saying that His Majesty was appointed by Heaven and had boundless blessings, and that it was just a minor illness.
The concubines naturally understood that no matter how well the Empress treated them on a daily basis, she treated them no differently when it came to His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. Especially since the usually favored Princess Shunde had now been forced to become a Taoist nun, the Empress herself was probably struggling to protect herself, so how could she care for them? Therefore, the concubines simply sobbed for a while before returning home.
In fact, they had thought about this day long before entering the palace. They knew that if they followed His Majesty to die, their families would receive compensation. But no matter how good the compensation was, it was not theirs. Who doesn't want to live a good life?
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