Chapter 272: Chapter 272: To the Emperor, All but Himself Are Ants
Cui Yun brought Shen Hua back to the East Courtyard, removed her bandages to check the injury, and fortunately, it wasn’t swollen. He estimated that she would be able to walk normally in a few days, and after a sigh of relief, he reapplied the medicine on the girl.
After some delay, lunch was served on Shen Hua’s side.
While eating, Shen Hua couldn’t help but ask mid-way.
"Back then, the rushed cancellation of the marriage between the Wen Family and the Eastern Palace, what exactly happened?"
Cui Yun remained silent but did not hide it from her.
"My cousin took arsenic.
Shen Hua suddenly looked up, still remembering what Wei Yingying had mentioned about the affairs of Prince Zhou’s residences:
Previously, a girl from the Zhou Family hung herself to death.
Latterly, the legitimate second daughter of the Wen Family took poison.
Both were the misdeeds of marriages bestowed by Emperor He.
But he is the Emperor, and in the eyes of the world, the Emperor can do no wrong.
Cui Yun concealed his sarcasm: "That year, Duke Wen and his wife entered the Imperial Palace to confess their guilt, kneeling in the hall without rising. They knocked their heads until they bled, begging the official family to send for an Imperial Physician to save her life."
The Emperor was enraged.
He refused to see them.
"Ni Kang intervened just in time to save her life."
In reality, by that time, Wen Yiran had already accepted her fate.
Day after day, she reminded the girl in the copper mirror.
Don’t be sad.
The position of Crown Princess Consort is coveted by many.
Yet, she was too afraid of Ji Huo.
—"Being the sole Princely Heir, I will become the Emperor of the Daqi Dynasty in the future, how could Xuan Chen compare? The girl I fancy can only be mine."
—"To win you over, I’ve spent years devising plans and collaborating with the dearly loving Prince Guo, only then did Father relent."
—"Why hide? Cannot even touch? Haven’t you and Xuan Chen ever been intimate? I don’t mind if you’re ’dirty’."
There wasn’t any; Xuan Chen and she had always kept it respectful and proper.
Ji Huo then took her to another courtyard.
In front of her, he pressed a Maid against the window and committed that act.
It was disgustingly vile.
She was still an unmarried girl, how could she endure such humiliation?
Yet, after Ji Huo was satisfied, he came to kiss her lips. This time, she resisted the nausea and didn’t dare to dodge.
Fortunately, Ji Huo wasn’t in a rush to touch her further at the moment.
But he forced her to understand a principle.
"My affection could be given to you or someone else. I am the support you rely on for your whole life, you have to obey."
The girl felt chills all over her body. Ji Huo heavily tapped her chest as he sinisterly said.
—"Here, can only belong to me."
Gradually, Wen Yiran grew thinner.
The Second Lady of Duke Wen’s Mansion; her grandfather was a founding hero and had once saved the late Emperor.
With older legitimate sister and brother above, younger brothers and sisters below.
One more or one less of her wouldn’t matter.
Her nightly nausea and vomiting, how could she imagine what life in the Eastern Palace would be like? Her tightly strung nerve completely snapped.
"Rumors started spreading widely, and the matter of the Zhou Family girl was brought up by the public again, old matters revisited."
People are always like this.
When Wen Yiran was betrothed to the Crown Prince, everyone praised her as a phoenix, boasting of her good fortune.
Now they began to complain, heralding that it was a replay of the Zhou Family girl’s tragedy.
Coincidentally, at that time, the Northwestern battles were being lost one after another. Moreover, there were no capable soldiers or generals left in court. The heir of Duke Fu’s Mansion, Xie Xun, along with the only son left by General Jin, left for war again, with no known return.
The situation was already tense.
As they saw the dragon vein of Daqi fluctuating, the official family still had the mind to oppress a girl.
How absurd?
Literati and poets accused with every word, the Imperial Censorate criticized in every sentence.
Emperor He was most concerned about face.
In the end, this matter was resolved with an imperial decree that annulled the marriage. Duke Wen sent Wen Yiran back to her ancestral home, marking the final curtain.
Shen Hua was pushing her rice around her plate, not bothering to pick up the vegetables.
Her thoughts were heavy: "The official family has never offended anyone?"
"In the Wen Family Ancestral Hall, there hangs an imperial gold medal, with this item present, ’disaster’ cannot reach the entire family."
Imperial gold medal?
Shen Hua remembered, Ji Huo had one too.
Suddenly, she said very seriously, "If I were her, I definitely wouldn’t renew the past relationship with Cousin Chen upon returning."
Maybe she has never loved anyone. She doesn’t understand the taste of love. They say that a broken mirror can be mended, but once broken it’s still broken. No matter what, there will always be cracks.
"I’m not afraid of Cousin laughing at me, but I’ve always been baffled by these four words that can devour a girl alive—male superiority over female."
Shen Hua didn’t understand.
Why can men remarry, while a woman, once divorced, has no way out.
What’s more ridiculous is that among those who gossip and ridicule, it’s mostly other women.
Why do women make it hard for other women?
"Clearly from the beginning to the end, sister-in-law Wen Yiran is the one who has suffered the most."
Shen Hua rubbed her pert nose: "If I were her, I would not be happy becoming a stepmother."
Saying this, she irritably pushed away the bowl.
Even using her uninjured leg, she kicked the underside of the table.
"So annoying."
"How could your cousin have a child with the daughter of Prince Guo? The sister-in-law could even swallow poison. How could he—"
While speaking, Shen Hua also felt that her words were somewhat unreasonable.
After seeing the helplessness in Cui Yun’s eyes, she suddenly stopped speaking.
Cui Yun hadn’t told her about the matters concerning the Imperial Guard.
"That year, for a whole month after the wedding night, cousin stayed in the study."
The daughter of Prince Guo was fond of Xuan Chen, but Xuan Chen was indifferent. How could she, with her esteemed status, bear it?
Cui Yun’s thin lips moved slightly.
"The next month, the aunt’s carriage lost control for no reason and ran madly. If not for Xuan Chen arriving just in time, she probably would have already lost her life."
This was a warning from Prince Guo.
Later, Prince Guo made a trip to the Imperial Palace.
"Right after that, uncle was punished with thirty heavy blows for failing to discipline his child,"
This was a reproof from Emperor He.
Uncle Yong Chang, a civil servant, how could he withstand it.
His legs were almost broken, the wounds bleeding profusely. Even now, they ache terribly on rainy days.
Who will be the next one?
That year, Marquis Yangling Mansion fell like a meteor, the Northwest conflict had not yet begun, and looking around, there was no one in the court who could threaten him, Emperor He was at the height of his power.
Just because Xuan Chen hadn’t consummated his marriage, it was seen as a blatant provocation in his eyes.
That night, Xuan Chen went to the pear garden and met Cui Yun, who had just been cured of the poisonous insect poison, and learned too many secrets.
The residence of Earl Yong Chang is indeed noble, but it’s all the achievements left by his ancestors.
That is also why Cui Xuan was compelled to marry into the Cui family as a second wife.
Earl Yong Chang had no real power.
Nor did Xuan Chen.
He is the only son of Earl Yong Chang’s residence. The honor or disgrace of the whole family weighed on him alone. Along with that, he carried the burden of the rise and fall of his family and the lives of the Xuan Clan.
Below the imperial power, no one could remain unaffected.
That one time, Shi Lingling conceived.
He truly accomplished the task.
But ultimately, he betrayed Wen Yiran.
Cui Yun coldly stated, "Under imperial power, humans have their ranks and classes, but to the emperor, except for himself, all are mere ants."
Shen Hua stopped talking.
The girl glanced at him sullenly.
On the day of the spring hunt, she wanted to personally see that detestable old fool, Emperor He.
She counted on her fingers again, there were quite a few things she needed to bring when going out.
The girl couldn’t help but think.
By the time of the spring hunt, if she is still not vomiting blood and feeling heartache, her body must indeed be alright.
Then she—
Must return to Fengzhou City in glory!!
Regain the embroidery workshop, then recreate its former splendor.
And finally—find a husband for herself!!