0p0 Chapter 310 Yu Jie is leaving
Chapter 310 Yu Jie is leaving
As night fell, inside the Phoenix Palace
Lan Zhi sat in front of the bronze mirror, watching Xiangxiu comb her hair, and said softly:
"Xiangxiu, I can tell that my older brother has always liked you. Haven't you ever thought about him?"
Upon being reminded of this, Xiangxiu's face immediately turned red, and she hurriedly shook her head.
"I have said before that I only wish to stay by Your Majesty's side for the rest of my life and will never remarry."
"But you still need a place to belong!"
"I am willing to serve you for the rest of my life. When I get old and useless, I will find a temple to live a vegetarian life and pray for you and the Emperor. So please don't worry about me. Instead, worry about Ah Qi!"
Ah Qi, who was arranging the hairpins, pursed her lips and smiled helplessly.
"I'd love to be in a hurry, but nobody likes me. If I had a Brother Ling who liked me like that, I would definitely marry him without hesitation. Besides, he's the Empress's older brother now, and he has a bright future ahead of him."
"Don't you like Brother Yuan?"
Xiangxiu saw right through Aqi's thoughts, and Aqi immediately blushed, shaking her head in denial.
"Xiangxiu, don't talk nonsense. Brother Yuan is a great general. Besides, everyone knows that Princess Yujie likes Brother Yuan. How could I, a mere maid, be qualified to like him?"
Lan Zhi was powerless to help Yu Jie and Yuan Tianxiong's love triangle, but she didn't know that A Qi also liked Yuan Tianxiong.
She sighed softly and murmured:
"Yu Jie has agreed to go to Tianwu Kingdom for a political marriage, marrying the second prince of Tianwu Kingdom, Huo Qingtian. She will set off next month."
"what?"
Ah Qi stared at Lan Zhi with a look of utter astonishment.
"But...but she clearly loves Brother Yuan, how can she marry someone from a foreign country? Does Brother Yuan know about this?"
Lan Zhi nodded.
"I know, and Yu Jie asked him to personally escort her to Tianwu Kingdom, and he agreed."
Uh...
Although Aqi liked Yuan Tianxiong, she knew that she was not good enough for him and had no ability to compete with Princess Yujie for a man.
But when she heard that Yu Jie was going to marry a foreigner for political reasons, she was not happy at all; instead, she felt a little regretful.
"Is there any room for maneuver in this matter?"
Lan Zhi shook her head.
"No, the King of Tianwu Kingdom made this decision with the Emperor before he left last time. This is a matter between two countries, and once it's decided, there's no going back."
"What can we do? Actually, Brother Yuan also likes Princess Yujie, but... but for some reason, he always avoids her. Now that she's going to marry into a foreign country, he must be regretting it to death."
Lan Zhi sighed softly, raised her hand to smooth a strand of hair at her temple, and gave a bitter smile.
I don't know if he regrets it or not, but I do know that if I don't fight for what I want, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
At this point, she took the earrings from Xiangxiu's hand, and while putting them on, she said:
"You are the closest people to me. Although I want to keep you by my side forever, you can't stay with me forever. I hope you can be happy..."
Although she spoke lightly, her words seemed to carry a hidden meaning.
Xiangxiu lowered her head, biting her lip in resentment, not daring to make a sound.
It's not that she doesn't like Brother Ling, she just doesn't dare to like him or accept him.
……
The next morning, Ling Jiawei brought Cui Shi and Ling Laoda into the palace.
He shouldn't have brought them, but they were his parents after all, and they almost knelt down to beg him. He had no choice but to shamelessly take them outside the Phoenix Palace.
"You all wait here. I'll go in and ask Her Majesty the Empress. If she's willing to see you, then you can; if not, there's nothing I can do."
Madam Cui and Old Master Ling nodded hastily.
"Okay, go in and talk to her properly. Tell her we know we were wrong and we will never dare to offend her again."
At this point, Cui and Ling realized that their previous treatment of Lan Zhi was completely wrong.
They no longer expect Lan Zhi to forgive them; they only ask that she spare Ling Lanhua, for the sake of the people who raised her, and let her go back to the countryside with them.
Ling Jiawei arrived at Fengyi Palace, hesitated for a long time, but ultimately did not open his mouth.
Lan Zhi put down her teacup and asked in surprise,
"Brother, you must have something to say since you came so early in the morning. Just say what you need to say."
Ling Jiawei then gritted his teeth and timidly replied:
"My father and mother have come; they want to see you."
Lan Zhi immediately became slightly angry.
"What are they doing here? Who let them into the palace?"
Hearing the displeasure in her tone, Old Master Ling quickly lifted his robe and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was I who took it upon myself to bring the two of them into the palace. They said they wanted to see Your Majesty. If Your Majesty does not grant their request, I will send them back immediately."
Lan Zhi frowned slightly and waved her hand, saying:
"Since they're already here, let them in!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will go and fetch them now."
Ling Jiawei hurriedly got up and rushed towards the door, while Lan Zhi elegantly raised her teacup and continued drinking her tea.
In a short while, Elder Ling and Madam Cui came before her and knelt down.
"This humble subject greets Your Majesty the Empress..."
Lan Zhi glanced at them indifferently, then raised her hand and said:
"Get up!"
Before, they ignored her, but now they have to kowtow to her when they see her.
This role reversal is truly laughable.
"I heard you want to see me. If you have something to say, then say it!"
Seeing this, Cui swallowed hard and said in fear:
"We have come here today to beg you to grant us leniency and release Ling Lanhua from the palace. We promise that she will not speak ill of us outside the palace, that she will stay in the village and never come out again, and that we will absolutely not let her tell outsiders about the affairs of the harem."
Boss Ling nodded in agreement.
"Yes, as long as we don't let her die of old age in the palace, we'll do anything, Lan Zhi!"
"Shut up."
Before Boss Ling could finish speaking, Ah Qi, who was standing to the side, interrupted him sharply.
"How dare you address the Empress by her given name! Do you have a death wish?"
Ling Laoda was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt down.
"This humble subject was wrong. This humble subject meant no other. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Looking at Ling Laoda, who used to look down on her, now treated her like a cat, and was about to kneel down and apologize for saying the wrong thing, Lan Zhi suddenly realized that it was good to have power. At least, no one would bully her anymore.
She waved her hand calmly.
"Get up!"
Only then did Boss Ling stand up, trembling, and bow, saying:
“Your Majesty, what I mean is that Lan Hua is just eating and living in the Cold Palace for free, and she doesn’t serve any purpose. Why don’t we take her back? She’s our only daughter…”
At this point, Ling Laoda began to choke up. Seeing this, Cui Shi tugged at his sleeve and whispered a reminder.
"One must not be disrespectful in front of the Empress."
She then looked at Lan Zhi, and with a 'thump,' knelt on the ground again.
"Your Majesty, I beg you, please plead with the Emperor to release Lan Hua from the Cold Palace. I'm so afraid... so afraid that, given her personality, she'll go crazy in the Cold Palace..."
At this moment, both Ling Laoda and Ling Jiawei knelt down.
"Your Majesty, I know that Ling Lanhua has done many wrong things in the past, and she now knows she was wrong. Please, I beg you, go and plead with the Emperor to release her!"