The document is clear to the world

Chapter 44

"Xiao Yi..."

"What exactly do you value? The Prince of Huainan's Mansion, Nalan Manor, the leader of the martial arts alliance—you don't want any of it? Even my brother…you can give up everything? Of course you don't care about these things. No matter how good Huainan is, it can't compare to the splendor of the Prince of Ning's Mansion. And no matter how prestigious the position of the martial arts alliance leader is, it can't compare to the power and influence of the Princess of Ning, can it? So…you've always cared about these things. If I hadn't followed you all this way, how could I have believed what I was seeing…"

"I want you to experience all the pain, every bit of suffering, every bit of vulnerability, I want you to taste it all yourself..." He said the last sentence through gritted teeth.

With a trembling smile, I looked at him and said, "So... in the hunting grounds, that sword, the one that pierced the Seventh Prince, was it you?"

He stared at me blankly, his voice low and hoarse, "Shouldn't I have been even more ruthless and killed that Fourth Master you had an ambiguous relationship with as well?"

I shook my head heavily. "That day, if I hadn't entered the hunting grounds, do you think you would still have had a chance to escape? If you had hurt Fourth Master, do you think you could still be sitting here safely? But... you must remember, I can't protect you all the time, or protect you in everything. Perhaps, one day, I won't even be able to protect myself."

How could I not see that the sword that pierced Lu Li that day was Xiao Xuan's personal possession?

Xiao Xuan left the sword to Xiao Yi, who then dramatically used it to injure Lu Li.

Back at the palace, Lan Ruo was sitting in the garden talking to Lu Li with a smile. I was planning to walk around to the other side of Louis, but unfortunately Lu Li had already seen me.

"Why did it take you so long?" Lu Li said as soon as he saw me.

“Choosing and choosing will always take some time.” As I was saying this, Lan Ruo smiled slightly and withdrew.

Lu Li turned around and walked into the house, and I followed.

As soon as I stepped into the room, he dismissed the servants, plopped down at the desk, and didn't say a word or even look up at me.

Liu Shang carefully brought the tea over, only to hear Lu Li say rudely, "Get out."

Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. He was scolding my maid, and I got anxious too. I quickly threw the handkerchief in my hand and said, "What? If you're angry, come at me. Don't act like you look down on everyone. If you don't like our main house, go to the other side of the courtyard. You can have fun in the garden, I don't care."

"The crown prince has been deposed."

This sentence struck me like a thunderbolt to my heart.

"How could this be..." I gasped, the words "so fast" barely escaping my lips.

"I just want to know, is the Crown Prince's deposition unrelated to your Rong family? Are you... also an outsider?" Lu Li's expression darkened.

Am I... an outsider? My aunt's words and the Emperor's words were clear and distinct. Can I really ignore them?

"All I can say is," I tilted my head slightly, "that the Crown Prince being deposed... is not what I hoped for."

“Expectations?” Lu Li stared intently at me, as if trying to see through everything I was trying to hide. “Then what expectations does the Rong family have? Am I among them? Or rather, you married into the family not just to win over a prince, but have you ever thought about a higher position? Listen, I will not fight for that position, because I do not want to fight for others.”

"Does Master mean that you are unwilling to be a pawn of our family, so you don't even bother to sit in that position? Even if it were given to you for free, you wouldn't accept it?" I smiled and met his gaze without any hesitation.

"You..." He paused, about to speak, when he heard someone announce his arrival from outside the door.

"Master, Master Qin scalded his feet in the small kitchen."

Lu Li stopped talking, just glanced at me, sighed, and turned to leave.

He hadn't walked far when I stepped out the door and asked the servant, "Where is Master Qin?"

"I'm still in the kitchen right now. A clay pot fell down and burned my foot. I can't move right now."

Upon hearing this, I hurriedly walked towards the small kitchen in the courtyard. Before I even entered, I saw some servants blocking the doorway. They all looked at me and made way for me, so I squeezed in. The grease and grime in the kitchen made me feel uncomfortable. Just as I reached the doorway, I saw Lu Li carrying Lan Ruo out.

Perhaps the aisle was a bit crowded, or perhaps he was still angry, but when he saw me, he simply said coldly, "Move aside."

I glared at him and quickly backed away, but I forgot about the high doorway behind me. A wave of fear washed over me, and I fell down...

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Death of the Empress

I vaguely heard people talking outside the hall. I struggled to get up and looked myself over. Apart from a slight pain in my elbow, I wasn't injured. I placed one hand lightly on my lower abdomen, my heart pounding. A blinding ray of sunlight shone in, and I quickly raised my hand to shield my eyes.

As I slowly lowered my hand, I saw Lu Li standing not far away, lifting the curtain and looking at me awkwardly.

Thinking back to our previous argument, I couldn't help but feel angry and said, "What are you doing here, sir?"

He sighed, sat down on the edge of my bed, and looked at me with a hint of resentment. "What's wrong with you? You got pregnant but didn't tell me, and you weren't careful either. What if something had happened..."

I chuckled, "You really know how to take the blame. How did this child become yours?"

His face darkened, and he leaned closer, saying, "Can't you watch your mouth at all?"

I glared at him. Then I stopped talking.

He chuckled. "Alright. If you hadn't been quick-witted and landed on your elbow first when you fell, who knows if you'd still be in the mood to argue with me now that you're awake?"

I leaned against the bed and blew a breath of air indifferently.

Lu Li looked at me cautiously, "Are you hungry? Because of your commotion, you even missed the mealtime."

Then I remembered: "Now that you mention it, I'm starving."

"Even if you're starving, you can't eat much. Just tell them to prepare some light, soft food. What kind of flavor do you want?"

I paused for a moment, and when he asked, I replied, "Well, I didn't really have anything in mind, just make some sweet porridge."

Seeing that everyone in the room had agreed and left, he then asked, "How is Lanruo? Has the imperial physician been sent to see her?"

He stopped me and said, "Alright, I've already given the instructions over there, and there will naturally be someone to take care of you. You lie down, can't we just talk?"

"Okay, speak up. Tell me how our family has offended you this time?" I couldn't help but ask, remembering that incident.

His face darkened. "Do you know? The Crown Prince was deposed because your father-in-law exposed the Crown Prince's selling of official positions. Your father was the one who orchestrated the Crown Prince's deposition. Little do you know, was it a ruse or something else?"

I fell silent, watching the sky gradually darken. Why did Father do this? Aunt had truly abandoned the Crown Prince. This time, it wasn't the Emperor who first abandoned the Crown Prince, but the Rong family. Is the Rong family always so ruthless towards their pawns?

But chess pieces are people too.