369 He won't come! (Bonus chapter for 26,000 comments)
Updated: 2013-10-04 10:25:19 Word Count: 3525
In critical moments, it is essential to remain calm and composed in order to find the most effective solution.
Mu Yunhe lost his composure. And rightly so, he was facing his most important family member, his mother. How could he possibly remain calm? What was hateful was that he couldn't look at his mother's fate and age at this moment. His mother was already very weak, and if he used fortune-telling now, it might just take her life.
Mu Yunhe closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were clear.
"Aheng, come here." Mu Yunhe extended his hand to Luo Zhiheng, and Luo Zhiheng walked over and tightly held his hand. Mu Yunhe looked into her bright eyes and smiled gently, "It's good to have you."
“You’ve always had me, I’m always by your side, no matter when or where.” Luo Zhiheng said meaningfully.
Mu Yunhe, however, did not understand the deeper meaning, but felt even more moved. The couple went hand in hand into the inner room to see the princess.
The princess lay on the bed, her long hair disheveled, revealing strands of white. These whites, usually well-hidden, were now impossible to conceal. How many had turned white for the unfaithful prince, how many for Mu Yunhe, and how many for Mu Qingya? There were simply countless white hairs in her long hair.
But the princess's face still had a graceful charm, like a noblewoman with prematurely gray hair. How much untold sorrow and bitterness was behind this?
Mu Yunhe felt a lump in his throat and abruptly looked away. Even the princess's pale face made him want to cry.
The woman lying unconscious on the bed was a far cry from the woman Luo Zhiheng had first met. Sick, pale, haggard, and forlorn. What had changed? Had reality made her increasingly impatient? Or had the truth itself made her more vulnerable? The moment the princess lost her confidence was the instant her straight back suddenly bent, without any transition or buffer, shattered abruptly.
She, too, bore much pain and torment. How many women in wealthy families are truly happy?
Looking at the princess who had ended up like this in her later years, Luo Zhiheng felt a growing sadness in his heart. The princess was not favored. Although she held the title of princess and enjoyed a lifetime of wealth and honor, all she got were these inanimate objects. She did not have people's hearts. So she could only hold the cold, inanimate objects and watch with envy and jealousy the person who had warm, living things and smiled and acted recklessly.
She was dying, her body was ice-cold, but her husband was holding another woman's already cold corpse, secretly grieving. 17130099
Isn't this also a kind of tragedy?
It was a misfortune for the Princess, a misfortune for Consort Li, and a misfortune for Prince Mu. Prince Mu was just one step away from seeing Consort Li one last time before her death, but they didn't get to see each other one last time. What use is remembrance after death? The Princess is still alive now; if the Prince doesn't come, won't that ultimately be a regret for her?
Luo Zhiheng suddenly softened. Putting the past aside, the Princess was indeed a qualified mother; at the very least, she deeply loved her child and was remarkably calm. Even though she had her faults, she hadn't done those terrible things to other people's children. She might be dying soon; what couldn't she let go of? Even Consort Li's body was spared after her death; how much more so the Princess?
Luo Zhiheng walked to the bedside and looked at the princess's sunken face with pity, her sorrow unspoken.
"Master, Your Highness, Lady Huoyun has arrived." Xiao Xizi led Huoyun in. 19.
Without saying a word, Mu Yunhe pulled Luo Zhiheng aside. Luo Zhiheng quickly said, "Hurry up and let the Princess take a look. No matter what, you must do your best."
Huo Yun nodded, then focused on taking the princess's pulse. It took a while, and Luo Zhiheng and Mu Yunhe's tightly clasped hands had gone numb. She felt very cold because Mu Yunhe's palms were already damp and cold. She could only silently tighten her grip on his hand to support him.
"The situation is very bad. The princess fell into the water. The pond water was already cold in autumn, and she was not treated in time. There is fluid in her lungs, and the princess's health is very poor. I don't know how she has survived all these years. She must have been in fear and worry for a long time, and her heart was full of depression. If it could not be resolved for a long time, it would become a heart disease, which led to her suffering from a very serious heart disease. Are you aware of this, Your Excellency?" Madam Huoyun asked Mu Yunhe solemnly.
Mu Yunhe, of course, had no idea. In fact, this was the first time he had heard such a result, and he was shocked. His mother had been suffering from a heart condition? The kind of illness that could take a person's life at any moment?!
Seeing Mu Yunhe's shocked and bewildered expression, Madam Huoyun sighed and said, "The princess's heart ailment is already very serious. I don't know how she managed to get through it. It seems that the princess had a heart attack today. At this moment, the princess is exhausted and weak, and there is nothing that can be done to save her. All I can do is prolong the princess's life, but it won't be for long. Maybe ten days, maybe a month... that's the limit."
Perhaps the most tragic thing in the world is when the best and most authoritative doctor gives a loved one a life-limit, and then the patient and those who love him have to count down the remaining days, enduring each agonizing day as if it were an eternity. Every day may be a life worse than death, a numb and desperate existence like a walking corpse.
Mu Yunhe did not roar or rage. He seemed to calmly accept the fact, simply closing his eyes heavily and remaining silent for a long time.
Luo Zhiheng was also in a bad mood. A perfectly healthy person, about to die like this? Looking at the princess's face, she felt only the capriciousness of fate. How ridiculous! They had just killed Consort Li today, letting Mu Yunjin taste the bitterness of not being able to keep her, the reluctance yet immense heartache and helplessness. Now it was their turn to taste that bitterness.
"Prescribe the medicine. Remember, spare no expense, don't skimp on money or medicine, as long as it can keep the princess alive." All Luo Zhiheng could do was not be greedy for those inanimate objects and give it her all. This was probably the last thing she, this incompetent daughter-in-law, could do.
The princess gradually woke up. Mu Yunhe sat by her bedside and looked at her. It took the princess a while to see him clearly. She smiled faintly and said in a hoarse voice, "Yunhe is here? Heng'er is here too? It's so good to see you."
"Why did you do this?" Mu Yunhe asked accusingly as soon as he opened his mouth, but his voice was still hoarse.
The princess lowered her eyes, and after a long while, she asked, "He's back, isn't he?"
Mu Yunhe was surprised that the princess's "oh" was not a question, but an affirmation and indifference, as if she already knew everything.
Mu Yunhe knew who the princess was asking. He clenched his fist at his side, forcibly suppressing his anger, and calmly asked, "Who told you?"
“I know, he’s back. You wanted to kill his beloved, how could he not come back? I’ve always known that Li Fangfei is different. Even though she’s so vicious and rampant, he still loves her the most. Between them, there’s a past that we women can never intrude on. That past allows him to let her do whatever she wants without caring, and even allows him to continue to tolerate and trust her as always.”
“I never knew your father could laugh. The year I married him, I was obedient and waited for his favor in my own courtyard. Like any woman, I admired heroes, and I fell in love with your father at first sight. But he only showed me indifference, coldness, and disgust.”
“Consort Li would often come to provoke me, and I always tolerated it because I knew that I was the principal wife, and Consort Li would always be subordinate to me. But I was wrong, terribly wrong. That day I saw your father holding her in the garden, letting her act spoiled and playful. He just stood by and protected her, just like… you do with Heng'er, afraid that she might fall or get hurt. But your father is not like you. He is affectionate, but not devoted. Yun He inherited my devotion and his affection. Heng'er is lucky to have found such a man. You are the happiest woman, neither Consort Li nor I can compare.”
The princess spoke at length about many things they didn't know about when they were young. She mentioned how attentive and considerate the prince was to Consort Li, how he would adorn her hair with flowers and draw her eyebrows, and how he would even lift her son onto his noble head and place him on his elegant neck.
How could such a cold-blooded man do these things for a woman? And how could Consort Li be so ungrateful as to have stooped to such a depraved level? Luo Zhiheng found it utterly unbelievable.
“I don’t want to hear about him! I don’t need to inherit anything from such a foolish man. One woman is enough for me in this life. His philandering or his fickleness has nothing to do with me. I’m good to Aheng because Aheng is worthy of my heartfelt devotion. What does he have to compare with me?” Mu Yunhe’s words were full of sharp edges, disdain and disgust.
The princess felt a dull ache in her heart. Her son had grown up without a father's love, and now he had come to despise his father to this extent. How could she, as a mother, not be heartbroken?
“Your father has his own hardships and helplessness. He has many wounds, several of which are fatal. He is a hero. He is not confused. I believe he knows and understands everything. But how can one understand and sort out matters of the heart? Yunhe, don’t hate him. I know you feel indignant on my behalf, but don’t hate him. He is still your father.”
Mu Yunhe's face darkened, and he remained silent. After a long while, he suddenly looked at the princess with a sinister gaze and asked coldly, "You jumped into the pond to commit suicide just to see if he would come to see you?"
Luo Zhiheng looked up in shock. "No way, is this how you test a man?"
The princess remained silent, and a suffocating silence filled the room. Perhaps both Mu Yunhe and Luo Zhiheng wanted to know whether Prince Mu would actually come.
That day, Mu Yunhe and Luo Zhiheng stayed with the princess, whose days were numbered, from noon until dusk, and then until nightfall. It was impossible for Prince Mu not to know about this; the General's Mansion had already sent him a message. But he did not come.
With his ruthlessness and coldness, he gave them a clear answer: he wouldn't come!
That day, Mu Yunhe said to the princess with a ferocious expression, "I will not let you see him. Even if he comes again in the future, even if you are buried in the yellow earth, he will never see you again!"
Second update! That's all for today's update. I'll keep working hard tomorrow, haha! Hugs to my darlings! Please vote, leave comments, and give me monthly tickets! Remember to support me with the finals voting, my darlings! Love you all!
370 A smile can erase all grudges! Filial piety! A vow! I will never betray your heart!
Updated: 2013-10-05 18:51:52 Word Count: 7595
Mu Yunhe's words were like a curse. Prince Mu did not appear within three days, and Mu Yunhe really did not look for Prince Mu even once, and even forbade Luo Zhiheng to look for Prince Mu.
It seems that all the people and things have been completely severed from each other because of the princess's drowning, the death of Consort Li, and Prince Mu's deep affection and ruthlessness.
But Luo Zhiheng knew that it was far from over!
Prince Mu's ruthlessness provoked Mu Yunhe day after day, gradually turning into anger and resentment. One day, Prince Mu would finally drive Mu Yunhe to the point of no return, and that day would be the day they turned against each other. But no one knew when that day would come, because no one knew where Mu Yunhe's final limit lay.
Luo Zhiheng couldn't find an opportunity to be honest with Mu Yunhe. For the past three days, Mu Yunhe had been like an iceberg. His icy aura and cold gaze were enough to make everyone's body stiff with just a word. The entire General's Mansion had become an ice city filled with fear and unease.
"Still not eating?" Luo Zhiheng's voice came before she even arrived, and in the blink of an eye, she had already stepped through the door. Her steps were hurried, but her expression was calm, though her worry was obvious.
Mu Yunhe stood stiffly by the bedside, holding a bowl of porridge. His face was more ashen than ever before, his beautiful, slender, and bright eyes filled with intense anger and disappointment. This person was his mother; otherwise, Luo Zhiheng had no doubt that Mu Yunhe would have already unleashed a curse, slaughtering her beyond recognition.
Luo Zhiheng felt deeply puzzled and helpless by the silent and stubborn standoff between the mother and son. She couldn't persuade either side. Mu Yunhe loved her so much, but this time he was as stubborn as a child, refusing to listen to anything and stubbornly holding his ground against the princess.
Needless to say, the princess just lay there with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling day and night, neither eating, drinking, speaking, nor moving, like a living dead person.
Luo Zhiheng knew that the Princess was still waiting for the Prince to come. Her stubborn persistence was as if she were clinging to her last breath, refusing to let go. Even though she was exhausted, even though her body was withered, even though she was at her end, she was still struggling to hold on. If it weren't for Madam Huoyun's miraculous medicine, which kept the Princess alive, she would probably have closed her eyes forever long ago.
Even someone made of iron wouldn't last long after such an ordeal, let alone a princess who is already covered in injuries.
Luo Zhiheng touched the bowl of porridge in Mu Yunhe's hand; it was already cold and looked like it was inedible. She took the bowl down and handed it to Xiao Xizi, whispering, "Go to the kitchen and make another bowl of the new porridge that I told you to keep simmering. Remember to cover it well so it doesn't get cold."
"This servant will go right away." Xiao Xizi slipped away as fast as he could.
Despite the princess's harsh treatment and criticism of the younger princess, including publicly accusing and defaming her in front of so many people, the younger princess held no grudges and meticulously arranged everything for her. It's said that true friendship is revealed in times of hardship, and that time reveals true character. The younger princess, who had been treated so badly by the princess, so proud, and whom one might have thought would never speak to again, did not abandon the princess during her most difficult and vulnerable time. Instead, she showed her concern and care, offering tenderness and warmth even more comforting than a daughter.
While the young prince's actions played a part, how could the young princess have gone to such lengths if she hadn't been so kind-hearted? In just three short days, the money seemed to flow out like water. The Mu Prince's mansion had been destroyed, and the princess was practically penniless. The treasures the young prince had given her in the treasury had also been reduced to ashes in the fire.
Where did the mother and son get any money? It was all the little princess's own money. The money flowing out of the general's mansion was all from this seemingly stingy, greedy, and money-grubbing little princess, who threw money away without batting an eye. Not a single complaint, resentment, or anger was uttered.
If the young princess treats him with such sincerity, how could he, a poor wretch whom the princess picked up from the palace, not serve him with utmost care and effort?
Luo Zhiheng grasped Mu Yunhe's hand, only to find it slightly stiff. She patiently and tenderly massaged it, her warm palm seeming to know how to comfort without speaking, her slender fingers slipping between his fingers. Luo Zhiheng felt Mu Yunhe's hand tremble slightly. She dared not look up at his face, afraid to see the moist glint in his eyes, afraid she would be overcome with the urge to kill.
"What exactly do you want? Making things difficult for me, hurting me, leaving me so exhausted, will that make you happy?" Mu Yunhe's voice was so hoarse. He couldn't care about anything else now. His only concern was his mother, the one he had relied on for half his life. He so desperately wanted his mother to live, but she treated him in a way that resembled coercion.
If he could kill, he would kill the woman in front of him. But he couldn't; this woman was his mother!
The princess's eyelids twitched slightly, but her reply remained unchanged, insisting: "Let me see your father."
"Impossible!" Mu Yunhe's eyes turned completely red. He almost roared, overturning the tables and chairs beside him in a fit of rage: "Don't even think about it! He doesn't deserve to be my father! I, Mu Yunhe, will not have a beastly, cold-blooded, heartless wretch as my father!"
He suddenly rushed to the bedside, and Luo Zhiheng stumbled from his excited movements.
Mu Yunhe gripped the princess's blanket tightly, gritting his teeth, "Since he won't come to see you, why are you still so fixated on this? He has wronged you so much; he doesn't deserve your respect or love. Why can't you see his ruthlessness? Wake up! You've been foolish your whole life, clinging to expectations of him your whole life. But do you know what he's doing right now? He's holding..."
"Mu Yunhe, that's enough!" Luo Zhiheng suddenly interrupted Mu Yunhe's furious outburst, walked over, grabbed his arm, shook her head at him, her eyes filled with warning and heartache: "That's enough, stop talking. The Princess needs to rest now. You should rest too. You've only just recovered, and the Princess certainly wouldn't want to see you collapse again. Trust me, I'll talk to the Princess and ask you to go and rest, okay?"
Did the princess not know where the prince was at that moment? No, she knew. Perhaps no one in this world understood the prince better than the princess. Because when you love someone, you can't help but try to understand and think about them. But since the princess knew where the prince was and what he was doing, yet she didn't say it, the self-deception in her words was too obvious.
If Mu Yunhe were to reveal the affair between Prince Mu and Consort Li, Luo Zhiheng feared the princess would not be able to withstand it. What one imagines and what one hears with their own ears are completely different concepts.
Mu Yunhe felt as if something was choking him; he gasped for breath, unable to utter a single word. He closed his eyes tightly, his furrowed brows betraying his regret. When he opened his eyes to look at Luo Zhiheng, his gaze was filled with vulnerability and hurt.
Luo Zhiheng felt as if she had been punched twice by a wild beast in her soft heart, the pain making her feel like her internal organs were about to shift.
Her Yunhe was now like a wounded little animal, helpless and angry, terrified and sad. Luo Zhiheng really couldn't understand the kind of relationship between mother and son, but she could imagine that in Mu Yunhe's darkest and most desperate times, his mother had been by his side all the way. That kind of relationship could not be explained or broken by a single word or a misunderstanding.
He respected her, loved her, and cared for her. Once, his mother was Mu Yunhe's only reason to live. He was always sensible; he understood his mother's good intentions, and he could endure any hardship and pain for her sake without crying. His mother would smile and stay by his side, but Luo Zhiheng could easily imagine how many tears these two had shed when they parted ways.
It's no wonder Mu Yunhe was so angry, irrational, and unable to calm down. The more he cared for and loved his mother, the stronger his hatred for Prince Mu became. His insistence on not letting his mother have her way was also a way of protecting his mother's feelings and her last shred of dignity.
At that moment, Luo Zhiheng also came to hate Prince Mu. She hated his ruthlessness and coldness, and she hated that he had made the man she loved most suffer so much.
When Mu Yunhe walked out, his back view was one of dejection.
Luo Zhiheng gritted her teeth, her hands involuntarily resting on her sides. The cane was a gift from Prince Mu himself, and she had used it to protect Mu Yunhe time and time again. But this time, if necessary, she really wanted to use that cane… to chop that dog of a prince down!!
Kneeling before the princess's bedside, looking at the princess's once charming face, now sallow and emaciated, Luo Zhiheng felt a pang of sorrow. Holding the princess's hand, Luo Zhiheng struggled to find the right words, unable to find the right phrase.
After a long silence, the princess finally spoke, her voice hoarse and strained, each word uttered so clearly it made everyone's ears ring: "Heng'er, do you hate me?"
Luo Zhiheng was taken aback, feeling her hand being gripped tightly. Although the grip wasn't strong, it was clear that the princess cared about her answer.
Luo Zhiheng smiled calmly, her soft words sounding as if she had never experienced her most humiliating and helpless moments: "Back then, I hated. I didn't understand why the person I treated with all my heart would treat me like that? I didn't understand why the kind and gentle princess could push me into the abyss of hell in the blink of an eye, and so ruthlessly and mercilessly?"