"Your Majesty, the palace maid has left," the trusted nanny said softly as she hurried over.
The light of despair shattered in the Empress's sorrowful eyes, and her smile was almost tragic: "Is that so? You don't trust your sister that much? Nearly thirty years of friendship, and all you get in return is a spy planted by my side?"
"The Imperial Concubine... has changed," the trusted nanny murmured cautiously.
"Yes, she has changed, and so have I." The Empress seemed utterly exhausted in an instant. She slowly stood up and steadied her trembling mind, saying, "I suddenly miss her so much. How long has it been since I last visited Qingya? If I go to see her now, it will save us from those ignorant little maids in our palace from sowing discord between us sisters in front of her."
"If you go now, won't that just tell the Imperial Concubine that you knew all along that she was planting spies by your side? I'm afraid she'll harbor resentment." The nanny was extremely anxious. The Imperial Concubine had become ruthless and cunning, and was acting lawlessly because of the Emperor's favor. If the Empress were to send her up like this, wouldn't it be extremely dangerous?
The Empress smiled bitterly, her eyes filled with sorrow: "If she really wants to tear apart our sisterly bond, how can I stop her? I went here today just to get proof that my once innocent and kind sister is still alive. If the Mu Qingya of the past has truly been consumed by hatred and turned into hatred herself, then this sisterly bond should end here. I'm tired of maintaining it all by myself for so many years."
Bonus chapter added! Tomorrow, the Empress and the Imperial Concubine will clash. Mwah, my darlings! That's all for today's update. Please vote, leave comments, and give me monthly tickets!
235 Sisterhood! The cruel truth!
Updated: 2013-08-06 17:44:50 Word Count: 6402
Southern Dynasty Imperial Palace, the Imperial Concubine's Bedchamber
The crimson bed curtains concealed the scene inside. A young palace maid knelt on the luxurious hall, respectfully recounting what she had overheard in the Empress's palace to the Imperial Concubine. After that, she fell silent, and an indescribable sense of oppression instantly filled the hall.
After a long pause, the Imperial Concubine's hoarse voice, tinged with both sorrow and mockery, said, "As expected, Luo Zhiheng's desperate efforts were all for Yun He. What a deep and abiding love, what a devoted couple! Investigating Yun He's poisoning? Never letting him go? Who is truly not letting whom go?"
The Imperial Concubine's voice did not show much surprise or astonishment; it was calm as if she had known all along.
“Your Majesty, Eunuch Duanchang is no longer by your side. Just tell me what you need. Before he left, he instructed me to take good care of you,” a pale-faced eunuch said ominously.
The Imperial Concubine hesitated for a moment, then said in a somewhat mournful tone, "I've already come this far, is there any way out? I can't let someone kill me first. So, since Luo Zhiheng is recklessly meddling in other people's business, I'll send her on her way ahead of time."
"I recall that the matter of adopting the Bai family's son has been discussed for some time now, hasn't it? Inform the Bai family that I will host a banquet tonight to formally confront the Emperor. Make sure everyone who needs to be notified is informed. When you invite Mu Yunhe and Luo Zhiheng, remember to make it clear that if they don't come this time, I will have to drag my ailing body to personally invite them. If Mu Yunhe is willing to let his own sister personally invite them, then he doesn't have to come," the Imperial Concubine said languidly.
"I will take care of it right away." The sinister-looking eunuch immediately left.
A figure seemed to float behind the bed curtains, and a faint, unreadable voice sighed, "I originally wanted to keep you, but who told you to meddle? Luo Zhiheng, humph, you can't even protect yourself, yet you still want to interfere in other people's affairs, you overestimate yourself!"
"Your Majesty, please wait! The Imperial Concubine is resting." A short, startled cry suddenly came from outside the door, followed by the door being forcefully pushed open.
The figure behind the bed curtains seemed startled by the eunuch's exclamation, suddenly sitting up before lying back down, his chest heaving violently beneath the silk quilt.
Footsteps approached quickly, and the young palace maid, with nowhere to escape, was caught in the Empress's sight. Her face turned deathly pale, and she collapsed to the ground. The Empress, however, seemed to completely ignore the young maid, walking straight to the main hall. She stood in front of the maid, staring directly at the bed curtains, her quiet gaze filled with a deep sense of expectation and sorrow.
The two women were looking at each other, but neither of them spoke. They had been sisters for nearly thirty years, had been separated for fourteen years, and were separated by only a few inches of distance. There was a light bed curtain between them. It was these feelings and distance that entangled the two sisters, making them cherish each other and ignore each other.
Perhaps it was too quiet, and Mu Qingya was always quiet, a hint of helplessness flashed across the Empress's eyes, and she finally spoke, her hoarse voice carrying an unyielding concern: "I've come to see you, how have you been?"
After a brief silence, Mu Qingya's voice, different from her previous mocking tone, came from inside the bed curtains: "I'm fine. It's been so long since my sister last visited me."
"I wanted to come, but what could I do? Watch my beloved sister drift further and further away from me? Or have another argument with her that hurts each other?" Murong Qianchen couldn't control the sarcasm in her voice, and there was an unreadable sadness in her bright eyes.
Mu Qingya suddenly spoke in a sharp and mocking voice: "My most beloved younger sister? Is it me? Or Murong Qianxue! Sister, you'd better speak more clearly, or I'll misunderstand. I've already lost too much, so I've seen clearly what belongs to me, and what I can touch and won't be taken away. If the person you're talking about isn't me, then please don't say it, otherwise I don't know what I'll become after losing your protection. I have nothing left that can be taken away from me."
"Are you blaming me for helping Luo Zhiheng leave the palace before? Do you think I only helped Luo Zhiheng because of Qianxue? Do you think I'm undermining you again?" Murong Qianchen suddenly became angry and questioned her repeatedly.
"Isn't that so?" The person behind the bed curtains suddenly sat up. The figure was blurred, their face indistinct, but one could vaguely sense the barely concealed anger emanating from them. "How long has it been since you cared about me? For so many years you've indulged me, haven't you? You've never questioned or interfered with anything I've done! But then Murong Qianxue came and spoke well of Luo Zhiheng to you, and so you developed feelings for Luo Zhiheng. So you started interfering, and now you think I'm wrong, and you're not on my side anymore. If it weren't for you, Luo Zhiheng wouldn't be able to leave the palace now!"
"What a joke!" Murong Qianchen shouted angrily, "You say I'm biased towards Murong Qianxue, but she's still my own sister! Haven't I done enough for you all these years? Mu Qingya, put your hand on your heart and ask yourself, where have I, Murong Qianchen, wronged you? From childhood to adulthood, you've been so weak and kind, you wouldn't even bear to hurt a little rabbit. In the school, which of the noble children didn't try to make fun of you, but who dared to actually bully you?"
“When you were sick, I stayed home to take care of you. When you climbed the wall, I was your ladder. When you accidentally got into trouble, I took the blame for you. You saved a strange man, but you didn't dare bring him home yet couldn't bear to abandon him, so I risked being scolded by my family to carry him back to take care of you. I didn't care about my reputation at all. The servants gossiped and cursed me for being shameless, saying I was indecent at such a young age. I don't resent any of this. Because of you, this strange man asked me to marry him. He made all sorts of sweet talk about proposing marriage, but only you and he knew that at that time, he was practically forcing me to marry him! I didn't want to marry him at all.”
Mu Qingya's eyelids twitched violently, and she looked up at Murong Qianchen outside the bed curtains, her eyes gradually reddening.
"It was clearly a misunderstanding, something that could have been resolved by talking it out. But you were afraid that if he knew the truth, he would marry you, and you wouldn't be able to be with the person you love. So you begged me not to tell anyone. Fine, I won't tell anyone, I'll grant your wish! Let the misunderstanding continue. You promised to elope with me, but that day you told me you met him again, confessed the misunderstanding, and he said he wanted to marry you, so you agreed! Mu Qingya, isn't this a betrayal of me? But I won't ask you why you agreed, because I know you're kind but not stupid; you must have your reasons. I'm willing to give you this position, I said we could switch back, as long as we can explain things to the world, but what did you say that day? I don't think you've forgotten, have you?"
Murong Qianchen recalled with red eyes, "You said, 'Sister, please, marry him with me. I'm scared to marry someone so far away by myself.' Do you know what I was thinking at the time? I hated this man. I didn't want to marry him. I wanted to refuse you. But that night you tried to commit suicide by cutting your wrists! My weak and kind sister, you can be so cruel. But were you being cruel to yourself or to me? You forced me to agree using this method. You know I value relationships. You know that if you persisted, I would definitely agree!"
"For so many years, this marriage of three has remained a mystery, a knot in my heart that I can never untie. I ruined my own happiness because of your absurd actions, which led to such a ridiculous marriage! Because of your repeated changes of mind and cowardice, we have ended up in this tragic situation!"
"Mu Qingya, all these years, why do you think I've made concessions and compromises for you time and time again? Because Mu Qingya used to tug at my sleeve and give me the candy she'd almost melted in her hand. Because Mu Qingya used to stand with me and bear the wrath of my family when I got into trouble. Because Mu Qingya used to help me with my needlework homework every time. Because Mu Qingya used to shed tears of sadness when I fell and injured myself while practicing martial arts. Because we once promised that if we became sworn sisters today, we would be loyal to each other for life, and we would be sisters forever!!"
"Just one sentence ruined my life. But believe me or not, I have never resented you, because I cannot deny that I experienced love in this wrong marriage, but my love was completely destroyed because of your madness."
Chao Yin complained of his great sorrow. The memories were so heavy and absurd, so elusive. In the end, Murong Qianchen was filled with regret and years of repression. The pure friendship of her childhood had been exhausted, leaving only a deep weariness and exhaustion.
"Your son died, so I stopped having children. You knew that in my position I needed a son, but to avoid upsetting you, to prevent you from suffering even more from the loss of your child, I gave up one child. You can't have children, so I'll never have any. What do you think is the reason I did this? Because I want my kind and lovely sister to come back! I always think, how bad can a person go, no matter how bad they change? If they get lost, they'll always come back. There's a family member waiting for her standing there. Sooner or later, she'll realize her mistake and return. But Qingya, you've been lost for too long. You've made me stand still for too long. It seems like I can't wait for that pure and kind sister to come back." 17.
“Sister…” Mu Qingya murmured, her voice broken and desperate.
Murong Qianchen closed her eyes, then suddenly opened them. Her emotional breakdown today was too sudden, but she didn't regret it. If that purest friendship could awaken Mu Qingya, then it would be worth it.
"You still call me 'sister,' so I'll consider you still the sister I'd risk my life to protect. Qingya, tell me the truth: is Mu Yunhe's poison related to you?" Murong Qianchen's voice was tense, filled with anxiety and trembling. She feared the truth, yet desperately wanted to find it, hoping that perhaps everything could still be salvaged, that Mu Qingya could still be pulled out of this hell of sin.
Mu Qingya gasped, then suddenly screamed shrilly, "It wasn't me! How could I possibly harm my own brother? Sister, how could you think of me like that? Have you forgotten? From the moment Yunhe was born, I've been eagerly anticipating meeting this little brother. I never forget Yunhe's birthday every year, and I always send him all sorts of gifts, as long as they're good. I love him so much, how could I possibly use such a vicious method to harm him?"
Murong Qianchen was stunned. All the doubts in her mind were suppressed and shattered by Mu Qingya's resolute and hurt words.
She asked, somewhat dazed, "Really not you?"
"Sister, how can you not believe me? I hate the Mu family, I resent them, but in your heart, has the kind-hearted Mu Qingya really become so vicious? Yunhe is like another child to me. He's only a year older than our Rui'er. Such a lovely child, how could I bear to hurt him? Sister, I can never go back to the Mu family. It's no longer my home. You're the only family I have left. Why do you doubt me like this?" Mu Qingya cried bitterly, collapsing onto the bed, her voice broken.
Murong Qianchen couldn't help but take a step forward, but then abruptly stopped. Staring blankly at Mu Qingya, she laughed self-deprecatingly, "Can I... still believe you? Qingya, can I still believe you, sister?"
"I didn't hurt Yunhe! I've already lost one child, how could I possibly hurt Yunhe, who is like another child to me? Sister, why don't you believe me? Did someone say something to you? You would never have distrusted me before," Mu Qingya cried desperately.
“I used to believe everything you said without hesitation. Just because the Mu Qingya of the past would jump into the river because of a joke I made. That’s how silly Qingya was, how firmly she trusted me, how steadfastly she remained innocent. But can I trust you now?” Murong Qianchen asked, her voice a mix of tears and laughter.
"Whether you believe me or not, I am still me. I clearly remember all the kindness you've shown me in this life. I know I've let you down, I know I've sinned, but in my heart, there's always a pure place where no family members reside, only my sister who has always treated me with sincerity. Believe me, even if I die, I will never hurt you." Mu Qingya said solemnly, "Look at Yu'er, Duanchang is so aloof and intimidating in the palace, no one dares to provoke him. But Yu'er dares to insult and punish him at will. Although Duanchang sometimes deliberately embarrasses Yu'er so that he gets punished by the Emperor, every time I make him bring good things to apologize to Yu'er. Why am I so good to Yu'er? Because Yu'er is my sister's child."
Murong Qianchen's face finally cracked. Mu Qingya kept calling her "sister," making it impossible for her to continue to press her for an answer. She even wavered a little. Maybe Mu Qingya wouldn't be so wicked as to hurt Mu Yunhe.
After holding back for so long, Murong Qianchen finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been hidden in her heart for many years: "Then why did you force me to marry the Emperor back then? And why did you change your mind overnight and become so determined to marry him? Didn't you like other men at that time?"
Mu Qingya fell into a long silence, and Murong Qianchen's gaze gradually darkened. She gave a self-deprecating laugh. Yes, so many years of confusion, knowing full well that she had always wanted an answer, meant that Mu Qingya had had every opportunity in the past twenty-odd years if she wanted to speak. Perhaps, in Mu Qingya's heart, she was nothing more than a laughable fool.
She turned abruptly, her phoenix robe billowing in the air with a cold, sharp edge that seemed to tear through the air, as if ruthlessly severing some connection. She walked away with heavy steps, without asking her another word.
This sisterhood has, I fear, come to a complete end today!
So be it. Thirty years of friendship could not ultimately withstand the pain in Mu Qingya's heart and the loss of that child. She had done all she could, and she would never interfere with Mu Qingya's future path again.
"Sister!" Mu Qingya seemed startled by Murong Qianchen's resolute departure. She lunged forward, but missed completely, tearing the fiery red bed curtains. She fell like a kite with a broken string, tangled in the curtains and landing heavily on the floor. Her alluring body trembled in the air, her magnificent black hair spreading out on the floor. Her face was faintly visible behind her hair, only a mocking, pale smile could be seen on her lips.
In the chilly air, her voice, barely audible, trailed off: "I was... raped by him!"
Murong Qianchen's resolute steps came to an abrupt halt!
Her pupils constricted, and her heart seemed to skip a beat. Suddenly, she turned around abruptly, her pale face contorted with utter shock and devastation. She trembled as she asked, her voice growing sharper and more broken with each word: "What...what did you say?!"
Mu Qingya lay prone on the ground, her delicate beauty possessing a captivating allure. She slowly turned her head, her long, sweat-dampened hair obscuring her face. Her eyes held a broken, destructive light, a mixture of crying and laughing, as she answered in a hoarse, eerie voice, "I said, he raped me! The night after we agreed to elope together the next day, I encountered him, and then, the nightmare began. I couldn't break free. I was crying, I was begging for help. I watched helplessly as he tore my clothes apart. I was pinned down, unable to move. I was terrified, but my sister, who had always protected me, wasn't there for me that day. You were crying, but that day, I cried with you. I cried for so long, so long, sister, do you know how much it hurt, how much it hurt?"
"But no one came to help me, no one came to save me. Because I secretly ran away to comfort my sister. Is it my sin? Sister, look how quickly retribution comes. I just made you wish you were dead, and I made you about to enter into a marriage you despise, and then I immediately got my retribution. Sister, when I was crying out to heaven and earth and no one answered, do you know that I didn't blame you, because this is what I owed you."
"But I'm no longer pure! I don't know what to do! Who would want me? He said he would marry me. Sister, what am I supposed to do? Do I have any other way out? A noblewoman who has lost her chastity, do you think the royal family would let me live and bring shame upon them? So Mother made me marry him, so I had no choice but to marry him. Even after being raped by him, I still have to thank him for being willing to take responsibility and marry me. Sister, tell me, back then, didn't I hate him?"
Murong Qianchen's face turned deathly pale. Looking into Mu Qingya's eyes, which were pale and distorted beneath her hair, she heard the broken breaths from Mu Qingya's chest transform into sharp blades, piercing her chest with a cruel truth with a resounding thud! In an instant, her heart shattered, a bloody mess!
Murong Qianchen staggered backward, her vision blurring and her ears ringing.
Mu Qingya was raped?! That's why she was forced into marriage, and that's why the sisters suffered the tragic fate of sharing a husband.
At that moment, the mystery that had been lingering in my mind for many years finally became clear, and everything made sense.
So, back then, Mu Qingya genuinely wanted to accompany her to escape this marriage. So, back then, Mu Qingya didn't intentionally betray their sisterly bond! So, back then, Mu Qingya had suffered such a cruel blow! So, back then, Mu Qingya's wrist-cutting suicide attempt wasn't to force her to marry the Southern Dynasty emperor, but simply self-harm, a desperate act of wanting to end her life?!
It turns out, the culprit behind everything was him! It was their husband, the emperor of the Southern Dynasty!
And this man, with whom she spent every day, she actually fell in love with him! And she loved him for years, a love that brought her pain and despair. Today, she has finally reached the point of despair!
The truth is so cruel and bloody. Hidden for many years, it was suddenly revealed, and even the wounds were hideous and ugly.
"Sister, you blame me for not telling you the truth, and you say I gave you a ridiculous reason. But do you know how lost and helpless I was back then? Even my mother looked at me with deep disgust, disgust! She was disgusted that I was raped. Who else could I rely on? I knew that I no longer had the right to like the person I loved, and I no longer had the right to pursue happiness."
"My mother said that if I wanted to live, I had no choice but to marry him. My father said, 'Don't bring shame to the Mu Dynasty royal family. Marry him; at least you won't be ashamed.' So I married into the Southern Dynasty under the guise of saving him, becoming a concubine. Everyone respected me. I smiled brightly in public, but secretly shed tears in private. I had to endure that desperate fear and pain under him again and again. Who can give me justice? Sister, do you know that the price I paid for my kindness was being ruthlessly possessed by him?! Do I still dare to accept such a ridiculous luxury as kindness?!" Hatred surged like a raging river, once the floodgates were opened, it rushed uncontrollably. Her tears and her shrill voice merged into one, sharp and desperate!
236 Whose words are true? (Bonus chapter for 32,000 recommendation votes)
Updated: 2013-08-06 20:31:38 Word Count: 4531
Murong Qianchen stumbled out of Mu Qingya's palace in a daze. Her mind was blank, but her steps were unwavering as she headed towards the emperor's palace. Her chest was filled with hatred and resentment, a testament to the devastating blow inflicted by the emperor's death.
On one hand, there's her beloved younger sister, whom she's cherished for years; on the other, there's her husband, whom she's fallen deeper and deeper in love with. Both are her flesh and blood, and Murong Qianchen trembles with pain. She desperately needs an answer, and Mu Qingya has given her one. She knows she's furious, and she knows she's running away. She needs final confirmation.
In the Imperial Concubine's palace, Mu Qingya lay sprawled on the ground, as if she had exhausted all her strength. Her eyes flickered in and out of her dark hair as she looked at the empty doorway. Suddenly, she laughed, and the louder the laughter became, the more it sounded like crying.
"Your Highness, if you're like this, Eunuch Duanchang will be heartbroken when he returns," the previously sinister eunuch advised.
"Feel sorry for me? Yes, in my whole life, Nalan is probably the only one who is willing to feel sorry for me." Mu Qingya's smile was extremely miserable.
The eunuch's expression changed, and he looked at the pale-faced palace maid, saying, "Your Highness, please be careful what you say! There are outsiders here."
Mu Qingya suddenly raised her head, her sorrowful eyes seemingly filled with tears of blood. She put away her gentleness and grief, her eyes filled with a crimson ferocity, and said lightly, "She gave it to you. After all, she served my sister, so let her die without suffering so much."
The eunuch's face lit up with delight: "Understood, thank you, Your Highness!"
The young palace maid was filled with terror. Before she could even beg for mercy, the eunuch rushed over and grabbed her throat. Her pupils bulged, and her eyes reflected the eunuch's ferocious face and sharp teeth. She seemed to hear the sound of a sharp weapon piercing her flesh. She felt her blood flow backward in that instant, being drawn out of her body and then gradually drained away!
A beautiful young palace maid was turned into a dried-up corpse in the blink of an eye, with nothing left but skin and bones.
Mu Qingya seemed oblivious to this extremely bloody and cruel scene. She asked in a deep voice, "When will Nalan return? It's been half a month already. Why is it so difficult to pick someone up?"
In front of her own people, Mu Qingya only liked to call Duan Chang by her real name, Nalan, because it gave her the feeling that she hadn't completely broken free from the past.
An unnatural flush finally appeared on the eunuch's pale face. He wiped the blood from his mouth and said respectfully, "My lord sent a message by carrier pigeon saying that he encountered some trouble on his way to pick up the princess. Please be patient. He will be back in two days at most."
"Two days? This show is utterly boring without my mother's involvement. Her daughter was raped, and she felt disgusted. So what if her daughter-in-law was raped too? I refuse to believe she can just sit idly by. I thought she had changed, but it turns out my mother is still so selfish and self-serving. To save her son's life, she sent Luo Zhiheng to fight for him. So insidious. She's really the good mother I remember." Mu Qingya murmured, her voice distorted.