Accord de Mu Yucheng

Chapitre 46

High-ranking monks and nuns in the capital held a Buddhist ceremony, chanting sutras for seven days and seven nights to help their aunt pass on to the afterlife.

On my last night, I dressed in mourning clothes and knelt before the coffin.

Lu Li also stayed in the palace to accompany me on my final journey to see my aunt off.

He forcibly helped me up from the ground: "It's getting cold at night, don't kneel anymore."

I felt a deep sadness and simply shook my head.

He sighed, "Even if you don't care about yourself, you should think about your children."

Liu Shang also comforted me with tears in his eyes. I was too weak to struggle, so I could only let Lu Li help me to the chair.

"The Emperor has not eaten for seven days. I'll go pay my respects and be right back," Lu Li said, gently patting my shoulder to comfort me.

"May I go with you?"

He stopped refusing and took my hand, leading me towards Yonghe Palace.

Lu Li draped a white robe over me, held my hand tightly, and walked cautiously and slowly, making the journey seem even longer.

"I haven't seen the Crown Princess these past few days. Is she alright?" I asked softly.

Lu Li tightened his grip on my hand. "After the Empress Dowager passed away, she was so saddened that she miscarried and is still resting in bed."

The miscarriage must have had other causes... I shuddered, a sense of unease rising within me.

Lu Li pursed his lips. "Don't worry too much. Second sister-in-law is already weak and has miscarried more than once. It's understandable that she couldn't keep the pregnancy. You... will definitely be fine."

"Does Grandpa mean he will protect me and the child no matter what?" I asked softly.

"Of course."

I smiled slightly, "I'm afraid it's more like I'm willing but unable."

He stopped in his tracks, puzzled. "I don't understand why you're saying this. Do you not believe me, or..."

"I believe in my master, but I don't believe in myself."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Destruction

The emperor did not summon Lu Li, but summoned me alone.

He stood alone by the window, looking desolate and forlorn, his eyes unfocused.

"Didn't the Empress tell you that you were leaving?" he asked quietly.

I curled my lips into a smile. "You've always known that the Rong family's last breath, their last hope, rests on my shoulders. Before, it was my aunt; now it's me. Even a concubine who posed no threat, you didn't hesitate to eliminate her children time and time again, your own grandson... let alone me. Even if I go to the ends of the earth, you still won't let me go... So why should I drag others down with me... The Emperor has already decided my fate; is there any room for escape?" I looked at him, my eyes filled with desolation. "The Rong family has no deserters, and neither am I."

The emperor stared at me for a long time, his brows furrowing slightly. "You...aren't you afraid of death?"

“I’m scared, really scared.” I turned my head to look out the window, where the winter plum blossoms were as white as snow. “Heaven knows how much I want to live. The Rong family does need to preserve a bloodline, but it shouldn’t be me, and the Emperor won’t allow it to be me. There’s another reason why I refuse to leave: I want to see with my own eyes how the Emperor destroys my family.”

He nodded blankly, "I will make them go ahead of you so you can see all of this."

I smiled and said, "Let all grudges end with me."

He turned around and looked at me with an inexplicable sadness...

The Emperor took a deep breath. "The person Yue Ran has chosen is indeed extraordinary. You are not as strong as Yue Ran, but you are more insightful than her... You have always been a source of anxiety for me. From your answer to my questions about military strategy on Millennium Day, to your embroidery that pierced my mind, I knew you were someone I should fear. That's why I regretted allowing Yue Ran to marry you to my son on whom I had placed so much hope. I originally thought you were just another Princess Qin, just an ordinary woman with both talent and virtue, but you have surprised me time and time again. As for Lu Li... I used to trust him the most because he was the calmest and most composed of my sons." He was indifferent; he knew how to weigh the pros and cons, how to understand people's hearts, and of course, how to suppress the power of women. But now, I worry about him because of you. So when Lan Ruo married into the family, I was even somewhat relieved. This empire was built for me by your father, and your Rong family can certainly take it too. This is a knot in my heart that I have been unable to let go of for so many years. How could I let you become the future empress, let the seventh prince fall into the same struggle as me, and let the world be in turmoil once again? I want to leave my descendants a prosperous and peaceful era... I... had to kill you, for the sake of the world..."

"My life seems to hold some weight in your eyes," I said firmly. "Let's make a trade."

"exchange?"

"Spare the Crown Princess's life. She's a woman without any guile, a woman the Emperor has no reason to worry about. Keep her by the Crown Prince's side. Whether it's a blessing or a curse, let her choose her own path..."

The emperor looked deeply into my eyes. "You...don't you have any plans for yourself?"

I smiled slightly. "I want you to remember not to harm the child in my womb. By the time he is born, the Rong family will probably have no influence left. You won't need to worry about that."

"You... want to leave behind a bloodline for the Rong family?"

“No.” I smiled slightly. “This child is for Lu Lidi. It’s also for my own selfish reasons.”

"I promise you. Also... I will keep my word about what I said when I took you to Xiling. Your portrait will appear in that ancestral hall, and I will have Lu Li bestow upon you the title of Empress..."

“Those things are no longer important to me.” I smiled, feeling a misty haze before my eyes.

No one knows about the agreement I made with the Emperor that night.

I know that soon the Emperor will eliminate the Rong family... Finally, before Lu Li ascends the throne, the Emperor will surely order my death... How long will it be? By then, how old will my child be? Will he be able to call me "Mother"?

It was already deep winter, and every morning Lu Li would rush into the palace to handle state affairs on behalf of the ailing emperor.

At dawn that day, my mother unexpectedly arrived, having come to the capital to see Consort Ding. This was the first time I had seen my mother since I left the Prince of Huai's residence.

I pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed and we chatted intimately about everyday things.

"I specially made a lot of pastries, enough for you to eat for several months." The mother smiled kindly.

"It would be better if Mother came; there's no need for you to go through all this trouble." I smiled slightly.

The mother paused, somewhat wistfully, "Do you remember the taste of my pastries? You must remember."

"I will never forget the taste of my mother's pastries."

She smiled and said, "That's good, that's good..."

"How is Father?"

Mother paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, okay..."

She reached out and gently hugged me, saying, "It's only been a short time, and you've grown up so much and become a mother."

“Zhao’er… all these years, you have been the child your mother has worried about the most. You must remember that you came into this world not because you were destined to be a member of the Nalan family, but because you were destined to be a member of the Rong family. You have the blood of the Rong family in your veins… and you were destined to be my daughter.”

I stared blankly at my mother. What was wrong with her today? Did she also sense the strangeness in the court, or the faint unease in the Prince of Huainan's residence?

At the gate of the mansion, my mother gave me a series of instructions, and I smiled as I saw her off into the sedan chair.

“Mother, I’ve gone to the palace to comfort Her Majesty. Later, I’ll have the Prince bring you to stay with me for a few days so we can have a good chat.”

"Okay." She nodded, then suddenly stopped, looking at me with concern. "Zhao'er, have you remembered everything I told you? The taste of the pastries, whether or not you can eat them in the future, you must remember them. That way, no matter how sad you are..."

“Mother, I can see that you are increasingly worried about me. Even if I forget myself, I will never forget your pastries.”

"That's good, that's good." In the instant my mother responded, I caught a trace of loneliness, but I couldn't see through it.

I turned to Liu Shang and said, "You escort the princess to the palace for me."

Watching his mother enter the sedan chair with a faint smile, that bright spot gradually faded into the distance under the sunlight.

I didn't know then that it would be the last time I saw my mother...

From the gate of the mansion to the study, Lu Li stayed in the study for many days and did not allow outsiders to enter.

While he was still away, I led a few maids to help tidy up.

It was indeed a mess, with blueprints and crumpled papers scattered all over the floor, and memorials laid out haphazardly on the desk.

I was secretly surprised. Lu Li was a man who valued rules and regulations. When did things get so chaotic? It wasn't something difficult or troublesome that upset him.

The memorial that had been approved and returned before me made me uneasy from the bottom of my heart.

It was a memorial submitted by Lu Li, but it was criticized terribly by the emperor.

"Foolish! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The blood-red imperial edict came into view; it was only a few words, yet it gripped my throat.

So soon? Is His Majesty already impatient?

Suddenly, someone burst in through the door.

"My lord... something has happened in Huainan. The old prince has passed away... just now... the two princes from Huainan Prefecture have been escorted to the capital for trial by the Emperor himself."

Something was pounding violently in my chest, as if it were trying to pierce through my chest; the pain was so intense.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

The three imperial edicts that ordered the executions were indeed referring to the father and the two elder brothers.

He stopped breathing for a moment, stared blankly in one direction, and said in a trembling voice, "Go—go stop the Princess Consort of Huai's sedan chair."

She was determined to go and accompany her father and brothers.