Chapter 78: Chapter 75: Destiny Must Not Be Defied
As everyone left, the room suddenly felt much more spacious, and the scent of dicine seed to thicken.
Amid the dicinal aroma, there seed to be a faint hint of incense, adding a touch of exquisite decay to the lavish room, as if flowers had blood to their fullest, right before the mont of withering.
What was she going to do?
Chu Yu was montarily nervous but laughed at herself for being overly cautious. She had deceived the Emperor with sweet words; why was she now afraid of a dying patient?
With a relieved smile, Chu Yu walked to the bedside and knelt next to Empress Dowager Wang, gently asking, “Mother, do you have any other instructions?” She had resolved to let this woman depart in peace, and Chu Yu’s deanor was exceptionally natural, though inside she felt mostly pity, but at least she appeared like a filial daughter.
Empress Dowager Wang slightly lifted her hand, and Chu Yu grasped it, feeling sorrow for the thinness of these hands once again.
...
A female official, who seed to be the Empress Dowager’s confidant, was initially at the bedside serving, but the Empress Dowager even ordered her out.
Chu Yu beca even more uneasy, not knowing what Shan Yin’s Princess’s mother wanted to say to her.
After observing Chu Yu for a long ti, Empress Dowager Wang finally asked in a low voice, “Are you truly my daughter?”
Naturally not. Chu Yu responded in her heart but said aloud, “Mother, I was at fault in the past, let’s not talk about those old matters now, okay?” She was terrified that Empress Dowager Wang might bring up sothing from the past, and considering her complete lack of mory about Shan Yin’s Princess’s past, she feared her deception would be imdiately exposed.
Therefore, Chu Yu quickly changed the subject, “Didn’t you want to see the Emperor? Should I call him in to listen to your instructions?”
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager did not continue probing but stared intently at Chu Yu for a mont, a warm smile erging in her eyes. She weakly reached out and patted Chu Yu’s hand, saying, “That scoundrel ca here because of you, right? I know what my son is like; he has no affection for , his mother. You must have taken great efforts to bring him here.”
Chu Yu obediently shook her head, thinking to herself that it took no effort, just a ghost story. “Please speak quickly if you have sothing to say, don’t keep in suspense,” she thought.
The Empress Dowager slightly smiled, her pale, haggard face suddenly radiant with a captivating glow. Her eyes lit up, her skin glead, and her expression regained elegant and beautiful vitality, seeming to rejuvenate by a decade: “Chu Yu, co closer, I have sothing to tell you…”
Seeing her improved appearance, Chu Yu also felt happy and obediently leaned in, only to hear Empress Dowager Wang say, “The Emperor is so foolish; this empire will eventually be snatched away by another… If, if that day cos, you…”
Her voice weakened, almost as delicate as a cobweb, as if a strong wind could carry it away. Chu Yu almost held her breath to clearly hear her words. After listening, she was stunned, not noticing that the Empress Dowager’s face, which wore a tranquil expression a mont ago, rapidly aged, like a flower wilting in an instant.
When Chu Yu ca to her senses, she found the Empress Dowager had already closed her eyes. She reached out to check the Empress Dowager’s breath and heartbeat, only to touch a body still warm but gradually growing cold and stiff. Thus, she understood that the burst of energy was a final resurgence before death.
Empress Wang Xianyuan, of the prominent Wang Family, mother of two sons and four daughters, died of a serious illness at Han Zhang Palace in Yongxun Palace, not yet forty years old. In her final monts, the only person by her side was a daughter who was not her daughter.
Chu Yu stared blankly at the Empress Dowager. Although it was a corpse in front of her, she felt no fear, only pity. Her thoughts drifted, rembering the Empress Dowager’s origin from the Wang Family, realizing she and Wang Yizhi also seed to share a kinship by this relation.
Realizing she had been lost in thought for too long, Chu Yu hurriedly bent down, as instructed by the Empress Dowager before she died, and reached under the bed. Carefully, she searched inch by inch until she found a flat, round protrusion and pressed down on it, heard a soft click, and then turned it a half circle to the left before pressing down again. Subsequently, a small drawer popped out from the edge of the bed, just wide enough to hold a palm. Inside lay a quiet White Jade box, but Chu Yu did not rush to reach for it; instead, she first pressed the spring on the edge at the bottom of the drawer to disable its trap chanism.
The jade box was warm and smooth to the touch. Chu Yu didn’t rush to open it but first slipped it into her sleeve, patted it to ensure it was concealed, and then restored the drawer to its original state. With a push, the edges of the drawer imdiately sealed flush with its surroundings, revealing no gaps.
After standing up and collecting her thoughts for a mont, Chu Yu cultivated an expression of grief before going out to inform the others of the Empress Dowager’s passing. The rest naturally had to express their shock and sorrow in a tily and appropriate manner, leading to another round of performance, which is not worth ntioning in detail.
Having confird repeatedly that the Empress Dowager wouldn’t beco a ghost to haunt him, Liu Ziyue issued a decree for the Empress Dowager to be buried alongside the late emperor. He then left cheerfully. Watching his retreating figure, Chu Yu pondered deeply for a long ti. The people with her stayed by her side; Yue Jiefei and Tian Rujing, the master-disciple duo, stood shoulder to shoulder, while Rong Zhi leisurely sat cross-legged by the corridor pillar, smiling faintly at Chu Yu.
“Tian Rujing, co with ,” Chu Yu decided after much thought. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she rembered sothing and looked back, instructing Rong Zhi, “You should go back first; Yue Jiefei can stay here and wait for .” Her dismissal was for Rong Zhi’s benefit. After learning of the enmity between the two n, Chu Yu no longer felt safe leaving them alone together, fearing that she might return to find one dead and one alive.
Rong Zhi casually acknowledged and stood up to leave. After a few steps, he paused, turned his head to smile at Tian Rujing: “My agreent with Tian Ruyue now falls upon you. Tian Ruyue is dead; I hope you won’t let down.”
Tian Rujing did not respond, and Rong Zhi had not expected him to. After speaking, he simply walked away.
With Rong Zhi’s previous persuasion, Yue Jiefei no longer stopped Chu Yu. Thus, under his reluctant gaze, Chu Yu took Tian Rujing back to the deserted garden where they had previously spoken privately.
Once they had both stopped, Chu Yu looked at Tian Rujing for a mont before suddenly bowing deeply. The respect shown was more than sufficient, yet facing such a great reverence from a princess, Tian Rujing was undisturbed. He even accepted the bow without stepping back.
“What do you need to do?” asked Tian Rujing indifferently.
His mind was pure, but he was not naive. He saw through the thoughts and actions of others very clearly, but he simply chose not to concern himself with them.
Chu Yu gazed at him, speaking softly, “As the Emperor’s older sister, it is my duty to look after the young emperor, especially now that our mother has passed away. Unfortunately, his youthful arrogance makes him heedless of advice. He’s only afraid of ghosts, so I hope Lord Heavenly Master will collaborate with to guide the emperor onto the right path.” What she really ant was: All the older ones are dead now, and no one can control that wild young brat. Fortunately, he’s scared of ghosts, so let’s cooperate as a priest and scare the little Emperor into behaving.
Although Chu Yu appeared utterly sincere and righteous, inside she was quite frustrated. In principle, this was a task for the imperial officers, not for a princess who should be enjoying her leisure, yet here she was, taking on responsibilities that weren’t hers.
Tian Rujing shook his head coldly, “Princess, you should not fantasize about changing the Energy Fortune of a dynasty by yourself.” His expression was lofty, as if the sky had opened its eyes, coldly and sorrowfully overlooking all beings.
Chu Yu was infuriated, “What do you an ‘fantasize’?” She just wanted to survive, and to survive well. How was that a fantasy? As for the ‘Energy Fortune’ Tian Rujing ntioned, she didn’t believe a stroke of it.
Regardless of how low Chu Yu lowered her stance, Tian Rujing continuously responded with indifference. Overco with urgent anger, she stretched out her hand and tightly grasped Tian Rujing’s collar, her other hand holding a golden hairpin.
The sharp point of the hairpin pressed against Tian Rujing’s throat as Chu Yu coldly asked, “I’ll ask you one more ti, do you agree or not?” Her patience exhausted, she had no desire to drag this out further.
She chose Tian Rujing as her partner because of his identity and image, and because Liu Ziyue also seed to trust him greatly. Although she didn’t care for priestly types, Chu Yu wouldn’t underestimate his influence just because of her personal preferences.
The mont Chu Yu acted, the golden hairpin barely touching the skin on Tian Rujing’s neck, she suddenly felt a tingling in her hand. An invisible yet irresistible force emanated from Tian Rujing’s body, throwing her up into the air and, monts later, into the crowded bushes!
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Hehe, pleading for a monthly ticket for myself~~ The competition is over, and I naturally go on sale~~ Shalessly asking for a monthly subscription ticket, it’s a monthly one~ not from the main site, I heard many people mistakenly voted there~~(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit . The chapters are more extensive, support the author, support genuine reading!)
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