The Empress stared at the glaring goose-yellow fabric on the floor, her brow twitching violently. She turned her gaze toward the female official beside her.
The female official immediately stepped forward, bowing and whispering, “Your Majesty, I have heard that the fourth young lady of the Liu family, the Imperial Academy Chancellor’s household, is named Liu Ying. The Liu family is the maternal family of Madam Liu of the Xiao Family.”
“Outrageous!” The Empress raised her eyebrows, her fury erupting. “Palace banquet rules are strict. Aside from imperial relatives and nobles, only officials of the third rank or above may bring family members. This is an ironclad rule!”
“I must ask, who is so bold as to dare bring this girl into the palace?”
Liu Lingyi hurriedly threw herself forward, kneeling. “Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This humble woman—”
“Silence!” The Empress’s phoenix eyes blazed with fury, clearly enraged. “Palace rules are strict. How dare you try to justify yourself? Guards! First, drag this Liu family girl who disrupted the palace banquet outside and administer thirty cane strikes!”
Th-thirty!?
Wouldn’t that take Ying’er’s life??
Liu Lingyi trembled uncontrollably, then heard the Empress nearly gnash her teeth as she said, “Madam Liu has shown contempt for the palace! Such audacity! Twenty cane strikes, and expel her from the palace immediately! From now on, women of the Liu family are forever forbidden from setting foot in the palace gates!”
A perfectly good plan, completely ruined!
The Empress took a deep breath and was about to rise to apologize to the Emperor when she heard Su Mingyue speak clearly: “Your Majesty, this common girl admires Pingyang Hou Xiao Lin and hopes Your Majesty will grant this union!”
What???
Xiao Yunhe, heedless of his own safety, abruptly stood up, his face filled with disbelief.
What nonsense was she spouting?
When had she ever had feelings for Xiao Lin??
That Xiao Lin was his granduncle! Could it be that in the future he would have to call her grandmother?!
???
In an instant, the entire hall erupted in uproar.
Su Mingyue actually wanted to marry Pingyang Hou Xiao Lin?
The eldest son of the Xiao Family is healthy and around her age. Wouldn’t marrying him be better?
The Empress’s smile froze on her face, and she quickly turned to look at the Emperor. “Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, marriage is a matter that requires mutual affection. Perhaps we should ask Pingyang Hou himself?”
Hearing this, Su Mingyue, still prostrate on the ground, couldn’t help but frown.
When had the Emperor ever asked for a young lady’s opinion when granting a marriage to a man? Why, when it came to her, were they suddenly being so particular?
If Xiao Lin did not agree to this matter, how could she still enter the Pingyang Marquisate to seek revenge?
Su Mingyue inwardly grumbled, and soon the sound of wheelchair wheels rolling reached her ears.
She glanced sideways secretly and saw that it was Xiao Yunhe pushing Xiao Lin forward!
Hah, this fellow certainly knew how to give Xiao Yunhe a way out. With this, his earlier abrupt standing might not necessarily be deemed a crime of contempt for imperial authority…
Once out of the Pingyang Marquisate, the Xiao Family members still sided with their own!
Su Mingyue’s expression instantly turned grim.
She constantly thought about taking revenge on everyone in the “General’s Mansion.”
The murmurs gradually quieted, and everyone slowly fixed their gazes on Xiao Lin.
Pingyang Hou had always been in poor health, living a secluded life and rarely appearing in public. Very few in the capital had ever seen his true face.
Who would have thought that this man would also come today? How peculiar!
Xiao Lin wore a pine-green robe embroidered with bamboo patterns, his jet-black hair neatly tied up in a crown. His face was clear and refined, and though seated in a wheelchair, his noble and elegant demeanor surpassed even the most outstanding young men standing tall in the hall by three parts.
For a moment, whispers filled the hall as everyone cast curious and inquisitive glances his way.
Yet whenever anyone’s gaze fell upon that handsome yet stern face, they all felt an aura of unassailable dignity surrounding him, causing their hearts to tremble involuntarily, and they quickly averted their eyes.
“Your humble subject Xiao Lin earnestly requests the Emperor and Empress to grant permission for me to take Miss Su as my wife.”
The clear, resonant voice unexpectedly reached Su Mingyue’s ears, sending a shiver down her spine.
Memories from her past life, of two occasions when she was nearly violated by Xiao Lin, uncontrollably flooded her mind.
The first was on her wedding day with Xiao Yunhe. Drunk and disheveled, he barged into the bridal chamber, tore off her veil, and pressed down on her, demanding, “Are you in such a hurry to marry? Do you really like him that much?!”
That day, despite his usual frailty and reliance on a wheelchair, he somehow mustered immense strength, pinning her to the wedding bed so she couldn’t move!
He ripped at her wedding robes, bit her lip until it bled, and had Xiao Yunhe not returned in time, he might have forced himself upon her.
It was because of that incident that no matter how she explained, Xiao Yunhe refused to touch her after their marriage… He found her disgusting, he thought she was tainted.
It was also from that moment she realized that Xiao Yunhe did not love her as much as he claimed. He didn’t trust her; he always loved himself more!
The second time was when Xiao Hongyi demanded to split the family, on the day she left the Pingyang Marquisate.
Xiao Lin knocked her maid unconscious, forcibly dragged her into a rockery, and stared into her eyes with tears welling up.
Terrified, she forced a smile at him, hoping to escape, but he suddenly grabbed her by the throat, furious. “You’re smiling? Who allowed you to smile at me? Do you think I can still smile?!”
That was the first time she experienced what suffocation felt like. She desperately tried to pry his hands away, but with bloodshot eyes, he repeated over and over, “You promised to cure me. Why did you go back on your word?”
Even now, she could hardly believe that the usually dignified and aloof Pingyang Hou would beg her tearfully not to leave??
It was utterly terrifying!!
That day, she thought she would be strangled to death in that rockery…
Once again, Xiao Yunhe saved her.
But from then on, Xiao Yunhe treated her even more coldly.
She felt she must have done something wrong, causing Xiao Lin to misunderstand her… Believing herself at fault, she became even more accommodating and tolerant toward Xiao Yunhe from then on.
Even when he suppressed and belittled her…
Even when he persistently refused to consummate their marriage, making her a laughingstock in front of everyone…
Even when he took concubine after concubine…
Looking back now, that incident in the rockery was the last time she saw Xiao Lin in her past life.
Later, she heard that Xiao Lin, far away in the Capital City, upon learning she had been sent to the Northern Di, recklessly led his men to the border in an attempt to bring her back.
Unexpectedly, they encountered ruthless bandits on the way, and Xiao Lin and his men were burned to ashes… not even a single intact body was recovered.
Thinking back now, mad as he was, he must have harbored some affection for her, after all!
She had no roots or backing, no family to rely on… No matter which powerful imperial relative or noble she married as the principal wife, she would only cause trouble for others, draw hatred upon herself, and inevitably face hardship in the future!
If she wanted revenge, if she wanted to find a way to live out her remaining years in peace, marrying Xiao Lin was the most suitable choice.
Yet she wondered, did Xiao Lin agree to the Imperial Marriage Grant today in public because he wanted to repay her for saving his life back then? Or had he already developed feelings for her by this time?
With a flicker in her gaze, Su Mingyue’s fingertips beneath her wide sleeves dug fiercely into her palm, using the slight pain to remind herself—
What love, what affection… men are all unreliable!
She would rely on herself to seek revenge!
She would save herself from this dire situation!
No matter what Xiao Lin thought, no matter how many admirers she might have in the future… in this lifetime, she sought only wealth and status!!
Striking while the iron was hot, Su Mingyue took a deep breath and knocked her head heavily against the ground, producing a dull thud.
“This humble woman and Pingyang Hou are deeply in love. I beg Your Majesty to grant us your blessing!”