The cold wind howled through the courtyard, and the world outside had long since turned white with snow.
On the bed.
Su Luoluo’s brows trembled faintly. Who was crying beside her ear, sobbing without end, so heartbroken?
“Princess Consort… Princess Consort, in your next life, you must never love a man like Prince Rui again. The one who deserves to die is him, not you… Sob… Now that you’re gone, this servant won’t live on either. After drinking this cup of poisoned wine, I’ll go down and accompany you at once. I absolutely won’t let you walk the Road to the Yellow Springs alone.”
Her eyes slowly opened. The light stabbed painfully into them, and her mind went blank in an instant.
Hadn’t she died?
The maid beside her wore an expression of utter despair. Without the slightest hesitation, she lifted the cup of poisoned wine and poured it into her mouth. Su Luoluo was horrified. Dizzy and disoriented, she summoned every ounce of her strength and lunged at her, knocking the wine from Fuling’s hand.
Crash…
The cup shattered, and the poison instantly corroded the floor.
Fuling turned around in fright, only to see that her young lady—who had clearly already stopped breathing—had opened her eyes. Her face was deathly pale, and she was so weak that even breathing seemed difficult.
Tears welled in Fuling’s eyes. Forgetting all propriety, she rushed forward and threw her arms around her master, bursting into loud sobs.
“Miss, Miss, you scared this servant to death! I thought you had died, Miss… This is wonderful, truly wonderful… Sob…”
Fuling wept so hard she could barely catch her breath. As Su Luoluo’s consciousness gradually returned, she hugged Fuling tightly as well, her eyes quickly reddening.
She remembered.
She really had died—and she had been dead for a very long time!
Sometimes, she would fall into a deep sleep. Other times, she would drift aimlessly through the air. But most of the time, she floated among one grave-covered mountain after another.
Every day, she wept miserably, her hatred as vast as the heavens!
She remembered even more clearly.
Before their wedding, Prince Rui had told her that he would love only her for the rest of his life and grow old with her alone. Thus, she had brought a generous dowry and all the hopes of her life, joyfully marrying into Prince Rui’s Residence.
However.
Once Prince Rui had achieved his objective, obtained all the assistance she could provide, and taken possession of her Protective Divine Jade, everything changed the moment Su Yiyao appeared. Their true faces were exposed in an instant…
Piece by piece, everything gradually became clear. Tears fell in great drops, and when the hatred erupted from the depths of her heart, Su Luoluo cried out in anguish.
It was all because of that pair of treacherous dogs! They were the ones who had caused her ruin!
Fuling held the trembling Su Luoluo tightly. Hearing the agony in her voice, as though it had been suppressed for an incredibly long time, Fuling suddenly cried out in alarm.
“Princess Consort, that vile woman Su Yiyao stole the Young Heir you had just given birth to and told the Prince that she was the one who had borne him. Prince Rui has taken her into the palace to ask His Majesty to make her his consort. Then he said that you committed adultery with the coachman and that the child you bore is an evil seed. He wants to divorce you and throw you into the Mass Grave, where wild beasts will tear you apart.”
“Princess Consort, the Young Heir is in their hands now. What should we do?”
Su Luoluo felt as though her heart and guts had been torn apart. Her son had been taken from her immediately after birth…
A ripping pain surged through her abdomen. Su Luoluo’s bloodshot eyes turned hatefully toward the window.
So.
Her husband had taken her younger sister and the son she had borne to the palace to ask for the reunion of their family of three?
Her throat was filled with a bloody sweetness, but Su Luoluo forcibly swallowed it. Then she quickly wrapped the daughter Su Yiyao had given birth to in a blanket and asked Fuling, “How long ago did they leave?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
It would probably take roughly an hour to reach the Imperial Palace. They had a fine carriage and good horses. Although the constant snowfall had made the roads difficult to travel, they still would not be too slow.
The sharp pain in her abdomen grew increasingly distinct. Su Luoluo was nearly completely weak. She gently pressed on her abdomen, and when her hand made contact, shock filled her eyes.
So that was how it was. Heaven truly had not abandoned her.
If Prince Rui wanted a divorce, fine!
But if he wanted to divorce her, take her children, and seize everything she possessed, he could keep dreaming!
“Fuling, we’re going into the palace—”
Fuling’s eyes brightened slightly when she heard this, but they soon dimmed again.
The Princess Consort of the past had obeyed the Prince in everything and always listened to him. As long as he was happy, she could endure any grievance. Even when she spent every night alone in an empty room, she never said a word.
Fuling was afraid that even if they entered the palace, her mistress would kneel before His Majesty and help Prince Rui beg him to make that vile woman Su Yiyao his consort!
Su Luoluo knew Fuling did not believe her, but there was no time to explain. She thrust the child into Fuling’s arms, pressed a hand against her increasingly heavy and swollen belly, and gritted her teeth as she used the bedboard to pull herself upright. Then she began walking laboriously toward the door, one step at a time.
Every step…
felt like needles boring into her flesh. But she had no time to hesitate. She had to race against time, or everything would end in failure!
In her previous life.
Five days passed before anyone discovered that she and Fuling had died in the side room. Their bodies were naturally thrown into the Mass Grave without the slightest surprise, becoming food for the wild beasts.
The courtyard was utterly desolate, but outside, lanterns hung everywhere, and the atmosphere was filled with joy.
At present.
Su Yiyao had given birth to a son. If she were named Princess Consort Rui after entering the palace, the boy would be the Legitimate Son. With two joyous occasions arriving at Prince Rui’s Residence, a grand wedding feast was certain to be held.
Thus.
The people in the residence had begun preparations early, eagerly awaiting the return of their three masters together.
The festive atmosphere in the front courtyard struck against the desolation of the rear courtyard, filling Su Luoluo’s eyes with hatred. She turned to Fuling and hurriedly said, “Everyone is busy in the front courtyard. No one is watching this place. Fuling, let’s get a carriage and leave through the side gate. Quickly—”
“Yes.”
Holding the child in one arm and supporting Su Luoluo with the other, Fuling went around to the stables and took a servant’s carriage. They left through the side gate.
Snow flew thickly through the air. Before long, their tracks would be covered again. The people in the residence likely would not discover until tomorrow that anyone had left.
Inside the carriage.
Fuling wrapped the only blanket around Su Luoluo and the child, then climbed outside, seized the reins, and shouted into the biting wind as she drove the horse forward at a fast pace.
The weather was freezing, the snow fell in torrents, and the road was extremely difficult to travel!
Su Luoluo’s stomach hurt more and more. Looking at the bloodstains gradually spreading beneath her, anxiety filled her eyes.
“Princess Consort, why do you insist on caring for this child?”
The child they had taken with them was Su Yiyao’s. This was the true evil seed—a broad face and coarse brows. At a glance, it was obvious that the child was not the Prince’s.
Su Luoluo said nothing. She merely stared darkly at the newborn in her arms.
Su Yiyao, her younger half-sister.
In order to give birth on the same day as Su Luoluo, she had not hesitated to use drugs. She had even committed adultery with another man to become pregnant, then framed Su Luoluo after giving birth to this child!
“Regardless, it’s still a life. Fuling, go faster!”
The wind blew fiercely, making people’s cheeks ache. Fuling turned around, and the wind lifted the curtain. Seeing Su Luoluo’s pallid face, she cried out anxiously, “This servant is afraid the Princess Consort won’t be able to endure it.”
With such a weak body and such a pale complexion, how could she withstand the jolting of an accelerating carriage?
“Don’t worry about that. Go as fast as you can, or we’ll all die!”
Su Luoluo’s gaze was cold and severe, her voice tinged with urgency. Fuling’s expression changed drastically. Gritting her teeth, she stopped hesitating and viciously lashed the horse.
The horse let out a shrill whinny before breaking into a gallop.
The simple carriage, the rough road, and the freezing weather—nearly everything had become a death warrant for them!
Su Luoluo endured the excruciating pain while being tossed back and forth. She had no choice but to hold the child tightly with one hand and grip the carriage seat with the other, bracing the tips of her feet against the carriage post to keep herself from being thrown out.
No matter how painful it was or how difficult things became, she clenched her teeth and endured it without making a sound.
After driving recklessly in pursuit of time, they finally reached the palace gates.
The guards on duty hurried over. Su Luoluo quickly took out the Command Token that had always been tied around her neck. The guards’ eyes sharpened, and they swiftly opened the palace gates.
Clutching the token tightly, Su Luoluo’s tears fell. This was the Command Token her grandfather had personally given her, telling her not to mention it to anyone, much less give it to another person.
Old Grand Tutor Su had been His Majesty’s Grand Tutor. When His Majesty had still been the Crown Prince, Old Grand Tutor Su had taught him how to govern the country and pacify the realm, as well as how to ride, hunt, and shoot. The two had eaten and lived together, and their relationship had always been exceptionally close.
Later, they had encountered an assassination attempt during a hunt, and Old Grand Tutor Su had died saving His Majesty.
Grateful for the old master’s loyalty, His Majesty had granted Master Su the title of Marquis Jingyuan, allowing him the privileges of a first-rank official. At the same time, he had also bestowed Su Luoluo upon Prince Rui as his consort.
Staggering all the way.
Fuling supported Su Luoluo as Su Luoluo, covered in blood and holding the infant, rushed forward. The three of them collapsed to their knees with a heavy thump at the entrance to Cloud Joy Palace, looking as though they were about to breathe their last.
She raised her eyes.
From a distance, she saw Prince Rui with Su Yiyao. Su Yiyao held her son, and the three of them knelt closely together in the center of the main hall. Prince Rui bowed deeply and pleaded with His Majesty.
“Imperial Father, Su Luoluo committed adultery with another man and gave birth to an evil seed. This son respectfully begs Imperial Father to strip Su Luoluo of her title as Princess Consort Rui, throw Su Luoluo and that evil seed into the Mass Grave… Furthermore, Yiyao has always been cautious and has silently remained by this son’s side without seeking any status. Now that she has given birth to a son, this son also begs Imperial Father to grant Yiyao the title of Princess Consort Rui.”
Su Yiyao’s small face was pale yet alluring. She gazed at Prince Rui with deep emotion, tears of gratitude spilling from her eyes.
How warm. How piercing.
So this was what had happened.
While her bones had not yet grown cold, such a spectacular scene had already unfolded in the palace!
Prince Rui had elevated Su Yiyao to the exalted position of Princess Consort Rui. As for the son Su Luoluo had borne, only a few days after Su Yiyao became the consort, he had been thrown into the snow and left to freeze. The child had soon contracted a chill and suffered from an unremitting high fever. After two days of torment, he had died of illness…
Her Mother, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Eldest Sister, Wet Nurse, Mute Granny… Nine people in all had died at the hands of Prince Rui and Su Yiyao.
Furthermore, Su Yiyao had even hired people to perform rituals that suppressed their graves, ensuring that they would never be reborn for all eternity.
Such viciousness!
Yet the Su Yiyao kneeling in the center of the hall now looked delicate and obedient. Her pale little face was bashful and filled with joy as she leaned into Prince Rui’s arms while holding the child.
Prince Rui was equally affectionate and distressed as he held them tightly.
This scene.
Su Luoluo’s eyes turned scarlet!
Why?
Since the heavens had allowed her to live again at this very moment, then the ones who deserved to die without a burial place and never be reborn for all eternity were them!
“Bring the child over and let Me have a look!”
His Majesty spoke in a deep voice. Su Yiyao answered, then was helped to her feet by the maid and Prince Rui. Carefully holding the child, she walked before His Majesty.
Looking at the newborn infant, His Majesty was unable to vent his anger, no matter how furious he was. Moreover, everything was Su Luoluo’s fault, so His Majesty nodded.
“Then it is approved…”