Chapter 20
Foolish Women Are More Endearing
Xun Ran Pavillion is filled with Bai Chu Xun’s sobbing the entire night. An entire year worth of affection between her and Bai Yu Chen is ruined because of Xia Hou Shang Yue’s poisoning incident.
This is a big blow to Bai Chu Xun. Even though her relationship with Bai Yu Chen is the kind that is frowned by the world, she has truly fallen for that man.
Remembering the name Xia Hou Shang Yue, Bai Chu Xun’s heart no longer carries pained acception, it is now replaced by pure hatred. It’s all because of her. If she hadn’t show up, older brother Chen would never treat her like that. It’s all because of her! She showed up and stole older brother Chen’s affection!
As she ponders while crying, the sun starts to rise on the horizon and she fuzzily falls asleep. For her, everything that happens last night is the most painful memory in her entire 15 years of life.
————–
“Your Majesty—– Your Majesty,” Eunuch Hai calls out. After the morning assembly ended, Bai Yu Chen stares into his scroll. Hai Cheng has no idea how many times he had to snap him out of his thoughts.
“Uh, zhen’s mind wanders off again.” Bai Yu Chen puts down the memorial and helplessly smiles. Seems like this isn’t an appropriate time to read a memorial. Something has been swirling in his mind, blurring the characters as he drifts away.
“Your Majesty have busy days, it is only natural that Your Majesty is tired. Why don’t you stroll in the Imperial Garden?” Eunuch Hai cleverly finds an excuse for the emperor’s lack of concentration. Bai Yu Chen smiles, gets up and walks out of the Imperial Study.
His pace is neither slow nor fast on the way to the Imperial Garden. When he passes by the dungeon, he suddenly remember that Xia Hou Shang Yue is still inside and can’t help but frown.
“Hai Cheng-ah, do you think it was the empress?”
Eunuch Hai who has been following the emperor for years naturally knows that the emperor is not the kind to ask for other people’s opinion. If he does that, it means that he already knows what to do but want others to say it out loud for him.
“Even though the empress hasn’t been in Yue Kingdom for long, we can see from the way she treats others that she is not the kind to poison other people. Besides, the grand empress dowager treats her so well, I believe she will not do anything to harm the grand empress dowager. In Hai Cheng’s humble opinion, this poisoning case is not perpetrated by the empress. It must be somebody else!” Hai Cheng slowly says that as he inspect Bai Yu Chen’s expression from time to time. He knows the emperor just wants to find an excuse to let the empress out of the dungeon.
“Actually, zhen too didn’t think the empress is that kind of person. But zhen is a ruler, a ruler’s words are gold and his sentences are jade, the words that had been said, how could it be taken back?” (TN: 金口玉言 (jin kou yu yan) = golden lips and jade words. It means that an emperor’s word is absolute. Even he can’t take it back. This is also what happened with Xuan Yuan Yu and Xi Yan during the selection, that’s why the empress dowager can’t make him change his decree.)
Bai Yu Chen stops and frowns, his face carrying a difficult expression. He wants to let Xia Hou Shang Yue out, but finding a plausible reason is holding him back.
“Your Majesty, this servant has an idea. Would you like to hear them?”
“Oh? Let zhen listen to them.”
“The Xian Dynasty’s ambassador will arrive soon. Once the ambassador arrives, Your Majesty will have to hold a banquet to welcome him. The empress is the country’s mother, how can she be absent from the banquet? You can use this excuse to let the empress out of the dungeon. After that, Your Majesty can take advantage of this and pick a death row prisoner to be the sacrificial lamb. Find a reason that points to the prisoner doing the poisoning. That way, Her Majesty’s name will be clean from the poisoning incident!”
Hai Cheng’s idea is really good. Bai Yu Chen does not speak, he flings his sleeves and enters the dungeon. After a few steps, he suddenly stops and turns around. “The reasons zhen is doing this are; first of all, to not to embarrassed Yue Kingdom in front of the Xian Kingdom’s ambassador. Second of all, zhen does not wish to incite conflict between Yue Kingdom and Mu Kingdom because of the empress.”
“Your Majesty is diligent and well-intentioned, naturally smarter than short-sighted people like this servant!” Hai Cheng bows as he flatters Bai Yu Chen. Sometimes, flattery is a must. He looks at Bai Yu Chen’s back profile and laughs before quickly following his lead.
Inside the torture chamber of the dungeon, Xia Hou Shang Yue’s entire being feels faint. Her head feels like it is going to explode and her entire body feels like it’s has been caught on fire.
Her entire body is originally fragile. After getting the punishment and having to face the cold night air in the torture chamber, she finally falls ill.
“Xue Wu, I don’t feel good……”
“Mistress, you must hold on! Nothing must happen to you!” Xue Wu’s anxious tears starts falling. Inside the torture chamber that can’t even see the light of the day, nobody cares about you if you falls ill. Even she can’t do anything since she’s tied like her mistress.
“Mistress, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have speak nonsense and tell the emperor that it was me who puts the poison. If I hadn’t, the emperor wouldn’t have hit you.” Shui Tian blames himself. He thought if he admit that, he would be able to save his mistress. But the opposite happens. If only he had kept his mouth shut.
Everytime Xia Hou Shang Yue wants to speak, her head throbs. She can only smile weakly at Xue Wu and Shui Tian.
“You people should have kept your mouths shut from the very start! Even now you people have lots to say!”
Bai Yu Chen quickly unties Xia Hou Shang Yue’s rope. Seeing her red face and her warm body, he frowns. Hai Cheng on the other hand unties Xue Wu and Shui Tian.
Xue Wu immediately runs to Xia Hou Shang Yue, “Mistress………. Mistress………. Nothing must happen to you!”
“What are you waiting for? Hurry and call a physician to Feng Qi Palace!” Bai Yu Chen immediately lifts Xia Hou Shang Yue up before howling at Xue Wu. Shui Tian already runs off to call the physician. Xue Wu does not care about her own body’s pain, she quickly returns to Feng Qi Palace.
After going out of the dungeon, Xia Hou Shang Yue finally sees the sun. Xia Hou Shang Yue can see Bai Yu Chen’s tight lips and cold face from her position against his chest.
“I knew you will come and release me.” Xia Hou Shang Yue whispers. She knows he won’t kill them or let them spend the rest of their lives in the dungeon.
“Oh? Why don’t you tell zhen why zhen decided to let you out?”
“Because I am Mu Kingdom’s princess and Yue Kingdom’s empress. Your Majesty will not simply kill me or leave me in the dungeon for the rest of my life.”
Bai Yu Chen’s unconsciously smile. This woman is really smart. But sometimes, she is too smart she doesn’t know how to protect herself.
“You clearly knows that, then why did you beg zhen to let them go in the dungeon?
“Because you are the emperor. Even though chenqie is the empress, chenqie is chenqie first before the empress.”
“Xia Hou Shang Yue, has anybody told you that a woman have to be a little foolish to be endearing?”
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