Hong Ling walked alongside Mei Li, supporting her as they made their way to the Dowager Empress's palace. He worriedly pulled her cloak tighter around her, "Princess, why must you rush so? Look, your legs are still weak! The night wind has picked up, if you catch a chill again, it won't be trivial..."

  Meili, due to her weakness and lack of strength, had to tightly grasp the arm of Hongling in order to barely walk. Her forehead was covered in fine beads of cold sweat, and she shook her head with a bitter smile, not saying a word. All her energy was being used to persevere through this long palace path leading to the Leishoutang, to... tell her ancestors about her decision.

  She lived not far from the Empress Dowager's palace, dragging her frail body and the emotions she dared not savor, the road she walked was like a long and tedious life! She had felt that way before, when she was taken out of the Cold Palace to see the ancestors. At that time... she felt sentimental, and a faint glimmer of hope emerged. And now, she was going to go and trample on the hopes that had already been kindled.

  Hong Ling also said that she was too hasty... If possible, she would never want to take this step, but she had to urge herself to hurry up and leave as soon as possible, because if Yong He looked at her with those eyes for a while longer, she might lose the courage to leave him!

  As dinner was about to end, many palace maids and eunuchs were walking back and forth in twos and threes, carrying food boxes and utensils. When they saw Mei Li, they all smiled and bowed their heads, but the smiles on their faces contained too much sarcasm and ambiguity that she felt tired of enduring. After quickly brushing past her shoulders, she unintentionally heard them whispering and giggling softly. She couldn't hear what they were saying, nor did she need to.

  Hong Ling felt the weight on her arm had increased a bit, and Gege's trembling became more obvious. "Gege?" she called out in concern, "Why don't we head back first?"

  Go back?

  Meili took a deep breath and stood up straight, no, she couldn't go back! Her world was small, just the palace and the mansion, but what about Yonghe? She could imagine how much more ridicule and contempt he had endured than her! She had heard those men talk about her, if they said something ten times more vicious and filthy about Yonghe, it was because of her, for Yonghe's sake... How could she still face Yonghe, how could she face Yonghe's parents?!

  When she left her small hut, there was still a hint of hesitation in her heart. Now... it's completely gone!

  When she saw the lanterns hung by the eunuchs with bamboo poles outside the ancestral hall, her eyes moistened unexpectedly. She left the dark and cold Anning Hall, only to find herself in an even colder and more desolate place.

  "Wait." She was stopped by a eunuch outside the courtyard gate, "The Emperor is meeting with important officials, please wait for a moment."

  "What important guest is coming at this time?" Hong Ling was somewhat annoyed, in such a situation, why "wait" in the courtyard where the night wind was rising?

  Tai Jian usually got along with Hong Ling, and came over to whisper, "It's the Deputy Minister of Revenue."

  Hong Ling was momentarily stunned and still had a bad tone, "Who?"

  Tai Jian hastily dodged to the side, sneaking a glance at Mei Li's even paler face in the dim light, and let out a sigh. "It's just Zamulang! Su Ying Ge Ge's Ama! He rushed back from the hunting grounds on purpose, that's why he arrived late."

  Rainbow Ling glanced at the expressionless face of Mei Li, it seems that there are many people who are anxious and flustered about this matter.

  "Gege, why don't you go sit in the corridor for a while, it's also more sheltered from the wind. When the person comes out, I'll immediately let them know and have you go back in." Seeing Mei Li's weak and struggling expression, the little eunuch also couldn't bear it and made a warm suggestion.

  Meili nodded, she really couldn't stand anymore.

  The corridor was indeed sheltered from the wind, but it was also unusually dark, without a single ray of light shining in. Mei Li leaned against the wooden pillar, waiting anxiously, while Hong Ling paced back and forth in the courtyard, muttering softly to complain about how long Zha Mu Lang was taking, wondering what he was saying.

  There was a commotion in the courtyard, with soft voices asking for peace rising and falling, it must be that some big shot had arrived, Hong Ling hid in the darkness.

  The little eunuch's greeting just now was because he was very close, so it was very clear, "Greetings to King Qing, may the king be auspicious."

  Mei Li's hands trembled, it was him, he had also arrived.

  "Has Zha Mu Lang arrived?" Jing Xuan asked the eunuch in a low voice, his tone cold and displeased.

  "Yes." The eunuch was very diligent, "Your Highness, look, isn't this what you wanted?"

  The steady and heavy footsteps came this way, a rustling of clothes, "Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Highness."

  Meili smiled faintly, this is reality, even if Su Yan's mother was glorious, she would have to kneel down to Jingxuan, her future son-in-law. If it were usual times, even the emperor would give some face, saying "免礼" (excuse from kneeling) when the old minister was about to kneel, but at this moment... Jingxuan didn't say anything.

  After a while, Jing Xuan's cold and calm voice finally sounded, "Get up."

  "Hmph." Zamulong said in a low voice, with a hint of suppressed anger.

  "Zhamulang, what's the matter that made you rush back overnight without rest?" Jingxuan sneered, his tone arrogant and cold. Meili was somewhat surprised, even if Jingxuan held a higher position, he was still her future father-in-law, and... it was obvious that he would be of great help to him in the future, so why should he use such a rude attitude towards him?

  "The young lady's illness is severe, and I am worried sick, so I specially requested leave from the Emperor to come here." Zamulun said in a low and humble tone, seemingly not daring to be too presumptuous towards his future son-in-law who was still very young, and being very patient.

  Jingxuan let out a soft snort and said somewhat reluctantly: "Fine, go then."

  Zha Pu Lang seemed extremely surprised, Jing Xuan had actually ended the conversation like that.

  "Your Majesty..." Zamulong spoke again, his tone much lower. The faint anger he had earlier also dissipated due to Jingxuan's nonchalance. "Su Ying is sincere towards you, and perhaps the Emperor has wronged this old slave..."

  "Shut up!" Jing Xuan's tone became even more overbearing and rude, abruptly cutting off the other person's words. "You dare to mention the Emperor in front of me? I agreed to marry your daughter only because she still has a few attractive qualities." His disdainful tone made Zha Mu Lang take a deep breath, but he didn't make another sound. "Why did the Emperor want me to marry her, you know it yourself! Everyone says that I'm after the dirty money of your family, and just thinking about it makes me feel like I've swallowed a fly, and yet you still dare to lecture me?"

  He mentioned Su Ying's tone, which made her heart slightly ache. He looked at Su Ying with a doting gaze, lowering his head to let Su Ying whisper in his ear... Was it really such contemptuous words behind her back? She knew she didn't have the qualifications to compare with Su Ying, but she felt sorry for her... Loving Jing Xuan was truly pitiful.

  This humiliating remark did not receive Zamulong's rebuttal, and he silently endured the arrogant attitude of Qing Wangye, who should be his junior.

  "Zamu Lang, with so much energy, you'd better think about how to serve the emperor well! How to make those corrupt officials spit out more silver! I promised you, and what I promise the emperor will be done. As for other things, don't waste your thoughts! I married your daughter, how could you still put on airs as my father-in-law? Do you think you have a say in what kind of woman I marry? Have you really forgotten who you are?"

  Zha Mu Lang still didn't speak, silently listening to his future son-in-law's scolding.

  "Alright, go! Also have a good talk with your daughter. I've given her what I should give her, and don't interfere in things that aren't yours to manage!"

  "Ah."

  This "hiss" made Meili feel a lump in her throat, what kind of mood and expression did Zamu Lang use to say this word? Helpless, towards fate, towards reality... the deepest helplessness. The man who spoke such hurtful words with an attitude of not caring at all, couldn't refute, couldn't resist.

  Her fingers gripped the wooden railing tightly, he... seemed to have planned out everyone's future, including hers. She had heard it clearly, what he was going to give Su Yan was the title of princess, and a marital relationship with Zha Mu Lang. Accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger, now that the emperor needs Zha Mu Lang, he indulges him in every way, but once time passes and circumstances change, what will Zha Mu Lang bring back? Why can he bring it back? These obvious secrets, can they still be tolerated by the emperor? So the emperor wants to give Zha Mu Lang a reassurance, and Zha Mu Lang also needs such a powerful son-in-law.

  She was wrong again, she thought things were too simple, too good to be true. She thought he at least genuinely liked Su Yan. He did like Su Yan, but the "like" he could understand was just a temporary excitement for beauty and tenderness.

  "He said, 'the woman I want to marry' is her, right? Marry? But it's just a concubine, euphemistically called a secondary wife, actually just a mistress."

  She was not the first woman he wanted to marry. There were a Mongolian princess before and then there was Su Ying, definitely not the last one either.

  She suddenly felt a sense of relief, her choice was truly a kind of liberation!

  He can blackmail anyone who has a request for him, but as for her... what else can he do?

  When everyone had left, the eunuch finally came to summon her to see the old ancestor. She even smiled faintly at that moment, thinking that an uncertain future was better than marrying a cold-hearted man!

  "...Have you thought it through?" After hearing Mei Lin's firm request, Xiaozhuang fell silent for a long time.

  "Yes! I am willing to worship Buddha for the rest of my life and pray for good fortune and longevity for our ancestors." Meili repeated, kowtowing again.

  "Meili..." Xiaozhuang let out a slightly tired sigh, these past two days, for this child, she had already worried herself to pieces. "Come here." She gently patted the side of the kang, Meili sat down beside her, Xiaozhuang's eyes welled up with tears as she stroked her pale yet exceptionally lovely little face, "Child, you've really grown up."

  She was really afraid that Meili had come to tell her that Jingxuan was innocent and wanted to marry Yonghe. She believed what she said, but... she was torn. The desperate Yu Ru in front of her, also a mother, knew the deep longing for her son, and understood the heart of a mother willing to sacrifice her life to protect her child, she couldn't refute her. Yonghe, who had come to declare that he would not marry Meili with a determined face, even she, who had been through the palace's thin luck, was moved by this devoted man's unwavering dedication, and she couldn't bear to agree to him, knowing what he would lose if he married Meili. Jingxuan, who had to marry Meili, this cold and overbearing child, surprisingly also confessed in front of her that he liked Meili, and marrying her would mean a lifetime of protection for her.

  It seems that no matter how she handles it, it's always a ruthless and merciless outcome.

  This fragile girl, no matter how she is treated, is destined to be hurt... actually willing to use a lonely and desolate life to bear all the pain alone. And yet, she still can't help but feel sorrowful! Mei Li has suffered too much from childhood to adulthood, isn't it enough for heaven?!

  "Meili... let me think again..." She couldn't bear to agree with her! This delicate and lovely girl, Mei Yue, would she really have her whole life ruined by this one casual remark? At such a young age, did she even know how long and arduous life could be?

  Meili smiled and thought... Is there a way? "Ancestors... Meili will never regret it, not for the rest of her life."