kvmb Chapter 273 But I Want to Live
Chapter 273 But I Want to Live
"What did you say?"
Lu Yangyang's brow twitched: "Are you out of your mind?"
Li Duan shook her head, looking at her earnestly: "Please listen to me, okay?"
Lu Yangyang didn't speak. Li Duan took a step forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her out of the side hall to the pear tree in the backyard.
The pear blossoms have been in bloom for some time, and the fallen petals cover the ground like a layer of snow.
Li Duan pulled her down to squat down, parted the petals, and began to dig the soil with her hands. Lu Yangyang followed her, and soon they dug out the two jars of wine buried inside. Li Duan thought for a moment and then put one of the jars back in.
She wiped her hands with a handkerchief, opened the wine jar, took a sip of wine, and coughed twice from the fumes. She then handed the jar to Lu Yangyang, who took it and drank a mouthful.
The two leaned against the pear tree.
“I know you’ll ask me why, Yangyang. I’m my mother’s daughter. I used to act without thinking because my mother had already thought everything through for me. Now that she’s gone, I have to think for myself. I may not be that smart, but I know His Majesty won’t let me off the hook.”
Li Duan pointed to a tree in the corner of the wall in the distance and said, "There is a dog hole there. It was my childhood secret. That day, I crawled in through there and saw something I shouldn't have seen. That's when I realized that everything I had was not what I imagined, and the people I knew were not what I imagined either."
"You know what? Many people say that my uncle spoils me and treats me even better than some princesses. But when I found out the truth, I was terrified. Tell me, how can someone fake it to give others that kind of impression?"
“When I entered the palace today, Brother Sheng was also there. His Majesty had Eunuch Feng hide me away. I heard Brother Sheng tell His Majesty that he was willing to exchange his military power in the Northwest for a marriage contract with me.”
Lu Yangyang was stunned for a moment, but not at all surprised.
This was her elder brother's choice, and the Crown Prince had agreed to it. So this was the choice the Crown Prince had told her. But... why did the Crown Prince then suggest that she take Li Duan away?
Lu Yangyang was a little confused for a moment.
Then Li Duan continued, "His Majesty hesitated, but he did not agree. He only sent Brother Sheng away, saying that he would consider the matter and discuss it again on the Emperor's birthday. After Brother Sheng left, His Majesty gave me a cup of poisoned wine."
Lu Yangyang stared at Li Duan in shock.
"He asked me if I wanted to live. If I wanted to live, he would agree to the marriage, but this cup of poisoned wine was the nuptial wine between me and Brother Sheng. Only if Brother Sheng died could I live. Otherwise, I would go and marry into the family."
Li Duan's voice was unusually calm, perhaps because she had been drinking.
Lu Yangyang felt a chill run through her body, and for a moment her blood seemed to run cold.
She understood. She understood why the Crown Prince wanted her to take Li Duan away and to make Li Duan forget her elder brother. Because there was never any choice. Surrendering military power in exchange for a marriage contract only resulted in a marriage contract. His Majesty had taken away the military power in the Northwest, so how could he tolerate his elder brother living?
Those who command troops know that military power consists of two parts: the military tally and prestige. How could a mere military tally replace what the eldest brother has cultivated over the years? Since it is irreplaceable, taking it back would mean taking back the eldest brother's life as well. What he handed over was not military power, but his life.
His Majesty didn't even bother with roundabout ways of asking Li Duan; he simply gave her a choice: a marriage alliance or the death of Sheng Junyao.
The Crown Prince probably didn't want her to fully see the cruelty of imperial power, so he kept half the truth to himself and never told her the whole story.
He probably didn't expect that His Majesty would directly let Li Duan make the selection.
Lu Yangyang grabbed Li Duan's wrist and whispered, "I'll take you away..."
“Yangyang, it’s useless,” Li Duan laughed bitterly. “Even my mother’s death couldn’t move him in the slightest. Where can I run to? He changes his mind all the time. He lets me go today, but who will he target tomorrow? Now that he knows he can use me to control Brother Sheng, guess what he’ll do the moment I leave?”
“I had no choice, and neither did Brother Sheng. Even if he had spared me, I might not have had a chance to live. But I want to live. Only if we both live can we look forward to the future.” Li Duan turned her head and looked at Lu Yangyang seriously: “Yangyang, you know medicine and you are strong. If I go to marry into a foreign power, and you have the opportunity to become a general in the future, how about you bring me back?”
"The person my mother loved waited for twenty-two years in a foreign land, but no one came to take him back to his hometown. But I still have you, and I still have Brother Sheng. I shouldn't have to wait that long, right?"
Lu Yangyang looked at Li Duan, then suddenly reached out and pressed on her neck, causing Li Duan to fall directly into her arms.
Lu Yangyang hugged the wine jar and gulped down the rest of the wine.
Then he carried the pear on his back, stepping on the pear blossoms scattered on the ground, and under the cold moonlight of the night, he walked out of Zhaoyang Palace step by step.
As soon as they stepped out of Zhaoyang Palace, the Imperial Guards surrounded them.
The one leading them was none other than Supervisor Feng.
Feng Dajian had injured his hand a couple of days ago and it was still bandaged. As usual, he had a kind expression on his face. He stepped forward and said to Lu Yangyang with a smile, "The county princess made a fuss last night, and His Highness the Crown Prince specially invited the princess to the palace to keep her company. It's getting late now, so why don't you stay in the palace with the county princess? Tomorrow, I will personally arrange for someone to escort the princess out of the palace."
Lu Yangyang burst into tears, sobbing, "Eunuch Feng, I owe my arrival in the capital to the care of Her Highness the Princess. I consider her my godmother. Although she is being buried today, I still wish to keep vigil for her for seven days, so that her spirit may not be able to find its way back. Xiao Li has fainted several times from grief because of this. I beg you, Eunuch Feng, to be lenient and allow us to return to the Princess's residence to keep vigil for a few more days. After this, I fear there will be no more opportunities... Please grant Xiao Li's filial piety..."
Supervisor Feng had long heard that Lu Yangyang, though from a rural background, possessed remarkable resilience. He never expected her to cry like this, reeking of alcohol, carrying Princess Liduan on her back—she looked utterly pitiful, and it seemed she was truly heartbroken…
He took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the corner of his eye, looking sad: "I am also saddened by the departure of the Princess. Since you are going back to the Princess's residence, I will go and tell His Majesty to arrange someone to escort you back. Princess, please also offer incense to His Highness on my behalf."
Supervisor Feng called over a guard, gave him a few instructions, and asked him to arrange for someone to follow the two men.
Seeing that he let her go, Lu Yangyang walked out while sobbing and carrying the pear on her back.
After the two had walked away, Eunuch Feng walked a short distance away and bowed to the Crown Prince, who was hiding in the shadows. "Your Highness, the person has already left the palace. Please don't be angry with His Majesty anymore. His Majesty hasn't even had dinner yet."