Chapter 106: Forcing Him to Rebel
Facing Xiao Jinyu’s clear, black-and-white eyes that seemed to see through everything, Yuan Rujing’s long-suppressed anguish finally surged into her heart.
“A’yu, to be honest, back then, because of your mother’s situation, my father was afraid that the Chenjun Yuan Clan would be implicated, so he immediately arranged a marriage for me with the Sunyang Fan Clan. The Sunyang Fan Clan and my Chenjun Yuan Clan migrated south together during the Yongjia period, but after the Hou Jing Rebellion, the Sunyang Fan Clan also declined and fell.
However, there’s still the prestige accumulated by our ancestors, and this branch of the Sunyang Fan Clan also had some old family ties with my grandfather, so my father felt that this marriage was a good match. But after marrying into the Fan family, Rujing realized that her husband, Fan Yong, was actually a mediocre person with no ambition. Although mediocre, he was unaware of it and always immersed himself in the glory and merits of his ancestors.
But the good thing is that this person is honest and upright, so I thought it would be good to live a peaceful life like this.
However, life was not as smooth as I imagined. In the early years, I actually had two children, but unfortunately, both miscarried, and my body was weakened, leaving behind a root cause of illness. It took several years of recuperation before I had A’yuan.
I finally gave birth to A’yuan, and she is my life to me.
So, A’yu, I don’t want A’yuan to be like you, without the protection of her paternal clan in the future, and still be subject to gossip behind her back.
Although you don’t say it, I know what kind of life you and your mother lived wandering in the north, and your mother, A’luan, certainly wouldn’t want you to suffer any harm. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have concealed your appearance and let you live in the north for fifteen years as a man.
With your beauty, if she hadn’t tried every means to hide it, the powerful and influential young men in the north, even the Emperor of Qi, would have known of your existence.
So, A’yu, you don’t know what price your mother paid to protect you.
And I, Yuan Rujing, am far less intelligent and capable than your mother. Even she ended up like this, so how long can I, a lone woman, protect A’yuan?”
“Lady Fan, please don’t say anymore. Aren’t you intentionally trying to make Young Miss sad?” Lu Yu quickly reminded her.
Because of Yuan Rujing’s words, many chaotic images flashed through Xiao Jinyu’s mind. There was Xiao Jinyu as a child, dressed as a little book boy, entering the Qi imperial palace with her mother and seeing the Emperor of Qi, Gao Yang, sitting on the dragon throne.
After that, there were several times when she was summoned to the palace to meet the Emperor, but her mother never took her. Instead, she told her that she couldn’t dress herself up like other ordinary young ladies. No matter who asked, she could only say that she was a young master. Even her little face was often tanned dark. It was only after she grew up and gradually developed a love for beauty that she stopped exposing herself to the sun and learned to cherish and protect her appearance.
Because of this, she had argued with her mother, feeling that her mother didn’t love her enough, often leaving her behind to enter the palace. Many times, Xiao Jinyu was alone, preparing her own food and washing her own clothes, hoping every day that her mother would come back to take care of her and love her…
And her mother always returned at night, quietly wiping her body and holding her to sleep when she was about to fall asleep.
“A’yu, the best protection I can give you is to let you learn to protect yourself. Don’t blame me for being cruel… The thorny path ahead depends on you…”
Unconsciously, an unspeakable sadness spread from her heart, and a tear couldn’t help but roll down Xiao Jinyu’s cheek.
The beauty’s tears made everyone present feel a pang of pain in their hearts.
“Young Miss, are you really sad?” Li Mi asked jokingly.
Xiao Jinyu seemed to wake up from a dream.
“Thank you, Aunt Rujing, for enlightening me. But how do you know what my mother was thinking?”
“As a mother myself, I would willingly die for my children. From the moment I saw your true face, I knew what your mother was thinking. If I had a daughter like you, I would carefully protect her and cherish her…”
Xie Yuqing had never been a mother in her previous life, but she couldn’t help but be moved by everything the original owner’s mother had done.
“Okay, I understand.”
She suddenly stood up and looked at Yuan Rujing, continuing,
“I also understand your concerns. But, Aunt Rujing, even for A’yuan’s sake, can she truly live a safe and sound life in the Fan family?
“This time, you were sent to the Prince of Shixing’s Residence. What about next time?”
Yuan Rujing’s face suddenly turned pale. Next time…
“You’re right, my mother did love and protect me, but you’re wrong about one thing. Since I was seven years old, my mother never cooked a meal for me, nor washed my clothes once. She didn’t buy any servants either. She let me do everything myself. She said, the best protection she could give me was to let me learn to protect myself. If I wanted something, I should create it with my own hands.”
Yuan Rujing was stunned!
Everyone in the hall was also stunned, including Prince of Lanling and Xiao Xian.
“A’luan taught you this way? No wonder… No wonder you’re so outstanding… She really had the heart to do it, how could she bear to…”
How could she bear to let her beautiful daughter suffer like this? What’s the difference between this and a child without a mother?
“The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. Aunt Rujing, if you’re so reluctant and kind-hearted, thinking you’ve paved a safe path for A’yuan, but the path is for her to walk. If she doesn’t learn anything herself, how can she grow up? Moreover, how do you know what kind of life A’yuan wants to live?”
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“What Young Miss said is really good. That’s right, no one can live under the protection of their parents forever. Even among siblings, there are those who fight and kill each other!” Li Mi sighed.
At this time, the little girl A’yuan also said, “Mother, A’yuan also thinks that elder sister is right. A’yuan doesn’t need the protection of her paternal clan. A’yuan can protect herself, just like elder sister. When A’yuan grows up, she also wants to be a divine physician and save many, many people!”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Your elder sister A’yu’s medical skills are not something ordinary people can learn!”
“But if we don’t rely on our paternal clan, where can mother take you?”
A married daughter is like water that has been poured out. Even if she gets divorced, her father will think that she has brought shame to the Yuan family, right?
The current Yuan family also has few descendants, and there is no one in the family who is an official in the court. Life in the capital is like walking on thin ice, and the family has declined to this point.
“Rujing, if you don’t mind, take A’yuan and live with us. His Majesty has granted me the authority to establish my own residence, and…” Xiao Xian continued, glancing at Xiao Jinyu, “And His Majesty has also granted me a piece of land in Wu Yi Alley that originally belonged to the Chenjun Xie Clan…”
Xiao Xian said this with an apologetic tone. He didn’t know if His Majesty did it on purpose or…
He originally thought that this matter would make A’yu sad, but unexpectedly, she smiled and said, “Okay! From now on, we will build our own residence in Wu Yi Alley.”
“Great! Mother, can we live with elder sister every day from now on?”
The little girl jumped up happily.
Yuan Rujing still felt a bit embarrassed.
“Mother, father doesn’t treat you well at all. Once, when you were not at home, I saw father bring a woman back. That woman even told me that she would be my mother in the future, so I bit her. Father was very angry at that time and even hit A’yuan…”
As soon as these words came out, Yuan Rujing’s face completely changed.
“What did you say? When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell mother before?”
“I was afraid that you would be sad if you knew, so I didn’t say anything. Mother, let’s live with elder sister. A’yuan likes elder sister very much, and also likes this uncle…” The little girl said, looking at Xiao Xian who was standing aside.
Yuan Rujing’s face instantly turned pale as paper, and she glanced at Xiao Xian with extreme embarrassment, heartache, and helplessness.
Xiao Xian nodded with a smile and cast a gentle look.
Seeing Yuan Rujing’s hesitation, Xiao Jinyu said again, “Aunt Rujing, for me, those who abandon me, I will abandon them, no matter who they are. If you are still reluctant, I have nothing to say, but I want to tell you that I will not give Chen Shuling another chance to do evil. At that time, his accomplices will also be implicated. If Fan Yong is one of them, if you don’t leave the Fan family, you will inevitably be implicated!”
Hearing this, Li Mi’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t wait to ask, “Young Miss, have you planned what to do? Li Mi is willing to do his best to help Young Miss!”
Xiao Jinyu smiled slightly and said, “Okay! Within seven days, I want all the officials and people in Jiankang City to know that the Prince of Shixing is going to rebel. I want to force him to rebel!”