Don’t Want a Divorce (31)
“If she were alive, she would definitely come back to find me.” (Tragic)
“《The Palace Wall Willows》 is ending today ahhhhh! I heard Feng Qingyu went back to the set to reshoot some scenes, is that true? The Empress back then didn’t actually die, right?”
“According to international conventions, if the main character P is BE (Bad Ending), then shouldn’t the supporting characters get a sweet ending?”
“No, according to international conventions, if even the main character P has a tragic ending, then the supporting characters will only face worse tragedies :)”
“My Sixth Lord 15511, I’ve never seen an Emperor more Emperor-like than him. He is both indifferent and devoted, portraying the ruthless and unscrupulous nature of an Emperor who stands alone at the pinnacle, yet yearns for someone to understand him, to perfection. He only dared to place his love on a woman who completely loved him and could only depend on him to survive. Who would have thought… that woman was the one who betrayed him. It’s both pitiful, hateful, and lamentable.”
“Who has it worse than my Seven Emotions P? From the moment they entered the palace, they were not in control of their own fate. The Empress went alone to that cage willingly for the future of the Qi family, becoming a canary, but fortunately, she met the Noble Consort. If it weren’t for the maid betraying them, they would have grown old together in that deep palace. The Empress would have given birth to the Crown Prince, and after the Emperor passed away, she and the Noble Consort would have raised the little Emperor together… Wuwuwu, just thinking about the original beautiful scenario makes me unable to control my tears!”
“Our Lizi is also very miserable, okay? She clearly had someone she liked, but was forced by her family to enter the palace to win the favor of that dog Emperor. Because she was granted the rank of Noble Lady on her first day, she was targeted by the Noble Consort everywhere. She was made to kneel at the palace gate for several hours in the scorching summer heat and got heatstroke. She finally managed to gain the Empress’s favor but was betrayed by her maid, forcing her to pretend to be friendly with the Noble Consort. From then until now, her situation has always been precarious, walking on thin ice. Which main character has it worse than her?”
“Please, screenwriters and director, be humane and don’t make it too tragic. I can accept it!”
“It’s starting, it’s starting! Stop arguing! And don’t compare who has it worse, okay? 《The Palace Wall Willows》 is the drama of the year, filled with tragedies! The opening song has started, but I still want to make plans with you all for next weekend, the weekend after that, and the weekend after that! I don’t want it to end ahhh!”
……
The final episode.
The audience witnessed an exhilarating confrontation between Rong Qing and Liu Ruyi. Whether it was Liu Ruyi sneaking into the palace through hidden passages or the subsequent standoff in the Zheng Da Guang Ming Palace, Liu Ruyi stood alone, but held the late Emperor’s final edict in her hand. Rong Qing appeared to control a powerful army, with guards ready to rush in at any moment, but her lifeline was firmly grasped by Liu Ruyi.
Because the Empress Qi from back then was not dead.
When Liu Ruyi ordered someone to bring the old woman, many viewers couldn’t help but hold their breath in front of their TVs, wondering how the Empress would make her entrance.
Would she, like Rong Qing, still look unchanged after all these years?
Or…
Had she already become weary and aged from the torment of knowing her lover was nearby but being forced to endure ten years without seeing her?
At that moment—
A voice suddenly emerged from the resplendent dragon throne. The young, yet-to-be-enthroned little Emperor glanced around, clutching his stomach, and groaned softly to Liu Ruyi:
“I… I have a bit of a stomachache.”
At his words, both Liu Ruyi and Rong Qing’s attention shifted to him. Although Rong Qing’s expression remained cold, there was a hint of concern in her eyes. Liu Ruyi’s anxiety was even more apparent; she immediately looked toward the woman behind the curtain. Just as her lips were about to part, she heard Liu Ruyi say calmly:
“Summon the imperial physician.”
Hearing this, the little Emperor’s cheeks flushed red, and he stammered, “No need, no need to summon the physician. I just have a bit of…” a bit of an urgent need.
Both Liu Ruyi and Rong Qing understood the unfinished meaning of his words. Liu Ruyi, fearing that Rong Qing would refuse to let him leave and insist on holding the mother and son as hostages, began to sweat at her temples.
Of course, Rong Qing knew that rationally she shouldn’t let the Emperor leave—
But when she saw Qi Yunshang’s child casting such a cautious glance at her, she felt a sudden pain in her heart. If her sister were still here, if she had not been in the Cold Palace back then but had been able to accompany this child as he grew up, would he not be so afraid of her?
Her soft heart prompted her to make a decision she shouldn’t have made.
She closed her eyes and allowed the little Emperor to leave with the eunuch by his side. Although the eunuch was now the chief steward responsible for the future Emperor’s daily life, he was very perceptive and didn’t dare to draw attention in front of Liu Ruyi and Rong Qing. He hunched over as much as he could and quickly followed behind the little Emperor.
The camera followed the two of them, transitioning to the open space outside the hall, moving far away from the oppressive atmosphere.
The young boy, just over ten years old, breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at the plaque of the Zheng Da Guang Ming Palace. Suddenly, he asked the eunuch beside him, “Did you hear that just now?”
“I’m going to be the Emperor.”
The eunuch’s face lit up with a flattering smile, and he bowed his head to congratulate him: “Congratulations, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Best wishes, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
But there was no hint of joy on the young boy’s face; instead, he furrowed his brows and said, “What’s there to be happy about?”
The eunuch seemed stumped by his question.
After a while, his sharp, somewhat effeminate voice sounded again: “In the future, you will be the master of this world, this country, and this palace. You will be the supreme ruler above millions. This servant is happy for you.”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
“Is that so?” The young boy’s handsome face stared at him, but there was a trace of gloominess. He turned back to look in the direction of the main hall and then said, “You say that I am the master of this palace? Then why, when I sat on the dragon throne, was I the one who had to flee in panic?”
“My consort mother, and that mad woman in the Cold Palace, they are supposed to be weak and insignificant. Why then do they dare to point fingers and dictate terms in my presence?”
The question was too sharp, and the eunuch felt a chill down the back of his neck. He didn’t dare to lift his head for a long time and didn’t dare to respond.
The young boy, however, had no intention of stopping. He continued: “The late Emperor once told me that when he first ascended the throne, he was constrained by the power of the Qi family, hindered both internally and externally. It took him almost his entire life to uproot the Qi family’s influence from the court.”
“Tell me, how many years will it take for me to eliminate the external relatives of the Liu and Rong families?”
Hearing the young boy’s use of “I” in the imperial sense before even ascending the throne, and the string of fatal words that followed, the eunuch’s legs trembled uncontrollably. He could barely stand, breaking out in a cold sweat as he knelt before the young boy, almost losing his voice. He didn’t even dare to offer any advice, fearing that the person in front of him would kill him.
But the young boy didn’t let him off. He slowly lifted the front of his robe and half-squatted down, his expression gentle, looking as obedient and well-behaved as he used to in front of Liu Ruyi. He placed one hand on the eunuch’s shoulder and softly said:
“Aren’t you the best at alleviating my worries?”
“Desheng, tell me, how long will it take for me to truly own this world, to own this palace?”
“Speak boldly. It’s fine if you’re wrong. You’ve been with me for so long; I won’t kill you—”
At this point, the eunuch cautiously lifted his head, only slightly turning his face toward the little Emperor, his gaze obediently resting just on the boy’s chin. But in the next second!
The young boy suddenly grabbed his neck, tearing apart the previous facade of gentleness. His voice turned terrifying, like a hellish demon, as he pressed, “Speak! I commanded you to speak!”
The eunuch tried to open his mouth, but his throat could only produce hoarse, choking sounds.
Just as the boy was about to strangle him to death, chaotic footsteps suddenly echoed around them, accompanied by anxious voices saying, “Can’t find her,” “She was here just a moment ago,” “Big Aunt, she’s just an old woman with bad legs, how could she disappear in the blink of an eye…”
The young boy abruptly released his grip, slowly dusted off his palm, and stood up, regaining his usual graceful demeanor. He lowered his eyes with a small smile and softly said:
“Desheng.”
“Why are you injured?”
The eunuch didn’t dare to cough or breathe too loudly. He lay on the ground, his face turning a purplish hue, and responded hoarsely, almost inaudibly, “This servant… it was my own carelessness…”
The young Emperor silently curved his lips. He appreciated the eunuch’s tactfulness.
He made a quiet “shh” gesture, listening to the nearby sounds, curious to know what had caused such a commotion among the palace maids.
At that moment—
He heard the head palace maid beside Liu Ruyi scold them: “Silence! All of you, search carefully! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find any trace of that old woman! Instruct the palace gate guards to join the search. If we don’t find her within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, we will all be dead!”
From the boy’s angle, he was standing behind a shadowy grove of trees. Through the gaps in the leaves, he saw a group of women in light green palace attire bowing their heads in unison. In front of them was Hongyun, the head palace maid beside Liu Ruyi.
Once those people dispersed, the boy kicked the eunuch beside him: “Desheng, have you seen a limping old woman in this palace?”
Desheng shook his head silently.
The boy then cursed him, calling him “useless.”
He didn’t pay any more attention to the matter, walking away with his hands behind his back. After just a few steps, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of a figure in a jade-green palace dress flashing by, only allowing him to see her profile.
She truly had a face like a flower and a moon, serene as water.
For a moment, the boy found it difficult to describe his feelings. He stood there, stunned as if struck by lightning, with the vague sense that he had seen this woman somewhere before. Was it in a dream?
He couldn’t remember.
After a long while, he suddenly came to his senses and said to the eunuch Desheng beside him, “Quick! Did you see that woman who just passed by? Bring her to me. I want to see her in my chamber tonight!”
Desheng: “…”
He had just been choked by this little tyrant and didn’t want to provoke his bad temper again. However, he had no choice. The figure that had just walked by was too fast for him to see clearly. He could only judge from the back that she must be a beauty.
There are hundreds and thousands of palace maids in this palace. When had he ever seen such a beautiful back? Perhaps she was a consort from some palace, disguised to handle some matter. Moreover, the women in this palace were all elders to this young boy. Even if he could find her, no one would dare bring the late Emperor’s women to the Crown Prince’s chambers.
If Liu Ruyi found out, being cut into a thousand pieces would be considered light punishment.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
In the end, Desheng squeezed out a difficult sentence: “This servant… has poor eyesight and really couldn’t see clearly.”
The boy, enraged, turned and kicked him before quickly running in the direction where the figure had disappeared. His luck was good; he chose the right direction. After winding through a few small paths, he saw that back again.
He quickly called out, “Stop!”
The woman paused, seemingly wanting to turn her head to look at him, but in the end, she said nothing and quickened her pace, circling behind the rockery.
The young Emperor thought this was intolerable. Wasn’t this directly challenging his authority?
Could it be that even a lowly palace maid in this palace didn’t respect him?
He shouted loudly, “Someone!”
Before long, the palace guards heard his call and came to the vicinity of the rockery. After a thorough investigation, they discovered a disguised secret passage under the pockmarked Taihu stone. According to observations, the passage was very long and likely led outside the palace. Even at a woman’s pace, it would take about half an hour to walk through.
There was still time to pursue.
The guard captain awaited the Crown Prince’s orders.
The boy stared at the entrance of the secret passage for a long time. Suddenly, he raised his hand, snatched the torch used for lighting in the rockery from a nearby guard, and threw it into the passage.
“Burn it for me!”
He detested those who defied him and didn’t know what was good for them.
Since she refused to let him see her face, then let her die.
The guards hesitated for two seconds, but then saw the Crown Prince throw all the surrounding torches into the secret passage. He commanded, “I told you to burn it! Why are you all standing there? Are you trying to rebel?!”
Hearing the word “rebel,” the guards all knelt down, hurriedly saying they didn’t dare. Subsequently, the guard captain signaled to the others, and more torches were thrown into the passage. There was also dry grass inside the passage, which caught fire and heat instantly, flaring up immediately!
……
Inside the Zheng Da Guang Ming Palace.
The palace servants sent out by Liu Ruyi had not returned for a long time, which made Rong Qing’s expression increasingly grim. She was desperately holding back her actions to avoid losing her composure, and when she could no longer sit still, she was ready to rush out and turn the palace upside down.
Just as she was about to make another sarcastic remark to Liu Ruyi, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall. Both of them looked over simultaneously and saw the head palace maid beside Liu Ruyi approach her with a very poor expression. She whispered something in Liu Ruyi’s ear.
Liu Ruyi: “!”
She widened her eyes in astonishment.
Rong Qing sneered at her, “What? Is Empress Liu going to tell me next that this person can’t be found?”
Liu Ruyi’s breath caught for a moment. She quickly composed her shocked thoughts, seemingly thinking about how to handle the crisis in front of her without being able to produce the person.
“Indeed, she has disappeared.”
“I had intended to bring her here to tell you the truth about what happened back then. But now it seems she must have realized that we are as irreconcilable as water and fire. She didn’t want to become a pawn in my hand to control you. That’s why she disappeared at this critical moment. I should have anticipated it; she was the former Empress… How could she possibly watch me harm you?”
Rong Qing looked at her quietly, as if saying, “Keep fabricating, go on.”
But her slightly heaving chest betrayed her true feelings.
Even if it’s false…
Even if it’s a fabricated dream, she still wanted to hear that person’s story again.
Rong Qing had not heard anything about Qi Yunshang for a very, very long time. Ever since Qi Yunshang’s death, everything about her in the palace seemed to have become taboo. If it weren’t for her daily thoughts and nightly yearnings, no one in this world would remember her anymore.
“Back then, she did indeed consume the feast bestowed by the Emperor and was poisoned. But have you forgotten? It was Imperial Physician Duan who prepared her body for burial. The Duan family has now declined, serving in the palace generation after generation, and no one remembers that the Duan family was once highly skilled in the use of poison—”
“Nowadays, most of the poisons in this palace wouldn’t be difficult for the Duan family to handle.”
“At the same time, I have people in the Astronomical Bureau2. They ensured that her body stayed outside in the coffin for three days before entering the imperial mausoleum. You thought the Emperor wanted to expose her body to the wilderness and made a fuss about it for a long time, didn’t you? The truth is, the place where the coffin was kept is right next to today’s Wind Forest. There’s an underground river passing by the outer imperial garden, hence the area is filled with artificial rocks. Within those rocks, there’s a secret passage, and the former Empress left through that passage.”
“If you don’t believe me…”
At this point, Liu Ruyi felt a strong impulse to take Rong Qing over there to see for herself, but Rong Qing clapped her hands and applauded her: “I didn’t expect Empress Liu to be so talented at storytelling. Truly, it’s mesmerizing to listen to.”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Liu Ruyi: “…You can come with me to that place and see for yourself.”
Rong Qing chuckled softly and said to her, “I already guessed that there were secret passages in this palace. You must have sneaked in through one of them, right? I was wondering why the guards at the main gate didn’t notice your entry.”
Liu Ruyi was about to say something more, but her gaze shifted outside the hall and she suddenly saw a faint wisp of smoke rising into the sky. It seemed… to be within the palace grounds.
A fire had broken out.
Before her brows could furrow, she heard a eunuch panting and running towards them. Even before he reached them, he had already knelt down and loudly reported:
“Reporting… Reporting to the Empress, Your Majesty! The forest! The forest is on fire!”
Liu Ruyi had not yet recovered her senses when the sound of a chair toppling over suddenly came from the hall. Instinctively, she turned to look and saw Rong Qing, her face pale with shock, murmuring:
“How could this happen?”
The two of them exchanged a glance.
Rong Qing quickly composed her trembling mind and looked deeply at her, saying: “If I find out this is a trap—”
She said: “I will drag you down with me, even in death.”
LP: I thought the child would be a sweet good boy but no, he has to inherit that dog emperor’s personality <( •̀ᴖ•́)>
Footnotes
- 1551: used in internet slang to represent crying.
- Astronomical Bureau: A government body in imperial China responsible for astronomy and calendar calculations.
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