latelenovela Chapter 354: Granting Her a White Silk Ribbon
Chapter 354: Granting Her a White Silk Ribbon
Chapter 354: Granting Her a White Silk
Xiao An glanced at the angry Empress Dowager but remained unmoved. He reached out and snatched the quilt from her hand, covering himself with it, and said, "Mother, I do not wish to sit on the dragon throne." The Empress Dowager looked at Xiao An with a hint of pity and said, "This was fought for by the soldiers and your father. You must live up to their expectations, understand?"
Looking into the Empress Dowager's gentle eyes, Xiao An felt more helplessness than anything else. She didn't want young Xiao An to have to endure these things. He could be like other children his age, studying and living a carefree life, but now he had to accept things inappropriate for his age. It was indeed somewhat cruel.
Xiao An was fifteen years old that year.
Xiao An lost his childhood that year. He originally thought his unhappiness began when he sat on the dragon throne and lasted until his death. Until he met Qingyi.
Qingyi was a maidservant to the Empress Dowager. She was very beautiful, and Xiao An fell in love with her at first sight. Qingyi was two years younger than Xiao An, and when they met, she had already been by the Empress Dowager's side for several years. She had been sold into the palace at a very young age.
They were roughly the same age and shared common interests, so the Empress Dowager saw that they got along well and didn't object. A year later, the Empress Dowager bestowed a marriage upon Qingyi and Xiao An.
That was the happiest thing for Xiao An after losing the late emperor—a beautiful couple, living happily ever after. After marrying Qingyi, Xiao An never married anyone else; his harem consisted only of Qingyi.
Not long after, Qingyi gave birth to Princess Xiangping. Xiao An was overjoyed when he saw Princess Xiangping. The name Xiangping was given by Qingyi, meaning good fortune and peace.
Xiao An was immersed in the happy life with Qingyi and Princess Xiangping. However, when Princess Xiangping turned five, their peaceful life was shattered. This became a knot in Xiao An's heart, and also a knot in Princess Xiangping's heart.
The Emperor paused here, looking at the tightly closed door. He knew Princess Xiangping was on the other side of the door. The secret he had kept for so many years could no longer be kept. He silently said in his heart, "Qingyi, I'm sorry. Will you blame me?"
Princess Xiangping stood outside the door, trembling uncontrollably, unsure of what to do. She wanted to leave; she was afraid to hear the truth, afraid that the person she had hated for ten years would discover in the end that he had misunderstood her. And that person was none other than her own biological father—she truly couldn't accept it.
When Princess Xiangping was five years old, Qingyi, heavily pregnant, took her along. At that time, she was more than nine months pregnant. The Empress Dowager looked at Princess Xiangping and hoped that Qingyi was carrying a boy, so that the Xiao family would have an heir and someone to inherit the throne.
But who could have foreseen that one day, an enemy army would suddenly besiege our city. The emperor of our kingdom followed the surname of the ruler, and this kingdom was called Xiao. Xiao An was neither skilled in martial arts nor in military strategy. It was the Empress Dowager who stepped in, sending a general to fight, and they won the battle.
A few days later, someone delivered a letter to the Empress Dowager. After reading the letter, the Empress Dowager was very angry and summoned Xiao An. That day, Xiao An was in his palace with Qingyi when he was suddenly summoned by his mother. Somewhat puzzled, he comforted Qingyi and then went to the Empress Dowager's palace.
As soon as he entered, he sensed something was off. The Empress Dowager's chambers were empty, not even her usual personal maid was by her side. He walked over and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty. May I ask what Your Majesty has summoned me for?" He had assumed it was to discuss matters of state, but what the Empress Dowager said next was truly unacceptable to him.
"I order you to strip Qingyi of her title as Empress and then bestow upon her three feet of white silk." The Empress Dowager said in a serious tone, sitting in her chair, as if she might fly into a rage at any moment, which made Xiao An shiver.
"Mother, Qingyi is kind-hearted and even gave birth to a princess for me. Why do you do this?" Xiao An wanted to get to the bottom of things when he saw that his mother was so determined. Qingyi had grown up by his side, and no one knew her better than the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager looked at Xiao An, unsure how to begin. She didn't know who had caused this mistake—herself or Xiao An. If they were to forcibly resolve the matter now, it would not only harm Xiao An, but also Princess Xiangping and their unborn child.
"Qingyi is a spy from the enemy country. They want to use her to threaten us into giving them land," the Empress Dowager said, her eyes flashing with murderous intent. She never imagined that Qingyi, who was by her side, was actually a spy she had known for over ten years. Now, the enemy country had actually schemed against Xiao An's entire life.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She slammed her hand on the table, making a loud noise. Xiao An stood aside, not thinking the matter was that serious. Instead, he pleaded with the Empress Dowager, saying, "It's just a piece of land. Mother, please give it to them. I don't want to lose Qingyi."
"You good-for-nothing! If you give them a piece of land, it's like admitting defeat. In the future, what they'll want won't just be land; they'll want your entire empire! An'er, listen to me!" The Empress Dowager was furious when she heard Xiao An's words. She scolded him with a sense of disappointment, but then her tone turned pleading.
Although she was the ruler of the harem, she was also a mother. Since the late emperor passed away and Xiao An ascended the throne, she had never forced him on anything else. But this time, she had to be ruthless, but there was hope that she could get his consent, so that at least it wouldn't be too painful.
"Mother, even if you don't consider Qingyi, you should consider the child in her womb. That's my child, your grandson. How can you bear to do this?" Xiao An knelt down and begged when he saw that the Empress Dowager was determined to do so. The moment he knelt down, lightning flashed and thunder roared, a strong wind blew, and soon a torrential rain began to fall.
"Mother, look, this is the will of Heaven, it is blessing Qingyi and the child in her womb." Xiao An looked at the Empress Dowager with joy as the weather suddenly changed; the sky had been clear and blue, but a heavy rain had begun. The Empress Dowager looked at the weather outside; there was still a sliver of light in the sky, the sun shrouded in dark clouds.
Thunder rumbled across the sky, making a deafening roar. Large raindrops pounded the ground, and soon the palace was flooded. Trees swayed precariously in the wind, and flowers and plants were uprooted and scattered everywhere.
"You may leave now; this is just a temporary reprieve for a few days," the Empress Dowager said, frowning as she looked at the scene outside. Xiao An assumed the Empress Dowager was going to let Qingyi go, so he bid her farewell and went to Qingyi's palace.