Chapter 1189
The Unfavored Princess 11
Liu Qiang, of course, couldn't possibly "understand" any of this. While listening, she continued to laugh and play with the mud, but this time her laughter was genuinely from happiness.
These years at Sanssouci Palace have truly been tough.
Soon, Yuan Zhen will be buried with her beloved daughter.
If she could, she would rather kill Dou Yuexin, but Dou Yuexin had always been wary of her, and whether she did it openly or covertly, she never had the chance.
Besides, she wasn't alone, so she couldn't do this openly.
If she were to kill Empress Dowager Dou Yuexin in front of everyone, her entire family would suffer.
Pity.
What a pity.
But causing the other party pain is enough.
Yinshuang had already brought people to boil water and came to help Liu Qiang clean up. Liu Qiang also wanted to clean herself properly and cooperated well.
She could have taken the opportunity to mess with Yuanzhen, but she didn't; being covered in mud and sweat was really uncomfortable.
Besides, if a madman is too annoying, it will also diminish the bond between mother and daughter.
It might be better to cooperate a little, and then make her life even more miserable, which would make Yuan Zhen even more unable to let go.
Yuan Zhen managed to stay well for over two years while wandering outside. When I first saw her, she looked noticeably better, at least better than when she was in the palace. If I hadn't been thinking about her, I might not have come back.
It is precisely because of her weakness that Yuan Zhen is in this position, unable to resist and can only be pushed around.
This is the result she wanted.
Now, all of this is finally coming to an end.
Soon, Liu Qiang was changed into a clean set of clothes, and she looked much more refreshed. She felt much more comfortable and even closed her eyes to sleep.
Sleeping clean and tidy is the most comfortable thing.
When she was still a favored concubine, she used to bathe with fresh flowers every day; she had never suffered like this before.
Before I knew it, more than ten years had passed, and looking back, it felt like it was just yesterday.
It's so clean and tidy, what's the point of not sleeping?
Once Yuan Zhen and her entourage leave, these clean clothes will get dirty again.
If she doesn't get dirty herself, Dou Yuexin won't make her comfortable. If Dou Yuexin comes, she'll only feel more uncomfortable. It's better to get dirty herself and suffer less.
"Princess, are you alright?" Yinshuang noticed that Azhen looked unwell and was extremely worried.
The princess's health has never been good. She hadn't had any problems before, so why did she look so unwell today when she came to the palace to visit the Dowager Consort?
She recalled the imperial physician's diagnosis of the princess, which confirmed that she was indeed severely depleted and needed proper care.
Could it be that the princess's recent changes are due to her poor health?
Azhen glanced at Liu Qiang, who seemed to be asleep, and stood up: "It's nothing, let's go."
"Now that you're in the palace, shouldn't we call the imperial physician to take a look? The princess looks terrible." Yinshuang carefully helped Azhen out of the palace.
Liu Qiang, still lying in bed, hadn't fallen asleep. She opened her eyes, looked at Azhen and Yinshuang's backs, and smiled.
It's over.
Judging from Yuan Zhen's condition, he probably won't last much longer. However, we still need to wait a little longer; it's not the right time yet.
The imperial physicians in the palace are quite skilled. If they can cure Yuanzhen, wouldn't all the suffering she's endured over the years have been for nothing?
She would wait until Yuan Zhen was seriously ill and the doctor said there was nothing that could be done to save him.
I believe that in her final days, Yuan Zhen will definitely arrange for someone to visit her, and Dou Yuexin would certainly not miss such an opportunity to come to her and tell her about Yuan Zhen's situation.
Just imagining that scene is quite laughable.
Azhen naturally rejected Yinshuang's suggestion and left the palace directly.
Whether it was her imagination or not, Yinshuang felt that the princess looked much better after getting into the carriage, but she didn't think much of it and just assumed that she had recovered.
In the days that followed, Azhen arranged for Yinshuang to visit Consort Liu Qiang in the palace from time to time.
In the blink of an eye, Zhu Xin gave birth to a son.
Instead of receiving any pity from Jiang Lijun, she was sent to the estate to recuperate that very day. With people watching over her, she was unable to leave for the time being.
She carried the child for ten months before giving birth, hoping to rise to prominence and become a phoenix. However, reality dealt her a heavy blow, and Zhu Xin finally realized that she was nothing more than a tool for bearing children in the Marquis's mansion.
Many people can at least maintain some dignity, but she was simply thrown into the manor without any respect.
At this moment, she didn't know whether she should regret it.
"As expected, the Marquis's mansion only needs an heir. Zhu Xin couldn't even stay in the mansion as a concubine, so she's been sent to the estate to fend for herself. If she knows what's good for her, nothing bad will happen to her, and she can still live, but it will be tough," Yin Shuang said. Who would have thought that the Marquis of Guangde's heir would actually fall in love with a man, and that for this man, the Marquis's mansion would almost be without an heir?
If she hadn't been someone arranged by the Empress Dowager, many things would remain unknown; Jiang Lijun's marriage to the princess was driven by ulterior motives. The Empress Dowager knew this, but thought it was for the best.
She observed Azhen's expression and saw that she looked indifferent, and unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
These days, homosexuality isn't unusual. As long as it doesn't cause a big stir, no one will say anything. Even if some rumors spread, the Marquis's mansion won't care. These high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital keep many beautiful women around them. If the heir of the Marquis of Guangde didn't marry or have children, and was only obsessed with one man, that would be a real joke.
“But it was her own choice,” Silver Frost added.
Seeing that Azhen didn't talk much about the matter and clearly didn't care much, he stopped talking and silently withdrew.
As soon as Yinshuang left, Azhen's consciousness probed into the space and reunited with the others.
The person looking for her this time was a mission taker heading to Chong Kingdom.
"Chong is very far from Chu and Liang. If we don't establish diplomatic relations, we probably won't meet them in our lifetime. From what I've seen so far, when I first came here, Chong was not much different from other ancient countries."
A-Zhuang grasped the key point: "So, in less than a year, there have been changes over there?"
“Indeed, for some reason, the cowardly little emperor of Chong Kingdom has suddenly turned the tables. In less than a year, he has made many changes. In my opinion, Chong Kingdom is getting better. Moreover, I suspect that there is something wrong with this little emperor.”
The mission taker who went to Chong Kingdom was named Zhang Kelin. He was a scholar who traveled around the world. He was quite talented and had participated in the ancient imperial examinations many times, achieving good results. Dealing with this was a piece of cake for him.
“I’ve met this young emperor before. On the surface, he doesn’t seem like a very reliable person, but for some reason, the decrees he issues these days are very reliable,” Zhang Kelin said. “He should be a local, not someone who has been possessed.”
"Therefore, I have a suspicion."
Azhen replied, "You suspect he has a system?" (End of Chapter)