mesbooks Chapter 266 The End
Chapter 266 The End
Buried alive? For a nun? Rong Pei's mind echoed with this word.
They were two different paths, but they were merely two different ways to die. The mountain was so bitterly cold, and if Suo Xin went there, she would only be waiting for destruction.
When惢心 heard this, her expression darkened, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably, her shoulders trembling slightly.
She just lost her husband and now she has to face such a dilemma.
She has had a very hard life.
"Madam Jiang, you are too cruel. Suo Xin has been married into the Jiang family for at least ten years. Even if she has no merits, she has worked hard. Her marriage was arranged by the Emperor and sent by the Empress. If you dare to treat her like this, be careful or I will go to the palace and sue the Empress and punish you for disrespect!"
The speaker was indignant, his voice full of anger and threats.
Rong Pei was indignant, her face flushed red with anger.
"Although惢心 is a bad person, she has been taking care of everything for these years. She even gave birth to a son and a daughter for Jiang Yebin, continuing the Jiang family's bloodline. What the old lady did is really too much."
惢心 has always been dedicated to managing the affairs of the family, never slacking off. Not only did she manage the family in an orderly manner, she also gave birth to a child for the Jiang family.
But now, Madam Jiang wants to treat惢心 like this and let her suffer in the mountains. This is too much.
"Hmph! You're an old maid who's been out of the palace for a long time. Is there any chance you'll ever be able to return to the Forbidden City? Besides, she's my daughter-in-law. I didn't divorce her for my son. I just asked her to go up the mountain to pray for my son..."
Madam Jiang responded coldly, with a hint of disdain and indifference in her eyes.
She looked at Rong Pei, an old palace maid with no power and influence, who had no ability to interfere with her decision.
She knew Li Yu; they were from the same hometown. A few years ago, Li Yu had been punished by the Emperor and had subsequently died under mysterious circumstances. She had sensed something was amiss, a feeling that something was amiss.
After all, when the two of them got married, the eunuch actually gave them fifty acres of fertile land as a gift.
That's not a small amount of money. How could a eunuch be so generous?
She didn't believe that Li Yu was so generous and was giving the gift just for his son's sake.
That jinx is someone close to the Queen, and one can often run into him.
Now that Li Yu is dead, it is hard to say to whom this fertile land was given.
After a brief moment of daze, Mrs. Jiang's eyes gradually regained clarity, and she continued speaking after her thoughts returned.
"This is the Jiang family's family. I think the Queen can't extend her hand so far. The Queen is the concubine. She can't even control the family of the ministers, right?"
There was a hint of toughness in Madam Jiang's tone. She raised her chin slightly and looked straight at Rong Pei.
Although the Queen is of noble status, she should not interfere too much in the family affairs of her subjects. 惢心 is the daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, and she has the right to arrange惢心's stay or departure according to her own ideas.
Looking at Rong Pei's arrogant and domineering appearance, Old Lady Jiang was filled with rage.
He is so arrogant just because he once served the queen in the palace.
"Come here, kick this old maid out. Stop getting in the way."
Madam Jiang shouted angrily, her voice becoming a little sharp because of her anger. The servants beside her exchanged glances, and they immediately understood and walked towards Rong Pei, ready to drive her away.
Hearing that the old lady wanted to drive Rong Pei away,惢心 came out from behind Rong Pei and stood in front of her.
"Mother, I am willing to go up the mountain. I beg you to be merciful and at least wait until my husband is buried. His body is still warm, and seeing this scene, I'm afraid he won't be able to leave in peace..."
Ruoxin's voice was filled with tears, and her eyes were full of pleading. She knew she couldn't change Madam Jiang's decision, but she hoped to win back a little dignity for her husband.
She was his wife, so she had to personally send him to the mountain and let him rest in peace.
"Hmph, you're still sensible. My son's funeral will be held in seven days. After he's buried, you'll honestly return to the mountain!"
There was a commotion at the gate of Jiang's residence. A lot of people gathered to watch the noise after hearing the loud shouting.
Those people gathered at the door, pointing and whispering, with expressions of curiosity and gossip on their faces.
When Mrs. Jiang saw this scene, she became even more annoyed.
She didn't want the Jiang family's affairs to become a topic of conversation for others, so seeing that惢心 agreed, she simply took a step back.
"Mom, please go in first. Your daughter-in-law will go in after she has said a few words to Aunt Rong Pei."
After convincing the old lady, Rong Xin wiped the tears from her face and spoke in a relaxed manner. She tried to keep her voice calm, but a slight tremor could still be heard in it.
The old lady glanced at her sideways, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the mansion.
Talking to Rong Pei at this time is simply not caring about the seriousness of the matter.
The look on her face indicated her agreement.
Then, she quickly pulled Rong Pei aside, her movements somewhat hastily.
"I can't even protect myself right now, so I can't help you much. Take this bracelet. Pawn it and rent a place to live in first. Then find a way to make a living. Everything will be fine once you get through this..."
As惢心 spoke, she took off a bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Rong Pei.
She was about to be kicked out of the house, so naturally she didn't have any valuables on her.
This bracelet is one of her few precious items. I hope it can help her get through this difficult time.
惢心 had a bad fate. She had spent many years in the cold palace with the Empress, and the hardships and difficulties of those days seemed to be still vivid in her mind. She had endured the cold, loneliness and fear of the cold palace one by one.
After being released, she broke her leg again for the sake of the Empress's reputation. The excruciating pain and physical disability became a painful scar in her life. After finally getting married and living a peaceful life for several years, she thought her life would finally settle down, but fate played a trick on her again and her husband passed away...
It would be fine if she went up the mountain to become a nun. She has lost all hope now. What kind of life is not worth living?
It's nothing more than living a life like that in the cold palace. At least I don't have to serve the empress or the mother-in-law, and it's easier.
The silver bracelet carried a bit of Ruo Xin's body temperature, and as soon as it landed in her palm, the remaining warmth seemed to take on a new power, almost burning her. The warmth penetrated her palm and reached the depths of Rong Pei's heart, causing her heart to tremble violently.
Rong Pei wanted to decline, thinking it was too valuable and she felt unworthy of it.
But Ruoxin seemed to see through her thoughts and suddenly squeezed her hand with a firmness and concern.
惢心 said softly, "Please accept it. It's snowing so heavily and the weather is so cold. How would you live without it? Take care. If you have a chance in the future, come and talk to me. You should pay more attention to the palace's movements. It's hard for the Queen to live alone in the palace..."
"She doesn't have many people around her anymore, but the people in the palace are complicated and there are constant conflicts. We have to be more careful and help the Queen. When I'm away, the one I'm most worried about is the Queen. If the Queen sends someone looking for you while you're outside the palace, please help her. This bracelet is a little token of my appreciation. If you hold it, just think of me as still being by your side, protecting the Queen together with you."
惢心's eyes were full of earnestness and worry, and she stared at Rong Pei closely.
Like Rong Pei, she came from the Empress's side.
The one who can't let go is the Queen Mother.
She was alone in the palace and didn't know what to do.
As Rong Pei listened to惢心's words, her eyes gradually became moist. Finally, she tightly grasped the warm silver bracelet and nodded heavily.
"I will guard it well in the capital, so be careful."
Throughout her life,惢心 had diligently and meticulously served her master in the palace, never daring to slack off. She had invested countless efforts and hard work, but in the end, she only ended up like this.
Who can blame it?
I can only blame myself for being unlucky and not being born into a good family. From the moment I was born, I was destined to have a hard time in this world.
"Go ahead. It's getting dark. There's a pawnshop on the street ahead. Go pawn it and find an inn to sleep in for the night. We'll make plans tomorrow..."
Ruoxin forced herself to cheer up and said to Rong Pei.
Rong Pei nodded, and walked away while looking back three times as Suo Xin watched her.
She held the bracelet in her hand, feeling mixed emotions.
Why is this happening.
Why are their lives so difficult?
In such difficult times, where did the queen, whom they worshipped as a deity, go?
What she saw and heard today made Rong Pei sober up little by little. She could no longer convince herself to maintain her numb loyalty.
After leaving the palace, her enthusiasm for the Queen seemed to cool down a little bit.
Following Ruoxin's instructions, Rong Pei brought her bracelet to the pawnshop on the street ahead. The pawnshop was filled with an old-fashioned atmosphere, and the shop assistants were busy greeting customers behind the counter.
Rong Pei carefully took out the bracelet and handed it to the clerk. The clerk took the bracelet, examined it carefully, and after some bargaining, he finally pawned the bracelet for five taels of silver.
With the five taels of silver in hand, Rong Pei didn't dare delay any longer and quickly began looking for a place to live. She wandered through the streets and alleys, asking for houses with suitable rents.
Soon, she found a small house that paid 150 wen a month. The house was located in an area full of poor families, and the surrounding environment was noisy and simple.
It's a medium-sized room with a bed, a table and a wardrobe, that's all.
At least I don’t have to sleep in the open air, and it’s more comfortable than in the palace.
Rong Pei is old and her health is not as good as before. In addition, she has injuries on her body, so it is inconvenient for her to move.
She searched for work everywhere but was repeatedly rejected. Because of her experience of being demoted to the laundry department by the emperor a few years ago, her reputation was ruined, and the wealthy families around her were wary of her and did not dare to ask her to teach their children the palace rules.
Fortunately, she had learned how to make delicious soups while at the Yikun Palace. So, she went to work as a kitchen helper in a medium-sized shop, busy every day in the kitchen, preparing ingredients and cooking soups. In her free time, she also did some sewing and laundry work for others to supplement the family income.
As the days passed, the daily toil and hardship overwhelmed her like a tide. The busy work from morning till night had left her physically exhausted.
No matter how hard she tried to wash the dirty embroidery, it just wouldn't get clean. It couldn't be exchanged for money to help her out of her immediate crisis, and it was so dirty it was unsightly.
Soon she forgot it in a dark and damp corner, and mold quickly climbed up the white fabric. Finally, just like her loyalty to Ruyi, it lost its luster and was ruthlessly discarded like garbage.
Following Madam Jiang's arrangement, Suo Xin went to a Taoist temple outside the capital to practice.
After seven days, Mrs. Jiang's heart softened a little. After the children cried for a while, she was exempted from becoming a nun and was allowed to live in the Taoist temple for a long time, copying scriptures and praying for Jiang Yubin, which was not like doing any hard work.
The two of them lived a relatively smooth life.
But Ling Yunche in the palace did not have such a smooth life.
He was sent to Yongxiang, and the smell on his body, which was not very pleasant to begin with, gradually changed from a strange smell to a foul odor.
He lived in a small hut with several eunuchs. He had to get up before dawn to collect the toilets from each palace, clean and dry them one by one, and then send them to each palace.
He repeated these tasks day after day.
The scars on his body never healed and gradually showed signs of rotting and stinking.
He won't live long, but there are still people who can't wait to see him off.