Fu Yin’s expression did not change. “Lu Hanxing said it himself.”
Lu Yingying finally understood. “So that’s why you killed Lu Hanxing. Not because he took liberties with you, but for revenge. You became my brother’s concubine and gave birth to Shan’er, all for revenge.”
In that few short sentences, Fu Rou’s astonishment grew a few folds. She also felt her heart ache. She never thought that the reason Fu Yin left would be to take revenge and she would never have imagined that Fu Yin would give away her body to Lu Qi for that.
Lu Yingying asked, “You caused a man who loves you deeply to be heartbroken and now he lives a life no better than death. How does it feel to have taken revenge? Does it feel as good as you had imagined it to be?”
Fu Yin did not answer her question. “If you want to take revenge for Lu Qi, you can do it now.”
Lu Yingying shook her head. “You are not the only one I know that had ruined yourself just to take revenge on others. You think you are able to distinguish between gratitude and resentment but you're actually the most foolish person on earth. By doing anything to take revenge, how would there be any place for kindness and justice? If the hatred continues from generation to generation, what will Shan’er’s future be like?”
She understood the pain of losing a mother but was revenge the only way to obtain peace? There were clearly other ways like living a happy life.
Shan’er suddenly started crying.
Lu Yingying sighed, “When Shan’er grows up, should he kill his own father to take revenge for his grandmother? Or should he kill you to take revenge for his father? Maybe he should kill himself. After all, he stemmed from the seed of hatred!”
Fu Yin hugged Shan’er tightly, pressing her face on his cheek. She regretted it, but it was too late for regrets.
Chapter 84.2: Hypocritical
Fu Shui kneeled in greeting to Concubine Yan. “Greetings, Aunt.”
Concubine Yan was heartened. “Good child, you are finally here.”
Concubine Yan and Yu He were siblings with the same father but different mothers. When the Sui Dynasty was wiped out, Yu He had been living outside the palace with his mother, who had a low status. That was how he survived. Thereafter, Yu He had concealed his identity and left the newly-born Fu Shui to enter the palace to protect Concubine Yan. Today, the two of them had worked together to bring the Crown Prince down.
Yu He advised, “Your Highness, you have just recovered, you cannot be too emotional.”
Concubine Yan looked at Yu He. “We are all a family here, why are you still calling me Your Highness?”
Yu He froze. His voice trembled slightly as he called out, “Sister!”
Concubine Yan’s eyes teared momentarily as she grabbed Yu He’s hand. “Younger Brother! All these years, the both of us have been walking on thin ice in the palace. Although we see each other daily, we never dared to call each other as brother and sister!”
Fu Shui sighed, “The great Sui Royal Family has been bearing humiliation to this point.”
Yu He spoke, “The Crown Prince and Prince Han have both been taken down. Prince Zhou’s position is becoming more stable. Soon, we won’t have to tolerate anyone.”
“We put up with the humiliation for our future.” Concubine Yan had tolerated all these years. “As long as there is hope, what is it to tolerate a little for what’s in front of us? My child, you have suffered all these years. You even gave up your surname. Now with everything in play, you were actually given the surname Yang by the Emperor. This is a lucky omen from heaven. Our great Sui family will rise once again.”
Yu He used his sleeves to dab the corners of his eyes. “Fu Shui, quickly take your aunt’s pulse.”
Fu Shui finished taking her pulse. “There is nothing serious. Take medicine according to my prescription for the next three months to replenish your vital energy and all will be good.”
“Don’t talk big.” Yu He was extremely strict with his son. “I am afraid your medical skills are not good enough yet. Didn’t you say that after your aunt drinks the medicine to make her unconscious, she would wake up immediately with three needles? Why did it take so long for her to wake on that day? If your aunt’s eyes opened any later, your head would have rolled. If I knew that your plan was not foolproof, I would not have allowed your aunt to take such a risk.”
Concubine Yan smiled slightly, “Don’t scold him. It was a little risky but didn’t we pull through in the end?”
“It was my fault. I prepared the medicine but did not accurately determine how weak your body is. Father is right, this was too risky. If we had miscalculated, we would have lost everything.” Fu Shui smartly changed the topic. “Aunt, does Prince Zhou often leave the palace to clear his mind nowadays?”
Concubine Yan felt helpless. “He is a filial child. If we told him about me taking this risk beforehand, he would definitely object. Hence, we hid it from him. Now that he saw you enter the palace to wake me up, he should be able to guess what happened. He must be very angry.”
Yu He sighed, “We can’t blame him for being angry. In the few days that you were unconscious, he could neither eat nor sleep. He was always by your side. Now that he suddenly found out that all these were part of our plan, naturally…”
Concubine Yan cut him off, “Fu Shui, you are almost the same age as Ge’er. Please talk to him when you have time. In the future, when he ascends the throne, he will have to rely on you to protect him.”
Fu Shui lowered his head. “Understood.”
Li Baolin was wandering in the Imperial garden when she unexpectedly came across a matter.
Concubine Yan’s palace maid had collided with Concubine Zhen’s palace maid. Their collision caused an accessory that the Emperor had given to Concubine Yan to break. Concubine Yan’s palace maid struck out to teach the other palace maid a lesson and alerted Concubine Zhen, who had been admiring flowers nearby. Recently, Concubine Zhen had been confirmed to be pregnant. Unfortunately, this happened at the same time when Concubine Yan was unconscious. The Emperor’s mind had been on Concubine Yan and Concubine Zhen had been angry because of it. Today, as she saw that even Concubine Yan’s palace maid was so arrogant, she could not drop the matter and immediately punished her to be slapped.
Seeing things turn serious, Li Baolin had to step up for Concubine Yan’s palace maid.
Concubine Zhen was very unhappy. “Li Baolin, recently there has been no shortage of people who have been trying to suck up to Concubine Yan. Even if you fawn on her, you won’t be able to gain much. Why do you need to stand up for this palace maid?”
Li Baolin smiled. “Sister, you are thinking too much. Who am I to stand up for Concubine Yan?” She picked up the accessory from the floor and scolded Concubine Yan’s palace maid. “A gift from the Emperor fell on the floor. Instead of hurrying to pick it up and seeing if it is spoilt, you focused on quarreling. Concubine Zhen taught you all for your own good. Aren’t you both going to thank Concubine Zhen?”
Both palace maids focused on the situation and thanked Concubine Zhen.
Concubine Zhen wanted to say more.
Li Baolin grabbed her wrist. “Just now, I was heading to your place to visit you. I never thought that you would be here strolling in the Imperial Garden. While I was on my way here, I saw several internal attendants carrying gifts over. They said that they were gifts for you from the Emperor. Sister, you are now pregnant with the Emperor’s child. Although the Emperor is busy with official duties and cannot visit you often, he must still be thinking of you. Punishing these maids is a small matter, but if you get too angry and affect the baby, it will be a huge issue.”