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墨書 Inktalez
I quietly approached Zhou Chuyan, who was intently reading a book.
From behind, I launched a surprise attack, pecking his cheek lightly and then gazing into his eyes with a soft smile. "Have you missed me?"
He paused for a moment, his furrowed brow relaxing as he wrapped his arms around me and gently blew into my ear. "Yes, I've missed you day and night."
My heart raced like a drum, and my face instantly flushed with warmth.
No matter how thick-skinned I was, my heart melted significantly, sinking into a state of bliss.
At that moment, I stood in the wedding banquet hall with a pale face, dressed in pure white as if attending a funeral. Coupled with my ghastly complexion, I resembled a ghost.
Did my flirtatious demeanor lead him to believe I was a woman he could toy with and discard at will?
I stepped lightly toward the banquet hall.
The bright red characters of happiness everywhere stung my eyes painfully; I wished I could rush over and tear them all down.
Lin Qing walked arm in arm with Zhou Chuyan, her face beaming with uncontrollable joy.
Zhou Chuyan looked strikingly handsome in his bright red robe, his dark hair cascading over his shoulders in an indescribable charm.
I took a step forward, deliberately positioning myself in front of them.
I had intended to stand tall before them like a proud peacock, filled with disdain in my eyes, wanting to show him through my actions that I didn’t care.
But upon seeing him holding hands with the princess, I felt like a defeated hen, my expression turning bleak. Even the lines I had prepared for the entire evening vanished when our eyes met.
"You are Tang Wei, the daughter of the Minister of Rites?" Lin Qing suddenly spoke up, her voice as gentle as spring water, her smile radiant. "I heard you were ill and almost couldn't attend this Selection. Are you feeling better now?"
"Princess, I am indeed Tang Wei," I quickly regained my confidence. "I am no longer seriously ill. I will participate in this Selection as scheduled."
As I spoke, Zhou Chuyan furrowed his brows and stared at me intently.
He must be wondering how I, who had lost my virginity, could possibly qualify for the Selection.
"Wei'er, all my achievements over the years are thanks to your family's kindness in taking me in. I want to express my gratitude to them now," he said with a faint smile, gazing at me. "Tang Wei, take me to see your teacher."
His words were not untrue; there was indeed a debt of gratitude.
If I hadn't taken him in on that snowy day when he was gravely injured and half-dead in the snow, and if I hadn't secretly run around buying medicine for him without telling my parents, he wouldn't have survived to this day. If I hadn't pleaded with my father to let him stay in our home to study and even take the imperial examination, how could he have won the favor of a princess?
To be honest, I should have let him freeze to death back then.
Lin Qing nodded obediently.
After walking a few steps away, he quickly grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the shadows. His voice was terrifyingly low: "Tang Wei, are you out of your mind? Do you know what participating in the Selection means for you?"
How could I not know?
If it were discovered that I was unmarried and pregnant, my virtue would be gone, my reputation ruined. Finding a woman like this to participate in the Selection might provoke the emperor's wrath and cost my father his position.
I shook off his hand and looked up at him with a cold, polite smile. "What’s wrong? You can aspire for wealth and glory, but I can't?"
Seeing his face darken further, I cheerfully added, "What's so bad about entering the palace? If I can rise to become a phoenix from a branch, then my life would be worth it."
I thought Zhou Chuyan must be furious.
As he swept away in anger, I covered my belly and laughed so hard in the shadows that tears streamed down my face.
"You... you... you're actually pregnant! You've truly driven me mad!" Lying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling with an empty gaze. My hand unconsciously stroked my belly over and over again.
"Who is that filthy man who ruined my daughter's purity? Just wait, I'll make him come and propose to you right away."
Though my mother scolded and was angry at my lack of ambition, her love for me was undeniable.
"I want to enter the palace," I said hoarsely, my voice weak.
"You!" She paused for a moment, then immediately understood everything.
At this critical moment, that man would never marry her, even if he died. And with my purity lost, no man would ever want to marry me.
"Get rid of the child, and I can arrange everything for you." My mother was an extraordinary woman. She had only one daughter in her life but managed to uphold our father's legacy. "I'll first get you into the palace. If you can win the emperor's favor, that's great. If not, a few years later, I will bring you out. By then, whether or not you have your virtue intact won't matter as much. I'll find you a suitable match then..."
Her eyes were filled with affection, and my heart couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness.
She thought I had given up on life and was willing to take such a gamble. To stay safely in the palace for a few years and then be brought out, while I actually wanted to stir up a major incident within those walls.
I trembled as I replied, "Okay."
I was taken into a small room, stripped bare like an exhibit for a group of elderly women to scrutinize.
They nodded in satisfaction at the mark of my virginity, but I couldn't help but sneer inwardly. That mark had been drawn with a pigment that was hard to wash off; I couldn't help but admire my mother's cleverness.
She had bribed the imperial physician beforehand, so no one checked my pulse or examined me. She feared that I would be found to have had a miscarriage, while I cleverly brought the stubborn baby still in my womb into the palace.
That night, the abortion medicine that Mother instructed Ju Xiang to give me was replaced with herbs instead.
On that day, as blood flowed beneath me, I suddenly realized something.
Why should I hate him? Why should I keep thinking about him? Why should I torment myself like this?
The day I woke up, I made a silent decision in my heart. Since Zhou Chuyan wanted wealth and power, preferring to marry Princess Lin Qing, then I would drag my broken body to become the queen of a nation.
Then I watched as Zhou Chuyan knelt before me, respectfully calling out, "Your Highness, may you live long."
As I stepped out of the small house, a taut string within me suddenly relaxed. I exhaled a breath of stale air, a faint smile gracing my lips.
However, when I turned the corner and saw Zhou Chuyan, my smile froze on my face.
What was going on? Why was Zhou Chuyan here?
I hurriedly bent down, lowered my head, and greeted him before pretending nothing had happened as I brushed past him.
His hand gripped mine tightly, and I was sure my expression must have looked quite terrible at that moment.
This man, who had married someone else, still dared to provoke me.
I gritted my teeth and said slowly, "L-e-t g-o of m-e!"
He showed no restraint, lifting my sleeve and running his fingers over the spot marked by the vermilion seal. A smirk crossed his lips as he softly said, "Clever scheme."
Taking advantage of his momentary daze, I broke free from his grip and slapped him hard across the face, saying fiercely, "Know your place."
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