670 Telling the Truth (1)
“Ahem! There’s no need. Daughter, you’ve worked so hard. You should rest well. I’ll make breakfast tomorrow.”
Her son-in-law helped her out in time. Consort Yun gave her son-in-law a educative look and stroked Yu Wan’s head dotingly. “Your father is right. Listen to your father and talk to your grandmother.”
Although Yu Wan was more willing to use her increasingly superb culinary skills than talk, she still happily agreed since her grandmother had spoken.
Consort Yun heaved a sigh of relief. She cherished her life, so she had to stay away from her granddaughter’s culinary skills.
It was late at night, but Consort Yun and Yu Shaoqing were too full to sleep. Yu Wan was excited to see Consort Yun and was not sleepy at all, so the few of them sat around the table and chatted.
This was the first time they had met in so many years, yet they were not as uneasy and awkward as they had imagined. Everyone made each other feel comfortable from the bottom of their hearts. Yu Wan liked Consort Yun very much, and Consort Yun, of course, liked her even more. As for Yu Shaoqing, he was a little silly. Fortunately, he was good-looking and was considerate, filial, and doting. There was nothing for Consort Yun to be dissatisfied with.
More importantly, Consort Yun remembered how good Bull Egg was, and treated Bull Egg’s son differently.
There were no tea leaves in Changting Temple. Yu Shaoqing boiled a pot of water and brewed a pot of red date tea with the dried dates in the meditation room.
The three of them drink their tea.
The night was very quiet.
Yu Wan suddenly said, “Grandmother, tell us about what happened back then.”
She did not specify which incident happened back then. Firstly, she was not sure if Consort Yun was willing to mention what happened in the past. If she was unwilling, she could skip it and pick a few things to say. Secondly, she actually did not have any way to ask.
After all, too much news was only hearsay. Even the person involved was probably kept in the dark about the truth.
Consort Yun said, “Ah Wan, do you want to ask me how I became the consort back then?”
Yu Wan thought for a while. This worked too.
Yu Wan nodded.
Consort Yun sighed faintly. “There are some things that I shouldn’t say in front of you, but since you ask, there’s no harm in telling you.”
Yu Wan and Yu Shaoqing listened seriously.
Consort Yun had hated and resented what happened back then. Now, she was relieved. One’s life was predestined, and one’s fate was controlled by oneself. How could she not know that the heavens had opened their eyes? Take the experience of the Eldest Princess for example. The heavens seemed to be slowly paying back the hardships she had suffered in the early years in another way.
Therefore, when the matter with the Emperor was mentioned again, Consort Yun was no longer as indignant as before.
She asked calmly, “What were the rumors you heard?”
The father and daughter looked at each other. Yu Shaoqing did not have the guts to say those disgraceful words. Yu Wan was Consort Yun’s little sweetheart, and only she could brace herself and say it.
Yu Wan said, “It’s rumored that the Empress and you were once close friends. You had a fiancé who eloped with your cousin before the wedding. When the Empress heard about this, she was very angry. Not only did she issue a decree to degrade your fiancé, but she also questioned your cousin. In the end, that marriage did not work, but your marriage became difficult from then on.”
As Yu Wan spoke, she sized up Consort Yun’s expression. She saw that with every sentence Consort Yun listened to, the mockery on her lips increased.
“What else? Continue,” Consort Yun said.
Yu Wan could only continue, “The Empress saw that you were depressed, so she brought you into the palace and held a banquet for you. In the end…”
“In the end, I didn’t like the young masters she chose. Instead, I turned around and climbed into the Emperor’s bed, right?” Consort Yun finished the scene that Yu Wan found difficult to say.
Yu Wan tacitly agreed. No matter what the truth was, the rumors she heard were indeed like this. The Empress was impartial and pitied Consort Yun, but Consort Yun betrayed her former good friend and seduced the Empress’s husband. This made almost everyone believe the rumors that Consort Yun had given birth to a jinx.
In this entire matter, be it the Eldest Princess, who had been abandoned since she was young, or Consort Yun, who had stayed in the palace, they were both despised.
Everyone had selfish motives. Whether the rumors were true or not, she would stand on Consort Yun’s side. She was not a heroine, nor was she Master Qingtian. She was an extremely ordinary woman. Forgive her for not being able to do something like putting righteousness before family.
Yu Wan looked at Consort Yun and said, “Grandmother, are you and the Empress really good friends?”
“Good friends?” Consort Yun smiled coldly. “I’m the daughter of a concubine. How can a legitimate daughter like her like me? She’s just using me to promote her good reputation. Treating a concubine’s daughter well makes her look especially well-mannered. Do you know when she first met the Emperor?”
Yu Wan shook her head.
Consort Yun said sarcastically, “On a snowy day, I was bullied by a few sisters in my family. She took ice to apply the swelling pain on my forehead and even stood up for me. The way she reprimanded my sisters was seen by the passing Emperor. The Emperor admired her for her looks and virtue. Just like that, she caught the Emperor’s eye.
“At that time, the Emperor had yet to ascend the throne and was only a prince. However, the Emperor’s popularity was very high. Everyone understood that he would be the future Crown Prince. The sisters in the family wanted to obtain the Emperor’s favor, but the Empress snatched the limelight. Their background was inferior to the Empress, so they did not dare to contradict the Empress, so they could only vent their anger on me. Every time they vented their anger on me, the Empress would stand up for me, but once the Empress left, who could protect me in the cold courtyard?
“The way she stood up for a concubine’s daughter was very appreciated by the Emperor. The Emperor said, “If you treat a concubine’s daughter like this, it’s a blessing of the people if you become the mother of the country.”
Yu Wan frowned and said, “What a blessing for the people. She’s clearly pulling you along as a charity to gain attention!”
These words were new to Consort Yun, but she understood them. She smiled and said, “She treated me well back then, but it’s not completely fake. At least, when she stood up for me the first time, she never thought of using me to gain…”
She wanted to learn and use it live, but she realized that it was stuck.
“To gain attention,” Yu Wan said.
“Yes.” Consort Yun nodded. “But after tasting the sweetness, her relationship with me changed.”
Yu Wan agreed deeply. Everything the Empress did for Consort Yun seemed to be for Consort Yun, but the outcome always made Consort Yun even worse. The only person who received both fame and fortune was the Empress herself. She tore open Consort Yun’s wound and did not hesitate to expose her pain to others before using the Empress’s power to seek justice for her. Everyone praised her as a mother of a country and was envious that Consort Yun had climbed up a high branch like her. No one asked Consort Yun if she was willing.
It was the same in the palace all these years. It was because of Consort Yun, who was like a crazy woman, that made the Empress look even more dignified, elegant, and virtuous.
Yu Wan’s heart ached for Consort Yun. She paused and said, “Then… you and the Emperor…”
Consort Yun said, “No matter how much I don’t like her, I wouldn’t go so far as to seduce her man. It was indeed an accident. I was too drunk and didn’t know where I was after one cup.”
It was not good to say the details in front of the juniors. In short, from the beginning, she had no intention of seducing the Emperor. As for after entering the palace, she was indeed looking forward to the Emperor.
She had done such a “shameless” thing and ruined the family’s reputation. She had been abandoned by her family and moved into the bedchamber that was like a cold palace alone. At that time, she was just an inexperienced little girl. She would also feel fear and helplessness and feel attachment to her husband.
He was the only one she and the child in her stomach could rely on, she thought. Then so be it. Since she was already his woman, she would obediently do her duty.
She had once stood at the door of the bedchamber like every wife who looked forward to her husband’s return, hoping that he would come and see her every day. However, he did not appear in front of her until the child was born.
When he finally appeared, he wanted to take her child away.
Her heart had never hurt so much.
She was also once an innocent little girl. She had also given her heart to that high-spirited young Emperor. However, at some point, her heart had turned cold bit by bit. Now, facing that man, she had nothing but disgust.
Consort Yun raised her head and let out a shaky breath. Only then did she realize that her son-in-law had already fallen asleep on the table. Yu Wan had also fallen asleep on her lap.
Consort Yun touched Yu Wan’s face lovingly. Yu Wan slept soundly and felt a hint of sweetness in her heart. It turned out that not only would being sad make people cry, but they would also cry when touched.
Consort Yun’s eyes suddenly turned red. She sniffed and raised her head to force back her tears.
It was almost dawn. She had to go.
Consort Yun placed Yu Wan on the table and gave her a pillow to lie comfortably on. She came to the bed and stroked her daughter’s face.
When I was pregnant with you, I loved your father, so you’re a child born in great joy and anticipation. Don’t feel sad.
Consort Yun touched her daughter’s forehead, turned around, opened the door, and walked out into the morning light.
The “sleeping” Madam Jiang opened her eyes and watched her disappear into the morning light.
