Three years later.
The ministers in the court were very upset about Chu Shaoqin's delay in appointing a crown prince. Many ministers who were inclined towards Hua Shenghe made suggestions, hoping that the emperor would appoint Chu Shijie as the crown prince as soon as possible.
Chu Shaoqin still wanted to make his and Li Qiuxue's child the crown prince, but Li Qiuxue never got pregnant again after giving birth to Chu Lianzhu. The matter of making a crown prince was postponed for three years, and Chu Shaoqin was forced to make Chu Shijie the crown prince under pressure from the government.
Although Chu Shijie is the son of the queen, he is born with a weak character, neither like his father nor his mother. Because Chu Shijie is dull and unpleasant, Chu Shaoqin's love for him is far less than that for Princess Chu Lianzhu.
Hua Yu, who originally thought that she would be favored if she gave birth to a boy, was jealous and resentful. She gave birth to a boy, but he was not as good as Chu Lianzhu, a little girl. Such hatred had nowhere to vent, and all fell on Chu Shijie. As long as Chu Shijie could remember, he was not a popular person. His father did not favor him, and his mother did not love him. Even if he was made the crown prince, no one in the palace celebrated for him.
One day, Chu Shijie's kite fell into the pear tree in the backyard of Xiyang Palace. He ran into the backyard of Xiyang Palace after the kite, but because he was not high enough, he could only stand under the tree and look up.
"Who are you? What are you doing in my yard?" Chu Lianzhu, who was squatting nearby playing with sand, quickly noticed the strange child. She brushed the sand off her hands and ran over to chat with him.
Chu Shijie looked at Chu Lianzhu, who was a little shorter than him, and a hint of shyness and timidity appeared on his face.
"I am the prince, I am here to pick up the kite."
Chu Lianzhu followed his gaze and looked upwards. A kite was hanging on a tall tree. He stared at it blankly. He could neither climb a tree nor call for help.
Chu Lianzhu turned around and ran into the house. When she ran out, she had a slingshot in her hand.
Chu Shijie watched her use a slingshot to shoot small stones on the ground towards the pear tree. The kite was hit by the stones and floated down.
"Wow, that's amazing." Chu Shijie applauded and turned his attention to the slingshot in Chu Lianzhu's hand. "Can you lend me this thing to play with?"
"If you like it, I'll give it to you. I have a lot more." Chu Lianzhu generously gave the slingshot in her hand to Chu Shijie.
Chu Shijie took the slingshot and studied it excitedly, as if he had obtained some treasure.
"Lianzhu, who are you talking to?" Li Qiuxue came out after hearing the conversation in the yard. There was a strange child standing in the yard.
The child was about the same age as Chu Lianzhu, and Li Qiuxue immediately thought of Chu Shijie. In the past three years, she and Huayu had lived in peace and had hardly met each other. Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Lianzhu and Shijie were both three years old.
"You are Shijie, right? Why are you here?" Li Qiuxue was about to reach out and touch Chu Shijie's hair to show her goodwill, but Chu Shijie picked up a stone on the ground and shot it at Li Qiuxue with a slingshot. Li Qiuxue frowned slightly when her calf was hit by the stone, and Chu Shijie turned around and ran away from Xiyang Palace.
"Mom, are you okay?" Chu Lianzhu didn't bother to chase Chu Shijie, and hurried to her mother to see if she was injured.
Li Qiuxue gently rubbed Chu Lianzhu's hair, smiled and shook her head.
Chu Shijie, who was hiding not far away, watched this scene. His mother had never treated him so gently. At that moment, he longed for someone to love him like this.
After that day, Chu Shijie hid not far from Xiyang Palace, waiting for Li Qiuxue and Chu Lianzhu to come out and then secretly followed them. He always followed them carefully, watching them catch butterflies in the imperial garden, watching them collect flower dew in the lotus pond, watching them do things he had never done before...
He yearned for it very much and was very envious.
"Lianzhu, look, brother Shijie has been following us. He may want to play with us. Can you invite him to play with us?" Li Qiuxue, who had noticed Chu Shijie a long time ago, leaned close to Chu Lianzhu's ear and said, but Chu Lianzhu shook her head, still brooding over what happened a few days ago.
"He is a bad boy. He beat my mother. Lianzhu, don't play with bad boys."
"But brother Shijie must want to apologize, but he's embarrassed. Lianzhu is your elder sister, she wouldn't be so petty, right?"
"Okay then, I'll go ask him to play with us." Chu Lianzhu pouted, turned around and ran towards Chu Shijie.
When Chu Shijie saw Chu Lianzhu running towards him, he was both happy and scared. He took a step forward and then quickly took a step back.
"Will you play with me?"
"Is it okay?" Chu Shijie asked cautiously, raising his head and looking in the direction of Li Qiuxue.
Li Qiuxue smiled at him friendly and waved.
"You can, but you hit my mother, you have to apologize, otherwise I won't play with you."
"Then I apologize, will you play with me?"
Chu Lianzhu nodded, then took Chu Shijie's hand and led him to Li Qiuxue.
When Chu Shijie came to Li Qiuxue, he knelt down politely and kowtowed to her to admit his fault. Hua Yu, who was out for a walk, saw this scene. She had a sinister look in her eyes and walked towards them in her long dress.
"Greetings to the Empress." The maids and eunuchs who first saw Hua Yu knelt down to pay their respects, and Li Qiuxue also crouched slightly to salute. The ignorant Chu Lianzhu hid behind her, blinking her eyes as she looked at the Empress standing in front of her.
"Lianzhu, why don't you greet the Queen?" Li Qiuxue asked Chu Lianzhu with some embarrassment.
Chu Lianzhu pouted and retorted: "Father said that I don't have to kneel to anyone except him."
"Children are ignorant, I hope the Queen can forgive me." Li Qiuxue said politely. In this palace, she didn't want to offend anyone, she just wanted her family to live in peace and security. Although she knew Hua Yu was deliberately making things difficult for her, for Chu Lianzhu, she just pretended that nothing had happened and continued to live the days of being pampered by Chu Shaoqin.
"The child is ignorant? I saw my Shijie kneeling to someone he shouldn't have kneeled to." Hua Yu stared at Li Qiuxue, and that look reminded Li Qiuxue of the baby bird she stepped on to death that day. Chu Shijie was also afraid of that look, and he hid behind Li Qiuxue in fear, being led by Chu Lianzhu.
"If you make a mistake, you should admit it, no matter if you are a prince or a commoner." Chu Shaoqin's voice came from not far away. He had long heard that the prince had injured Li Qiuxue with a slingshot. He did not blame Hua Yu for not parenting well because he did not want to worsen their relationship. It was a good thing that the prince took the initiative to admit his mistake, but Hua Yu refused to give in, which made Chu Shaoqin unable to bear it.
"Greetings, Father." Chu Lianzhu and Chu Shijie knelt down to pay homage, Hua Yu and Li Qiuxue also squatted slightly to salute.
"Shijie, come here."
"Yes, father." Chu Shijie lowered his head and walked in front of Chu Shaoqin.
Chu Shaoqin squatted down and rubbed Chu Shijie's hair.
"Shijie, you are the prince and also a man. You must dare to act and take responsibility. You must have the courage to admit your mistakes." Chu Shaoqin glanced at Hua Yu when he said this.
Hua Yu was startled and couldn't help but take a step back.
"Go play with Sister Lianzhu. Father still has to deal with state affairs."
"Yeah." Chu Shijie nodded, holding Chu Lianzhu's hand and running into the flowers. They squatted in the flowers to watch caterpillars and play some games that children like.
Hua Yu didn't wait for Chu Shaoqin to leave, and left this place that made her unhappy.
"Xue'er, if Huayu bullies you again, you must tell me." Chu Shaoqin looked at Huayu's back as he left, then turned to Li Qiuxue and said.
Li Qiuxue nodded and smiled slightly.
Chu Shaoqin lowered his head and kissed her brow, and said, "Xue'er, I'm going to deal with the affairs of the court first, and I'll come to see you later."
"Yeah." Li Qiuxue watched Chu Shaoqin leave, and then she played with Chu Lianzhu and Chu Shijie.
After that day, Chu Shijie went to Xiyang Palace to play with Chu Lianzhu almost every day. The fact that Chu Shijie didn't like to be close to Huayu soon spread in the palace. People who liked to gossip said that Li Qiuxue was very clever and alienated the prince from his mother. She was a very scary woman. Although Huayu didn't like the prince and Li Qiuxue to be too close, she never obstructed them.
About a month later, Chu Shijie suddenly fell seriously ill and the imperial physician diagnosed him with poisoning. Hua Yu stayed by Chu Shijie's bed and cried bitterly. Chu Shaoqin came to visit and saw that Hua Yu's eyes were red and swollen from crying. When she saw Chu Shaoqin, she knelt down in front of him and cried.
"Your Majesty, it was Li Qiuxue. She wanted to kill our child. After Shijie came back from her, he started foaming at the mouth and became seriously ill. She was the one who poisoned Shijie. Your Majesty, you must stand up for me and save our child."
"Doctor, what's going on?" Chu Shaoqin walked to the bedside. Chu Shijie lying on the bed had purple lips and a bloodless face. It was obvious that he had been poisoned.
"Your Majesty, the prince has been poisoned for a month. This poison will not be fatal if taken in small doses, but the prince has taken it for a month, and I'm afraid his life is in danger." The imperial physician replied while kneeling.
Chu Shaoqin watched Hua Yu crawling on the bed and crying, and began to doubt Li Qiuxue. Logically speaking, even a tiger would not eat its own cubs, so even if Hua Yu hated Li Qiuxue, she would not kill her own son.
"Your Majesty, a few days ago, Sister Xue'er was flirting with that blind guard. I kindly reminded her to be careful. Sister Xue'er also warned me that if she got pregnant with a boy, she would let Your Majesty depose the crown prince. I didn't expect that Sister Xue'er was so cruel and merciless that she would actually attack a three-year-old child. Woohoo... Your Majesty, you have to make the decision for me..."
When Hua Yu mentioned the blind guard, Chu Shaoqin's face suddenly darkened. Although he didn't believe Xue'er would hurt the prince, he didn't judge Xue'er and An Qing for their love affair.
"I'm going to find out clearly." After Chu Shaoqin instructed the imperial physician to take good care of the prince, he left Dongxiang Palace.
Inside Xiyang Palace.
Chu Lianzhu had just fallen asleep when a palace maid came to inform Li Qiuxue to go to An Qing's residence, saying that An Qing's old injury had flared up.
Feeling guilty towards An Qing, Li Qiuxue hurried to the corridor where An Qing lived. She walked through a corridor and arrived outside An Qing's bedroom. There was a sound of a vase breaking on the ground in the room, which made her feel uneasy.
"An Qing, are you there?" Li Qiuxue knocked on the door tentatively. The candlelight flickered in the room, and a figure flashed through the paper window.
When Li Qiuxue reacted, An Qing was blocking the door and not letting her in.
"Qiu Xue, I seem to have been drugged. Please leave here."
"An Qing, what's going on? Open the door, An Qing!"
Li Qiuxue saw An Qing suddenly fall down, and she kicked the door open in a hurry. An Qing fell to the ground with black cloth tied around his eyes.
He didn't know who had tampered with his food. At this moment, restlessness and desire were spreading wildly in his body. When Li Qiuxue's hand touched him, the uncontrollable desire reached deep into his heart.
Chu Shaoqin stopped in the corridor, at the end of which was an open door. Two figures overlapped beside the door, and he clearly saw An Qing kissing Li Qiuxue deeply. At that moment, he felt that his world had collapsed.
An Qing's face was close to Li Qiuxue. Before she could react, she saw Chu Shaoqin rushing up and pulling him up, punching him hard. The punch hit his jaw upwards, forcing all his consciousness back. An Qing stumbled and fell backwards, a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his split lip. Although he was conscious, his body was powerless.
"I will kill you!" Chu Shaoqin, who was extremely angry, pulled out the long sword hanging on the wall and stabbed An Qing without mercy.
Blood dripped from the tip of the sword, emitting a sweet and cruel smell in the suddenly silent night.
An Qing tried to concentrate to identify the direction of the sound. The sword stopped at his chest and did not move down. Chu Shaoqin, who was holding the sword, was trembling all over. Standing in front of him was Li Qiuxue, who held the sword blade with both hands. He exerted more force, and she exerted more force. The sharp sword blade cut into her palm, and she held it tightly, unable to move forward. Chu Shaoqin was distressed and heartbroken. He slowly loosened his hand holding the sword, shook his head, and stepped back step by step.
"I gave you all my love, but why did you betray me? Why..."
"Shao Qin, please listen to my explanation..."
"I don't want to hear it anymore, and I don't want to see you again..." Chu Shaoqin stepped back. He only believed what he saw with his eyes, so he didn't want to hear any explanation anymore.
"Shao Qin..."
Li Qiuxue cried and called Chu Shaoqin's name, but she could no longer call him back. She fell to the ground, looking at his back, her heart aching.
He would never trust her again, never again.
"Mom, why is it so noisy?" Chu Lianzhu was awakened and walked out to find her mother. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her mother crying on the ground. The blood on her mother's hands dispelled her sleepiness. She hurried over and looked at her mother's hands distressedly, "Mom, your hands are bleeding. Mom, does it hurt? Lianzhu will blow on them for you."
"Empress, what's wrong with your hand?" The personal maid who came over after hearing the sound was frightened by the blood on Li Qiuxue's hands. She hurriedly found gauze to bandage her, while several other maids helped An Qing to the bed to rest.
Chu Shaoqin has been drinking since he returned to the palace. He couldn't understand why the person he loved most betrayed him. He obeyed her in every way, but she always disobeyed him.
"Why? Why!" Chu Shaoqin overturned the wine table after getting drunk. He dismissed all the palace maids and guards in the bedroom and grieved alone.
Hua Yu, wearing a light red dress, walked slowly, holding a pipa in her hand and wearing a veil, playing it gently all the way. The long singing echoed in the hall, and the red sleeves of the skirt fluttered. In this lonely late night, Hua Yu stayed by Chu Shaoqin's side, listening to his complaints and chatting with him. After she achieved her goal, she helped Chu Shaoqin to the bed and let him sleep peacefully.
When Hua Yu walked out of the emperor's bedroom, she had an imperial edict in her hand. She handed the imperial eunuch who served the emperor and asked him to go to Xiyang Palace to pass on the order.
"Empress, is this really the Emperor's order?" The eunuchs serving the Emperor were somewhat embarrassed, as anyone who falsely passed on the Emperor's order would be beheaded.
Hua Yu seemed to see his worry, she took out a priceless jade pendant from her sleeve and put it in his hand.
"From now on, my will is the will of the emperor. Do you understand?"
Birds die for food, people die for money, and in the face of enough benefits, it seems that everything will lose balance.
"I understand. I will go and pass on your order."
The night wind blew the pear tree, which was left with only branches. Under the tree was Li Qiuxue, who was all alone. She stood there quietly, recalling every detail of the past. This night seemed very long, so long that it was impossible to fall asleep, as if something was about to happen.
"The imperial edict has arrived, Concubine Li, please receive it!" The eunuch's clear voice broke the silence of the night. Several guards following behind him were carrying a tray. Li Qiuxue saw that there was white silk on it.
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, decrees that Imperial Concubine Li Qiuxue, who has committed adultery with a palace guard, is not a faithful wife. She is now granted three feet of white silk and is to be executed immediately." Li Qiuxue, who knelt down to listen to the decree, suddenly fell to the ground, and the maid behind her hurriedly supported her. The person who delivered the decree was the eunuch beside the Emperor, but how could Shao Qin write such an imperial decree?
"This is impossible. Shaoqin would not do this. I want to see the emperor. Let me go to see the emperor!" Li Qiuxue stood up and rushed towards the gate, but the guards stopped her and did not let her leave Xiyang Palace.
When Chu Lianzhu walked out of the room, the guards were hanging Li Qiuxue on the pear tree with white silk. The palace maids wanted to save the imperial concubine but were hacked to death by the guards. The eunuch smiled slyly, watching Li Qiuxue's legs dangling in the air, waiting for her to die.
Chu Lianzhu was about to step out of the courtyard to save her mother, but when she saw the dead palace maid on the ground, she turned back into the house.
"Put me down, help, help..." Li Qiuxue grabbed the white silk around her neck with both hands, kicking her legs in the air, the feeling of suffocation invaded her soul. Why did Shao Qin want her to die? Why?
The sound of the carriage breaking into the courtyard caused panic, and a dart cut through the white silk. Chu Lianzhu, who was sitting in the carriage, put away her slingshot and hurriedly jumped off the carriage to help her mother, while An Qing blocked the pursuing guards by identifying the direction of the sound.
"An Qing, get on the carriage!" Li Qiuxue rode on the horse and controlled the carriage, rushing towards the guards surrounding An Qing. She grabbed the reins and stretched out her hand to the side. An Qing, who heard the voice, stretched out his hand when the carriage rushed over, and Li Qiuxue pulled him into the carriage. The carriage pulled by two horses turned around and galloped towards the palace gate.
She didn't belong to this palace, she was just a poor woman in this palace. She thought that she could get peace by letting go of all her hatred and dignity, but she was wrong. This relationship without self had disappeared when she first announced her death.
She is the daughter of Li Bai Ze. From now on, she will live a free life and no longer belong to the deep palace.
"drive!"
The carriage rushed towards the open palace gate at full speed.
When they were less than a foot away from the palace gate, the archers guarding the palace attic drew their bows one after another. Hearing the sound of bows being drawn, An Qing quickly carried Chu Lianzhu from the carriage onto Li Qiuxue's saddle.
"Qiuxue, live well, I can't go with you." An Qing jumped onto another horse and smiled at Li Qiuxue, the wind blowing his hair. Li Qiuxue, who had just held Chu Lianzhu firmly, stretched out her hand, but could no longer hold An Qing.
"Close the city gate and shoot!" Hua Shenghe, who was standing on the city wall, gave an order, and hundreds of arrows flew towards them.
An Qing cut all the ropes behind the horse with a knife and jumped onto the fallen carriage. The carriage across the palace gate blocked some of the arrows. The unburdened horse ran out of the palace gate at full speed, leaving the killing and blood behind.
"An Qing——" Li Qiuxue looked back and screamed hysterically, but the palace gate behind her closed in front of her little by little. Through the gap in the palace gate, she saw the most cruel scene. An Qing, who had risked his life to protect her from leaving the palace, knelt on the top of the carriage, his head hung, and there was no movement. Countless feather arrows pierced his body, and he just knelt in a pool of blood, unable to fall down.
"An Qing, I'm sorry, An Qing..." Li Qiuxue burst into tears. She hugged Chu Lianzhu, who was huddled in her arms and crying, tightly, pulled the reins tightly, and galloped hard.
She must leave the palace, live with all her might, and never let down those who died because of her.
The horse kept running on the rain-soaked road. The heavy rain washed away all the sorrow in the world.
Li Qiuxue used her body to shield the falling rain and protect the little life in her arms. She fled Yandu desperately, forgetting the sadness and pain. Only the belief in survival supported her to ride on the saddle for three days and three nights. When she arrived at another city, the horse fell down and died suddenly on the ground.
As the horse fell, Li Qiuxue hugged Chu Lianzhu tightly in her arms. The two of them rolled down and fell into the mud. Chu Lianzhu burst into tears when she saw her mother fall. She didn't know why those people wanted to kill her mother, nor did she know why they were running for their lives. Fear took root in her heart and turned into tears.
"Lianzhu, don't cry, don't cry, mom is here." Li Qiuxue half squatted on the ground, she helped Chu Lianzhu up, and wiped the tears and dirt on her face with her sleeves. She tried hard to smile, and use that smile to comfort Chu Lianzhu, everything will be over.
"Mom, Lianzhu wants to go home..." Chu Lianzhu burst into tears, and Li Qiuxue hugged her in her arms, crying where she couldn't see.
"Lianzhu, from now on, mother will be your home." After Li Qiuxue calmed down, she stood up and took Chu Lianzhu's hand and walked into the strange city.
People in the city were walking in the streets holding oil-paper umbrellas. There was still some drizzle after the heavy rain, but Li Qiuxue, who was soaked all over, no longer cared about the drizzle blowing in her face.
She took Chu Lianzhu by the hand and looked for the sign outside the door that said "Pawn Shop". After finding the target, she and Chu Lianzhu walked in and pawned all the valuable jewelry on their bodies, except for the bell bracelet left to her by her mother.
She took the five taels of silver she got from pawning the jewelry to an inn and took Chu Lianzhu to stay in the inn. After taking a bath, she coaxed Chu Lianzhu to sleep.
Chu Lianzhu, who hadn't rested for a few days, fell asleep quickly. Li Qiuxue tilted her head and looked out the window at the night. Outside the half-closed window, dark clouds hung low. She originally thought that she and Chu Shaoqin could always depend on each other until they were old. She originally thought that she could be a woman who didn't need to be cunning under his favor. But she was wrong. He was still the emperor, and she was just one of the thousands of women, not enough to shake the cage of intrigue in the deep palace.
Inside the palace.
Chu Shaoqin, who had not been involved in state affairs for several days, locked himself in his bedroom. The affairs of the court had been taken over by the father and daughter of the Hua family. After Li Qiuxue left, he did not see anyone. He was unable to sleep, wearing a thin fur coat, sitting outside the palace, with wine jars placed on the wooden steps.
The news of An Qing and Li Qiuxue's elopement spread widely in the palace. An Qing, who failed to leave the palace, was executed on the spot by Hua Shenghe's men. Li Qiuxue and Princess Chu Lianzhu left the palace and their whereabouts and life and death were unknown.
"Xue'er, why have we become like this? Why?" Chu Shaoqin held his forehead, smiled bitterly, and continued to pour wine and drink alone.
At this time, the door of the bedroom was pushed open, and light footsteps were heard. Hua Yu changed into a plain long dress and walked towards Chu Shaoqin. Her long hair flowed like water, and her plain face was fresh and refined under the moonlight. She took off her heavy makeup and sat beside Chu Shaoqin, smiling lightly.
From now on, Chu Shaoqin only belongs to Hua Yu. No matter whether Li Qiuxue is dead or alive, it can no longer interfere with her.
"Your Majesty, drinking too much will harm your health. Let me serve Your Majesty tonight." Hua Yu gently snatched the wine glass from Chu Shaoqin's hand, slightly pulled down her collar, revealing her shoulders and collarbones, waiting for Chu Shaoqin to respond to her.
The drunk Chu Shaoqin looked up, and Li Qiuxue's vague smile echoed in his mind. He took Hua Yu into his arms and hugged her tightly, murmuring another woman's name.
"Xue'er, I know you won't leave me. Xue'er, no matter what you did wrong, I forgive you. Please don't leave, okay?"
The gentle smile frozen on her lips gradually turned into a sneer, and Hua Yu pushed away the man who called her Xue'er. At this moment, she finally understood that even if Li Qiuxue died, her soul would be forever imprisoned in Chu Shaoqin's heart. In this palace, Li Qiuxue would always exist. Because the person he loved was only Li Qiuxue, and never her, Hua Yu!
She had given him the chance to accept herself again and again, and had opposed his father's plot to seize power for him again and again, but he had never had her in his heart. Since she was just a pawn for him to ascend the throne, why should she continue to be obsessed with him?
"Chu Shaoqin, until today, you still can't see the situation clearly." Hua Yu snorted and looked at Chu Shaoqin who was drunk on the ground, then stood up and said, "Chu Shaoqin, you will regret treating me like this."
Hua Yu pulled up her collar and left the bedroom.
After the heavy rain, the sky was clear and the air was fresh. Li Qiuxue took Chu Lianzhu to look for work everywhere, hoping to earn some money to support their livelihood. However, most jobs do not recruit women, especially women with three-year-old children. Li Qiuxue, who had never tried to beg for help, had seen the warmth and coldness of human nature in the past few days. She took Chu Lianzhu with her, like a woman who was not wanted by a man, wandering around and being looked down upon by others.
When her money was about to run out, a kind-hearted woman in the inn took her to work in a dyeing workshop. The smell of various dyes filled the dyeing workshop, which was very pungent. Li Qiuxue followed other female workers to work. She didn't know how to dye cloth, so she could only do the lowest job in the dyeing workshop.
"Where did you come from, kid? Get out of here!" Liu Fei's voice was loud and harsh, attracting all the female workers. Liu Fei was the head of the dyeing workshop, a vicious woman who only picked on the weak. After Liu Fei's voice ended, a girl's crying was heard.
"Cry, cry, cry, shut up, you're making so much noise!" Liu Fei, who hated children crying the most, grabbed her ears and cursed at her.
Li Qiuxue, who was mopping the floor, heard Chu Lianzhu crying and ran out from the woodshed. She saw Chu Lianzhu sitting on the ground crying loudly, hugging her calves, and she cried even harder after seeing Li Qiuxue.
"Lianzhu?" Li Qiuxue hurriedly stepped forward, pushed Liu Fei away, and picked up Chu Lianzhu.
"Mom, Lianzhu's leg hurts." Lianzhu wiped her tears and pointed at her calf that had been stepped on.
"I was just wondering what kind of kid is so undisciplined that he runs around in the dyeing workshop." Liu Fei snorted and sighed.
Li Qiuxue held Chu Lianzhu in one hand and clenched her other hand into a fist, which gradually tightened. No one cared about her anger, because in the eyes of these people, she was just a poor creature that needed to suck blood to survive.
"What are you looking at? Don't you have to work?" Liu Fei, who looked down on others, poked Li Qiuxue's temple with his finger, ignoring the flames burning in her eyes.
Suddenly, a scream startled everyone in the dyeing workshop. The arrogant Liu Fei screamed and lay in the red dyeing pool behind her. She looked at her broken fingers and shouted loudly.
In this world, the strong bully the weak. She gave in again and again, but was bullied in return. At this moment, Li Qiuxue finally understood that kind people will be bullied.
From now on, she will not be bullied anymore!
"Say what you just said again!" Li Qiuxue reached into the dyeing pool and pulled up the blood-red Liu Fei. Her finger joints creaked, making a terrifying sound.
"I was wrong, please spare me, please spare me..."
"Don't let me see you again!" As soon as Li Qiuxue let go, Liu Fei fell into the dyeing pool again. The other female workers wanted to help her up, but they didn't dare to move forward because they were afraid of Li Qiuxue's murderous eyes. Li Qiuxue didn't ask for her wages. She walked out of the dyeing workshop holding Chu Lianzhu.
Chu Lianzhu, who was lying on Li Qiuxue, said nothing. It was the first time she saw such an expression on her mother's face : cold, cruel, and angry.
"Mother, has Lianzhu caused trouble for you?" After a long time, Chu Lianzhu finally spoke.
Li Qiuxue shook her head, kissed her cheek, and continued walking towards the inn.
Soldiers rushed into the inn where they were staying. Li Qiuxue stopped not far from the inn and quickly turned around to hide behind the attic. She stuck her head out and looked at the soldiers. They looked like Hua Shenghe's men, and they were probably here to arrest them.
"Mother, did the emperor send someone to take us back to the palace?"
"Lianzhu, if mother tells you that we will not return to the palace, are you willing to follow mother?"
"Wherever mother goes, Lianzhu will go."
Li Qiuxue was moved and hugged Chu Lianzhu. She took another detour and bought an ordinary horse with the remaining silver. She took Chu Lianzhu away from the city overnight, and the horse took them to the forest. She decided to live in seclusion in the forest with Chu Lianzhu so that people outside could never find them again.
Time flows with the change of the four seasons, summer comes and goes, and before you know it, another cold winter has come.
When Li Qiuxue lost Chu Lianzhu, it started snowing in the city. It was the first snow since the beginning of winter.
After winter came, Chu Lianzhu, unable to bear the sudden drop in temperature, caught a cold. At first, she just kept coughing, and then her lungs were injured and she coughed up blood. Later, she fell ill and had a high fever. Li Qiuxue tried various methods, but couldn't make Chu Lianzhu better.
Chu Lianzhu had a near-death experience when she was born, and she has been weak ever since she was born, relying entirely on the palace doctors to nurse her back to health. Now that they live deep in the mountains, without the luxury of living, Chu Lianzhu's weak constitution against the cold is increasingly exposed.
The strong wind made the trees in the forest sway. Li Qiuxue picked up Chu Lianzhu, who was coughing up blood again, and ran straight to the market. She rode on the horse, tightly protecting the person in her arms. The cold wind with frost pierced her face, as if it would penetrate into the bone marrow. The sound of Chu Lianzhu coughing could be heard on the bumpy saddle. The strong wind blew away the tear marks on Li Qiuxue's face. She felt that the life in her arms was becoming weak, like a candle flame that would be extinguished by the wind.
When we arrived at the market, it was already late at night. A snowstorm was blown down by the wind, which passed by the paper lanterns hanging on the eaves and blew up the dust on the ground. Intermittent coughs sounded in the silent night, and the coughs gradually stopped. Only the hurried footsteps echoed in the street accompanied by the wind and snow.
Li Qiuxue knocked on the doors of the clinics one by one. The doctors inside either cursed her and asked her to come back tomorrow, or came out wrapped in a thin quilt, took a look, and then asked her to pay money first.
"Doctor, please save my daughter. I will bring the money tomorrow. Please, my daughter is dying." Li Qiuxue knelt at the doctor's feet and tightly grasped the doctor's clothes. The doctor impatiently pulled back the clothes and isolated them outside the clinic.
"If you don't have money, get out!"
"Open the door, please, please save my daughter." Li Qiuxue knocked on the door of the clinic, but the candle in the room was blown out and no one paid attention to her. Despair rose in her heart, and she knelt at the door of the clinic, crying until her tears dried up.
"Mom, it's so cold." A faint voice came from her bosom. Li Qiuxue felt distressed when she saw the pale face in her bosom. She quickly took off her coat and wrapped Chu Lianzhu tightly in her bosom. Chu Lianzhu tried to open her eyes and looked at her crying mother.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"Lianzhu is so sleepy, Lianzhu wants to hear mother sing..." Chu Lianzhu coughed before she finished. She stretched out her hand and caught the snowflakes falling from the sky. She nestled in Li Qiuxue's warm arms and looked at the paper lanterns hanging under the eaves that were stained with snowflakes.
Li Qiuxue held her and sat under the eaves of the clinic, singing in the wind and snow. Chu Lianzhu leaned in her mother's arms and closed her eyes peacefully. She said that when she woke up, she would build a snowman with her mother. She said that when she woke up...
The little hand that touched the snowflakes fell down like a reed blown down by the wind.
She did not wake up. She just fell asleep in Li Qiuxue's arms until the last trace of her body temperature disappeared.
There was silence everywhere, the candlelight flickered, and finally went out in the silent snowy night. There was no moonlight or candlelight on the street, only invisible darkness and vastness. The singing echoed in the wind, as if it could float to the distant sky, to the other side of the Forgotten River.
"Lianzhu, mother will take you home." Li Qiuxue was trembling all over. She looked up and pushed harder. Upon closer inspection, one could see that her lips had been bitten and bled. She swallowed the fishy sweetness into her throat, picked up her daughter who had lost her warmth, and walked away in the snow, as if she had exhausted all the sorrow in the world.
The heavy snow covered everything, whether it was the sky or the ground under her feet, it was all covered with a layer of white. Li Qiuxue used her hands to push away the snowflakes on the ground, revealing the yellow soil. She dug a pit several feet deep under the banyan tree, carefully carried Chu Lianzhu into it, and gently touched her face.
She smiled faintly and continued to scoop up soil with her bleeding hands to fill the deep pit.
Li Qiuxue sat by the banyan tree, carving a tombstone on a piece of wood with a stone. When she finished carving, the yellow land was already covered with white snow. She carefully placed the carved tombstone on her daughter's grave and leaned over to leave a deep kiss on it.
"Lianzhu, mother will be here to accompany you soon. Mother won't let you be alone." Li Qiuxue took off her coat, gently covered the tombstone with it, then stood up and walked into the depths of the woods.