“Why not?” Consort De said, “Didn’t your mother do the same before? I married your father, and he kept marrying one concubine after another, didn’t he? Nan Feng, you are a mother now yourself, you should be able to understand a mother’s desire to make up for that felt towards her child. I hope Xiaoye can always stay by our side, stay in the Palace, with his father’s support, he can bee the person with the greatest power in the Great Zhou Dynasty in the future.”
“But…” Nan Feng tried to remain strong in her words, but her tone was already a bit guilty: “That’s not what Brother Ye wishes for, he just wants to lead a carefree life.”
“How is that possible?” Consort De said, “He’s only considering your feelings now, if it weren’t for you, he would definitely stay with us and accept our arrangements.”
Nan Feng’s lips trembled, and after a moment, she clenched her fists so tightly that her nails nearly dug into her flesh: “If this is also what Brother Ye thinks, then I am willing to accept it. Consort Mother, you must have a request since you came here today, right? Please let me know, Nan Feng is willing to follow your arrangements. As for Brother Ye, he can choose whatever he wants.”
The sky had bee overcast at some point, acpanied by the sound of thunder.
Consort De also looked at Nan Feng, feeling a faint bitterness in her heart, but for the sake of Ye, she had to harden her heart. She turned her back, her voice trembling as well: “Tomorrow, a carriage will e to take you out of the Imperial Palace. I will send you to a safe place, you and your daughter will enjoy wealth and honor for a lifetime. Or perhaps, when Xiaoye ascends the throne, I will let him know of your whereabouts. If he still thinks of you two then, he will bring you back to the Palace, and you can be reunited.”
Nan Feng nodded.
Afterward, the rain started to fall, acpanied by thunder and lightning, suddenly intensifying.
…
The carriage to pick up Nan Feng came the next day, and Nan Feng had packed her things early in the morning.
She thought she wouldn’t have much, but as she packed, she ended up filling half a carriage—most of it was Xiaobao’s stuff, food for the road, and some gold and silver jewelry brought from the Palace.
When Nan Feng held Xiaobao and boarded the carriage, Xiaobao still looked at Nan Feng with a puzzled face.
Though she was young, she could sense something. She could see something frightening on Nan Feng’s face, which was more serious than ever, but she didn’t dare to shout or to cry, just kept watching Nan Feng’s reaction.
Later, Nan Feng held her and put her in the innermost part of the carriage. When Nan Feng got in as well, the carriage began to move away from the gates of the Palace. As she lifted the curtain for one last glance at the Imperial Palace’s red walls and yellow tiles, she felt she was leaving a place that never belonged to her. This place was like a gilded birdcage; no matter how luxurious and noble, she would not be happy. Even for the sake of Ye, she was unwilling to confine her life within these opulent Palace walls.
Nan Feng let down the curtain, and looked at Xiaobao again, who was still watching Nan Feng with her big eyes. Nan Feng picked her up and placed her on her lap: “Baby, the world is vast, and there’s much to be done. Mother is taking you to a very wide place, so you can live happily ever after. Okay?”
The carriage left the Imperial Palace, then left Capital City. When it got dark, the carriage arrived at an Inn where the people escorting Nan Feng needed to rest for the night and set off again the next day.
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