sbdcsierra Chapter 295 Shall we die together?
Chapter 295 Shall we die together?
After the eunuch finished reading the imperial edict, he respectfully handed it to Lu Yangyang.
Upon hearing the contents of the imperial edict, Lu Yangyang's mind went blank, and she instinctively accepted it. The eunuch, seeing this, congratulated her with a smile, then bowed to Duke Sheng and Lan Yin. Although the matter of the real and fake heiress had caused quite a stir, they were still Lu Yangyang's biological parents, and now that they were standing together, they deserved her congratulations.
Lan Yin was somewhat dazed upon hearing the imperial decree. She glanced at Lu Yangyang, then subconsciously turned to look at the Duke of Sheng.
Duke Sheng frowned, unable to explain himself to Lan Yin's gaze. He could only hand over the reward money when the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree came forward to congratulate him.
The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree received the reward money and did not linger; he turned and left with his men.
The Zheng family members who came to cause trouble were also dumbfounded. What, what's going on?
How did this happen so suddenly, with the late Empress's will decree stating that Lu Yangyang should become the Crown Princess?
The Duke of Zheng's heir's expression shifted unpredictably. His earlier attempt to gain some advantage from Lu Yangyang had largely vanished. Regardless of the Crown Prince's future, he was still the Crown Prince! If Lu Yangyang became the Crown Princess, wouldn't that be even more troublesome?
Even though he was allowed to leave like that, he was extremely unwilling and continued to shout, "I don't care, the Sheng family has to give me an explanation!"
The only one still somewhat sane, Yan Yue, glared at him and snapped, "If you want an explanation from the Sheng family, what are you doing here? Didn't you hear what His Majesty's decree said? It says it's Lady Lan's biological daughter. Lu Yangyang isn't a member of the Sheng family. His Majesty personally confirmed it. Don't you understand? Doesn't the Sheng family only recognize that imposter, Sheng Yunzhu? In that case, why don't your family marry Sheng Yunzhu? It's a marriage alliance anyway. Whoever the Sheng family recognizes, you can marry, isn't that perfect?"
The heir of the Duke of Zheng found his words somewhat reasonable, but the thought that Sheng Yunzhu wasn't his biological daughter still made him a little unhappy: "Sheng Yunzhu isn't our biological daughter either, but everyone in the Zheng family is our biological daughter..."
As he spoke, he tentatively looked at Duke Sheng: "Brother-in-law, how about this, you marry Sheng Yunzhu into our family, and I'll marry another daughter into your family. You won't be at a disadvantage. What do you think?"
The Duke of Sheng felt a throbbing pain between his brows and coldly shouted at the heir of the Duke of Zheng, "Get out!"
Even the most outrageous son of the Duke of Zheng could tell that the atmosphere was tense and that continuing the commotion would only bring trouble. So he quickly kicked Madam Sheng and said, "Get up now! We're going to the Sheng family to wait. If this matter isn't settled today, you can stay at the Sheng family with your good-for-nothing son. The Zheng family doesn't want you!"
Lady Sheng was filled with grief, but dared not resist. In the past, she was able to have some face in front of the Duke of Zheng's heir because of her family's support. Now she had completely offended her family, and she didn't know if they would be able to stand up for her in the future. If the Duke of Zheng's heir really divorced her, her life would be over.
She cried and ordered people to continue lifting Zheng Ziqian up so she could follow the heir of the Duke of Zheng.
Since receiving the imperial decree, Lu Yangyang had no interest in the farce at the door anymore. She glanced at Yan Yue absentmindedly and said, "Come in with me."
Yan Yue hurriedly followed, and the two entered the mansion together.
Duke Sheng glanced at Sheng Junyi, who then told Sheng Junye to lead his men away, leaving Duke Sheng and Lan Yin behind.
Lan Yin stood there for a long time, and then suddenly heard this news. She felt dizzy and almost couldn't stand up. Seeing this, Duke Sheng quickly supported her.
Lan Yin pushed him away, took two steps back, and grabbed the hand that Hui Mama was helping her up.
Looking at Lan Yin's wary expression, Duke Sheng clenched his fists. "This matter has nothing to do with me. I used to have such thoughts, but since she has already left the Duke Sheng's mansion, I cannot make the decision on this matter."
Lan Yin shook her head and closed her eyes briefly.
Of course she knew it wasn't him, and she knew that this matter was not up to any of them to decide.
The Crown Prince was an excellent choice. A few years ago, he was probably the husband every woman in the land dreamed of, and he was also destined to be with Yangyang. However, since the Crown Prince became crippled, his position has become precarious. If His Majesty had simply removed him from the position because of his injury, there might have been a glimmer of hope. But His Majesty did not. Now, the Crown Prince is like a sitting duck, facing attacks from both the open and the hidden, with dangers on all sides. Under these circumstances, whoever marries him will inevitably become a sacrifice.
Lan Yin cherished the past affection between the late Empress and admired the Crown Prince's character, but the thought of the future that Yang Yang would have to face made her heart ache.
Originally, I thought that things would finally settle down in the future, and Yangyang could start doing her own thing, either staying in the capital or traveling around as a doctor. But once she got involved in the struggle for the throne, it would be a bloody battle, and her life and death would be uncertain.
"Go. Our marriage ends here. There's no need for us to meet again." Lan Yin was heartbroken. She knew why the Duke of Sheng had come today, but she had no desire to argue with him anymore.
Duke Sheng stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and gave Granny Hui a cold look.
Granny Hui was a little scared, but she did not let go of Lan Yin.
Lan Yin waved her hand and said to Granny Hui, "Go inside and wait for me."
Only then did Granny Hui release her.
Duke Sheng gripped Lan Yin's wrist, looking down at her with a heavy heart: "Lan Yin, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? Don't go. Even if you don't want to go back to the Duke Sheng's mansion, stay in the capital. I know you're still here. Don't go, okay? We've been married for over twenty years. You can forget, but how could I forget? I know you won't believe me, but from the very beginning, I truly only wanted to give you a better and more stable life. I hoped you would always be simple and happy, without worrying or toiling about the outside world. No matter how wrong I was, do you really not understand my feelings?"
Over the years, with his rising position and power, Duke Sheng hadn't spoken to anyone in such a low voice for a long time. But with Lan Yin, no matter how much he schemed, his feelings remained genuine. She had long become a part of his life, something he couldn't bear to part with. The mere thought of never seeing her again in this life felt like his heart was being ripped out, causing him unbearable pain.
These days, he couldn't sleep at night. He was willing to pay any price, but he couldn't bear to lose her.
Duke Sheng's eyes were bloodshot, and his gaze towards her was almost pleading.
Lan Yin gave a bitter smile. "Sheng Qishen, you don't love me, you love yourself. You treat me as your possession, which is why you feel you can't lose me. But I am not your possession, I am myself. I have wasted half my life on you, lost everything, my family is no longer a family, my husband and children cannot be of one mind. What am I still holding on to? I am about to die, should I continue to compromise and deceive myself?"
"Back then, your concubine poisoned me out of resentment, but have you ever considered who gave her the idea? And who was it that caused her to lose her infertility with a single dose of medicine? Do you really think I don't know? You think you don't care about her and that there's no need for a woman you treat as a tool to bear your child, but I'm the one who's implicated. I'm the one whose foundation has been ruined and who's about to die. What more do you want from me? Do you really want me to choose between leaving you or dying? Then kill me, or we can die together, okay?"