Aggrieved?
She was the daughter of the current Prime Minister, the Duke of Dingguo, and the Princess Royal. Her aunt was the current Empress, and her grandmother was the Empress Dowager. Who dared to aggrieve her?
In the past, the word 'aggrieved' was so distant to her. But now, for the sake of her country, for the sake of her family, her fate was being casually arranged.
Aggrieved, powerless to struggle, unable to break free. Was it considered aggrieved to watch the person closest to her abandon her?
"Pingyang, the family has given you supreme glory and a noble status. Now it's time for you to repay the family." The Empress looked at her, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Repay the family? If the price of this repayment was to be abandoned by the family, betrayed by her family, then she would rather not. But, what was she? She was only a chess piece that her father pushed out to protect the family. She was only a treasure that the Emperor offered to please Emperor Yin.
She closed her eyes, and her mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts. It was just one night. Before that day, she was just a young girl hiding under the wings of her parents, dreaming of love and concubines. Now, all the pretense had been removed, and she alone bore the glory of the entire family.
The Huiji Gu Clan had been the most prominent clan in Chu for more than four hundred years since the founding of the country. They had been married to the Imperial Family for generations and held great power in the court. Countless famous scholars and scholars came from the Gu Clan. Scholars, poets, politicians, and officials all used the Gu Clan as their title. The Gu Clan had students all over the country, from the Imperial Court to the Huiji Hometown. The power of the Imperial Court was deeply rooted and unshakable. Even the Imperial Family of Nan Hua had to be respectful.
She used to be proud of being born into such a clan. But now, she saw the true face of such a huge clan.
"Princess, we're here," Gu Yan didn't realize until A Nuo's voice came from outside the window. She suddenly realized that the carriage had stopped.
She slightly nodded to show that she understood, but didn't move. A Nuo had already raised the curtain to welcome her down. She still had her eyes closed and said weakly, "A Nuo, let me be alone for a while."
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Her mother's gentle voice came from outside the carriage. Gu Yan opened her eyes and saw the Eldest Princess lifting the curtain with one hand and looking at her with concern.
Ever since the day she returned from the palace banquet, she had been hiding in her room, refusing to see anyone. Her mother had repeatedly come to visit her, but she had always refused. And this morning, she had been summoned by her aunt to the palace. She had not expected her mother to be waiting at the door.
She had been a little nervous, so she could only say to A Nuo angrily, "A Nuo, you are becoming more and more unruly."
A Nuo had grown up with her, and the two of them were as close as sisters. She was no longer afraid of her. Seeing her angry rebuke, she only smiled and said, "It was Madam who didn't want me to speak, so you can't blame me."
"Alright, quickly get off the carriage." The Eldest Princess gently said before reaching her hand out.
Gu Yan had no choice but to put his hand in his mother's and let her help him out of the car.
The two of them were silent the entire way. Only when they entered the room and sent away all the servants did the Eldest Princess suddenly turn around and pull Gu Yan into her embrace.
Her mother's familiar scent of angelica entered her nose and Gu Heng's heart felt as if it had been softly pierced. All of the grievances she had felt surged into her heart and all of her pretense of being strong collapsed. Her eyes grew hot and tears began to fall uncontrollably.
The Eldest Princess' face was also covered in tears. She forcefully hugged Gu Yan and said in a choked voice, "Ting 'er, mother has let you down."
Gu Yan heard this and her heart ached even more. She could only cry.
The mother and daughter cried in each other's arms for a long time before gradually stopping. The Eldest Princess used a silk handkerchief to wipe her tears. The delicate Ice Shark Gauze was stained with water, leaving behind traces of her tears.
"Ting 'er, don't blame your father. Our Gu Family cannot bear the crime of going against the imperial decree." The Eldest Princess gently stroked her cheeks and said in a choked voice.
Gu Yan heard this and did not say a word. But she understood a bit in her heart.
How could she not understand? Power and influence always killed people without leaving a trace.
"Ting 'er, don't blame Muran. Yi Ling clearly came prepared and would not give up so easily. If Muran did not say anything to stop you, and you revealed your true feelings in front of Yi Ling, your life in Hokuin would be even more difficult. Do you understand? "
Muran.
She thought of the sadness that surged under his calm expression at the palace banquet last night. What reason did she have to blame him? If the emperor wanted the subject to die, the subject had no choice but to die. Muran was only protecting her. Only he could think so far ahead in that kind of situation and help her think about what would happen after she was married to Hokuin. If Hokuin heard about her relationship with Muran, she was afraid that everyone would use this against her and she would never be able to make a comeback.
Blame him?
She did blame him, but after calming down, she understood his intentions.
"I won't." She softly said these three words. This was her promise to him. The Eldest Princess sighed deeply and did not say anything else. She just hugged her tightly.
Gu Yan leaned into her mother's embrace and closed her eyes to think about the sweet past with Muran.
The two of them walked side by side on the willow embankment. The soft summer wind caressed her and blew her skirt. Muran gently held her hand and fixed her messy hair with one hand. He gently said, "Ting 'er, you have to be careful with your words and actions in the future. Don't be in the limelight."
Gu Yan's ears were slightly red. The hand that was held by Muran seemed to have a burning sensation that spread to her heart. She casually listened to his words and asked, "Why?" She was the Princess Pingyang of Nan Hua. Her mother said that she was the pride of the heavens and that she could do whatever she wanted. However, Muran often advised her to restrain herself.
Muran stopped and locked his eyes on her. His eyebrows were full of worry. He said, "Ting 'er, I'm afraid that there will be a day when I won't be able to protect you."
Gu Yan smiled and reached out to touch his eyebrows. She wanted to help him soothe his worry, "That won't happen. You are Muran. You have to protect me for a lifetime."
He was the Muran who was known as the number one scholar in the world. He was her father's favorite student. The Mu family was famous in the previous dynasty. However, during the reign of the previous emperor, the entire family was convicted because of the Nan Yang Poetry Case. Gu Yuanxian did not care about the anger of the Anqing Emperor. He risked his life to persuade the Anqing Emperor. The only descendant of the Mu family was Muran. This was the most legendary man in Nan Hua. He could recite poems at the age of three, compose poems at the age of five, and was familiar with ancient and modern articles at the age of ten. Not only that, he was also resourceful. Even Gu Yuanxian often said that Muran had a seven orifices heart. He observed everything in the world and made accurate predictions. He was worthy of the word "Ran" in his name.
He was so outstanding that he could definitely protect her for a lifetime.
"The phoenix flies together and is proud of the nine heavens. How can I protect you?" Muran sighed. There was a hint of melancholy in his tone.
"I don't want to be a phoenix. I only want to be a little swallow. I will always stay under your roof and let you protect me from the wind and rain." As she spoke, her face became redder. Even her bright eyes had a charming honey color. However, she did not avoid him as usual. Instead, she stared at Muran.
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