Chapter 13: A Thunderclap on a Clear Day (Part 1)

  The crown prince Taizong knew that Qing was suffering in the middle of the palace, and his heart ached for her. However, he didn't know how to comfort her, so he simply raised his cup and took a sip of clear tea.

  "He, has received the order?" Qing Sang said in a low voice, his eyes already dim.

  The crown prince looked at Qing Sang's pale face with deep affection and concern, his heart filled with unspeakable pain.

  Since he was listed as a candidate for the crown prince, he has cultivated a cautious and meticulous personality, good at hiding his emotions, not letting others easily guess what he is thinking.

  But the person in front of him made it difficult for him to control himself

  From the time he inadvertently saw her portrait two years ago, that elegant and refined appearance had been deeply etched in his heart. When he learned that Qing Sang had already passed the "three selections" for the imperial harem, he disregarded his identity and presumptuously proposed to the Empress Dowager the idea of "balancing power". The Empress was originally on the same side as the Prime Minister, and this time she also intended to select Qing Yu, but unexpectedly the Emperor had a liking for Qing Sang. Originally, it would have been fine if both women entered the palace, since they were both people of the Prime Minister, but after listening to the Crown Prince's analysis, the Empress also felt that if the Prime Minister became too powerful, it would be disadvantageous to herself. Moreover, if the two women joined forces in the palace and plotted against her, it was not impossible. Therefore, she also thought about eliminating one of them.

  However, apart from the name, the Empress found it difficult to make a decision. The Emperor's favorite, Qing Yu, was not suitable, and if she were to be chosen, it would be inappropriate for the Emperor to blame her. But excluding Qing Yu's name would also be unreasonable, and it would offend the Prime Minister. The Crown Prince analyzed the pros and cons extremely thoroughly and explained: "From a family perspective, Qing Yu is the eldest daughter of the main wife, while Qing Sang is the daughter of a concubine; from a social status perspective, Liu Gong is Qing Yu's paternal grandfather, so naturally, he would favor Qing Yu more. Leaving Qing Yu behind, Liu Gong would not have much to say. Moreover, Qing Sang is only thirteen years old and has not yet reached the age of majority, so participating in the selection was already an exception. Therefore, at that time, as long as it was said that she was still young and not yet mature enough, everyone would not have any objections. If the Emperor were truly displeased with this matter, the Empress could also say: 'The Pei family has two daughters entering the palace at the same time, which will inevitably lead people to think that Your Majesty favors one over the other. Moreover, Qing Yu is still young, and taking her as a concubine may lead to some gossip, which would be unbecoming of Your Majesty's wisdom. It would be better to wait until she grows up before making any decisions, for it is not too late.'"

  The queen said so, and indeed the emperor did not blame her, but instead praised her for being thoughtful. From then on, the people of Qing Sang never heard the emperor mention it again.

  The prince's move was risky, but it left him with an opportunity.

  Two years later, on the eve of the Lantern Festival, by chance, he finally saw Qing Shengren. At that time, he recognized Qing Sang at a glance, and when he heard Jia Bao call himself a child of the Pu family, he was even more certain that it was indeed the third daughter of the Pu family, Pu Qing Shengren. Compared to her portrait, she was even more beautiful, with elegant manners and perfect etiquette. Although she was only fifteen years old, she had an indescribable air of elegance about her.

  Bid farewell to Puzi Temple, and saw her again, she was intelligent beyond others, with elegant words, and felt even more relieved in her heart, it was not in vain that she had taken such a great risk back then, persuading her mother to take her out of the brothel

  Day and night, he couldn't help but think of her, wishing to see her every moment, but had to maintain etiquette, only secretly caring. Now, just as he thought things were going well, his seventh younger brother, whom he considered his best friend, also turned out to like her. He confidently believed that Qing Sang wouldn't be unaware of all the efforts he made, which was why he agreed to let Qing Sang decide who to marry. Little did he know, Qing Sang had already developed feelings for his seventh brother, and his own love for Qing Sang ultimately became an unrequited one.

  The crown prince's heart was already aching as if his five organs and six intestines were twisted into a knot, but his face remained calm as water. He said lightly: "Seventh brother had refused to marry the princess of the imperial court, which made Father Emperor furious, now he has been imprisoned in the Qingwang Fu for reflection."

  Qing Shao's eyes were hot, and she almost shed tears. Tong Xun had actually disobeyed the imperial edict and refused to marry. He was truly deeply in love with her, and at this moment, what moved her most was not just his feelings, but also Tong Xun's safety.

  "What is to be done then?"

  The crown prince saw her anxious and flustered, but his heart was even more bitter. He smiled lightly and said: "There's no need to be so panicked. The emperor has always been extremely fond of the seventh brother since he was young. This time, when the seventh brother disobeyed orders, the emperor only made him reflect on his actions in the mansion and did not severely punish him in front of the court. I went to plead for leniency on behalf of the seventh brother earlier, and although the emperor didn't agree, he said that it was just a minor punishment to teach him a lesson. Once he shows signs of remorse, he will be released."

  Seeing her complexion slightly improved, the prince said: "I've heard that you have some relationship with Miss Ge of the Ge family. Are you willing to serve the same husband as her?"

  Qing Sang was taken aback, as a 21st-century independent woman, the idea of monogamy was deeply ingrained in her. Although she knew that having multiple wives was common in this patriarchal society, she couldn't help but feel conflicted. She didn't want to marry the prince, not only because she wasn't attracted to him, but also because the marriage was heavily influenced by political factors. The prince would one day become the emperor, with three palaces and six courtyards, twenty-seven consorts and eighty-one concubines - how could she possibly navigate such a situation? Qing Sang had initially been strongly opposed to this idea, but after meeting Tang Xun, she was blinded by love. As a royal prince, his marriage would certainly not be monogamous, and with her status, she might not even qualify as the official wife.

  Qing Sang felt a pang of sorrow and asked softly: "What if you are willing, what if you are not?"

  The crown prince narrowed his eyes and said word by word: "If you are willing, you can write a letter to persuade him to agree to the marriage with Miss Ge, so that Father Emperor will see his repentance and let him out of the palace; if you are not willing, with Seventh Brother's temper, he will definitely fight to the end, and no one can predict the consequences."

  Qing Sang smiled wistfully, but in fact she knew it all along. It's just that she couldn't bring herself to advise her beloved to marry another woman, and now she had some admiration for the countless women of this era who were like Mrs. Liu.

  "Your Highness, I am willing to spend the rest of my life with only one person. I beg Your Highness to convey a message to Seventh Highness, asking him to prioritize his own safety and future, and agree to grant me in marriage, and I will forever remember Seventh Highness's kindness."

  The Crown Prince asked: "Don't you want to marry Seventh Brother?"

  "The concubine cannot serve the same husband as others, but she also cannot bear to see the Seventh Prince's future ruined because of this. She can only do so." Qing Sang said, tears falling down her face. She made such a decision, how could she not feel heartache? How could she be at peace? But she really couldn't be selfish, as Tong Xun was a prince and had more important responsibilities and duties to bear. She couldn't let him ruin his future for her sake by serving the same husband, doing what that imperial concubine did. Not to mention just having some relationship with Ge Yun'er, even if it were her own sister, she might not be able to forgive herself."

  At first, she was forced to enter the palace for the imperial harem selection, and she had no choice. Moreover, she didn't care about the emperor whom she had never seen before, and she wasn't interested in his many wives. Now that she still has a choice, how can she tolerate her beloved man being with another woman? If she were to spend her whole life in this situation, it would be better to cut ties early on rather than suffer silently.

  The prince saw her say that she would not marry the seventh brother, and in his heart he was somewhat pleased. In this situation, it was good for both Seventh Brother and Qing Sang. However, upon hearing her words again, he could not bear the thought of sharing a husband with others, and his heart felt a pang of sorrow. As a prince, even if he himself wanted to spend his life with only one person, how could he escape the constraints of arranged marriages and ancestral rules?

  One heart and one mind is already difficult, let alone one husband and one wife.

  "Does Father know about me and Seventh Highness?" Qing Sang asked

  "I didn't mention it to Prime Minister Pu, and I only came today under the pretext of idle chatter." The crown prince saw that she hadn't revealed her relationship with Qi Di to Pu Xian.

  Qing Tuo only then understood that the Crown Prince had come to her door in the middle of the night specifically to inform her about Tang Yun, and to warn her. She thus rose to her feet and bowed to thank him.

  The prince reached out to support her, saw that she was tearfully sad, with a sorrowful expression, and couldn't bear it, so he stretched out his hand to wipe away the tears on her face.

  Qing Sang was startled and took a step back, but tripped over the chair and almost fell. Fortunately, the prince caught her in time.

  The prince grasped Qing Sang's slender wrist, his heart surging, and unexpectedly blurted out: "If I devote myself to you with all my heart, would you be willing to marry me?"

  Qing Sang looked at the prince in confusion and said sharply: "Your Highness, how can you be so single-minded?"

  The crown prince was taken aback, knowing he had misspoken. As the heir apparent, he was even more restricted than his seventh brother. Until now, he still didn't have a crown princess, also due to the careful selection by the emperor and empress. But no matter how carefully they chose, it would never be the Qing Sang in front of him.

  The crown prince smiled bitterly, loosened his grip on Qing Sang's hand and bid farewell before leaving.

  Qing felt slightly sad and bitter, locking herself in her room for two days without wanting to go out.

  On this day, Xue Pen sent over a bowl of honey date congee that Qing deeply loved to eat.

  These two days, Qing Sang did not want to leave the house, and no one was allowed to see her. Master and Fourth Wife were anxious and ordered the kitchen to cook some of Qing Sang's favorite dishes, but every time she only ate a few mouthfuls. Xue Pan had heard that Seventh Young Master was being confined in the King's Palace for resisting marriage, and he knew Miss was worried, but there was nothing he could do, and didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only cry. These two days, Xue Pan went to the door at dawn every day, hoping to see Lu Sheng bring some news to Miss, but each time he returned disappointed.

  Today, I finally saw it, took the letter brought by Lu Sheng, finished the honey date porridge, and entered the Qing Sang boudoir.

  Qing Sang still ate a few more bites, then ordered Xue Pan to stop serving.

  Xue Pen smiled and took out a letter, handing it to Qing Sang

  Qing Sang hesitated for a moment before finally taking over and dismantling it.

  Tang Xuan's familiar notes jumped onto the paper.

  "Wishing you a heart like mine, hand in hand, relying on each other for this life, Little Seven"

  Qingsang's hand trembled slightly as she held the letter, and tears fell like broken pearls.

  Covering the letter over his heart, a simple sentence poured out days of sorrow.

  You plucked up your pen and paper, with tears in your eyes, and wrote: "If you are like the dust on a sunny road, I am like the muddy water; our fates are different, when will we be together?"

  Xue Pan didn't know many characters, but seeing Miss's increasingly desolate expression, he felt a pang of sadness in his heart and tears fell.

  Miss Dai finished writing and hastily sent it out

  The next day, Qing Sang stepped out of the house and took a snowy basin to Xijiang River to clear her mind.

  Her father, mother, and the old lady in the mansion, as well as everyone else, were delighted to see her finally perk up. Although they made many guesses, no one knew what had really happened to Qing Sang. Pu Ji Nian even quietly asked the prince, but he just smiled and didn't want to say more.

  Autumn's Jinjiang River is like a soft blue silk, quietly flowing with the autumn breeze, blowing up ripples on the water, surging towards the riverbank, splashing white waves, like millions of bright eyes, gazing at the beauty of autumn.

  This feeling and scene made Qing Sang's depressed heart slightly relieved.

  "Master, master, calm down..." Just as Qing Sang was indulging in the beautiful scenery, he suddenly heard a few loud noises coming from a small mound by the river. He looked up to see a man wielding a long sword, chopping at the withered branches of a tree like a madman, while a young servant tried to reason with him.

  Taking another look, the man was clearly Fu Xi

  Taking a few steps closer, Qing Sang shouted: "Fu Gongzi!"

  Fu Xi heard this and was taken aback, seeing that it was Qing Sang, she felt a bit embarrassed and turned her head away.

  Qing Sang saw that he was no longer chopping wildly and walked up the slope, asking: "What's wrong, Gongzi Fu, why are you so anxious?"

  Fu Xi panted and said: "Today, the Emperor took away the title of Qing Wang from the Seventh Prince and wants to demote him to Yu City. I heard about it in the mansion and hurriedly went to the East Palace to ask for help from the Crown Prince. Who knew that the Crown Prince was punished by the Emperor for pleading on behalf of the Seventh Prince, and was ordered to close the door and reflect at the Tai Chu Observatory? The Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince are both the Emperor's most beloved sons, yet they suffered such punishment. Yu City is a poor and remote place with bad water, how can the Seventh Prince bear it? The Crown Prince was punished, so I had to go ask my uncle for help. Who knew that my uncle said the Emperor has an order: whoever dares to plead again will be flogged 100 times, demoted to the border, and never reused. Now no one in the court dares to make another plea about this matter, and I am a person of low status with little influence, unable to even see the Emperor's face, let alone save the Seventh Prince."

  Qing Sang heard this and her face fell, hastily asking: "Is it really that there's no other way?"

  Fu Xi said with a sad tone: "Even the Crown Prince's plea was punished by being sent to Taichu Temple, let alone others who dare not try. When Empress Chen Xian heard of this, she knelt outside the Yan Ying Palace and begged bitterly, but was also banned from leaving her own palace by the Emperor."

  Qing Sang asked again: "What is it after all? Is it still about resisting marriage?"

  Fu Xi shook his head and said: "What's the matter, Uncle didn't say much, but I heard that Lu Sheng in the Seventh Prince's mansion has been executed."

  "What?" Qing Sang's face turned pale and his body swayed slightly, almost fainting.