Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land
Chapter 129 - 35 Forced Marriage_2

Chapter 129: Chapter 35 Forced Marriage_2

"This..." The leading palace maid hesitated for a moment, "When the Empress Dowager saw her own grandson, she was naturally overjoyed and went forward to embrace the elder princess. The elder princess was also sweet-mouthed, calling her ’grandma’, and at that time, the Empress Dowager’s smile was so wide it couldn’t close. When the Consort arrived, she said she wanted to hold the princess as well. The elder princess isn’t shy with strangers, so she let the Consort hold her. But who knew, after seeing the consort, she inexplicably started calling her ’sister’."

The Empress Dowager and the Consort are of the same generation, both having served the late Emperor, and if we really consider their ages, there’s at most a two to three-year difference.

They say children speak their minds; to be called ’grandma’ by one, and ’sister’ by another, when such comparisons are made, it would anger any woman to death.

After the palace maids and others left, Lie Rou approached the Empress Dowager, helping her stretch out her muscles and bones.

The Empress Dowager was just in her forties this year, and she took care of herself quite well. With a dignified and graceful appearance, she looked no more than thirty-five or thirty-six. However, when compared to the Consort’s allure which resembled that of an eighteen-year-old girl, there was indeed a stark difference.

"Adoptive mother, the elder princess is just a child and her words should not be taken to heart," having no daughters of her own, the Empress Dowager had always been fond of Lie Rou, and now that only the two of them were left in the inner hall, Lie Rou quietly comforted her.

"I’m old, this face of mine has loosened," the Empress Dowager sighed.

An idea flickering in her heart, Lie Rou took out a bottle of Elixir Pills, "Empress Dowager, you are not old, the Consort has always been consuming Elixir Pills for beauty, and with less hard work, this made her look younger. I have a few here... Huahua has used the alchemy recipe left by my mother to refine these Elixir Pills, which are quite useful for preserving beauty."

Hearing that it was the alchemy recipe left by her good friend Feng Wanwan, the Empress Dowager turned her head to look at Lie Rou again.

Lie Rou’s appearance was just like that of a daisy, fresh and elegant. Even though she did not excessively adorn herself in daily life, such an appearance was the most enduring to behold. The Empress Dowager mused to herself that Rourou, before she was married, must have looked quite similar. Could it be due to the miraculous effects of the Elixir Pills?

"You are considerate, Rourou. It is said that raising a daughter is like having a treasure. I, in the past, was solely focused on competing for the Imperial Throne and did not bear a daughter. Now, it seems it was a mistake," the Empress Dowager accepted the Elixir Pills and inquired about the recent situation at the Lie Family Mansion.

"Speaking of which, a few days ago, the Empress sent a message, saying that these days Jinghua..." The Empress Dowager had someone call for a meal and asked Lie Rou to stay for the meal.

Lie Rou’s heart suddenly clenched.

The current Empress has, for some reason, always been uncomfortable whenever she sees Yue Jinghua, usually sneering and mocking when they meet. Ever since Fa Xiaoyi moved out of the Little Shang Palace, Yue Jinghua has rarely entered the palace again. The Empress has often been the cause of this.

The current Empress has always had some prejudices against Yue Jinghua, and the idle gossip resulting from the mercenary incident was indeed conveyed into the palace by those with ulterior motives.

Lie Rou, straightforward as she was, divulged the wondrous adventure that had befallen Yue Jinghua.

"That child, she really does have a bit of Wanwan’s temperament. Jinghua is not young anymore, her marriage arrangements with Prince Xiao Yi should also be settled sooner rather than later, to calm her down. Yue Nian, that unruly boy has been missing for so long, and you, handling the children alone, it’s been too hard on you. It’s better to marry off the daughter early, and then make some plans for yourself," the Empress Dowager said earnestly.

She truly regarded Lie Rou as a daughter, seeing that Yue Nian had been missing for several years and Lie Rou was just over thirty, which was quite burdensome given she had two children to care for. She should have remarried long ago, rather than becoming increasingly haggard as she was now.

"Your Majesty, Huahua is still young, and she has not been with Prince Xiao Yi for long. It would be better to wait a little longer," Lie Rou’s eyelids twitched sharply at the Empress Dowager’s sudden change of subject. Her intention today was to deliver the pills and support her daughter, never expecting the Empress Dowager to bring up Jinghua’s marriage.

"Let them spend more time together, in a few days it will be the elder princess’s birthday, and the Emperor has ordered an inner court banquet to be held. Have Jinghua come as well, let them get closer. That child, she has just seen too little of the world. With such a temperament, she is bound to be at a disadvantage in front of her formidable mother-in-law," the Empress Dowager waved her hand, commanding the setting of the meal.

Lie Rou, having heard all this, felt unable to object, and could only silently continue eating her vegetables while secretly contemplating how she might persuade her daughter to enter the palace with her.

It was around the time for lighting the lamps that Lie Rou finally left the palace, her expression sullen and gloomy.

They say no one knows a daughter better than her mother. Although Lie Rou was unaware that Yue Jinghua had replaced her elixir pills with counterfeits, she still sensed that after returning from Hundred Beast Mountain, Yue Jinghua’s attitude towards Fa Xiaoyi had changed significantly, and it seemed she was no longer as keen on becoming a Princess.

It was uncertain whether the kind intentions of the Empress Dowager would end up being a blessing or a curse.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Lie Rou lowered her head to board the carriage when a spirited horse came galloping towards her, ridden by a burly middle-aged man. The horse, with a horn on its head and a body the color of blood, was none other than the famous Fifth-level Dark Horse, the Horned Dragon Horse, from Great Wilderness Mountain.

The swift horse, speeding along, nearly collided with the carriage. Seeing the carriage and the graceful figure in front of it, the rider abruptly pulled back on the reins to stop.

As Lie Rou was getting onto the horse, the man, dressed in chainmail that seemed to weigh over a hundred catties, used his bare hands to give a single tug, and the horse obediently came to a halt.

Startled by this sudden encounter, Lie Rou hurriedly steadied herself against the carriage shaft, but she did not show panic. She slightly raised her head and nodded, not bothering to look at the newcomer, and proceeded to board the carriage.

In her rush, her neatly combed bun came loose, with strands of lustrous black hair falling onto her fair neck, while her long eyelashes fluttered like startled moths.

The cold moonlight happened to shine on the side of the face of this woman, heavy with thoughts.

The beauty of Lie Rou was not the dazzling kind that captivates souls; her beauty was just right — any more would be gaudy, any less too bland.

At this moment, preoccupied as she was, with her delicate eyebrows slightly knitted, she appeared even more refined and elegant, like a white lotus quietly blooming under the night sky, stirring one’s heart.

The middle-aged man, who had originally intended to curse, could only gasp after seeing Lie Rou’s visage, his eyes fixed on her, unable to move away.

It was only after Lie Rou pulled the carriage curtain down and the sound of the carriage receded into the distance that the Dark Practitioner dismounted from the Horned Dragon Horse.

As he dismounted, his robust body landed on the ground without a sound.

The man loudly asked the palace guards: "Who was in the carriage just now?"

Upon seeing the man, one of the palace guards hurriedly bowed and replied, "Reporting to General Tianwei, the person is Lady Yue from Lie Family Mansion, the adopted daughter of the Empress Dowager."

After listening, a look of delight flickered across the man’s face. He pondered for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "Lady Yue? Isn’t she the widow who moved from Dragon Battle? She looked quite the remarkable young lady upon seeing her today."

This night, because of this unexpected meeting, would no longer be calm.

A storm that had been brewing for a long time, one that would soon affect the entire fate of the Shang Kingdom, was on the verge of breaking out, yet Yue Jinghua, at the heart of this looming storm, was currently preoccupied with another matter.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.