Rebirth of Poisoned Empress, by 颜若优雅

Chapter 99

That night, a single Imperial edict ruined the plans of many. Perhaps the only people who were happy were Shen Liang and Pei Yuanxian and their people who got what they wanted.

"Sob. Sob..." Shen Qiao threw herself on her bed and cried fiercely the moment she returned to her room. Her maids stood by her side helplessly. Every time they stepped forward with the intent to persuade and coax her, she would fiercely throw something at them. Pillows, blankets, anything she could grab a hold of littered across the floor and greeted Zhao Lan the moment she entered.

"Second madame."

"You're excused for now. Come back when I summon for you."

"Yes."

After sending the maids away, Zhao Lan sighed softly and helplessly. She then stepped forward and patted her daughter's body. Zhao Lan reached over and flipped her daughter over to hug onto her: "Qiao'er, do you have a stomachache? Is that it? Why don't mother call on the physician for you?"

It would be a lie to state she, as a mother, couldn't understand and didn't know her daughter's thoughts. Even if she didn't know anything before, from what conspired that night, everything had become clear now. But as Zhao Lan watched as she cried so fiercely, she couldn't bear to cut directly to the topic. She touched Shen Qiao's stomach that had been kicked by Shen Liang earlier with distress.

"Mother..." with someone there to care about her, Shen Qiao cried even more fiercely. Her beautiful, delicate features were stained with tears as Zhao Lan felt her heart threatening to break. 

Zhao Lan cupped her face and helped wiped her face as she said with a sigh, "Silly Qiao'er, how could you fall for the Duke of Qingping. Even if there wasn't Shen Liang tonight, there will always be someone else in the future. The Duke of Qingping isn't someone we can aim for."

No matter how highly she thought of themselves and her daughter, she had no choice but to admit that they truly were not qualified to match with the duke. If the Wei Family could be considered a first-tier noble family, then the Duke of Qingping was a first-tier Family, period. Even matching him with an Imperial Princess would require careful considerations, much less them? If Shen Liang didn't have the Wei Family backing him up, he too, would never be qualified to become the Wangfei of Qingping.

"But, but I just like him. Sob. Sob..." Shen Qiao choked and said with a trembling voice as she dove into her mother's embrace again. Back then, she had only been ten years old and only seen Pei Yuanxian on horseback from afar and at a distance outside Tianmen Academy. Since then, his figure and image gripped onto her heart. For four years, she had carefully hidden her feelings, for fear that others could find out. Before today, she never thought of being able to marry the Duke of Qingping, but why did it have to be Shen Liang. Why was he able to become the main and legal Wangfei of the Duke of Qingping and spend the rest of his life accompanying the beautiful and charming figure she could only watch from afar? She could accept this. She refused to accept this. Anyone could be the Wangfei. Anyone but Shen Liang.

"Mother, you have to think of something for me. I don't want Shen Liang to marry over. I don't..." after crying for a while, Shen Qiao once again raised her pitiful face. 

Zhao Lan smoothed her hair down with distress and could only let out a helpless, long sigh, "Oh you. Did you not hear them? The Duke of Qingping is now on his last breath and could pass away any moment. Shen Liang marrying over now is tantamount to becoming a widow..."

"I won't listen. I won't listen... None of you love me anymore..." before her mother could finish speaking, Shen Qiao covered her ears and shook her head vigorously. Afterwards, she didn't forget to drag and push her mother out of her room: "Get out. You get out. I don't want to see you. Get out..."