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"The power of Poison lies in the fact that most of the time, the one who unties the knot must be the one who tied it," Mei Shuang shook her head. "Moreover, with Poison lasting for so long, the source has long been lost..."
"Sigh..." Kuranami Miyako sighed deeply, gazing out the window with a vacant expression. "How inspiring was 'Wuyi Mourning' back then! Who would have thought it was a shocking conspiracy? The Former Emperor's kindness led to a catastrophe. That princess who should be punished by heaven has long since disappeared... Now my Jiu Rang Family is dwindling, and the Eastern Kingdom is on the brink of collapse. I truly feel ashamed before our Ancestors..."
As she spoke, tears streamed down Kuranami Miyako's face, making Mei Shuang feel a pang of sorrow in her heart.
She stepped forward, handed over a Silk Handkerchief, and gently advised, "Actually, forgive me for saying something you might not want to hear. You can see that the Jiu Rang Family is beyond saving at this point. However, there is a way to allow the Jiu Rang Family to rise again..."
"What way?" Kuranami Miyako asked with tearful eyes, filled with hope.
"Take a step back and you will find a broader sky," Mei Shuang said, staring intently at Kuranami Miyako.
Kuranami Miyako fell silent for a moment before bitterly smiling and saying, "Retreat? Where can we retreat to? Moreover, we bear the heavy responsibility of the Jiu Rang Family; how can we simply talk about retreating?"
"The situation is such that if we do not withdraw in time, we may face the disaster of extermination... A carefully crafted plan has been discovered halfway through. Queen Himiko can no longer hold back; although her plan has been exposed, the Eastern Kingdom has already suffered heavy losses and is at its last gasp. Therefore, we cannot force it. Also," Mei Shuang continued, "the envoy from Yamatai has already come to court to make friendly overtures..."
Kuranami Miyako stopped sobbing, her expression darkening in shock. Ultimately, she looked up to the sky and sighed deeply, crying out in despair, "Heaven's will... Heaven's will..."
Mei Shuang watched Kuranami Miyako's frail figure stagger away in despair and couldn't help but feel saddened. The wheels of history roll forward relentlessly; no one can stop them. She only hoped that this strong family would face fewer hardships in the future and live in peace until old age...
After Lin Tian'er sent Kuranami Miyako away, she returned and curiously asked Mei Shuang, "Who was that woman just now? What happened to her? Why was she crying so much...?"
Mei Shuang sighed. Although she had never been to the Eastern Kingdom, she had witnessed its decline to a desperate state.
"Her name is Kuranami Miyako; she is the leader of the Eastern Kingdom. She was crying over her family's fate because in the near future, this kingdom will change its banner and return to Yamataikoku under their common master, Queen Himiko..."
History will only record that a once prosperous nation has met its demise.
Mei Shuang sighed inwardly; the cold and brief words merely stated a fact for future generations. Who could imagine the bloodshed and fierce battles that took place here?
After resisting their enemy, Queen Himiko, for over a decade, the unyielding Jiu Rang Family paid the price with blood and countless lives, ultimately failing. Who could truly understand the depth of their suffering?
Lin Tian'er, being an active and lively person, spent some time in the back garden with Mei Shuang. With nothing to do, she listened to Mei Shuang recount her past adventures with her travel companions, each story leaving her in awe and filled with longing. She enviously remarked, "I never expected you to know so much, Lin Shoutong. No wonder the Empress Dowager enjoys listening to you; it's really refreshing... Alas, despite our Lin family's wealth and status, we are essentially a closed-off business. Uncle values reputation so much that he doesn't allow Lin Yuan to get involved in business at all. He insists that Lin Yuan focus solely on studying the classics, so there's no chance of him going out for a stroll. My father is obsessed with medicine; aside from gathering herbs, he doesn't let me go anywhere. Every day he makes me follow him to read books and practice diagnosis. Sigh, you know what? I just realized today that my favorite thing is to travel around like you do, exploring mountains and rivers..."
Lin Tian'er's eyes sparkled with excitement as she envisioned her future.
"Then just go," Mei Shuang encouraged. "Life is too short not to take a spontaneous trip."
Lin Tian'er sighed, "Who says otherwise? But my father is quite clever; I'm his only daughter, and he's afraid no one will carry on his legacy after him. He insists I stay home to study medicine. He won't even let me go far; even if I were to learn how to gather herbs, he'd send someone to follow me closely. The key issue is that he fears I'll run off and doesn't give me much money. Otherwise, that day at Miaochun Tower, I wouldn't have needed to waste time talking to that man—I could have just thrown the silver note at his face..."
As Lin Tian'er complained, Mei Shuang's eyes lit up with inspiration. She thought this was the perfect opportunity to fulfill a wish she had before entering the palace. "Lin Tian'er, there's something that can satisfy your desire to travel while also helping you earn money."
After hearing Mei Shuang's plan, Lin Tian'er was so excited she clapped her hands in delight. "Oh my! Lin Shoutong! I always knew it wasn't easy for you to venture out alone with just a small pack; now you're offering me such a great opportunity! Don't worry; you can stay comfortably in the palace while we split the earnings..."
Encouraged by this plan, Lin Tian'er packed her bags the next day in preparation to leave the palace.
Seeing her rush out of the palace as if her hair were on fire, Mei Shuang laughed angrily and scolded her, "So you're abandoning me just because there's money to be made? If you leave, who will I talk to?"
Lin Tian'er blinked innocently and replied, "Don't say that! The Emperor comes here so often; he definitely wouldn't want me hanging around as a third wheel. Besides, if you're really bored, you could always visit the Empress Dowager..."
Mei Shuang glared, "Thorough enough, have you arranged everything for me wherever I go?"
Lin Tian'er chuckled, "Hehe, what can I do? As you said, time is of the essence. I have to focus on my own career. Oh, by the way, I'm leaving the palace soon, so it might be hard to stay in touch. I'm planning to get a place in the capital for us to communicate..."
Seeing Lin Tian'er's firm resolve to leave, Mei Shuang could only nod helplessly.
However, Lin Tian'er had a question lingering in her mind. After a moment of internal struggle, she asked, "By the way, where has Zhao Prince been these days?"
Mei Shuang was taken aback.
Indeed, ever since she returned to the palace, Zhao Prince seemed to have vanished into thin air. Previously, she had been tormented by Poison and was preoccupied with how to escape the palace; she hadn’t had the time to think about what he was up to.
Recalling that Nangong Nuo had urged her on the way back to persuade the Empress Dowager not to let Xiao Luo become Empress, she realized that now it was too late. As the Emperor's uncle, he certainly couldn't snatch his nephew's bride. So Nangong Nuo must not want to see her anymore.
With this thought, Mei Shuang felt a pang of loss. After all, the days spent with Nangong Nuo were filled with delightful banter worth reminiscing about. Given the current situation, it seemed Nangong Nuo had no intention of acknowledging her.
In truth, there had never been much between her and Nangong Nuo; it was Lin Tian'er who clearly had feelings for him.
"Ah, now I understand why you’ve lingered in the palace for so long. I thought you were here to keep me company; turns out you were just trying to gather news about him," Mei Shuang teased with a laugh. "So you're quite the friend who prioritizes romance over friendship!"
Caught off guard by her revelation, Lin Tian'er didn’t get angry. A blush crept onto her cheeks as she nervously twisted the handkerchief in her hands and said shyly, "Well, well... since you can't become a princess anymore, is it wrong for someone else to have thoughts about him?"
The last part of her sentence was spoken so softly that Mei Shuang almost missed it. She stared at Lin Tian'er in disbelief and scrutinized her several times before squinting and exclaiming exaggeratedly, "Wow! Such boldness! We can only look up to you! When I see Zhao Prince next time, I will definitely convey your... feelings..."
"Wait!" Lin Tian'er hurriedly interrupted her with a flustered expression. "I was just joking! Look at you getting all worked up! Besides, Zhao Prince isn’t anxious at all; why should I be? What I meant was that since you can't become a princess anymore, it's better for you to settle down and be the Empress..."
The topic shifted back to Mei Shuang. "Empress?" Mei Shuang smiled wryly. "Lin Tian'er, if you have the ability to prevent me from becoming Empress, I won't share the silver with you; all the earnings will belong to you. How about that?"
Lin Tian'er raised an eyebrow, gently touching Mei Shuang's forehead, and said seriously, "Lin Shoutong, are you foolish? The Empress is a role that commands respect throughout the realm. Once you become Empress, not only will you be by the Emperor's side, but what more could you want? To quote you, 'A soldier who doesn't aspire to be a general is not a good soldier.' Similarly, I believe that 'a woman who doesn't want to be Empress is delusional.' Lin Shoutong, you can't speak nonsense like that... Besides, do you think just anyone can become Empress?"
"Yes, you're right," Mei Shuang said, left speechless by Lin Tian'er's clever words. She shook her head in frustration. "They say blue is better than blue; Lin Tian'er, you're quite the good disciple, learning quickly and applying it well. But damn it, you've taken all the principles you've learned from me and used them against me..."
Lin Tian'er smirked in agreement.
She had to admit that during her time with Mei Shuang, she had learned a lot and her way of speaking was increasingly resembling Mei Shuang's. No wonder Lin Yuan was willing to chat with this Lin Shoutong; their conversations were endless and straightforward, perfectly matching her temperament. Look at her now; even her eloquence was praised by her master!
"Lin Shoutong, based on your intelligence, you should realize I'm actually saying that you are unique and irreplaceable; the position of Consort belongs to no one but you. Of course, with your high emotional intelligence, you can fully handle it. At least I fully support you," Lin Tian'er said earnestly.
Mei Shuang stared at Lin Tian'er, suddenly at a loss for words.
She firmly believed that at some point, this Lin Tian'er had been brainwashed by someone and had become a super lobbyist.
However, she did acknowledge one thing: the position of Empress was not something just anyone could hold. If emotional intelligence and intelligence were the only criteria for evaluating an Empress, Mei Shuang believed the most suitable candidate would still be Mei Ru.
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