The young girl blinked her eyes and looked at her beloved family members. Then she slowly said, "I've already come up with a well - thought - out plan. I'm afraid I'll have to give up my status as the empress dowager in the future. I wonder if you can support me?"
Her sincere eyes made it hard for everyone to refuse.
Duke Shi already regretted his decision deeply. Now that there was a chance to make amends, he naturally wouldn't let it slip by.
"Tell us. Even if it means going through fire and water, your father will not hesitate for a moment."
Shi Muyuan shook her head with a smile.
"It's not that serious. It's just that I'm afraid I'll have to stay by your side under a different identity from now on, and I won't be able to advise the emperor all the time."
Her words made everyone frown.
Shi An even gently tapped on his little sister's head.
"What nonsense are you talking about? It sounds like a farewell. Hurry up and tell us. If you delay any longer, I won't agree."
...
After the Shi family left the palace, they went their separate ways and did their own things according to the initial plan.
Shi An climbed over the wall under the cover of night. But as soon as his feet touched the ground, dozens of sharp swords suddenly appeared around him.
Instantly, he stared at the people around him with a black - lined forehead.
"What do you mean? I'll be your master's brother - in - law in the future. If you offend me now, I'll make sure you won't have a good time later."
The sharp swords were retracted. Dozens of black shadows looked at each other and then all pointed in one direction.
Shi An was satisfied and gave them an appreciative look.
"Good. You'll surely be promoted in the future. I'll also speak well of you in front of your master."
After drawing this tempting prospect, he went in the direction the shadow guards pointed.
Soon, he saw the person he was looking for in a waterside pavilion around the corner.
The man was sitting with his back to the light, and the wine in front of him remained untouched.
He let out a hearty laugh, breaking the silence.
"It seems you knew I was coming, so you prepared the wine. Let's get drunk tonight."
The man looked up, and a flash of surprise passed in his eyes.
"Why is the eldest young master free to come here? Judging from your familiarity, it doesn't seem to be your first time here?"
"I'll be your brother - in - law soon. If my little sister hears you say this, it'll sound so petty. You're really not as sensible as your shadow guards."
The shadow guards in the dark couldn't help but feel nervous. They regretted letting the eldest young master in.
Fortunately, the man didn't intend to care.
"I thought the eldest young master would object."
"If it weren't for seeing you risking your life for my little sister several times, our Shi family wouldn't have agreed."
The man thought over his words carefully and suddenly realized.
"Does that mean Duke Shi has already agreed?"
"Yes. Father has regretted his decision more than once. I hope you're not lying to us. If anything happens to my little sister in your hands, or if you let her be bullied in the future, our Shi family will never agree."
The man's expression finally changed. For the first time in his life, he took the initiative to pour wine for someone else.
"So, is there any plan?"
"Little sister has thought of everything. We're just waiting for you to cooperate."
The two discussed and got drunk until dawn.
Before long, the news in the court spread like wildfire.
When the common people heard about the national teacher's idea, they all disagreed.
"This is a great shame for our Great Liang. Other countries will surely laugh at us."
"Yes. Please ask the emperor and the empress dowager to give us an explanation. We common people have the right to know."
While the outside was in an uproar, there was no movement inside the palace walls.
Shi Muyuan received the news and knew that going out at this time would only make things worse, so she locked herself in the Shoukang Palace.
She was sad all day and couldn't sleep at night. People around her advised her many times, but she couldn't ignore the hurt from the common people.
The situation remained like this for two months. Just when the topic was about to fade away, it was brought up again because of a major event.
At noon, when all was quiet, Ze Ze's shrill voice resounded through the palaces.
"The empress dowager has passed away!"
The common people passing by outside the palace also heard the voice. The capital city of Changjing suddenly fell silent.
In an instant, cries filled the air.
The common people outside the palace didn't believe it until they saw the coffin.
They couldn't understand why the empress dowager, who was fine just a few days ago, suddenly became a cold corpse?
Some people were suspicious, some cried, and some only then remembered Shi Muyuan's kindness.
Many common people voluntarily followed the funeral procession. When they reached the imperial mausoleum, they all knelt on the ground.
"Empress dowager, we shouldn't have stopped you before. You've had a hard life. You've sacrificed so much for our Great Liang, but you're just a daughter, a young woman."
"Empress dowager, rest in peace."
Some sharp - eyed people searched the procession for a long time but didn't find the figure they wanted to see. Some people couldn't help but raise their doubts.
"The national teacher was so confident before. Why isn't he here today? Is this his so - called determination? It must have disappointed the empress dowager."
"Yes! Let's go and find the national teacher to be buried with the empress dowager."
As the common people said this, they surrounded the national teacher's mansion. When they tried to rush in tentatively, they found that it was empty. The former national teacher had disappeared without a trace.
The common people suddenly began to regret. They thought that if only they hadn't stopped the empress dowager before.
"Don't you think the empress dowager and the national teacher were quite a match?"
"It's too late to say anything now. The empress dowager is gone. If only we hadn't stopped her before."
The common people were extremely regretful but helpless.
Three months later, a major event happened in the Shi family.
Duke Shi adopted a god - daughter, who looked eight - tenths like the deceased empress dowager.
This time, instead of objecting like before, the people sincerely blessed the Shi family.
When the young emperor heard about it, he immediately issued an imperial edict, conferring the title of princess on the woman and arranging for her to marry into the Beichen Kingdom for an alliance.
On the day of her wedding, with red bridal decorations stretching for miles, the common people knelt on the ground and prayed.
"May the princess and the emperor of the Beichen Kingdom live in harmony and mutual respect."
The sending - off procession extended all the way to the border between the two countries. When the young girl sitting in the sedan chair noticed someone sitting beside her, she immediately lifted the red veil.
"I thought you wouldn't come."
"Wan'er, your husband should be the one to lift your veil. Everything has been settled. From now on, no one will stop us."
"That's not important. By the way, you haven't explained how you became the emperor of the Beichen Kingdom?"
Cui Qizhou smiled and let her ask.
Only then did Shi Muyuan know that the man was actually the emperor of the Beichen Kingdom.
His master had long predicted that his good marriage was in the Great Liang. If he didn't look for it, he would live a lonely life in the future.
The former emperor of the Beichen Kingdom waved his hand and sent him to the Great Liang, asking him to hide his identity.
After knowing the whole story, the young girl finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The two looked into the distance through the curtain.
"Husband, will the empress dowager like me?"
"Of course."