The Grand Tutor's Mansion
Since Yu Xueming left the palace, she had been staying at home, keeping the door closed.
She used to be enthusiastic about socializing and often held poetry gatherings. Now, she seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
The women who used to be on good terms with her didn't know what had happened to her. Every time they came to the Yu Mansion to look for her, Yu's mother would stop them at the door, saying that Yu Xueming was ill.
That day's incident was like a nightmare to Yu Xueming. But while a nightmare would end, she was stuck in it.
She couldn't escape for a long time!
The bruises on her body were like marks of shame, constantly reminding her of the defilement that day.
No matter how hard she scrubbed, she couldn't get rid of them.
It wasn't until Yu Xueming had rubbed her skin raw and dug her nails into her flesh, drawing blood, that her mother stopped her.
From then on, Yu Xueming went crazy. She would attack anyone who got close to her. She smashed the furnishings in the room and scratched the maid's face.
She wanted to end her life by starving herself. But at her mother's pleading, she locked herself in the room and only accepted the food brought by her mother.
Entering the dim room, Yu's mother let out a deep sigh. Looking at her daughter lying in bed, listless and almost emaciated, she felt heart - wrenching pain.
Yu's mother put down the food and was about to open the window to let in some sunlight and air out the stuffy room when she suddenly heard a scream:
"Don't open the window!"
Yu Xueming suddenly sat up in bed. Her blood - shot eyes stared fiercely at her mother.
Yu's mother's hand flinched, but in the end, she followed her daughter's wishes. Sighing, she walked over and sat down on the edge of Yu Xueming's bed.
Yu's mother took her daughter's hand and gently stroked her cheek with the other hand. She said earnestly,
"Xueming, I know you're suffering. But what's done is done. We don't have any other choice! You have to accept the reality and choose to enter the palace."
"As for the Prince of Xian, you should let him go. There's no chance for you two in the future!"
Seeing that her daughter didn't say a word and she didn't know what was going on in her mind, Yu's mother hesitated for a moment. Then, steeling herself, she continued to persuade her daughter to give up,
"Moreover, he doesn't have you in his heart. If he did, he would have come to the Yu Mansion to propose marriage to you long ago."
Yu's mother's words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back. Yu Xueming's pupils constricted. Instantly, she shouted excitedly,
"No, it's not true! He does have me in his heart! If it weren't for that bitch Yun Xi, he would have come to marry me long ago!"
"Mother, you know that the late empress initially favored me! If that palace coup hadn't happened, I would be the Princess of Xian by now. It would never be someone else's turn!"
Yu Xueming looked crazy. Her hands tightly grabbed her mother's shoulders, making her mother frown in pain.
Looking at her daughter like this, Yu's mother was heart - broken.
At this moment, she couldn't help but regret making that agreement with the late empress back then. It had become the reason for her daughter's obsession with Qi Rong!
It was her who had harmed her daughter!
But things had come to this. No amount of regret could change anything. She didn't want her daughter to keep dwelling on this and getting thinner and more haggard day by day.
As a mother, seeing her daughter like this but being unable to help, her heart was bleeding!
Yu's mother gritted her teeth and said in a heavy tone,
"Since you're so stubborn, I'll give you one last chance."
Meeting Yu Xueming's suddenly hopeful eyes, Yu's mother sighed and said,
"Don't you want to see the Prince of Xian? I'll hide this from your father and ask your elder brother to secretly take you out of the mansion."
Yu's mother paused for a moment and said sternly,
"However, you have to promise me one thing. If the Prince of Xian is willing to take you into his mansion, that's fine. If not, you have to listen to your father and enter the palace obediently. From then on, you must not entangle with the Prince of Xian anymore. Otherwise, there will be endless troubles, and our Yu family will also suffer!"
Hearing that she could see Qi Rong, Yu Xueming nodded without hesitation and said firmly,
"I'm sure I can stay in the Prince of Xian's mansion!"
Because she had loved Qi Rong whole - heartedly and silently given so much, she didn't believe that Qi Rong had no feelings for her at all!
Especially after that incident, she was even more certain of Qi Rong's position in her heart.
Even if you beat her to death, she didn't want to enter the palace and see that person again!
Seeing her daughter so obsessed, Yu's mother couldn't help but sigh. She told Yu Xueming to eat well and then left the room.
As soon as she stepped out of the door, she ran into her husband who was walking in a hurry.
"How is Xueming? Has she figured it out?"
Meeting her husband's eager eyes, Yu's mother gently shook her head.
When the Grand Tutor Yu saw this, he immediately flew into a rage and scolded,
"She's so stupid! What's so good about the Prince of Xian? Can his power be greater than the emperor's? She could be a noble imperial concubine, but she insists on degrading herself. What's wrong with her? Doesn't she care about the safety of the entire Yu family?!"
After that incident, the Grand Tutor Yu originally felt sorry for his daughter. He even knelt in front of the empress dowager in person to seek justice for his daughter.
One was to get an explanation for his daughter, and the other was to let the Eighth Princess be punished as she deserved.
But things were already set. As a court official, he couldn't really ignore the face of the royal family. In the end, he still chose to send his daughter into the harem.
Temporarily taking his daughter home was also to soothe her emotions and let her accept the reality and enter the palace well.
However, when Yu Xueming heard that her father wanted her to enter the palace, she reacted very strongly. She said that even if she became a concubine in the Prince of Xian's mansion, she would never enter the palace!
Therefore, in a fit of anger, the Grand Tutor Yu confined his daughter.
Worried that her daughter in the room would hear, Yu's mother quickly grabbed her husband's arm and whispered,
"My lord, please say less. Our daughter is feeling very sad."
Compared with the family's reputation, she felt more sorry for her daughter's experience.
However, when the Grand Tutor Yu heard his wife's words, he got even angrier. He shook off his wife's hand and angrily accused,
"Tell me to say less? Her willfulness is all your fault for spoiling her!"
"What's wrong with entering the palace as a concubine? She insists on being so stubborn! If the emperor finds out, won't it be like putting our Yu family on the fire?!"
The emperor knew he was in the wrong, so he allowed the Yu family to take the girl back. He had even secretly promised that the girl would be a third - rank lady of virtue, and there would be a better future for her in the future!
But so much time had passed. I'm afraid the emperor's patience would gradually run out. And his daughter was in such a state that he didn't dare to send her into the palace at all!
Although the emperor had also promised that if his daughter didn't want to enter the palace, he wouldn't force her. But even so, his daughter was already the emperor's woman!
Even if the Prince of Xian dared to marry her, their Yu family wouldn't dare to marry her out.
Because once they angered the emperor, it might bring disaster to the Yu family!
Moreover, his position in the court was not as good as before. At this time, it might be the best opportunity for his daughter to enter the palace.