Chapter 46

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 46: Title

When meeting the emperor and empress, Gu Hengbo felt a pair of piercing eyes fixated on her, filled with complex longing. This gaze came from above. She restrained herself from looking up and sat down with Lian Rong.

Lian Rong seemed accustomed to such scenes; she said little, accepting toasts from others with indifference while occasionally whispering a few words to Gu Hengbo beside her.

With songs and dances entertaining them, the people in the hall noticed Lian Rong’s lukewarm interest and diverted their attention to the performance. Gu Hengbo also felt disinterested; when princes and princesses toasted her at first, she merely went through the motions. Later, when she raised a cup to the emperor and empress, her thoughts were completely on what Lian Rong had said yesterday. She was right; in the beginning, she was the one who had shamelessly sought to marry into Prince Rong’s residence. Now that Madam Dou had recovered, she wanted to walk away—how ungrateful! Just as she married into Prince Rong’s residence, Madam Dou’s health improved. Lian Rong had someone by Madam Dou’s side, so she didn’t need to worry anymore. However, it seemed Lian Rong had forgotten they had a deal.

If Lian Rong forgot, she would remind her. As soon as she repaid her "great kindness," Gu Hengbo would leave, and they would have no debts to each other.

But there was one thing she couldn’t understand. If Lian Rong had no ties to Gu Yuanqing, then what could she repay her with? If her value lay only in being Gu Yuanqing’s daughter, she had little else to offer, especially as a low-status daughter born out of wedlock. What was Lian Rong really thinking?

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Gu Hengbo paused for a moment, putting aside all other beginnings. Lian Rong treated her quite well, really well. Leaving her would be somewhat difficult, but saying she liked her felt forced. Moreover, she understood the situation with the empress; she didn’t want to get in the middle. Whether this was the crux of the matter or not, she didn’t want to think about it anymore—she had already experienced the complications of a relationship involving three people.

"Not at all! Look at that woman in the middle dancing, she’s really good!" Gu Hengbo casually changed the topic. "You don’t seem very interested?"

Lian Rong took a sip of the tea in front of her and said, "This morning banquet has been held for over a decade. The birthday banquet and the wedding banquet are no different; it’s just a formality now. I will leave a bit later. After the banquet ends, Qian Yue will come to pick you up."

Gu Hengbo nodded, "Okay."

Lian Rong glanced at her but did not speak.

The wedding banquet continued, but suddenly the Empress claimed she was feeling unwell. The Emperor, of course, was very concerned and quickly commanded someone to help the Empress back to the harem to rest. The Empress said a quick apology and was assisted by a palace maid into the inner hall.

Although there were many people inside the hall and it was lively, Gu Hengbo could always feel that this liveliness seemed deliberately exaggerated, lacking true spirit. After being in Dongyin for so long, Lian Rong’s name was very famous, but aside from being very wealthy, she was known for aiding the Emperor in seizing this kingdom. At one moment, Gu Hengbo began to doubt that everyone, including those from the six nations, truly respected Lian Rong; it all seemed to be because of the Eastern Emperor.

It was clear that when people think too much, they can become restless. Gu Hengbo was one of those people. She sat there like a foolish person, analyzing the entire situation from the beginning until now. According to her thoughts, it was far too complex. Was she too naïve, or were these people pretending too well? It seemed she had unknowingly entered a swirling conspiracy.

Everyone was laughing hypocritically and exchanging pleasantries, and her head was about to explode.

"What’s wrong?" Lian Rong finally noticed something unusual beside her.

Gu Hengbo’s face turned a little pale as she shook her head, "Nothing."

"If you’re not feeling well, just say so; we can leave early."

"No need."

Gu Hengbo struggled to endure until the end of the wedding banquet. Her mind was in chaos, and she was almost in a daze. When everyone had left, Lian Chen glanced at her with a look of wanting to speak but hesitating. As Lianyang passed by her side, he called her "royal aunt" with a faint smile. That single word completely pulled her out of her confusion. She stood there, staring blankly at their departing figures, feeling inexplicably sad. She was now the crown princess of Prince Rong, and these princes and princesses called her royal aunt, while the officials addressed her as Prince Rong’s wife, and she called the relatives of this body "aunt" and "sister-in-law," while they looked at her as if she were a joke.

That evening, the weather was not good. As the wedding banquet ended, it began to drizzle outside, adding to the solitude of the palace. The young palace servant cautiously held an umbrella for her in front, getting wet himself while fearing she might get soaked.

Gu Hengbo felt warmth in her heart and reached out to take the umbrella, sheltering both of them under it. Knowing he was just doing his duty, she still felt happy. Once the banquet was over, Lian Rong left, and everyone else departed, as if that banquet had been prepared for someone entirely unrelated to her. Their attitude toward Lian Rong was different from theirs, and Lian Rong did not correct anything; she felt so insignificant.

The young palace servant was startled and quickly stepped back into the rain, calling, "Crown princess!"

Gu Hengbo smiled and pulled him in, saying, "The rain is getting heavier. You will get wet; the umbrella is large enough for both of us."

The young palace servant bowed his head, saying, "This servant is at fault."

Gu Hengbo ignored him and continued to pull him in, saying as if to him but also to herself, "It’s said that living is hard, and wanting to die takes courage. Isn’t that helpless?"

This time, the young palace servant remained silent, walking quietly beside Gu Hengbo.

They hadn’t walked far when someone called her from behind. She stopped and turned to see an older palace maid approaching with an umbrella.

The maid stood beside Gu Hengbo and bowed slightly, saying, "This servant greets the crown princess."

Gu Hengbo frowned; it was raining, and she still had time for greetings, "What is it?"

"It’s like this: the Empress said she did not speak much with the crown princess during the banquet. Hearing that the crown princess had not gone far, she quickly sent this maid to invite you to her."

Gu Hengbo thought for a moment and nodded. After all, Lian Rong did not know when she would return. She might as well go and check on the Empress, considering she was called sister-in-law.

The maid led Gu Hengbo and then left. Gu Hengbo handed the umbrella to the young palace servant and walked toward the hall. She looked around; it was already time for the lights to be lit, but she did not see any palace servants coming for an announcement. However, she couldn’t just stand outside. The rain fell heavily, and the wind blew fiercely, whipping her long hair across her shoulders and fluffing her clothes. She shrugged her shoulders and stepped into the hall.

As she walked along, the grand hall felt empty. The palace lanterns swayed in the wind, making Gu Hengbo feel a bit uneasy. Hesitating, she still made her way toward the back hall. It was very quiet, and when she heard sounds coming from inside, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, not thinking too much, and walked right in. With a smile on her face, she was about to speak when the scene before her stunned her.

Lian Rong?!

What were they doing?

"…"

"Who let you in?"

"I did."

"Get out."

Gu Hengbo was taken aback for a moment, then forced a smile and nodded at the two people on the bed. "I’m sorry to disturb you." Saying this, she didn’t wait for them to speak, and turned to leave.