Chapter 74

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Chapter 74: Title

When Gu Hengbo stood before Madam Dou with tears welling in her eyes, the mother’s heart ached deeply; no words could replace a warm embrace.

Madam Dou sent away the servants, and Gu Hengbo leaned on her biological mother’s shoulder, crying uncontrollably as if the heavens were dark. It could make anyone’s heart tremble with sorrow.

Madam Dou patted her daughter’s back gently, soothing her, "Meisheng, stop crying. Sit down, and let’s talk."

Gu Hengbo sniffled, looking a sight to behold, "Mother, please don’t say that. Don’t you understand what kind of person Lian Rong is?"

Madam Dou forced a pained smile. "A man can have multiple wives, but Prince Rong is a woman and the emperor’s sister. What can you do?"

"So we must accept our fate? Mother, now that we’re here, I won’t hide it from you anymore. Lian Rong, she is not human! Wuwu." Someone wiped her tears and cried really hard.

Madam Dou’s expression changed. She had seen Lian Rong before; she was warm and easy to talk to. But now, hearing Gu Hengbo say that, she couldn’t help but worry. It was already hard to accept a union between women. The intimacy… Sigh, how could she bring this up with her daughter?

"Mother, you have met Lian Rong. She is like that outside, but she can hide her true self easily. Once back at the palace, she—she becomes different. Wuwuwu." Lian Rong, I am not deliberately slandering you, but in reality, you are not exactly perfect either.

Madam Dou looked worried and finally hesitantly asked, "A-Rong has been good to you; could there be something you’re not telling me?"

Gu Hengbo nodded vigorously, lifting her pale arm to reveal a deep scar. It was an accident she caused herself. "Mother, Lian Rong is a freak; she hits people!" That old woman had indeed mistreated her, hadn’t she? Her innocence was ruined.

Madam Dou stared at the scar on Gu Hengbo’s arm, speechless, tears welling in her eyes.

Seeing the opportunity, Gu Hengbo gathered her sleeve and, through her tears, said, "Mother, at this rate, I might lose my life."

Madam Dou gently caressed Gu Hengbo’s face and softly asked, "Did she… force you to do that?"

Gu Hengbo froze for a moment. Once she gathered her thoughts, two lines of tears streamed down her sorrowful cheeks. "Mother, it would be better to let me die than to return to Prince Rong’s residence."

Madam Dou trembled slightly and hugged her daughter, crying, "With me here, no one can bully you, my good child. I’m sorry you have to suffer." Hasn’t heaven tormented her enough? Now her daughter must also endure hardship. What has she done to deserve this?

Seeing that it was time, Gu Hengbo sniffled and spoke in a deep voice, "Mother, let’s go. Let’s leave this place and find a place with no schemes, just the two of us."

Madam Dou was stunned.

"Mother, what’s the difference between staying here and waiting for death? I have some money that can last us for years. Once we find a safe place, Meisheng will find a way. Even if you want her to marry an ordinary person, she is willing." She said this seriously. A woman can’t remain unmarried forever, and finding a simple, honest life is the only way she can find peace in this unfamiliar world.

Having barely managed to survive, she is still young and doesn’t want to die too soon.

"Meisheng, let me think about it," Madam Dou said, her voice trembling. She had grown numb to this kind of life. If it were just herself, it would not matter much. But when it involved her daughter, she could not bear it. How could she allow her to suffer? Just the thought of the humiliation her daughter faced in Prince Rong’s residence made her heart ache. If her child could be happy, she would be willing to die, let alone just leaving this cruel royal city and making necessary preparations.

If anyone benefited from Gu Hengbo’s plight, it would be Madam Qin and her daughter, who seemed to have anticipated this day. Although Madam Qin did not say anything truly malicious, she did not hold back on the cold jabs.

Gu Yuanqing did not think much of it. He felt that his second daughter was making a big deal out of nothing. It is completely normal for an ordinary family to take a concubine, let alone someone from royal lineage like Lian Rong. What’s a woman? Even his own daughter could be married off; what could Lian Rong not do? Besides, everyone in the official and military circles knew that this arrangement had been forced by the emperor. Originally, they were meant to send a male concubine, but Lian Rong bestowed this woman the title of secondary princess, making the emperor even more displeased. This was not Lian Rong’s fault, and it made his own daughter seem like she had created unnecessary trouble. Therefore, he only offered a few comforting words to Gu Hengbo and said nothing more, believing she would soon return.

Regardless of what others said, Gu Hengbo fully immersed herself in persuading Madam Dou. In order to escape before Lian Rong sent someone to fetch her, she used every trick in the book, scheming and deceiving.

In the end, Madam Dou nodded. The future of her daughter was the most important thing, and for her only child, she was willing to take the risk.

The only person Gu Hengbo was worried about was Qingfeng. She could not figure out the girl’s thoughts. Taking Madam Dou away would surely raise her suspicions. But she decided to take a gamble. She knew that Qingfeng had been sold to the Prime Minister’s residence as a child, with no parents. If she truly wanted to come along, it wouldn’t be impossible; at least they would have each other.

As Gu Hengbo hesitated, Qingfeng suddenly appeared, bowing her head repeatedly. Gu Hengbo was taken aback.

"Miss, please take Qingfeng with you."

Gu Hengbo was bewildered. "What did you say?"

"Madam is kind to Qingfeng. She has said that without her, Qingfeng cannot stay here. Remaining would only mean being bullied. Please, Miss!" Qingfeng cried, her tears flowing freely.

Gu Hengbo sighed and helped her up. "My mother may have a good heart, but I can’t promise anything. Just serve her well."

"Miss…"

"Qingfeng, once this gets out, none of us will have a good ending. Offending the royal family is a death sentence, whether we are from the Prime Minister’s residence or not. You’re clever; if you stay, they may only scold you for serving my mother and me. But coming with us isn’t that simple. If we succeed, it will all be fine; but if we fail, all that’s left is death." Her mother may be kind-hearted, but she shouldn’t forget about the girl who had only recently followed her. Compared to that, she felt she was being selfish.

With tearful eyes, Qingfeng looked at her. "Miss, you and Madam treat me well, so I am willing to stake my future on this."

Gu Hengbo gently wiped the tears from her face. No matter the complications in her heart, if Qingfeng was willing, they would all go together; it was not a big deal.

"Have you thought it through?" Gu Hengbo asked.

Qingfeng nodded.

"Alright, tomorrow we will leave the royal city while accompanying my mother to offer incense. Someone will be waiting for us there," Gu Hengbo said slowly, her eyes filled with determination.