SWDnovel Chapter 479 The Moon Goddess's merits were delivered to our doorstep!
Chapter 479 The Moon Goddess's merits were delivered to our doorstep!
As dawn approached, the sky outside the window changed from pitch black to deep blue, and then from deep blue to grayish-white.
Yun Suxin looked at the three women who hadn't slept all night. Their eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles under their eyes, but none of them had closed their eyes.
Liu Ruolan leaned against the bedpost, staring blankly out the window.
Han Xin'er sat beside her mother, her back ramrod straight. Han Qin'er curled up in her sister's arms, her little face buried in her sister's embrace, her breathing steady, and finally she couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.
Yun Suxin sighed.
She spoke with her last glimmer of hope, her voice hoarse, filled with an overwhelming plea.
"That tyrannical emperor sending your mother to the imperial study certainly doesn't intend to do anything good."
Trust me, it's not too late for us to leave now.
Once we escape the palace, we'll be completely free.
Han Xin'er looked at her, a slow smile curving her lips, and said softly:
"Escape? The entire Qin Dynasty may be vast, but where can you escape to?"
Yun Suxin opened her mouth, then froze for a moment.
Her mind went blank.
Yes, where can they escape to?
Although she had always wanted to escape, she hadn't really figured out where to go after she ran away.
She can no longer go to the Southwest Moon Goddess Cult.
Her double has betrayed her; if she goes back, she will only be arrested.
The Northern Territory? She does have an alliance with Xu Longxiang, but she has lost all her cultivation. Once Xu Longxiang discovers that she is no longer the high and mighty Moon Goddess, what will he do to her?
She dared not think.
Other places? They would hide their identities, wander the world, and never return.
This is assuming you're lucky.
If they're unlucky, they might get caught before they get very far, or they might be targeted by other people with ulterior motives.
After all, if the appearances of the four of them were to be targeted by someone with ulterior motives, the outcome would certainly not be good.
If she can't regain her strength, they are all powerless women, which is very dangerous.
If it really falls into the hands of those with ulterior motives, its fate might be even worse than if it fell into Qin Mu's hands.
Yun Suxin's lips trembled slightly, and the last glimmer of light in her eyes was gradually fading.
However, she still has some confidence in herself.
After all, she is the Moon Goddess, the Moon Goddess who controls hundreds of thousands of believers, and an unparalleled powerhouse at the half-step terrestrial immortal realm.
As long as she can regain her strength, as long as she can find her power, everything will be alright.
So she was conflicted about whether or not to tell them her true identity.
If they knew she was the Moon Goddess, knew she had a way to restore her strength, and knew she could lead them to a comeback, would they change their minds?
She glanced at Han Xin'er.
The girl, in her early twenties, sat there quietly, her gaze calm and serene, a faint smile playing on her lips, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
She is like a deep pool of water, the bottom of which cannot be seen.
A sense of unease welled up in Yun Suxin's heart; she couldn't see through this girl.
She decided to keep quiet. She really couldn't see through this girl. Who knew if she would become even more excited and more convinced of her own thoughts?
She didn't dare to gamble.
Dawn broke quickly.
Morning light filtered through the cracks in the window, spreading a pale golden glow across the floor.
Liu Ruolan stood up nervously, her legs felt weak, and she staggered, only managing to steady herself by holding onto the bedpost.
Her hands were trembling slightly, from her fingertips to her wrists, and from her wrists to her arms.
Han Xin'er and Han Qin'er also stood up.
Han Qin'er rubbed her sleepy eyes, her face still bearing the marks of her clothes, and looked around blankly.
Han Xin'er walked up to her mother, reached out, and gently took her mother's cold hand.
Her gaze was steady, and her voice was calm.
"Mother, His Majesty has not summoned us, so you will have to go by yourself this time."
But don't be afraid. As long as you behave well, His Majesty shouldn't make things too difficult for you.
Moreover, we already have a credit to show for it.
Looking at her calm daughter, Liu Ruolan's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
She realized that her daughter had really grown up. She didn't know when it started, but the little girl who used to follow her around calling her "Mommy" was now able to stand up for her when she was most helpless, offer her advice, and calm her down.
She even felt a little ashamed, never expecting that at this crucial moment, she would need her daughter to comfort her and give her advice.
She nodded, her voice hoarse.
"Okay, I understand."
Han Xin'er released her mother's hand, turned around, took her younger sister's hand, looked at her sister at eye level, and gently smoothed the stray hairs on her sister's forehead.
"Mother is going to see His Majesty, so let's stay here obediently and not go anywhere."
Han Qin'er nodded. Although she didn't quite understand what had happened, she knew she had to listen to her sister.
She nestled obediently against her older sister, her little hands clutching the hem of her sister's clothes.
Han Xin'er stood up, took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and walked into the yard.
The morning light shone on her, making her plain white dress almost transparent.
Her back was straight, like a sapling standing tall in the morning breeze.
She walked to the courtyard gate, gave a slight curtsy to the palace maid on duty outside, and spoke in a clear and steady voice.
"Sisters, my mother caught a woman trying to escape last night."
"Please take all of you to His Majesty for his judgment."
The palace maids exchanged glances, looking at each other in bewilderment.
They were all assigned by Qin Mu to guard the side hall. Normally, they only needed to take care of the mother and her two daughters' daily needs and had never encountered such a situation before.
An older palace maid stepped forward, frowned slightly, and glanced over Han Xin'er's shoulder into the courtyard.
She saw Yun Suxin sitting on the ground, bound and tied up.
That pale, exquisitely beautiful face, that disheveled, dust-covered dress, those empty, desperate eyes.
Her expression changed slightly, and her pupils contracted as if she had been pricked by a needle.
She recognized the woman.
This is the side hall that His Majesty has placed here. Although she has never appeared in public, all the palace maids who serve her closely know that this woman's identity is by no means simple.
She quickly lowered her head, her voice tinged with barely suppressed nervousness.
"Okay, I understand. We'll go right away."
Seeing the palace maid's reaction, Han Xin'er breathed a slight sigh of relief; the weight that had been hanging over her for so long had finally been lifted.
It seems this woman is more important than they imagined.
In this way, the mother would have a greater chance of making a contribution.
A slight smile played on her lips, and a hint of relief flashed in her eyes.
Seeing all this, Yun Suxin was utterly desperate.
It felt as if a piece of her heart had been ripped out, leaving an empty void, with a chilling wind blowing in.
She stopped struggling, stopped pleading, and stopped being angry.
She just sat there, head down, looking at her wrists, reddened by the rope, at the deep marks, her heart filled with despair.
Two palace maids stepped forward, one on each side, and grabbed Yun Suxin's arms, dragging her up from the ground.
Her legs were weak and she could barely stand. She was dragged forward like a lump of mud.
Her feet dragged on the ground, making a soft scraping sound, like a fish being dragged ashore, too exhausted to even struggle.
Liu Ruolan followed behind them, walking slowly.
The palace maids carried Yun Suxin in front, with Liu Ruolan following behind. They passed through the corridor, turned past a rockery, and arrived at a side hall.
The palace doors were wide open, and inside, the air was filled with mist, steam, and the fragrance of flower petals and cosmetics.
A palace maid stopped, turned around, faced Liu Ruolan, gave a slight curtsy, and spoke softly.
"Madam, please bathe and change your clothes first. His Majesty has decreed that you should bathe before coming to see him."
Liu Ruolan's body trembled slightly, and her fingers clenched tightly in her sleeve.
She knew this day would come sooner or later, but when it finally arrived, her heart felt like it was being squeezed by someone, the pain making it hard for her to even breathe.
She didn't speak, but simply nodded and stepped across the threshold.
Inside the hall, a white jade bathtub was filled with warm water, and a layer of rose petals, red as blood, floated on the surface, gleaming alluringly in the candlelight.
Two palace maids stepped forward and reached out to help her undress.
Liu Ruolan stood motionless, like a lifeless statue, letting them remove her clothes piece by piece.
The outer garment fell to the ground, the middle garment fell to the ground, and the inner garment fell to the ground.
She stood naked by the bathtub, her hands instinctively folded in front of her to cover her chest, but they couldn't hide her slightly trembling shoulders, nor could they hide the deep-seated humiliation and sorrow in her eyes.
She lowered her head, looking at her fair skin glowing faintly in the candlelight, and felt a chill in her heart.
She thought of Han Zhong, of the nights they shared a bed, and of the warmth of his rough hands as they caressed her skin.
From now on, those hands will never touch her again.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced back the tears that welled up in her eyes.
She stepped into the bath, the warm water washing over her ankles, her calves, her waist, and her chest.
She crouched down and submerged herself in the water, leaving only her pale face visible.
Rose petals clung to her shoulders, collarbone, and hair, like startling flowers blooming on the snow.
The palace maids picked up loofahs, dipped them in fragrant ointment, and gently wiped her back, her shoulders, and her arms.
Liu Ruolan remained motionless, like a lamb being cleansed and about to be sacrificed.
Her mind was blank; she didn't want to think about anything, nor dared to think about anything.
She was afraid that if she thought about it, she would burst into tears.
After her bath, the palace maids helped her out of the bath and gently dried her body with soft cotton cloth.
They dressed her in new clothes.
The moon-white silk, soft as water and smooth as fat, clung to her body, outlining her slender waist and rounded curves.
They did her hair, wringing out her wet long hair with cotton cloth, combing it strand by strand with an ivory comb, and tying it into a flying fairy bun. A jade hairpin was inserted into her hair, and the tassels hanging down swayed gently by her cheek.
They applied makeup to her, spreading a light rouge on her pale cheeks, adding a touch of vermilion to her chapped lips, and applying a thin layer of powder to her slightly reddened eyes, concealing the tear stains but not the sorrow in her eyes.
Liu Ruolan stood in front of the bronze mirror, looking at herself in the mirror, and could hardly recognize who she was.
The woman in the mirror had exquisite features, with eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like autumn water, and lips of elegant color. Her cheeks were flushed with a light blush, like a flower in full bloom.
She reached out and gently stroked her face in the mirror; her fingertips were icy cold.
"Madam, it's time to go." The maid's voice sounded from behind, gentle yet authoritative.
Liu Ruolan lowered her hand, turned around, and walked towards the palace gate.
In the courtyard, Han Xin'er was still holding her younger sister's hand, standing at the gate, looking in the direction her mother had left.
The morning light shone on her face, making her young, worried face exceptionally clear.
She saw her mother come out of the side hall.
In that instant, her eyes widened slightly, her pupils reflecting her mother's image, and a hint of amazement flashed in her eyes.
She had never seen her mother look like this before.
A moon-white dress, a flying fairy bun, a jade hairpin, and light makeup.
My mother was like a completely different person, like a fairy who stepped out of a painting, so beautiful it didn't seem real.
But that amazement lasted only a moment before it was replaced by a deeper heartache.
Han Xin'er's eyes reddened.
She knew why her mother dressed like that, why she wore makeup, and why she styled her hair in that bun.
This wasn't something my mother wanted to do; she was forced to dress up so she could serve that man.
She bit her lip, desperately holding back the surging tears, and forced a smile at the corner of her mouth.
The smile was very light and faint, yet it carried a heartbreaking tenderness.
"Mommy, you look so beautiful."
Liu Ruolan stopped and looked at her daughter, at her daughter's slightly red eyes that were trying hard not to cry, and felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
She opened her mouth, smiled slightly, and said softly:
"Be a good girl and wait for Mommy at home. Mommy will be back soon."
She turned around and followed the palace maids, walking step by step out of the courtyard.
Han Xin'er stood at the gate of the courtyard, holding her younger sister's hand, watching her mother and that woman's departing figures.
Her eyes were slightly red, but she didn't cry. She just bit her lip and swallowed back the surging bitterness.
Han Qin'er raised her head and looked at her sister, her voice soft and tinged with a sob.
"Sister, will Mother be alright?"
Han Xin'er looked at her younger sister's clear eyes, which were filled with worry, and forced a smile.
Yes.
"Mother will be alright."
Han Qin'er nodded, buried her face in her sister's arms, and didn't say anything more.
As the morning light grew brighter, it bathed the entire imperial city in a pale golden glow.
Liu Ruolan walked behind the palace maids, through the corridors, through the courtyards, and through one palace gate after another.
Liu Ruolan's heart sank deeper and deeper.
She didn't know what awaited her, how His Majesty would treat her, or whether she would ever be able to return.
All she knew was that she had no way out.
From the moment she agreed to send her daughter to the palace as a hostage, from the moment she knelt before Qin Mu and said "I am willing," she had no way out.
Yun Suxin was being supported as she walked ahead, her head bowed, her long hair obscuring her face and making her expression unreadable.
Her feet dragged on the ground, leaving a shallow mark on the bluestone slab, like a fish that had been dragged ashore, too exhausted to even struggle.
She also knew perfectly well what awaited her.
That man, the man she hated to the core, would torture her with even more cruel, perverse, and unbearable methods than before.
She didn't even have the right to resist.