MCSCPM -Chapter 347 Suicide

But she hated Chu Yifeng to the core—hated him for being worse than a beast, for doing such things to her. What an unbearable humiliation it was!

Thinking of this, Shangguan Jiaoran began to cry. In her hand was a small knife. As long as she steeled her heart and made one cut, blood would surely flow.

“Father, your daughter has let you down,” she sobbed. After saying this, she placed the knife against her wrist. With a slight movement of her hand, a small cut appeared. It wasn’t deep—just a minor wound.

At that moment, Yun’er, who had been waiting outside, suddenly pushed the door open. She rushed in and immediately snatched the knife from Shangguan Jiaoran’s hand.

“Miss, what are you doing?! How can you do this?” Yun’er cried as she crouched down, hurriedly tending to Shangguan Jiaoran’s wrist. As she worked, she said, “Even if you’ve been wronged, you can’t take it out on your own body! Miss, don’t you care about Master at all? If something happens to you, what will Master do?”

Yun’er kept talking, but Shangguan Jiaoran sat there stiffly, not saying a single word. She didn’t even care about the pain in her wrist—it was as if she felt nothing at all.

“Miss, Yun’er begs you—please don’t harm yourself. No matter what you do now, nothing can be changed. You’ll only make Master worry.”

“Get out,” Shangguan Jiaoran said coldly.

Yun’er looked at her with tears streaming down her face and said in distress, “Yun’er knows Miss is suffering. You can hit me or scold me if you want, but please don’t do something foolish.”

“Get out! I told you to get out—did you hear me?” Shangguan Jiaoran suddenly shouted at her.

Yun’er began to cry as well. Knowing that her mistress was in the middle of an emotional outburst, she understood that no matter what she said, it would not be heard.

After properly treating the wound on Shangguan Jiaoran’s wrist, Yun’er hurried off to inform Shangguan Qingyun.

Shangguan Qingyun was already deeply troubled. The entire capital was spreading rumors about Prince Yi and the Shangguan family’s eldest daughter—it was utterly disgraceful.

When Yun’er entered, she saw Shangguan Qingyun sweep his arm across the table, sending a teacup crashing to the floor with a clatter. Yun’er instinctively stepped back, not daring to speak.

Shangguan Qingyun, his face flushed with anger, glanced at her and said irritably, “What’s going on? Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on Miss?”

“Master, something terrible has happened—Miss almost committed suicide just now.”

“What did you say?” Shangguan Qingyun was startled.

Hearing that his daughter had attempted suicide, he was terrified and immediately rushed to see Shangguan Jiaoran.

She was still sitting there, doing nothing and saying nothing, staring blankly into space.

“Ran’er, how could you be so foolish?” Shangguan Qingyun said with great pain. As soon as he entered, he took his daughter’s hand, tears glistening in his eyes.

Seeing her father, Shangguan Jiaoran finally broke down. She began to sob uncontrollably and said in a trembling voice, “Father, your daughter really doesn’t want to live anymore. Prince Yi is a beast. What he did to me—I will never forget it for the rest of my life.”

Shangguan Qingyun already knew what Prince Yi had done to his daughter at the inn. He, too, was furious beyond words. But now that things had come to this, her chastity had already been ruined by Prince Yi’s hands. At this point, the only option left was for her to marry Chu Yifeng.

“Ran’er, Father knows you’ve been wronged. What Prince Yi did was indeed monstrous. But this matter is already settled. Even if Father were to go to the palace now, it would change nothing. The imperial decree has been issued, and the Emperor has already punished Prince Yi by demoting him to a remote county. For a prince, this is the greatest punishment possible,” Shangguan Qingyun said, analyzing the situation with deep helplessness.

At this, Shangguan Jiaoran hurriedly asked, “Father, does that mean your daughter has to go with him as well?”

“Yes. Once you marry him, you will naturally have to follow him.”

“Why must it be like this? I’ve already suffered so much—why would the Emperor still treat me this way? It’s so unfair. I might as well die!” Shangguan Jiaoran suddenly grabbed the knife again.

In the next instant, Shangguan Qingyun snatched it from her and threw it away, scolding loudly, “What nonsense are you still trying to pull? Prince Yi is indeed at fault in this matter, but think about it—how will the Emperor see it? You went to the inn for no reason, at night no less, and Prince Yi just happened to be there. After something like that happened, who would believe that it was entirely Prince Yi’s fault?”

“Father, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I threw myself at him?”

“Then tell me—why did you go to the inn for no reason, and at night?”

“I… I can’t explain it. But all of this was Prince Yi’s doing. I only went there because he lured me there,” Shangguan Jiaoran said excitedly. She never imagined that even her own father would doubt her.

Shangguan Qingyun also found it strange—why would his daughter go to an inn at night for no reason, and without even taking her personal maid along? Of course, he could never truly suspect his own daughter.

“All right,” he said. “Father doesn’t want to know anymore. In any case, it’s impossible for you not to marry Prince Yi now. In five days, you will be wed. Don’t worry—after you go to the remote county with Prince Yi, Father will find a way to bring you back.”

“Father, don’t you understand?” Shangguan Jiaoran said angrily as she stood up, tears streaming down her face. “Your daughter doesn’t want to marry him. Even if it means death, I don’t want to marry him! I only want to be Princess Jing. I don’t care for being Princess Yi at all!”

“After what happened between you and Prince Yi, how could you still become Princess Jing? Even if Prince Jing wanted to marry you now, do you think the Emperor would agree?”

“I don’t care. I absolutely will not marry Prince Yi.”

“No matter how unwilling you are, the imperial decree has already been issued. Even if Father were to speak to the Emperor with military authority, it would be useless,” Shangguan Qingyun said. “Stay in your room and wait for the wedding.”

As he stepped over the threshold, he stopped, turned back, and said sternly, “If you dare toy with your life again, Father will no longer help you.”

Though it sounded like a threat, it was also concern.

Shangguan Jiaoran collapsed weakly to the floor, sobbing endlessly. Her heart ached unbearably—she had never imagined that she would end up in such a situation.

Consort Shu’s Palace

The news soon reached Consort Shu’s palace. Already plagued by worry because her son could not make a woman pregnant, Consort Shu had been restless day and night. These past few days, her daughter Chu Fengjiao had been keeping her company.

Who would have thought that another such incident would occur? She fainted on the spot.

Chu Fengjiao was heartbroken. She quickly summoned the imperial physician and stayed by the bedside.

After examining Consort Shu, the physician said to Chu Fengjiao, “Your Highness, the Consort is fine. I’ll prescribe some medicine—after taking it for two days, she’ll recover.”

“Imperial Physician, is my mother really all right?”

“Please rest assured, Princess. Her Highness fainted from excessive agitation. With two days of rest, she’ll be fine. But the medicine must be taken on time, or she won’t recover quickly.”

“Very well. I understand. You may withdraw.”

“This humble servant takes his leave.”

After giving his instructions and prescribing the medicine, the physician departed.

Chu Fengjiao hurried forward to check on He Ningxiang and stayed by her side anxiously. After quite some time, He Ningxiang finally woke up, though her face was extremely pale.

“Mother Consort, how are you feeling? Do you feel unwell anywhere?” Chu Fengjiao asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” He Ningxiang replied.

“You scared me to death,” Chu Fengjiao said, crying as she helped her sit up.

Thinking of her son, He Ningxiang’s eyes filled with tears. “Your Imperial Brother has run into such trouble. Yi’er has always been steady and prudent—how could he commit such a foolish act?”

Chu Fengjiao found this strange and asked, “Mother Consort, what do you mean by that?”

“Prince Yi has been involved in such outrageous affairs one after another lately. Think about it—what kind of person is your Imperial Brother? How could he willingly jump into a fire pit? There must be something fishy about this.”

“Someone framed Imperial Brother?” Chu Fengjiao asked. “Mother Consort, Imperial Brother is Prince Yi, and you said it yourself—he’s always cautious and steady. How could he be framed repeatedly without realizing it?” Though sometimes impulsive, Chu Fengjiao understood the situation.

He Ningxiang shook her head thoughtfully. After a moment, she said, “That’s true—your Imperial Brother is cautious. But if someone were deliberately framing him, and that person were even more capable than your Imperial Brother, then no matter how careful he was, he would still inevitably fall into the trap.”

Chu Fengjiao still didn’t quite understand. “Mother Consort, what do you mean?”

“Have you forgotten Prince Jing and that divine physician?”

“Miss Yin?” Chu Fengjiao exclaimed. “What does this have to do with Miss Yin? And with Prince Jing? Mother Consort, I don’t believe it.”

She stood up and turned away, refusing to believe that this had anything to do with Prince Jing and the divine physician. To be precise, if it were related to Prince Jing, she might still believe it—but to say it involved the divine physician? How could that be?

Knowing her daughter favored Yin Qingyue, He Ningxiang continued, “Don’t be so quick to dismiss it. This matter must be related to them. Prince Jing and your Imperial Brother have always been openly and secretly at odds. If something happens to your Imperial Brother, the one who benefits the most is Prince Jing. And that divine physician is so clever—there must be her assistance behind the scenes.”

“I don’t believe it,” Chu Fengjiao said firmly. “Miss Yin wouldn’t do such a thing. I believe in her—she’s not that kind of person.”

“Jiao’er, how can you be so naive?” He Ningxiang said angrily. “Can’t you see something this obvious?”

“Mother Consort, please stop,” Chu Fengjiao said stubbornly. In her heart, Yin Qingyue was upright and honorable—how could she possibly do such things? Absolutely impossible.

Seeing that even her own daughter didn’t believe her, He Ningxiang felt even more distressed. Her son was already in such a state, and her daughter was siding with an outsider—how could her heart not ache?

He Ningxiang began to cry, wiping her tears as she said, “It seems there’s only that divine physician in your heart. What kind of potion did she give you, to make you trust her so much? I’m utterly disappointed in you.”

Hearing her mother cry, Chu Fengjiao’s heart clenched. She immediately looked over with concern and said, “Mother Consort, that’s not what I mean. It’s just… there’s no evidence right now. How can we say it was Miss Yin?”