TGCFNM -Chapter 520 Chu Rou Disappears

Chu Rou looked at Chu Ling and pleaded, “Then… could you give us a proper burial? And Zhuque as well.”

Chu Ling nodded. “I promise. Even if I have to steal the bodies, I’ll make sure you’re all properly buried.”

Chu Rou thanked her, then began recounting the events of their previous life.

Through Chu Rou’s narration, Chu Ling finally learned what Chu Yue had gone through after her death in the original story.

The first matter was the coronation of the empress.

Prince Xiao led troops to attack the capital. The emperor suddenly died, and Prince Xiao, following the will of the people, ascended the throne smoothly, honoring Prince Qi as the Retired Emperor.

Logically, once everything had been settled, the next step should have been to confer the title of empress.

After all, once Prince Xiao inherited the throne, he needed to perform the Heaven-worship ceremony at the Altar of Heaven and proclaim it to the world. Since he and Chu Yue were deeply in love, it was only natural that they would worship Heaven together.

But no one expected Prince Qi and Princess Qi to strongly oppose Chu Yue becoming empress. They insisted on choosing a new empress for Prince Xiao instead. The two sides argued fiercely, and Prince Qi and his wife even protested by going on a hunger strike.

At that time, the Heaven-worship ceremony was imminent, so Prince Xiao took a step back. He chose Sun Yingxiu, the daughter of Grand Tutor Sun, as empress and took her with him to perform the ceremony.

After hearing this, Chu Ling sucked in a sharp breath. “Anyone would go crazy in that situation. After all, it was Chu Yue who helped Prince Xiao conquer the world, yet he chose Sun Yingxiu as empress.”

Chu Rou shook her head with a self-mocking smile. “Even though I admire the prince, I still have to say this—if he hadn’t agreed, Sun Yingxiu could never have become empress. In the end, it was still his own choice.”

Chu Ling nodded. That was true.

Chu Rou continued, “Actually, I was also curious why Prince Qi and Princess Qi—who used to like Chu Yue so much—suddenly opposed it. After all, no matter her family background or status, Chu Yue was the best possible candidate.”

Chu Ling nodded. “Exactly. And Chu Yue helped him so much. Without her, he would never have been able to ascend the throne.”

Chu Rou laughed bitterly and sank into her memories.

“After Sun Yingxiu was made empress, Chu Yue was immediately granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort—second only to the empress. She didn’t even have to bow to the empress. You could say that in the harem she held exclusive favor, unmatched by anyone.”

“But in order to stabilize the court, the prince later took many more women into the palace. Some were favored, some were not; some were domineering, others gentle. But without exception, their fathers or male relatives were pillars of the court.”

“That Wu Ting was one of them—very clever, very capable. So capable that he became a sharp blade in the prince’s hand, cutting away the wings of those who had once fought alongside the prince to win the world, one by one. In the end, they could no longer threaten the prince, nor could they continue working for Chu Yue.”

Chu Ling was stunned.

The prison warden!

“Because of this, Chu Yue had a huge quarrel with the prince. But the prince believed that the war for the throne was already over. Those people shouldn’t keep talking about their past friendship or exaggerating their own contributions…” Chu Rou said.

Bai Su couldn’t help complaining, “Isn’t that just killing the donkey after the millstone is removed?”

Ghost Scholar spoke softly, “That is the art of being an emperor. You can control people, reward and punish them—but you must never let your ministers feel that you stand on equal footing with them. Once the relationship becomes ruler and subject, it can never be friendship.”

Chu Rou quickly refuted, “But he was also worried every day, tossing and turning at night. Compared to him, those people were more willing to listen to Chu Yue. How could a woman of the harem interfere in court politics? That’s a huge taboo.”

Chu Ling felt speechless.

At least half of this empire had been won by Chu Yue. Yet in this era, if Chu Yue wanted to grow old together with Prince Xiao, she had to cut off her own wings and lock herself inside a golden cage.

“And then? After that, you entered the palace?” Chu Ling asked. “So she hated you too?”

Chu Rou shook her head. “No. Wu Ting’s younger sister entered the palace instead. She was innocent and kind, naïve about the world, so the emperor doted on her quite a lot. He made her Consort Yu… and she was also pregnant…”

Chu Ling: “!”

“At that time in the palace, even the Empress had no child. The Prince wanted his child with Chu Yue to become the future heir—he considered it a form of compensation to her. But then Consort Yu suddenly became pregnant. Chu Yue, furious, went to confront the Prince. As a result, Consort Yu was frightened and miscarried…” Chu Rou let out a long breath, as if feeling some regret for that unborn child of the Crown Prince.

Chu Ling inhaled sharply. “Wouldn’t those two end up fighting?”

Chu Rou nodded. “They did fight. The Prince injured his arm, and that very night Chu Yue also lost her child. Then, at that time, Noble Lady Chang was diagnosed as pregnant and received many rewards. She assumed Chu Yue had fallen out of favor and even deliberately went to flaunt it in front of her.”

Cui Xi suddenly remembered. “Is that Miss Chang who was beaten to death?”

Chu Rou nodded. “Yes, her.”

Chu Ling didn’t know what to say. From Chu Yue’s perspective, what she did wasn’t wrong either—she was simply taking revenge for her grievances.

“The Prince probably wanted to make up for things, so he let me enter the palace to accompany her. I happily entered the palace, thinking I could stay by the Prince’s side. I was so delighted that I forgot myself. When Chu Yue learned of it, she personally invited the Prince to the palace and sent me to his side, making me one of his consorts…” Chu Rou gave a self-mocking smile. She knew she was only a substitute, but those had truly been the happiest days of her life—and she was willing.

Chu Ling sighed. Chu Rou knew only a limited amount because her entire heart had been focused on the Crown Prince.

“Then how did you die in your previous life?” Chu Ling asked.

“I don’t know.” Chu Rou shook her head. “Back then, incidents kept happening in the palace every few days. It seemed like some kind of illness, but my body felt perfectly normal. I thought it was because my martial arts training made me stronger. But by the night I suddenly felt freezing cold all over, it was already too late.”

Chu Ling glanced back. Mei Gao’s subordinates seemed to have finished their inspection and were about to start moving the corpses. So she looked at Chu Rou and said, “Go into reincarnation. It’s time for you to leave.”

Chu Rou looked at her. “Aren’t you going to ask about yourself?”

“Huh?” Chu Ling froze.

Chu Rou said, “I remember asking Chu Yue why she repeatedly spared you. Chu Yue said she knew you were being used by someone—you only wanted to save your parents.”

Chu Ling’s gaze flickered. “But in the end, she still killed me.”

“Yes. She said it would be better to give you release.” Chu Rou couldn’t understand it. “However, I don’t understand why killing you—a mere daughter of the second branch—would lead to officials impeaching her and cause her to lose her position as Empress.”

“You don’t understand, and I understand it even less.” Chu Ling shook her head.

Chu Rou’s figure was gradually fading. It seemed that after saying everything she needed to say, the obsession that bound her was also dissipating.

“I told you—I personally saw the three of you leave. I’m certain I wasn’t mistaken. You left in a carriage.”

Chu Ling hurriedly asked, “But I later went to Sishui County?”

“Sishui County? Mother said she had a distant nephew who had been arranged to go there. But that nephew was useless and ignorant, so someone was sent to manage things there. Chu Yue said she would send someone,” Chu Rou said as her feet began to disappear. “I overheard that conversation. But I’m not sure if they discovered me. Looking back now, I wasn’t that careful, and Chu Yue was also someone trained in martial arts.”

Chu Ling subconsciously reached out and grabbed Chu Rou. “After the three of us left the Chu family and the capital, did the first branch’s Madam say anything?”

Chu Rou shook her head. “Everyone in the Chu family knew you had left. They just assumed your family had found your own way out and abandoned the Chu family. Everyone in the Chu family hated you for being cold and heartless.”

“So in the eyes of the Chu family, the three of us escaped alive, right?” Chu Ling’s voice trembled slightly.

Chu Rou nodded. “Yes.”

Chu Ling released her hand, feeling an icy chill spread through her entire body.

“Thank you, Chu Ling.” Chu Rou smiled faintly as her figure slowly dissipated.