Chapter 12
Chapter 12
At the palace gates, I ran into Song Sanlang.
His bloated frame was huddled timidly in a corner. Upon seeing me, he suddenly lunged forward, only to be seized by Xie Wuyang.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow! Spare me, Your Highness! I just wanted to have a word with you,” Song Sanlang cried out, tears nearly welling in his eyes.
I remained silent.
He was so cowardly it was almost comically pathetic.
Xie Wuyang’s brow was furrowed tight. Instead of letting go, he increased the pressure of his grip.
Song Sanlang’s tears actually began to flow.
I gestured for Xie Wuyang to release him and said flatly, “Speak.”
Song Sanlang wiped his tears with his sleeve and whispered aggrievedly, “I know Your Highness looks down on me, but I was living my life as a dandy just fine. I don’t want a mountain weighing down on my head either.”
I studied Song Sanlang carefully.
I admit that I had been influenced by my Imperial Mother and held a prejudice against him, but now, I found him somewhat interesting.
Song Sanlang continued, “The command of parents and the words of matchmakers-Your Highness cannot resist them, and neither can I. Please do not resent me. Why don’t we think of a way together to see how we can reject this marriage?”
He was right.
But I couldn’t trust him easily.
I asked, “What brilliant ideas do you have?”
Song Sanlang said triumphantly, “Your Highness need only wait for my news.”
Though anxious, I could only wait.
Before long, news spread that Song Sanlang had been frequenting brothels.
Then came the news that he had been given a severe thrashing by General Song.
Soon after, word arrived that Song Sanlang had been thrown out of a brothel stark naked.
Now, General Song was dragging Song Sanlang to apologize to my Imperial Mother, which would surely result in another beating.
Lü’e was both disgusted and amused. “This Song Sanlang isn’t a bad person, but his methods are quite poor.”
He was using the method of self-defilement, thinking that if he appeared utterly worthless, my Imperial Mother would grow to despise him.
He had no idea that my Imperial Mother loathed me so much that she specifically wanted me to marry someone I would hate.
After several rounds of this, Song Sanlang was half-dead. He sent word to me saying he couldn’t take any more and that I was on my own.
Xie Wuyang and I paid a secret night visit to the Song Manor.
Song Sanlang was lying on his bed, his face swollen like a pig’s head and his buttocks injured. He lay there groaning in pain.
When he saw me, tears fell like rain.
“Your Highness…”
Xie Wuyang’s fists tightened.
I frowned. I had thought General Song was just putting on a show, but I hadn’t expected it to be this serious.
But since things had come to this, I could only make them even more serious.
My Imperial Mother had put my wedding date on the schedule, and before long, she dispatched a pre-marital trial maid.
When the trial maid left the Song Manor, she returned to report the truth. Consequently, everyone soon knew that Song Sanlang was impotent.
My Imperial Mother sent wave after wave of Imperial Physicians to the Song Manor, finally confirming that Song Sanlang truly was incapable.
She turned her suspicious gaze toward me.
She sent a matron to the Princess Manor to ask how my transcription of the Lotus Sutra was progressing.
I lifted my arm and smiled. “This Princess can only transcribe sutras for the Empress once my injuries have healed.”
“Is the Princess truly injured?” the matron asked, her voice filled with doubt.
My gaze turned cold. “Song Sanlang and I are likely ill-fated for each other; if he is unwell, I am unwell. I must thank the Empress for arranging this marriage.”
The matron said, “Her Majesty says that no matter how much the Princess struggles, this marriage is set in stone and will not be changed.”
I laughed. “In the eyes of outsiders, This Princess is still the daughter of the Empress. If I commit a fault, others will blame me, and naturally, they will blame the Empress as well. My Imperial Mother is intent on winning over the Song family, but I wonder how General Song feels about her now?”
The matron’s expression changed drastically, and she hurried away.
Song Sanlang quietly asked me when I would give him the antidote. He feared that if this continued, his beloved top courtesan would become someone else’s.
I replied, “I’m sure you can distinguish between being a monk for a moment and being a monk for a lifetime.”
Song Sanlang shut his mouth. Once his injuries healed, he spent his days acting melancholy and making life miserable for his old man.
Every time General Song entered a concubine’s room, Song Sanlang would stand outside wailing and sobbing.
Over time, while he didn’t go mad, General Song nearly did. Yet he couldn’t actually beat this wretched son to death.
Left with no choice, General Song requested to call off the engagement.
My Imperial Mother went along with it and cancelled the marriage contract.
This matter taught me a lesson: the suffering of others is inconsequential to those in high positions. Only when their own interests are harmed do they begin to care about your pain.
On the day the engagement was broken, Li Chengze stormed into the Princess Manor and said coldly, “Without the Song family, there will be the Zhou family, the Zhao family, the Wang family. Do you think you can escape?”
I opened my door and said calmly, “Then tomorrow, the young men of the Zhou, Zhao, and Wang families will likely all become impotent. I hope Your Highness the Crown Prince will still be able to win people’s hearts then.”
“You dare!”
I gave a soft laugh, baring my white teeth. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, do not try to talk sense to a madwoman.”
He looked at me in shock, stumbling back step by step before sneering, “Then you might as well try and see if the man you want to marry actually dares to wed you.”
He laughed triumphantly and walked away.
I stared at his back as hatred slowly spread through me.
He was right. I could use imperial power to avoid marrying someone I didn’t want, but he could also use imperial power to ensure I could never marry the one I loved.