BSI Chapter 104 We Must Not Give in!
Chapter 104 We Must Not Give in!
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty! You mustn't! You mustn't!"
An old and forlorn voice came from outside the hall.
Accompanied by hurried and unsteady footsteps.
Xu Fenghua was shocked!
That sound...
It's Old Master Zhao!
She suddenly turned her head to look at the hall door.
An elderly man, dressed in a dark purple brocade robe and with white hair and beard, stumbled into the hall.
The old man was around seventy years old, with a thin face and a resemblance to Zhao Wenxuan in his eyes and brows.
It was Zhao Mingcheng, the head of the Zhao family and Zhao Wenxuan's father.
This elderly man, who had been in charge of the textile industry in Jiangnan for decades and was a powerful figure in the business world, was now in tears, his face streaked with tears.
He rushed into the hall, not even bothering to bow, and knelt down in front of Qin Mu with a thud, his forehead hitting the ground heavily.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please have mercy! Fenghua... Fenghua is Wenxuan's lawfully wedded wife, a daughter-in-law of the Zhao family! If Your Majesty forcibly takes her into the palace, how... how can the entire Zhao family of over a hundred people have the face to live in this world!"
As he spoke, he kowtowed, his forehead striking the blue bricks with a dull "thump-thump" sound.
Soon, his forehead was scraped open, and blood mixed with tears smeared his face, making him look extremely miserable.
Upon seeing this, the stewards and concubines in the hall also knelt down, pleading in unison:
"Your Majesty, have mercy! Your Majesty, have mercy!"
Cries and pleas rose and fell.
Xu Fenghua felt a mix of emotions as she watched this scene.
She had been married into the Zhao family for six years, and her relationship with her father-in-law, Zhao Mingcheng, had always been lukewarm.
Zhao Mingcheng was a typical businessman who valued profit over morality. He was polite to his daughter-in-law from the northern border, but in reality, he was wary of her.
For six years, she managed the Zhao family's business and expanded their industries. Zhao Mingcheng saw it all and was happy about it, but he never truly treated her as family.
But at this moment, this old man, who was always shrewd and calculating, knelt before the emperor for her sake, even kowtowing until his head bled, and begged desperately.
Does he genuinely cherish his daughter-in-law?
Or... are they afraid that the Zhao family will lose this cash cow after she leaves?
Xu Fenghua didn't know.
She didn't care.
All she knew was that this was her last chance.
If even Zhao Mingcheng's pleas couldn't move Qin Mu, then she really... had nowhere else to go.
Qin Mu looked quietly at Zhao Mingcheng, who was kneeling in front of him and kowtowing repeatedly, his face expressionless.
There wasn't even a ripple in those deep eyes.
It felt like watching a farce that had nothing to do with me.
After a long silence, he finally spoke:
"Old Master Zhao."
His voice was calm, yet it made Zhao Mingcheng abruptly stop kowtowing.
Zhao Mingcheng raised his head, his old face covered in blood and tears, his eyes filled with hope and pleading:
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
"Do you think," Qin Mu said slowly, "the Zhao family...is that important?"
Zhao Mingcheng was taken aback, not understanding why.
Qin Mu smiled, a smile that was cold and cruel:
"The Director of the Imperial Textile Bureau in Jiangnan is extremely wealthy and carries considerable weight."
He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold:
"But in my eyes, they are nothing more than this."
Zhao Mingcheng's face turned deathly pale instantly!
He understood the deeper meaning in Qin Mu's words.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Qin Mu looked down at him, his gaze as if he were an ant:
"Old Master Zhao, I'm giving you two choices."
He held up one finger:
"First, obediently let Xu Fenghua come with me. I will bestow upon the Zhao family ten thousand taels of gold and thousands of acres of fertile land, guaranteeing you a lifetime of wealth and peace. If Zhao Wenxuan wishes to remarry, I can personally arrange a marriage for him with a lady of equal social standing."
He paused, then held up his second finger:
"second,"
His voice suddenly turned cold, like an icy wind in the twelfth lunar month:
"If you insist on keeping her..."
Qin Mu's gaze swept over all the Zhao family members in the hall, each word like a knife, cutting cruelly into their hearts:
"Then the Zhao family has no reason to exist anymore."
"boom--!!"
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears!
Zhao Mingcheng trembled violently and collapsed to the ground!
The stewards and concubines were terrified, lying prostrate on the ground, not daring to lift their heads, their bodies trembling like leaves in the wind.
Zhao Wenxuan fainted immediately, and his crotch was soaked again.
Dead silence.
The hall was deathly silent.
The only sounds were the heavy, suppressed breathing of the crowd and Zhao Mingcheng's desperate sobs.
Xu Fenghua stood still, motionless.
She looked at Zhao Mingcheng, who was slumped on the ground, at the Zhao family members who were trembling with fear, and at Zhao Wenxuan, who had fainted...
My heart felt ice-cold.
This is imperial power.
This is absolute power.
In front of Qin Mu, what are wealthy merchants from Jiangnan, what are centuries-old families, what are kinship ties? They are all just jokes.
A single sentence can determine the fate of a family.
She finally understood that Qin Mu hadn't come to discuss things; he had come to announce the results.
This is an imperial decree.
An irresistible decree.
Whether she wanted it or not, whether the Zhao family agreed or not, and no matter what the world would say... he was going to do it anyway.
Why?
What exactly does he want to do?
Xu Fenghua's mind raced, trying to find a single flaw or room for maneuver in this absurd situation.
However, no.
Faced with absolute imperial power, all her wisdom, all her strategies, and all her confidence seemed so pale and powerless.
Xu Fenghua slowly closed her eyes.
Long eyelashes cast trembling shadows on her pale cheeks.
When she opened her eyes again, shock, panic, and humiliation filled those amber eyes...
All emotions were forcibly suppressed.
Only a deathly stillness remained.
Xu Fenghua knew she had no choice.
At least, at this moment, in the main hall of the Zhao residence, in front of Qin Mu, she had no choice.
If they resist head-on, they will only face certain death, and it will also implicate the Zhao family, and may even bring greater trouble to their younger brother in the North.
Compliance... might offer a glimmer of hope, a chance for negotiation.
Where there is life, there is hope.
Xu Fenghua slowly, extremely slowly, knelt down.
The pale purple skirt spread out again on the cold ground, like a violet that, even after being battered by wind and rain, still refuses to completely wither.
Her forehead touched the ground gently.
"His Majesty."
Her voice was calm and completely still.
"This humble woman...is willing."
Qin Mu looked at her, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
"Very well, then rise, my beloved concubine."
My beloved concubine.
These two words, like a red-hot branding iron, were fiercely burned into Xu Fenghua's heart.
She trembled almost imperceptibly, slowly straightened up, but still kept her head down, not daring to, and unable to, meet Qin Mu's gaze again.
From this day forward, she is no longer Madam Zhao Xu, no longer the young mistress of the Zhao family, and no longer the eldest daughter of the Xu family.
She is... Qin Mu's concubine.
A courtier's wife who was forcibly taken by the emperor.
A woman destined to bear countless infamy and be nailed to the pillar of historical shame.
The sunlight was still bright, streaming through the windows and filling the hall.
Xu Fenghua felt a chill all over her body, as if she had fallen into an abyss.
Qin Mu gently stroked her cheek, his movements as tender as if he were handling the most precious treasure:
"I will send someone to fetch you in three days."
After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the hall.
The moon-white robe fluttered slightly in the wind, and the silver cloud patterns shimmered with a faint light.
Yunluan followed behind him, dressed in black as ink, her eyes icy cold.
The two walked one after the other through the crowd kneeling on the ground, out of the main hall, and out of the Zhao residence.
The sun was still shining brightly, illuminating the vermilion gate and the bluestone streets.
It was as if the terrifying coercion that had just occurred had never happened.
Inside the hall, Zhao Mingcheng collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down his face, muttering to himself:
"It's over...it's all over..."
Xu Fenghua stood there, gazing in the direction Qin Mu had left, motionless for a long time.
The pale purple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) shimmered softly in the sunlight, and her beautiful yet dignified face remained expressionless.
Only deep within those amber eyes burned a cold and resolute flame.
Qin Mu...
She silently repeated the name in her heart.
Do you think you can control me like this?
Do you think that by holding me hostage, you can blackmail the Xu family and the Dragon Elephant?
you are wrong.
Big mistakes.
Xu Fenghua slowly turned around, looking at Zhao Mingcheng, who was slumped on the ground, and at the Zhao family members who were still in shock.
Her gaze was calm and profound, as if she were looking at a group of insignificant strangers.
"Father-in-law."
She spoke, her voice cold and clear:
"Prepare the divorce papers."
Zhao Mingcheng suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock:
"Feng Hua...you..."
"From this day forward," Xu Fenghua said slowly, "I am no longer a daughter-in-law of the Zhao family."
She paused, then added:
"Of course, I will continue to manage the Zhao family's business until... the day I leave."
Having said that, she looked away from everyone and turned to walk towards the inner courtyard.
The pale purple figure gradually receded into the sunlight, eventually disappearing at the end of the winding corridor.
His back was straight, and his steps were steady.
It was as if the coercion that had just occurred, which was enough to destroy any woman's dignity and will, was nothing more than a trivial farce to her.
But only she knows.
The lake in my heart, which was originally just a gentle ripple, has now been churned into towering waves.
Qin Mu...
This young emperor, whom she had never truly taken seriously, tore apart all her pretense and scheming in the most brutal and direct way.
This also forced her onto a path of no return.
A path that leads to either destruction or rebirth.
Xu Fenghua went into her study, closed the door, and leaned against the door panel.
After a long while, she slowly slid down to sit on the ground.
Tears fell silently.
Not for humiliation, not for fear.
Rather, it was for... the impending bloodshed and carnage.
She knew that from this day forward, many things would change.
And she had to be prepared.
Whether the road ahead leads to a cliff or hell.
"It's over...it's all over..."
Zhao Mingcheng's desperate sobs still echoed in my ears.
The Zhao family.
The family she married into six years ago, the business empire she painstakingly built and managed.
Faced with Qin Mu's words, it was as fragile as a sandcastle.
Ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand acres of fertile land.
What a generous "reward".
She sacrificed her freedom and dignity to ensure the peace and prosperity of the Zhao family, which consisted of hundreds of people.
In Qin Mu's eyes, this deal was probably the best deal imaginable.
But on what basis?
Xu Fenghua's fingers tightened suddenly, her nails scratching the smooth lacquered surface of the dressing table with a few harsh sounds.
Why should she be used as a bargaining chip?
Just because she's a woman?
Just because she's a member of the Xu family?
Just because... Qin Mu is the emperor, and he has the final say?
An indescribable sense of humiliation gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
She recalled the snowy night six years ago when her father, Xu Xiao, forced her to marry.
"Fenghua, you are a daughter of the Xu family, you should think about the Xu family."
"Marrying into the Zhao family and opening up trade routes in Jiangnan to supply the northern border is your responsibility as the eldest daughter."
responsibility.
It's about responsibility again.
It seems that she spent her entire life living for others.
For the Xu family, for the northern border, and for his younger brother's great cause.
Now, they have to give up everything for that foolish emperor Qin Mu's absurd ideas.
Why should I?!
Xu Fenghua suddenly raised her hand and slammed it down on the dressing table!
"Splash—!"
Bronze mirrors, cosmetic boxes, jade hairpins, pearl hairpins... all the exquisite objects fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
The mirror shattered, reflecting countless fragments of her.
Each one of them was pale and had a look of despair in their eyes.
Xu Fenghua stared at the mess on the ground, her chest heaving violently, her breathing rapid.
She wanted to scream, to roar, to smash every trace of "Young Mistress Zhao" in the room!
In the end, she simply bent down slowly and picked up the broken bronze mirror.
In the mirror, her face was divided into several pieces by cracks, each piece distorted and deformed, just like her shattered life at this moment.
Tears welled up in my eyes without warning.
One drop, two drops...
It hit the shattered mirror, spreading a small patch of water.
she cried.
It wasn't because of her useless husband, Zhao Wenxuan.
She never loved him.
It wasn't for the Zhao family either.
She had long seen through the scheming and cold-heartedness inherent in those businessmen.
She was crying for Xu Fenghua, the one who once rode a horse across the northern border, discussed military affairs with her father, and practiced swordsmanship with her younger brother.
That proud, free-spirited eldest daughter of the Xu family, who believed she could control her own life.
died.
He died on that snowy night six years ago.
He died in this absurd " investiture" ceremony today.
From then on, the only one who lived on was "Consort Xu," who was nailed to the pillar of shame.
A courtier's wife who was forcibly taken by the emperor.
It has become a laughing stock for everyone.
"Oh……"
Xu Fenghua suddenly smiled.
She slowly stood up and threw the shattered bronze mirror back onto the ground.
Then, she walked to the window and opened it.
The afternoon breeze swept in, ruffling the stray strands of hair on her forehead and dispelling the last trace of weakness in her eyes.
No.
She couldn't just accept her fate.
She is Xu Fenghua.
She is the eldest daughter of the Xu family, who could compose poetry at the age of ten, was well-versed in military strategy at the age of twelve, and dared to publicly criticize the shortcomings in border defense at the age of fourteen!
She was the woman who, in six years, tripled the Zhao family's business, opened up trade routes between the north and south, and delivered countless supplies to the northern border!
How could she just succumb to the tyranny of a foolish ruler?