Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2595 Atonement for Crimes 58.0
Jin Miaomiao looked at Madam Luan, who had a nostalgic expression on her face, and sighed softly.

"You mean you two have strong feelings for each other, right?"

"Saying this might sound presumptuous, or you might think this person is shameless, but..."

“Madam, you are overthinking it. It is a blessing in life to be in love with someone you love. It’s not what you’re saying.” Jin Miaomiao looked at Madam Luan, who had become extremely thin. Although she was old and looked much more haggard, you could still vaguely see her younger self. Although she wasn’t a stunning beauty, she was still very pretty. She smiled at Madam Luan, “Madam must have been very beautiful when she was young.”

"Lord Jin, you flatter me. I wouldn't call myself beautiful, but I am certainly not bad-looking. That's why I'm confident that His Highness did have feelings for me." Madam Luan touched her face. "Of course, we've discussed this topic, and we're quite certain that we both had feelings for each other." She paused, then continued, "Back then, I don't know if I should call it naivety or what, but we both felt that we could spend our lives like this, supporting each other through thick and thin. Unfortunately..." She sighed, "I never imagined that a series of events would change our destinies so thoroughly, so completely. Now, decades have passed since those events, and looking back, I don't even recognize myself anymore. I'm completely different from the person I remember."

"Madam Luan, do you know His Highness?"

"You've always hated me, wanting to know why I abandoned him and went to someone else, right?" Seeing Jin Miaomiao hesitate for a moment before nodding, Madam Luan sighed and said, "What can I do? I'd rather he hate me for breaking my promise and hate me for the rest of his life than for him to act impulsively and ruin his own life."

"Lost his own life? What does that mean?"

"At that time, he was under house arrest in his residence. He was so angry that he suffered a relapse of his old illness. Although the late emperor was angry with him, he did not intend to kill him, so he still sent all the people from the Imperial Medical Academy to guard him at the Prince's residence. But this time," Madam Luan gently shook her head, "no one had any confidence. My father and brother both sent people to check on him. The people from the Imperial Medical Academy felt that he might not be able to pull through. So they were very worried, thinking that our family might be implicated because of this marriage, and might become a hot potato. But since the late Empress Dowager had not spoken or said what should be done about this marriage, they did not dare to make a decision on their own and could only wait and see."

"Wait and see? See what?"

"It depends on whether His Highness can pull through, and whether the late Empress Dowager has any other plans," Madam Luan sighed softly. "If His Highness can overcome this hurdle and regain the late Emperor's trust, then everything will be back to normal. If not, I'm afraid they will make other plans. I was praying that His Highness could pull through. But after waiting for almost three days, there was still no news of His Highness waking up. However, my father was summoned to the palace by the late Empress Dowager. That night, my father returned from the palace with the news of the annulment of the engagement, and with him came my new engagement."

"The newlywed is the eldest son of the Luan family?"

“Yes, we are on good terms with the Luan family and know about their eldest son’s situation. My mother fainted when she heard about it, and the family was in chaos.” Madam Luan gave a bitter smile. She had been standing for a long time and felt a little tired. She smiled at Jin Miaomiao and said, “I’m sorry, I’m getting old and my legs are not as strong as they used to be. Please excuse me for sitting down.”

"Please proceed, Madam."

Jin Miaomiao watched as Madam Luan sat down, then waved to someone in the shadows. A jailer placed a stone stool down and left silently.

"What did you feel at the time, Madam?" "I felt nothing. My mind was blank. Moreover," Madam Luan took a sip of tea, "I had been vaguely prepared for this. When the news came, I didn't seem surprised at all."

"Didn't the lady put up a fight?"

“Lord Jin, I was young once too. Who doesn’t fight for themselves when they’re young? I always felt that the world is vast and that mutual love is the most important thing. If we can’t be together, I’d rather die.” Madam Luan gave a bitter smile and said, “We’ve tried everything, from crying and making a scene to threatening suicide, but nothing works.”

"does not work?"

“My mother is alright. She thinks my life is too hard. When I cry, she cries with me. My mother is probably the only one who didn’t try to comfort me, the only one who stood by my side.”

"I'm sorry, Madam Luan, if I remember correctly, your mother seems to have passed away a long time ago."

“She’s not my biological mother, I should call her Aunt, but…” Madam Luan sneered, “She gave birth to a child for my father and served him for decades. My father never gave her a proper title. Her public identity was still the steward of the inner courtyard, but everyone knew that she was the actual mistress of the house. Back in Xijing City, when the ladies of other mansions held banquets, they invited her as well.”

"I see." Jin Miaomiao nodded. "She's on your side, but your father and brothers..."

“My father and brother don’t care if I’m unhappy or upset. Their attitude is very firm. They say that whether I live or die, I will marry into the Luan family. At worst, when the Luan family holds a funeral, they will bury me with the eldest son, which will save a lot of trouble. They also say that it’s not that they are heartless, but they have no choice. This is the Empress Dowager’s order. Not to mention us, no one can disobey it, otherwise the lives of the whole family will be implicated.”

“That’s true.” Jin Miaomiao nodded. “So, Madam Luan gave up?”

"I did consider giving up at one point, but then I heard that His Highness had woken up and was recovering quite well, so I wanted to go see him and explain things to him in person. But before I could take any action, news came that he was being taken to the imperial mausoleum despite his illness. At the same time, news of the marriage alliance between my family and the Luan family also reached His Highness's ears. My father and brothers had arranged for people in the Prince's residence to be present, so they couldn't get close to His Highness, but they knew that after His Highness learned about this, he was greatly agitated, so much so that he vomited blood and came to confront me, his face pale. But it was just talk; he couldn't move at all, let alone leave the residence." At this point, Madam Luan gave a bitter smile and said, "And so, we parted ways. Ironically, the last time we met, we were still discussing the style of our wedding attire, and then..."

"But Madam just said that she would rather His Highness hate you than have him act impulsively and lose his life. Why is that?"

"If we meet secretly, we will be shot by assassins hiding in the shadows. These assassins have received orders that if we disobey the late Empress Dowager's orders, we will be killed without mercy."