Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family-Chapter 935 - The Death of Zhao Dun

Chapter 935: Chapter 935 The Death of Zhao Dun

Chapter 935 -935 The Death of Zhao Dun

Zhao Yuanlang lowered his head to look at Liu Sisi, her face adorned with a standard light smile, yet the happiness failed to reach her eyes.

It seemed she became aware of his gaze, subconsciously lowering her gaze further.

“That’s good…”

Zhao Yuanlang ultimately didn’t say anything. He stood up from the chair and clasped his hands behind his back, “It’s rare for you to visit the Palace, and yet you stay for only a few hours before leaving. This makes your father’s heart… Knowing you’re not used to living in the Palace, even if your father is reluctant, he dares not keep you. Your father has prepared some small gifts for you. You can take them with you later when you leave the Palace.”

Liu Sisi quietly listened to Zhao Yuanlang’s instruction until at that moment she stood up and knelt to express her thanks.

“Princess Ruyu is grateful for Father Emperor’s generous gifts. Actually, Ruyu also cannot bear to leave Father Emperor and longs to be favored at Father Emperor’s knees. Why not let Ruyu stay in the Palace for ten days or half a month, to accompany Father Emperor and fulfill a long-cherished wish?”

The corners of Zhao Yuanlang’s mouth tightened almost imperceptibly.

Liu Sisi naturally understood, if she really stayed in the Palace for a while, probably by tomorrow the entire Great Zhao would know: Princess Yu stayed in the Palace because Marquis Yongping wanted to take a concubine.

And this, Zhao Yuanlang could not tolerate.

“Since when does a married daughter still stay at her mother’s home? You are also no longer young, you should understand how things are.”

Zhao Yuanlang spoke with heavy emphasis, then turned back and gave Liu Sisi a detailed instruction.

Liu Sisi also nodded and listened carefully to the instruction.

Before she left, she requested a special decree.

“Father Emperor, Ruyu wishes to visit the carefree old gentleman.”

The carefree old gentleman had once been Zhao Dun’s self-appointed nickname, a product of self-amusement. Hearing this title, Zhao Yuanlang naturally knew whom Liu Sisi was referring to.

“…Why do you suddenly want to visit him?”

Liu Sisi knelt respectfully in her original spot, a trace of confusion on her face: “…Ruyu was almost killed by his hand several times, yet… after all, there was once a father-daughter bond between us, and now the time has come to end this bond.”

Zhao Yuanlang watched Liu Sisi’s face for a long time before finally nodding.

As she walked towards the place where Zhao Dun was held, Eunuch Xiao couldn’t help but sweat for her.

“Princess, you really should not have requested this of His Majesty.”

Eunuch Xiao glanced around subconsciously before quietly moving closer to Liu Sisi: “Even if His Majesty is magnanimous, he is no saint. Although the Princess has a filial heart, after all, it is His Majesty who is your biological father. If His Majesty misunderstands that there is something amiss… I’m afraid that would not be good.”

It would not just be not good, it would be very, very bad!

However, Liu Sisi did not dwell on it, instead, she looked at Eunuch Xiao indifferently: “Eunuch Xiao, I only strive to be true to my heart in this matter. As for the rest, I cannot concern myself with it.”

Her words seemed carefree, but she had her own plans in her heart.

If she did not make this visit, there would be no criticism of her, but after all, the man had once been her father. If she showed no gesture, she might leave the impression of being heartless.

Eunuch Xiao was taking an immense risk to remind Liu Sisi repeatedly all for the purpose of securing his position. Seeing her seemingly indifferent to his advice, Eunuch Xiao sighed deeply. She was still too young!

After being brought to the capital, Zhao Dun had been imprisoned in Baoqiong Hall. The other captured generals under Zhao Dun’s command were directly executed by tearing them asunder pulled by horses. As for Zhao Dun, His Majesty ultimately reserved some brotherly affection, confining his imperial brother in Baoqiong Hall for life, never to leave.

Baoqiong Hall, true to its name, encompassed a bay of azure water as it was built, with verdant hills all around.

It did not seem like it was used to imprison people, but rather more like a place for the elderly to spend their final years.

As Liu Sisi approached step by step, she could hardly recognize the decrepit figure in front of her as the once spirited Leader of the Li Sect!

With a head full of silver hair, a vacant gaze, and drool at the corners of his mouth… Liu Sisi could barely find a single familiar shadow.

She stood there dumbfounded, looking at the old man who seemed to be in the twilight of his life, without drawing close. She just silently stood outside the pavilion, watching the old man inside clumsily and sluggishly attempting to pick up a banana from the table, repeatedly failing.

Liu Sisi left!

Just as she had come, gently.

She loathed Zhao Dun! She was also resolved that the next time she encountered him, she would surely take his life with her own hands.

But now that the day had really arrived, and he appeared in front of her like this, she didn’t even have the desire to pick up a sharp blade.

Sometimes, people are often fixated on the past, yet they fail to notice that time is always changing, changing not just others, but oneself as well.

She was merely a commoner whose original appearance had been altered by the passing of the years.

As Liu Sisi gradually disappeared into the distance, Zhao Dun struggled to turn his head and caught a glimpse of the desolate figure vanishing at the end of Baoqiong Hall. His dim old eyes suddenly opened wide, but just managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of Liu Sisi’s disappearing silhouette…

“Xin’er… No, it’s Sisi…”

A touch of disappointment and heartache gradually emerged from the depths of his eyes, and finally, he swept away the food on the stone table, as tears slid down his cheeks.

The next day at daybreak, the palace servants called out for Zhao Dun for a long time without response.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that Zhao Dun’s body was already stiff—he had actually bitten his tongue and committed suicide, leaving not a single last word.

In his hand, he was tightly clutching a piece of ordinary-looking jade. What made this jade different from others was that it also bore the engraved characters “Tuoba.”

A powerful warlord had thus ended his life, his former glory long since turned to smoke, and at his death, there was not one person by his side to see him off.

Zhao Yuanlang learned of this matter the next day during the early morning session.

He silently sighed for a while, then summoned Eunuch Xiao to inquire in detail about the encounter between Liu Sisi and Zhao Dun. Upon learning that Liu Sisi and Zhao Dun had not even faced each other, he remained silent for a long time and eventually announced Zhao Dun’s death as a sudden death, and with the honor due to a high official, had Zhao Dun buried in the outskirts of the Imperial Mausoleum.

As for Liu Sisi, when she left the Palace, she brought with her five large carts of items gifted by His Majesty. These carts, driven by eunuchs from the palace, passed through the city ostentatiously, heading straight for Marquis Yongping’s Mansion.

Countless eyes had been closely watching her since she left the palace, and upon learning that she had received several large carts of rewards during this visit to the palace, they understood that Princess Ruyu was in His Majesty’s deep favor now.

Since ancient times, women certainly needed the support of their maternal families. With such a statement from His Majesty, it led to wild speculations by those who loved to gossip!

The rumor: they were waiting to see the Marquis of Yongping throw that concubine out!

And all of this, Liu Sisi had no idea about.

As soon as she returned to the manor, she wrote a letter, dispatching a fast horse directly to Prefecture Princess Luo’s hometown, informing Thirteenth Luo that an Imperial Decree would be arriving soon. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and rubbed her tired eyebrows.

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Every visit to the palace was as stressful as going to war!