"Liu'er is back, come quickly and see what's wrong with Wuyang. Mother is so worried."
"Yes, Mother," Liu Liu stood up, crossed the steps, and walked to the phoenix couch. She looked at the blank-faced Feng Wuyang and spoke softly, "Wuyang, you're back. Why didn't you visit your cousin? Have you been wronged outside? Tell cousin, and cousin will definitely help you?"
Feng Wuyang remained seated, completely still. The Empress Dowager, seeing her appearance, was almost despairing. Tears gathered in her eyes. Her daughter had gone mad. Who had harmed her daughter? She vowed to tear that person to shreds.
Just as the Empress Dowager was filled with resentment, Feng Wuyang actually moved. She slowly raised her thin, small face to look at her older cousin, Liu Liu, who was higher up. Tears slowly gathered in her eyes. Finally, she stood up and threw herself into Liu Liu's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Second Cousin, I'm so sad, so sad."
Liu Liu hugged her tightly, patting her back. Her dark pupils were filled with a gentle light, shimmering and tender.
This little girl had always clung to her since she was young, always so innocent and lively.
Although she was sometimes willful, her heart was extremely kind. Anything she disapproved of was always visible on her face. Such a person would live happily in the palace.
But she would definitely suffer losses once she went out. Seeing her so heartbroken, Liu Liu also felt uneasy, coaxing her softly.
"Our Wuyang is the best girl. Come, tell Second Cousin what happened. We will all help you solve it."
Feng Wuyang shook her head, her palm-sized face streaked with tears. She no longer wanted to be entangled with that person.
Since he had given up on her, it meant they could never be together. Although her heart ached terribly and felt like it was about to shatter, the feeling of pain and then coming back to life was too terrifying. It turned out that love was a terrible thing.
"Second Cousin, I'll be fine after I cry for a while."
Wuyang's words made the Empress Dowager beside her shed tears again. Her own daughter seemed to have grown up overnight, matured. What kind of person had made her so sensible, and then cruelly thrown her into hell? Her eyes were as sharp as knives. If she found out who it was, she would never forgive them.
"Okay."
Liu Liu's words, like a spring breeze, swept through the hall. Only the little princess's sobs could be heard in the vast hall, with no other sound.
Luo Yi, the personal maid of the kneeling princess, dared not make a sound. She thought she was doomed this time. The Empress Dowager would definitely not let her off with the princess in this state. Thinking of this, Luo Yi's small body trembled like a leaf in the wind.
After crying for a while, Wuyang wiped away her tears with a silk handkerchief and looked at Liu Liu sheepishly, "Second Cousin, am I very embarrassing?"
Liu Liu looked at the young woman before her. When had she grown up? In the past, she would sneak out of the palace to find her. Once successful, she would be as happy as a child who had stolen fish.
Unexpectedly, she had grown up in the blink of an eye. Looking at her once tender and beautiful face, now thin with large, listless eyes, pale complexion, and lips that had lost their former vibrancy, it was clear she had suffered a lot outside.
Liu Liu took her hand and sat her down on a soft couch nearby.
"How could that be? Wuyang is always Second Cousin's beloved little sister. Knowing that Wuyang suffered outside makes Second Cousin feel very sad. I can't help you at all. But if Second Cousin knew who bullied our Wuyang, I would definitely not let them off. Second Cousin wants to think about whether to dismember him, or to grind him into ashes."
Liu Liu spoke in a stern ancient tone, her expression extremely serious. Feng Wuyang immediately reached out and grabbed her second cousin, shaking her head desperately. "Second Cousin, forget it. We have nothing to do with each other anymore. Don't go looking for trouble."
The Empress Dowager and Liu Liu heard Feng Wuyang's unintentional confession and knew that she truly liked someone. They wondered why that person didn't like such a cute and pure little woman, and a dignified princess at that.
The Empress Dowager's face turned green. She asked her daughter harshly.
"Wuyang, so someone bullied you. Tell me, who is it? Mother will have your imperial brother execute his entire family and exterminate his nine generations of relatives. How dare they bully my daughter."
Liu Liu and Wuyang looked at the Empress Dowager. They saw that her usually benevolent face now flashed with extreme hatred, and she was not joking at all. They couldn't help but exchange glances. Feng Wuyang waved her small hands rapidly.
"Mother, it's nothing. It's all in the past. It was my fault for causing trouble for others."
The Empress Dowager did not intend to let that person off just because Princess Wuyang spoke. Instead, she fixed her sinister gaze on the kneeling maid, Luo Yi, and spoke with her eyes.
"Luo Yi, tell me, who exactly bullied the princess? Confess immediately, or don't blame me for punishing you severely."
When Luo Yi heard the Empress Dowager's words, her body trembled again. Her small face was filled with hesitation. The princess loved that person dearly.
Even though he was unwilling to marry the princess and had married someone else, if the Empress Dowager knew, who knew how she would treat him? The princess would be heartbroken.
Wuyang, who was above, heard her mother's words and quickly stood up, shouting at Luo Yi below, "Luo Yi, no, nothing happened!"
Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager on the other side snorted coldly, "Luo Yi, I'm asking you a question! Are you really prepared to go to the Hall of Imperial Entertainment?"
"Mother?" Liu Liu and Feng Wuyang cried out together. Especially Feng Wuyang, her entire small face turned red with anger. She looked at her mother with a cold expression, her eyes filled with a faint, dark gleam.
"What does Mother want? Does she want to make my daughter look that bad? If the Empress Dowager intervenes, won't people say the imperial family only uses their power to oppress others? He doesn't like Wuyang, does Mother want to kill him?"
The Empress Dowager was stunned. She was concerned about her daughter, but she didn't expect her daughter to look at her with hatred. This was a great blow to her. Her face suddenly darkened, her throat felt sore, and she was very sad.
She had worried incessantly about Wuyang during her absence from the palace. Now that her daughter had returned, she looked at her with hatred. How could she not be heartbroken? The Empress Dowager pointed at Wuyang, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Seeing the stalemate in the hall, Liu Liu quickly smoothed things over, looking at the Empress Dowager. "Mother is tired. You should go back first. Let Liu'er talk to Wuyang. I believe everything will be fine."
The Empress Dowager's expression was unpleasant, but Feng Wuyang was her daughter. She had returned, and as her mother, she was happy. She also didn't want the two of them to have a falling out. So, after hearing Liu Liu's words, she nodded.
"Alright, I am tired. I'll leave it to you," she said, then, with a huff, led the eunuchs and maids of Cining Palace away from Jinhua Palace.
In the hall, seeing that she had angered her mother so much, Wuyang's tears began to fall again. She looked at Liu Liu, "Second Cousin, I didn't mean to anger Mother. I really didn't."
Liu Liu looked at the tearful little girl and couldn't help but sigh. Love was truly a sharp blade, turning a lively little girl into a sentimental woman. She smiled and shook her head.
"Second Cousin understands. Don't think too much about it. But you have to apologize to Mother later, okay?"
Feng Wuyang immediately nodded obediently. She had loved this cousin since she was little. She always treated everyone with sincerity, and that was what attracted her the most.
Later, she realized that she had more and more good qualities. Although many people said her cousin was ugly, she didn't think so. Her cousin was a woman who was excellent both inside and out.
Sometimes, a woman might have a beautiful appearance but a malicious heart. What was the point of such beauty?
"Okay."