The Princess Is No Good

Whenever Li Yu thought of it, she felt a surge of resentment rise within her. She said, "Mother Consort had no choice but to do it back then, under the pressure of Noble Consort Dowager Gui. My imperial brother understands. You can rest easy now."

Those words did nothing to reassure Consort Dowager Shu. She had a plan in mind, or rather, the Song family had one: they wanted one of their own to marry a princess.

Until now, Consort Dowager Shu had believed she could decide the Fifth Princess's marriage herself. But after several attempts to sound out the Empress Dowager, she still wouldn't take the hint. Already afraid of the Empress Dowager's retaliation, Consort Dowager Shu had no choice but to come up with a plan. It would only work, though, if Li Yu played along.

"The Dragon Boat Festival is in a few days. When you leave the palace that day, you may see your eldest cousin from your maternal grandfather's family." Consort Dowager Shu glanced surreptitiously at Li Yu. Seeing her calm expression, she thought that at fifteen, Li Yu probably didn't understand much about relations between men and women. She continued, "You can find him and have a chat..."

"What are you trying to do, Mother Consort?" By this point, Li Yu understood what Consort Dowager Shu meant. Instead of feeling angry, she found it absurd. Her own mother was willing to disgrace her daughter for the sake of her family. Did she not realize that Li Yu was a princess of Great Zhao?

Li Yu was so furious she laughed. She stood up and pointed toward the door. "Please leave, Mother Consort!"

Consort Dowager Shu stared at Li Yu's cold, distant face, unable to believe it. She couldn't believe her own daughter was about to throw her out, much less that any child would dare treat their birth mother this way. Her eyes immediately reddened, and she began to cry. "How could you treat me like this!"

She could only depend on herself. She had no choice but to depend on herself.

Theme: Stay positive and love life. No one is wholly good or wholly bad!