I Can't Save Them by Turning Away

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Everyone says the emperor's chosen consort is a man of extraordinary talent and elegant bearing, upright and pure in character, with an otherworldly grace in every gesture, like an immortal banished from heaven. He also came first in the imperial examinations, a talent the likes of which are rarely seen.

But the little princess truly does not like him.

She is only thirteen, at an age when all she wants is to play. She has no desire to get married at all.

One day, unable to bear life with the consort any longer, the little princess fled into the night while he was away at the border on the emperor's orders. From then on, she vanished without a trace.

After the consort returned, her spineless imperial brother fawned over him. "Consort, my youngest sister doesn't know what's good for her and has no sense of romance. How about choosing another sister? Or the daughter of a prince or minister, whichever you like!"

The consort replied coldly, "No need. I only want her."

"But she's gone."

"Then I'll find her."

Using the little princess's disappearance as a pretext, the consort uncovered a great many officials' illegal private gardens. He went on to curb the powerful clans' land grabs, won people over with a mix of kindness and severity, and centralized power until it reached its peak. But no one knew that the princess's disappearance was a wound that would never heal in his heart.

Three years after the little princess went missing, the consort was already in charge of the imperial treasury. He planned to spend a fortune building an ocean-going fleet and send people to search the Western Ocean...

Watching all that gleaming silver being tossed out of the treasury by a consort who didn't care about money, the spineless emperor was heartbroken. He tried to talk him out of it again. "Consort, stop looking. Can't you just assume she's dead? It's really not worth it, all this trouble for one person!" (That's all my money you're spending!)

The consort looked deeply at the emperor. "The little princess's time in this world is the length of Your Majesty's reign."

One night, on the little princess's sixteenth birthday, she drank a little too much and lounged aboard a ship, gazing at the moon.

Suddenly, she felt the boat rock slightly, as though something had moved in front of her. Looking at the face that blocked the moon, she stroked it and giggled drunkenly. "You look like that scary consort of mine."

The next moment, her eyes were covered, and a rain of kisses fell upon her.

His lips were cold. The tipsy little princess mumbled, "Is it raining?"

A while later, when a hand began unfastening her inner robe, she suddenly woke up and, flustered and furious, cursed, "You wretched dog of a servant! How dare you take liberties with me!"

The consort gave a cold yet tender smile and kissed her ear, speaking with utter humility and a twisted, uncanny fervor. "The little princess is worth her weight in gold. How would a lowly servant dare lay a finger on her?"

On the shore, the old eunuch was forced to witness the sordid, chaotic scene. Heart aching, he reminded the spineless emperor, "Your Majesty, if this old servant may say so, the little princess doesn't seem willing."

The spineless emperor replied, "Do you think I can't tell? I have no choice. As long as the consort is happy, I could send the little princess over, or even send myself. Do you think I was happy to accept all those consorts in the harem? I did it for the sake of the realm! That's enough, let's go."

A forthright historian with a taste for gossip recorded: On a certain night, at a certain hour, the consort made the little princess cry aboard a ship. The emperor covered his face, helpless to save her, and even said that if the consort wanted, he could send himself aboard the ship. The little princess cried and carried on all night aboard the boat in the middle of the lake...

--Biu☆A charming divider☆--

Coming soon: After My Ex-Husband Ordered My Execution. Please visit my author page~

Hua Qiling lost both parents at a young age and was raised by her elderly grandparents. As the two grew older, they feared she would be left alone and helpless, so they wanted to find her a husband as soon as possible.

They chose Zhu Yanfu, an orphan from the neighboring village, and entrusted their granddaughter to him.

Hua Qiling treasured Zhu Yanfu. She never made him do housework, took on every task without complaint, and cared for him exceptionally well.

She told him that he wasn't an abandoned child of heaven and earth, an unwanted orphan. He was the man she loved, and she would cherish him for the rest of her life.

While inspecting the local area, Crown Prince Zhou Kuiyan killed an orphan in the village to escape his pursuers. He assumed the orphan's identity and took over his house. He had planned to live in obscurity, but someone suddenly showed up to arrange a marriage. To avoid further complications, he had no choice but to marry.

Afterward, he planned to enjoy a loving marriage with the woman while looking for a chance to return to the palace.

One day, Hua Qiling came home after washing clothes by the river and found a divorce agreement left on the table.

He had given her some money and left her the house.

Before long, Zhu Yanfu's corpse was discovered, and the authorities came to arrest her.

Hua Qiling could not explain herself. She was imprisoned, and after several hearings, hastily sentenced to beheading.

Shortly before the execution, she suddenly discovered that she was pregnant.

The news that a pregnant woman was about to be executed spread from person to person, until it reached the ears of the newly enthroned Emperor Zhou Kuiyan.

To demonstrate the emperor's benevolence, the new emperor ordered that the murderer be executed in public only after giving birth.

Before the execution, Zhou Kuiyan happened to see a portrait of the condemned woman. His gaze wavered, his heart aching with bitterness, but he still did not revoke his order. He hardened his heart and had her executed.

Afterward, he ordered someone to bring the newborn baby back to the palace and casually handed it to one of his consorts.

He never went to see the child again.

Three years later, while the emperor was holding a ceremony to worship Heaven atop a high platform, several female Taoists suddenly knelt down to lodge a formal complaint. They said the nephew of the current chancellor had dragged a female Taoist out of her temple and taken her home, intending to force her to become his concubine. He had also threatened and bribed them to keep quiet.

Zhou Kuiyan flew into a rage. How could anyone disturb a cultivator's peace, force her to abandon her vows, and get away with such an outrageous injustice?

Before the ceremony was even over, he personally led a group of court officials to rescue the woman from the chancellor's nephew. The chancellor was so frightened that his legs went weak and he couldn't walk, so others had to help him along the way.

When he saw the woman dressed in bridal red, the emperor, who was usually impossible to read, lost his composure for a moment.

She had barely changed in the years since. Her manner was still serene and her features still lovely, but her gaze had become clear and calm, no longer showing any trace of affection for him.

But he had not forgotten: she was his wife.

That night, using the excuse of comforting her, the emperor barged into the cultivator's quarters.

In the heat of their entanglement, they crossed a forbidden line.

Her dark hair lay in disarray across the bed curtains. At last, a trace of hatred appeared in her clear, calm eyes.

Zhou Kuiyan went mad over that tiny sliver of hatred...

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Theme: A happy childhood heals you for life; an unhappy childhood takes a lifetime to heal.