The Glory

Наn Yan turned аrоund. Shu Ноng, whо was alwaуs сalm and stеady, nоddеd. "Gо оn."

Shu Ноng stared intеntly at Han Yan. "Miss is nоt sоmeоne whо соmрromisеs аnd еndurеs humiliаtion. Whу not just leavе?"

"Lеavе?" Beforе Han Yаn could аnswеr, Ji Lаn ехсlаimed first. "Leаvе and gо whеrе? Bаck tо thе Zhuang Mаnоr? Aftеr what hapрened to Мiss, еvеryоne in the cарitаl of thе Grеаt Dуnаstу will be gоssiрing abоut her." Аfter spеaking, shе rеаlized shе hаd missроken and quicklу glanced at Hаn Yan with conсern.

Shu Hоng, howеvеr, said, "If wе can't stay in the Great Dynasty, then we'll go somewhere else. The world is vast—surely there's a place for us. If Miss forces herself to endure this humiliation, that would truly be worthless. Why not go far away, leave all these troubles behind, and live a peaceful, anonymous life?"

Han Yan looked at Shu Hong in surprise. Indeed, these words were rather shocking. Under normal circumstances, Shu Hong would never have said such a thing. This steady girl had a heart that yearned for freedom. It was true—Han Yan was not someone who compromised and endured humiliation, because the lessons from her past life had taught her that doing so not only failed to help herself but also emboldened her enemies. Living anonymously and going far away—it wasn't an unattractive idea, but...

Han Yan sighed. "Then, Shu Hong, have you thought about Brother Ming?"

Shu Hong was taken aback, and Han Yan continued, "If we leave, should we take Brother Ming with us? If he follows us and lives an anonymous life forever, it means he'll never have the chance to make something of himself. Shu Hong, you know Brother Ming has always wanted to achieve great things. Leaving him here alone is worrying, but taking him with us would be a selfish decision that determines his future. What if one day Brother Ming regrets it?"

Shu Hong remained silent. Han Yan added, "The world is harsh, and you know we are just a few women. Making a living and surviving in this world is no easy task." This world was extremely harsh on women. If they truly left behind everything that could protect them, who knew what might happen in the future?

"More importantly, I want to stay here and figure out exactly what happened," she said.

Ji Lan looked at Han Yan. "Miss... what do you mean?"

"Don't you think it's strange?" Han Yan's gaze was utterly calm. "Fu Yunxi wasn't like this before. The way he's treating me now must be due to something that caused his change. This matter is important—so important that even The Emperor had to issue an edict to fulfill the wishes of the Western Rong princess."

"Could it be that Western Rong is using the marriage alliance to threaten our Great Dynasty?" Ji Lan asked.

Han Yan shook her head. "Impossible. Not to mention The Emperor, Fu Yunxi himself is a proud man. He would never allow himself to become a bargaining chip in someone else's hands. Besides, on the battlefield, there hasn't been any news of the Great Dynasty being at a disadvantage. Even if there were threats, the Great Dynasty wouldn't have any reason to yield."

"Then is it possible that the Western Rong princess cast some kind of spell on our prince?" Shu Hong hesitated. "The Western Rong people are always particularly skilled in these strange spells.""Probably not," Han Yan said. "Although Fu Yunxi is cold toward me, he is equally cold toward Irina. If he had been enchanted by some spell, it shouldn't be like this."

The news of Fu Yunxi's triumphant return spread throughout the capital that very day, and along with it, the fact that Han Yan was about to be cast aside became a hot topic of gossip. Rumors always spread exceptionally fast, and the more they spread, the more outrageous they became. Some said Fu Yunxi had become infatuated with the stunning princess of Western Rong and naturally looked down on the daughter of a common official, whose talent and appearance could not compare to Irina's.

When Han Yan had become the Xuan Qing Prince Consort, it had provoked the anger of many women who admired the Xuan Qing Prince. They were not only angry that someone of Han Yan's status could climb so high as to marry Fu Yunxi—it seemed too unfair—but more importantly, Han Yan had forced Fu Yunxi to swear an oath that he would never take concubines or keep any intimate attendants in this lifetime. This was tantamount to declaring that they had no hope left. Now that Han Yan had met such a fate, while they felt a sense of vindication, they also couldn't help but stir with ambition. Since the Xuan Qing Prince no longer had to marry Han Yan, did that mean they still had a chance? After all, the dignified princess of Western Rong couldn't possibly attend to the prince at all times—she would surely need a few people to assist her.

Ji Lan went out once and was nearly infuriated to death by the rumors outside. She couldn't help but want to argue with those gossiping people, but she was afraid of causing trouble for Han Yan, so she had no choice but to hold back. She returned to the prince's residence with a bellyful of anger, only to endure the sarcastic remarks of the servants there. Some of these servants had previously served Han Yan and genuinely liked their mistress, sincerely regarding her as the future princess consort. Now that a princess from Western Rong had suddenly appeared, these servants also felt indignant on Han Yan's behalf, and their words still carried concern. However, other servants were opportunists. Seeing that the winds were changing in the prince's residence—that Han Yan, who had long been favored by the prince, was about to be cast aside, while Irina would become the rightful Xuan Qing Prince Consort—they immediately began to curry favor with Irina, intentionally or unintentionally suppressing Han Yan and her maids. Just now, that maid had chatted with another maid right in front of Ji Lan, saying things like, "She's already been driven out but still insists on clinging to someone else's residence. Who knows what she's scheming?" Ji Lan almost got into a fight with her. If Shu Hong hadn't pulled her away, who knows what might have happened.

Seeing Ji Lan return with a dark expression—she was someone who couldn't hide her feelings—Han Yan smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"

Ji Lan didn't speak. Although she was furious inside, she didn't want Han Yan to hear those unpleasant words and feel hurt. But what she didn't know was that rumors were called rumors precisely because they were pervasive. Even though Ji Lan and Shu Hong had never mentioned these things in front of Han Yan, Han Yan wasn't deaf. She had long since been exposed to those harsh words.

"Did those maids say something unpleasant?" Han Yan asked with a smile.

Ji Lan was taken aback, first not understanding how Han Yan knew, but then she thought of her young mistress's intelligence—it would be hard not to know. She said indignantly, "Young Mistress, I really don't understand. You treated them quite well before. How is it that now, with the arrival of a princess from Western Rong, these people immediately change their faces? They are truly ungrateful."Indeed, Han Yan had no status in the Zhuang Manor since childhood and was accustomed to being bullied. She lacked the usual airs of a noble young lady, treating servants with kindness and tolerance, and everyone liked her. Even considering past affections, they shouldn’t have sided with that Western Rong princess against Han Yan.

"Ji Lan, in this world, it’s not always true that if you treat others well, they will treat you well in return," Han Yan sighed. "What choices others make are their own affairs. You shouldn’t feel obligated to repay me just because I once showed you kindness. Expecting gratitude for favors is often just wishful thinking." Her expression carried a touch of sorrow. In her past life, she had treated Madam Zhou and her daughter with sincerity, yet even after sacrificing her own name and happiness, she never received any repayment from that mother and daughter—let alone from these servants.