Chapter 207.1

Chapter 207.1

The coronation ceremony of the empress was a significant and crucial event for the nation.

The imperial decree had already been announced throughout the capital, so the entire city knew that today was the day for the new emperor to crown his empress.

When the bells of the palace began to ring in unison, the entire Forbidden City, even the entire inner city, quieted down involuntarily. Everyone who heard the sound of the bells and drums couldn’t help but look toward the direction of the palace.

In a luxurious mansion not far from the palace, a young woman in a green dress was tending to the flowers in the garden with a hoe.

Upon hearing the sound of the palace bells, she paused for a moment, suddenly remembering that today was the day of the empress’s coronation ceremony.

She felt a bit absent-minded and lost, and a sentence involuntarily echoed in her mind: Did she regret it?

If she hadn’t been aloof and proud, perhaps she would have been the one being crowned as empress.

A myriad of images appeared in her mind for a moment: the disgust she felt when she was young, the suffocating sense of despair, the pounding of her heart when she first saw her, the panic when she was told she would marry the fifth prince, the helplessness of her failed suicide attempt. Many memories suddenly became clear, and past events became vivid in her mind.

Yet, along with these memories, her heart felt bitter, melancholic, and nostalgic, intertwining into a taste that couldn’t be described as simply sweet, sour, bitter, or spicy.

But at the same time, her heart was also telling her that she didn’t regret it.

Although the journey had been arduous, with a lot of filth entangled with it, wasn’t it a kind of experience, a kind of maturation, a kind of profound understanding gained through countless trials and tribulations?

If she had died back then, how could she have learned to savour all these flavours?

The same sentiments were echoed by Huiniang and Lancao.

Compared to Wu-shi and Huiniang, Lancao was visibly more reserved. She was usually very open-minded, but today she seemed a bit constrained. Fortunately, Yaoniang wasn’t a demanding person, and she was always able to empathize with others. When she first entered the palace, she was also somewhat restrained.

Yaoniang didn’t speak to Wu-shi and the others in the main hall but led them to a side room where only close acquaintances were allowed. She sat opposite Wushi, while Huiniang and Lancao sat on the seats below. Dong Ge’er and the others stood beside them.

It was evident that the children had been disciplined before entering the palace; they were all well-behaved. It made Yaoniang feel a little heartache; after all, she had taken care of Dong Ge’er and the others since they were young.

She beckoned and smiled, “Why don’t you recognize your little aunt anymore?”

Seeing Yaoniang’s familiar smile, Dong Ge’er and the others finally found traces of their familiar little aunt in this esteemed lady.

“Little Aunt.” The eldest boy, Dong Ge’er, who was already ten years old, and had the longest association with Yaoniang, came forward on his own. Yuan Ge’er and Ming Ge’er followed him.

Yaoniang patted each of their heads and said, “Although there are many rules in the palace, you don’t have to be too formal when you come to your little aunt’s place.”

“Yes, little aunt,” the children said in unison.

Xiaobao and Erbao walked in, and as soon as Yaoniang saw them, she waved and said, “Come and greet your grandmother and aunts.”

Both Wu-shi and Huiniang were fine, with bright smiles all over their faces, but Lancao automatically stood up and said again and again: “It’s not right, it’s not right. How can two princes pay respects to this commoner woman?”