xymnovel Chapter 41: Aunt
Chapter 41: Aunt
Princess Qiyang was the only daughter of Empress Dowager Guo besides Emperor Muzong Li Heng. In terms of seniority, she was Li Ang's aunt.
Logically speaking, given her noble status, it would be normal for her to be domineering and arrogant.
But Princess Qiyang was exceptionally dignified and proper. Not only did she never overstep any boundaries before her marriage, but she was also willing to humble herself and personally serve her parents-in-law after marriage.
Later, when her husband, Du Cong, left the capital to take up his post, she voluntarily accompanied him. Along the way, she refused all gifts from local officials and acted so simply that she was not at all like a princess of the Tang Dynasty.
When Li Ang arrived at Xingqing Palace, Princess Qiyang was leaning against a couch, with a person who looked like a royal physician taking her pulse beside her.
Empress Dowager Guo stood to the side, her face showing obvious worry.
Upon seeing Li Ang enter, Princess Qiyang propped herself up and tried to rise to pay her respects.
Seeing this, Li Ang quickly took two steps forward and said.
"Auntie, you're lying down, no need for formalities."
After helping Princess Qiyang lie down again, Li Ang bowed to Empress Dowager Guo once more before glancing at the imperial physician beside him and asking, "It's been many years. Aunt, you seem to have grown quite thin. You've summoned the imperial physician; are you unwell?"
Princess Qiyang replied, "I just caught a cold from the long journey. I would have been fine with some medicine, but my mother was worried and insisted on summoning the imperial physician, which has caused His Majesty concern."
Li Ang looked his aunt up and down and saw that her face was obviously pale, and her health was not as good as she had said.
So he bent down and said gently, "Aunt, you must take care of your health. Nothing in the world is more important than your health. I'll have the Imperial Treasury bring over some good medicines so you can take good care of yourself."
Princess Qiyang wanted to say something more after hearing this, but Empress Dowager Guo stopped her and said, "Your Second Brother is being very kind, and as his aunt, you must not refuse."
Seeing this, Princess Qiyang fell silent and nodded, saying, "Then thank you very much, Erlang."
Empress Dowager Guo then stood up and said, "You must be exhausted after all this. I'll have someone prepare the medicine later. For the time being, you should stay in my palace until you've fully recovered before returning to the princess's residence."
"Mother..." Princess Qiyang bit her lower lip, but faced with Empress Dowager Guo's unquestionable gaze, she finally nodded and said, "I will listen to Mother."
After helping Princess Qiyang lie down, Empress Dowager Guo led Li Ang into the main hall.
It was only at this moment that she finally had a moment to ask the imperial physician who had just taken her pulse.
"What exactly is the condition of Qiyang's illness?"
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician immediately lowered his head and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the princess... suffers from liver qi stagnation and meridian damage due to years of travel and worry. I can only do my best to treat her, but... as the saying goes, a chronic illness is hard to cure, and the extent to which she will recover depends on the princess herself."
Upon hearing this, Li Ang immediately frowned.
He originally thought that his aunt's illness was just a minor one, but from the tone of the imperial physician, it seemed as if she was about to die.
"How could this happen? My aunt has been in good health all these years. How could she have become like this in such a short time?"
Seeing the emperor's anger, the imperial physician was also somewhat frightened and quickly explained.
"Your Majesty, I am merely reporting the truth. Judging from the pulse, the princess is weak and her old illness has been present for some time. The root cause of this illness lies in mental strain. I dare to guess that the princess must have some unresolved issues on her mind. Therefore, the best course of action now is for her to rest and recuperate. If the princess can resolve her inner conflict, she will naturally recover gradually."
A knot in my heart?
Li Ang frowned, momentarily puzzled.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that his aunt was raised with utmost pampering.
Her maternal family was a powerful clan like the Guo family, and she was the younger sister of the next emperor. When she got married, Emperor Xianzong even used the Shence Army to clear the way in the city for her sake.
With such honor and favor, what resentment could one possibly have?
Just as Li Ang was puzzled, Empress Dowager Guo sighed and said to the imperial physician.
"You may leave now. The princess has been staying with me these past few days. You should come every other day to check her pulse and take good care of her."
"Yes..." The imperial physician was relieved and quickly got up, bowed and took his leave.
"Grandmother..." Li Ang looked up and called out softly.
Empress Dowager Guo was silent for a moment, then said, "I originally didn't want to tell you about this, so as not to cause you any more trouble, but since things have come to this point, I have no choice but to tell you."
To my recollection, Empress Dowager Guo rarely showed such hesitation.
Li Ang quickly replied, "Please speak, Grandmother."
Empress Dowager Guo said, "Actually, you should know something about this matter. Qi Yang and her husband Du Cong have had a very deep relationship over the years, but in fact, Du Cong's parents have always been dissatisfied with this marriage."
dissatisfied?
Li Ang seemed to understand something: "Could it be that they feel that marrying his aunt would affect Du Cong's future?"
Empress Dowager Guo nodded, her face showing some helplessness, and said, "Although our dynasty does not prohibit the imperial son-in-law from entering officialdom, it still has some impact. Originally, Du Cong's parents had planned to find him a noblewoman for marriage, but because he later married into the Qiyang family, this matter had to be abandoned."
At this point, Empress Dowager Guo couldn't help but let out a soft snort and said, "In my opinion, Du Cong's talent is only average, but his parents insist that their son is a prime minister. It is only because he became the emperor's son-in-law that he has not been promoted for many years."
"Qiyang is gentle by nature. Over the years, we always thought that as long as she was respectful to her in-laws, they would accept her. But we never expected that the couple would be so ungrateful and repeatedly treat Qiyang coldly. As a result, they also do not like the children that Qiyang gave birth to."
"So later, when Du Cong was about to leave the capital, I simply let Qi Yang go with her. But I never expected that the journey would only worsen her condition. In retrospect, it was my fault. If I had known this would happen, I would have found her a normal family instead, so she would have been better off suffering for so many years."
By the end, Empress Dowager Guo's eyes were glistening with tears, clearly indicating that these matters had been buried in her heart for many years.
Upon hearing this, Li Ang was immediately enraged and said, "This is outrageous! How dare the Du family treat the royal princess so harshly? They are simply lawless!"
"Grandmother, in my opinion, Aunt Qiyang is just too kind. If it were any other princess, she would have already moved away with her husband to live separately. At that time, these people would have to beg and plead to see the princess. How could they dare to come here with a cold shoulder?"
"Rest assured, your grandson will issue an imperial decree immediately, demoting Du Cong and stripping him of his rank and official position, so that these people will know the consequences of daring to bully the royal princess!"
As he spoke, he stood up and walked out, looking furious, which prompted Empress Dowager Guo to stand up and scold him.
"Stop right there, come back!"
Li Ang stopped, pursed his lips, and reluctantly turned back to where he was.
Seeing his appearance, Empress Dowager Guo couldn't help but scold him again.
"I was afraid you would act so impulsively, which is why I haven't dared to tell you. It is said that the country is the family, but the country and the family are ultimately different. Du Cong's parents were not good to Qiyang, but that has nothing to do with Du Cong."
"Furthermore, Qiyang needs to recuperate right now. How can she recuperate if you punish her husband?"