The Tale of the Imprisoned Concubine - Chapter 171, The Unbearable Truth (Part 1)

Two months later:
Ever since Duanmu Yun was imprisoned, Emperor Xuli seemed to have forgotten about it. For two whole months, he didn't mention it to Mingruo. Since he didn't bring it up, she naturally didn't dare to ask. But it would be a lie to say she wasn't worried; however, how could she dare to speak if Emperor Xuli didn't speak?
If Mingruo wasn't stupid, she knew how serious Duanmu Yun's crimes were. He had suffered two consecutive defeats, lost the lives of nearly a million soldiers, and his eldest brother had died tragically. He had also killed his third brother... No matter what, even if Emperor Xuli spared him, he couldn't stop the gossip of the people.
Mingruo placed the embroidered socks in the basket, rested her chin on her hand, and looked out the window. Perhaps because of the tense situation caused by Duanmu Yun's defeat, Emperor Xuli had been extremely busy these past few days, so busy that he had barely had time to eat. Mingruo found it strange. Although the situation was indeed not good, cleaning up the mess should have been easy for Emperor Xuli, so why was he still so busy?
She ate alone, but had no appetite. While worrying about Duanmu Yun, she also thought of Emperor Xuli, and had to be careful not to be too downcast, lest it hurt the child.
Mingruo rested her hands on the table, lost in thought. The embroidery thread and fabric in the basket were neatly arranged, but in all that time, she had only embroidered one small sock.
Looking back at the bed, Mingruo yawned slightly. Feeling a bit tired, she got up and walked towards the dragon bed, intending to take a nap before Emperor Xuli returned. But just as she sat down on the edge of the bed, a clear sound came from the beaded curtain: "Madam."
That voice was… Mingruo suddenly turned her head: “…Hai Lian?”
“Madam still remembers Hai Lian.” A woman dressed in a light pink palace maid’s dress stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Ming Ruo, and then raised her head and smiled, but the smile was extremely bitter: “Hai Lian has dared to come here today, still wanting to ask Madam for a favor.”
Mingruo stared at her blankly for a long time before lowering her head and turning her face away: "I'm sorry, I can't agree."
"Madam won't even listen to Hai Lian say a word?!"
“It’s not a matter of whether I’m willing or not, but rather…” Mingruo took a soft breath.
"Besides, even if I went to see him, it would be of no use. My visit would only intensify the Emperor's anger, and his life would only become more difficult." Avoiding him was the best protection. Mingruo understood this perfectly. Moreover… what identity would she have to see him in now?
Imperial concubine, wife, or old friend?
“Madam!” Hai Lian shook her head, tears slowly welling up in her eyes.
“Even if Madam didn’t go, the General wouldn’t live much longer.” Seeing the fleeting panic in Mingruo’s eyes, she smiled bitterly, “After the General was imprisoned, everyone went their separate ways. Because the General had already sensed something before returning to the capital, he had ordered us subordinates to leave and forced everyone to swear an oath not to do anything foolish for him. At that time, Hailian was at the front gathering intelligence, so she didn’t swear an oath, and naturally it can’t be considered a breach of it. If he hadn’t been driven to desperation, the General wouldn’t have said such a thing! Madam…” She looked at Mingruo, her expression somewhat dazed.
"The general is destined to lose his life. Whether you go to see him or not, you can't save him again." If the lady pleads, the emperor will only be more furious; if the lady doesn't plead, the general's crimes are enough to warrant the confiscation of his property and execution.
"The general has lived a lonely life, without any relatives. His wife was the love of his heart. If even his wife is unwilling to see him one last time before he dies... the general will not be able to rest in peace even in death."
"Shut up!" Ming Ruo suddenly stood up, her purple eyes as cold as ice, staring at Hai Lian. "He's not dead yet!"
Hai Lian burst into tears and knelt down in front of Ming Ruo: "He's not dead, but he'll be soon... The general has already lost an arm! The emperor said he would imprison him for life and that he wouldn't kill him, but that doesn't mean he won't be tortured! Madam, Madam—" She crawled over on her knees and grabbed Ming Ruo's skirt.
"Hai Lian begs you, please go see him, just once! The Emperor dotes on you so much, he'll definitely let you go! The general is dying, the general is about to die—"
Her voice was hoarse from crying, utterly filled with sorrow. Mingruo's lips trembled, her hands clenched into fists, and she uttered broken sentences: "...What did you just say?" Who did she say had lost an arm? Who?!
"The general had his arm cut off by the emperor on the third day after he was imprisoned, saying that he was to punish him for his poor leadership and for causing the death of the eldest prince on the battlefield."
Hai Lian prostrated herself on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably: "I'm innocent! What a terrible crime! If the Crown Prince hadn't found military life so tedious and miserable that he sneaked out of the camp to abduct women from a border town, how could he have attracted the attention of Jiang Kingdom spies?! The general tried to dissuade him repeatedly, but the Crown Prince wouldn't listen! That's how he got himself killed, and even cost the lives of many soldiers!"
Even if Mingruo were stupid, she could tell that something was wrong: "Last time, the eldest prince was not the commander-in-chief."
"Although he was not the commander-in-chief, he frequently insulted the general, relying on his status as a prince. The general was broad-minded and did not hold it against him, so he tried every means to trip up the general. It was he who sold the general's maps and tactics to the Jiang Kingdom!"
Mingruo gasped.
"The Emperor knows...he knows all these things!" Hai Lian cried even harder, her face deathly pale, her eyes red and swollen. Ming Ruo stared at her blankly, feeling as if her heart was being torn to pieces by her words, filled with unbearable pain and torment.
"The day you returned to the palace with the Emperor, General, I had a premonition. During the first campaign, the First Prince was the Emperor's pawn planted in the army! He effortlessly used the First Prince to destroy our army and harm you, General! The second time… Madam, do you know? This time, we didn't see any of the grain supplies transported by the court!" Grain supplies are military provisions, even more important than weapons! And what happened? Not only did they not see any grain supplies, but countless urgent memorials were like stones sinking into the sea, never to be heard from again!
Without supplies, how can soldiers fight?! It's such a simple question, everyone understands.
Ke Mingruo could not believe that Emperor Xuli would needlessly sacrifice the lives of nearly a million soldiers just to kill Duanmu Yun, and all of this was because of her—what did she do to deserve this!
Seeing Mingruo's disbelief, Hailian bit her lip and said, "Madam, whether you believe it or not, Hailian has never told a lie from beginning to end. The general was defeated, the eldest prince died tragically, and everything was under the Emperor's control. Although the Emperor dotes on you, he is still the Emperor. No matter how clever and insightful you are, you cannot fathom his true nature. Hailian risked her life to enter the palace today to beg you to see the general, and she was prepared to die. You are confined in this deep palace every day, so naturally you do not know what has happened outside. Hailian has said all she has to say. Please have mercy and go see the general one last time!" After saying this, she rushed towards a pillar. Mingruo cried out in alarm and reached out to grab her, but her hand brushed against the hem of Hailian's clothes. Not only did she fail to stop Hailian, but she also accidentally trampled on the clothes herself.

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The Tale of the Imprisoned Concubine - Chapter 171, The Unbearable Truth (Part 1)

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