Chapter 397: If I Suffer, So Will Everyone Else
“You two ungrateful brats! How dare you put Xiaoxuan in such a difficult position?!”
Seeing Concubine Lan and Yu Meiyao hesitate, afraid they would alert the guards, Old Madam Chen stomped her foot in frustration. She glared fiercely at both of them, her voice lowered but still filled with anger.
“He’s just one person! What do you expect him to do?! Leave this old woman behind instead?!”
Not wanting to waste any more time, Yu Xiaoxuan clenched his jaw and finally made a decision.
“Enough! I can take two people at most. You decide who stays.”
His words sent shockwaves through the mother and daughter.
Yu Xiaoxuan had originally planned to leave Concubine Lan behind—after all, as a concubine, she would still have to share his father with his mother if they returned.
But as a man, he also couldn’t stand the thought of Concubine Lan staying behind to suffer. If something happened to her, the one to lose face would be his own father.
Right now, Yu Xiaoxuan wasn’t thinking about his mother’s past warnings at all.
The moment he spoke, Concubine Lan and Yu Meiyao’s expressions changed.
Concubine Lan’s heart ached as she looked at her once-pampered daughter, now reduced to a shell of her former self. But what truly pained her was the years of effort she had put into raising her daughter—only to be so easily cast aside.
After a brief moment of internal struggle, she gritted her teeth and made a choice—
Her daughter should go.
As long as Yu Meiyao survived, she could one day return to the capital and marry into power. That way, Concubine Lan would have a future to rely on.
Just as she was about to speak, a desperate voice interrupted her.
“Take me!”
Yu Meiyao clung tightly to Yu Xiaoxuan’s arm, shaking it furiously as she pleaded.
“Brother! Take me with you! I’m just a girl—if I stay here, it’s too dangerous! If they find out I’m alone, they’ll definitely bully me!”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to look at Concubine Lan, her expression pitiful and full of struggle.
“Auntie… you won’t blame me, will you? I know you can’t bear to leave me here alone, right? You know how they…”
Concubine Lan’s heart sank.
She had just decided to sacrifice herself for her daughter, yet Yu Meiyao hadn’t even considered her in return.
For the first time, Concubine Lan doubted everything.
She had spent years grooming her daughter, hoping she would be her lifelong support—but at this critical moment, Meiyao hadn’t spared a single thought for her.
She suddenly wondered—was placing all her hopes on her daughter really the right choice?
“Fine.” Concubine Lan’s smile became stiff, but she forced herself to remain composed. “I’ll stay behind, then. Just go.”
Yu Xiaoxuan let out a sigh of relief.
“Auntie Lan, I’ll find a way to come back for you. Besides, Yu Luo doesn’t have much personal hatred against you—so even if I take Grandmother and Meiyao, she likely won’t punish you too harshly.”
“Enough talking! If we delay any longer, the patrols will be back, and none of us will make it out!”
Old Madam Chen had already wiped away her tears, and she grabbed onto Yu Xiaoxuan, urging him forward.
“Mom, Second Brother is right. He’ll come back for you soon!”
Realizing her mother looked oddly distant, Yu Meiyao hurried to reassure her.
But she failed to notice—Concubine Lan’s gaze had changed.
Her heart had already gone cold.
“Yes, yes. Just go.”
Forcing a smile, Concubine Lan gently pushed her daughter forward.
Yu Xiaoxuan grabbed both women, used his light footwork, and leaped over the wall—their figures disappearing into the darkness.
As Concubine Lan stood alone, she slowly looked around the desolate courtyard.
Now, she was truly alone.
She wasn’t worried about moving the heavy millstone—what infuriated her was that she had been left behind.
Her gaze darkened as she bolted toward the front gate.
*
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
The guards at the gate immediately blocked her path, their faces stern.
“You trying to get yourself whipped again?!”
“Back to work! If you don’t grind all that corn, don’t even think about eating tonight!”
One of the guards raised his whip, bringing it down hard—
CRACK!
The leather snapped against the wooden doorframe, making Concubine Lan flinch involuntarily.
She immediately backed away.
“Wait! No, no, no! I have news!”
“The old lady—she was just taken away!”
The guard froze, his grip tightening on the whip.
“You sure?”
“Of course! I saw it with my own eyes!”
The guard hesitated for a split second—then pushed her back into the small storage room where they slept.
“Lock her in.”
Concubine Lan barely had time to react before the door slammed shut—leaving her trapped inside.
The guard immediately ran off to report the escape.
Inside, Concubine Lan looked around at the piles of corn husks where she had slept for months.
She let out a low, bitter laugh.
“Trying to leave me behind?”
Her eyes gleamed coldly.
“Fine. If I suffer, then everyone suffers.”
She knew Yu Luo wouldn’t just let this slide.
Even if Yu Luo didn’t kill Old Madam Chen, she would definitely make her pay.
And as for herself?
Concubine Lan’s lips curled into a smirk.
Since her husband hadn’t come to save her…
She wouldn’t be polite anymore.
