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Su Qingyue looked at her parents, who wore cold expressions, and thought of their indifference in her past life. A sense of oppression and chill filled her heart.
She spoke softly, “Father, Mother, Yuling has grown up with me since childhood. You punish her like this without considering my feelings?”
Seeing her dodge the question, Su Qingyue’s father furrowed his brows tightly, anger deepening in his eyes.
Su Qingyue’s mother spoke in a calm tone, “They are servants. If they don’t serve their masters well, they deserve to be punished. Even if they’ve grown up together, they are still servants. Yue’er, you are going to be the empress one day; you must not be so sentimental. Otherwise, it will lead to your downfall.”
Su Qingyue’s mother spoke as if she genuinely cared for her daughter.
But Su Qingyue understood that they only cared about their own interests. In her previous life, they wanted to marry her off to Nangong Rong, and when she refused, they plotted against her, leading to her disfigurement and loss of innocence, forcing her to marry Nangong Mo.
Initially, they treated both her and Nangong Mo well, as he was also of royal blood, and there was a possibility he could ascend the throne. However, after Nangong Mo fell from grace and Nangong Rui began to rise, her parents absurdly considered marrying her off to Nangong Rui instead.
At the height of the power struggle, when the Prince of Xian was flourishing, they believed he would secure the throne, so they called her back, forced her to drink concocted tea, and planned to send her to Nangong Rui.
This was something that few parents in the world could do.
Fortunately, she sensed something was wrong that day and gritted her teeth to escape. After disappearing for a night, Nangong Mo began to doubt her purity and changed his attitude toward her.
Later, when Nangong Mo successfully eliminated the Xian royal family and ascended the throne, her parents acted as though nothing had happened, sweet-talking her and Nangong Mo.
Nangong Mo did please them for a few days, but it wasn’t long before the Su family faced extermination, accused of conspiring with the treasonous Xian royal family and harming Nangong Mo, who was now the emperor. Such accusations led to their execution.
As for her, she was hanged in the palace, branded as a suicide due to guilt, having been empress for just three days. She was then stripped of her title and buried as a commoner, her body discarded in the wilderness.
That was the tragic fate of her past life, and her parents, after death, were left unclaimed, tossed into a mass grave.
This was the fate of their family, all for the desire to become empress.
In this life, Su Qingyue had no intention of becoming an empress again, but while she could change her mind, her parents could not. They remained selfish and cold, only caring about their own interests, with nothing else mattering—even their own daughter.
Su Qingyue’s expression remained calm as she looked at her father and mother. “I understand, Mother.”
Seeing her not argue as she usually would, Su Qingyue’s mother was somewhat satisfied, but her expression soured again at the thought of her sneaking out.
“Yue’er, tell me, why did you sneak out? Where did you go?”
Su Qingyue stood straight, her expression emotionless as she replied, “I was bored at home, so I went out to have some fun for a couple of days.”
With a loud slap, Su Qingyue’s father slammed his hand on the table, his face twisted with anger as he shouted, “You’ve gone too far! Sneaking out without a word. Do you know how important a woman’s reputation is? How can you ever become an empress like this?”
Su Qingyue scoffed, “Empress? Father, I don’t want to be an empress. I’m already twenty-one and still unmarried. Other girls my age have already had children. Do you know how many people in Nanyang City are laughing at me? Just because of this so-called innate Phoenix destiny, my life has been ruined. Father, I don’t want this Phoenix destiny anymore. You can let whoever become the empress; I’m not blessed enough for it.”
Su Qingyue decided to take this opportunity to tell them her intentions.
Whether they accepted it or not was their business. Regardless, they could no longer control her life. She didn’t want to be a puppet anymore.
With a loud slap, Su Qingyue’s father stood up and slapped her across the face. He was so furious that he was about to explode, gritting his teeth and snarling, “You only have one path, and that is to become empress. Yue’er, don’t disappoint your father. Be obedient and do as you’re told, or you’ll regret it!”
Su Qingyue’s father’s voice shifted from anger to calmness, a hint of threat making it even more terrifying.
Su Qingyue’s mother hurriedly said, “What are you agitated about? Can’t you talk properly? You had to resort to violence. Our Yue’er’s face is precious; it can’t sustain any damage.”
Su Qingyue listened to these words, her eyes filled with coldness.
She straightened up, her face flushed, and looked at her father, her eyes filled with stubbornness.
“Father, have you ever considered my happiness? Do you think I’ll be happy just by becoming empress? Or are you only concerned with your own interests, with whether your daughter can become empress, and whether she wants to or is happy doesn’t matter, right?”
Being questioned by her daughter like this, Su Qingyue’s father was even more enraged. He raised his hand to strike again, but Su Qingyue didn’t dodge and just looked up, awaiting the blow.
Ultimately, his hand stopped. Seeing his daughter’s cold eyes, Su Qingyue’s father felt a wave of unease and fear, unable to strike her.
But he couldn’t save face, so he snorted coldly and returned to his seat.
“Yue’er, how can you think about your father like this? Your father has sacrificed so much for you and your brother, and he’s so good to you both. You know that. How can you say such things to hurt his heart?”
Su Qingyue’s mother chimed in, accusing her.
Su Qingyue understood that their minds were unchangeable. She had been delusional, trying to make them abandon their coveted interests and power.
She regained her composure and calmed down. “Father, Mother, I understand. I won’t say these things again.”
Hearing this, Su Qingyue’s mother’s expression brightened, and the anger on Su Qingyue’s father’s face softened, his furrowed brows slowly relaxing.
Su Qingyue said, “Father, Mother, if there’s nothing else, I’ll retire to my room.”
“Wait.”
Su Qingyue’s father spoke.
“What were you doing on this trip out?”
Hearing her father’s questioning, Su Qingyue replied, “Nothing much. I just felt very stifled, so I wanted to go out for a while. I knew you wouldn’t agree, so I went out secretly.”
“Oh, and Mother, I actually knew you would punish Yuling severely. I understand you. You said I’m sentimental, but that’s just a facade. My so-called sentimentality is just a show for others. Look, my maids are so loyal because of it. It’s just a way to win people over. Mother, you can’t even see through that.”
Su Qingyue’s mother looked at her daughter in astonishment. It was the same face, but the coldness in her eyes made her feel a twinge of unease. It felt as though her daughter had changed.
“Next time you need to punish someone, Mother, feel free to make it severe, as long as they aren’t killed or maimed. If they die or are injured, it will affect my use of my servants.”
After saying this, Su Qingyue turned and left.
Leaving her parents staring at each other in bewilderment.
The two remained silent. Just as they were about to get up and leave, Su Qingyue returned.