Chapter 239: Why is it so difficult to live well?

There were still seven or eight days until the New Year, and Qi Min would let her stay to celebrate before returning.

Gu Huaizhi, unwilling to dampen her spirits, intertwined his fingers with hers and said, “I’ll take you to attend the Peach Blossom Banquet^[1]桃花宴 (Peach Blossom Banquet) refers to a themed banquet or culinary experience centered around peaches, peach blossoms, and peach kernels as primary ingredients. It is not just a meal but an … Continue reading in the capital.”

Su Wan’s eyes lit up. The Peach Blossom Banquet in Great Zhou was held in March. She clung tightly to Gu Huaizhi’s arm and said, “We must return to the capital at the latest after the New Year!”

Gu Huaizhi lowered his gaze. Seeing her bright, smiling face, the corners of his lips subtly curved upward.

The two left the palace and headed to the Siyi Pavilion.

As they stepped down from the carriage, they saw from a distance someone sitting on the stone steps at the entrance.

The young girl was curled up into a ball, her arms wrapped around her legs, her face buried in her knees. She wore a snow hat, revealing only a pair of bright black eyes staring blankly at the street.

Su Wan recognized her as Jiu Ge and quickly walked over, crouching in front of her.

“Big sister!” Jiu Ge saw who it was and threw herself into Su Wan’s arms, tears streaming down her face. “My brother left suddenly this morning without telling me where he was going. He said he’d be back before nightfall. He won’t lie to me this time, right?”

“Ge’er, I came here specifically at your brother’s request,” Su Wan said as she gently patted Jiu Ge’s head. Her words were heart-wrenching. “Let’s talk inside.”

Jiu Ge felt a deep unease. She couldn’t figure out what had happened for her brother to ask Su Wan to deliver a message.

Not daring to delay, she quickly pulled Su Wan into the house.

“Big sister, I heard people talking about a coup in the palace, someone trying to force their way into power. Did my brother go to the palace?”

Jiu Ge’s face turned pale. She had felt uneasy when she first heard the rumors but dismissed them, believing her brother would never do such a thing. 

However, Su Wan’s appearance forced her to consider the worst.

“Your father staged a coup, and Jiu Yu entered the palace in an attempt to resolve the crisis,” Su Wan explained succinctly, recounting the events to Jiu Ge. “Your father was executed on the spot, and Jiu Yu was implicated and arrested. Fortunately, the Imperial court showed mercy for the sake of familial ties. You were spared the death penalty and exiled to Yu City. From now on, you can live your own lives.”

“Father…” Jiu Ge’s eyes flashed with shock. Then, as she grasped the meaning behind Su Wan’s words, the light in her eyes shattered. “Why would he do this?”

Hadn’t her mother’s downfall served as a lesson for him?

“Ge’er, do you hate us?” Su Wan asked, watching Jiu Ge’s desolate expression. It was as if all her hopes for life had vanished in an instant, and Su Wan’s heart felt like it was being clenched.

“Hate you? Why would I hate you?” Jiu Ge’s tears streamed down as she spoke sorrowfully. “This was all their own doing. If they hadn’t tried to seize power, we could still be living peacefully. Our family wouldn’t have to be torn apart, and my brother and I wouldn’t have to endure such hardships.

We’ve worked so hard, so hard. No matter how hopeless things seemed, we gave everything we had just to survive… Why is it so difficult to simply live a good life?”

“It wasn’t the Imperial court showing mercy for the sake of blood ties, was it? It was you who pleaded on my brother’s behalf, wasn’t it?”

Jiu Ge laughed and cried at the same time. “Sometimes, I think it would have been better to have died in that sea of fire back then… it would have been the end of everything…”

If she truly had to hate someone, the ones she hated were her parents.

Was power really more important than their family?

Watching Jiu Ge cry like a child, Su Wan felt a pang of heartache and held her tightly. “Everything will get better.”

Jiu Ge clutched Su Wan’s clothes tightly and broke into sobs.

Su Wan’s eyes grew moist. Once Jiu Ge had finished venting her emotions, Su Wan gently said, “Pack your belongings tonight. I’ll have someone deliver medicine and travel funds to you. They’ll escort you to the city gate to wait for Jiu Yu. The two of you will go to Yu City together.”

Jiu Ge nodded.

Su Wan stayed with Jiu Ge for most of the day before bidding her farewell and leaving.

Jiu Ge stood by the window, watching Su Wan’s figure disappear from view. She continued to stand there for a long time before slowly closing the window. As she turned around, she was suddenly startled by the sight of a black-clad youth standing in the room, causing her to scream in fright.