mtl008 Chapter 553 What makes you think you can take responsibility?
Chapter 553 What makes you think you can take responsibility?
Hua Rui's acupoints were sealed by Lu Yangyang with silver needles, leaving her completely powerless and unable to resist.
But she still forced herself to kneel down and beg Lu Yangyang, her eyes reddening.
"I beg you, I beg you, come at me..."
"I'm the one who did these things. You can do whatever you want to me, but please, please don't hurt them. They're innocent..."
Lu Yangyang neither pulled her nor stopped her, watching her stumble and fall to the ground, struggling to get up and crawl to her feet.
She just looked at her quietly, "Weren't those who died because of your sisters' selfishness innocent?"
The hand that Hua Rui had stretched out stiffly fell to the ground.
"When you did this, did you not consider that the person you kidnapped was the daughter of the prefect? Do you think Huayuelou could escape? You want to take responsibility alone, but what makes you think you can take responsibility? Do you think that just because you say it has nothing to do with Huayuelou, it has nothing to do with you? Or do you think that after this incident becomes a big deal, the Crown Prince and your sister will run around for you and protect you, or protect Huayuelou for you?"
Lu Yangyang continued, "This matter also involves His Highness. Do you think it's possible for you to take responsibility for your actions alone? Why don't you guess, between your sister whom you haven't seen for many years and His Highness whom you've relied on for over a decade, who would your dear sister choose?"
Hua Rui struggled to raise her head and look at Lu Yangyang.
"Do you think that with His Highness backing you up, this matter won't escalate?" Lu Yangyang asked.
Hua Rui pressed her fingertips together, her lips trembling slightly.
"The daughter of the prefect you kidnapped is backed by the Duke of Shengguo's mansion in the capital. A useless prince who has been ordered to be imprisoned by the emperor and will never inherit the throne is fighting against a powerful duke's mansion. Don't think that your confession alone will be of any use, or even if you add your entire Huayuelou, do you think it will work? Why did His Highness tell you to cover your tracks? Haven't you thought about why?" Lu Yangyang ruthlessly shattered all her hopes: "He was just telling you from the beginning that this matter is your responsibility, Huayuelou, and has nothing to do with him."
"Now that I have found you, what do you think Huayuelou can use to exonerate itself?"
"Do you really want to drag your blood-related sisterhood down with you?"
At this moment, Hua Rui finally broke down completely.
She had never been to the capital and knew very little about it. She had talked to guests from the capital, but they were just businessmen. To them, the imperial palace and the princes were like words in a book, the sun in the sky—existing things they couldn't look directly at, things they couldn't even imagine.
How could she possibly know what kind of people they were?
When her sister approached her for help, she only told her that the person was someone she would risk her life to protect, someone who was her life.
She went without hesitation, wanting only to help her fulfill her wish.
She never considered what the consequences would be.
Although she felt uneasy and pondered right and wrong, none of it compared to her longing and concern for her sister. Her sister was her only family in this world, and nothing could be more important than that.
It wasn't until the Crown Prince asked her to kidnap the Prefect's daughter that she realized for the first time that what her sister had asked her to do was not so simple. Not only would she be at risk, but it might even implicate the people at Huayuelou.
She couldn't refuse her sister, couldn't resist the temptation of being with her sister, but after it actually happened, she began to feel afraid, afraid of implicating the Flower Moon Pavilion. This was the reason why she was reluctant to leave.
She thought that if the truth ever came out, at least she could bear it alone and it wouldn't implicate the Flower Moon Pavilion.
But it wasn't until this moment that she realized just how naive she had been.
How could a courtesan like her possibly claim responsibility for her own actions when the powerful and wealthy are playing their games?
They only need to get a little angry, and the entire Flower Moon Pavilion will be destroyed.
Hua Rui lowered her head little by little, tears falling silently one by one. With all her might, she struggled and pleaded, "Please, please..."
"If you've thought it through, answer my question, and I can guarantee that your Flower Moon Pavilion will not be implicated," Lu Yangyang said, looking at her.
Hua Rui closed her eyes, having completely given up struggling. "I'll talk..."
Lu Yangyang bent down, pulled her up, and handed her a handkerchief.
Hua Rui clutched a handkerchief in her hand, looking dazed.
"Does the Miao region have any way to cure His Highness?" Lu Yangyang asked the same question again.
Hua Rui's eyes still showed struggle, but she still spoke up: "No, I've seen His Highness's injuries. It's a paralysis caused by a high fever in his childhood, and it's incurable. Although Miao medicine is skilled in bone diseases, it can't cure this. At most, it can only relieve the pain, not restore him to his original state. But..."
The flower stamen fell silent.
"But what?" Lu Yangyang had known about the Crown Prince's symptoms for a long time and knew that it was impossible to cure. She had also asked Elder Meng and received the same answer.
The reason she insisted on asking Hua Rui this question was because she felt that the Crown Prince's purpose in orchestrating Yan Yue's disappearance was probably not so simple.
Hua Rui nervously fiddled with the handkerchief in her hand, and after a long while, she spoke with a sigh of relief: "There are more than ten villages in Miao territory that have worshipped the Gu God for generations. The oaths made to the Gu God will definitely come true. Miao territory has a secret that cannot be told to outsiders. The first oath that people born in Miao territory make after they are born and become aware of things is to keep this secret to the death. If they break it, they will be punished. Not only will they never be able to practice Gu again, but they will also suffer the backlash of the Gu worms and die young."
"Legend has it that the Gu God resides on the shores of Crescent Lake, between Huoyin Mountain and the dense forests of the southwest. There is an ancient kingdom there called Yuechuan Kingdom. Although Miao Jiang submitted to Da Zhao after its establishment due to military suppression, it has always served Yuechuan Kingdom. The Gu worms that the successive rulers of Yuechuan Kingdom have nurtured are called Longevity Gu, which is the Gu God's incarnation in the human world. It can revive the dead, heal bones, regenerate rotten flesh, and restore vitality to dead skin."
“These are all rumors from Miao territory. We have been strictly forbidden from discussing anything related to Yuechuan Kingdom since childhood. However, on the day of the sacrifice to the Gu God, the High Priest will disappear for a few days, and when the Holy Maiden reaches marriageable age, she will be secretly sent to Yuechuan Kingdom. Therefore, we all believe that Yuechuan Kingdom exists, and we also believe that the Gu God will protect us.”
“After my sister came back, she mentioned the Yuechuan Kingdom to me. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but I vaguely felt that she came back this time probably for the Longevity Gu.”
Hua Rui had guessed her sister's purpose, but she missed her sister too much, and the joy of reuniting with her sister overshadowed everything else, so she didn't have time to think about it further.