Chapter 94
Changle and Su Li settled the matter with a conversation and a glance. Looking at it from Li Xueyan’s perspective, their understanding was truly remarkable. She was most concerned about Changle’s well-being after returning to Changan from Jiangxia. Thus, before coming, she had already gathered some impressions of Su Li through inquiries.
Common people tended to be superstitious, believing that Changle woke up shortly after Su Li became a consort, and they considered Su Li to be a sign of good luck. The nobility and those managing the Jiangxia County palace weren’t as ignorant as the common folks. They simply thought that Su Li had gotten lucky.
When Princess Changle fell ill, numerous renowned doctors were consulted, but many were baffled as they couldn’t identify her ailment. Given the mysterious nature of the illness, it couldn’t be approached conventionally. Therefore, Changle’s recovery might have been sudden and unexpected, and Su Li’s arrival was seen as auspicious.
Despite his status, Su Li was just an ordinary peasant, and in terms of wealth, he owned only a small piece of land. Apart from his handsome appearance, what could match Changle? Following common sense, such statements truly reflected the clarity of the situation.
Even Li Xueyan had such thoughts before visiting, though her impression of Su Li improved after meeting him. However, it was still not quite the ideal image Changle had in mind. Only after seeing Su Li’s writing and poems did Li Xueyan’s perception changed.
Evidently, the public had deep misunderstandings and biases about this consort. Su Li was far from being a simple, lucky peasant. With exceptional talents, he didn’t seek fame and only shared a deep connection with Changle. Li Xueyan couldn’t believe the rumors and gossip that circulated outside. She believed Su Li didn’t know about them.
Su Li knew and still chose to ignore it. Unintentionally, in Li Xueyan’s mind, Su Li’s image merged with that of the great historical scholars. Those scholars were merely figures in history books, no matter how detached from fame and fortune. But Su Li was a living, breathing individual before her eyes.
As fantasies blended with reality, Li Xueyan felt envious of Changle and admired Su Li. Her thoughts wandered through various emotions, creating a mix of admiration for Su Li’s realness amidst her envy for Changle.
Observing the deep affection between the couple, Li Xueyan couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. There was a time when she and Changle discussed their visions of future husbands. Now, Changle had found happiness as he wished, but what about herself? When would she meet her true destined partner? Such thoughts left Li Xueyan feeling a bit down.
She glanced at the poems on the desk and lowered her head, immersing herself in their words. Watching the woman lost in poetry before him, Su Li felt a surge of emotions. After all, this was Princess Wencheng, historically symbolizing the Tang Dynasty’s alliance with Tubo through marriage, exchanging her lifetime of happiness for the stability of the Tang Dynasty’s periphery, and introducing civilization to Tubo.
Even though her marriage to Tubo wasn’t a humiliation for the Tang Dynasty, and her contribution to the Central Plains was considerable, there was always something that couldn’t be overlooked. No matter her achievements or status, it wasn’t her desired life.
Li Er agreed to the Tubo marriage for his ambitions and dreams, not considering Li Xueyan’s feelings. The Tubo people admired the Tang Dynasty’s prosperity and sought to marry a noble Tang daughter. However, all of this came at the expense of the woman’s happiness right in front of them.
Whether it was Li Er, Songtsan Gampo, or the Tang Dynasty’s people, they had never truly considered Li Xueyan’s emotions. Su Li could imagine how difficult it must have been for her to marry alone in a foreign land among barbarians.
Even though she held a noble status, how could there be any happiness in such a place? The indigenous Tubo people were ignorant of etiquette and often behaved tyrannically. The living standards were drastically different from what she had known before. Finding a kindred spirit to talk to was nearly impossible.
This was the cruelest punishment imaginable for a woman with a gentle heart who had cherished poetry and longed for culture from a young age. Enduring such torment was her fate in Tubo. Could she still read poems from her homeland after being in Tubo?
In the Zhangsun Mansion’s main hall, Zhangsun Wuji looked at his son.
“I heard that there has been a lot of gossip in Changan City recently, mostly slandering Consort Su Li,” Zhangsun Wuji’s face turned sour as he addressed Zhangsun Chong.
Zhangsun Chong let out a cold laugh and said, “I’ve heard about it too. It’s only natural. Su Li was originally just a peasant who got lucky and became a consort. Given this fact, how could people not talk?”
Zhangsun Wuji’s face showed a trace of disappointment. He knew very well that these rumors were essentially spread by Zhangsun Chong himself. The common people were ignorant, and there was an inherent reverence for the royal authority. If no one was behind it, how could these rumors about the royal family spread rapidly and intensify?
“Rebellious child, you’re not telling me the truth even now?” Zhangsun Wuji said angrily. Seeing his father’s anger, Zhangsun Chong involuntarily shrank his neck. Since he was young, he had always been most afraid of his father.
However, when he thought of Su Li, an intense anger surged within him once again. Those words indeed came from him. In Zhangsun Chong’s eyes, he and Changle were childhood sweethearts, in perfect agreement, and this marriage was settled long ago. But Su Li, that peasant, had intervened and taken Changle away!
He couldn’t accept such humiliation. Furthermore, those words wouldn’t have spread if Su Li was truly capable and confident. This wasn’t defaming him. It was the truth.
Seeing Zhangsun Chong’s silent response, Zhangsun Wuji couldn’t help but sigh. Objectively, he could understand Zhangsun Chong’s feelings. However, that didn’t mean he could tolerate Zhangsun Chong’s actions.
Although Zhangsun Wuji was deeply involved in politics, he wasn’t entirely devoid of human compassion. He truly treated the marriage of his children as a form of capital, but he had put considerable thought into it.
Moreover, Zhangsun Chong was his eldest son and the future inheritor of the massive family legacy. For this reason, Zhangsun Wuji had arranged this marriage. But even with his power, not everything went as he wished.
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